murderbot newbies

[murderbot101]

About this blog

This is a blog to talk about some of the Murderbot communities and events that I happen to have noticed. I have been in this fandom since before the tv adaptation but not much longer than that. So I am not an expert. But because I was here as a very confused newbie murderbot fan not so long ago, perhaps I can share some insights.

[murderbot101]

Tagging Convention (mainly for Tumblr)

Here are some of the tags often used to attract people who are interested in the Murderbot Diaries (books).

General

#the murderbot diaries, #murderbot diaries, #murderbot books, #murderbot, #tmbd, #(book title), #(book title + spoiler), #character name, #secunit, #nsfw (for adults-only content)

Fan creations

#murderbot fanart, #tmbd fanart, #murderbot fanfic, #tmbd fanfic, #tmbd meta, #murderbot meta, #murderbot meme

Characters and Groups

#(individual names, such as Dr Mensah), #Three (murderbot), #Secunit Three, #asshole research transport, #ART (murderbot), #Perihelion, #PresAux, #PSUMNT, #Perihelion Crew

TV show

#murderbot tv, #murderbot Apple TV, #mbtv

Relationship tags

Murderbot fandom is very gen-leaning and aspec-heavy, so tagging becomes very important if you want to post something about relationships. If you want your posts (incl. reblogs) to reach the right people without upsetting anyone, here are some suggestions.

Use "&" for all platonic, found-family, friends of all types, or partnership dynamics.

Use "/" only for actual romance or sexual content.

If you want to emphasize the queerplatonic-ness of a relationship, use #QPR, #queerplatonic, "ride-or-die partners", etc. Some people use "the secret third thing", too. Note that some people might avoid posts if it has a "/", even if you use "/&" or "$/" to mean "very intimate, but undefinable relationship".

Safer to avoid portmanteau ship names unless you are actually shipping them romantically/sexually. I'm aware that some people use portmanteau names, such as 'mensahbot' or 'artmb' for intimate but not romantic relationships, but many people tend to assume they are 'ship' names.

If you want to mention a ship but are not shipping it, tag it clearly, such as #mention of ship, #not shipping, #ship mention only.

Common portmanteau ship names:

Murderbot/ART: murderhelion, artmb, artbot, mbart

Murderbot/Mensah: Mensahbot

Murderbot/Gurathin: Murderathin

Other popular relationship tag:

Murderbot & ART: mutual administrative assistance, mutual administrative assistants

For more tagging ideas you can also look at the list of canonized tags on Archives of Our Own (AO3): https://archiveofourown.org/tags/The%20Murderbot%20Diaries%20-%20Martha%20Wells

[murderbot101]

Murderbot Discord Servers (3)

If you prefer small-scale servers, there are several, again with notable differences. My personal experience in them are limited but I will try to describe them, in the chronological order of their foundation, in as unbiased a manner as possible.

(1) Preservation

An aroace/aspec friendly server where discussing Murderbot in a romantic/sexual manner is prohibited.

Canon-consistent discussion of ships (e.g., Mensah and her spouses, Arada/Overse) are fine but mostly take place in the designated area.

Letting off steam by sharing negative views on the books and adaptations is allowed

AKA "Tree server" as you can 'water' the tree to make it grow

There are both on-topic and off-topic categories with multiple channels

Not a place if you are primarily interested in the TV adaptation

Automated welcome message alerts your joining the server to all the members in the welcome channel and you may get welcoming reactions. But they will leave you alone until you initiate interactions.

(2) Moistbot

Adult-only server primarily focused on romantic/sexual relationships among characters, including Murderbot

Highly creative and members often jointly create stories ('noodle') in threads

Weekly prompts are suggested and selected by members to explore various kink ideas

Recommended for those interested in fan-creations than discussing canon materials

Automated welcome message in the welcome channel alerts your appearance to all the members upon joining the server. People may react with a 'wave' to welcome you!

(3) Murderbot Transit Hub

All-age, beginner-friendly server (for both the Murderbot Diaries series and Discord Servers)

Primarily a place to discuss book-canon materials, with separate channels for each book, audiobook, and other adaptations

Non-canon consistent shipping is discouraged and there are no NSFW channels

Has been running weekly listen-along events for Murderbot audiobooks, as well as other popular audiobook (e.g., Project Hail Mary, Mickey 7)

Since it's created as a "transit hub", too, info and links to other servers are found

There is no automated welcome channel, so you can quietly enter and observe without being noticed until you are ready.

