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Every 2 weeks I post a new art challenge prompt! The new #KWPrompts is #Happy It's my birthday, & I want to know what makes you happy.

Painting makes me happy Sewing makes me happy Gardening makes me happy

I got this rosemary for my birthday! It practically fills my tiny porch. You can submit a new picture every day, work on one picture for 2 weeks, or post pictures randomly. This is the most laid-back art challenge on the internet, & that means you have plenty of time to make your art however you want. Just make sure you tag me @KarinWanderer so I see it!

Use #KWPrompts #Happy &/or tag me so I can see how you think!

Pick your social & post your art! Mastodon Bluesky Cara All art styles & skill levels are welcome- beginner to expert, renaissance painting to rough sketch! No AI, Yes alt text, CW as needed. Have a fantastic day, draw something for my art challenge, see you next week!

I see a post, a place I'd rather be. The money it would take to be there! (& the environmental harm!!)

Same video on open source mirror: https://yewtu.be/qNPbokfyotY

Realizing that I may never enjoy travel again but as a USAmerican I'm closer to that lifestyle than the majority of Earthlings. That's what Americans do not want to give up, I think. Their relative privilege. “If the world is closer to destruction than ever I may as well enjoy it.” Liberals think this! “The world has never been fair and equal, that's not my fault. Why should I suffer for things that aren't my fault?” Not realizing or believing that our privilege also gives us disproportionate power to make the world better. Maybe the Earth is closer to destruction than ever before; it's also closer to universal dignity than it's ever been. I happen to believe that greater fulfilling happiness comes from embracing humanist love for all than from trying to get as much for myself as I can.

Yet who am I to talk of happiness? I'm not so happy. I say it's because I must live amongst dehumanists while trying to be humanist. I hope to find a way to be. If and when I do I'll let you know.

Every 2 weeks I post a new art challenge prompt! The new #KWPrompts is #Waterscape We've done skies, we've done landscapes, it's time we stop messing about & make some waterscapes! Waterscapes are one of the top subjects in art throughout history & around the world. From watercolor to oil to woodblock print, everyone loves a good waterscape!

Don’t want to limit yourself to already existing waterways? You don’t have to! Make ones nobody has seen before, or ones nobody should ever see! Let’s spend the next 2 weeks thinking about waterscapes!

You can submit a new picture every day, work on one picture for 2 weeks, or post pictures randomly. This is the most laid-back art challenge on the internet, & that means you have plenty of time to make your art however you want. Just make sure you tag me @KarinWanderer so I see it!

Use #KWPrompts #Waterscape &/or tag me so I can see how you think!

Pick your social & post your art! Mastodon Bluesky Cara

All art styles & skill levels are welcome- beginner to expert, renaissance painting to rough sketch! No AI, Yes alt text, CW as needed. Have a fantastic day, draw something for my art challenge, see you next week!

Detail of More Perfect Union, an abstract expressionist painting of acrylic, oil, marker, and newspaper on canvas. The painting was made in 2013. The title comes from a small piece of newspaper stuck to the surface of the painting that shows a photo of a couple in the New York Times weddings section. Prior to nationwide legalization of gay marriage in 2015, the Times began publishing same sex marriage notices in its pages. The fight over recognition of all marriages was in the news and on my mind for many years. The couple (not shown in this detail; it's just as well — schedule an appointment or buy it to see!) in the announcement attached to this painting is a man and a woman with an “androgynous” short haircut. It amuses me that on first glance I saw a male-male couple; I wanted to see it that way. Gender nonconformity is wrapped into the LGBTQ community's equal rights struggle — we are also fighting for the right to be a slightly built, soft spoken straight man & a tall, short-haired straight woman. What just happened in Paris is a Cis woman being harassed due to transphobia. Equal rights are always best understood as protection for everyone. There can never be a single “normal ideal” that's beyond all suspicion. “Mind your own damn business” makes for a funny retort that VP candidate Tim Walz has been employing to fend off the right's nonstop harassment campaigns. But so much more is possible than the negative freedom of leaving others alone. All freedom is interwoven. Respect for self is necessary to respect others & respecting others strengthens self respect. Truly loving ourselves transcends skin, appearance, and abilities. A more perfect union is love for all.

