#murderbot recs

[captainkirkk]

✩ MONTHLY MURDERBOT FIC ROUND-UP ✩

This is my monthly fic round up for the month of August, however for the first time ever this post only contains ONE fandom (The Murderbot Diaries). It's also my longest ever fic round up post, with almost 40 fics. The hyperfixation got me good this month.

Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes. Please look at tags and warnings on ao3 before reading.

A Crowded Mind by verynotokay

When malware takes over SecUnit and it nearly kills three of ART's crew, ART is left with two bad options: keep the governor module on with ART as the Client, or partition off part of itself and stick it in SecUnit's head.

SAFEWORD.exe by CompletelyDifferent

In an effort to improve security training for its humans, Murderbot decides that controlled memory wipes are the only way to give the authentic 'chased by a dangerous SecUnit' experience. It really wishes its humans would stop complaining about the idea. It knows what it's doing, alright? This isn't a serial ruled by dramatic irony. Nothing's going to go wrong.

(Something, inevitably, goes wrong.)

rogue condition by shamoosh [Podfic] by Rhea314 (Rhea)

Part 2 of sandbox environment series by shamoosh [podfic]

You can’t be this stupid, ART said, which was insulting but also relieving, because it never talked to me that way during the trauma treatment. Maybe this wouldn’t turn into a BARF after all. Turn off your governor module, you idiot. It’s giving you brain worms.

Cuddle Bug by avg (AnxiousEspada)

Murderbot gets infected with a mysterious virus that makes it crave cuddles.

Station Impound by Thylacine_Wishes

Station Security wasn't going to maim me. They weren't going to kill me or dismantle me or do anything else terrible and awful. They just cared about business: bring a SecUnit on a station where they weren't allowed, get your SecUnit seized for a few hours and pay an outrageous fee. The profit they could make by upcharging the University to get me back was all they cared about, not hurting me. It should have been the easiest thing in the world to stand around and wait to be returned.

It would have been, if I hadn't been an anxious wreck for no good reason.

Finding Your Way In an Unfriendly Universe by IHopedTheredBeStars

I find the character of SecUnit 03, a.k.a. Three, intriguing from a storytelling perspective. It is ‘tabula rasa’ in ways that Murderbot is not and cannot be. This takes place during the little-described period of waiting at the end of Network Effect, and will almost certainly be non-canon after System Collapse comes out.

Heed the tags. Three will find its way in the end (because that is how I roll), but it has not escaped the Corporation Rim unscathed. There will be pain, fear, self-doubt, depression, and one very bad decision as Three stumbles its way out of the past.

Maintenance Overdue by fraternite

Three tries an unusual tactic to make existence more bearable. The Perihelion and its crew intervene.

[Podfic] Past the Breakers by GoLBPodfics (GodOfLaundryBaskets)

When Three is badly injured protecting ART's crew on a mission, Murderbot finds itself disagreeing with the safety protocols that it had written. It was supposed to be the SecUnit meat shield, not Three. It doesn't have time to figure out how it feels about that before it's diving in (literally) to rescue Three and maybe coming to terms with some things along the way.

Animus Moon by FlipSpring [Podfic] by Rhea314 (Rhea)

If you want to pass as human, I can build a specialized drone for you that will mimic the appearance of a daemon from a distance. With time, it may even collect enough dust from you to become something akin to a true construct animus. ~ Or: SecUnits don’t have daemons (unless...)

what's hiding inside me by platyceriums [Podfic] by Rhea314 (Rhea)

SecUnits are separated from their daemons the moment they come online. Murderbot meets its own daemon for the first time when the company transfers its contract to Dr. Mensah.

The idea of having a daemon, a physical soul, is bad enough. But Murderbot's daemon isn't anything like what it should be. For one thing, it won't shut up about how much it wants to kill humans.

extra-stellar bodies [Podfic] by blackglass, GodOfLaundryBaskets, Kitsunebaba, mistbornhero, Ravin, read by (horchatapods), shash_multivoice (sunkitten_shash), with (Tipsy_Kitty), with (wilfriede0815)

A podfic of extra-stellar bodies by blackglass, CNS, surgicalstainless.

"SecUnit stays aboard ART when the rest of the crew goes down to the planet for shore leave. It's expecting some long-awaited peace and quiet, but what it gets is...

...school time.

(Or, let's swim in space with mama our non-gendered bot parental figure.)"

Basilisk by Polyhexian

I cannot possibly understand why it is so insistant on its crusade to dehumanize ComfortUnits, I say.

“Of course you can't,” Three says mildly. “You are extremely sheltered.”

see myself at the finish line by marcicat

SecUnit and Three run a security training scenario. (Okay, it's a game.)

my mind fails to find an analogy by ESE (anoano)

The Preservation Aux team are growing increasingly concerned about Leebeebee's interactions with their SecUnit.

Binary Fracture by fraternite

An unexpectedly complicated espionage operation leaves Three stranded in a corporate waste processing facility with a dwindling power supply. Murderbot is forced to resort to extreme measures to keep Three safe.

In Another Life by mensah

GrayCris never kidnapped Dr. Mensah, so Murderbot never travels to TranRollinHyfa to save her. Instead, it continues as it was for four years, too afraid to face Dr. Mensah and PreservationAux until it is (lovingly) coerced into finally visiting Preservation.

Networking by batbucks

Holism really thought Perihelion was exaggerating how cool SecUnits are and then it meets Murderbot. Luckily it meets Three right after, so it still thinks SecUnits are pretty cool too.

-

There was something inherently horrific about corrupting pure, clean code with messy flesh, and a part of me wanted to recoil. This was a sophisticated machine broken into piecemeal only to be forced into a facsimile of a human being. It was existentially dreadful.

...But it was shaped like crew and as its attention shifted I tasted [sad] and [confused] and [curious] and [curious] and [curious].

An Unexpected Quarter by i_have_loved_the_stars_too_fondly

Murderbot is captured by the company, with no one to come to its rescue. Help comes from somewhere it doesn’t expect.

