#it gives you a different perspective on art

[tempestgnostic]

i think the greatest and most unfortunate parallel i see in the therian community that i also saw in the trans community is a certain level of identifying with the pain of species dysphoria instead of identifying with what makes you a therian. species dysphoria can fucking suck but it’s not required to be a therian, it’s never been required, it never will be, and even those who know this will still lash out at the idea that some of us find joy in also being human. i could never share my art with the world otherwise. i’m part of this badass species that builds upon technology and preserves knowledge from over a thousand years ago. we have an incredible wealth of culture and experience available to us and that’s fucking magical!!

grieve as much as you need to. grieve the fact that you’ll never quite have the life you want. if you experience this pain, it’s very real, and you need to process it. and at some point, on the other side of grief, you need to let go. let go of wishing for the life you’ll never have, and figure out what you can do with the one you’re living, to bring it more in line with your authentic animal self. don’t take this chance for granted. this body is capable of many wonderful things. i felt the same joy about being trans when i recognized that this experience gives me a unique perspective on the world—and i realized that, had i gone through a different puberty, been raised as the other binary gender, i still would’ve been trans. i would’ve gone on estrogen. i would’ve pushed myself through the black morass of grief, discovering along the way that i’m in charge of becoming who i want to be. i would’ve found joy.

your pain is not all that you are.

#tali talks #species dysphoria #therianthropy #therian

[cripplecharacters]

Salutations! I’m in the process of creating a story wherein both characters are missing an eye. One has a prosthetic, but is presently isolating themself in the woods, and wears an eyepatch to protect the eye while alone; the other’s socket is either empty, or they have a glass eye with no actual details (iris, pupil, etc.). I’ve struggled to find references for the latter, and fear it may come off as unrealistic. I understand prosthetic eyes keep the eyelid from collapsing, but aside from that could a person just not wear one? If these options are unrealistic, please let me know. I can supply you with concept art if need be.

The story itself centers around these characters after one of them finds the other by accident. They’re painted as foils—the one hiding out in the cabin adhering to a self-made sense of logic that centers on cycles and confirmation bias, while the only who takes refuge there after running away is deeply paranoid and prone to hallucinations. The first character is missing their left eye; the other their right. I don’t want to make a symbol of their disabilities, but I feel their designs simultaneously stress their opposing perspectives, as well as the fact they paradoxically still manage to see “eye-to-eye.” Their visual impairment is just one of many ways they’re able to connect across the story, as they also bond over their obscure passions and delusions, and respect each other’s warped worldview to such an extent said worldviews start to blur together. In addition to this, the story places an emphasis upon an entity known as the “ocellus,” which is basically the “false eye” you see on moth wings. In my outline so far, it’s the name of a mysterious band which the pair discover in a record collection, and resolve to solve the mystery of (regarding the members, music, etc.) One of the characters also sleeps with an eye mask with the pattern of moth wings and their respective ocelli overlaying their own eyes; their paranoid counterpart also sees eyes in the trees and wood of the cabin.

Absolutely none of this is set in stone; before it is, I just want to know how much of it is fine, which parts “moralize” or make a symbol of a disability, and what is straight-up ableist. Please let me know if you need more details.

Hi!

The prosthetic eye has two main functions: 1) to keep the eye area stay in shape, 2) to protect the socket. Both of these can be achieved by conformers (it's like a big contact, except it goes into the socket and not on the eye) which I talked about here!

A blank prosthetic eye would probably be fine. The process of getting it custom painted is expensive from what I know, and IRL a lot of people will decide on the generic kind rather than a custom. If in your world the generic happens to be a blank, there's no problems I can think of? Potentially, you could explicitly say that it's not how most prosthetic eyes look like (maybe someone else knows a person with an eye prosthetic and they comment that it's unusual?). You mentioned that the character doesn't have it in all the time, so I don't think the trope of "blind character has blank/white/milky eyes" applies here because it's clear that it's a prosthetic.

