i was inspired to make a post outlining my advice for machinekin dysphoria as well as some general tips and advice and it ended up being quite long, but hopefully this can be helpful to some units
**disclaimer, i am transmasc and gender and machine euphoria tend to be difficult to separate for me, so keep that in mind when reading the presentation specific dysphoria tips
body specific mods:
1. what color is your chassis? what material? play with clothing colors and textures to help mimic your real body. for me, i feel like more of an industrial type of mech, so i stick with a lot of black clothing, and prioritize stiffer fabrics and boxier fitting garments. if you have more plastic or transparent portions, getting something made of shiny vinyl may be affirming. in the end, it’s up to personal preference.
2. sequel to #1: how can you use the shapes of certain articles of clothing to recreate your real body? for example, i often wear cropped [but not tight] shirts, specifically ones that make a rectangular shape wider than my existing torso to create the shape of a bot with a larger chest in comparison to its waist [like cathode from warm like flesh]. just use the existing shapes of clothing to your advantage, and try to rebuild the silhouette of your robot body with it.
3. if you feel more like metal, chunky silver jewelry [belt chains, thick necklaces, rings, emphasis on the belt chains] can be very helpful. for plastic or silicone bots, wearing chunky acrylic or even glass jewelry might help.
4. use loose cables as belt chains [place an end in a front pants pocket and the other end in the back and let the loop hang between them], or even make your own belt chain out a cable so you can wear it more frequently and easier. you can try making other things out of wires if you want as well, like a necklace, belt, or cable tail.
5. wear thick soled shoes, or, if you have them, thick boots, the chunkier the better [the noise made when walking can be euphoric, as too can the feeling of your ankles being more stiff/stabilized, if that’s your thing]. this works best if you feel more heavy/dense/metal, but if not, you can still use shoes as a way to reflect your chassis. if you’re more of a delicate model, wearing slimmer shoes, maybe closed toe heels or heeled boots may be affirming.
6. pretty specific one, but wearing a thick belt, especially with a boxy buckle can be helpful. the stiffness at the waist can help you to feel more secure, and the visual of the belt can be affirming, although this is very dependent on your model type and may not work for everyone.
7. painting your nails silver/your chassis color [if you aren’t metal] can help, if that’s your style.
8. this one helped a lot for me, but it’s much more of a commitment than some of the others: getting piercings. having pieces of metal that are a part of your body can be very affirming, as well as being able to order new jewelry for them because it feels like ordering yourself new parts. you can even order threaded ends for your piercings that look like bolts or screw heads, or rivets so that you can have the appearance of having bolts screwed directly into your chassis [example].
9. this one’s for the more futuristic type models with really clean designs: bodysuits. as of right now, most of the robot-bodysuits that are sold online kind of suck, but you can always use fabric paint to create your own out of a plain bodysuit. this can be paired with other clothing, or worn just as tights or just as armsocks; it’s up to you.
10. not my preference, but for some, wearing glasses can help to simulate a screen or any other kind of smooth reflective face panel. in the same line, if you have the means, you can invest in making of buying yourself a helmet or mask that represents your face more accurately. i’ve heard of units with tv heads making a headpiece out of gutted tvs for affirmation purposes. for a cheaper and more customizable option, id suggest using a cheap face shield [like the ones worn for healthcare] and creating a custom headpiece in which the face shield serves as a screenlike base.
11. this one probably won’t be applicable to most units, but if you’re a cane user like me, getting a cheap aluminum foldable cane can be amazing for machine euphoria. being able to pop it up to full length as i prepare to walk away makes me feel like a transformer or something which is really cool.
12. for transspecies units or units with the means and desire to, there are also more permanent options for machine euphoria, like tattooing and magnet implants. getting tattoos of the seams between your body plates could be very helpful, but also an expensive commitment [side ramble: it’s a goal of mine to get some tattooing done like this. it’s still a long time out, but post-top surgery i plan to get tattoos of rows of bolts/rivets on either side of the scars to make the scar look like the seam between two body panels]. subdermal magnets are the same; they can be implanted in many places on the body, [commonly in the hands/fingers] and have huge potential to help your body feel more cyborg-like. some of these types of implants can even allow you to sense electrical signals, which is amazing. now, i only have a surface level knowledge of these kind of magnet modifications, so if you’re interested in the concept, id suggest checking some transhumanist spaces for more information on magnet implants [or bioluminescence modifications, if that appeals to you].