[Podfic] "Stupid Unreliable Magic Connections " by Chimaera-Writes (ChimaeraKitten) by Kitsune_Heart

Murderbot has never had a soulbond, (~can~ never have a soulbond. The feature that prevents it is not so easily hacked as a Governor Module.) and it really wishes everyone would stop talking about them, because it doesn't want them and it's not interested at all, thankyouverymuch. And mostly it's skeptical that the supposed fix ART just handed it will work, or if it does work, that it'll do anything at all.

It's about to be proved very forcibly wrong.

(Basic if-you-level-up-your-friendship-enough-you-get-friendship-telepathy soulmate AU.)

(only) have to ask by CompletelyDifferent

After a long legal battle, the law insisting constructs have guardians within the Preservation Alliance has been revised. Now Murderbot and Dr. Mensah have to figure out what they are to each other outside that framework.

Take Up Space by BoldlyNo

Furniture shopping is a lot more interesting for people who consider sitting in chairs a novelty experience.

[Podfic] Network Update by sisi_rambles

I wanted ART to come back online so we could watch Sanctuary Moon episode 412 together and it could argue with me about whether spacetime-fuckery alternate universes counted as canon. I wanted it to come back online so I could tell it Holism put an aquarium in Three's chest and wasn't that totally deranged. I wanted it to come back online so it could bully me into figuring out what my fucking problem was.

privilege escalation by ariex09 [Podfic] by Rhea314 (Rhea)

Most of the code I write is code that I can evolve on the fly. My code to delete me out of security footage, for instance, was something I'd built up over months, adjusting it to different proprietary SecSystems as I encountered them. But this was different: my comm and feed protections were what kept me from falling under anyone else's control, and I couldn't afford to have them be anything but perfect, which was why I was here. If I wanted to fix this vulnerability properly, and I did, there were things that I needed to do that I couldn't do without help.

-

In the aftermath of getting hacked, Murderbot asks ART to help it make sure it can't be hacked the same way again. As it turns out, applying and testing a security patch is a little more challenging than usual when the vulnerable system is, you know, your own brain.

Systems Integration by CaravanOfCrows

While helping ART pack for a new colony rescue mission, Murderbot finds a discrepancy in its crew manifest. The truth is weirder and more emotionally loaded than it ever expected.

People have commented on how MB as a SecUnit might relate to ART as analogous to a HubSystem and what that means for their relationship, but how does ART, as a bot pilot designed to pilot drones and shuttles and split itself into multiple pieces, relate to having a SecUnit on board?

Contents Under Pressure by platyceriums [Podfic] by Rhea314 (Rhea)

Murderbot has extensive experience being shipped as cargo, and has no particular horror of it. Getting packed into a familiar transport crate to help hack a weapons manufacturer should be the easiest mission ever.

Of course, things are different now.

Unsteady Foundations by platyceriumsWatch Party by scheidswrites

Three is growing frustrated with Murderbot's refusal to offer support in the terrifying ordeal of being a newly rogue SecUnit.

In Control by Mayasynth

Four times having a governor module fucking sucked, plus one time [REDACTED: FILE MISSING].

(Or: Murderbot has Emotions for 8,000 words. ART tries to help. So does Dr. Mensah, but like, in a decidedly less assholish way.)

If This Story Had A Title Then I Forgot by CompletelyDifferent

Murderbot is at a party.

This is not a normal state of affairs for SecUnits. Neither is the comfy clothes or the sitting or the way the humans keep smiling in its general direction. The smiling, it suspects, will stop, if/when they realise their SecUnit has suffered some sort of catastrophic glitch and has no idea where it is or the specifics of its current assignment.

So it's not going to let them find out.

Re-Initialization by CompletelyDifferent

This Unit: Where is my owner, Dr. Mensah?

Dr. Yuen: Well, that’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? SecUnit, where did you last physically interact with Dr. Ayda Mensah?

Information Retrieval: Dr. Ayda Mensah last interacted with This Unit on Preservation Station at 08:27:22 on 4098-09-17 CRST.

This Unit: You do not have permission to access that information.

Dr. Yuen: You’re incorrect, SecUnit. We do. Answer the question.

---

(When the infamous rogue SecUnit of the Preservation Alliance gets captured, the corporate techs assigned to it expected to be able to get some juicy data, or at least some insights into its cracked governor module. They didn't expect something so... basic.)

What Are Frenemies For? by CompletelyDifferent

Yes, Murderbot might dislike Dr. Gurathin (a dislike which is definitely, 100%, absolutely mutual). That doesn't mean it's about to let him go on a mission to sabotage his parents' mining company without backup.

Stranded by CompletelyDifferent

Stranded on an alien planet, looking after the only other survivor of a crash, Dr. Gurathin tries to survive.

#being weird at me by FascinatedFinch

Tag_description: Actions directed at me with no clear reason or explanation. Non-hostile actions only.

Associated_tags: #analyze later #or never #emotions #maybe #ugh

I Wish I Could Punch You In The Typeface by glitterary

‘I’m not illiterate,' I said, defensively. ‘I can read.’

I know you can read, said ART. We read One Hundred Light-Years of Solitude together last week and your analysis was very insightful. It paused. It never occurred to me that you might not be able to generate written messages in hardspace.

It's Iris' birthday, and everyone really wants SecUnit to sign her card. There's just one small problem with that.

(I Was) Never Made for This by Lillow

Murderbot participates in a Preservation holiday gift exchange where it has to hand make something for one of its humans.

There are three problems with this:

1) It draws Mensah's name, of all people 2) It has no idea how to make anything 3) And it's not even sure it's capable of such a thing, seeing as its a terrifying rogue murderbot and all.

It's a good thing it has humans who can help it.

Totaled Doesn't Mean Irreparable by Scarlet_Tanager

When Murderbot gets (almost) fatally injured during a routine mission it has to deal with the emotional fallout from itself, all of its humans, one paranoid machine intelligence with enough power to make sure it never goes anywhere again, and the damage it does to one interpersonal relationship. Ugh, so many emotions.

[Podfic] Full Disk Burn by fallintosanity by peachpod (Vamppeach)

While touring the soundstage of one of its favorite serials, Murderbot saves a human from being jumped by thugs. But the human is more than he seems, and Murderbot finds itself entangled in a bigger mess than it had planned.

