Jay Rambles About Books - Tumblr Posts

Murderbot and Trauma Portrayal

I've been thinking about Murderbot and trauma recently. Murderbot is able to shut down memories of the things that traumatised it really well. Especially with the extra stuff that us squishy humans don't have like computerish brains. But despite the ability to shut thoughts down its actual body retains the memory of the trauma and keeps lowering its performance rating even when it is Not Remembering.

Just as somebody who has to deal with trauma flashbacks, its so accurate to what I do. Because one way a mind learns to deal with trauma, is to just shut it down, such as intentional or unintentional forgetting. But that doesn't get rid of the trauma. Because trauma lives in the body, and the body remembers even when the mind does not.

Because you can't escape trauma by running from it, at least not totally. You can do it to survive, but its never going to go away by doing that, it'll always just be lurking, lowering your performance rating.

I just finished The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard and I love everybody's friendship so much. When Kip was looking at the house and how it would work for everybody, how everybody could live there together....

Ms Goddard please you can't give this much hope to my poor aromantic heart....

I really hope they all get their retirement together...