Why is Norman's alternate ''Mother'' and other questions?

[Living Dead]

Normal very well knows now that his alternate persona is not his real mother. So why does he address her as mother when he fully understands now that she isn't his mother? Does he just do it as a way to cope? Is there anything that I might not understand?

Edited April 13, 2017 by Living Dead

[peacheslatour]

He's nuts?

[Complexity]

48 minutes ago, Living Dead said:

Normal very well knows now that his alternate persona is not his real mother. So why does he address her as mother when he fully understands now that she isn't his mother? Does he just do it as a way to cope? Is there anything that I might not understand?

It is normally understood that alternate personalities* have their own names. The main personality does not name them (often that personality does not even know of them). When Norman became aware of "her," he called her by her name: Mother. How each alternate is named is a mystery since it's clear they are not named by their parents.

Moreover, what else would he call her? Mom? Mommy? Mama? Norma? Crazy woman who thinks she's my mother living inside of me? ?

*That is keeping in mind that the diagnosis of Dissociative Identity Disorder (aka multiple personalities) is controversial and extremely rare at best.

[Stringey]

The thing is for us the name "mother works because us the audience sees this personality as something different. For the audience the woman that was alive was Norma. However for Norman these rules don't apply because he used the name Mother for living Norma. And up until he discovered the personality was not her it made sense for him to call her that because he believed d it was really his mother. Now that he knows this is not truly his mother I agree it's weird that he still uses the term mother. I also don't know though how else he would have called her by name. From the point after he knew it was not really her he simply could have just not addressed her by any name.

[Chaos Theory]

Honestly I think you're thinking about it too logical.  We are talking about a mental illness.  It's not logical.  Mother isn't a familiar term but a literal name.  And Norman may know something is true but that doesn't mean he knows it is so.  Again we are talking about a mentally ill boy.  This is something that you need to essentially just go with.  Norman has a voice in his head in the images of Norma and her name is Mother.

Edited April 13, 2017 by Chaos Theory

[Living Dead]

2 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Honestly I think you're thinking about it too logical.  We are talking about a mental illness.  It's not logical.  Mother isn't a familiar term but a literal name.  And Norman may know something is true but that doesn't mean he knows it is so.  Again we are talking about a mentally ill boy.  This is something that you need to essentially just go with.  Norman has a voice in his head in the images of Norma and her name is Mother.

 

well he is mentally ill, but when he is just Norman he seems to be aware of what is going on. When he blacks out, that's when he doesn't understand things.

[KaveDweller]

2 hours ago, Living Dead said:

 

well he is mentally ill, but when he is just Norman he seems to be aware of what is going on. When he blacks out, that's when he doesn't understand things.

I think when he blacks out he becomes Mother. But the rest of the time he is seeing and hearing Mother so he is not aware of reality then either. He's starting to become aware of the fact that he's hallucinating, but it doesn't mean he's rationally thinking about it.

I think he has been pretty confused all the time since Norma died.

[Mick Lady]

1 hour ago, KaveDweller said:

I think when he blacks out he becomes Mother. But the rest of the time he is seeing and hearing Mother so he is not aware of reality then either.

I think you hit the nail on the head KaveDweller!

[Chaos Theory]

He still truely believes Norma killed herself. That isn't just a lie he tells other people.  He believes it himself.  At least when he isn't lost in the illusion of a life with Mother.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Chaos Theory

[Stringey]

I have a question that maybe someone with more experience might be able to answer. This has to do with Norman's diagnosis and illness. I have been under the assumption both from the diagnosis from the movie and from the obvious that Norman has what would be called now a days disassociative personality disorder. This has been quite obvious when he loses time and takes  on the persona of Mother. However from what I know of psychology and what I know of this condition I thought other psychotic behaviors don't apply. For example I thought his hallucinations both visual and auditory and delusions are not part of the disassociative disorder. All the hallucinations sound to me like schizophrenia. Almost like Norman could have two mental disorders. 