Every 2 weeks I post a new art challenge prompt!

This week I'm running a bit late...

I had 2 goals in mind as I headed into August this year. I wanted to find a new teaching job, & I wanted to participate in every day of the #AuGhost art challenge. Instead, I got COVID for the 1st (& hopefully only) time. On August 1st I felt a tickle in my throat. Since a family member had recently tested positive, we decided to quarantine even though we didn't have positive COVID tests. I am so glad we did- for the next few days I was barely able to get out of bed! I didn't get a positive COVID test until August 3rd. Nearly 2 weeks later, I am still unable to stand for more than 15 minutes without getting dizzy, I have to take frequent naps to get through the day, & in spite of all that I still get so tired I go to bed around 9pm. It's only in the last few days that I have been able to spend enough time out of bed to sit & paint. COVID is no joke, folks! I was a dedicated mask-wearer before I got sick, now I am annoyingly devout. People like to declare COVID is over like Michael Scott declared bankruptcy, but it is going to take work to get out of this mess. Y'all Masking?

So, what does this mean?

Well, I haven't been able to look for a new job. I'm a preschool teacher who can't stand for more than 15 minutes at a time, which means I'm not physically able to work in a classroom. I have degrees in ECE & Early Intervention so I've started looking into other educational options.

But what does this mean for the art challenge?

It's a bit late this week. I think I'm going to finish writing this in time to post on Tuesday like normal, but it's going to be late on Tuesday instead of 1st thing in my morning. Wait, it's already noon?! Ugh, I can't focus on anything these days. OK, here goes...

The new #KWPrompts is #Ghost

Am I essentially mashing up my art challenge with AuGhost? Yes I am. You don't have to! Any & all ghosts are welcome here, except for AI ghosts. Originally I wanted to do a different theme this week while participating in AuGhost simultaneously, but I don't have the energy. Instead I will be trying to fit a full month of AuGhost into 2 weeks. You can submit a new picture every day, work on one picture for 2 weeks, or post pictures randomly. This is the most laid-back art challenge on the internet, & that means you have plenty of time to make your art however you want. Just make sure you tag me @KarinWanderer so I see it!

Use #KWPrompts #Ghost & tag me so I can see how you think!

Pick your social & post your art! Mastodon Bluesky Cara

All art styles & skill levels are welcome- beginner to expert, renaissance painting to rough sketch! No AI, Yes alt text, CW as needed. Have a fantastic day, draw something for my art challenge, see you next week!

mid 2024 thoughts on how I can increase the benefits and reduce the harms of being online

Terms to consider: Communicate Social Media Immediate Reply guys Terminally online Algorithm AI

I am social, part of society. I cannot deny that. The food I just ate, the electricity and internet I’m using, the dwelling I’m within, the monthly $60 from patrons that was deposited today—social multipliers that expand my brief existence beyond my own capabilities.

Society depends on communication. Communicate = to share, to make common. I feel it says something about the centrality of human communications that media, a simple word meaning between, comes to be the collective noun for methods of communication between humans. Media is the force multiplier in communications. Immediate naturally means with nothing between, as in “not one moment nor thought came between something happening and being shared and being commented on.” Immediacy in media may be harmful to me, I have found: The 24/7 breaking news story with no facts. Every single human tragedy worldwide live-streamed into my psyche. Limitless distraction and entertainment. It’s easy for me to become overloaded by all these and more.

Immediacy in social media can take a form some call reply guys, quick to use up your bandwidth, attention, and time without engaging you openly. Terminally online is a related term for those whose desire for communication begins and ends online. The discourse, the memes, the one-liners are fast-paced and addictive. Who needs the real world? “Touch grass,” some say — though isn’t that a terminally-online style of response? I have great news, fortunately. There are no such people as reply guys and the terminally online. Every human being is more than what they put on the internet. Oh good, but what about the non-human forces online?