A person could decide to go bare, but the sensation of blinking could be uncomfortable, and they would need to clean their socket more to get rid of anything that could get inside. Normal saline could be used for that.

I don't think there's an issue in them missing different eyes at all. If you want to make sure it's not giving "Just Magic Symbolism" energy then you could incorporate some boring everyday things that would make sense. If they go somewhere together, they could decide to walk missing eye-to-missing eye, so that they see what's going on the sides rather than in the middle, things like that. It could make it feel more grounded, so to speak.

I don't see any issues with the moth fake-eyes symbolism either, I think it makes sense for the story you're trying to tell.

If you want to be very safe, I would have a character (can be minor, or background) that's also missing eye(s) that's not connected to any of the potential symbolism and is more of an average Joe of Not Having an Eye.

In case you decide to get into that, it would be nice for them to have different causes of why they don't have eyes. It feels like in fiction it's always physical trauma, but there's a whole more that could cause someone to not have an eye;

anophthalmia,

retinoblastoma,

severe eye infection,

elective enucleation (removal) of an already blind/painful eye,

just to give you a few ideas! Giving them "boring" everyday reasons of eye loss will also make it feel less symbolic and more like a regular disability. Think "dramatic swordfight with Huge Meaning" vs "yeah I had cancer in my eye when I was 2".

I hope that this helps; if you have any further details you'd like to ask about feel free to send another ask!

mod Sasza

#mod sasza #anonymous #face difference #eye prosthetics

[ltdavis]

HI TUMBLR it's been a while , so take basically everything i've drawn as of late !!

oh oh , and definitely don't follow @/theboymadeofpaper on instagram . tooootally not my instagram art account wink wink nudge nudge

ANYWAY HERE ARE YOUR THINGS YAY !!!!

yes that's goth thatcher and yes i have a different art style do not question my ways

#the mandela catalogue #tmc fanart #tmc #thatcher davis #mark heathcliff #goth thatcher davis FUCK YEAAAHH #yes that's me projecting myself onto him #i drew it while wearing goth makeup #blckk #spider gang #teenage disaster #YAAYYY #oh oh also #i drew the blckk one while listening to yoshimi battles the pink robots by the flaming lips #shit #it gives you a different perspective on art #great listen #especially if you love joy fun and whimsy ! #okay okay #i'm done #thank y'all for consuming my unhinged art #y'all are real ones ong #thank youuuu :33 #also reblog or DIE

[non-plutonian-druid]

[ID: a pixel art gif of Five and Delores sitting on rotting lounge chairs by a pool in the apocalypse. Delores, made human by FIve's perspective, is swinging her legs, and Five is reading a book. There are four colors; yellow, hot pink, lime green, and blue. Music notes emerge from a radio. The sky is completely obscured by yellow, shifting clouds. End ID]

sometimes a guy has gotta have a vacation, even in the middle of the apocalypse.

#tua #the umbrella academy #gif #idk that just seems like an appropriate tag #five hargreeves #delores tua #apocalypse #pixel art #finally getting around to posting this and a little bit embarrassed about how long ive had all the pieces and just never put them together #i think i started this last summer. and also finished the gif last summer. #return of the 'gif with accompanying playlist because i dont want to download music' #this time i can actually make it a gif tho bc it isnt ONE MILLION YEARS LONG bc i didnt give it a 7x long scrolling background #this is kinda like. a drawing that ive already posted from a different perspective #except made pixelly and a gif #much effort was put into the making of this playlist. this is the 'songs five likes' playlist but shortened to five songs #as usual with pixel apocalypse art i have hidden some dead bodies for you all to find like a fun scavenger hunt #my art #tumblr i didnt give my playlist a little cover image for you to NOT show it. why. #genuinely remade this post three times trying to get it to realize i changed the album art. whatever i give up

[bloobydabloob]

Is there a reason ur drawings kinda look like someone stretched them in some direction. Not in a mean way. It's very silly imo /pos

Thank you, I’m glad you like it. I take inspiration from artists like @tostyart (twt) @robert_valley (insta) jasonlupas (twt) and several other artists, who do the same thing. I think it looks great. There’s no deeper reason sadly… just think it looks cool.

