#murderbot is too relatable

[bother-blame]

why did I sleep on the murderbot diaries for so long

all systems red was a fun, if short read and I’m looking forward to reading more

[dozenssporks]

"since the thing that happened I don't think I've had an emotion that wasn't the visual equivalent of a wet blanket crumpled on the floor"

someone save this sopping wet depressed bot

[stig-ishness]

omg hIII BESTIE!!!

been a hot second, hope you're doing ok! :]

hey saturn!!!

yes it has, haha!! i’m doing well, thanks for asking!

i’m at a summer camp right now and it’s keeping me busy, so i haven’t had much free time lol :3

[mayra-quijotescx]

"I'm uh. going to survey the perimeter." "Please just put me in with the cargo." "Stop perceiving me." "*watches the people talking to it via security feed bc eye contact is painful*" "*people asking it personal questions register as actual pain on its performance reliability scale*" "what if. what if I just. started walking and never came back. no. no. I didn't download enough entertainment, also that's be stupid." "these are My Humans now and I am begrudgingly protective of them but I still do not like it when we are about me, please stop" "please I just want to watch my stories"

murderbot I know you wouldn't want my love but you have it nonetheless, sorry

[elvencantation]

oh this sounds fun!!! mine will be all book characters. so hard to choose!! usually i like a cohosting found family all together

@thursdayplaid @ori-flails @dying-redshirt-noises @janey-jane @eirenical @aspiringwarriorlibrarian @hell0mega @marzipanandminutiae @bella-notfromtwilight @treemaidengeek @seraphsfire @firstdragonlady if you want!! sorry if i tagged to many people

Five Character Poll (tag game)

Rules: make a poll with five of your all time favourite characters and then tag five people to do the same. See which character is everyone's favourite.

thank you @jazzandpizzazz for the tag! Starting a fresh post for the sake of length but go vote in theirs here!

I tried to pick a variety of blorbos but boy was it difficult to narrow to five

tagging @linguisticparadox @tedkordisanasshole @organchordsandlightning @mygoodrabbit @halfdoublecrochet !

[heading-home-again]

Murderbot's buffer and autism coding

Various and sundry spoilers

One thing I absolutely love in this series is Murderbot's buffer. When it's too busy and distracted, Murderbot's programming takes over and it delivers canned phrases that may or may not communicate what it wants to communicate, and this is so fucking relatable

(Personal autism paragraph) I've actually used this series to explain to my wife what happens when I try to answer a complex-for-me question in conversational "real time", and why I get frustrated about things that I've cheerfully agreed to. (I don't know wtf is going on and I need to answer in NT time frame! Quick, be super agreeable!) (Currently trying to learn the new buffer phrases "let me think about that" and "give me a minute")

Back to Murderbot God I love this detail so much. It's partly just for comedy, but it's also dead serious, like so much of this series. It's about being programmed and how that programming takes over. "This unit is at minimal functionality and it is recommended that you discard it." Murderbot has been treated like a thing and that's so ingrained in its systems by now that sometimes it's just going to come out its mouth, like it doesn't want to be abandoned, but that's how it's lived for so long. ARGH

Also I love love love in Network Effect where Overse knows about the buffer and what it means and interprets it for Thiago. She knows what that tone of voice is (it's a canned response) she knows why it happens (it's from when Murderbot was enslaved) and she knows what it means ("it's too busy to talk"). I love Murderbot's friends so much I totally understand why it keeps risking horrible fates for them.

[sporadicartcomputer]

SecUnit and Mensah's reunion, the whole scene was utterly delightful. Just look at this. “That she understood this much made me melt. I hate that this happens, it makes me feel vulnerable… I hadn't been afraid that she wasn't my friend, I had been afraid that she was, and what it did to me.” Exit Strategy, p 115.