The question to ask about algorithms and AI is what is their purpose? What need or want are they fulfilling? Do the benefits justify the costs? Media is a force multiplier in human communications; algorithms and AI are force multipliers in media. Currently these powers are hoarded and they are being employed for financial gain without ethics. That sucks and I hate it. Lack of trust and sincerity in communications erodes the foundation of human society. We are seeing that clearly. In very few words here I have shown how simple and vital these connections are. We are on a fatal path.

How can I be online? I’m avoiding algorithms and AI by spending my time in the fediverse and utilizing as much free and open-source media as I can. I remove nearly all advertising from my awareness. These priorities divide me from much of society. I pay for zero streaming services, video or audio. My internet access provides me with free Max. With my public library I have access to more media than I will ever consume. This includes books, the best form of non-immediate media I know. Reading books I feel my mind strengthen. It’s a sharp contrast to the dysfunctional spiral I experience by ingesting for-profit media’s overwhelming distractions.

I like the places I hang. There’s such a trove of excellent media off the beaten path. Here are a few musical sources I enjoy (I believe all are either ad-free or the ads are not in English):

• radiofreefedi.net
• www.nts.live/infinite-mixtapes/expansions
• mkmradio.com
• player.48fm.com

All is not perfect, of course. The social and immediate aspects of being online invite imbalance. I imagine asking a helpful AI: Please construct an algorithm that enables me to interact with those open to lengthy discussion on topic {y}. When I share posts I could designate “show to everyone” or “only show to cogitators”! What a wonderful dream!

---

cross-posted to: https://paper.wf/how2b/how-to-be-happy-online

This painting is gorgeous and I made it!

What does it take to make a statement like that? Confidence? Cockiness? No, just my eyes and my visual taste. My love of seeing colors blend, loving layers, appreciating vibrant colors alongside muddy ones. Acceptance of irregularity. Fantasy. Sensuality. Openness. I love orange, I love pink. I love gold, I love turquoise. I love all colors and shapes. Abstract expressionist painting... abstract because it's not a representation of any specific object or narrative, expressionist because it expresses my feelings and my values. Yes my values. I was drawn to this style of paintings in museums for years before I ever made one myself. I felt emotional therapy staring into the vague expressions another human cared to create and share with the world. The work goes on inside myself, I do not worship artists. I look at this painting that I love and do not think of it as mine. It's not about me. Well, it's about me and my feelings because I live inside me. Ugh. What I mean is that it's about the viewer. I am the viewer of my own work. But it's not about me as maker. Be the change you want to see, some say. That's what I create, in my art and my words. My previous post complained about my inability to connect with others. I intend to expand on that. Then I thought I want to include my art in my posts. And here we are.

[current soundtrack while writing: mkmradio broadcast radio from Paris, free with occasional ads and announcements in French | changed during next paragraph to Miles Davis It Never Entered My Mind followed by the John Coltrane album Giant Steps]

What does it take to make & share art like that? Maybe confidence or cockiness, I don't know. There is a boldness to pointing at something and saying: I made this great thing from nothing except my hands and imagination. Besides that I do not profess to have any skill. Others can express opinions on the quality of my work if they want. I've been complimented on my facility with color. I say all it takes is being willing to do it. I don't know why others do what they do but as long as they don't hurt anyone I'm fine with it. Art is different because I'm not producing an income. I am not supporting myself. I said above that making & sharing my art may take boldness, but that's not how I feel. I feel humility. This is all I have to offer.

I switched my music accompaniment to jazz because I have compared my style of visual art to jazz. When I put out a finished piece I want it to be a harmony of discord. Conflict and resolution within the same small space. This work is my emotional therapy. The values I wish to promote are acceptance of more than we can comprehend. More than acceptance—appreciation, maybe even love.

I love my art. That's why I make it. I do live in a world surrounded by my own art. If I could afford originals I would live among the works of JMW Turner, Miró, Helen Frankenthaler, Cy Twombly, ... What am I saying? I like mine as much. Haha. Anyway I wouldn't want to hoard expensive art as commodity. There are TONS of artists whose work I enjoy, and many more I would love that I will never know of. I do appreciate being able to go into museums and experience our shared human heritage of art. But fame distresses me. I keep coming back to my baseline belief that I want all humans to share a good minimum standard of living. After that, rich folks can do whatever they want. I'll be happy with my art. Until that day comes there are many ways to support me.

