Wapsi Square Forum

Warrl wrote:How is Castela talking before everything gets sort of reconnected?

(In her case, it isn't surprising that decapitation is not a big deal; I'd expect it to be easy to fix, perhaps causing her to lose a little weight...)

She can talk in "bush" mode. Go back to the storyline where they met the Bear Twins at the ParanorMall.

Paranormal sleepovers produce massive destruction and carnage, and that's what makes them good. Got it.

Warrl wrote:How is Castela talking before everything gets sort of reconnected?

(In her case, it isn't surprising that decapitation is not a big deal; I'd expect it to be easy to fix, perhaps causing her to lose a little weight...)

Humans vocalize, be it singing, talking, or screaming like little girls, by exhaling and using the air flow to cause vocal cords to vibrate. By adjusting rate of vibration and shaping the sounds through mouth and tongue, we produce words. That's why stories about decapitated heads that talk are... dubious... unless magic is involved.

Pickle wouldn't need to have lungs, she can be producing speech like a stereo speaker or violin: A vibrating surface or string produces the noise, and she simply needs to control that vibration to produce words. That's how she can talk when she's in bush form. She could probably be a choir all on her own if her mind could control the multiple parts. Or sing in a vocal range no human could match.

That may be an explanation for her stutter/stammer issue - all the different parts trying to make sounds at the same time.

jwhouk wrote:That may be an explanation for her stutter/stammer issue - all the different parts trying to make sounds at the same time.

I believe you may be right. My speach impediment was eventually diagnosed as "processor outrunning I/O device requiring reset" or not having the ability to insert WAIT cycles into the TALK subroutine as needed. Now I have "unable to retrieve word from storage, FAT corrupted" since the wreck. The funny thing is the first one gets words repeated while the second gets dead silence, but the effect is the same: communication is halted until the program gets reset and the error cleared. (Can you tell I used to be a computer nerd?)

Opus the Poet wrote:

jwhouk wrote:That may be an explanation for her stutter/stammer issue - all the different parts trying to make sounds at the same time.

I believe you may be right. My speach impediment was eventually diagnosed as "processor outrunning I/O device requiring reset" or not having the ability to insert WAIT cycles into the TALK subroutine as needed. Now I have "unable to retrieve word from storage, FAT corrupted" since the wreck. The funny thing is the first one gets words repeated while the second gets dead silence, but the effect is the same: communication is halted until the program gets reset and the error cleared. (Can you tell I used to be a computer nerd?)

"...used to be..."? I didn't know there was a 'used to be' with computer nerdom...

Jabberwonky wrote:"...used to be..."? I didn't know there was a 'used to be' with computer nerdom...

The status of computer nerd-dom can be revoked, but it's generally agreed to involve a complete replacement of all of your structural materials, neurons, personality, and history.

It's like the fabled "jack up the radiator cap, and drive a new car body and engine and transmission in under it", but moreso.

Dave wrote:It's like the fabled "jack up the radiator cap, and drive a new car body and engine and transmission in under it", but moreso.

Now I know how to fix that old car in the backyard.

jwhouk wrote:That may be an explanation for her stutter/stammer issue - all the different parts trying to make sounds at the same time.

As someone who still has some problems with a stutter, that's pretty close. Words are trying to be heard and getting way ahead of the hardware, and everything wants to be heard all at once. It's mostly controlled through little tricks here and there, but when I'm tired physically/emotionally/mentally, it becomes noticeable. Or over excited.

kingklash wrote:

jwhouk wrote:That may be an explanation for her stutter/stammer issue - all the different parts trying to make sounds at the same time.

As someone who still has some problems with a stutter, that's pretty close. Words are trying to be heard and getting way ahead of the hardware, and everything wants to be heard all at once. It's mostly controlled through little tricks here and there, but when I'm tired physically/emotionally/mentally, it becomes noticeable. Or over excited.

Lot of different reasons for stammering, yes. I think it's a basic issue with Castela, though, because of how she's made-up.

I wonder if we could end up with a pair of Whatsits this way, since she can be split and still function? That could get awkward, as little mini-Castelas sprout up around Minneapolis wherever a little bit of her got knocked loose and found a good place to take root. Atsali would really have to watch for suspicious loops of rope underfoot then, and perhaps increase her cookie storage.

jwhouk wrote:

kingklash wrote:

jwhouk wrote:That may be an explanation for her stutter/stammer issue - all the different parts trying to make sounds at the same time.

As someone who still has some problems with a stutter, that's pretty close. Words are trying to be heard and getting way ahead of the hardware, and everything wants to be heard all at once. It's mostly controlled through little tricks here and there, but when I'm tired physically/emotionally/mentally, it becomes noticeable. Or over excited.

Lot of different reasons for stammering, yes. I think it's a basic issue with Castela, though, because of how she's made-up.

I think it's a basic issue with being five.

jwhouk wrote:I think it's a basic issue with Castela, though, because of how she's made-up.