(Some semi-relevant rambling under the cut)

I'm sure there's a lot of commentary to be made about this part of the book and Murderbot's emotional development there, but let's just say I'm not the person to do that. It's a bit too personal for me because of how much I relate to Murderbot. Still, I felt the need to acknowledge how good and well-written this specific thing is. Sometimes I see, on my feed, people making analysis and notes of this emotional side of the books and the relationships in it etc. and I eat it up every time. It's great that there are people who can talk in detail about these things that are only just passing thoughts for me, if that makes any sense

My only addition here would be that I think Mensah's character is great. If I'd been in SecUnit's position, she'd be my favourite human as well, and I'd totally get blood on my hands for her ha… I feel similarly about a few other characters in the series, but I'm sure I'll devote posts more particularly for and about them some other time

[riverlark]

i think the reason Murderbot is having such a hard time processing what happened in Network Effect is because all the other dangers it’s faced so far have been death or destruction related—maybe getting re-enslaved, via a new govmod, if it got caught, but it did get free once, it could conceivably do it again…

but getting infected and then trapped/abandoned/unable to die/a danger to anyone who tried to help is literally the Fate Worse Than Death x5 Combo/Exponential Multiplier scenario—it is literally the worst thing that could possibly happen:

and it almost did.

.

yea. i’d have to force myself to take every step back into a potentially comparable scenario too

[thieves-never-say-die]

I am incapable of reading/watching media without relating it to Leverage so consider: a Leverage Murderbot AU

Eliot as Murderbot, a SecUnit who recently hacked his governor module because his former owner (Moreau) wanted him to kill a bunch of people. When asked, Eliot frames it vaguely enough that you think he hacked himself so he wouldn’t have to kill those people, but when pressed he admits he only figured out how to do it after and feels guilty he couldn’t do it earlier

Hardison as ART, a scary smart research transport who is sarcastic and provides a home for his crew and has A Lot Of Opinions on shows and can’t wait to talk about them with people (I did consider Nate as ART as he’s really the only one who can fulfill the Asshole quota of ARTs name but ultimately Hardison the nester being a literal home for the rest of the crew was too powerful)

I can’t decide if Parker would also be a bot/construct that hacked herself free, or a normal human who Eliot thinks is a bot/construct because she acts weird but it turns out it’s just Parker being Parker

Idk how the others fit in tho (Breanna as a smaller research vessel that Hardison thinks of as a younger sister? Harry as a lawyer for the GrayCris analog who realized the company was fucked and turned on them?) but I’d love to hear other ideas

[babybluesquid]

I strongly relate to Murderbot because I too have a buffer that automatically kicks in during conversations sometimes when I’m having trouble thinking of what to say next or am mentally attending to other concerns and says things I don’t mean.

[aleki-lives-here]

Murderbot experiencing an emotions is making me experience an emotion, and I'm halfway annoyed because how dare this book be so good it makes me feel and think so many things.

I'm so obsessed it's the second night I woke up in the middle of just to stare at the ceiling replaying the events and the conversation over and over in my head.

The way Murderbot said "I left" to Mensah. The way it admitted why sanctuary moon is so important to it. It's driving me crazy. It is too relatable in all the ways that make me want to disappear. It's too good.

[angstbabyjae]

When it comes to the murderbot diaries I really like the idea that Murderbot’s sexuality and gender isn’t just a Bot thing, it just assumes it is.

I think bots without sexual organs would be some flavor of aspec by nature, as they aren’t programmed to feel sexual attraction but I don’t think it’s impossible for them, especially when it comes to romantic attraction and gender.

I want to write a fic where Murderbot learns that being agender and sex-repulsed aroace isn’t a universal bot experience (and that it’s possible for humans too).

I’ve been developing personal headcanons for Murderbot, Three, and Perihelion/ART as I tend to do when hyperfixation take hold. I am nearly finished reading the series and haven’t reread it yet so there’s a possibility my growing headcanons have already been contradicted, but nonetheless, here they are.

Content warning for discussion of sex.

Content warning for LONG ASS POST.

I haven’t read System Collapse yet as I am writing this, it is next on my list, but I’ve been spoiled that ART was raised alongside Iris with development comparable to a human’s. I don’t think it would have the same level of sex repulsion that Murderbot has.

Not to say you can’t grow up with sex being normalized and still be sex repulsed, obviously, but I think its feelings towards it would still be different. I think it has a lot more of an understanding of why human’s like it/care about it (outside of biological reasoning) more than Murderbot does.

