I'm in another Murderbot reread. Happens several times a year. But it got me thinking why we love Murderbot so much. What is it about a depressive angry ex-slave cyborg with PTSD who's on the run that gets to us?

It doesn't know itself. It doesn't know what it wants. It's angry, justifiably so. It wants to be part of a team, to belong, and to connect with others, but doesn't know that and would deny it if asked. It wants to do its job really well and be noticed for it. It mostly just wants to watch tv all day every day and not get shot at.

I'm fascinated by the internal contradictions in this character, then noticed that's true about a lot of other great characters.

Oh no, it made me realize mine might lack that, whoops. I will work on that. As soon as I finish all these massive construction projects. Which might be stopping right now because OMG my knees.

I'm endlessly interested in the ways we don't know ourselves, misrepresent ourselves, think we're one way when we're another, and don't actually know what we really want that would make us happy. We're such a mess! All of us and Murderbot too.

Next week: probably Sarah Dessen's Lock and Key since I can't quit bringing it up. Woohoo!

Other texts mentioned: the usual suspects. Battlestar Galactica, Leverage: Redemption, Cold Comfort Farm, Summerlands, Landslide.