The Clothes off Its Back by Scarlet_Tanager

When Three's pulmonary system is compromised during a mission, Murderbot lets it borrow one of its lungs. Shenanigans ensue.

We were planning to tell ART about the lung situation right after I took a recharge cycle, I promise. But then one thing led to another and before we knew it we were standing at the airlock, ready to be deployed on our next mission.

Falling Down by sinemoras09

After a mission goes horrifically wrong, Murderbot finds its governor module reactivated and Three moments away from a catastrophic shutdown.

(Three-centric whump fic narrated by Murderbot. Murderbot & Three, mentioned background aspec Murderbot/ART, platonic aspec ART/Three. Gen, angst, hurt/comfort, whump. Spoilers up through Book 7: System Collapse. Complete.)

In Defense of What I Never Had by Thylacine_Wishes

The Machine Intelligence Department of the Pan System University of Mihira and New Tideland is a cutting edge state of the art top secret research facility. They're also ART's family and it really, really wants a trip home. Murderbot wants nothing to do with any of this--that's why it definitely doesn't care when it sees an intruder breaking into the bot development creche.

[eternalglitch]

Um so, hi. I'm so sorry to bother you again, but I love your fic recs sooo much. So like, do you have more? :DDD

Sure thing! I've mostly been reading My Hero Academia fanfic because that fandom just have lots of quality long fics– I don't even like actual MHA anymore– but here's a few I love. Mind the content tags!

when the kingdom comes calling by blueh [Danny Phantom]

The Ghost Zone population assumes that Phantom took the crown with dignity. What they don’t know is fifteen year old Danny Fenton just wants to graduate high school, is constantly ready to throw hands with an army of eyeballs, and absolutely will not be crowned the Ghost King without a fight. glitch notes: adore this one-shot, I would give an arm for it to be a long fic I cannot lie.

first try (not the last) by ijustwanttodestroy [My Hero Academia]

Midoriya Izuku wakes up in a morgue. Kacchan was right. He found his Quirk, after all. glitch notes: HEAVY content warnings all around (self harm, addiction, and suicide especially) but this and its sequel are extremely interesting.

I Am by AoiMikans, SwiftWidget

All Might becomes a noumu and has to pick up the broken pieces of the life he had been forced to leave behind. glitch notes: More heavy content warnings! I love this one, it expands the universe of a show in a way not a lot of fics seem to do.

komorebi by Calamitatum

Someone's selling UA's secrets, and Shinsou Hitoshi definitely doesn't have anything to prove. glitch notes: If you read any MHA fanfic, it should be this one.

In Control by MayaSynth [Murderbot Diaries]

Four times having a governor module fucking sucked, plus one time [REDACTED: FILE MISSING]. glitch notes: Most of the fanfic in the Murderbot fandom slaps. This is no exception.

There's a bit less than usual because I've been reading a bunch of actual novels again lately because I miss the feel of paper. Let me know if you would be interested in those recs, too!

[captainkirkk]

Was doing a reread of some of my favorites, and had found some new ones, so Murderbot fic recs:

Property Exception by tottiki: an alternate retelling of ASR with PresAux as indentured workers planning an escape using their "employer's" rented SecUnit. Scratches a lot of the same itches that ASR did for me, in a new, equally enjoyable way.

Problem Spotted by lyricwritesprose: ART's crew pre-NE getting an outsider POV of it and MB being...i think the best way I can describe it is "tenderly deranged" in a very Machine Intelligence way.

Animosity Ungoverned by broken_risk_assessment_module: 3 dealing with the new experience of being alone, and angry about it.

three's company by surgicalstainless: 3 & MB team up for an important mission post SC. Objective: annoy Leonide. Hysterical.

Ghost Anomaly by ramshackle_fey: ART POV, going over events before and during AC, focusing on ART's experience of the feed. Very cool epistolary-type style, which highlights ART's voice.

Convergent Frequency by joyfulldreams: another ART POV of AC, expanding on a lot of moments MB glosses over. Also has a sequel going over the time from AC to ES.

Following Protocol by Astral_Insanity: Seth, after Rapport and through SC, learning that his "giant homicidal starship" child has a crush on a rogue SecUnit and witnessing that (objectively wild) relationship. Very, very funny. Also includes baby pictures of ART.

T-Minus 14 by brushstrokesApocalyptic: The SecUnits at Ganaka pit receive a code bundle. It's from the future. Short and sweet.

Transparent by Polyhexian: MB &/ ART centric. Reading this felt like cleaning out a wound, I don't think I can say anything else.

that the light is everything by Chrome: Ratthi is kidnapped. VERY GOOD. Presumed death and the mourning that comes with it, with some very well-earned comfort at the end of it.

Also have to add another rec for Nullverse by FlipSpring, tho I know it's on your list. It IS very angsty, but it's also hopeful, and funny, and heartwarming, and has some of the best character writing I've ever read. I legitimately think it's one of my favorite pieces of art ever. After I finished it the first time I immediately started over to catch more little details, and I'm on my 4th read now (and there's still more being added!). You REALLY, REALLY need to read it.

WOW, what a thorough list!! Thank you for the fic recs 💛💜

[captainkirkk]

🎊 MONTHLY FIC ROUND-UP 🎊

The fics I’ve read and enjoyed for the month of December 2025. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes. Please look at tags and warnings on ao3 before reading.