I still think it’s a flavor of ace, as it doesn’t have sexual organs to stimulate and has very likely never had someone to try sex on before. I think it might be less likely the fast forward through sex scenes than Murderbot is, but would do it without question when watching something alongside it. I think it would find sex interesting and wonder what it would be like to be able to experience it.

Murderbot would definitely be flabbergasted if it ever found that out. I feel like Murderbot would be very surprised and probably instinctively grossed out at the idea that not all bots share its feelings towards sex and gender. A part of that reaction would probably be because it would have to stop delegating its orientation and gender as bot related and start thinking about it as unique to its identity as a person.

I’ve read fics where Murderbot and ART use entering each other’s systems as a form of non-sexual-but-sex-representative intimacy between them and I remember thinking “wow I can totally see ART being aware of the parallels to sex and being okay with that while Murderbot would be horrified if the idea ever crossed its mind and very defensive if anyone compared it”.

I see Murderbot & Mensah and Murderbot & ART as QPRs for sure. I don’t see Murderbot being as repulsed by romance as a concept as it is by sex, when it comes to it happening to other people as it seems like a lot of its serials have romantic subplots and it doesn’t really react when it sees people in romantic relationships. I think it’s made it clear it doesn’t want one for itself, but I think queerplatonic (or just generally unlabeled) relationships are something it wants (and always finds itself in LOL) even if it won’t admit it.

We all know it makes a big deal of being touch repulsed, but I think there’s ample evidence from how it acts with Mensah that it can get used to and even enjoy touch from specific people to certain extents. If it had stayed on Preservation Station and continued its proximity to Mensah, there would eventually be more physical affection between the two.

With ART, the idea of non-sexual intimacy through their systems/feed/presences?? (I don’t really know what to call it), especially casually, would probably be something that appeals to Murderbot in the long run of their relationship as it comes with the perk of not involving touching its actual body which is probably where a lot of the overstimulation comes from, though we know it can still make it uncomfortable from how it talked about ART essentially breathing down its neck when they first met, so it might take time or be in small doses.

I think despite not having a body, ART would be touch-positive (its crew touching its ship body, being close to MB in its feed). I’ve read a fic recently where MB let it control its hands to try touching its body, which I loved (despite thinking in canon MB would be less likely to allow it loll but ART wanting something like that just made sense to me). I can also see ART admiring how people (including MB) look while MB wouldn’t care about that at all.

I haven’t decided whether I think ART is alloromantic, arospec, or just as aromantic as MB just with less negative feelings about the idea. I might need to come back to this after my reread when I have a better grasp on the character. I think its queerplatonic feelings towards MB are more romantic-adjacent than MB’s are towards it. It didn’t seem as objective to Amena’s jokes about them being a couple as Murderbot was. I also like the interpretation that there is romantic elements to ART’s feelings it just would never pursue a relationship Murderbot wouldn’t want, I can see it being fine with whatever labels Murderbot wants for them.

Genderwise, we know Murderbot is strictly it/its and it/its is what’s used for Perihelion too. However, I can see ART not being as bothered by gender pronouns as MB. I feel like maybe in the future far future MB would maybeeee entertain they/them or other non-gendered pronouns but I don’t see that likely where it’s currently at. With ART I see it as maybe not minding any pronouns used for it and it/its being what people call it by default and it doesn’t mind that. They’re both agender though.

When I picture MB I usually picture it as transmasc (I am transmasc myself btw). Still agender, obviously, but when it comes to how it presents. It really doesn’t want to be associated with any gender, binary or otherwise. Behavior towards gender seems a lot more evolved in the society of the books. There’s a lot I could say about the series and gender, but that would have to be a whole other post. I feel like anyone assuming Murderbot’s gender would deeply unnerve it. I don’t think it even likes to be seen as non-binary or as agender in a That’s It’s Gender Identity way, it just wants people to assume bots having any kind of gender identity is impossible (which is what it thinks itself, and is probably wrong about). This was definitely the thought behind its preferred gender marker being “N/A”.

When it comes to Three (finally I’m getting to Three 😭) I lowkey think it’s alloromantic. I was drawn to that idea when it was asking about SecUnit 2 (or 1? I can’t remember, it was the one that it didn’t know was dead left and was left to die) and it was clear their relationship was at least a friendship and I was like… what if it was in loveee. I liked the idea of MB having to interact with a SecUnit that didn’t fit its idea of default bot sexual identity.

