Appendages & Drugs

By itself, TORSO! stands as an empty vessel. While primed to stimulate creativity, TORSO! has no way to interact with its surrounding environment; it is, after all, just a TORSO!.
Who's ever heard of a TORSO! without any appendages?

That's where you come in.
Lets face it: TORSO! is an empty, lifeless trunk; it is the appendages that give it character. In contributing to TORSO!, you will become a part of our family - our main body - our TORSO!. To signify your part within this amorphous, freakish body, all contributors will be designated a unique "appendage." As a collaborative environment, this TORSO! has no head: every appendage is valued based on its creative output. It is our greatest strength; it remains to be our greatest weakness.

This is what the American Heritage Dictionary had to say about "appendage."
ap·pend·age (ə-pěn'dĭj) n.
1. Something added or attached to an entity of greater importance or size; an adjunct.
2. A part or organ, such as an arm, leg, tail, or fin, that is joined to the axis or trunk of a body.

Once you submit work to TORSO!, you will be assigned an appendage appropriate to your personality. Nobody gets to chose their own appendage; what's the fun in that? You will be assigned a role by somebody with the TORSO! community.
Do you already know somebody involved in TORSO!? Tell us! They know you best - they deserve the right to rank you.
Think of it as a nickname.
As . . . hazing. But in a good way.
Your appendage will be unique: it should reflect your personality and your interests.
You might be some sort of gooey tentacle. Or a splintered peg-leg. An antenna, a feminine arm or a tattooed dick.
Your appendage is how you interact with our environment; use it wisely.

At the introduction to each issue of TORSO!, you will be updated as to the status of TORSO! itself. Think of a Venn Diagram . . . or a pie chart . . . or information design. Each month, a different artist will render their interpretation of how TORSO! stands; or crawls; or slithers. While the artwork changes, the message stays the same - our growing TORSO! acts as a creative root keeping us all alive.
Remember, appendages remain the same between issues, so keep an eye out for favorite contributors.

"So, if I contribute to VI.TA.MU.NS . . . that must mean that I'm an appendage also, right?"
Hmm. Not quite.
VI.TA.MU.NS act as nourishment to maintain a happy, healthy TORSO!. While we need VI.TA.MU.NS to grow strong and healthy, they eventually pass through our TORSO!. They are building-blocks; they are minerals; they are expendable; they are external; they are personal; above all, they are vital.

Those who contribute to VI.TA.MU.NS will be assigned "drugs." Just like appendages to TORSO!, your drug will reflect your personality at some fundamental level.
Foundational like Flintstones vitamins! Addictive like caffeine! As psychedelic as LSD! As love-hungry as Viagra! As useless as Ginko biloba! As life-changing as chemotherapy.
A cornucopia of drugs exist, each unique; each powerful; each reflect a multitude of different effects. The drug you embody is a reflection of your work within VI.TA.MU.NS.

This is what the American Heritage Dictionary had to say about "drug."
drug (drŭg) n.
1. A substance used in the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of a disease or as a component of a medication.
2. A chemical substance, such as a narcotic or hallucinogen, that affects the central nervous system, causing changes in behavior and often addiction.
3. A chemical or dye.

Nice.

As drugs support VI.TA.MU.NS, they promote evolution . . . growth . . . positive change. Drugs will be assigned an appropriate role within VI.TA.MU.NS, however, their role may change over time. Your alias as a drug can be reassigned, much unlike your role as an appendage.
Speak with us if you believe your drug no longer reflects your personality; but be warned! An abandoned drug alias can be donned by anybody else interested in that drug's characteristics.

Appendages can also choose to become drugs; drugs can choose to become appendages. Just because you contribute to TORSO! doesn't mean that you can't contribute to VI.TA.MU.NS; in fact, we encourage you to contribute to both. You can easily become both an appendage and a drug.
Get involved! Get spunky! Get psyched!
Become an appendage! Become a drug!
Join TORSO! & take your VI.TA.MU.NS!