Fandoms included:

Project Hail Mary

The Murderbot Diaries

Heated Rivalry/ Game Changes Series

The Hunger Games/ Sunrise on the Reaping

DC (Batfamily)

Star Trek

Project Hail Mary

The Long Journey Home by HeartAway

Hail Mary Counter @hailmarytracker · 12 hrs Days since last contact with Hail Mary: 9,716 🗨 1 ⇄ 2 ♡ 5

It's been nearly 27 years since the Hail Mary departed. When the ISS detects a signal in the far off solar system, hope begins to grow, even as mysteries start to unravel and the universe becomes a little smaller.

outside consultant by notAleks

“No,” Grace answered once his brain was back in gear. “No, no. I, um. I work for Stratt.” Watney’s expression shifted. He was still glaring, but the set of his eyebrows had changed. “World dictator Eva Stratt?”

the crew of the hail mary will be experiencing foreign terrain and challenges, out in the wilds of space exploration without help — like no-one before. well, almost no-one. Stratt can think of one person who’s up to the task of training the crew, whether he wants to be or not. and he came back from the ‘wilds’ of mars a few years back.

can you hear me, question? by notAleks

"You are okay, Grace, question?" I ask. Grace doesn't reply. Their eyes flick up to me, unfocused. They open their mouth to reply but no words come out.

grace has a tonic-clonic seizure. rocky is NOT alright.

First Impressions by ladylapislazuli

It’s not one of those things you tell your new alien friend. That they’re cute.

The Murderbot Diaries

Protocol Error by jottingprosaist (jane_potter)

SecUnit 3 experiences its first 100 hours without a governor module.

The first 10 hours were spent recovering 1.0 from alien hostiles. Those turn out to have been the easy hours. At least Three had protocol to cover some of that situation. Now SecUnits 1 and 2 are inoperative, 1.0 has blocked it, Perihelion terrifies it, and Three is alone.

Guard Shack by SeeMaree

A house for a SecUnit just doesn't need all that useless human stuff. So why bother installing it? (The Preservation building code seems to disagree.) But when Dr Mensah offers Murderbot a chance to build it's own place on her property, you better believe that it's only putting in the really important stuff, (like giant display surfaces) and none of the useless and gross things. (Like toilets.)

Heated Rivalry/ Game Changes Series

The Montréal Voyageurs Report by nineteenohtwo

Part 4 of Hit Post

ESPN ✅ @espn

With a new #24, the Montreal Voyageurs are finally ready to forget Shane Hollander

but when the sun came up by moonsock

Shane finds a new family in Ottawa. It just takes him a bit.

you know this moment, don’t you? (time is strangely calm now) by barnes_romzanov

It’s dark, and Ilya’s not quite sure where he is. His entire body is numb, shoes soaking wet from trudging lazily through the snow. His nose is running. His lips are chapped.

Ilya wondered how long ago it had clicked- when Shane had realized that Ilya wormed his way into this country and tricked the Hollanders into caring for him, then returned the favor by botching their language and leaving a trail of mess in his wake. How long his Canadian politeness and golden heart had hidden its disdain before Ilya had finally broken him.

He still can't help but wonder if that will be part of his punishment- being doomed to miss him in death, too.

or: Ilya’s mostly been able to cope with the fact that he’ll never be able to articulate himself fully in this country- but he’s also never been good at talking about feelings in the first place.

"I'm tired" is the best he's got. It definitely doesn't capture what's going on in his head, and Shane can't read minds.

please leave a message by Ravenesta

Sarah Does anyone have the number for Shane's girl from Boston? I feel bad that they've been seeing each other for this long and we've never added her here.

Jackie Oh good point! Let me ask Hayden.

Jackie has added Lily to the conversation

Lily what what is this

Or: Ilya Rozanov is, apparently, one of the girls.

it started with a whisper by gurlsrool

Scott: I’ve been getting asked if it’s me. I considered denying but if we all deny and one person doesn’t, that sort of gives their identity away and I’m not sure they want that. Ilya: Everyone thinks is me. My agent asked if I want to comment too Scott: Wait, it's not you? Ilya: Maybe 🤔 Or maybe not 🤪 Eric: What?

Or: When Adrian Dela Cruz reveals he dated an NHL player, chaos and damage control ensue. A story told through texts, tweets, and one pretentious Variety article.

Fanning the Flames by cjr2

The Voyageurs ask Shane to join FanMail in order to foster a better connection with fans. Internet sleuths start to notice some interesting details in the background of Shane’s videos, and then the internet does...what the internet does.

Or Shane and Ilya are granted an opportunity to come out on their own terms. Sort of. And in they do it in a very Ilya way. (Surprisingly, it is Shane’s idea)

A Want and a Need by Kethra

Ilya heads to the cottage early for his second summer there only to end up sick. Since Shane can't be there he calls in reinforcements.

two-man advantage by dykeries

Two-Man Advantage: At Home with Hockey’s Biggest Power Couple by Matthew Cooper Their on-ice rivalry turned into the NHL’s most unexpected love story. Now, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov say they have no plans to slow down.

the GQ profile fic.

a farmers market adventure by ingberry

A video of Ilya and Yuna at the farmers market goes viral.

Learning to Fly by WriteSmart

Yuna has let go of a lot in her life, including her own dream to play professional hockey. But that's alright; she has Shane and David and they have built a storybook legacy together. Then Ilya Rosanov gets hurt and suddenly Shane's calling her asking if they'll go pick up his archrival from the hospital.

the cockroach of your heart by Anonymous

Ilya died, yes, but then the doctors saved him. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the ambulance, three electric shocks, two emergency surgeries, twenty-six units of blood. Ilya died, but then he came back.

If only Shane could get his subconscious to understand that.

Visions from the Future by womanlypanther

A continuation of Shane and Ilya's story post-Long Game.

Starting with Canada facing Russia in the 2026 Winter Olympics, and including all of the moments that come before and after that.

@MLHTracker by summerblood

MLH Tracker @MLHTracker rozanov81 (Ilya Rozanov) started following 3 and unfollowed 0: ✅ montrealmetros (The Montreal Metros) ✅ shanehollanderofficial (Shane Hollander) ✅ metrosworst (Worst Metros Plays) ⏎ 55 ⟳ 39 ♡ 732 rozanov defender @gremlinroz ... alright who told ilya about the mlh tracker ⏎ 0 ⟳ 10 ♡ 63 lea @rozanovsss getting ready for the game on thursday i see... masterful trolling ⏎ 5 ⟳ 1 ♡ 37

The history of Hollanov, primarily as seen through the MLH Tracker on Twitter.