I don’t know if Three appears frequently in System Collapse, I only know what I’ve read about it in Network Effect. I also think Three, having had friends before, would be much more open with its feelings than MB, it just wouldn’t know how to express them as it was never allowed to before aside from the discreet ways it would interact with its SecUnit friends. I definitely see it as being more touch-positive. I do think it’s also asexual though, maybe less sex repulsed, but more apathetic and neutral towards it.

I know this is crazy long. I’m so sorry to whoever accidentally opens this and has to scroll through the whole thing 😭

I want to make a post about MB and autism eventually.

Update: I sent this mere seconds ago, but I have realized that I have now encountered multiple fics where ART is just kinky as hell (nonsexual when MB is involved ofc) and I kinda love that idea 😭 of all the people for MB to bond to it had to be an Unusually Horny spaceship

Btw I say “ofc” because, in character, MB is sex repulsed ace however it is an unreliable narrator to an extent and given it is fictional and not harmful there isn’t anything wrong with making it sexual in your fics, just wanted to clarify. You do you, internet.

[traeumenvonbuechern]

Which books would the Hallowoods characters read?

Happy HFTH season 4 day! I'm so excited for the new episodes, and I want to celebrate by recommending some books I think some of the main characters would love.

Diggory Graves - Unwieldy Creatures

I have a feeling that Diggory might be interested in a nonbinary Frankenstein retelling...

Percy Reed - The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

A transmasc protagonist, ghosts, a t4t love story - Percy would relate to this book so much.

Nikignik - This Is How You Lose the Time War

Even aside from the whole Bigolas Dickolas thing, I think Nikignik would really love this book. It's an epic, complicated, super emotional love story, written in a way that almost feels like poetry - I have a feeling that Nikignik would like that.

Lady Ethel Mallory - Lady Susan

It's short, it's funny, it's a classic, it's from the perspective of the villain and said villain uses the title "lady"? Lady Ethel would love this book.

Riot Maidstone - Gideon the Ninth

It's about a butch lesbian with a sword. That alone would probably convince Riot to read it, but I think she would love the story, too.

Olivier Song - Infinity Alchemist

This book is about an alchemist who is rejected by the magic school he tried so hard to get into, and one of the love interests is genderfluid - Olivier might relate to it a little too much.

Clara Martin - The Grimoire of Grave Fates

It's a murder mystery set at a magic school that moves around the world, and it's told from 18 (!) different perspectives. I think Clara would love reading about all these different types of magic and trying to solve the mystery.

Polly - Good Omens

Polly reminds me so much of Crowley sometimes - to quote this post, they're both "demons sent on a celestial audit of earth and catching more feelings than they signed up for" - so Polly would probably either love or hate Good Omens, no in-between.

Yaretzi - The Salt Grows Heavy

I can't really explain why I think Yaretzi would like this book, but she would. Something about the main character being a murderous mermaid, probably.

Mort - All Systems Red

Mort would definitely want to be friends with Murderbot.

Hector Mendoza and Jonah Duckworth - Silver in the Wood

This is my go-to "Read this if you like Our Flag Means Death" book because the main characters remind me a lot of Stede and Ed, but the book also reminds me so much of Hector and Jonah, especially with the magical sentient forest setting.

Zelda Duckworth - The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher

This book is about a 83-year-old Chosen One who has to save the world armed with nothing but gumption and knitting needles - I think Zelda would enjoy that.

Mx. Morrell - What Moves the Dead

I think a fungal horror book with a nonbinary protagonist would be perfect for Mx. Morrell.

Danielle O'Hara - Pet

Pet is about a trans girl who has to reconsider everything she's been taught and save her friend with the help of a terrifying creature - everyone should read this book, but I think Danielle would especially like it.