Silly man, Castela's too young for make-up...

Jabberwonky wrote:

jwhouk wrote:I think it's a basic issue with Castela, though, because of how she's made-up.

Silly man, Castela's too young for make-up...

I knew someone would take that bait.

meisdadoo wrote:Just my humble opines
1. Pickle is a plant, doesn't actually have "parts" like members of the animal family. She coils into forms resembling parts, but still just a plant. Like Groot.
2. Everyone else is sporting bandages and plaster casts, indicating lacerations and broken bones.
3. Pickle just wants to fit in, so she is holding her "head".
4. I don't think Atsali will be able to retract her wing with bandage on it.
5. Moms are not and will not be amused. Once the worry is gone--wrath of mom will start.
6. It could have been worse.
7. Lets all go to Tina's for refreshing beverages!

I don't think the moms will actually be that upset, though they will pretend to be . . . like Katherine did after the snare. This was more predictable hijinks combined with spectacularly bad luck . . . perfect storm material.

OTOH, if Atsali is that much of a spas, why isn't the AV stand and TV fastened down?

Gripping hand, maybe the TV was fastened to the stand, which is why the injuries are so bad.

jwhouk wrote:That may be an explanation for her stutter/stammer issue - all the different parts trying to make sounds at the same time.

kingklash wrote:As someone who still has some problems with a stutter, that's pretty close. Words are trying to be heard and getting way ahead of the hardware, and everything wants to be heard all at once. It's mostly controlled through little tricks here and there, but when I'm tired physically/emotionally/mentally, it becomes noticeable. Or over excited.

jwhouk wrote:Lot of different reasons for stammering, yes. I think it's a basic issue with Castela, though, because of how she's made-up.

Castela's at that stage where she's really learning to think, so the ideas will bubble up and get in each others' way . . . and she stutters.

I don't stutter or stammer, but when I'm tired and trying to talk I'll drop words out or get them out of order. And I won't realize it's happening. Caused me to fail a speech in college speech class . . . fortunately it only happened once, so I passed the class.

--FreeFlier

Warrl wrote:How is Castela talking before everything gets sort of reconnected?

(In her case, it isn't surprising that decapitation is not a big deal; I'd expect it to be easy to fix, perhaps causing her to lose a little weight...)

what makes you think that she's actually been decapitated? she IS a shape-shifter, remember? since we know that she's a bunch of vine-like plant-animal hybrid body parts AND that we have already seen her talk when she was just a basic Tumble-weed form-factor... maybe she formed up as an Ichabod Crane form, and her head IS attached, via vines in her hand/arm, and she's just mimicking the decapitation, her head-shape being a pretty familiar shape (she's been practicing that shape really hard for school, remember) so she's just MOVED the location of her "head" to a non-standard place from normal...

FreeFlier wrote: Gripping hand, ...

heh heh heh...

scantrontb wrote:

Warrl wrote:How is Castela talking before everything gets sort of reconnected?

(In her case, it isn't surprising that decapitation is not a big deal; I'd expect it to be easy to fix, perhaps causing her to lose a little weight...)

what makes you think that she's actually been decapitated? she IS a shape-shifter, remember? since we know that she's a bunch of vine-like plant-animal hybrid body parts AND that we have already seen her talk when she was just a basic Tumble-weed form-factor... maybe she formed up as an Ichabod Crane form, and her head IS attached, via vines in her hand/arm, and she's just mimicking the decapitation, her head-shape being a pretty familiar shape (she's been practicing that shape really hard for school, remember) so she's just MOVED the location of her "head" to a non-standard place from normal...

Or she got hit hard enough that her neck is sore, so she took her head off.

--FreeFlier

Dave wrote:

Jabberwonky wrote:"...used to be..."? I didn't know there was a 'used to be' with computer nerdom...

The status of computer nerd-dom can be revoked, but it's generally agreed to involve a complete replacement of all of your structural materials, neurons, personality, and history.

It's like the fabled "jack up the radiator cap, and drive a new car body and engine and transmission in under it", but moreso.

Not quite that bad, but I did die for 2 minutes after totalling a truck with my head. That did some damage... mostly to the truck but still dying changes a man, even if it didn't stick.

Opus the Poet wrote:

Dave wrote:

Jabberwonky wrote:"...used to be..."? I didn't know there was a 'used to be' with computer nerdom...

The status of computer nerd-dom can be revoked, but it's generally agreed to involve a complete replacement of all of your structural materials, neurons, personality, and history.

It's like the fabled "jack up the radiator cap, and drive a new car body and engine and transmission in under it", but moreso.

Not quite that bad, but I did die for 2 minutes after totalling a truck with my head. That did some damage... mostly to the truck but still dying changes a man, even if it didn't stick.

You weren't chased out in front of the truck by creepy people no one else saw, were you?

...I believe an "I understand that reference" meme would be appropriate right about now.