#third ask in a row about the skew. Hahaha #I get why some people might not like it #I love it though. I think it’s sooo sick #I deleted yesterday’s ask because I didn’t want to clog my page with asks but I’ll reiterate #I don’t think that imperfect art should be fixed or corrected #I struggle more specifically with rigidity in my art #I have a tendency to overwork the shapes in my art to the point where it’s just… stiff as hell #So I think also the skew helps disguise that a little. Maybe I’m a cheater #But anyways #I really like skewiff or quote unquote wonky looking art. #I love art and I love beginner artists and I love shakey lines and imperfections #I think it’s soo awesome. #I dig all art to be honest. Really honestly I just like art. I’m rambling here haha #but no… Some of the people listed get insecure about the asymmetry or whatever in their art. #I don’t think anyone should be ashamed of their art as long as they are doing something they enjoy and improving #without wonky art and without weird looking stuff #we wouldn’t improve. That’s what really sucks #But I guess that’s not why I do it. I wish I could do the skew on accident dude. #Please check out @tostyart by the way #genuinely probably one of my favorite artists of all time #I think you will enjoy their stuff. It’s so different to everything else and their characters are wonderful #they have such wonderful line work and are so great at working with composition and perspective. #Everything I aspire to be #Sorry for tag rambling. I did this exact thing yesterday too #don’t give me the opportunity to talk about art. I’ll never shut up. #still not on topic though #TLDR : I think it looks cool

[spider-man-2o99]

while i guess one could make the excuse of tyler’s scrawny-ass genes affecting miguel, there is NO excuse to make gabriel a skinny little twink when u take into account the combined stocky- and largeness of conchata and george o’hara. i mean. george alone was the size of an actual fridge

#talking tag #spider-man 2099 #spiderman 2099 #miguel o'hara #gabriel o'hara #deliberately not tagging their parents as a sign of flagrant disrespect to them both for different individual reasons #...mostly just im lazy and i doubt anybody will ever be trawling for Content abt those two #but. like. anywho #i LIKED how in the 90s run miguel still had full cheeks and a strong-featured square head!! #have you SEEN conchata's features like. it just does not seem at all probable for her to have not one but TWO hollow-cheeked kids #rick gave them all nice faces actually and i miss getting to see his sm2099 art #well #''nice'' #they were very good from a character design perspective nice and distinct without being too insanely exaggerated to be distracting #but i wish the brothers could've had more interesting body types!! give me a damn superhero with body fat goddamnit #gimme a mig with love handles and big thigs nd a soft stomach whose body developed for years without spider influence #gimme a gabri who's still got baby fat and doesn't get out much because It's The Future and outside is hell #just gimme SOMETHIN seeing all-defined-muscles all the time is BORING

[lacewise]

YouTube comments remain a cesspool.

#I deliberately sought out a comment that was adding on to the original nuanced perspective of the video #and then posted a reply giving my anecdotal experiences #and now multiple people are arguing with me about how they’re different or my anecdotal experiences are wrong #but YouTube only takes my comments down #and not theirs that get really close to implying harassment is okay if you just really don’t like someone and think they deserve it #and then when I respond to the actual meaning of their words they act like they never said that with the comment still up #how does YouTubr moderate comments? with a dartboard? Incredibly frustrating #anyway no harassing people is not okay #and if you feel the need to go into a comment section disagreeing with that you are probably the person who needs to hear that most #and if someone says they have anecdotal experience on a subject you can check that! #off topic #not fiber arts #why not just leave me who obviously disagrees with you alone?