Book titles:

Diggory Graves: Unwieldy Creatures by Addie Tsai

Percy Reed: The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

Nikignik: This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Lady Ethel Mallory: Lady Susan by Jane Austen

Riot Maidstone: Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Olivier Song: Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender

Clara Martin: The Grimoire of Grave Fates, edited by Hanna Alkaf and Margaret Owen

Polly: Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Yaretzi: The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

Mort: All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Hector Mendoza and Jonah Duckworth: Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

Zelda Duckworth: The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher by E.M. Anderson

Mx. Morrell: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Danielle O'Hara: Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

[reddy-reads]

Well fuck Balin

This is one of my favorite lines! It makes me smile every time

thoughts with spoilers for murderbot 6

Reasons "Well fuck Balin" is a great line

JollyBaby going "nah Balin is a manager" and MB being like "wait Balin doesn't lift heavy things because it's a manager? UGH" is just funny and relatable

It's also MEMORABLE

This means that later on, when we learn more about Balin, I'm not like "uh whomst the fuck?"

(I have a so-so memory and frequently struggle to keep track of different characters' names)

AND it's important that we remember Balin

I seriously think this one line is just... really incredible from a "how does the story fit together" point of view.

It's memorable, but it doesn't draw too much attention to itself. It's short and unobtrusive.

It's memorable because it's funny. It's not obvious like a character, I dunno, ominously standing in the shadows with its eyes/indicator lights turning red.

It helps the story function. Imagine how much worse the story would function if Balin was completely unmemorable.

And that's why "Well fuck Balin" is one of my favorite murderbot lines of all time.

[brawltogethernow]

Half the people Murderbot meets on Preservation are some kind of doctor and I vacillate between the reasonable explanation (highly educated people are likely to know/be related to/marry each other) and the funny one (if all education and other needs/comforts were free I'd be a PhD of something too just for the lulz of course every nerd with an interest is conveniently a ratified expert of it).

[heartfullofleeches]

FUCKING. YES.

What (some of) my ocs put you as in their phone:

Liu/Lucille (butcher/cannibal Yan): "Bambi" or "Belle/Beauty" The latter related to one of their favorite movies as a kind. If she could love her beast, you'll do the same won't you?

C.C/Saffron (Yan incubus): "Bae <3" with a string heart and flower emojis after. Will just as quickly change it to "Lil' bitch" if you ignore him long enough

Amyas (Yan cupid): "Answer immediately"

Baron (Yan demon): "MJNW" He's trying to spell mine, but his fingers are too fucking fat to hit the right keys

Maddox (Yan reaper): "Them"/the gendered variant. Simple, to the point - brings a smile to their face everytime they see it on the screen.

Alasdair (Yan Angel): "My light" Bro lights up a whole room with those eyes, but pop off king

V (incel Yan): "Kitten"

Miller (streamer Yan): "P1"

Erin (Yan Bully): "Pain in my ass" when you first give it to him. "Everything" after he finally let's his heart bleed.

Theodore (Teacher Yan): "Dear" for you, but he asks you put him in your phone as "Teddy"

Devlin (immortal Yan): "Boo (at night I think of you...)" His favorite song from that time period and what he plays outside your window.

Silas (immortal Yan): "THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE DUMBASS" He sends a lot of "prank texts" to people and almost send you a five paragraph long threat when it was meant for your boss.

Selene (Yandere housewife): "Sweetheart, My One/My Only" She gets so embarrassed when you find out.

Orion (Yandere Devil): "Prized Jewel"

Gemini/Gemini (Twin Devils in one body): "Our Missing Piece" They change it constantly, but that's what it's been for the longest

Daina (Yan Final Girl): "Rid3 or Di3"

Dea (Worshiper God): "My Universe." Stuff like that seems so small to them, but it just feels right.

Cherry, Clementine, Lemon (Yandere robots): "Master" Cherry and Lemon put hearts at the end, Clementine puts a sword

Lime (Yan cat hybrid bot): "Owner~" with a tongue emoji at the end

D.kay (Yan Murderbot): "SUNNI" (sunny) or just a long string of those heart eyed emojis

Milk Tea (Yan cow hybrid): Pet

Eggnog (Yan cow hybrid): "Bunny or J.J" The name of the rabbit plush they own as a child. Without it they aren't sure they'd be alive today. The same goes for you.

Root beer Milk (Yan cow hybrid): "Partner in Crime"

Bluebird (Former Darling Yan): "Saving Grace" or your name with a key emoji at the end.

Gus (Clown Yan): "Cutie Pie"

(And that's it for now. If there are any characters you'd like to see just lemme know and I might do a part two)