#support: ephraim

[goldoanheart]

"I can do that," The young king nods solemnly. If the worst comes to worst, he shall simply hope that they are more afraid of a dragon than anything else and he will not truly have to fight.

Clapsing his hands together, the boy transforms and takes flight once more, scanning the ground in anticipation for the men to be lured out by Ephraim.

Once they are, he will land and make sure they do not leave. After all, facing a dragon, let alone one as large as he was - though he was far from being anywhere near the size of his father or even his brother - was not an easy thing to do. A fact even Kurthnaga had learned all too well.

that's not a pegasus

[anniversary 2024] flying +1

[tossup-tempest]

♡

(We were so far apart, amidst the devastation. Eirika always raved about you, your bravery and your strength. What a blessing it must be to have someone who knows you so well, that even before we caught up with your army, I felt like I knew you.

You have the eyes of a king. It doesn't feel like we are peers, but I hope to one day bridge that gap. To rise to meet my mother's wishes, as you are meeting your father's.)

| ATTRACTION ●○○○○ | AFFECTION ●●○○○ | INTEREST ●●●○○ | LOYALTY ●●●○○ | TRUST ●●●●○

[katfreaks-hidyhole]

[midnight--capricorn]

Y'know what.

My plot is already canon-divergent I shouldn't really worry about making it more canon-divergent becuase that's what the canon divergent tag is for- to say it's canon-divergent and will not reflect canon. Canon died a long time ago in it anyway.

Will I actually follow through and not just sit on a half-finished outline of the chapter for like a week?

uhhhh

[doyouevenliftbrooo]

It's definitely true that Etie could have picked a better time to arrive to Garreg Mach-- the wreckage and destruction left in the wake of the battle for possession of the Monastery made it much more difficult to get her bearings... it didn't help that she had been promptly informed that she'd be inhabiting a temporary residence with an assigned roommate. For someone like herself, it wasn't a big deal. Getting along with others had never been much of a problem, and she'd always been diligent about keeping up her own spaces; even when close quarters were required, she'd yet to hear complaints about her quality as a roommate. But also... the gentleman she'd been paired with was far quieter than anyone she'd ever had to spend daily life with. Alfred and Celine were of a completely different disposition. But this was Emblem Ephraim. It was a huge honor to stand beside him once again, even if they weren't exactly the same as the one she had fought with as a comrade. Hand on her chin and bag slung over her shoulder, Etie hummed in thought as she stood in the doorway to their humble abode. Her free hand remained extended in the offering of a handshake, a genuine smile breaking out across her face. The least she can do is try to break him out of his shell, yeah? "Hey! Ephraim, right? I'm Etie. Looks like we're stuck together for the foreseeable future." An awkward pause followed for a beat before she cleared her throat, glancing behind him to see what furniture had already been brought into the room. "Lots of bookshelves, huh? I've got some stuff we can display on them. I traveled light for the most part, though." "I've got some of my weights in my bag, but that's about it... oh, and some snacks. Gotta keep my energy up!" @heliacalrisings

let's get this bread

roommates w/ @heliacalrisings

[fluxrspar]

[ 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 ] : sender is telling receiver they "deserve better than whatever this is".

His eyes aren't cold. He looks upon Selena with love, affection, understanding -- but never anger or hatred. No, the general would never feel that way about her no matter what sides of the battlefield they found themselves on.

And still: he raises his lance, because she is now his enemy. He hates that. He hates this. But he will never hate her.

"You deserve better than to fight for the shadow of our king," he says. "You deserve better than whatever this is."

for you i would (still accepting)

Her eyes are steel.

To another, it may be seen as betrayal, that her gaze could be so harsh knowing all the years that had passed—serving side by side, growing as friends and allies. A glance would say that all was forgotten in the face of what the Fluorspar must do.

But Duessel would know—that is merely a matter of course. To do what is difficult (what is necessary) despite the weight of the world: Fluorspar grows cold, sharp, becoming the emperor’s will. It is easier to do so withdrawn than to live fully and completely in the moment—and chance succumbing to her own grief.