[Complexity]

55 minutes ago, Stringey said:

I have a question that maybe someone with more experience might be able to answer. This has to do with Norman's diagnosis and illness. I have been under the assumption both from the diagnosis from the movie and from the obvious that Norman has what would be called now a days disassociative personality disorder. This has been quite obvious when he loses time and takes  on the persona of Mother. However from what I know of psychology and what I know of this condition I thought other psychotic behaviors don't apply. For example I thought his hallucinations both visual and auditory and delusions are not part of the disassociative disorder. All the hallucinations sound to me like schizophrenia. Almost like Norman could have two mental disorders. 

First, some technical information on the diagnosis, then I can better answer your question.

You're close on the diagnosis. It's Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) (aka multiple personality disorder). It's not technically listed as a Personality Disorder even though the symptoms affects the personality. Rather, it's listed under Dissociative Disorders (along with Dissociative Amnesia, Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder, etc.).

The official manual for psychiatric disorders is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The criteria for DID is the following:

Dissociative Identity Disorder 300.14 (F44.81)

1. Disruption of identity characterized by two or more distinct personality states, which may be described in some cultures as an experience of possession. The disruption in identity involves marked discontinuity in sense of self and sense of agency, accompanied by related alterations in affect, behavior, consciousness, memory, perception, cognition, and/or sensory-motor functioning. These signs and symptoms may be observed by others or reported by the individual.
2. Recurrent gaps in the recall of everyday events, important personal information, and/ or traumatic events that are inconsistent with ordinary forgetting.
3. The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
4. The disturbance is not a normal part of a broadly accepted cultural or religious practice. Note: In children, the symptoms are not better explained by imaginary playmates or other fantasy play.
5. The symptoms are not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (e.g., blackouts or chaotic behavior during alcohol intoxication) or another medical condition (e.g., complex partial seizures).

Since the DSM-5 is not online, I recommend reading about the disorder on the Merck Manuals which does a good job of explaining things. Here's the section for Dissociative Identity Disorder. If you'd like to look at more psychiatric disorders, here's a link to the Index of Psychiatric Disorders.

Okay, so that's about DID.

The other thing you asked about were Norman's hallucinations. The DSM-5 defines hallucinations as "perception-like experiences that occur without an external stimulus." You are correct in that they are symptoms of Schizophrenia. However, people may experience hallucinations with other disorders, as well (see Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders in the Merck Manual). What's important is the origin of the hallucinations. In Norman's case, they are part of his DID. They do not exist outside of his DID. Therefore, they are not a symptom of schizophrenia.

Clear as mud? LOL! ?

The simple answer is hallucinations are a symptom of many disorders, including DID and schizophrenia. In Norman's case, they are symptoms of DID. 

ETA: Keep in mind that interactions between the multiple personalities is usually an internal process (like thinking inside your head). However, that does not work well with a TV audience. So the writers of the show created a more tangible figure for us to see which was explained as Norman's hallucination. So part of what you're seeing on the show is because it's a show and not how it would appear in real life.

Edited April 15, 2017 by Complexity

[Living Dead]

Let me ask you this. Is Norman 2 minds? Or 2 in 1 mind? or just a split mind...

What I'm asking is, is Norman's alter ego a different conscience? Because it's not his own conscience. He created it, but did it become real in him, even though it's not him? Is it an actual other mind with its own feelings that just takes over? I mean you see times when Norman walks away and Norma is still there starring. So that tells me that she is really there, mentally. But it has nothing to do with Norman.

I don't know if you understand what I'm asking. We know Normal has multiple personalities. But it's more than that right? It's almost like the DEVIL lives in Norman. That other person isn't him, mentally. It has to be something else in him with its own thoughts and feelings, right? 

Edited April 19, 2017 by Living Dead

[Complexity]

3 hours ago, Living Dead said:

Let me ask you this. Is Norman 2 minds? Or 2 in 1 mind? or just a split mind...

What I'm asking is, is Norman's alter ego a different conscience? Because it's not his own conscience. He created it, but did it become real in him, even though it's not him? Is it an actual other mind with its own feelings that just takes over? I mean you see times when Norman walks away and Norma is still there starring. So that tells me that she is really there, mentally. But it has nothing to do with Norman.

I don't know if you understand what I'm asking. We know Normal has multiple personalities. But it's more than that right? It's almost like the DEVIL lives in Norman. That other person isn't him, mentally. It has to be something else in him with its own thoughts and feelings, right? 

