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rjalker · 1 year

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Book 5, (book 6 chronologically because Martha Wells decided to make things difficult)

but people want to pretend like Murderbot's actually getting more comfortable with letting people touch it, rather than getting more comfortable setting firm boundaries. Because they don't like the message the author is beating them over the head with.

Arada rubbed her eyes and her mouth pulled in at one side. “Are you trying to make me feel better?”

“No.” I actually wasn’t. I lie to humans a lot, but not to Arada, not about this. “I wouldn’t try to make you feel better. You know what I’m like.”

She made a snorting noise, an involuntary expression of amusement. “I do know what you’re like.”

Her expression had turned all melty and sentimental. “No hugging,” I warned her. It was in our contract. “Do you need emotional support? Do you want me to call someone?”

“I’m fine.” She smiled.

This is character development for everyone involved (Arada took the longest to figure out Murderbot didn't want to be touched because she wasn't picking up on its nonverbal cues the way Mensah did, Murderbot has been learning to TELL people it doesn't want to be touched rather than just bearing it in silence), but because solitaremisics don't like the fact that Murderbot is reaffirming and strengthening its boundaries instead of weakening and compromising on them, they pretend like this isn't what's actually happening.

Even though it's a very clear linear progression from book 1 to this point that is not at all difficult to understand as long as you aren't already determined to pretend it's not happening.

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murderbotwritingprompts · 3 months

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Yes, yes, you love Murderbot. You think Murderbot is so funny and relatable. You'd die for Murderbot. We know.

But do you actually use Murderbot's it/its pronouns? Do you actually respect the fact that it's an everything-repulsed aroace and is solitaremit touch-averse, and the fact that it represents real people who are these things?

Or do you just "love" the "relatable" version of Murderbot that exists in your head, where you've cut out and replaced everything that makes it who it is as a character with things you can personally relate to, even though the whole theme of the series is that you need to respect people even when you can't relate to them?

Do you think "representation matters" only when you're the one being represented?

Do you think it magically becomes okay to erase canon Queer identities and disabilities as long as you're not the one being represented?

Do you actually love the character of Murderbot, who is explicitly everything-repulsed aroace, nonbinary and uses it/its pronouns exclusively, and is soltaremit touch-averse?

Or do you just love the OC you've slapped its name onto that exists in your head?

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rjalker · 2 years

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[ID: Four pictures of the accessible version of the touch-averse flag, with black or grey text overlaid on each stripe in all caps. The touch-averse flag has symmetrical stripes of orange, red, black, red, and orange, that are less saturated and bright than in the normal version. The first reads, "Touch-averse people are not broken". The second reads, "Touch-averse people do not need to be 'fixed'". The third reads, "Erasing a character's touch-aversion is fucking ableist". The fourth reads, "Touch-averse people are not fucking 'angsty writing prompts'". End ID.]

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rjalker · 1 year

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do I really need to start adding "if you get touch starved do not fucking argue with me" on my posts about not erasing Murderbot's touch aversion when it explicitly does not get touch starved and literally reiterates and strengthens its boundaries after being forced to bend them in the last book?

Yes. There are multiple kinds of touch aversion.

And yours is not the one being represented here. If it were, I would not have a single fucking problem with what people are writing.

Charley Pollard likes holding hands and hugging, but hates sex and kissing. I do not get mad when people write about her holding hands or hugging someone. I do get mad when they write her kissing or worse, having sex with someone.

Murderbot does not enjoy touching. It does not seek out touch. From anyone. Not even people it likes and trusts.

If Murderbot sought out touch and enjoyed being touched and got touch starved, I'd have literally zero problem with people writing about that. But that is the exact opposite of the case, and the fact that that's all everyone fucking writes about is in fact literally bigotry. It's ableism. It's athiktomisia.

How are you all reading a book series with the theme of "respect people even if they're different from you" and immediately leaping to erase everything that makes Murderbot who it is so you can instead make it as much like you as you think you can get away with?