“…Perhaps.” (She says it as a ‘maybe,’ but Duessel is never wrong.) It was entirely likely that she was making the wrong choice—that, in lacking his wisdom, she could not see what else could possibly await her.

All the same, there is lightning.

“Perhaps.”

It sparks at her fingertips, wild and untamed and mourning. (Whatever remained of them, there could only be another grave.)

It is not a matter of deserving. (Selena did not do this for herself.) Oaths are binding, lasting forever and beyond death—such was knighthood. Even if she desired to cast it away (just as Duessel had managed to do), it was not her own will that was to be exacted; she was here by the emperor’s orders.

Steel becomes less harsh, weathered away, if just slightly.

“But all the same, the path before me is clear.”

All the same, it conducts lightning.

[randomnameless]

Re-about Eirika and stuff

Remember when Seth asks her to run away and flee when Jehanna is besieged? Of course Eirika refuses, she is a FE Lord. The situation is dire, she will stay, thinks of her brother but says this :

“No. I will not retreat. If I give up now… My brother would not forgive me. I’m the princess of Renais. I will fight, either to victory or to death. Brother, I…”

Imo, Eirika would likely apologise to Ephraim for “dying” here since they made a promise to reunite and see each other alive again, and Seth said they’re basically going to die, but she’s going to fight “either to victory or to death”.

Of course on the Ephraim route Eirika’s bravery is a bit more subdued since we don’t see her that much, and she keeps on remembering how Seth and Ephraim used to protect her a lot back then, and yet Ephraim has this line about her when he hears Jehanna’s castle fell :

We’ll make it. Rest easy on that. Eirika is my sister. That one will never lay down her blade. And I am Eirika’s brother. There is no way I’ll let my sister die!

bar the usual “I’m not letting my sister die”, Ephraim knows she’s never going to lay down her blade, she’s going to fight.

Ephraim is also sure she will fight “long enough” - against the main crux of the Grado Army, aka severely outnumbered !! - for him to make the trip from Grado to Jehanna.

Honestly coming from this, the brother who knows his sister can fight and relies on her, to Mist being a potted plant in FE Tellius felt like a downgrade.

The plot still has Eirika being rescued by her brother twice during the events of the game because it’s a FE plot, but watsonian wise, Eirika is as much of a fighter as Ephraim is, and the one who sings her praises is Ephraim himself.

[direthunder]

Lance +1 || @heliacalrisings

Whoever that shady figure in the alley that approached her might have been, he clearly wasn't very smart. If he had somehow mistaken a professor for a student, then he was a fool; if he had realized Olwen clearly was not a student and had approached her anyway on the matter, then he was truly beyond help. Regardless, that was a matter Olwen would see the resolution to later. He was already being questioned by one of her coworkers. She, on the other hand, had a lead to follow up on.

Ephraim.

It was not a name that Olwen had any familiarity with, but it was the one that the cheater had given them. Either he had willingly provided his answers to this little cheating ring, or his test had been stolen and used for ill. Olwen intended to get to the bottom of the matter as quickly as possible. At least she didn't need to track him down. She could simply have the message delivered to the boy that they needed to speak. So she sat in an empty classroom, watching the door intently as she awaited Ephraim's arrival. When he did arrive, it would be to a withering glare.

"Do you know why I've called you here?" Olwen began before the boy had a chance to open his mouth at all. As she delivered the question, she made a sweeping gesture with one arm, brushing her cape aside to reveal what lay on her desk: a graded exam, one with Ephraim's name at the top. He had received high marks, at the very least, but perhaps that was precisely the issue.