13. [my model number!] non-permanent body plates: if you’re interested in recreating the image of plates or panels on the body without permanent tattooing [or if you simply like the look better], look into making modified armor! using 3d printing, foam sculpting, or literally anything else [take notes from fantasy cosplayers and modify their designs to for your needs] you can create modified armbraces, greaves, shoulder plates, or anything you could think of to replicate the panels on your body.
social/non physical mods:
1. starting off easy, using robotic terminology for yourself can be very helpful. swapping terms like [body] for [chassis] or [tic] for [glitch] can be an easy way to affirm your mechanical nature. similarly, finding an alternative to a human name [if that suits your needs] can be a nice way to connect with your robotkin identity. for me, finding out that my *favorite* number was actually my *model* number [013] was really neat and affirming. not for everyone, but a change of pronouns can also be helpful: using machine-related neopronouns in addition to your current set[s], or simply adding it/its [depending on how you feel about being referred to as “it”] or even things like that/that’s can be affirming.
2. behaviorally, allow yourself to act however feels natural to you. this may not be applicable to you, but for me, allowing myself the comfort of unmasking [i am diagnosed autistic] and letting myself behave in a more machinelike manner in day-to-day life was truly liberating. if you’d prefer to speak less than you usually would force yourself to, go right ahead and do that. using an alternative voicebox can help with machine dysphoria [maybe try SAM software, or similar] in that circumstance. that being said, all models are different and some models are more expressive verbally or expressionally, and that is just as valid. long story short, behave as you were created to and naturally would behave, and don’t feel shame around any modifications you might want to make in your daily life.
3. i know i already mentioned robotic terms, but this leads into the next point anyway: *use them if you like them*. it is so easy to start integrating at least a handful of these terms into your vocabulary, especially since many are so common anyway. “on autopilot”, “switch off”, “bugged out”, “lagged/glitched”, “wired wrong”, “recharge” etc are all very common terms that non-alterhumans use on the daily to describe their behavior, so i promise letting things like this slip into your vocabulary will be near-unnoticeable. now, things like referring to your body as [chassis] or a bed as [charging pad] may be more noticeable to others, so just keep that in mind if you’re trying to be subtle. i guess the main point of this bullet is that it’s easier than you’d think to discreetly be a robot. slipping new terms in to your vocabulary and wearing a little more metal won’t instantly tip everyone off to your alterhumanity, i promise.
4. less about presentation and more for yourself, but finding music that makes you feel more connected to your machinehood can be affirming. for me, listening to industrial, digital hardcore, maidcore, or other noise-style genres connects me to my mechanical roots along with, of course, songs that have lyrics relatable the machine experience. if anyone is interested in more specific machinekin music recs, i can post separately about it since i have a lot to recommend [more than would fit in one bullet point].
bonus robotkin suggestions:
1. find community. i’m not kidding, do it. find someone or somewhere you can talk about your experiences without judgement. personally, if you have people close to you that you trust, id suggest telling them about your identity. now, you might have to put it in words they understand [without mentioning terms like “kin” right from the start], but it’s more common than you might think for those people to not only accept you, but personally relate. side story: i’ve admitted to feeling more like a machine than a human to three different close friends of mine—and all three of them have admitted right back to me that they don’t quite feel human either. now, i know i’m luckier than many in that regard, but my point is that there is a shocking volume of people that also don’t feel like humans either, but they simply don’t describe it using the same terms you might.
2. more of a 1.5 than 2, but journaling or talking to your community about your experiences can help you to process and understand your identity. for me, talking to two of my best friends [an alien and a doll] about my experiences helped me to understand how this aspect of my identity tied in with the others. my transness, aroacespec experiences, and my neurodivergence are all very closely intertwined with my identity as a machine, and identifying the reasons and connections between them helped me to process the confusion that came along with learning that i wasn’t a human being.
most importantly, just do what makes you happy and keeps you safe. it’s your choice to do what you want with your body and your presentation. you’re valid in your identity as a machine no matter how closely or how little you present yourself as such, because all makes and models are different. remember: expressive robots are valid, blank faced or monotone robots are valid, robots that like having a human body are valid and ones who have extreme dysphoria are too. machine identity is widely variable and no matter how yours manifests, you are valid. most importantly, and this is for myself as much as you, remember this: your robot identity doesn’t obligate you to be perfect or impervious. you can fail, you can forget, you can break down and you can need help. you don’t need to always be the strong one or the supporter just because you’re a machine—you are allowed to have emotions too.
anyway; thank you for listening to all of this [sorry it got so long], and keep beeping and whirring. if you want more information, questions answered, or just to talk about machinekin related things, my dms are open to help <3