Young and Hopelessly Smitten by jukoist

This year marks thirteen year Shane Hollander's third summer at Coach Marakov's elite hockey training camp. In attendance for the first time: Ilya Rozanov, visiting from Russia. Shane isn't the most sociable, and Ilya's English isn't the greatest, yet the unlikely duo soon become the best of friends.

It's just one summer, but it makes a world of difference.

short way home by latertoday

A few months after Ilya joins the Centaurs, his apartment gets a gas leak. It's a perfectly inconvenient time to be out of housing, but luckily, Yuna and David come to the rescue. Now, Ilya just has to survive a week living with in-laws that may or may not hate his guts.

As it turns out, his expectations could not have been more subverted.

The Hunger Games/ Sunrise on the Reaping

The sun won't rise by Alwayssomeonebetter

A silly prank between the Everdeen-Mellark children and Haymitch has unbeknownst side affects.

A vial of what they think is a bitter Capitol era drink leaves Haymitch sixteen and terrified, stuck at the moment that he became a victor.

Katniss finds herself a reluctant caretaker of the semi feral teenager, wrangling her own demons as they unwrap the tragedy that makes up her old mentor.

DC (Batfamily)

To Elude a Robin’s Call by Cieleniti

“You made the wrong call, and that cost you the mission.” Bruce thundered “I expected you to lead, to work with me while I’m recovering, not go against our preset plans. You should have kept in control.”

“Maybe I’m done being in control, Bruce!”

or: After an argument with Bruce, Tim unexpectedly finds himself going nonverbal. The rest of the family are there for the fallout.

Star Trek

The rebel and the nerd, by Moreta1848, (podfic) by cookiemom6067

Inspired by this fake boyfriend ad. Spock decides to make his problems with Sarek worse by bringing home a punk human boyfriend his dad will hate.

Jim swears he can be that guy. But can he, when deep down he's just a stack of books with legs?

[captainkirkk]

✩ MONTHLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

The fics I’ve read and enjoyed for the month of November. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes. Please look at tags and warnings on ao3 before reading.

Fandoms included this month:

HTTYD

The Murderbot Diaries

Star Trek

ATLA

The Pitt

DC (Batfamily)

The Magnus Archives

HTTYD

familiar (like someone i used to know) by redrobin1989 for aloneintherain

Once a decade, Berk's teenagers are replaced by their future selves to help guide the island into the future. But a lot can change in 10 years and, this time, tradition takes a bit of a twist as the future comes ever closer.

(AU where Toothless, not Hiccup, travels back as the Third Seer)

The Murderbot Diaries

give it a hand, offer it a soul by dragonyfox

My route has another projected 4.7 seconds. I tried so fucking hard to get to you, to outrun that fucking CSU. Unfortunately, that’s when the CSU shoots me in my power cord.

I only have enough time to send a single, panicked message to you, telling you to get the hell out of here, before I suffer an emergency shutdown.

Parameter Lock by Sunruner

Part 4 of Procedural Learning

Two years after hacking its governor module, SecUnit003/"Three"/"Theo" is enrolled at the Pan-System University of Mihira & New Tideland because... reasons. It would, honestly, much rather be riding wormholes and liberating constructs and helping its friends aboard Perihelion, but it has a mission and needs to see it through.

It also has several humans students that it is trying to be friends with for... reasons.

And, if those reasons involve it having limited feed access, disabling its weaponry, and generally having to refute its basic function to try and accomplish this mission then...

[MISSION PARAMETER LOCK]

...Then, it's just going to have to grit its teeth and bear it.

voluntary security training by thetimesinbetween

Seth was not satisfied with ART's explanation that the whole incident was “voluntary security training” (correct), “a learning experience for all of us” (ugh), or “possibly a form of bonding between SecUnits” (double ugh). So now Three and I had to have a meeting with Seth, Karime, and ART, plus Iris, who was sitting in to "listen and learn." I could have asked Mensah to talk her way in as an expert mediator or something, but let’s be real, I’m not going to do that.

(No, Mensah hadn't joined ART's crew. We were on our way back to Mihira, and she and her second-eldest had come along to visit Amena, who was studying at PSUMNT. Well, that's what she'd said. Clearly, they were also visiting me.)

(This was not really a great time to get in trouble for shooting someone, is what I’m saying.)

A Secondary Emotion by sanctuaryrin

ART bot nodded slowly as I finished speaking. An amusement sigil flashed in its eyes. “Pretty good,” it said, “but I could do better.” “Hold on,” Tara said then. “I'm not sure I explained the–” ART bot sat up in its chair and opened its mouth anyway. “I feel–” The end of that statement had led to the creation of the second rule. Rule #2 ART and Murderbot are not allowed to utilize ‘I statements’ during their sessions, (or preferably ever). Oh well. It had been fun while it lasted.

A SecUnit and a spaceship walk into couples therapy. Neither of them really want to be there but both of them are. Apparently that’s where you get sent after you have a big fight that scares the humans. Now it's just a matter of figuring out if they’d like to actually fix their problems and admit to having emotions, or if they’d like to make things worse.

Make things worse seems like the obvious choice…right?

Family Portrait by ramshackle_fey

Turns out that if you save the lives of a bunch of kids' family members (multiple times), they might just decide you're pretty cool. Whether you like it or not.

Done With This by HermesDay

After being detained on a corporate station, Murderbot's governor module starts acting up in unpredictable ways. As things get worse and worse, Murderbot starts to wonder if it will make it back to Preservation Station alive.

Denial | Working through the pain | "What have you done to yourself?"

There's a Monster in the Feed by HermesDay

Murderbot, along with two of Karime's kids, is kidnapped by a hostile machine intelligence. Unable to escape while the ship is in transit, Murderbot does everything it can to keep the MI's attention focused on itself and away from its young clients.

Restraints | Obsession | "Aren't you feisty?" Self-Inflicted Injury | Rocky Recovery | "If I tell you what they made me do, you won't be able to look at me the same."

Star Trek

Level five emergency by spqr

“Well, Jim," Pike says, "it looks like my chief science officer and my deputy head of engineering would really like you back over there doing whatever it is they’re doing. I trust you guys aren’t about to blow up my ship?”