Winners Don't Use Exam Answer Keys

[soulcluster]

a moment of appreciation for eirika

Innes: And yet, whenever an enemy shows himself, you rush in and attack! ...Everyone's going to think you're the one protecting me. Eirika: Well, I can't help you with your image problems, Innes. You're an archer, while I have to fight up close. --- Ephraim: Me? Let’s see… I guess I’ll pray to become a stronger fighter. Lyon: That’s just like you, Ephraim. Eirika: Just like you indeed, Brother. Ephraim: … I can never tell if you’re complimenting me or mocking me. Lyon: Praising you, of course! Right, Eirika? Eirika: Hee hee… Yes, that’s right. --- L'Arachel: Good day to you, Princess. What a funny thing that we should meet here! It is providence, I tell you! Eirika: L'Arachel, it is NOT providence. It is not even a coincidence. We agreed to meet here when we planned out our battle strategy. --- Forde: Well... I was just thinking about something... Princess, do you find that your armor leaves a bit too much...exposed? Eirika: I beg your pardon? Forde: You know, too exposed. Especially around the...er ...midriff, if you will. Aren't you worried that, in the heat of battle, it might, eh... Eirika: Fly up like this? Forde: Augh! Oh... Uh... You were...just joking. Wow. Don't scare me like that! --- Eirika: Ah, Brother! Thank you for the instruction! I suppose I still have a lot to learn. Ephraim: No, not at all! Rather, I am surprised at your rapid progress after such a short time! I think you would give me an excellent match were we to spar.

[yanderefairyangel]

I was surprised to discover some player thinks Veyle was a romantic option, even to this day they consider that the main story ship teased them.

.... wat ?

You mean... the main story ???? the one preparing to reveal that Veyle was your baby sister ???

People took that as ship baiting ?!

... you know what, I am done with this fandom.

[foxfirekit]

starter for @solarsbrace

Ouchies....... what happened...? Kinu couldn't quite remember why she was on the floor, but her head hurt very much. She felt... heavier too. Less limber? Like she could no longer bounce around like she normally did. What a horrible feeling! Reaching a hand up to her head, Kinu froze when she realised that she couldn't feel her ears. Where were her ears? That snapped her to attention.

With some effort, she managed to push herself up- those aren't her hands! Squeaking with horror, Kinu sat up quickly and looked herself over. No tail. No ears. No blonde hair. No coloured streak of hair. She was.... Ephraim? That was his name right??? Then she looked in front of her... to see herself.

"Wh-what??"

What had happened...? She'd been... attending a lecture on.... warp powder or something? Searching her memory, she tried to work out why this had happened.... but she couldn't remember.

"..... I-I-I'm sorry!" Clearly this was her fault, right? Her and her stupid inability to sit still! She quickly crawled over to ... herself. "H-hey, are you okay?"

Unstoppable Force Meets Immovable Object || Ephraim & Kinu

[aglaean]

a kiss to distract ( could be to hide from someone looking for them, or just to distract one of the two! )

Cabin fever; Febrem Cameram, or as L'Arachel knew it, the desire to be rid of this saint-forsaken place sooner, rather than later.

This most pestilent of diseases, truly, the reserve of only the most unfortunate of layperson had descended upon Garreg Mach with glee and, without anywhere to go, all it had done was spread. Students were running off into the snow, and worst of all, the teaching faculty had become significantly less tolerant of L'Arachel's esteemed interjections in class. Which was really, a shame and an injustice beyond all comprehension. No doubt, her classmates would rail against it to the full extent of their powers, were they not also incapacitated by the desire to be anywhere but inside.

Perched on a chair, L'Arachel writhed, doing a passable imitation of a recently revived revenant; desperate to find some sort of position that could suit her simple needs, really. She merely wanted a quiet space to read! And yet, nothing was working.

She'd tried your basic sit. All it did was remind her of stuck she really was. Stuck inside, stuck in this ridiculous chair, stuck in this monastry without her bosom companions to whittle the hours down with their usual, complete admiration.

Next, she'd tried her hand at a few more oblique, but still, of course, stately poses. Had the dancers of Jehenna seen her, they would've asked her to join their troupe. Not that she would've agreed to - dancing was a distraction from holiness. The honour of such a recognition could not be worn down by religious doctrine, though. She could picture them, smiling and handing her prizes: For me, why I could't possibl- She stifled that thought rapidly as her burgeoning irritation continued to fizz through her veins. This would not do.

There was the crouch (which hurt her back, and her pride), the reverse (she nearly fell over trying to get her legs to rest on the head of the chair), and something she'd dubbed 'The Recline of Rausten' in the hopes it would elevate it beyond just sitting, but sideways. It did not. Latona could not have asked more, or done better.

