#backwardscompatibility

I’ve been following Backward Compatibility for about a year and a half now. I saw one of the stories on my dash and thought “hey I like robots maybe I’ll like this thing.” Next thing I know, I’m completely obsessed and reading it every morning before class.

I remember reading one morning and finding out the character Linus has tinted glasses. I kept reading like it was nothing, not really registering it as anything of importance. But then I stopped. And read it again..... And cried. I have something called Irlen’s Syndrome, which is in the same category as autism and ADHD. One of the defining factors is having to wear special glasses due to a sensitivity to light among other things. While Linus didn’t have this specific thing (at first, though he does now) I had still never thought I’d see a character like me. Especially not one who gets to be loved and happy. Having something so few people know about that affects your whole life, it’s easy to feel alone and scared and frustrated that you can’t just be “normal” like everybody else. But maybe if Linus doesn’t have to be Normal, I don’t either.

Same for the robot Kipper, who I’ve identified with more than any other character. From a difficult past and dealing with that in certain ways to little mannerisms like pulling on his lip when he’s nervous, I saw a lot of myself in him. He doesn’t function like he’s “supposed to” and he doesn’t always make sense, but it’s ok. He gets to be around people who love him and aren’t going to yell at or hurt him for not being normal. I found these stories at a time when life had pulled out the rug from under me and I didn’t really have anything else to hold onto. Backwards Compatibility gave me something to feel stable and happy and relate to. Along with forcing me to face certain parts of my past and how they still affect me. I’ve grown a lot since I first found these stories and I fully believe that they were what jump started it. I would have found my way here eventually anyway, but I do not think I would have done so in as much of a quick or healthy way. There are so many ways these stories are amazing and have helped me I couldn’t even try to put them all into words.