It'd be one thing if you were adding on additional traits that do not conflict with or erase its current character traits, like making it physically disabled, giving it other neurodivergencies, ect.

But no. All you people do is go, "oh? it's ace? Well not anymore!" "Oh, it's aro? Well not anymore!" "Oh, it doesn't want a relationship? Well not anymore!" "Oh, it has no desire for touch? Well not anymore!"

What's next? You're all gonna start insisting it totally loves making eye contact and loves showing off its face?

#sigh #actuallysolitaremit #actually solitaremit #actuallytouchaverse #actually touch averse #actuallytouchrepulsed #actually touch repulsed #Murderbot is solitaremit #Murderbot is touch averse #Murderbot is touch repulsed #solitaremity #touch aversion #touch repulsion #canonically solitaremit characters #cannonically touch averse characters #cannonically touch repulsed characters #Murderbot #The Murderbot Diaries #SecUnit

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rjalker · 1 year

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Zygz, if in book 7 or 8 or 9 or 10 or what the fuck ever, if Murderbot starts warming up to the idea of being touched and starts seeking out and enjoying touch, I will not have a problem with any of you people writing about it doing so.

But until Murderbot expresses any desire for touch, any hint of touch starvation, any inking that it wants to seek out touch, then yes, I do in fact expect you people to respect the fact that it does not desire touch and does not seek out touch and does not get touch starved.

Murderbot being willing to touch people when the only other option is letting them die horribly does not mean it's secretly enjoys being touched.

Murderbot being willing to hold Mensah's hand so they both don't fucking die and thinking it's not as horrible as it has been imagining it would be does not mean it secretly enjoys being touched. Espesially because the very next story, Home range blahfuckityblah then goes on to explicitly reiterate that it does not enjoy touch even though it will tolerate it to save peopel's lives.

Murderbot being willing to let Mensah hug it so she isn't further traumatized is not the same fucking thing as Murderbot enjoying being touched and enjoying hugs. It literally later makes sure to put "no hugging" in its fucking contracts and tells humans in distress that if they need a hug, it will go find someone else for them to hug.

Because it is no longer going to tolerate being hugged. This is after it let Mensah hug it so she wouldn't have a mental breakdown in the middle of being rescued.

Being willing to touch people so they don't literally die does not equal secretly enjoying touch and being touch starved.

Apply this logic to ltierally any other intimate thing and I hope to hell you'd quickly figure out your argument is horrific.

If I perform CPR on someone who's just drowned to try to save their life, do you think that means I consent to them kissing me any time they want later? Do you think that means I'm secretly attracted to them and want to kiss them?

If you actually care about consent and apply consent to more than just sex and kissing, you'll hopefully figure out very quickly why insisting that someone who is willing to touch people to save their lives must surely be secretly attracted to their touch and secretly wants to touch them, is just straight up horrific logic? I'd fucking hope you'd all figure this out.

If Murderbot one day in a future book Learns To Enjoy Touching And Gets Over Its Problems And Learns To Love Itself Enough To Admit It Enjoys Being Touched™, then I will have no problem with you people writing about it doing so.

But until then, you do in fact need to internalize the main theme of this series, and respect people even when they're different from you.

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rjalker · 2 years

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if you insist that touch-averse people need to get over it, need to admit they actually enjoy being touched, or think it's something we need to be cured of or something that will be fixed by having friends/a romanctic love interest, think it's something that naturally will go away once we're in a safe environment, you're an ableist piece of shit and you need to shut the fuck up.

Especially when you're pushing this shit so you can ship canonically touch-averse characters and have other characters touching them as a form of affection because you have no fucking respect for touch-averse people.

#actually touch-averse #actuallytouchaverse #touch averse #touch-averse #discussion of ableism #Rjalker reads The Murderbot Diaries #The Murderbot Diaries #Murderbot deserves a better fandom #amatanormativity kills compassion #shipper culture murders respect #athiktomisia #solitaremit #actuallysolitaremit #actually solitaremit #solitaremitiy #canonically solitaremit characters #solitaremit characters #Murderbot is solitaremit

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rjalker · 2 years

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okay, no, I'm incapable of being succinct. Here's the actual short version of the fucking post:

If I see someone drowning, and pull them out of the water and give them CPR, that does not mean I consent to being touched by that person or anyone else in any other situation. It doesn't mean I secretly want to kiss people.