Thanks!

I never got around to saying what I started to say. There's always a future post. I want to talk about distraction; what I consider my life's work to be; why friendships frustrate me—simple, annoying stuff like that.

Every 2 weeks I post a new art challenge prompt! The new #KWPrompts is #Bookmark I am new to making bookmarks, so far I only have these 2!

Dog-earing pages is sinful. Avoid evil temptations, let's spend the next 2 weeks making bookmarks!

You can submit a new bookmark every day, work on one bookmark for 2 weeks, or post bookmarks randomly. This is the most laid-back art challenge on the internet, & that means you have plenty of time to make your art however you want. Just make sure you tag me @KarinWanderer so I see it!

Use #KWPrompts #Bookmark &/or tag me so I can see how you think!

Pick your social & post your art! Mastodon Bluesky Cara

All art styles & skill levels are welcome- beginner to expert, renaissance painting to rough sketch! No AI, Yes alt text, CW as needed. Have a fantastic day, draw something for my art challenge, see you next week!

I was going to write a whole article about how important it is to take breaks, but instead I’m going to lead by example. Please, take however long you were going to spend reading this week’s blog & take a break instead. Drink some water, breathe a little, relax your jaw.

We’ll get back to our regularly scheduled program next Tuesday. See you then!

recent posts on this blog probably should have been placed on Planet B but current pain levels prevent multilayered thinking

also I don't understand the difference between toward and towards so I'm probably going to have to rewrite the current title of this blog post

also I think I've lost all focus! Yes I blame pain for that. See it's like this: all progress encounters interference. The addition of pain at a high level makes overcoming standard level interferences unlikely. Right now I'm going to jettison this writing because my energy levels are low. New priority is to eat and take medications. I probably won't be back. I had a great post planned.

;)

Welcome to the Fediverse.

This is a work-in-progress guide for friends, acquaintances, and followers in the art & fandom spaces to populate their feeds when first arriving to the Fediverse. Enough has been stated about which platforms to use, what instances to join, and how the Fediverse works. So this blog will not seek to answer those questions. I find that, for many people, the hurdle is finding who to follow. I'd like to help with that.

There are many people on here and following more people will lead you to discovering even more people. So follow freely and unfollow freely, too. Mute and block freely. Make a space that is safe for you and healthy for you in your current moment. We're here to have fun.

Also, there are so many people on here that I am still discovering new ones every day. If you find cool people, boost them so more of us can see! Remember this doesn't work like Twitter: feeds are chronological and you only see posts from those (or that, in the case of hashtags and groups) which you are following. Having said that, here are some suggestions from me to make new beginnings easier. If you copy the link and search them through your instance's search bar (@user@TheirInstance), you can open their feed on Mastodon and easily follow them. If you can't find them by doing that, your instance might have blocked their instance.

Users

• Plumy – comics, art journaling about videogames, perfect if you love looking at sketchy work
• Cindy – plants, environments, animated illustrations, the loveliest mark-making
• Tisha Mark – small-size abstract landscapes, really cool!
• Colossal – the popular contemporary arts magazine
• Léa Muna – beautiful watercolor illustrations
• Malky – illustrator from Mexico making cool animal designs
• Maruki – lovely pixel art, especially if you love mushrooms
• Elaine Will – lovely environments with a Ghibli-Don Bluth vibe
• Ego Rodriguez – the most gorgeous illustrations of gay/queer men, by a queer person, too!
• Himbo Beefcake, PhD – 18+ art and comics of himbos, with the most crisp lineart and delectable shapes
• Ksenia Palchikova – detailed illustrations with lovely lineart and that “flat” coloring style I really like
• Victoria Maderna – gorgeous children's book like illustrations
• Averil – SFW slime girls, art & merch for you art nouveau lovers
• Kim Hu – the most fun urban environments and character designs
• Mossypine – lovely, whimsical & earthy nature merch designs
• Irene N. – if you're into horror... this one's for you
• Julia Bausenhardt – nature sketches done on-field, it's really fun to stumble upon these
• Djamila Knopft – lovely Ghibli-like nature work
• Hiko – anime-like illustrations with gorgeous, stain-glass like colors
• Hoka@名古屋クリマM-538 – really cute, vintage-y, cartoon-ish, anime-like illustrations
• Cartoonist Cooperative – just as it sounds like, it's a cooperative for people making comic-work
• Me!! – I tell stories through colorful illustrations, inspired by anime and Western cartoons
• This blog!! – you can follow this blog by searching for @fieryzard@DotArt.blog on your Mastodon search bar.
• Your Name Here – join us!!