Very good question. And one that's very hard to answer. I'll do my best, but admit in advance to finding it difficult to put into words.

The mind is incredible in how it can protect a person from trauma. For example, adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse often talk about feeling as if they were out of their bodies (floating above, watching) during the abuse. This is a form of disassociation. It is a way of removing one's self from the situation. If you can't run (flight) and you can't fight, sometimes the only thing you can do is mentally escape.

While this is going on, you are still there even if your mind has disassociated from your body. In extreme cases, a person can develop a second personality to handle the situation. Have you ever gotten mad at, let's say, a clerk at a store? Did your responses differ from your normal responses when you're happy? Most likely it did. Or as another example, consider how you behave in church compared to a late night party. Do you behave the same? Probably not. We all have these differences in our responses to the environment. However, we are usually aware of those shifts. A person with DID has developed the ability to have one (or more) of those shifts actually block out the situation from the person ("sleeping" or "blacking out").

This is helpful for a child who is enduring an abusive situation that's too severe for the child to psychologically handle. The alter personality emerges to handle the situation while blocking it off from the child's main personality. That way when the child's main personality returns, the child can go through their lives as if the abuse never happened... because it has been blocked from memory by the alter personality. It's the same thing as how things can happen while you're sleeping without you knowing it when you wake up (or if you blacked out from drinking or being knocked out).

The treatment is to integrate the two (or more) personalities so they are all present in all situations. This integration is normal. That's why we can remember what happened when we are scared, threatened, angry, or maybe defensive in the same way we can remember what happened when we are happy. Nothing is blocking the situation from our minds. We never disassociate.

So in a sense, it's like having one person split into two. They are two parts of the same person. There might be the brave part that handles scary situations and the happy part that handles everything else. Normally, our single integrated personality handles both situations, but through severe trauma, a person may have developed the ability to disassociate or split away to handle the trauma, leaving the main personality unaffected and, therefore, safe.

[Chaos Theory]

Norman doesn't handle stress well.  Mother is the part of him that takes over during the stressful moments.  We call this part of Norman "Mother" because it's not Norma even though it may look like her.  It is still the part of Norman that handles situations coldly and without much thought to consequence.   

[Complexity]

Applying what I said above to Norman's situation, let me add this. Most people integrate part of their parents into their personality. Let's go back to how we respond when we're mad at the clerk in the store. If we grew up with our parents yelling at that clerk, then odds are we will do the same as adults. If we saw our parents being calm and understanding, then we will likely do that instead. Our parents model behavior, and we learn from that modeling. Have you ever gotten mad at a car while driving and said the very same thing you heard a parent say while they were driving? We integrate others into our personality through modeling. They model to us how to respond to a situation.

Now consider that "parent's voice" inside our heads with someone who disassociates. Rather than having that parent's voice integrated into our personality, what if that part is split away? We could end up with a "parent" personality (Mother) and our main personality (Norman).

In Norman's case, I think the idea is that Norma rescued him from stressful situations while he was growing up. If he were mentally healthy, he would have learned how to handle those situations himself. However, if Norma always "protected" him by jumping in, then Norman may have learned to have "Mother" jump in whenever he needs her. Thus, when combined with disassociation, he develops two personalities: Norman (his main personality) and Mother (his protective personality).

Edited April 19, 2017 by Complexity
darned homophones!

[Living Dead]

The difference though between someone who dissasociates and Norman is Norman actually sees his alter ego. So think about that scene in the kitchen. How could Norman be doing all that by himself? It isn't possible that Norman created another side of him so strong when he was young, that it eventually became its own mind that lives in his brain?

if I started blacking out and I had an ego i wasn't aware of and it was controlling my body while I was blacked out, I wouldn't call that me.

Edited April 20, 2017 by Living Dead

[Stringey]

On 4/19/2017 at 5:29 AM, Chaos Theory said:

Norman doesn't handle stress well.  Mother is the part of him that takes over during the stressful moments.  We call this part of Norman "Mother" because it's not Norma even though it may look like her.  It is still the part of Norman that handles situations coldly and without much thought to consequence.   

