Secunit - Tumblr Posts

MB's filtering in TMBD

I think reading the books as translated texts makes every sense - we get lots of moments that only make sense in that context, in fact - not least of which is "the company" which obviously has a name but just as obviously is being filtered out by our narrator. It gels too with the way MB talks about the multilingual CR, where translation systems are so ubiquitous that the slight delay between the gray Targets speaking and the translation coming in is worth noting as unusual/jarring. (NE) The hints we get that people are speaking other languages or through assistive tech, but being readily understood without commentary seem to strongly suggest that there's a pretty wide range of languages in such spaces that are considered default options. That also makes it especially funny when MB translates idioms. (Best (all?) examples are from FT)

The most upsetting thing about the (impeccable) accuracy of this observation is the knowledge that a) this is also exactly how new humans first announce themselves, and b) there’s just no way this (understandable, tbh) reaction to being thrust into consciousness without warning or consent isn’t going to instantly be answered by a governor shock.

—- —-

The company CEO stands with the lead engineer, looking down over the first mass-produced batch of their successful prototype as it is being delivered to the factory floor, below them and behind a thick barrier of clear plex.

CEO: So they come off the line still powered down… and then you wake them.

Engineer: We activate them, yes.

As they speak, techs greet the newest “arrival,” guiding the lifter into an upright position. The unit is still swaddled in the biofilm remnants of its organic growth process. The film sticks to the contours of the plastic incubator and it takes some labor on the techs’ part to get it out, cleaned, and ready for activation.

CEO: Sure sure - it’s just with its mouth open like that it seems like it’s yawning, is all. See? There it goes! They all seem to do it….. maybe marketing can do something with that…. Obviously we don’t want to overdo the emphasis on organics, but this is supposed to be the big advantage of these hybrids - a human face on security without the human cost. Or the human error.

Engineer, uncomfortable: Er, right. Even at a fraction of operational capacity, one of our units could - er, would still be very effective, compared to a human equivalent. The processing speed alo-

They watch the new unit jerk a second time in as many seconds, snapping its mouth closed and coming to attention instead, only the merest wobble indicating that ambulatory systems still undergoing final checks. Its eyes are wide, alert. Its limbs no longer tremble.

CEO, pointing with a little chuckle: Ah - I see - that one snapped right out of it! No griping about rest hours from these! Can they even speak?

Engineer: Er, yes, they come standard with a bank of buffer phrases that can be customized, but if organic speech is required, they are equipped with functioning vocal cords and language models compatible with the hybrid brain. We have comprehensive displays prepared to show you their factory standard modules.

As the unit obeys a direction to advance to the next step in the process, the CEO indicates the intercom button: Let’s have one of the techs demonstrate - I want to hear for myself. I know it’ll be rough at this point, but—

Engineer, urgent, flustered: Sir, I don’t- the noise- er, before they’re fully calibrated it —

The CEO rolls his eyes, leaning forward to press it himself. Below, the next unit is being activated, and the comm link comes to life at the same moment it does.

Other bots' first words: "Hello world!"

SecUnits' first words: "AAAAAGGGGHHH!!!"

I love how this piece of art invokes such a wide spectrum of relationship mutual administrative assistance depending entirely on how literally or figuratively you choose to interpret it.

This is MB’s fear when they first meet.

This is a facetious representation of ART’s ambitions for people it cares about. (Remember - it’s a spaceship. Putting people inside itself is possessive, yes, but also literally just what it does

This is a horrifying representation of the threat ART always poses to autonomy

(It’s some other stuff that if you’re sensitive about, skip the purple smalls)

It’s bondage and vore, sure -

But it’s also a depiction of a giant blue cryptid tasting (eating?) a trussed up construct that —- isn’t struggling.

So:

It is also a representation of acceptance and trust.

I don’t understand where so many people get so entirely caught on single narratives - especially in a fandom that basically exists bc everyone reading this series takes something unique from it - and none of us take precisely what MW puts in. That is the literal nature of narrative.

That is the literal nature of narrative.

Ok that said honestly I did not intend this when I started this repost. I was actually just musing about the lovely art. So let me get back to it.

/soapbox of exasperated huffing

Frankly my favorite thought about the piece is the way it makes me think of how I usually conceptualize ART’s sensory experience as a bot with spaceship and drone senses. Bc of what it is (made of data, literally immaterial) it interacts with other data-beings like an amoeba in an agar dish. So many depictions of it are poking at how to MB it is huge and smothering. Intimidating just by being what it is. I intend more expansion on this but what was supposed to be a quick repost has already gone haywire so pausing there - but I am VERY interested in bot and construct sensory experiences.

One more Murderbot holiday gift 💛 this one's for a friend who's not on Tumblr. So glad to have been introduced to you by a mutual friend! It's been great getting to know you and I hope your 2024 treats you right!!

Ratthi: "So, how's living with the in-laws going?"

