#110, Voice: Dazzling Othercon and Speaking Smoothly
Originally posted here on June 10, 2024.
What does your fictomere sound like; in pitch, in tone, dialect, ability to sing/speak different languages, etc.? If it's radically different from your present voice, is that something you want to change- i.e. voice training, study- if possible?
Ah, the age-old system problem of having too many members and only one voicebox. I, thankfully, can mimic quite a bit about my voice in cadence and word choice alone--low but not deep, slow, and smooth. Unfortunately, I, of course, cannot perfectly match the sound even if I can get close in pitch--thank you to our voice for being quite low despite never having met a sufficient amount of testosterone to drop it as low as many of the system would like. My accent is gone, as well, nor can I remember exactly what it sounded like... unfortunately, I am quite American now, but that doesn't seem to bother people, ha! Every time I give a panel--particularly the two I gave at Othercon--people compliment my voice, saying that I should do audiobooks and such. I do appreciate the compliments, thank you. :] (I also am willing to read things out if paid for it, but that is neither here nor there.) I have no particular issue with how I sound now; my memory of my voice before is hazy, and I feel close enough that I have no particular vocal dysphoria from it.
The main thing that I miss is how many languages I could speak with little effort. Ah, I remember being able to minimize my accent in most such that I did not sound like a native speaker, per se, but I was more than passable. Having a thousand years to work on over a dozen languages will do that, I suppose. I remember speaking Poitevin (my native language), French, English, Spanish, German, Arabic, Turkish.... hmm, others, but I don't recall them at the moment. I just know that I knew more. Our system unfortunately lacks any kind of penchant for language-learning--all attempts have fallen flat, I'm afraid, and things just don't stick like they should. I am hoping to claw Spanish back from the depths, at least, and would do unspeakable things to get Poitevin back, but there aren't even learning materials for Poitevin in English, as far as I can tell. I may have to live the rest of my days without my native language, which kills me, but I doubt I have any other viable option.