Before she could strain something, in her next, and most daring attempt yet to read in comfort, the door to the common room swung open and in marched the King of Renais. Ah. Just the person to stave off some of this unsightly boredom! She slammed the book she had been feigning interest in shut, and glanced at him expectently.

There was a moment of silence.

Then another.

The fire continued to cheerfully pop and burst in the grate of the fireplace, as if nothing had happened. Because, to Ephraim, it seemed, nothing had happened.

Why, she was glad his faculties were sharper when Rausten was invaded. Had she been an expert assasin (a role, she unquestioningly believed she very well could fulfill, despite a complete lack of training, and a tendency to announce her positon to friend and foe alike), things could've been quite dire!

Now, that was entirely too macarbe. Spending this long indoors was really beginning to wear her thin.

As glad as she was necessity no longer forced her to turn darling hero of the people, she missed travelling like a romantic hero of yore, dashing in to rescue stranded travellers, and camping under the stars, all whilst, of course, maintaining to near perfection, her garb and gait. Being frozen indoors had not been how she had envisioned her arrival at Garreg Mach.

Ephraim, naturally, seemed to agree. No surprise really. To L'Arachel, the very wind whispered 'yes', and 'do go on', the trees bent in bows of acquiesance, and the rocks rumbled accords gruff, insensible, but emphatic - a chamber of advisors all muttering 'aye'. So of course, Ephraim agreed too. The path in the carpet that was slowly forming around his pacing feet attested to that much. He too was not one for confinement, it seemed.

But really, not noticing someone as arresting as herself, whose every limb had been moulded by divine hands, each finger, every discarded eyelash, a letter of her magnificence, all inscribed by greater power, was not permissable. Even in these trying times, goodness should not go unappreciated, unsung!

That being said, she rose, and tapped his shoulder. Far from shrinking under the returning glare, her lips twitched, almost betraying a grin. That was a familiar face. He'd made that exact expression when she'd almost single-handedly dismantled his tent. It had been entirely his fault, of course. Why on earth was the tent pitched where she had taken to practicing dressage!

The familiarity emboldened her, even as it was clear he still hadn't quite registered her dazzling visage. Entirely off in his own little world!

'Ephraim'. She inclined her head. Normally she'd have been a bit more formal about the whole thing, but lingering resentment at being ignored ripped any titles and simpering epithets from her mouth. He needed to be distracted from this hazy, far-off look right now. It didn't suit him in the slightest!

She took his offered hand. Now, what would shock him out of this uncharacteristic silence? Perhaps she could dust off one of her carefully stowed jokes? Or...?

Muscle memory of courtly greetings, all the bowing and scraping, took the reins as her mind mulled over the possibilites. Before her better judgement, which was often delayed by at least a couple of hours, could catch up, she dipped her head and planted a kiss on the top of his knuckles.

'Well, farewell!' And she was out the door.

Oh. Why. Why in Latona and Ivaldi, and all the five warriors of Magvell AND the sacred stones they wielded, had she done such a thing! All she'd wanted to do was distract! From the cold outside, from the gnawing claustraphobia inside, from, well that strange seeing-through her jest he was pulling! Well, she'd secured a powerful distraction for herself alright. Cabin fever was altogther burnt away by the ensuing blush that stubbornly clung to her face for hours to come.

[nightingale2004]

@simsim54 you've just inspired me

OK, Twilight fans, first off for the people who are homophobes, haters, and racists please leave and ignore this post if you don't like it.

Secondly, fans. Like all of you, i love twilight, but I feel like Stephanie Meyer had very poor execution on the story. Bella and Edward LITERALLY had little to no chemistry, and they cringy af, and everything felt rushed, especially if you looked at the timeline of events that was happening from twilight to Breaking dawn.

But one of my old posts got me thinking.