(4) Murderserver

Sister server of Moistbot for all Murderbot fans

Fanwork centric with weekly prompts (gen) and lots of lively discussion, but other general channels also exist

Shipping (including Murderbot) is allowed with lots of separate channels for different ships

There are channels for discussing the TV adaptations

There are lots of creative events, movie streaming sessions, voice chat, etc.

Automated welcome message in the welcome channel alerts your appearance to all the members upon joining the server. People may react with a 'wave' to welcome you!

I've heard of other more small, niche servers but don't know enough to talk about them. You are bound to get invited directly if you share interests with those on these servers.

[murderbot101]

Murderbot Discord Servers (2)

So, currently there are two large Murderbot discord servers with 1,000+ members: The Murderbot Diaries 2.0 (2.0) and New Tideland (NT).

When you are new to the fandom and maybe also new to Discord servers, at a glance they look pretty similar. They both have on-topic (i.e., Murderbot related) and off-topic (i.e., non-Murderbot) categories with multiple channels. Both servers have channels to chat about daily things, discuss and post images of food, animals, plants, etc., discuss real-life issues, etc. Both have channels where people share their creative works. They also run various events.

But they are quite distinct from each other based on very different running/moderation principles. While many people can enjoy both of them, it's also possible that your particular preferences are better met by one of them.

But before getting into the differences, your initial experience upon entering the servers is the same. Upon arrival, you will automatically receive a set of welcoming message and information on rules, etc. Your entry is not announced to the general members, so you can quietly lurk and observe for a while until you get your bearings.

In my personal opinions based on observations, here are the differences:

2.0 Server

Suitable for those who want to be able to curate their experience without having to remove yourselves from ongoing conversation.

Potentially triggering topics, such as health, food, politics have designated areas. When people accidentally go off the topics for the channel, usually moderators, "greeters", and long-term members gently move the conversation to a more appropriate designation. People gladly move without any resentment.

You don't see shipping in main channels, as the server has many aspec (and adjacent) members who are not interested in shipping.

Shipping does exist and people discuss them in a designated area that uses multiple threads. Shippers and non-shippers peacefully coexist in main areas and (as far as I can see) there is no conflict as the actual shipping-talk does not take place in any of the main channels.

The server uses threads A LOT. People are used to using threads, and the greeters regularly draw attention to threads in each channel by making them visible.

Expression of negative views are allowed, and for things where both positive and negative opinions exist in abundance, like the tv adaptation, threads are created so that people can express themselves without upsetting those with different views.

Many events are organised by the members of the 2.0 server, but you may not always notice this as they don't advertise in order to make it as inclusive as they can. But "Bingo" and "New Year Gift Exchange" are some of their events.

NT Server

Suitable for those who are happy with the attitude of "agree to disagree" in general, and rarely perturbed by seeing topics you don't like being discussed potentially anywhere and can just ignore and scroll on.

You need to be aware that it is up to you to avoid seeing the topics you don't want to see. Their rule is a lot more relaxed than the 2.0, and people are rarely discouraged from discussing something that appears to be outside of the scope of the channel. (Obviously, nsfw topics are not allowed in sfw areas, though)

There are lots of channels for both sfw and nsfw shipping (including those involving Murderbot itself). Many of the popular pairings have dedicated channels, but you can also talk about other characters in them, especially if the said-character doesn't have a dedicated channel.

They strongly encourage positive discussion of the series (both the book series and the tv show), and expressions of negative views are not recommended. (It's against their "do not yuck other people's yum" principle.)

They have lots of events including regular creative (for both art and fiction) workshops, book-reading, and film viewing events. You may see "New Tideland" tags on works on Archives of Our Own (Ao3).

In sum, if you want to feel safe, knowing whatever topic you want to avoid only happens in the designated area, are happy to comply with the rules of sticking to the topics for each channel, adding image descriptions (or ALT) to the images when you post them (for those who rely on text readers), 2.0 is a good fit for you. It is carefully and skillfully moderated.

If you prefer to be able to talk more freely, without having to remember "I'm not supposed to talk about this here" or dislike being asked to move to a different channel, then NT will be a better place for you.

But as I said, this is based on my observation. You can always see for yourself by joining them.