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

every now and then i think about my one interpretation of emma as a deeply closeted trans man radfem with a ton of internalized transphobia and antimasculism, who takes her issues with her identity out on the people around her instead of unpacking them and accepting herself. and i think, i need to draw a comic about this

#the quarry #quarrytag #emma mountebank #i use she/her here because this version of her seems unlikely to me to ever crack the egg and choose new pronouns #her narrative is already really interesting gender-wise if you interpret her as a cis girl #interpreting her as a self-hating trans man adds a /completely/ different perspective to all of it #especially when you combine it with an abi who is nonbinary; as i often do #(for some reason this game is one where it feels more natural to me to use more than one identity for a character from reading to reading) #(instead of just picking one headcanon and sticking with it) #(and abi gives me nb vibes so usually i tend to go with that) #it also puts her relationship with jacob in a very very different light #including what reads to me as the self-harm aspect of it #she knows it's a relationship that will only hurt her re: her issues with misogyny and sexism #and on some level for her that is the point #but then you turn around and add to that all her self-loathing; dysphoria; resentment; and envy toward how Extremely Masc jacob is #and is perceived; and how she wants the 'being strongly perceived as a man' part but does not actually want to present the way jacob does #and just. agh it's so much it's So Much i Need to make art happen about it #transphobia cw #radfems cw #transandrophobia cw #antimasculism cw

[garlic-sauc3]

reading comics from 1984 and then reading comics from 2014 is so weird. the art, writing, lettering, storybuilding, etc has changed so much in those 30 years it feels completely different

#no cheeky edititors notes #theres actual lower case letters used #the narration is different too #even though its for the same character #the art is different not only because of a differenr artist but the while genre of art shifted #which isnt necessarily a bad thing #but its interesting the way you can almost date a comic from the art style #to at least the decade it was made #anyway i couldnt read the 2014 one #for one the heavy topics made me nauseous because i was not prepared to handle that #but also the superhero genre is so different then what it was before #that if you enjoy old comics it can be difficult to enjoy the new stuff in the same way #but anyway #instead i started reading a comic book history comic which is very interesting and maybe can give me a good perspective of how #and why it changed

[acorviart]

everyone should attempt an artisan craft at some point in their life because it would cut down the number of comments questioning why handmade goods like ceramics or textile craft or woodworking are so expensive

and this is an unrealistic expectation, but I think the attempt should include seeing through to the end at least one "finished" item, no matter how clumsy or lumpy your first attempts might be. like to me, there's a huge difference in perspective between attempting to learn how to crochet or throw a pot for a few days, acknowledging that it's harder than it looks and giving up, versus committing to finishing that scarf or clay pot you started and working on it for weeks while you painstakingly learn from your mistakes and grow attached to your project while also simultaneously hating it.

once you finish the latter, your perspective changes from "why does this crocheted blanket cost $200" to "holy shit I can't believe they're charging $200 for this crocheted blanket instead of $2000" because you may have known crocheting is hard, you may have easily agreed with the idea that "handmade goods take time and effort" even before attempting a craft, but now you know firsthand the absolute time sink it takes to make things. like yeah dude, that one item took you 2 months to make and probably wasn't even an ultra complex item if it was the first thing you made, now imagine attaching an hourly wage to that time to calculate the cost (and this is ignoring every nuance of the artistic element and master crafters being able to work faster/charge higher because of their years and years of experience)

anyway this rant has been motivated by a comment I saw on someone else's ceramic post asking why a mug was $60 and they understand it's handmade but $60 just seems overpriced, and bro do you know how long ceramics take to make. that mug probably took at minimum 3 weeks between how long it takes to throw the mug, dry partially, trim the mug, dry fully, bisque fire, wait a day for the kiln to cool, sand and paint and glaze, glaze fire, wait a day for the kiln to cool, take product photography of the mug, write description and list the mug online for sale, im not even including the skill needed to complete all these steps without the mug literally exploding or collapsing while also making it an appealing piece of art, aaaaaaaaaaaaa

#$60 is overpriced my ass #if I priced my ceramics by the exact number of hours they took literally no one would buy anything #holding up a plate like oh yeah I started this in uhhhhhhhhhhh august and it finished in december #wrote this intending it to be a rant and delete post but im sending it out into the world

[shxrpest-lives]