Murderbot: "You mean ART's crew? It's been good, I guess"

Murderbot, processing what Ratthi just asked it: ...

Murderbot: "THEY'RE NOT MY IN-LAWS-"

Ohhhhhhthis is great. I think of that title as one of those moments when you’re not sure whether you’re in the in-group enough to make The Joke so the one who grants that Joke’s permissions specifically invites you into it. It’s a little reproach, a little forgiveness and a LOT of “get in here, fucker.”

Exit Strategy has so many gems that it's easy to miss some of the more subtle ones. Today I'm fixating on the video that our protagonist sent to Gurathin when he asked what it's been up to.

Specifically, the title of the video.

"Murderbot Impersonates An Augmented Human Security Consultant"

Murderbot. It calls itself Murderbot, a name it has never told anyone before. A name Gurathin took from its memories in one of their last meetings, and while it seems more, like, annoyed than traumatized by this, it still is a pretty rude thing to do, let alone share without permission like he does. (He does have valid reason to be concerned at the time, but still.)

What does it mean for Murderbot to call itself Murderbot in a file made to answer the question of the human who found out it's called Murderbot? Remember, this isn't something it had lying around - it edited together video on the spot to answer his question.

Every time I reread ES, I find my own underlining of that title and ask this question again, and then forget it.

It becomes slightly laxer (again not entirely willfully) with the name in Network Effect, but Murderbot's name is usually private information that it doesn't choose to share (later in ES it does choose to reassure Mensah that it is who it says it is, which, again. Just. Imagine being in the position where a technically-killer construct reassures you that it calls itself Murderbot. What a time).

It could be a sort of subtle dig, that it doesn't need to hide this info because Gurathin already has it. It could be an unconscious act of, if not trust, then neutrality, that it doesn't need to hide this info because, again, Gurathin already has it. It could be a reminder, a comedic juxtaposition with the rest of the title and contents of the video. Hell, it could be Murderbot's idea of an in-joke at this point. I just don't know. But when I think of this passage, I think of the part soon after, where Murderbot grudgingly appreciates Gurathin giving the hostage negotiator such a cold shoulder that even it's impressed. I think of it interrupting Gurathin viewing the recording because the rep has arrived. I think of Gurathin, wrist-deep in manual controls (and hey, when they discussed the humans' luggage, Gurathin's mention was his specialized toolkit).

I don't know. There's a lot there. Gurathin is, ever more obvious on each reread, just Murderbot: Human Edition, and Murderbot absolutely refuses to acknowledge this in any form, and it will still take care of him.

A+ take.

I want to add about the end of Exit Strategy that in his capacity of standing beside Mb with a possibly literal clipboard, murmuring about its status, Gurathin is giving it another milestone safety confirmation.

How many times must it have had to lie frozen beside techs that talked about it and did whatever horrible thing they might feel like to it? It’s most defiant when it’s scared and since it was also more than a little borked at the time, there’s got to have been a lot of unintentional evocation of half-remembered horrors and other negative feelings: what if they scrap me? What if the discover me? What if they try to delete my *me*?!

Consciously or not, it goes right for a check that is doing the same thing the ASR moment does: testing the improbable hope that it *might* not be in danger. Are these humans (STILL?!) safe enough to not panic/fight/escape? Is it safe to be confused/helpless rn?

Being in that position when every other time it would be in dread of discovery or torture or destruction and having in one line confirmation that it was known, and the pretense of obedience was not required, and the evaluation was of its state, not its worth - I can’t imagine. Pretty slick, G.

the thing about Murderbot's """relationship""" with Gurathin is that the first time it vocally expressed its dislike for Gurathin was the very first time it was ever able to vocally express its dislike for anyone.

And it was not punished! Nothing bad happened to it because of this! The PreservationAux team was just like, fine, your opinion is noted and valid, we still all have to work together to not die though.

for someone who was never allowed to let anyone else know it even had opinions, this is a big fucking deal.

its actions toward Gurathin later on (especially obvious in Fugitive Telemetry) show that it considers Gurathin a trusted and valued teammate. And maybe it will never remove the "I don't like him" tag from Gurathin's internal profile but that is not a sign of their friendship needing repair, it is a sign that Murderbot feels safe and free enough to be a little bitchy hater. and i say, good for it!

i think the reason i like the murderbot diaries so much is because the dystopia feels very real and relevant in a way that no other "oppressive government fearmongering" has, and because murderbot is such a compelling protagonist.

this is an autistic person who is struggling and angry and terrible at having emotions. it lives in a capitalist hellscape where people are disposable. it's traumatized as hell, but it's easier to consider itself disposable than confront the terrifying reality of personhood.