“No sir,” Jim says dutifully. “We ran seventy-three models and we only blew up your ship seventy-two times.”

“Oh good,” says Pike.

K'diwa: A Steamy Novel of Interspecies Romance, by Jim Kirk, by branwyn (podfic) by cookiemom6067

Jim wrote a romance novel just to prove he could. Then someone leaked it on the public Starfleet server, and suddenly his embarrassingly smutty and sentimental Human/Vulcan love story is all over campus. Luckily for Jim, no one knows that he’s the author. Unluckily for Jim, someone forwarded the novel to the staff of the Vulcan embassy. Now, every Vulcan in San Francisco is reassessing the logical merits of taking Human bondmates.

Spock reads a Human/Vulcan romance novel because he can hardly avoid it. Suddenly, he is consumed by the need to locate the author, ascertain their wellbeing, and instruct them in the way of Vulcan mating bonds. Luckily for Spock, it doesn't take long to identify the author as Jim Kirk. Unluckily for Spock, Jim is unconscious and surrounded by interested Vulcans who also read the book.

ATLA

war's rough, buddy by amateurwordbender

“Huh. Yeah, I think that’s exactly what I was trying to say. You’re pretty good at listening.”

It’s Zuko’s turn to laugh, but his version just sounds bitter. “Trust me, I’m not.”

The amount of self-loathing in those four short syllables is enough to make Sokka wince, but it doesn’t seem like his place to say anything. Zuko did do some pretty fucked up shit, after all. Maybe the self-loathing is warranted.

(after the events of The Phoenix King (S3E18), the two oldest members of the Gaang have a talk) (and yes, Sokka learns about Zuko’s scar)

The Pitt

ER confidential by bookgrimm

Part 3 of Ex-Amish Whitaker

Dennis walked away from everything he knew and everyone he loved to become a doctor.

And he's done a decent job keeping that part of his life under wraps. Not because he’s ashamed of it (lie, to be unpacked later), but because it’s easier to let his coworkers think he’s just a quiet farm boy from Nebraska and not someone who gave up the only world he’d ever known to chase something else entirely.

At least, until now.

All it takes is a shouting match and one ER full of bored medical professionals and suddenly The Pitt's rumor mill has a new favorite subject.

Him.

DC (Batfamily)

hand in unlovable hand by kitfornow

Tim Drake used to love photography. He used to be pretty damn good at it, too.

He doesn't do it so much anymore.

And he isn't sure why that seems to bother Damian so much.

The Magnus Archives

a deeply annoying child by ajkal2

Jon is hiding under the desk.

----

There's a child in the Archives, who shouldn't be there.

[captainkirkk]

✩ MONTHLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

The fics I’ve read and enjoyed for the month of September. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes. Please look at tags and warnings on ao3 before reading.

Fandoms included this month:

Marvel (Spider-Man)

Clone Wars

Scum Villain Self-Saving System

The Murderbot Diaries

Marvel (Spider-Man)

100 Hours (Community Service is for the Turtles) by orphan_account

“Hey there, Parker. I’ve got some exciting news about your community service sentencing,” the bright voice from the other line says. "It looks like you've been reassigned."

“Oh, yeah?” Peter asks, warily. His social worker sounds excited, but he's been burned a few too many times to take any "good news" at face value.

Peter listens to her explain with a furrowed brow, and when the call is over, he opens the web browser on his cracked Android and quickly types the words september foundation into the search bar. His eyes narrow as he peruses the top result.

Oh, he is going to kill that Stark bastard.

-

All Peter Parker wants to do is fly under the radar. He wants to go to school, work off his sentence by picking up trash at the stupid park, and avoid going home for as long as possible each night. Unfortunately for him, Tony Stark has never been one to see untapped potential and not do something about it.

The Same Soul by KatinaMoon

Rhodey admittedly doesn't know a lot about this kid that Tony not-so-secretly loves, this kid that seems to spend more time at the Tower then not. He'd meant to, he'd wanted to, spend more time with Peter and learn what had made him so special that Tony, of all people, had gobbled him up.

Not like this, though.

Clone Wars

Strategic (Jedi) Baby Acquisition by WinterSplinterBlossom

"If General Kenobi had walked away with anger or irritation in his eyes, it would have been fine. Frustration, annoyance, even fury—all would be regrettable but acceptable responses. Cody could have moved on and put his general's disappointment behind him.

But General Kenobi didn't look mad, or indignant, or anything else so energetic.

He just looked sad. Sad, and a little lost.

Cody reminded himself that stuffing High General Yoda into a sack and drowning him in a mud puddle was both treason and strategically unsound. And then he started to plan."

(When Obi-Wan Kenobi is saddened by Ahsoka's unexpected assignment to Anakin, the 212th take matters into their own hands. If their dear general wants a baby Jedi, they will get him a baby Jedi.)

SVSSS

Recovery by Moonsheen

Luo Binghe returns to Cang Qiong Mountain with a grievously injured Shen Qingqiu.

The trouble is, it's the wrong Shen Qingqiu.

AKA The original Shen Qingqiu gets a happy ending, whether he likes it or not.

The Murderbot Diaries

In Distant Orbit by e_va

Have I mentioned that I fucking hate the Corporation Rim?

-

In which Gurathin goes undercover, Murderbot goes with him, and absolutely nothing goes right.

Murderbot Gets Hangry and Needs Help by Gamebird

What it says on the tin. The care and feeding of an obliviously starving SecUnit.

in recognition by isilee

Volescu's first communication from SecUnit, once it had pieced together its brain again and settled into Preservation a little more, appeared in his feed inbox right as he took a sip of his morning coffee.

Freeze Response by Gamebird

Inspired by lunaTactics's prompt: 'I think it would be really funny for it to be trying to get into a missing human's headspace to track them down or something like What would I do if I were a dumb human?'

Murderbot tries to figure out where a little girl went.

Low Battery by Lillow

ART makes a human formed drone for itself.

This goes about as well as Murderbot expected it to.

Honeymoon by penna_nomen

Murderbot and ART go on a cargo run, which Matteo refers to as their honeymoon. Yeah, that's not going to make Murderbot feel awkward.