As fun as it is to be the one person in my immediate and extended family to be into art, it sure would’ve been nice to grow up around more of it that I didn’t have to actively search out and go through my growing pains at an appropriate age

#like it’s fine #it’s cool #but I wish I’d been encouraged more as a kid and teenager #and not borderline bullied by my dad #also bullied by my grandmother? #“it gives you a different perspective it’s unique to you #yeah but I suck and didn’t get any encouragement when I needed it #WHATEVER #LIKE I EVEN CARE #art

[insert-content]

a summar(ule)y of 196 culture

since the tumblr veterans have been kind enough to introduce us newbies to their site and culture, i think it is only fair that we explain the culture of our glorious former home to any tumblr users who might be interested in the #196 tag. keep in mind, all these things are based on my perspective of the situation.

first of all, some general information (that you might’ve already heard):

196 (r/196 on reddit) was a subreddit with only one (official) rule; "post before you leave." it was mainly a meme/shitposting sub, but it cultivated a large queer and left-leaning community. in protest of the recent api chances in reddit, 196 has shut down indefinitely until reddit reverts these changes.

now for some culture/references that you might come across

spronkus kronkus:

spronkus is this yellow, rabbit-like creature.

they were the mascot of our subreddit. their appearance can vary from images to image, but as far as i’m aware, their full outfit consists of a bandanna in the colours of the trans flag around their neck, a gun labelled as such (other wise you obviously wouldn’t know what you’re looking at), and an axe also coloured like the trans flag.

r/place:

this is a rare event on reddit where the entire website gets a huge white canvas and can start creating pixel art on it. 196 participated by collaboratively creating our mascot, spronkus with "196!" written next to them.

this version of the pixel art was recreated by me as i couldn't find a nice image of it. there were some changes between the first version and the end result, so this might not be exactly how it looked in the end

post titles/"rule":

reddit forces it's users to title every post they make. as most of the posts on 196 spoke for themselves, many user instead titled their posts "rule", to indicate that they followed the subreddit's only rule. some people also tried to make puns with the word or tried to include it in words that shared some letters (example: wor(ule)d).

anarcho-stripperism:

as the amount of cropped porn jokingly posted to the subreddit increased, the moderators decided that porn would be banned from the sub, with one exception: anarcho-stripperism. she made food fucking videos, in which she jokingly tested the fuckability of different food items (fruits, pasta, etc.)

bigotry showcase:

bigotry showcase was a post flair (basically the reddit equivalent of tags) on the subreddit and was later restricted to only be used on saturdays. under this flair people posted instances of different forms of bigotry to make fun it.

eating babies/hungryposting:

at some point, the subreddit started to pretend to like eating babies, which started a variety of memes regarding the subject. even a post flair called "hungrypost" was added because of this

goblinhog:

goblinhog is the most prominent and well-known member of the 196 moderation team. besides this, on 196 he was mostly known for changing people’s flair if you enjoyed him enough about it.

flairs:

flairs are little tags that are displayed under your name in posts or comments, they are also subreddit specific. most subreddits give their users a palette of preset flairs and the option to make your own custom flair. however, in 196 you only had the option to customize your flair during special events. if you wanted to customize your flair outside of those events (which was basically the entire time), you had to ask a mod to do it for you.

punching nazis:

from time to time, the same gif of a person with a nazi armband getting punched in the face, and promptly falling to the ground, was reposted to the subreddit. this became a sort of tradition.

discourse/drama

wasp discourse:

the wasp discourse was a one to two weeks long heated discussion that generally divided the subreddit into two factions. one side said that they were justified in killing wasps if they were attacked by them, while the other claimed that since wasps are just animals, they aren't aware of what they're doing in the same way humans are, and therefore should be spared.

drama about the british:

there was a time when jokes along the lines of "ew, british" became pretty frequent on the subreddit. as a response, some user claimed that this was akin to racism and tried to get others to stop with the jokes. a debate over whether or not it was important or necessary to stop followed afterwards.

pillar discourse:

this was a debate over which type of pillar should be considered the best (ionic; doric; corinthian). i have seen the question "which pillar is the best?" being used as a sort of greeting between 196 refugees on here.

related subreddits

195:

195 was the predecessor to 196, and also was a social experiment with the same premise as 196 (one rule, post before you leave). as the creators of 195 ended the experiment, the community wanted something with the same vibe to continue posting, and thus 196 was born.