What if Stephanie had made Jacob female, and she was Jacqueline black (I know Jacob's fem name is Julie, but I feel like Jacqueline suits them better)

What if Stephanie Meyer, instead of making a girl with little to no personality and giving awkward introverts a bad name. She made this Bad@$$ Indigenous she-wolf mechanic shape-shifter who was loyal to her tribe, proud of her culture and freaking tough as nails but the most motherly person you'll ever meet and alpha female materials, then paired this woman to our awkward introverted gentleman vampire artist who could read her thoughts and they started out as enemies and then it became a slow burn to lovers.

I personally feel like if this story was written write then this would've made a waaaaayyyyyy better movie and way less cringe.

I will be first to say that sterek ate the child of the sheriff of a small town falling in love with a supernatural hottie. But Bella and Edward were cringe and very funny, and I couldn't take their love story seriously for more than two seconds. Sterek did it better, and even the fanfics ate.

But Edward Cullen, who is a vampire and a part of the Cullen clan, fell in love with Jacqueline Black. Daughter of Billy Black and great-granddaughter of Ephraim Black. A descendant of an alpha and a chief! Who also has issues with her older sisters. She is also part of Quileute tribe.

THIS REEKS OF SLOW BURN ENEMIES TO FORBIDDEN LOVERS!!!!!

And their children being hybrids will also be interesting.

I'm serious when I say that this story has potential, and if done correctly, it would have me reading on repeat.

Jacqueline and Edward hate each other at first sight because of who they are, then Jacky imprints on him, tries to hide it, but then sparks a relationship between her and Edward (with Seth's help of course), some of the cullens being extremely supportive of their relationship (apart from Rosalie who took some getting used to but slowly accepting Jacky), Jacqueline's pack finding out and the pack drama happens, Jacky's sisters making an appearance

Plus, the beautiful Romance between these two with the forbidden love. Plus, we can add in a cameo of Bella here and there. But Charlie would definitely be involved, and his relationship with Sue should be slow and not SUE LITERALLY GOING AFTER CHARLIE WHEN HER HUSBAND'S BODY IS NOT EVEN COLD YET!!!!

Seriously dudes, this has SO MUCH POTENTIAL!

CAN SOMEONE POINT ME IN THE DIRECTION OF THIS FANFIC OR WRITE IT PLEASE?!?!?!

[aegisshielded]

The sauna is not somewhere that Felix visits frequently for several reasons. For one, it is popular and often crowded throughout the day and especially at night. For another, it is close enough to the training grounds that he would much rather just go there instead since he’s nearby. And for another reason, he does not find the heat to be particularly relaxing. Having grown up in the cold climate that Faerghus considers normal, Felix became accustomed to the wintery chill. Anything that is too hot only serves to make the duke’s son uncomfortable and pissed off. The last item on the list of reasons for his dislike of the sauna: it leaves him far too exposed for his liking. There are certain things about himself he chooses not to pay mind to, things he has decided long ago and grown comfortable with thanks to the encouragement and support of his parents (as much as he hates to admit it). So, stepping foot into the men’s sauna is opening the door for others to ask questions he does not feel he needs to answer. 

After several hours of relentless training, Felix decides to call it a night and stop. He has been trying desperately to perfect a bit of footwork that would allow him better opportunity to counterattack, but he just can’t get it right yet. It frustrates him to no end, and he feels as though he is lacking in some way to not be able to get this right in a day. He’s done better things in less time, so this particularly irks him. As he saunters out of the training area, he eyes the sauna up the stairs and decides he might as well. He’s filthy, coated in a layer of dust kicked up around the training grounds. 

The rumors of the ghost in the sauna are lost on Felix, as he never has paid any mind to gossip of any form. He prefers to tune everyone else out and prioritize the thoughts bouncing around in his head, anyway. So, as he showers off and wraps a towel around his waist, he walks into the sauna and accidentally kicks over a bucket and mop on a bench, sending both clattering to the ground. Through the heavy mist of the sauna, Felix hears a voice call out to identify himself, and he scoffs. 

“And you’ll do what, exactly? Bold words for someone in a sauna,” Felix taunts from his spot across the room. 