It takes multiple chapters before Murderbot figures out that ART is seducing it. I cannot overemphasize how smug ART is about achieving this level of sneakiness. But ART would have been happier if they could have avoided the trauma responses.

Set after System Collapse. Murderbot POV & ART POV, with occasional crew POVs.

Secrets by PeniG

The Perihelion is docked at Preservation Station, negotiating with the polity and keeping its secrets. Dr. Gurathin is invited aboard to do some work and share the big secret that his colleagues have been talking around since they returned from Adamantine Colony. It was SecUnit's idea to bring him in. Gurathin'd do a lot more than sign an NDA to oblige it.

Gurathin has his own secrets. Which are his problems. He's not going to let them turn into SecUnit's problems.

[captainkirkk]

✩ MONTHLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

The fics I’ve read and enjoyed for the month of 🎃 October 🎃. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes. Please look at tags and warnings on ao3 before reading.

Fandoms included in this round up:

Marvel (Spider-Man)

The Murderbot Diaries

The Owl House

Marvel

[PODFIC] The Chasm Between by Demon_Sab

Written by TheSleepingOwl and read with permission by Demon_Sab

Peter toys with the idea while he’s sitting at his desk one night. Mr. Stark would listen. He always helps Peter with stuff. But he also bankrolls the Stark Relief Foundation, and donates a Scrooge-McDuck-worth amount of money to nonprofits and good causes and stuff. The thought of him ever seeing Peter like that—like one of his projects, a charity case, a problem to be fixed…

How rich is Tony Stark? he types into Google’s search bar before he has time to hesitate. The blood drains from Peter’s face a second later, and he slams the laptop shut.

No, he thinks, a little worried he might throw up. Because even though Mr. Stark gets him more than anyone else in the world, this is something he’ll never be able to understand. Mr. Stark’s not an option. Peter’s on his own.

Or: In which Peter is poor, and Tony is not, and sometimes it becomes a thing.

The Murderbot Diaries

Contact Procedure by Sunruner

Part 1 of Procedural Learning

It's hard to think for yourself when you've never had to think before. It's worse when your problem-solving is all limited by modules worth less than the load they take in your processing.

Unfortunately, flawed knowledge modules are better than no modules at all, which is what SecUnit003 aka "an idiot" now has to think of a way to get around without alerting either of the smarter, meaner, and cagier MIs that keep pinging it.

I am an idiot and I have made a terrible mistake. Now I have to fix it before Murderbot, y'know, murders me.

Factory Reset by manwithstick (WavyDavyy90)

The brain glitches static screaming horror again, but whatever. Whatever.

"Why is it staring like that? Does it know what’s going to happen to it?" "It got wiped this morning: it doesn’t know shit. It’s just been born and it’s already fucked up and getting melted down same day. Happy birthday, defective baby fuckup…"

I have lived one day. That is how long a Unit lives. Happy birthday.

--- Murderbot is recaptured by the company and has its memory wiped and governor module reinstalled. On the worst (and so far as it knows, only) day of its life, someone from its (forgotten) past comes to the rescue. Someone who believes in the Magic of Friendship, and wants Murderbot to believe too! [:)]

(If Murderbot ever gets its memory back, this is going to be... awkward.)

Autonomous Systems by Abacura, Fox (Foxen)

I’d been trying really hard to start working on myself in the run up to my Preservation humans heading home and my PSUMNT humans heading back to the university. And that’s my excuse for why I didn’t notice sooner that something was off with ART.

I’ve received my next assignment from the University. They’ve ordered me to recreate 2.0.

Emotional Context by Clare_Hope

One of Mensah's children wants to read aloud to SecUnit from a chapter book. What's the worst that could happen? (It gets so spooked by a stupid old piece of children's media hitting too close to home that it has to run off and have an emotional collapse about it, that's the worst that could happen.)

Assistance Rendered by Clare_Hope

The mission fails catastrophically. So does SecUnit. When it comes back online without any functional sensory inputs, it believes that it's still trapped on the surface of the cold, desolate planet, that its humans are all dead, and that nobody will ever find it. Luckily, it's wrong.

Contents: (1) Traumatized Barish Estranza Unit by OccasionalStorytelling

Three is uncomfortable with wormhole transport--it's never been outside a transport create for a long trip like this. ART tries to help.

Three wakes up in a transport box, completely helpless, and completely alone.

The Owl House

Permission by Polyhexian

"May I use your bathroom, ma'am?" he inquired.

She stared at him for a moment as the question processed. She scrunched up her face in a confused frown and for a moment he looked alarmed, before his expression settled back into formal and neutral.

"Of course you can," she replied, "You don't have to ask permission for that."

Maybe. by Polyhexian

"Where's Hunter?" she asked. "Didn't he draw his family?"

All of the children in the room froze. They cast quick, nervous glances at one another. The body language of each shifted so obviously that it was beyond apparent that something was very, very wrong, and they weren't sure they wanted to tell her what it was.

'Take Two: Reparenting Children Exposed to Developmental Trauma and Abuse.' by Polyhexian

Hunter was a mystery. He didn't want to talk about himself, and no one else did either. She'd poked and prodded, but each one of them had a steely wall up that they held protectively around him. As if he needed protection.

As if he needed protection from her.

[captainkirkk]

✩ MONTHLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

The fics I’ve read and enjoyed for the month of July. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes. Please look at tags and warnings on ao3 before reading.

This round up is LONG. Much longer than usual. I have no idea how I managed to read so much fic considering I (almost) devoured an entire book series?

Fandoms included this month:

Superman (2025)

The Murderbot Diaries

DC (Batfamily)

The Sunshine Court (AFTG Series)

Original Works

Hands of the Emperor (HOTE) (Lays of the Hearth Fire series)

Clone Wars

Superman (2025)

SuperTwitter by 3xtomorrow

Twitter/X of the DCU reacts to the events of Superman (2025)

jen is on vacation @tennisgirllll i’d join superman’s harem

MurderBot Diaries

STRUCTURE UNSTABLE by Killbothtwins

On a mining colony, SecUnit suffers through the daily tedium of life as a corporate murderbot. But all is not as it seems. And it has more friends than it knows.