(it confronts the terrifying reality of personhood.)

it likes escaping into fiction. it has a fucked up relationship with pain and its own body. and it reads so strongly as disability coding to me, how it doesn't see the bullets or the chunks missing as horror but merely annoyance. it's fundamentally different from those around it, in ways that they struggle to understand. (they make a distinct effort to understand.)

this is an autistic person who is not like you, who suffered in ways that you cannot understand, in ways that would horrify you. this is just another tuesday.

this world is not kind. there is legal fine text that destroys lives and there is hereditary indenture and contract labor where you're forced to still pay for preventative medical care out of your paycheck and no one says slavery, but everyone knows what it means.

these people are kind. they will watch your favorite shows to help understand you, they will forge documents to give abandoned people their freedom, they will allow you to be near them because they like you. these people are proof that there's love in the world, and you can come out of your shell if you are ready to see yourself as a person.

science fiction is one of the genres that has the potential to be amazing, but is quite often just plain shitty to disabled people. and, to people in general? "oooooo look how scary it is, people have all their basic needs fulfilled by technology!" when technological advances are what gave housewives the time they needed to actually get jobs and put together the feminist movements, when this new technology that the narrative regards with such disdain could provide disabled people with newfound mobility and independence.

it speaks of a truly dismal view of humanity, the belief that without strict labor under capitalism to keep us all in line, we would just fall prey to our vices. and I think it also speaks to a loathing of one's self, to think that humans are not capable of self regulation, to think that pain and suffering and punishment are somehow moral and virtuous. that humans need to be punished constantly, that suffering will bring them closer to something like god, to something like goodness.

but murderbot doesn't do that. murderbot says, "i have seen humans do horrible awful stupid things. they can't be trusted with weapons or security and they shoot me all the time and it sucks. but they make stories and art. the people in the entertainment media gave me the tools to contextualize my own emotions. they are my coworkers. i don't care about them. i got shot in the back protecting them but i didn't care about them. okay fine maybe i care a little. they're annoying. i'll eviscerate anyone who hurts them. they're mine."

This is fucking AMAZING MB fan art.

I love the galaxy interpretation of ART, especially. Wow. Gorgeous.

Murderbot Diaries Art Dump

P1: Murderbot sitting in front of a porthole, the nebula shining outside has a pair of star in the same star system. ART is showing murderbot its analysis of this system. It is implied that their relationship is akin to that of the star system's. also just a side note, i imagine that if ART actually has an eye, it will look something like the nebula shown.

Partially inspired by Volatile Stellar Relationship (by discodaemons), i actually started thinking about drawing mdb in front of a window and somehow encountered this fic and i LOVE IT!!!! This can be seen as either friendship or not.

P2: My first impression of Murderbot in its repair cubicle.

P3: Miki the little angel bot sent by cyberheaven 👼

P4: Humanoid!ART launching missiles. the design of humanoid is from fishoyor on lofter!

Drew a little of this on a discord stream! I was super nervous drawing in front of people. Based on this post:

assorted mb + amena (+ ART) doodles

another fav scene from fugitive telemetry :’)

(id in alt text)

i spent today drawing the cover of All Systems Red in my own style!

how many pings will it take for secunit to stop sulking?

Note to hostiles: running away is probably your best option.

"There is a lot about what is going on here that I don't understand. But I am participating anyway." -Three in Network Effect by Martha Wells.

Is me trying to be social.

I'm back on it, decided to do smth diff, have some murderbot!!

Day 15: SecUnit | Murderbot & Asshole Research Transport | ART

It happens sometimes. Things get loud. Too loud. I can't think or focus or do any-fucking-thing but watch as my performance reliability drops. Fast.

Usually, I'm able to slip away and Deal With It. This time is no different. Ratti gives me an odd look, but doesn't push. He's considerate like that.

I'm able to get back to my room, slide to the floor and push my head between my legs before ART says anything. I'd forgotten it was watching, which is absolutely idiotic because it's always watching.

There's a light pressure against my feed. When I don't immediately buck against it, it grows. Spreads and presses down like a weighted blanket. Some complicated twist of emotions shudders through me, though I don't have the want or bandwidth to parse it.

Thanks. I send out.

Art pings me back. Stupid.

Then, after a second,

Always.

Words: 145

ok. so. Murderbot can't eat, right? Well established, it's digestive system is different, nothing would happen except there would be food matter somewhere there shouldn't be. But! But but but, Muderbot can smell. The growth medium thing (and other instances) proves that. Which means Murderbot can probably taste things (in the air, specifically).

I don't think it will, however. And I think it's because Murderbot seems to view all of it's senses as tools for security, and security only. So where am I going with this?

I'd love for Murderbot so slowly start treating parts of itself less like tools and more like what makes it who it is. I feel like as much as Murderbot knows it's a person, it also treats itself so much less like a person. It always insists thing's are different for SecUnits and Bots, and that it and humans are almost incomparable in how they think, act, feel, etc. (Internalized anti–androidism or androidphobia if you will). And for Murderbot to acknowledge it's senses as more than just tools for the job, to experience it's world in a variety of ways just for the sake of it, for the sake of seeing new things and finding joy in them, would be one step closer to Murderbot acknowledging that you don't have to be human to be a person, and that's exactly what it is.