✶ — › CATCH THESE HANDS ‹ — ✶

They say if you go to the sauna completely alone at night, and get the room full of steam, you’ll see your doppelgänger in the mist. If you don’t defeat your doppelganger, or escape before it can catch you, your doppelganger will take your place! Or… Maybe it’s just someone else using the sauna… [Grants Gauntlet +1]

[mensahbots]

my humble tv show headcanon*

*this post is really just book meta with a not super funny tv show-related joke at the end. please don't be mad at me

so, some background: i think there's this idea which is fairly grounded in the books that it is totally normal in preservation society—and likely the wider murderbot diaries universe, including the corporation rim—for women, including mothers, to be in positions of power and, well... busy with things other than mothering. in the thick of action, juggling lots of important work, you name it. murderbot diaries women seem to get to have lives outside of traditionally female social roles. semi-relatedly, i think there's a lot to say about how wells vs the tv show characterize male characters and gendered interpersonal dynamics, but i'll not get into that here.

mensah is the admin director of the preservation alliance's planetary council, the steering committee which governs the alliance. it's an elected position, and while she is effectively the alliance's leader, she is also a scientist and expected to continue to work in that capacity while governing. on the preservationaux survey team, her title is captain (via "home"), and she's shown to have a variety of skills including fastidious hopper piloting, weapons handling, strategy that impresses even murderbot, excellent soft skills navigating conflict with characters ranging from murderbot to station security head indah to fellow council member ephraim, etc. book canon does not give us a lot of detail about her scientific research, but we know from "home" that she's involved with more menial aspects of academia like assisting her team with table formatting, and we can assume from all systems red that she was involved in data collection and analyses as well. she's likely the world's equivalent of a pi, the person who manages the research team and is ultimately responsible for the project.

mensah's family lives on a farm on planet, and mensah has quarters on the preservation station. her family visits her there sometimes and sometimes she goes to planet, but basically, due to the survey and her steering committee work, mensah spends a fair amount of time apart from her spouses and children. this is not framed as a big deal, morally bad, or anything negative like it might be irl. mensah has two spouses and apparently a lot of in laws who are involved in raising her children. the fact that she's referred to as "second mom" implies worldbuilding where it is normalized for there to be hierarchical parenting roles where some parents are more involved (ie farai, "first mom") while others might have work or other life situations that lead to less involvement with child rearing. (this is a headcanon, but to me, it's the most plausible idea. i highly doubt that first/second mom-ness has anything to do with genetics or a parent being preferred over another, it doesn't seem to be alphabetical, and it's unlikely that the title is purely random. i think the fact that murderbot might be considered "third mom" supports this reading. it's possible that a parent entering the family relatively late, eg entering a marriage where there are already children, could lead to this title, too.)

mensah being "second mom" is not a cause for resentment nor ever framed as her being a bad or uninvolved mother. her work seems to be seen as very important, even by her children. amena says:

I’m not a fucking hero like my second mom

i would imagine mensah's spouses also recognize the necessity and value of mensah's work. mensah's brother in law, thiago, actually seems very invested in mensah continuing to serve as the admin director, implying her family is very (perhaps overly) supportive of her job:

I said, “I don’t tell Dr. Mensah what to do.” Thiago’s jaw went tight. “I’m sure you didn’t. But she’s afraid to carry out her duties as council leader. She won’t apply to continue her term."

Thiago took a breath, made himself calm down. “But they won’t send anyone else? You said the threat percentage dropped—” “It’s at an acceptable level.” And it hadn’t been easy to get it to that level, either. Thiago watched me with a concentrated intensity I didn’t like. ART’s camera didn’t have a full-face view, but it was obvious even with the angle. “Then why did she decide not to take a second term?”

we also see implication mensah is the parent who helps sort out conflicts her kids are having— and the parent who lays down the law, despite often being apart from the kids:

I still thought it would sound a lot like the time Mensah’s youngest child had got hold of the comm and demanded that Mensah tell an older sibling to stop taking all the squash dumplings.

(Mensah said, “People, please. I’m scheduled to mediate arguments between teenagers on my next commcall home and I need all my patience for that.”)