If this were a different tv show and did not follow this storyline I believe the alter ego of the person with this disorder might be very well appear as a twin of that person. Norman sees and we the audience see the alter ego in the show as resembling Norma and having some of Normas mannerisms. Mother is in reality just the darker side of Norman that he has kept repressed so well it rarely comes out when he is himself. Was Norman himself when he attacked Dylan or was that a black out? We know he blacked out when he killed his dad.

[Living Dead]

Well Norma tried to kill Dylan. But Norman fought Norma. So he was awake and blacked out at at the same time? I'm having a slightly hard time understanding this.

[peacheslatour]

Norman tries to think he's in control but he doesn't have a strong enough personality, a strong enough ego if you will. He's delusional enough to want his mother there with him just like she had been all his life and not be dead, especially because he killed her. He can't face the fact that he was the instrument of her death so his mind tries to cope by erasing her death. But since she was mentally ill and so is he, he makes her behave in ways that he thinks she would behave. He believed she loved him more than anyone else in the world, so if he feels threatened he figures Norma would be as violent as he himself feels.

Blacked out is an ambiguous term here. He disassociates from reality, his mind is housing two personalities. He can be both at the same time.

[Mick Lady]

On ‎4‎/‎19‎/‎2017 at 6:38 AM, Complexity said:

Applying what I said above to Norman's situation, let me add this. Most people integrate part of their parents into their personality. Let's go back to how we respond when we're mad at the clerk in the store. If we grew up with our parents yelling at that clerk, then odds are we will do the same as adults. If we saw our parents being calm and understanding, then we will likely do that instead. Our parents model behavior, and we learn from that modeling. Have you ever gotten mad at a car while driving and said the very same thing you heard a parent say while they were driving? We integrate others into our personality through modeling. They model to us how to respond to a situation.

Now consider that "parent's voice" inside our heads with someone who disassociates. Rather than having that parent's voice integrated into our personality, what if that part is split away? We could end up with a "parent" personality (Mother) and our main personality (Norman).

In Norman's case, I think the idea is that Norma rescued him from stressful situations while he was growing up. If he were mentally healthy, he would have learned how to handle those situations himself. However, if Norma always "protected" him by jumping in, then Norman may have learned to have "Mother" jump in whenever he needs her. Thus, when combined with disassociation, he develops two personalities: Norman (his main personality) and Mother (his protective personality).

Wow Complexity, thank you for this. I hope you teach! You did a fabulous job of helping me understand this condition. Thanks again for sharing and taking the time. Much appreciated!

[Complexity]

6 minutes ago, Mick Lady said:

Wow Complexity, thank you for this. I hope you teach! You did a fabulous job of helping me understand this condition. Thanks again for sharing and taking the time. Much appreciated!

How nice, thanks! I'm actually a grad student, working on my master's degree in psychological counseling so I can become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). I'm currently preparing for my oral exams (where I am quizzed on all subjects for 3 hours by a panel of professors) with the hopes of graduating this Fall.

Because DID is so rare, I doubt I'll have to answer questions on it, but it's such a fascinating disorder, I can't help but study it for my own interest. I'm glad my explanation was helpful to you!

[Mick Lady]

Think about teaching, you have the gift. I taught grad school for 28 years, and we need professors like you.

Good luck on your orals, I was terrified!

[rollice]

This may be a simple question, but I was just watching an episode from a few weeks ago, the one where Norman places Mother out in an open faced burial. Before he does that, he tells Mother that he basically now has to hide evidence, namely Norma's body, and tells Mother it's better if she stay at the motel instead of coming along with him.  So my question is how does he separate Norma's dead body and "Mother" who's staying behind at the motel as two separate things?  I thought he believed Mother was still alive or, at least, that Norma and Mother were one and the same?  That is, besides the times when he had moments of clarity.

Thank you for reading, and hopefully someone can respond.

[Complexity]

23 minutes ago, rollice said:

So my question is how does he separate Norma's dead body and "Mother" who's staying behind at the motel as two separate things?  I thought he believed Mother was still alive or, at least, that Norma and Mother were one and the same?

Remember, there are basically two people living inside of Norman: (1) Norman and (2) Mother.

