mensahbots

[mensahbots]

all the fics i wrote for the rogue emotions february event

i wrote 30 fics for the event, a mix of drabbles, ficlets, and oneshots. 28 of the fics were written for prompts. ten fics were mensah/murderbot, six were mensah/pin-lee, four were bharadwaj/pin-lee, three were indah/mensah, and the remaining seven were for miscellaneous and unpartnered dynamics

there were also some overlaps in pairings, and there were a variety of dynamics for the shippy fics, including teammate, romantic, qpr, casual, onesided, and tenuously romantic ("breakup" was one of the prompts, after all)

please note works marked 18+ do not necessarily include sexual content, just content not for minors

list under readmore 🐛

mensah/murderbot

and i was made for you (18+, for the prompt "taking it slow")

Are you all right? There was a pause, long by SecUnit’s standards, and long enough for Ayda to shift and consider how to tell it she needed to clothe herself again. Before she could, it sent, You’re vulnerable like this. It was true. She was exposed, much more than she’d ever been with it. Completely at its mercy, she imagined it thinking. She sent, So are you. It’s not the same. SecUnit shifted back, and she could feel its eyes on her face now, but still, she couldn’t look at it.

something proprietary (18+, no prompt)

He sent, Or you could just show Indah and Aylen where you were when this person was being killed.

tactical excursion planning (for the prompt "quality time")

I hesitated, about to ask something that could be taken the wrong way if she were any other human. “Would you like to get some hot liquids after?” She shot my drone a look, her expression amused and a little curious. “You don’t like hot liquids.” 

important plot/character moments (for the prompt "first kiss")

Mensah sent in the feed, Don't you prefer fast forwarding through these kinds of scenes? We don't need to watch it on my account. It’s just the solicitor and her bodyguard, I sent back.

metamour (for the prompt "long-distance relationship")

Farai said, “The kids are so looking forward to seeing it again.” “Us, too,” Tano added.

soulmates (18+, for the prompt "soulmates")

Soulmates don’t exist. They’re one of those abstract concepts humans come up with to make the stuff in their life seem more special than it really is.

proximal (18+, for the prompt "forced proximity")

My drones watched her take a steadying breath. After what happened, this kind of situation must have been especially shitty for her. “I can get us out,” I offered.

always wanted (for the prompt "cuddling")

SecUnit slid under the covers, and it made itself warm. Ayda felt it even with the distance between them.

you raised me up in grace (for the prompt "hugs")

But hugging Mensah had not been awful. She’d felt warm and soft in my arms and pressed close against me, and she’d squeezed me, which felt, I don’t know. Like we were both safe. I had been holding her and she had been holding me, and everything had felt okay. 

i don't know how i know (18+, for the prompt "surrender")

Its large, lean body is over her, made warm for her sake. She’s vulnerable, but like this, she’s safer than she could ever be. It’s okay to be raw here, to hand over all of herself.  

mensah/pin-lee

anything you need (18+, for the prompt "pregnancy")

“Are you all right?” Pin-Lee asked. She reached a hand out on impulse and froze, self-conscious. She had touched Mensah before, but it felt different now. Revealing. Wrong.

shine on your witness (for the prompt "unrequited love/one-sided attraction")

Pin-Lee was too young, or rather, Ayda was too old. There were professional constraints, of course, especially with Ayda running for admin director. Besides, Pin-Lee wasn’t interested in relationships, as far as Ayda knew. Anyone Pin-Lee’s age would want her, but there seemed to be no one she wanted. No one but Ayda. 

nunc scio (18+, for the prompt "secret relationship")

Mensah knew Pin-Lee’s body as if they’d had this for years and years, as if she’d memorized her. And how Pin-Lee had longed to be memorized, and to memorize in return. There was no part of Mensah she didn’t want to know, no part of her she didn’t want to love.

i couldn't make it hold (18+, for the prompt "negative self-talk")

“I’m just being stupid,” Mensah said, wiping her eyes. Pin-Lee couldn’t hide her recoil, and it was noticeable, by the look on Mensah’s face.

feeling warm and right (onesided, for the prompt "dancing")

Mensah asked, “You don’t like weddings?” Pin-Lee sighed. It was complicated. She liked getting wasted. She liked fancy hors d'oeuvres and whatever. Everything else fucking sucked, though. “They’re fine,” she said, “but Kavita’s family is… close.” That probably didn’t sound bad to Mensah, who was ridiculously close with her siblings and in-laws. “Which is weird for me,” Pin-Lee added, trying to keep things concise. “They’re really nice, but, you know, it’s too much sometimes. Plus she wants me to dance with her, and I don’t dance.”

acts of service (18+, for the prompt "acts of service")

Ayda found Pin-Lee in the living area, touching the soil of one of her potted plants, a small fruit-bearing tree, to test it for dryness. “I tend to water them in the morning,” Ayda said, and Pin-Lee turned her head to look back at her. “Right,” she said. “Sorry.” “No need to apologize,” Ayda said, stepping close behind her. Her body brushed against Pin-Lee’s, close enough to feel the smaller woman’s warmth. “But it’s better for the plant.”

bharadwaj/pin-lee

conditions (18+, for the prompt "respect limits")

Bharadwaj’s hands slid from Pin-Lee’s sides. Pin-Lee had never seen her hesitant like this before.

persuasive (18+, for the prompt "reconciled differences")

“Should I leave?” Bharadwaj asked from the doorway, not able to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

odd couple (for the prompt "odd couple")