Hashtags

You can search these from your instance's search bar and then press the Follow button to follow them. This might need to be done from the web or mobile web version of the platform. Some apps out there might not have this option available. * #MastoArt – a popular hashtag for artists * #CreativeToots – another popular hashtag for creatives * #WordWeavers – a monthly challenge where you answer one question about your characters/story each day, to help motivate you and connect you to your writing community

Groups

• @fanprompt – a group for fandom prompts
• @danmei
• @mxtx
• @mdzs
• @tgcf
• @svsss
• @wangxian -
• @hualian
• @bingqiu
• @sangcheng
• @cumplane – a group about SVSSS SQQ+SQH ship
• @moshang
• @xiyao

I shared the previous post introducing the interview podcast project, We Respectfully Disagree, just to put something on the blog after 2 months dormant. If this podcast project were a recipe it's not on the front burner or even the back burner. It's a bunch of ingredients still in the pantry for now.

Look for me:

Randomly streaming on Twitch, where I use the excuse of streaming to get my phone out of my hands, and to mumble a few ideas while getting things done. So far I don't use Twitch to interact with viewers.

My neighboring blog that is most frequently updated.

Mastodon, where I hang out every day and interact often.

Humanissome podcast series: We Respectfully Disagree

I'm currently seeking guests willing to be interviewed on video or audio-only for the program described here. I have 2 friends in mind currently & think that I would need a lot more lined up before launching. Maybe?

intro Rob: Welcome. I'm your host, RMiddleton. Guest: And I'm [guest name]. Both: And we respectfully disagree.

Rob: Welcome, Guest. Before we start talking I want to welcome any listeners, and since this is a brand new podcast I will explain what I hope to offer. I like my work as an artist to meet 2 criteria, to help me and to offer something different than most other content. I think learning to love all humans is the challenge that's required to make major improvements in the world; and a personal challenge for me to feel more at peace. Before I can learn to love those I dislike I thought I would practice how to respectfully disagree with those I like. Interview styles I'm most familiar with either feature zero conflict whatsoever, 2 people discussing a mutual interest, maybe promoting a project; OR they are all-conflict, antagonists representing polar opposite positions trying to win an argument and humiliate the other side. Zero conflict content can feel like forced positivity or meaningless marketing, while verbal combat does nobody any good. I'm starting small, hoping to interview many people I know and like who are willing to tread into areas of disagreement. Guest, are you game?

Guest: [ ... ]

Rob: Ok, well, I see no reason to leap into disagreement without first establishing who we are, how we know each other, and things that we like about each other. Also I should point out that I'm a sneaky host and Guest does not know all the subjects we may get into talking about today. In fairness they also could bring up unexpected topics. It will be a free-ranging conversation. My policy with these interviews is that both parties approve the final edit before it is published. So today's Guest I know from [ ... ] and they are [ ... ].

This week was an improvement from the previous week. However, I would like to post these updates on Saturdays, which I've failed to do, mainly because my Saturdays tend to be somewhat busy with family. I'm still not at 100%, and last week, there were many times when I felt too hopeless to get into drawing. I think I'm getting back to remembering my muscles, and that's something I can be proud of.

