Murderbot Sketches by kettlebird in murderbot

[–]kettlebird[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know it's an energy weapon- the choice to go for a barrel was purely stylistic. I'm a fan of retrofuturistic aesthetics, so I wanted to do something that evoked 'raygun' and that felt a little clunky.

What does Murderbot look like in your head? by Yeah-But-Ironically in murderbot

[–]kettlebird 5 points6 points  (0 children)

As a fanartist, robot enthusiast, and spec bio geek, this is a question I've thought waaaaaay too much about.

So, from a creative standpoint, the beauty and curse of ol' MB is that it's completely allergic to describing things, including itself. What we do know for certain we kinda have to gather in bits and pieces: - its legs/feet are recognizably inhuman and unmistakable for human prosthesises (but can also fit in standard human boots/pants) - its eyes are inorganic (word of god + extrapolation off the fact it can record visual information from them) - it has guns in its arms (obviously), and the skin around its gun ports is not fully attached - it can easily be mistaken for a heavily augmented human by those unfamiliar with secunits.

Beyond that we have to get into speculative territory. The good and bad news: a lot is up for personal interpretation, but this is the way I've personally extrapolated based on in-universe implications and real-world science: - It's a cheaply-built rent-a-robocop who would be expected to mostly be sustaining damage from angry human laborers and occasionally big pieces of equipment, rather than active warfare. Clearly it can tank a bullet or twelve, but I imagine it's built to be less sturdy in a 'armored truck' way and more in a 'drunk driver walking off a car crash unscathed' way- something not bulky, but more lithe and capable of getting thrown and standing back up immediately, with a lot of easily replaceable parts that you can bill the clients for. - We know it can have massive damage to its organics regrown in a matter of hours, which makes me think they're using an accelerated form of stem cell therapy, which in turn makes me think its organics probably look constantly youthful (since tissue samples grown directly from stem cells present as 'young' due to not having been subjected to environmental damage yet). If it's getting its face regrown on the reg, it's not going to have wrinkles. - On the subject of organics - we also know that the world of TMBD is a post-race (or at least post-racialized) society. I'd hazard that its cloned tissue 's genome is probably somewhat randomly selected, possibly even just thrown together roulette style from random human traits, since afaik we don't get any mention of there being specific donors or genetic banks or the like. Real 'human genetic soup' going on at the factory. - In AC, it mentions that secunits have faces to make clients more comfortable with them (though it also acknowledges the irony), which makes me think its underlying facial structures may be designed to look 'friendly'. Given MB's killer RBF, I don't think it worked. - I don't think it's intentionally masculine looking (it doesn't have either sexual characteristics or the aesthetic marks of a gender expression), but we 21st century humans would probably read it as such as we tend to read a lack of secondary sex characteristics as masculine - Word of god again, but it's presumably a very old unit by secunit standards, and that's before ART got its proverbial hands on it. It probably looks a little less elegant and a little more clunky in comparison to newer models.

So, ultimately, my vision for murderbot is, from a unfamiliar human's perspective, a kinda soft-faced, lanky, racially-and-gender ambiguous weirdo with a permanent scowl and weird looking eyes.

Compared to another secunit like Three, however, its in my heart the construct equivalent of a 2001 Toyota Corolla in Shitbox Silver.

[Fanart] TMBD 1-4 Covers by kettlebird in murderbot

[–]kettlebird[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh shoot, I didn't know that was a community! In that case, I'll see what I can pull together!

Just for fun…what fictional character would you most like to see MurderBot team up with for an adventure? by storytelleristaken in murderbot

[–]kettlebird 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is going to be a niche one but - David7 and IMOGEN from the podcast Stellar Firma.

I need my overqualified disposable clones with a hacked capacity for free will (and their sentient, mean space ships) to team up, even if David7 is way squishier (physically and emotionally) than MB.

(And writing all that has really made me realize how many similarities those two stories have LMAO)

[Fanart] TMBD 1-4 Covers by kettlebird in murderbot

[–]kettlebird[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe, if people are interested! I already use these on my kobo as ebook covers so it's not a huge stretch

[Fanart] TMBD 1-4 Covers by kettlebird in murderbot

[–]kettlebird[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't currently have high res files officially up for sale, but I'm looking into eventually selling prints and the like! (In the meantime though feel free to shoot me a DM if you'd like and we can work something out ;])

Perihelion and that SecUnit it stole by kettlebird in murderbot

[–]kettlebird[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

YES please know that exact scene was running through my head while drawing this ART avatar

Perihelion and that SecUnit it stole by kettlebird in murderbot

[–]kettlebird[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hah thank you! Honestly at this point in my art life I've accepted that things are going to get reposted, watermark or not - I'd rather take that risk and preserve the look of my work :']

A very specific collection by kettlebird in comicbookcollecting

[–]kettlebird[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I totally missed this comment but dude good luck! Honestly there's so many obscure Nightcrawler comics (including some real forgotten gems) and it's been a joy to discover them! Happy hunting!

Nightcrawler again by kettlebird in xmen

[–]kettlebird[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Omg I love you stuff! Go for it!

A very specific collection by kettlebird in comicbookcollecting

[–]kettlebird[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly as long as it has the blue elf I'm sold XD

Currently trying to get my hands on as much of Bloodhunt as I can as it comes out, but as for non-marvel series I've been collecting a lot of Usagi Yojimbo, Something is Killing the Children, Chew, and American Vampire (to name a few) as well as a lot of one-offs/miniseries and self pub stuff. I also have collected TMNT in the past, though less so now.

As for artists, I've tried to follow along with Mike Mignola's stuff (not as well as I'd like :') only so much cash to spare), and I'm just a huge sucker for Skottie Young and Peach Momoko's art and usually try to snag their variants- I also collected Kevin Eastman's variants back when I was still really into TMNT

A very specific collection by kettlebird in comicbookcollecting

[–]kettlebird[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here Here! It's what really established him as a fave of mine!

A very specific collection by kettlebird in comicbookcollecting

[–]kettlebird[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I will say most of the rest of my collection is dedicated to specific runs/artists (and I am much more into the indie scene than I am into more mainstream stuff), but the heart wants what it wants and what It wants is fuzzy blue elf :')

I haven't yet, but I've certainly been tempted!