197:

197 is another part of the 196 ecosystem and is commonly understood to be the more politically right-leaning and bigoted as 196, as some people who were banned from 196 continued posting there. besides that, the subreddits were essentially the same in terms of how they functioned.

19684:

this subreddit adds a second rule which banned all mentions of sex (that’s why it’s name is a pun on 1984). some people took this as banning all discussion of sexuality, which resulted in a community that was slightly less accepting of queer people. it is currently still up and running as the 196 moderation team wants a way to stay in contact with the community.

amendments to the posts:

u/femboy_expert:

another well-known 196 user. as the name suggests they're an expert on the subject of femboys, with their flair on 196 reading "phd in feminine boys". as the subreddit was somewhat obsessed with femboys, it's no wonder that they became popular.

u/shitcum_backup:

this was the main account of a pretty popular shitposter on the subreddit. although i didn't see them as much in the last few months, i remember them sometimes having a unique speaking pattern, in which they referred to themself in the third person.

u/monko74:

this user commented "Every day I thank god for not making me a r/196 celebrity," which led to many users of the subreddit treating them like a micro celebrity. there are even a few subreddits solely dedicated to u/monko74.

691:

a sister subreddit that inverts the rule of 196, here you would be (temporarily) banned for posting. some time ago the members of this sub initiated a rebellion/revolution against the bot who performed all the bans (roomba).

u/Smart_Calendar1874:

this wasn’t necessarily part of the subreddit, but it was a pretty popular meme. and since it’s getting posted on here again, and i know enough about it, i’ll add it to the post. this user made a post to r/AskReddit titled "How would you get a small cylinder (5.1in length, ~4.5in girth) unstuck from a mini M&Ms tube filled with butter and microwaved mashed banana? [sic]" it was pretty clear that they were referring to their penis, yet they continued to claim "it’s a cylinder," in the comment section. this lead to comments like "it is imperative that the cylinder […] remains unharmed," in response to people’s advice of cutting the m&m tube.

it's going to be very interesting to see which aspects of 196 culture are going to survive the tumblr migration, and which aspects won't be applicable on this site.

i'm obviously not the ultimate scholar on 196 lore. if i’ve missed or left out anything, or said something wrong, please comment it.

#196 #spronkus kronkus #r196 #r/196 #196archive #tumblr migration #rip 196 #196 campfire #196 migration

[teaboot]

Yo, no hate, I totally get the confusion!

From the perspective of someone who isn't in the arts, this would seem pretty dumb, yeah? Offering someone money for work they already did, on a picture I already have access to, thay I could just ask someone to do on me for free, right?

Well, there are a few reasons:

As an artist myself, I know how hard it is to make a career out of art. Nobody wants to hire you, those who DO don't want to pay you, and it's so, so easy to have your ideas ripped off or stolen. I believe that by giving money to artists I appreciate, I can help them continue to exist and continue creating more.

I'm benefiting from their work. I love their art, and I want it on my body, and they put work into creating it, so shouldn't I compensate them? It'd be kind of unfair for them to put blood sweat and tears into a piece on for me to walk in and go, "mine now", right? If I hired the tattoo artist to design something for me, it would cost money. So why is it fair to rob the tattoo artist AND the original artist so I can save a buck? I've just cheated two different professionals.

By asking the original artist if it's okay to get their work, and if they'd like to charge for it, I'm giving them control over their own creations. Maybe it's a personal piece. Maybe it was a commission for someone else who doesn't want matching tattoos with an internet stranger. I'm letting them choose to say what happens to the art that they've made, and in an era of the internet and pinterest and AI theft, that's not something we all get to have anymore.

