#sofi

[beithiochan]

"It immediately changed direction, bolted for the side of the plateau, and jumped into the forest. Clear communication for the win, I guess."

Martha Wells, Platform Decay

[razielim]

do you ever think about... murderbot... and its love of children... and how children naturally welcome it in a way older humans don't? the way teenagers are slower than children but far faster than adults to see it fully as a person and warm to it as soon as they realize how much safer they are in its presence?

do you think about how amena, sofi, and the others will someday be full adults? and mensah and the rest of team presaux will be gone? and murderbot will be surrounded by humans who have loved and cherished it seemingly their whole lives? how it'll be surrounded by humans, both in mensah's family and across preservation and the university in general, who don't remember what life was like before their first encounter with a secunit?

do you think about how someday some of these adults who love it will have their own children? and it will see that first gross little bundle of human offspring and be shocked by the size and frailty? it'll resist offers to hold the baby for fear of hurting something so small and frail (and also some other fear it can't name) (and also: gross). but eventually... something will happen and it will oblige and hold a baby for the first time in its whole existence while the parents run around dealing with whatever emergency. and it'll be absolutely rooted to the spot, thinking about how the baby is actually a bit heavier than it had guessed, thinking about how there isn't even any ROOM for bones in such a small body, thinking about how the baby looks doubtful and a little scared of it. until one of the human adults sweeps by and recommends that it smile and coo at the baby. well, it's not sure about "cooing" but it does get woken from its fearful stupor and hurriedly ups its body temperature, softly bounces the baby like it had seen humans do, and smiles — nervously, but it counts. and the baby... melts. the small little mouth and brows and eyes all slip into a delighted chubby-cheeked smile, still looking up into its eyes. and murderbot thinks, okay, maybe i'll try cooing. do you think about that?

do you think about how someday amena and sofi and the others will be known as nannas and grandpersons themselves, and murderbot will still be beset by children who want to watch shows with it and curl up against its chest when they're sad or hurt? and how sofi can still be found napping on its shoulder, though now she has more wrinkles on her face than naja ever had? and how amena's still bothering it for details about its relationships, anxious to see it loved and cared for after she and her siblings are gone?

do you think about how someday murderbot and its creaky old joints and worn ports are only still functioning because of a dedicated team of university researchers who'd put in thousands of hours into determining how to not let living construct consciousnesses become trapped in failing bodies and developed a protocol for training future researchers in proper construct geriatric care? and can you picture how it will have a few dozen children gathered around it at a cultural festival — their families camping in and around the ancestral home, together once again for the holiday — all those tiny voices clamoring to once more hear the story of how it and their great great great great greatnan amena defeated the aliens and saved the colonists, and could they pretty pretty please meet ART the next time it docks at preservation station?

do you think about how the children it loves growing up to become adults would never take away how safe and comfortable it feels around them?

[securityunit-ese]

All Systems Red / Platform Decay - Survival blanket

All Systems Red - alone

The first scene Martha Wells wrote for Murderbot was the one where it makes it way into the ready room, wraps itself up, leaking fluids and all alone in a cubicle.

It is isolated and all alone when Mensah approaches it in concern, the only human to do so.

And it just doesn't know how to respond to someone caring about it. No-one has ever cared to ask before and it's being perceived: it hunches down and tries to hide itself from her, tugs its hands tighter around itself and insists it is fine:

Mensah doesn't believe it is fine, but she listens to it and leaves it sitting, injured and wrapped up in a survival blanket, alone:

Platform Decay - together

SecUnit makes its way to the boat. Even before it arrives, it's not alone. It reaches out to its humans. Strange humans help it to safety. It is wrapped up in a survival blanket and its wounds hidden from view. It doesn't have to do any of this, this is all done for it:

Everyone is concerned, including strangers it has never spoken to before. It is surrounded by friends and so incredibly not alone.

Sofi, Mensah's daughter, asks it if it's okay, just like her mother did all those cycles ago:

And instead of withdrawing, instead of tightening the survival blanket to hide itself from view. It reaches out and opens up itself to being touched and to being seen.

And when it says it is fine, it is believed, because they can see it and they can be with it. It is sitting there, injured and wrapped up in a survival blanket, but it isn't alone. Because it has Mensah's family with it:

[mac-draws]

Living weapon, beloved by children.

Doodled on a piece of paper during a long work call today. I absolutely love all the interactions between Sofi, Tula, and Murderbot in Platform Decay. 😭❤️

[king-of-kaoss]

your idea has been secunit approved! 👍

[bear-in-the-ocean]

In the stillness, Sofi breathes life into the moment.

[livelovecaliforniadreams]