“Arada, right?” Pin-Lee asked. She rested a hand on the lab table by Bharadwaj’s soil samples, and she shifted her weight, grinning. “I’ll be joining the team to help with the analyses and database management.” Some of Bharadwaj’s espresso-colored lipstick had smudged onto Pin-Lee’s lips, and Arada tried not to let her eyes rest on it. 

together (for the prompt "enjoy some private time")

“You seem well,” Bharadwaj was telling Murderbot, her gaze directed at its shoulder. Pin-Lee linked arms with her, and a drone zoomed around and way too close to look at her face. “And you still have no conception of basic manners,” Pin-Lee said, perhaps hypocritically, in Murderbot’s direction, but she kept her voice light. “Guess what?” she asked the drone. “Dr. Bharadwaj already told me.” Murderbot sounded faintly amused. 

indah/mensah

dissolution (18+, for the prompt "breakup")

I want to preserve our working relationship, she’d said. Everything else between them was dead now. 

colligere (18+, for the prompt "be here now")

There was no point in apology. Ayda knew how sorry she was, and she never cared for grovelling.

unsecure (18+, for the prompt "falling asleep")

A flare of anger, but Indah quickly tamped it down. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” Ayda met Indah’s eyes, and she said, “You know you can talk to me.” “I’m sure she’s nice.” Indah tried to speak calmly. “I’m happy for you. Believe me.” 

misc pairings and gen

when it all comes home (arada & overse & pin-lee, for the prompt "sharing a bed")

This survey had turned into a nightmare. Bharadwaj could have died. But she hadn’t. But, too easily, she could have. Overse sighed again. “I’ve never seen Pin-Lee so…” She trailed off, unable to verbalize her concern. It was a fraught situation for all of them, but for Pin-Lee especially.

redo (bharadwaj/gurathin, no prompt)

“It’s a nice ring,” Bharadwaj said as they hiked through the woods. She was wearing it now. He felt a pang of embarrassment just seeing it, although he liked the way it looked on her finger.

crux (ephraim/mensah, 18+, dubcon warning, for the prompt "breaking the rules")

He wasn’t unsympathetic, but he shared the committee’s concerns. 

visit (18+, gurathin/mensah, for the prompt "physical affection")

Dr. Mensah said, “That’s a good boy. Can you tell me what you want to do with it?” No. He could never do this part. She knew that, but she always asked. It was a ritual they had. 

reunion (18+, arada/overse/ratthi, for the prompt "separation/reunion")

“We missed you,” Overse murmured, her palms running down Ratthi’s back like she owned it. 

confession (18+, indah/pin-lee, for the prompt "confessions")

“Why are you still here?” Indah pulled the comforter up to cover her chest more fully. “I didn’t realize I had a deadline,” she said, trying to infuse some gravitas into her tone. 

it's crowded and cold (gurathin & pin-lee, for the prompt "stranded in the wilderness")

“We’re alone,” Gurathin said. “I hacked the lift’s audio and video inputs.” Pin-Lee made a noncommittal noise. Great, he was taking pity on her. He knew how much she hated being surveilled. Well, he probably hated it just as much. “So, if you wanna yell or something…” he said awkwardly. “I don’t.” The words came out weak and small, and she bit her lip, still keeping her head angled away from him. She sniffed, and tears welled in her eyes like the shittiest flood held back by the shittiest fucking dam. 

[mensahbots]

[mensahbots]

Joy Sullivan, from Instructions for Traveling West: Poems; “All Day Long There Is a Bursting”

[mensahbots]

little doodle i did a while back of dr. bharadwaj and pin-lee pre-smoochening

[mensahbots]

"You're losing blood" no I know exactly where it is. The floor. Don't ever underestimate me.

[mensahbots]

murderbot: pin-lee and bharadwaj flirted in an old comfortable way that suggested it had been going on for a long time

pin-lee and bharadwaj:

[mensahbots]

For all those who complain about explicit “smutty” books or smut in fic in general:

Just be aware that a bill has been introduced in Oklahoma’s state senate (SB 593) that would make writing/publishing/owning an explicit romance book a felony.

So, when you come on here to espouse your “anti pro-ship” nonsense, or moan about how hard it is to find fics/art/books that aren’t “smutty” — know that this is the effect. You are being used as mouthpieces to help feed and perpetuate censorship. There is no room for censorship in fiction because it will never stop at what you deem morally “right”. It is about control and the restriction of speech. Your discomfort with sex in media does not make it wrong, and it certainly doesn’t mean you get to advocate for its restriction.

Do not be pawns in the far-right’s game. Do not call yourselves allys of any kind if you are willingly feeding into a pillar of far right extremism. It will not stop where you think it “should.”

[mensahbots]

mbot doodles

[mensahbots]

A piece I did for 2025 Murderbot Diaries New Year Gift Exchange (@mbd-gift-exchange) for @kungsljus. They requested holiday convention stuff inspired by the celebration in Network Effect (but with Murderbot having a good time) or Murderbot enjoying nature with anyone out of its friend client group. So here it is, celebrating and being involved in its own way.

The wizard robot in the upper right media corner is Kungsljus's D&D OC.

The picture was originally in monochrome because of the deadline, so I'm adding it here too.

Best viewed in browser, the details may get lost otherwise.

Enjoy!

[mensahbots]

first aid

[mensahbots]

a lot of life can be persevered thru by secretly playing pretend in your mind the whole time

[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.