TL/DR: Asking permission and offering payment is a gesture of appreciation and respect that grants an artist the dignity and bargaining power they need to survive in an increasingly hostile environment.

Or,

Failing to adequately compensate individual artists and craftsmen for their labour has directly to the death of art and craft at large.

[grison-in-space]

Listening to Artificial Condition again, it strikes me how much Murderbot uses empathy reflexively as a survival skill. Look at this bit.

Upon meeting it, ART allows it on board and then announces that it knows that Murderbot is rogue. Then ART threatens to destroy it if it hacks ART's own systems. Murderbot is immediately terrified and shuts down all inputs, gives serious thought to spending the entire three month journey unconscious, and then considers the potential avenues of damage from ART's drones. ART, not realizing why Murderbot had suddenly gone silent, tells it to quit sulking, which understandably pisses off the still-terrified Murderbot. It dumps a bunch of memories of coercive treatment into ART's feed, and ART goes silent.

Then this happens:

Then it said, I’m sorry I frightened you. Okay, well. If you think I trusted that apology, you don’t know Murderbot. Most likely it was playing a game with me. I said, “I don’t want anything from you. I just want to ride to your next destination.” I’d explained that earlier, before it opened the hatch for me, but it was worth repeating. I felt it withdraw back behind its wall. I waited, and let my circulatory system purge the fear-generated chemicals. More time crawled by, and I started to get bored. Sitting here like this was too much like waiting in a cubicle after I’d been activated, waiting for the new clients to take delivery, for the next boring contract. If it was going to destroy me, at least I could get some media in before that happened. I started the new show again, but I was still too upset to enjoy it, so I stopped it and started rewatching an old episode of Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon. After three episodes, I was calmer and reluctantly beginning to see the transport’s perspective. A SecUnit could cause it a lot of internal damage if it wasn’t careful, and rogue SecUnits were not exactly known for lying low and avoiding trouble. I hadn’t hurt the last transport I had taken a ride on, but it didn’t know that. I didn’t understand why it had let me aboard, if it really didn’t want to hurt me. I wouldn’t have trusted me, if I was a transport. Maybe it was like me, and it had taken an opportunity because it was there, not because it knew what it wanted.

The thing about Murderbot's survival is that it clearly involves quite a bit of negotiating with other constructs and bots. That's how it talks its way onto cargo hauler bots in the first place. It uses empathy--envisioning the emotional and cognitive context of the individuals it encounters--to work out what different kinds of people want, so that it can offer them fair trades. It also uses empathy to consider what humans might be looking for, so it can practice blending in and hide.

Murderbot would never have survived so long if it wasn't capable of assessing the individual desires of the people--human, bot, and construct--around it. It thinks about ART's probable fears and motivations so that it can consider whether ART is inherently an ongoing threat or a potential ally.

When your survival depends on evading detection, you get really good at assessing perceptual biases so that you can shape yourself to fit into them. People talk about murderbot being radically empathetic as a choice it makes, or as a feature of its personality that makes it a good person. But I think murderbot would be the the first person to tell you that this empathy is part of its threat assessment suite, a skill that was developed out of necessity in order to allow you to survive.

It is also a trait that makes murderbot a good person, of course: it chooses very carefully to try to survive by doing as little harm as possible and by offering things, like media, that buy it access to things it needs. But it started as a survival skill. It's part of hypervigilance.

I think one of the strengths of this series is that so many of the things we love about SecUnit are traits developed for survival in an inherently threatening world. The shape of its mind and heart have been changed by the trauma of its origin--but they don't make murderbot less good for being altered, even if that skill was developed in a traumatic context.

I like that.

#murderbot #empathy as a tool #note that this is not necessarily natural empathy #it's cognitive and only happens when the adrenaline eases off #going to work my way though the existing published series before I dig into my brand new copy of the new one

[saraswritingtipps]

What should Happen next in your Story? #Writersblock

1. Review Your Story Goals: Take a step back and remind yourself of your story's overall goals, themes, and the character arcs you've established. What message or emotions are you trying to convey? Reconnecting with your story's core can provide direction.

