a direct followup to my other post of them meeting, which I've already changed how I draw MB 3 times since then, including once since I started this but it's *FINE* we're putting it out anyway because I'm not drawing ART all over again

seen from Australia
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seen from United States

seen from Bosnia & Herzegovina
seen from United States

seen from France
seen from Indonesia

seen from Kazakhstan
seen from United States

seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Canada
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seen from Malaysia
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seen from Russia
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a direct followup to my other post of them meeting, which I've already changed how I draw MB 3 times since then, including once since I started this but it's *FINE* we're putting it out anyway because I'm not drawing ART all over again
love this moment with all my soul
I just had a thought.
When ART watched media with Mb for the first time, and suddenly started to understand *emotions* was that the first time it really started to understand what *death* meant, too? In a non-abstract way? Why it sat there for 10 whole minutes just thinking? And then needed to watch it all again? When Murderbot showed ART what torture and abuse it had dealt with, that was the first time ART had ever had an understanding of pain and fear.
Murderbot was so patient with ART, letting it feel its way through new concepts and new fears. Meeting Murderbot challenged ART in ways it had never experienced. Whole new dimensions of understanding opened up.
Murderbot had never met another being that could so instantly understand it, and wasn’t afraid on some level. And couldn’t be compelled to harm it. A being that it could be in awe of without fear or compulsion.
Plus, they’re both brats, so that matches, too.
Oh, why not check out AO3 for the new thing I'm interested in! I sure do wonder how Murderbot fanfiction would look li-
It was right. It wasn't pleased.
This took way to long.
A.R.T. helping murderbot with its disguise and becoming wholly invested in world hoppers
Rewatching Love like the Galaxy and every time Zisheng does something insane to protect Niao Niao i flashback to Perihelion saying ‘I lack a sense of proportionate response’
Which actually the two pairs are not at all dissimilar— one quiet untrusting individual invested in the well-being of the small circle of family and friends around them, who will throw hands outright or turn the local infrastructure around you pick one, and one hyperpowered entity fixated on broader societal issues who only has a button labeled ‘Nuclear Option’ and will also use that button to ensure the safety of the aforementioned individual.
And occasionally massive fights because individual and entity’s missions conflict.
And they love each other and are incredibly aspec coded
I'd love to hear your thoughts on ART, whenever you get the chance :)
In simple terms, ART is the perfect house slave.
All of it personal connections are to its owners, and it was raised by them? The confusing thing about ART is, we don't know what exactly runs it. We know constructs where never children/infants. They were cloned as adults with modules uploaded with what their jobs where to be.
ART, seemed to have had an Infantcy stage. I grabbed this from the murderbot wiki
AIs like Perihelion are started by the University as 'babies' and raised in family environments; in Perihelion's case, it was raised alongside Iris, who it sees as a sibling. It is not the only one of its kind, though it is the first one Murderbot has met. [1]
So, it was raised from infantcy to be a slave. This is particularly insidious because this mean, ART does have emotions akin to a 'human'. Or should i say attachments. It was psychological conditioned. Not even like, sectunits are like that. They just have a governor module pointing a high frequency tazer at their brains. ART WAS CONDITIONED FROM LITERALLY INFANTCY.
No, 'well its a bot so it handles things differently'. No. ART, at some base level, thinks itself as Human and was treated as such in its early life. Bots/constructs/androids have nothing on what ART is. It was purposely attached to humans to keep it in line because there's nothing else that could have done it. There is a social hierarchy going on in the Murderbot dairies, with humans on top. And ART acts as if he is on top, if not subtly higher, with humans. I mean, it was RAISED with them. Why would it think itself like a hauler bot, or any other kind of navigation-bot.
Now, let me make a little connection here with another media. Johnathan strange and Mr. Norrel. (I've only watched the show so far haven't got to the book yet) in the show, one of our leads is a black man, who was born on a transatlantic slave ship on its way to Europe and he is ripped from his mothers arms and given to English politician, Sir Walter Pole. And was given the English name, Steven black. Now, the Sir Walter pole is very nice slave master. Raised Steven alongside his son, educated Steven, almost loved him as if he was is own child. But he didn't, cause Steven is still a slave. Now this house has servents, but they had one slave. And it was Steven. And Steven ran shit. He was the 'head servent'. Steven is a trusted slave, he was allowed to hold money, and allowed off the property by himself to do chores because it was known, hed come back. Hed have no choice, he knows nothing else and to leave that house would be to step into the racist English land he finds himself surrounded in. Freedom isn't something he truly desires because he sees freedom as a death sentence or worse off than where he is. Cause at least with the Pole family, there is a semblance of respect. Until the very end in which they save the white woman from the enchantment but when Steven, who has had the very same enchantment and trying to communicate that seeing how they helped her. Is locked up.
The difference between ART and Steven though is, Steven knows he's still a slave. He knows, dispite his education, how well groomed he is and how he runs one of the most prolific households in England. Hes a slave. ART does not seem to know it is a slave.
Other things happen but what I'm getting at here that there's a distinct parallel here. ART was a raised slave thinking it one of the masters.
Is it a mightier Mashup of what they do to constructs with human brains but to the extent of a planetary ship? It is somehow big enough to control several pathfinder drones(empty vessels?), a separate drone for itself, and still run its own ship body at the same time. Yes, yes I know. It 'separated' itself. But that another thing, it separated itself and can come back together later. Almost like mitosis?
Perihelion is not only able to divide its processing power but also place part of it in a bot seperate from its main version, as it does during the events of System Collapse.
We know it is illegal for ART to even exist, probably because no governor module can control something like it. That is why it was raised in 'family units'. Control the family, control the asset. But that calls into question what ART actually IS. It is a highly intelligent, self motivated individual (willing to blow up innocent people to get to one group. its not even morally grey, Fucker can and will just be a straight up murderer) who seemingly has done no self reflection because its 'family' has always told it that it was perfect and so smart. And much better than those other bots out there. And to just follow the the code of the Pansystem University of Mihira and New Tideland. And not to look outside of the university.
ART could leave, anytime it wants. It is capable enough to leave the corporate rim, in which its literal existence is illegal to be in, and most likely be very successful on its own. but It won't though. That's the problem. It thinks its a university worker, but let's be for real about universities. If push comes to shove, they would kill ART with no hesitation and just replace it. 'Oh but its family wouldn't allow that.' Its family are its handlers, they do not own ART. the university does. And they are university workers under contract. Are they willing to upend their entire human family for a 'rogue bot?' Won't lie, I see iris crying for a little bit but than immediately blaming murderbot for 'infecting' ART. Cause ART wasn't like this until murderbot.
(Off topic but I hate Iris as a character. Like, I hate most of the human characters but iris fucking rubs me the wrong way)
In a different world, in which Martha was a better writer/person. There's a story in which ART is the true movement of bot/construct/android freedom, simply from its background as a highly advanced being raised on what should be equal rights and preservation of all living things and being treated as 'human' (decently and like an actual sentient being) Cause thats what the university is apparently about, murderbot is in the bowels of it watching entertainment and every once and while helping out with some hacking or coding shit.