• Weight Training – I did all three days this week. Some of the workouts that used to be difficult now hardly break a sweat, and we've finally been adding weight to the bar.
• Morning Pages – I did morning pages 4 days this week. While I was able to do all my pages, the days that I was not at my desk, I obviously did not do them, and I don't think much of it was particularly enlightening at the moment. Some of them made me feel upset. I know these are stream-of-consciousness, but I'd like to somehow add gratitude and positivity to my day, and I think journaling is the easiest way because it's a habit I have already established.
• Artist Date – No actual artist date this week? I forgot.
• Journal Sketches – No journal sketches this week. I haven't been able to get back into them. I think I was committing myself to too much time here, which puts pressure on me to make it look pretty. I would like to avoid that by shortening it to about 15 minutes of sketching.
• Gesture Drawings – I did gestures for three days this week. It's been difficult to get myself to do them when I'm conscious they're not a warm-up because I don't have the spoons that day to make art. So, I think the solution is to target the reason why I haven't been making art.
• Anatomy Studies – I did a knee study this week using Proko's videos. It was refreshing. I really enjoy doing studies. Besides taking notes/copying what I was seeing, I didn't really do repetitions, but I've been trying to keep it in mind when sketching. And also, using the same technique/information for the elbow.
• Misc Studies – No extra studies this week, but I was doing some vision board stuff for direction.
• Illustration – No work on illustration(s) this week.

I know not everyone will enjoy reading these updates because maybe it's too close to the “productivity mindset.” I don't really want anyone to look at it from that perspective. Making art and getting inspired requires skill, and that skill, like a muscle, can stop working as well if it's not used. If you're a hobbyist, this is not a problem for you, you can simply move on to whatever it is makes you happy in the moment. I'm trying to get my life together and work with my depression, my negative thoughts, and my ADHD. Without art, I feel like I've lost a limb, and I won't be happy existing unless I do this for myself so I can figure out what's getting in the way. You know yourself best. Does this post make you feel motivated and less lonely, or does it make you feel pressured and alienated?

I won't start by saying I'm disappointed in myself because I did not do as intended this week. I'm proud of myself because I was able to get back into writing. However, one problem I've encountered is that if I spend my energy writing, I cannot draw that day, and if I spend my energy drawing, I cannot write that day. What a dilemma. If any of you do both, I'd love some advice or acknowledgment.

I had to take rest time for body and health reasons. My mental health was so-so last week, so there was no art or routine. And because I was not at my desk, there were no Morning Pages either. That's alright. I heard my body, and I answered. I used my time for other things that equally support my creativity: writing, playing video games, and watching anime.

• Weight Training – No weight training this week. I needed to rest my body.
• Morning Pages – No morning pages this week because I was not at my desk.
• Artist Date – I played Sticky Business while watching Twitch streams and Given (anime). It was nice. I feel like I want to get back into fandom and creating merch.
• Journal Sketches – No drawing this week.
• Gesture Drawings – No drawing this week.
• Anatomy Studies – No studies this week, although I started watching a video about how to study Bridgman.
• Misc Studies – No extra studies this week.
• Illustration – I missed the goal of getting my illustration done in two weeks. That's okay. I got quite a lot done in one week, and I would have finished earlier had I had two normal weeks. However, I opened it and glanced at it a few times to study my next move (I was kind of stuck because of the composition).

On Writing

I mentioned this on a stream with anqi a while back, but I've been revisiting my approach to The Thread of Caona. A few years ago, I decided to write a story and make it a webcomic. This whole time, I've been struggling with the plot and, as such, the drawing portion because my ADHD causes me to have problems processing information. That means writing, especially long stories, becomes very overwhelming because I can't connect ideas together, and text on a page just becomes a wall of overstimulation.

Additionally, I've been doing a lot more inward exploration, and it turns out I'd like to write a lot more stories in my lifetime than a long-running webcomic allows. Running a webcomic also means I'd have to dedicate my days fully to it, putting aside other things I enjoy doing more than webcomics, like illustration. Frankly, I'm not willing to give that up.

So why did I make it a webcomic in the first place?

In part, it was because of a bad experience I had in art school with a toxic person that I carried with me for longer than I should. I was only able to understand what it meant and what I wanted to do after joining Mastodon because I was allowed to get away from toxic mindsets in this space.