Murderbot consenting to touch people when the alternative is letting them die or become further traumatized does not mean it secretly enjoys being touched and wants to be touched in any other situation.

Saying that Murderbot secretly likes being touched but just doesn't want to admit it because it's willing to touch people to save their lives is literally just rape apologism with extra steps.

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rjalker · 2 years

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[ID: The "I am once again asking" meme of Bernie Sanders, edited to say,

"I am once again asking you to read The Murderbot Diaries so there can be more non-bigots in this fandom who will actually have intelligent conversation about the casual transmisia in this series instead of just going 'it/its pronouns bad' or insisting that stories about trans characters should never actually talk about trans experiences like explaining how to use your pronouns corectly or telling people your pronouns, especially when the protagonist is agender.

I want other people who use it/its pronouns to be in this fandom so that other people can stop acting like we only exist in fiction". End ID.]

seriously. I want more nonbinary people in this fandom who use neopronouns and won't insist that they/them is the only non-binary pronoun anyone needs. I want more people who use it/its pronouns in this fandom so we can actually talk about how Murderbot does in fact fit the nonbinary robot stereotype without acting like the problem is it using it/its pronouns isntead of the problem being that there are no human character who use it/its pronouns. I want more touch-averse people in this fandom so we can drown out the athiktomisic assholes who think touch-aversion is just something that needs to be cured by romance or sex. I want more aroace people in this fandom who do not want romantic, sexual, or queerplatonic relationships so that we can drown out the amisic amatanormativity worshippers who insist that Murderbot needs to have a Relationship™ in order to be truly happy and heal from its trauma.

Join the Murderbot fandom. Let the fandom actually be filled with the kinds of people Murderbot actually represents. I'm tired of people who do not share Murderbot's identities speaking over people who do to defend bigotry that Murderbot would literally loathe them for perpetuating.

#Rjalker reads The Murderbot Diaries #The Murderbot Diaries #Murderbot #aroace #agender #it/its #ititspronouns #touch-averse #actuallytouchaverse #athiktomisia #solitaremit #actuallysolitaremit #actually solitaremit #solitaremitiy #canonically solitaremit characters #solitaremit characters #Murderbot is solitaremit

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rjalker · 2 years

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[ID: The "I can excuse racism but I draw the line at animal abuse" "you can excuse racism?!" meme, edited to say:

"I can excuse transmisia, ableism, amisia, and people shipping slaves with their owners, but I draw the line at anyone criticizing these things.

"You can excuse transmisia, ableism, amisia, and shipping slaves with their owners?!"

End ID.]

[ID: The Garfield "you are not immune to propaganda" meme, edited to say, "You are not immune to being the jackass this post is about". End ID.]

[ID: The meme of a frowning Pikachu holding up a sign, now edited so that Pikachu looks angry instead of sad. The sign reads, "If you want this fandom to actually be welcoming and safe for the people Murderbot actually represents, you have to call out bigotry when you see it and support the people who are calling out the bigotry that literally impacts them personally." End ID.]

[ID: The same image, now reading, "If you think amisia, transmisia, and ableism is just "fandom drama", and you get to escape it just by closing tumblr, you are priveleged, and it is literally your duty to call out this shit in fandom spaces so people who are actually impacted by this shit on a daily basis 'in real life' can actually have fun in this fandom that's literally meant for us.". End ID.]

XXX

[ID: A simple drawing of Murderbot wearing grey armour, holding up a sign, with the aroace and touch-averse flags being it.

The aroace flag has stripes of orange, yellow, white, sky blue, and navy blue.

The touch-averse flag has stripes of orange, red, black, red, and orange.