An attempt by Amena to go around Mensah and appeal to Farai and Tano had failed spectacularly, in a three-way comm call that became a fourway when Farai had called Mensah to join in on the discussion. (I’m not sure what happened past that point. Even I hadn’t wanted to watch it.)

so is she an absent parent? i would say no. i also would not say she is ever framed as a bad parent or lacking as a parent in book canon, and her commitment to her work is not seen as a negative thing, although we can assume that post-all systems red and especially post-exit strategy, her spouses (who are implied to be in the loop) became more concerned for her safety and emotional well-being. but even then, any qualms they might have had about her work would have had nothing to do with her ability to parent, in my opinion.

so in the tv show, this episode 3 line...

My family didn't want me to come on this trip [the survey]. Two of my spouses sat me down and told me that they thought that I was doing it [fulfilling the requirements of her job ?] to get some time away from my responsibilities at home.

this moment took me aback, honestly. aside from the fact that mensah was telling murderbot that**, it's a totally new addition and surprised me. it seemed like farai and tano slander and a big departure from what i thought i was seeing in the book universe's handling of her motherhood and the book universe's society/gendered roles. i also think, you know, we see no indication that they resent her survey work, and it's more likely that the book versions of farai and tano are proud of her. their children are raised communally by a large family support network, so the idea that they'd try to convince her to stay home to take care of them is just... i don't love it.

**it did ask arada about her spouses and kids, though... maybe mensah thinks this is something murderbot might care about, lol. generous reading, i know. tv mensah is definitely oversharing here. although, given that she likely wouldn't talk to anyone else, even gurathin and bharadwaj, about what she tells murderbot here, it's possible oversharing is her way of connecting and here we're seeing suggestion that she sees it more as her equal/collaborator on the team than as her responsibility. also (me coping), she's really fucking sleep deprived here. like, would book mensah do this to murderbot in the asr era? no... but i do think this illustrates how strained tv mensah is, at the least.

so are you ready for my headcanon?

first, important book lore i mentioned above: mensah's family lives on a farm.

combined with important tv lore:

tv mensah is squeamish about flesh. cutting into murderbot is really uncomfortable and unpleasant for her. not only does murderbot quote a show to encourage her, it's basically telling her "everyone will die if you don't do this," and that's what motivates her to continue.

so, carrying over from book canon that she might live on a farm... my headcanon is:

the "responsibilities at home" that she's avoiding?

ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧₊ gross farm stuff ✩♬ ₊˚.🎶⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

you know...... tv farai and tano are always begging for mensah to help them, like....

˚₊‧* butcher animals ₊˚⋆

(but she's not gonna do it, and they know it)

sometimes they're like "you're a lacto-ovo vegetarian, ayda, can you at least collect the eggs?" no, because once one of the futurechickens was injured and she cried and made farai tend to it because she couldn't bear it—

but her excuse? survey prep 🫡

even the littlest kids are better farmers! but mensah tersely points out that their farm responsibilities start and end at petting and feeding the futuregoats.

oh no.... another meeting about the upcoming survey came up... good luck plucking the futurechickens... love youuu..

so yeah, now i imagine tv mensah's marriage is otherwise great, just she's perpetually avoiding doing gross farm stuff because she's so squeamish, and her marital partners are getting annoyed about it lol

[trentonsimblr]

Princess Eliana, Princess of Westburg c.1824

This portrait was commissioned to commemorate the investiture of Princess Eliana as the Princess of Westburg over her younger brother, Prince Ephraim. Historically, the heir presumptive was named Prince(ss) of Westburg shortly after their twelve birthday. Eliana's investiture was delayed until she was sixteen and Ephraim fourteen. This was not due to King Emmanuel's lack of faith in Eliana, but his inability to decide between the two. The decision was ultimately given to the people. Eliana won the vote by a landslide.

In 1827, Eliana married Lord Gianmarco Merrill, the fifteenth Duke of Alder. House Merrill is one of the oldest families in Trenton with roots in the nobility of ancient kingdom of Alder. King Epidarius named Gianmarco's ancestor, Adamo Merrill, the first Duke of Alder as a thank you for his support during Epidarius' conquest.

Eliana died in 1829 shortly after giving birth to her only child, Princess Juliana.