2. Character Development: Consider your characters' motivations, desires, and conflicts. Think about how their actions and decisions can further their development and the overall plot.

3. Conflict and Obstacles: Introduce new conflicts or obstacles that challenge your characters and move the story forward. Conflict is often a driving force in storytelling.

4. Foreshadowing: Look at earlier parts of your story for elements that can be developed or paid off in the next part. Foreshadowing can create anticipation and coherence in your narrative.

5. Brainstorm Ideas: Take a few minutes to brainstorm potential plot developments or scenarios, even if they seem far-fetched. Sometimes, these ideas can lead to more refined plot points.

6. Seek Inspiration: Read books, watch movies, or explore other art forms that inspire you. Inspiration often comes from exposure to different creative works.

7. Write Freely: Give yourself permission to write without judgment. You can always revise later. Sometimes, just getting words on the page can help you discover where your story is going.

8. Talk to Someone: Discuss your story with a friend, writing partner, or critique group. They may offer insights or ideas you haven't considered.

9. Change Perspective: Consider writing a scene from a different character's perspective or in a different setting. This can help you explore new angles and generate ideas.

10. Take a Break: Sometimes, a brief break from writing can provide clarity and fresh ideas. Go for a walk, engage in a different creative activity, or relax to clear your mind.

11. Read Writing Prompts: Look for writing prompts or exercises related to your genre or theme. These can spark new ideas and get your creative juices flowing.

12. Set a Deadline: Establish a reasonable deadline for yourself, even if it's self-imposed. The pressure of a deadline can help you focus and generate ideas.

13. Revisit Your Outline: If you have an outline, revisit it to see if you missed any planned plot points or if there are opportunities to add more depth.

#writing #writer on tumblr #writerscommunity #writing tips #character development #writer tumblr #writblr #writing advice #writing help #writer problems #writers block #writerblr #writer things

[drchucktingle]

best of the year / invest in autistic art

CAMP DAMASCUS has just been named one of the best books of the year by amazon. pretty amazing for a book with an autistic main character by an autistic author. also amazing for a queer horror book

this is time to celebrate but i also have some things i must say

i have to be honest with my feelings. 'online left' has a BIG problem with the way autistic buckaroos are treated. the way chuck was harassed about my unique way gets more shocking as more time passes and perspective is gained. HUGE left side figures who pretend it never happened

there are been giant strides made for all kinds of communities that are historically overlooked. we are trotting towards love. but i think acceptance of the autistic experience has a long way to go. that being said i am so honored by how far we have trotted

i love being autistic. always have. my diagnosis as a young buckaroo made me feel so cool. i hope CAMP DAMASCUS can make more young buckaroos feel that way, and i hope that as CHUCK TINGLE i can keep making exciting art that makes buckaroos proud to be autistic too

the folks at @torbooks (as well as agent dongwon and manager gino) are some of the few BIG ORGANIZATIONS that immediately accepted me for who i was and what i create, not as a joke or a character but as an honest expression of myself that does not fit a traditional mold

i am so honored they gave me this chance. i am so honored that YOU gave me this chance. i hope there is more of this in the future and less young autistic buckaroos being called ‘memes’ and ‘fake’ because their autism gives a different sensibility

not everyone was birthed from edgy online message boards. SINCERITY AND LOVE ARE REAL. UNIQUENESS IS BEAUTIFUL. and the more often business buds invest in this idea, the more there will be folks with bestselling, best of the year art paying them back. INVEST IN AUTISTIC BUCKAROOS

thank you for helping me prove this investment in neurodivergent art. thank you for helping me prove love is real. CAMP DAMASCUS is here

and BURY YOUR GAYS will kick open even more doors next summer so preorder here

#love is real #actually autistic #chuck tingle #tingleverse #queer #horror #lgbtqia #camp damascus #buckaroo lifestyle #lets trot #bury your gays