(1) Norman appears to be delusional in that he does not accept Norma as dead. He sees her dead body, but believes she's just pretending to be dead. Someone else will have to remind me of the reason Norma is supposed to have faked her dead (in Norman's mind), but the main point is that Norman believes she's still alive. So her body is alive to him. She just needed to hide away from the house so others won't discover she's still alive and only faked her death.

Don't ask me how he rationalized his embalming her and her still being alive because it isn't rational. But then I've talked to delusional patients who have had completely irrational delusions so the irrational aspect of Norman's delusions isn't that abnormal (as far as delusions go).

(2) Mother knows all that's going on. She is not the Norma in the dead Norma body. She's the Mother inside Norman's body. She knows Norma is dead.

So in some ways, we're talking about 3 people: (1) Norma who is Norman's mother, (2) Norman, and (3) Mother who's the other personality in Norman's body.

[rollice]

Thank you so much Complexity for explaining!

Do you mean three people in one body, in the last paragraph?  I will accept that. 

I've heard somewhere that delusional patients can have irrational delusions. Thank you for confirming this. 

I believe Norma, in Norman's mind, faked her death because she doesn't want others intruding in and complicating their lives and intimacy or closeness.  "It's just the two of us," as she said when she told Norman, in his mind, that even Dylan cannot stay in the house, that Norman has to charm him and show that he's fine and then tell Dylan to leave.  Before he committed the murder-suicide, Norman told Norma they don't belong in this town and suggested they move to Hawaii. Possibly he thought they can't live in this world, because of the other people in it?  

Thanks again so much?

[Complexity]

10 minutes ago, rollice said:

Do you mean three people in one body, in the last paragraph?  I will accept that.

Two bodies: Norma and Norman.

Three personalities (aka people): Norma (in Norma's body), Norman (in Norman's body), and Mother (also in Norman's body).

Maybe this will help. It's kind of like Norman's body is possessed so there are two entities/people/personalties (Norman and Mother) living inside Norman's body.

[rollice]

Thank you Complexity. After I submitted my prior post, it occurred to me that the answer to my question is "no."  I'm glad you responded again to confirm though. 

Thanks again for all the explanations!! Have a great evening?

[Complexity]

28 minutes ago, rollice said:

Thank you Complexity. After I submitted my prior post, it occurred to me that the answer to my question is "no."  I'm glad you responded again to confirm though. 

Thanks again for all the explanations!! Have a great evening?

You're welcome! I'm glad it was helpful. You have a great evening, too. ?

[Stringey]

11 hours ago, rollice said:

Thank you so much Complexity for explaining!

Do you mean three people in one body, in the last paragraph?  I will accept that. 

I've heard somewhere that delusional patients can have irrational delusions. Thank you for confirming this. 

I believe Norma, in Norman's mind, faked her death because she doesn't want others intruding in and complicating their lives and intimacy or closeness.  "It's just the two of us," as she said when she told Norman, in his mind, that even Dylan cannot stay in the house, that Norman has to charm him and show that he's fine and then tell Dylan to leave.  Before he committed the murder-suicide, Norman told Norma they don't belong in this town and suggested they move to Hawaii. Possibly he thought they can't live in this world, because of the other people in it?  

Thanks again so much?

The Hawaii thing just mentioned gave me a mental image. If Norman is killed and reunited with real Norma in his own paradise afterlife maybe it's hawaii lol.

[rollice]

That may be how the last episode ends!  Since it's called The Cord.  Or they are at home singing at the piano and just enjoying each other's company.  The only description I've seen of The Cord is that "Norman returns home."

[peacheslatour]

Ooh, what was that song she and Norman did when she decided to try out for the musical?

[Complexity]

8 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Ooh, what was that song she and Norman did when she decided to try out for the musical?

Mr. Sandman.

[peacheslatour]

14 minutes ago, Complexity said:

Mr. Sandman.

Thanks I was thinking when the end comes we might be hearing their rendition as the camera pans back away from the house and motel. Cutting to back on the line "Then tell him that his lonesome nights are over."

Edited April 24, 2017 by peacheslatour

[Complexity]

3 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Thanks I was thinking when the end comes we might be hearing their rendition as the camera pans back away from the house and motel. Cutting to balck on the line "Then tell him that his lonesome nights are over."

Given the final episode's title, "The Cord," I think it will be tied back into the very first episode: "You always have been. It's like there's a cord between our hearts."