[murderbot101]

Murderbot Discord Servers (1)

Again, I'm no expert, but from what I can see, currently there are two large (1000+ members) servers and several smaller ones.

If I place them in the chronological order, along with the publication dates of the Murderbot Diaries books and stories, it looks like this:

May 2, 2017 Book 1: All Systems Red

May 8, 2018 Book 2: Artificial Condition

August 7, 2018 Book 3: Rogue Protocol

September 2018 [The Murderbot Diaries server] (aka 1.0 server)

October 2, 2018 Book 4: Exit Strategy

December 17, 2018 Short Story: Compulsory

April 28, 2020 Book 5: Network Effect

May 5, 2020 Short Story: Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory

August 2020 [The Murderbot Diaries 2.0 server]

April 27, 2021 Book 6: Fugitive Telemetry

September 2022 [New Tideland server]

August 2023 [Preservation server]

November 14, 2023 Book 7: System Collapse

April 2024 [moistbot server]

August 2024 [Murderbot Transit Hub server]

January 2025 [Murderserver server]

July 11, 2025 Short Story: Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy

May 5, 2026 Book 8: Platform Decay

Very brief history:

The first discord server by and for the Murderbot fans The Murderbot Diaries was launched in the autumn of 2018. (You can find the announcement on Tumblr if you go back far enough.) At some point in 2020, this server lost the owner/moderator and became defunct.

The Murderbot Diaries 2.0 server was created as a successor in August 2020. This was shortly after the fifth book Network Effect was published, and the server attracted lots of new members. As the server grew in size, members' interests also diversified, resulting in difficulties accommodating everyone's wishes.

Some people who were not satisfied with what the 2.0 server could offer left and created New Tideland server in September 2022. This helped to accommodate people who wanted to enjoy more of the shipping side of the fandom without much restriction.

In subsequent years (2023-), more servers were created, often to serve more specific needs within the fandom (e.g., strictly no-murderbot shipping, shipping-focused, beginner friendly, free creativity-focused).

Many people are on multiple servers, looking for things best found in each. (Some of the servers list links to other servers, too.)

Server invitation links are found on Tumblr posts, Fanlore page(s), etc.

[murderbot101]

Diverse Fans of the Murderbot Fandom

The Murderbot Diaries series attracts a lot of people who (sometimes) consider themselves to be queer and/or non-typical in various ways. These include those with gender identities that are not cis-gender (e.g., transgender, agender, x-gender, non-binary, and gender-fluid), various gender expressions, sexual/romantic-orientations (e.g., homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, aromantic, aroace, alloaro, asexual-alloromantic), neurodivergent (e.g., ASD, ADD, ADHD, LD, OCD), cultural groups that might be considered a minority, and so on.

Murderbot is a character living in a world where a personhood of its category (i.e., constructs like SecUnits) has not been even considered, and expected to be "different" and isolated in may ways. Yet it finds people that come to care about it and it hesitantly learns to call its friends. These people accept it the way it is and don't tell it to fit their way of life. No wonder it appeals to people who often find themselves struggling with expectations of others.

What we always need to be aware is to be sensitive and receptive of people in the community. Not all the people with ASD hate social interactions nor are they some maths/creative genius. Not all the asexual people are repulsed by sex. Not all the aroace people enjoy reading and/or creating smut, either. Just like people from a specific place do not always live up to their cultural stereotypes, people with non-typical traits don't necessarily live up to the stereotypes of their subgroups. We all are different.

What I've discovered is that if one shows genuine respect, they also reciprocate the respect. We can co-exist with differences as long as we respect each other's boundaries.

[murderbot101]

The Importance of Tagging Earnestly

The Murderbot fandom is probably one of the most creative, interactive, and kind fandoms. I don't know about other literature fandoms, but it had been very active for a long time well before the Apple TV adaptation came out. People shared truly diverse interpretations and imaginings of the characters and stories and world buildings of the Murderbot Diaries.

That also means that often you are bound to find things you really, really like and also those you are not very keen on. Some people liked to explore a relationship between a particular pair of characters, some liked creating original characters set in the universe, others were fascinated by the stark contrast between the hellish (but not-unrealistic) corporation landscape and Preservation, and so on.

Approach-Pleasant / Avoid- Unpleasant is a natural human behaviour.