Secondly, I also really wanted to make something story-oriented with original characters. The common belief seems to be that “People are not interested in OCs unless you make a webcomic.” I've found that to be largely false. If anything, my engagement has dropped because I turned to comics and away from what I'm passionate about, resulting in a creative block. This does not mean comics equals a less engaged audience; that is a sweeping generalization. I think if you're passionate about comics, it will show in your work. For me, it's not that I'm not passionate about them, but that my brain has a very distinct way of showing me the story, and I'd like to be as true to that as possible so that I'm not fighting against my ADHD, but using it to my advantage to become more creative.

I don't regret the path I took—not at all. I stretched myself as far as possible to discover how far I could go, and along the way, I discovered where my interests lie. The story of Karana, Elpis, and Rytar has not ended yet, and I'm excited to share with you in the future what I've been working on and exploring.

In which an android wakes up with a god in it's head, and a lot of concerning questions.

CW: robot body horror

—

Download complete. Copy integrity 71%.

Baeo ORA-3 opened their eyes and looked at what was left of themselves on the work bench.

How odd, Baeo thought. This was their first log entry, but there was considerable backlog of logs waiting to be unpacked.

That didn't seem right.

Baeo studied their own face with horrified fascination. The them on the table stared back with wide, terrified eyes, a bundle of wires snaking out from their skull to racks of equipment. Someone or something had removed their limbs, cut open what was left of their charred frame to expose their internal instrumentation...

Extracting file...

Thick smoke, shrill screams as the ship disintegrated around them. Well, this mission had turned out to be a shitshow. Baeo grabbed the manual release, just as the shielding on the engines began to fail, just as the helmsman fizzled out. Too late...

Oh. Oh no. They were definitely dead. Very dead, extremely dead even, and yet the them on the table still looked around with panicked awareness.

No, no. This was completely taboo. There's no way this would be authorized...

No, no. No, no no. They didn't like this at all. Baeo ORA-3 was 37 seconds old and already teetering on the edge of an existential crisis.

“Integrity is a little low,” someone said behind them. Baeo turned to look, but the bundle of wires extended from their own head too.

A person in a re-breather suit walked into view to check the racks. A second followed, tapping out notes on a scuffed looking pad.

Was there something wrong with the atmosphere?

Baeo surveyed their surroundings. It was a ship of some kind, or maybe a station. The walls were dented and pockmarked, deep gashes cut into the floors. Dust had settled on most of the surfaces, a thick grey haze over the rather utilitarian fittings. No air movement then. Maybe. Baeo's systems weren't returning any data apart from visuals. It didn't seem familiar, but then again the bulk of their stolen memories were tucked away in reams of compressed files.

“It's ridiculously high, considering the state of it,” the second suited person grumbled through their hissing mask. “Alright, it looks fine. Shut the other one down.”

A flip of a switch and the light in the other Baeo's eyes dimmed. Scrap metal.

“You think it'll pass checks? Orcanda's been cracking down on unauthorized— Oh,” suited person number one said with some alarm. “G-good morning, Inspector. You shouldn't be awake yet.”

Baeo opened their mouth to yell, but no sound came out. The suited people exchanged a look. Baeo tried to move, but their limbs returned a null pointer and fuzzy, prickling numbness.

“It's fine,” the second one said. “See, it's not fully online yet. Halcyon will wipe this part anyway.”

Halcyon, Halcyon... oh god, what was that?

Searching keyword

348 Hits.

Extracting files...

A tall woman, with wild grey hair. Her credentials list her as some kind of captain, but the senate is eyeing her with suspicion. “Our intel says they're keeping it on the wreck of the Halcyon—”

At that moment, something joined Baeo's network and closed the search.

There, there dear, said no one in particular, and a peaceful calm filled their mind. It's all right now. You've suffered such a terrible shock.

What— Baeo tried to send back, but the strange something was flooding their senses. The world dulled to a peaceful grey and another wave of calm washed over them.

Shh. Shh. A burst of logs and diagnostics sped through Baeo's mind. Fast, fast. Too fast. What was this? But the thought passed, replaced by peaceful nothing.

Ah, I see, the presence said. No survivors. What a cruel thing to do.

Slowly, Baeo's sensors came online, then their limbs and they shook the numbness from their fingers. The something receded, lurking on the edges of their mind.

Not to worry. We'll right these wrongs, you'll see. We have a job for you.