The sign reads, "The Murderbot Diaries is the only representation many peopl have ever seen of touch-averse and aroace characters actually being treated with respect instead of being treated like problems that need to be fixed. Erasing the fact that Murderbot is aroace and repulsed by all forms of relationships and hates being touched is amisic and ableist as absolute fuck."

End ID.]

You want me to stop calling out the bigotry in this fandom? Then stop forcing me to be the only one calling this shit out. If you aren't aroace, if you aren't repulsed by all forms of fucking relationships, if you aren't touch-averse, if you don't use it/its pronouns, then actually prove you're an ally to the people Murderbot actually represents and start making your own posts calling this shit out.

If the only people in your fandom calling out bigotry are the people who are personally impacted by that bigotry, then your fandom is not a safe or welcoming space.

Murderbot is aroace. It uses it/its pronouns. It is romance and sex repulsed and it is touch-averse.

If you actually want this fandom to be welcoming to people that Murderbot actually represents, then prove it. Actually make this fandom hostile to amisics and ableists. Actually make posts condemning aand ableism and supporting aroace relationship-repulsed and touch-averse people.

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rjalker · 2 years

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okay fuck you tumblr.

original post made July 21st 2022. Tumblr won't fucking let me edit it so here it is again!!!

---

no, people, being "trans and ace" does not give you the right to defend or downplay amisia against specifically aroace people who are sex and romance repulsed. It does not give you the right to defend ableism against people who are touch-averse. It does not give you the right to defend transmisia against specifically nonbinary people who use it/its pronouns.

I do not give a single flying shit if you're trans or aspec.

You do not have the right to downplay amisia that is specifically targeted at aroace people who are sex and romance repulsed.

You do not have the right to downplay transmisia that is specifically targeted at nonbinary people who use it/its pronouns.

You do not have the right to downplay ableism against people who are touch-averse.

No, being fucking neurodivergent or trans or aspec does not give you the right to shit on and defend bigotry against people being targeted by specific forms of amisia, transmisia, and ableism that do not fucking impact you.

Being aspec does not give you the right to downplay and defend bigotry against specifically aroace people.

Being trans does not give you the right to downplay and defend transmisia against specifically nonbinary people who specifically use it/its pronouns.

Murderbot represents real fucking people who actually exist. If you allow people to erase the things that make Murderbot who it is, you are allowing real fucking bigotry to take place. Amisia in fandom is real amisia. Ableism in fandom is real ableism. Transmisia in fandom is real transmisia.

If you are more offended by me calling out the transmisia, ableism, and amisia in this fandom than you are about people in this fandom being transmisic, ableist, and amisic, then you just need to admit you don't actually like or care about Murderbot. Because you can't actually bring yourself to treat the people it represents with respect.

Either actually fucking support people who are like Murderbot by calling out bigotry when you see it, or at the very least boosting our fucking voices, or just admit you think we don't deserve respect.

Do you think I enjoy seeing bigotry targeted at people like me literally every single time I type the word "Murderbot" into the search bar? Do you think you're supporting people like me by forcing me to be the only one to talk about this shit?

If you support aroace people, if you support people who don't want romantic or sexual relationships of any kind, if you support people who are touch-averse and nonbinary and use it/its pronouns, then prove it.

You need to prove it. Either by supporting people who do call out the bigotry in this fandom, by reblogging our (yeah, that's really fucking optimistic) posts, or by making your own.

The only way to make this fandom actually safe and welcoming for people who are actually represented by Murderbot is if the people who are not represented by Murderbot actually do their fucking part.

You want to be an ally? Then prove it. You cannot make this space safe for aroace or touch-averse people if you're not willing to make it hostile to amisics and ableists. If you're welcoming to both bigots and their victims, then you're going to end up with only bigots.

If you think people being ableist and amisic by shipping Murderbot is just a small section of the fandom that most people condemn, then why the hell have I never seen any posts other than mine condemning it?

If this fandom is supposedly so welcoming to aroace and touch-averse people, and people who use it/its pronouns, then why do I never see anyone but me calling people out when they're willingly transmisic and amisic and ableist?