Transcript of 01x01 - First You Dream, Then You Die

[Mick Lady]

56 minutes ago, Complexity said:

Given the final episode's title, "The Cord," I think it will be tied back into the very first episode: "You always have been. It's like there's a cord between our hearts."

Transcript of 01x01 - First You Dream, Then You Die

Good catch!

I just saw the episode today, (watching the marathon), and was wondering, if you have the time; Is it common for people with DID for the different personalities to talk to each other? And maybe even not like each other? I was thinking about the episode where "Norma" asks Norman, "Do you even like me anymore?"

I read Sybil, but that was years ago! I seem to remember that the personalities didn't know each other, but I could be wrong, it was so long ago.

[Complexity]

16 minutes ago, Mick Lady said:

Good catch!

I just saw the episode today, (watching the marathon), and was wondering, if you have the time; Is it common for people with DID for the different personalities to talk to each other? And maybe even not like each other? I was thinking about the episode where "Norma" asks Norman, "Do you even like me anymore?"

I read Sybil, but that was years ago! I seem to remember that the personalities didn't know each other, but I could be wrong, it was so long ago.

I honestly don't know. I have never met anyone with DID (that I know of). I've worked with lots of people who have schizophrenia, bipolar, depression, anxiety, etc, but a true clinical case of DID is very rare.

For two or more DID personalities to actively talk to each other, they would need to be conscious at the same time to "hear" the thoughts of each other. They'd then need to process those thoughts, think of their own thoughts in response, and then present those thoughts in a way that the other personality can hear. That's a pretty big stretch.

However, the mind is incredible which means it can also be incredibly sick. So who knows what goes on when the mind isn't firing right.

Edited April 24, 2017 by Complexity

[rollice]

This "cord between our hearts" was also written on Norma's gravestone, and it was brought up by Norman when Norma tried to have a nice dinner with Romero and Norman before Norman stormed out.  

I just saw that gravestone on TV again during the marathon.  It almost never happens that I'm able to watch Bates Motel at this hour on a Monday.  I'm happy I have time to finish stuff today just in time before the finale!  I feel so lucky today!  Sorry but I'm just happy about it:))

[peacheslatour]

Just now, rollice said:

This "cord between our hearts" was also written on Norma's gravestone, and it was brought up by Norman when Norma tried to have a nice dinner with Romero and Norman before Norman stormed out.  

I just saw that gravestone on TV again during the marathon.  It almost never happens that I'm able to watch Bates Motel at this hour on a Monday.  I'm happy I have time to finish stuff today just in time before the finale!  I feel so lucky today!  Sorry but I'm just happy about it:))

Dammit! I'm just finding out about this now? Shit.

[rollice]

That's okay, the words on that gravestone were so hard to read.  I had to pause to read it.  And when the cord was brought up by Norman, that was way back from a year ago.  (Or were you talking about the marathon?)

[peacheslatour]

1 minute ago, rollice said:

That's okay, the words on that gravestone were so hard to read.  I had to pause to read it.  And when the cord was brought up by Norman, that was way back from a year ago.  (Or were you talking about the marathon?)

The marathon, lol. I have it on now!

[rollice]

Great!  Enjoy!

By the way how do I quote, on this forum?  I'm new here.  

[peacheslatour]

Just now, rollice said:

Great!  Enjoy!

By the way how do I quote, on this forum?  I'm new here.  

Welcome! There's a little quotation mark shaped thingy in the lower left hand corner of all the posts, just click it and you will see the quote in your own posting box. If you only want to quote a portion of a post, just copy and paste what you want to quote. And I think that's the most times I've ever used the "q" on my keyboard in one sentence.

[rollice]

Thank you peacheslatour!  I had tried the one in the lower left hand corner that says MultiQuote, and it didn't quote anything lol.  I'll  try the one to the left of it next time.  

[Complexity]

12 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

The marathon, lol. I have it on now!

Netflix has all episodes for seasons 1-4 online. My cable provider (xfinity) has season 5, episodes 5-9 online. I enjoyed my own marathon when season 5 began. The best part is that commercials are either excluded or you can forward through them. Saves a lot of time while watching. ? 