If you correctly tag your posts, those interested in them would come and enjoy them and those who don't want to see them would avoid them. If you do not tag, or incorrectly tag them, hoping for a larger audience, it will probably backfire. People who are interested might miss them, and those who are tricked into viewing them might get wary and start blocking you (your works) altogether.

It's not unlike restaurants that list allergens and commonly avoided ingredients openly. People with specific allergies and dislikes will still come and eat the safe things, but if they are opaque about what they serve, they will avoid the restaurant itself. Not because they hate the restaurant, but because they just don't want to eat things they can't eat or enjoy.

You should always display tags if the post includes (1) romantic/sexual relationship involving which characters (e.g., #Murderbot/ART); (2) depiction of violence or any commonly avoided contents (e.g., #canon typical violence); (3) spoiler for anything (especially something new); and (4) if your post is about the book series or the tv show (e.g., #Murderbot TV). You can find commonly used tags by just looking at posts with a "Murderbot Diaries" tag.

It's also a good idea to remember to add these tags even when you are re-blogging somebody else's post. And also, it goes without saying that if you find a very good post (e.g., fan art), make sure that you credit the original poster.

[murderbot101]

Murderbot communities (Tumblr, FB, Reddit)

When you have just finished reading (listening to) the Murderbot Diaries and are dying to share your thoughts with other fans, you will probably look for some communities. There are multiple communities on multiple platforms.

Tumblr

As of now, there are five Tumblr communities that can be searched with the keyword "Murderbot". The two larger communities "The Murderbot Diaries" (1K+ members) and "Murderbot Diaries - Book Only" (200+ members) have probably been around a little longer than others. The Book-Only community, as the name indicates only allow posting things based on the book series, whereas "The Murderbot Diaries" has lots of post based on the TV show, too.

Many people simply post and interact outside of the Tumblr communities, that is, they just post to their own blog. You can search posts with tags, such as "#book title", "#murderbot", "murderbot diaries", and "#tmbd".

You can also use portmanteau ship name for looking for blogs, art, etc for a specific combination of characters you like. But there are multiple portmanteau and their interpretations that exist and quite often it can open a can of worms if you are not careful. You might use one while meaning something a little different and end up getting blocked by some people. Getting blocked can hurt, but it is a way for lots of people of curating their experience and usually not personal. My observation is that portmanteau is used for (mostly) romantic relationships, and not platonic ones whether they are QPR or not. (I say 'mostly' as some people use portmanteau name for non-romantic, which makes it confusing.)

Facebook

There are several Murderbot/Martha Wells related fangroups on Facebook, both private and public. I only had had a glimpse, so I cannot give much information. But from what I gathered, people post things using their regular account with their real name visible. Perhaps not for those who want to keep their fandom activity anonymous.

Reddit

There are both one for the book series (https://www.reddit.com/r/murderbot/) and TV show (https://www.reddit.com/r/MurderbotOnAppleTV/).

The book subreddit seems a relatively small, low-drama community focused on sharing thoughts on the books, characters, the authors, and event reports.

The TV show subreddit was created for fans from the tv show who are not familiar with/interested in the book series, but also to keep the original subreddit free of too much tv-show discussion.

The tone is generally mild in both.

I will make another post on Discord servers.

[murderbot101]

Murderbot info resources

There are various online places where people accumulate information on the Murderbot Diaries series. These include:

Wikipedia

Book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Murderbot_Diaries

TV show: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murderbot_(TV_series)

Fandom Wiki

Book & TV: https://murderbot.fandom.com/wiki/Murderbot_Wiki

Fanlore

Book: https://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Murderbot_Diaries

TV show: https://fanlore.org/wiki/Murderbot_(TV)

TV Tropes

Book: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/TheMurderbotDiaries

TV show: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/Murderbot

IMDb

TV show: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30444310/

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Different Types of Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a general-purpose, global encyclopedia. It ensures the article is accurate with strict sourcing rules. Neutral point of view is required, and original research is prohibited.

Fandom Wiki is a commercial, ad-supported wiki. The articles are written by fans but canon-focused.

Fanlore is a wiki documenting the fandom itself, not canon. It is run by the Organization for Transformative Works (OTW) and the main focus is on fanworks, shipping, tropes, and community history. It encourages multiple perspectives. The OTW also runs Archives of Our Own (Ao3).

Additionally, there are also Miraheze versions that you can search. Miraheze is a non-profit, volunteer-run wiki hosting platform. It is run by a small group of admins and each entry is more privately managed.