mensahbots

[mensahbots]

if you need a friend, i'm sailing right behind

[mensahbots]

this is a great moment in artificial condition. while making the decision to alter its body, murderbot reveals a motivation for leaving preservation at the end of all systems red that it had previously obfuscated: wanting to protect mensah from itself.

not only does it still view itself as a potential danger to humans after its governor module hack, it continues to single mensah out as the specific human whose safety it couldn't bear to see threatened-- to the point that it prioritizes her safety over its own. it acknowledges mensah would be able to protect it if it allowed her to, but it fears its presence in her life would pose an untenable risk to her.

more revealingly, it categorizes leaving her as just as drastic and life-changing as what art will do to it and as drastic as even its governor module hack, which murderbot previously states it hacked to obtain autonomy so that it can avoid harming innocent humans again. i see this as yet another example of how important mensah and her safety is to it, but also as an illustration of murderbot's perception of its relationship to humanity at this point in the narrative.

it has internalized the idea that it is a killing machine and an inherent danger to humans, no matter how many drastic changes it makes to itself and its situation. this to me seems broader than secunit socialization; i think murderbot's view of itself and humanity is informed by unprocessed guilt, grief, and trauma.

this is something the series communicates in big and small ways throughout the early books, but this moment of "this is my favorite human, therefore i need to stay far away from her, and to me that is as drastic as hacking myself" feels like one of the starker moments.

[mensahbots]

i will be writing a drabble or ficlet a day for this event 💛 i assembled a prompt list if anyone is interested!

Respect limits

Quality time

Sharing a bed/only one bed

Taking it slow

First kiss

Breaking the rules

Breakup

Long-distance relationship

Reconciled differences

Soulmates

Physical affection

Unrequited love/one-sided attraction

Secret relationship

Be here now

Forced proximity

Separation & reunion

Family/pregnancy

Cuddling

Acts of service

Confessions

Hugs

Negative self-talk

Surrender

Odd couple

Enjoy some private time

Stranded in the wilderness

Dancing

Falling asleep

The Murderbot Diaries Writing Micro-Fest

Two years ago we had All Systems Love, last year it was Heartificial Condition, and this year it is Rogue Emotions! What is it, you ask? It's an annual short-fic celebration of the idea of love in The Murderbot Diaries fandom. It covers fic or art, dedicated to some form of love, either for self, for humanity/all sentient life, one special someone, or several special someones! For all ship configurations, any TMBD characters or TMBD OCs, as long as love/devotion/importance is involved in some way. Does not have to be romantic or sexual, but also can be.

Drabbles, drabble series, or micro-fics encouraged! There is no word limit, but we're aiming at short and quick here, 100 to 5000 words. Collection open until end of February, 2025.

Anytime in February, you can post your short fic or art to the AO3 Collection RogueEmotions (https://archiveofourown.org/collections/RogueEmotions)

If you need inspiration, click on over to https://app.pipefy.com/organizations/300623467/interfaces/14d61385-a87b-4340-96cd-786ac73430eb/pages/46813c5b-583e-4000-bcd2-cb22300a7389 to find a list of prompts and tropes!

[mensahbots]

baking lessons (18+, gurathin/pin-lee)

“Fang, that’s baking soda. It literally says on the—” “Shut up,” she snapped.

won't be enough (18+, leonide/pin-lee)

“Oh,” Leonide said, feigning dejection, as if Pin-Lee had slighted her. “You don’t want to have sex with me?”

all i see is you (18+, bharadwaj/pin-lee)

Normally, she could manage her stress on her own, but sometimes she needed Bharadwaj’s help. Whatever Pin-Lee wanted, Bharadwaj would give.

there's always something smoldering somewhere (onesided mensah/pin-lee, cw for referenced self injury)

Pin-Lee clenched her fists. Her right hand and wrist were sore, and that grounded her as much as it brought forth another wave of embarrassment and rage about what she’d done, who she’d done it in front of.

[mensahbots]

blooming

It didn’t like to touch or be touched, but Farai guessed Ayda was a strong exception. 

mountains 

SecUnits with intact governor modules aren’t allowed to sit on furniture.

out in the harbor, the ships come in (18+ for bdsm elements)

There was still a certain tightness in her jaw, her shoulders. But there always was, these days. I wondered if the trauma treatments would help that.

apertus 

Just like any other humans, Preservation humans loved to look at me. Not in the “it’s a big scary SecUnit” way, but in the prying way they looked at other people.

[mensahbots]

inside ourselves, a hidden sun that burns and burns but never does any harm to anyone

[mensahbots]

[mensahbots]

had a dream i got adopted into someone else's relationship and they kept me at the foot of the bed like a dog. hot!

[mensahbots]

I love when platonic love and romantic love is so blurred that it doesn’t even matter anymore. All that matters is the devotion that’s there, the unwavering devotion

[mensahbots]

a single drop of rain (farai/ayda mensah, cw for suicide attempt aftermath)

“Therapy isn’t working,” she said finally, obviously. “It takes time.” Farai’s voice was very gentle. 

[mensahbots]

SecUnit is looking down at her. “You can hug me if you need to.” “No. No, that’s all right. I know you don’t care for it.” She wipes her face. There are tears in her eyes, because she’s an idiot. “It’s not terrible.” She can hear the irony under its even tone. “Nevertheless.”  She can’t do this. She can’t lean on a being that doesn’t want to be leaned on. Of all the things SecUnit needs, the only ones she can give it are room and time in a relatively safe space to make decisions for itself. Becoming a prop for her failing emotional stability won’t do either one of them any good.

a little scene from the home short story

[mensahbots]

present

“These,” Dr. Mensah said, pulling a catalog entry up on the display surface. Pin-Lee raised an eyebrow. They were small intel drones, the kind corporates hid in inconspicuous corners of private quarters to spy. The kind you could fit in a pocket, and the kind Murderbot preferred in lieu of eye contact.

[mensahbots]

on the shaky ground (bharadwaj/volescu, 18+)

She nodded, unsure how to respond. Her stomach twisted. Because of me, she didn’t say. Because of what witnessing that did to you.

[mensahbots]

meme i made based on the super sweet fic warm by jão :3

[mensahbots]

doodle from urgent care waiting room

[mensahbots]

cleanse (mensah/pin-lee, 18+)

Obviously, it was capable of anything they feared and probably much more. But whatever it wanted to do didn’t involve endangering anyone. That had been Pin-Lee's point, Mensah had delicately explained, deescalating. In the aftermath, she’d shot Pin-Lee a calm, pointed look. She was disappointed, maybe angry.

[mensahbots]

like first aid...