If you think I should just shut up and not say anything and ignore it when people perpetuate bigotry that affects me personally, you are in fact one of the reasons these people think it's okay to do this shit in this fandom.

You either make this place hostile to amisics and ableists, or just admit it's not actually welcoming to aroace and touch-averse people.

You can't have it both ways.

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rjalker · 2 years

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Literally the only time Murderbot is okay with touching people is when it is saving their lives and has no choice but to touch them. It will grab a human and pull them out of a giant fucking space worm's mouth and lose 20% of its body mass while doing so. It will sprint down a fucking hallway and leap up the wall to grab someone who's about to get fucking pulled through a vent in the ceiling.

But it is not fucking okay with that very same human whose life it just saved touching it to try and bandage its wounds.

The only time Murderbot is ever okay with being touched is when lives are at stake.

This is not a fucking problem. This is not something that it needs to overcome. It is allowed to fucking have boundaries.

Touch-aversion does not need to be fucking cured. You do not need to convince touch-averse people that they'll secretly fucking enjoy it if they just let you touch them. I swear to fucking shit.

#athiktomisia #discussion of athiktomisia #Murderbot deserves a better fandom #Murderbot #The Murderbot Diaries #TMBD #SecUnit #Murderbot fandom ableism #Murderbot fandom athiktomisia #actually solitaremit #solitaremit characters #canonically solitaremit characters #canonically touch averse characters #canonically touch repulsed characters #Murderbot is solitaremit #Rjalker reads The Murderbot Diaries

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rjalker · 2 years

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[ID: Four versions of the touch-averse flag with stripes of desaturated and deep orange, red, black, red, and orange. The first is square shaped, and has only the stripes. The second is the same, but with an added symbol in the middle to represent a milkweed flower. It has five petals, and a pentagon shaped center, with small ovals overlapping the center from the petals. The lines are drawn in orange, with the petals black and red. Th other two versions of the flag is the same as the first and second, but are longer than they are tall. End ID.]

Since I decided milkweed should be a symbol of touch aversion since the colors are based on poisonous animals, here's a version of the touch-averse flag with a milkweed flower on it, with header versions included.

Here's a black and white version of just the symbol so you can make your own stuff. Feel free to also make your own, more symetrical/neat/ect version.

[ID: A black and white drawing of a the front of a milkweed flower, with a pentagon in the center, pointed ovals like claws connecting the points of the pentagon to the petals, and five oval shaped petals, each with an oval inside of it to represent different colors. The image has a black border. End ID.]

As with all my pride flags, feel free to use for literally anything you'd use a pride flag for -- headers, icons, moodboards, redbubble designs, T shirts you print out and sell, literally whatever the hell you want. No credit or permission necessary, though I will ask that you include image descriptions whenever possible.

On a related note, today I coined the term athiktomisia to describe the specific forms of ableism that touch-averse people face, so that it's easier to talk about it and have it be clear what you're talking about, since "ableism" is such a broad term.

#touchaverse #touch-averse #touch averse #touch aversion #actuallytouchaverse #described images #touch averse flag #touchaverse flag #pride flags #solitaremit #actuallysolitaremit #actually solitaremit #solitaremitiy #canonically solitaremit characters #solitaremit characters #Murderbot is solitaremit

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rjalker · 2 years

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Touch aversion at its finest and by finest I mean RIP to Murderbot.

[ID: a black and white digital drawing someone a person standing in the foreground, with another person reaching forward to place their hand on the first person's shoulder, smiling reassuringly. The first person has been edited so its lines are glitching up and down like a startled cat raising its fur, with many warning symbols in the form of exclamation points inside triangles, circling around its heas. End ID.]

#Rjalker reads The Murderbot Diaries #rjalker does art #Murderbot #described images #touch averse #touch aversion #Dr. Arada #idk her last name #or. waot nom i guesd tha....#........sre these all their last names????#ask to tag #solitaremit #actuallysolitaremit #actually solitaremit #solitaremitiy #canonically solitaremit characters #solitaremit characters #Murderbot is solitaremit

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rjalker · 2 years

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This is the medium version of the post even though it was supposed to be the short version:

If I see someone almost drown and manage to pull them out of the water and then proceed to give them CPR so they don't literally die, this does not mean I consent to being touched by that person, let alone anyone else, outside of that specific scenario. This does not mean I secretly want to kiss or make out with that person, let alone anyone else.