[DittyDotDot]

7 minutes ago, rollice said:

Thank you peacheslatour!  I had tried the one in the lower left hand corner that says MultiQuote, and it didn't quote anything lol.  I'll  try the one to the left of it next time.  

The MultiQuote function has a little box that pops up that tells you how many posts you have set to quote--you have to click on that box to get the quotes to show up in the editor. It's handy if you want to quote multiple posts and don't want to jump down to the editor after each one.

But, if you're just wanting to quote one post the quotation mark on the left is probably the best bet. And, if you only want to quote a portion of a post, just highlight what you want to quote and click on the "quote this" box that pops up.

Hope that helps.

[Ailianna]

16 minutes ago, rollice said:

Thank you peacheslatour!  I had tried the one in the lower left hand corner that says MultiQuote, and it didn't quote anything lol.  I'll  try the one to the left of it next time.  

Multiquote allows you to quote multiple people, but it doesn't jump the material to the quote box.  Instead, a rather small black rectangle pops up on the right side of the screen, and keeps count of how many posts you have added to your multiquote.

When you are ready to compose your post with the quotes, click the multiquote box and all of the posts you have quoted will pop up in the posting box.  Then you can respond to several people at once.

It will also follow you from one thread to another, so if you decide not to quote, you have to click the X to get rid of it.

ETA:  Posting at the same time as DittyDotDot.

Edited April 24, 2017 by Ailianna

[rollice]

3 minutes ago, DittyDotDot said:

The MultiQuote function has a little box that pops up that tells you how many posts you have set to quote--you have to click on that box to get the quotes to show up in the editor. It's handy if you want to quote multiple posts and don't want to jump down to the editor after each one.

But, if you're just wanting to quote one post the quotation mark on the left is probably the best bet. And, if you only want to quote a portion of a post, just highlight what you want to quote and click on the "quote this" box that pops up.

Hope that helps.

Ohh, okay.  I'm gonna do the single quote feature right now. :))  Thank you DittyDotDot!  

3 minutes ago, Ailianna said:

Multiquote allows you to quote multiple people, but it doesn't jump the material to the quote box.  Instead, a rather small black rectangle pops up on the right side of the screen, and keeps count of how many posts you have added to your multiquote.

When you are ready to compose your post with the quotes, click the multiquote box and all of the posts you have quoted will pop up in the posting box.  Then you can respond to several people at once.

It will also follow you from one thread to another, so if you decide not to quote, you have to click the X to get rid of it.

ETA:  Posting at the same time as DittyDotDot.

Thank you Ailanna!  And you gave some extra info.  Multiquote, that's a cool feature.  

[rollice]

I'm watching parts of the marathon and in my time zone, Caleb just hallucinated Norma speaking to him, for a moment anyway.  Romero also, in a later episode, "saw" Norma drenched in some angelic aura or whatever that was.  Were they both hallucinating, going crazy, or what was that?  Why are all these people "seeing" Norma?  Norman's supposed to be the only one seeing Mother. lol

[Complexity]

6 minutes ago, rollice said:

I'm watching parts of the marathon and in my time zone, Caleb just hallucinated Norma speaking to him, for a moment anyway.  Romero also, in a later episode, "saw" Norma drenched in some angelic aura or whatever that was.  Were they both hallucinating, going crazy, or what was that?  Why are all these people "seeing" Norma?  Norman's supposed to be the only one seeing Mother. lol

Norman is the only one hallucinating. What we were seeing when Romero saw Norma in that glow was his memory of her. We were given a visual representation of what he was thinking. That's why Norma had that glow.

[rollice]

30 minutes ago, Complexity said:

Norman is the only one hallucinating. What we were seeing when Romero saw Norma in that glow was his memory of her. We were given a visual representation of what he was thinking. That's why Norma had that glow.

Thank you.  

As to Caleb, there was a moment where he "saw" her and heard her voice but then realized it was Norman dressed in Norma's clothes.  He might have been seeing things from lack of food lol.  I don't know if he was being fed enough.   There was another moment where he "saw" her when "they" were talking about their past, and then he started crying.   I think he chose to enjoy some fantasy that Norma was there before he knew or thought he was going to die.

Edited April 24, 2017 by rollice