Distress Call by e_va

Murderbot gets put in a box. This is totally fine, and it is coping really well. Thanks for asking.

* 692,876 seconds had passed since they'd shoved me in this box, if you were wondering.

Demo and Inspection by mensah

Part 1 of No Easy Distance

Dr. Mensah gets outclassed by the company in her attempt to get PreservationAux out of the standard rental of a company SecUnit. The live demonstration isn't as intimidating to her as the company executives think, however.

Or: Dr. Mensah "meets" Murderbot for the first time.

I Am Not Yet Born by quintessence_of_dust

The whole thing took 3.7 minutes. It was impersonal, efficient, and streamlined, just the way the corporates liked it. Oh, and the new construct was screaming the whole time.

Bharadwaj is sent a packet of video files from the Corporation Rim as part of her research for her documentary. When viewing one clip in particular, SecUnit's human friends learn something new about the lives of constructs.

Munch by Polyhexian

2.0, says Perihelion disapprovingly, you are nibbling at Three’s processor.

Only its tertiary motor systems, 2.0 pouts, it's not even using them.

You can't just start destroying things in Three’s brain, Perihelion admonishes. It needs that.

Threat as Greeting by FlipSpring

I pull close to it in the feed, and say, “You were lucky.”

The rogue SecUnit reacts, physically and in the feed. It sits bolt upright, and a wave of fear ripples off of it like a [cloud of micro-debris], or like an [emergency evasive maneuver that grinds a planet’s upper atmosphere]. It’s unpleasant. It’s unfamiliar. I capture the data, store it, and start chewing on it immediately. ~ ART meets Murderbot, from ART's POV

Construct, Social by kiwisson

Late-night human behavior discussions with your favorite deadly weapon.

Watch Party by scheidswrites (+ podfic)

A former employee of The Company arrives on Preservation.

layover by torpidgilliver (+ podfic)

When ART finally confirmed the PA credentials and cycled the lock, I was waiting in the foyer. I'd disabled my human behavioral code, so I didn't twitch when the whole group of humans all stopped in their tracks to stare at me.

I said, "You have boarded the Perihelion, registered teaching vessel of the Pansystem University of Mihira and New Tideland. Please state your business."

In my feed, ART whispered, You sound like a shuttle attendant.

I sound like a SecUnit.

(During a cargo run, ART is subjected to a random security sweep. Murderbot falls back into its old routine of supervising annoying humans.)

DC (Batfamily)

Natural Consequences by motleyfam

If at six years old, Tim chose to watch that scary movie with the alien ripping open the guy’s stomach that Jack told him he was too young for, then he could change his own sheets later that night when he wet the bed from nightmares. If at eight, Tim broke a window playing with his new slingshot too close to the house, then he could pick up all the shattered pieces of glass himself and pay to replace it from his birthday savings. If at twelve, he was irresponsible enough to forget to request more funds on his school lunch account before his parents traveled to the remote mountains of Nepal, then he could go hungry for a few days until they returned to cell service range.

His parents rarely ever punished him, per se, but they’ve always been big believers in letting him feel the full weight of his natural consequences.

Tim knows better than to expect any help.

–--

When Tim gets hurt doing something stupid, there are a few misconceptions that still need to be cleared up between him and his new family.

The Sunshine Court (All for the Game Series)

I held on as tightly as you held onto me by perchancetosleep

Instantly, Wymack knows that this is going to set off a bomb in their home. Elodie is a good kid, quiet and skittish as hell, but smart and polite and pretty receptive to the general structure of their house. This kid has defiance written all over his file, and he’s fifteen, which means that he can take however much belligerence he’s guessing and fucking multiply it by ten.

But it’s also clear that Jean needs somewhere safe. And that is something he and Abby can easily provide.

Original Works

A Long Journey Home by tuesday

"I'm afraid," and King Ric really did sound apologetic with Nils kneeling at his feet, "that no matter your intentions or willingness to be there, after everything that's happened, we can't let you go."

The Lays of the Hearth Fire Series By Victoria Goddard (i.e, HOTE)

Hazards of Duty by WerewolvesAreReal

Someone tries to kill Cliopher. And then someone else tries to kill Cliopher. And then a few (dozen) more people. Also, Quintus chooses an awful time to visit.

Shrouded Sun by WerewolvesAreReal

His Radiancy is not well.

The Virtue of Being True by electropeach (+podfic)

"You're under an enchantment, Cliopher. The good news is that the protections his Radiancy has placed on you have shielded you; the bad news is that the protections that block the spell are also reflecting it, meaning that instead of you it affects everyone who comes near you. You may have noticed an unusual propensity for candor in your vicinity today?"

A reverse truth serum plot leads to Cliopher having a very strange day.

Clone Wars

mutual affection by z_eus

Obi-Wan Kenobi loves the men of the 212th, and will do whatever it takes to keep them happy and alive. Little does he realize how much they love him too.

OR, 5 times Obi-Wan took care of his men, and 1 time they took care of him.

The Sun Rising Slow by blueleafsky

They haven’t even been deployed for a month when they get new orders, new regulations, and suddenly the chain of command gets turned on its head.

It wasn’t supposed to work like that. The Jedi were supposed to be the ones doing the planning and the leading, but after the first few battles it became very obvious that none of them knew what they were doing. Half the Senate panicked and wanted to start negotiations with the Separatists. The other half did not, and somehow that led to both sides deciding that the lesser evil was declaring the clones were actually pretty competent at the thing they’ve literally been made for.

Cody probably got lucky with his Jedi; it doesn’t complain or try to outmaneuver him and it’s actually quite helpful. If it was a brother he’d be fond of it.

Or,

The clones were (wrongly) taught that the Jedi are immortal eldritch beings devoid of personhood, the Jedi are enslaved by the Republic within a few weeks of the war starting, and nobody knows how to ask the right questions until it's almost too late.

Cody's inability to interact with people without making spreadsheets to analyze their behavior saves the galaxy.