Saving someone's life and touching them to do so does not equal secretly wanting to touch people.

Murderbot is touch-averse. Murderbot does not want to be touched, nor does it want to touch people.

Just because it is willing to put its feeling aside temporarily to literally save people's lives does not mean it is not touch-averse.

Just because Murderbot is willing to hold someone tightly to stop them from literally bleeding to death does not mean it secretly wants to be hugged or cuddled.

Just because Murderbot is willing to hold hands with Dr. Mensah to better blend in with the crowd of people that wants to murder both of them does not mean it secretly wants people to hold its hand.

Just because I'd be willing to bodily pull someone out of a fucking pool and give them CPR does not mean I secretly enjoy being touched and want to kiss people.

Touch-averse people are still allowed to fucking touch people when lives are literally at stake without all of their boundaries from that moment on being considered null and void.

Murderbot consenting to hold Dr. Bharadwaj when she is literally fucking bleeding out in its arms does not mean it has to consent or secretly wants to consent to being touched by literally anyone else at any time.

You people are out here fucking spreading just another fucking version of rape apologism and acting like it's so adorable when you do. Saying that someone's consent doesn't matter because "really they mean yes" is literally rape apologism, and it doesn't suddenly become cute and adorable and sweet because you're saying it about being touched in general.

If you argue against respecting people's consent, if you argue that someone saying no really wants to say yes and that's why you should violate their boundaries, yes, you are literally actively fucking arguing in favor of rape. You are literally spreading rape apologism.

It doesn't fucking matter what excuses you use or what loopholes you try to come up with.

Stop fucking pushing the idea that it's okay and even funny to violate people's boundaries about their bodies just because you think it's impossible for someone to genuinely dislike or even hate being touched.

There is no argument that you can make against consent that does not ultimately lead to defending rape. Consent always fucking matters, even when you, personally, don't understand why someone would have that fucking boundary.

If someone tells you they don't like being touched, no, you do not get to fucking harass and pressure them and argue that they secretly do enjoy it but just don't want to admit it. You do not get to act like everyone likes being touched and therefore boundaries about being touched are a joke that no one should take seriously or respect in any way. That's literally fucking rape apologism, just with a new shiny fucking coat of paint masquerading as being cute.

"Murderbot is okay with stopping people from literally bleeding to death, so that means it secretly wants to be hugged and cuddled and petted like a dog" is literally just rape apologism with extra steps.

It's literally just athiktomisia.

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rjalker · 2 years

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Yellow came toward me and touched the side of my helmet. It took a tremendous effort for me not to rip his arm off, and I’d like that noted for the record, please.

It is so noted for the record.

(From The Murderbot Diaries book series, Book 1: All Systems Red)

#Rjalker reads The Murderbot Diaries #The Murderbot Diaries #TMBD #SecUnit #Murderbot #Murderbot is touch averse #with better self restraint than I'd be capable of lol #canonically touch averse characters #Touch averse #solitaremit #actuallysolitaremit #actually solitaremit #solitaremitiy #canonically solitaremit characters #solitaremit characters #Murderbot is solitaremit

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rjalker · 2 years

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No one:

Aroacemisics and athiktomisics in The Murderbot Diaries fandom: If I don't ship Murderbot with someone and write and draw art where it is being touched by people and secretly enjoying it but refusing to admit it, I'll die!!!!

#Athiktomisia #aroacemisia #Murderbot #SecUnit #The Murderbot Diaries #Murderbot deserves a better fandom #touch averse #touch-averse #touch aversion #actually touch averse #solitaremit #actuallysolitaremit #actually solitaremit #solitaremitiy #canonically solitaremit characters #solitaremit characters #Murderbot is solitaremit

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