#murderbot drabbles

[m00nymonster]

Characters: Amena, Murderbot, Ratthi

MB & Amena, MB & Ratthi

Gen

Fluffy

Ratthi watched with a little trepidation as Amena approached SecUnit with a hairbrush and a can of hairspray. He knew from experience how little it appreciated touch. It didn’t immediately jump away at the sight of her determined expression, which surprised him.

“Sit down,” she said. “I have an idea.” When SecUnit scoffed, she added, “Please?”

Ratthi watched in amazement as SecUnit huffed, then sat down on the floor in front of a chair. Amena sat down as well, and began to attack its hair with her brush. It flinched a little as she combed through stubborn knots, but eventually she tamed its normally messy hair into submission.

“Okay,” she said, her expression concentrated, “I’m going to try to style this. Maybe if we fluff your hair up, Leonide won’t recognize you.”

“You think so?” it asked, clearly skeptical. She nodded at the drone focused on her face.

“It’s better than nothing,” she said with a shrug. She grabbed her can of hairspray—Ratthi had to wonder where she’d found it—and spritzed its hair liberally. Then she combed it until it fluffed around SecUnit’s head like a halo. She stared at her work with a critical eye.

“What do you think?” she asked her drone. A second drone focused on SecUnit’s face.

“It’ll do,” it said after a moment. Amena rolled her eyes as it stood up.

“Thanks, Amena!” she said sarcastically. “That was nice of you!”

SecUnit glanced at her awkwardly, then left the room, passing Ratthi without comment. Ratthi grinned as Amena huffed.

“It really likes you, you know,” he said. “I don’t think it’d even let Mensah touch its hair.”

Amena snorted. Ratthi lifted his eyebrows and shook his head slightly.

“I know it seems rude, but that’s just how it is. Trust me. It likes you.”

Amena looked up, where a couple drones danced above her head. After a moment, she grinned at them, and waved. Ratthi nearly laughed as they bobbed in response.

“C’mon,” he said. “Let’s find out what everyone else is up to.”

[laurasimonsdaughter]

The interplanetary vessel was small and simplistic compared to those intended to jump between solar systems. It made the journey strangely restful, even the control room was quiet, without even a single beep from the radar.

Until it wasn't.

“THREAT ASSESSMENT: YELLOW”

The navigator scrambled upright in their chair as the captain slammed the alert button on her console. “What—”

“THREAT ASSESSMENT: ORANGE”

“Status report,” the captain demanded, tapping the ship’s security system to no avail. “What’s going on, Ship?”

“THREAT ASSESSMENT: ORANGE”

Beside them the radar gave a sudden beep.

“What in the depths is that?” the navigator snapped, staring at the monitor.

The captain had swiveled in her chair, checking the ship’s security monitor by force of habit before shifting her focus to the report produced by the radar. She froze. “That’s a ship.”

“It can’t be! There isn’t a single flight scheduled here, and any emergency travel would have signaled ahead.”

“Well, that’s the signature of a medium sized interplanetary vessel,” the captain bit back. “And I’m getting no—”

“CALCULATING COURSE CORRECTION”

The ship jerked and several warning lights gave a startled flash as the navigator let out a cry of surprise and reached for the manual override.

“Leave it!” the captain ordered.

“It’s trying to change our course!”

“Let it!”

The navigator stood by, staring in bewilderment as the captain pulled up the ship’s new route on the main monitor. It was only a slight correction, a minute diversion. Away from the unidentified object still pinging on their radar, that seemed almost to be taking a parallel course.

“They say there was a crew that had to evacuate and abandon their transport on a journey like this, some fifty years ago,” the captain said suddenly. “Their ship got caught in the debris around Utein’s libration point."

The navigator bristled. “We’re well out of the way of L4! There’s no chance—”

“I’m sure they thought so too.”

The navigator gaped at the captain, who was sitting with her hands resting beside the controls, letting the ship’s autopilot do as it pleased. It had sped up, and seemed to be signalling into empty space.

“You’re not seriously suggesting we’re dealing with a ghost ship,” they protested, angrily tapping another button. “None of my instruments are picking up anything.”

Around them the pressure of acceleration waned again, their ship once more confident in its course.

“COURSE CORRECTED”

 “Well,” the captain said mildly, looking at the vast expanse of space before her. “Whatever it was, I don’t think it was here for us.”

On the radar, with a last, faint blip, the unidentified vessel disappeared.

“THREAT ASSESSMENT: GREEN”

[mistpodfics]

A serious contract violation written by cac0daemonia | @cacodaemonia

A Murderbot Podfic read by mistbornhero with a cover by @green-fifteen

Ratthi smiled up at me and said, "Y'know, you have nice eyes."

Podfic Length: 01:11 minutes

[jadefyre]

Perfect by musicofthespheres

You’re here early, ART says, sounding a little panicked as I approach its docking bay. 

I pause at the airlock that still hasn’t opened for me. I caught an earlier shuttle. Are you going to let me in? 

...Hold on. 

I sigh and make a show of tapping my fingers impatiently; finally, the airlock hisses open. 

What was that about? I grumble as I heft my things inside.

ART says, First tell me why you decided to get here before your scheduled arrival time. 

I roll my eyes. It knows exactly why, it just wants to hear me say it. (Just because I’m better at expressing myself lately doesn’t mean I want to be all sappy, but since when do I get what I want?) Because I wanted to spend more time with you, you asshole. 

I feel it trip over itself in the feed. Yeah, you weren’t expecting that point-blank confession, were you, you big jerk. I wave my hand at its nearest sensor array. Well? 

I was preparing the atmosphere just the way you like it and I wasn’t done yet. I wanted it to be perfect.

I dip my head to hide my reddening face and grin.

---

if you enjoyed this double drabble, please consider leaving a comment on AO3 :)

For @murderhelionweek prompts "Love Language" and "Acts of Affection"

[specialagentartemis]

Valediction

A Murderbot Comment Bingo Blackout gift for @gamebird:

Any two characters talking about or demonstrating how important they are to one another.

A double-drabble about Ratthi and Arada, pre-Exit Strategy.

---

“You don’t…” Arada’s voice wavered, and she felt stupid.  “You don’t have to go.  This isn’t your job.”

Which was unfair and silly, because none of this was their jobs.  This was only barely Pin-Lee’s job.  If anything, this was Dr. Mensah’s job.  But, well.

“Hey,” Ratthi said, with a smile that Arada knew full well was forced.  “It’s okay.  Hey, we’ll be back from TranRollinHyfa before you know it.  It’ll be okay.”

He was supposed to be coming home. With them. With her.  They were supposed to be safe. Sorting out corporate kidnapping and extortion wasn’t her job, and wasn’t his either.

(Guiltily, Arada thought, should she have volunteered to go with Pin-Lee?  If this was what it meant to be a survey leader, could she?  She and Ratthi had gone into biology for the shared love of science, not hostage negotiations.)

She was enfolding Ratthi in a hug before she knew it, as if that would make him come with them, as if the travel hadn’t been decided and bonded with the company before he told her.

“Stay safe,” she said instead. “Please.”

“Will do,” he said.  “Promise.  You too.”

It wasn’t fair, but what had been, recently?

[theres-no-protocol-for-this]

Encrypted Locked File - Do Not Open

ART's journal. Prompt was "because of you."

I am wiser, gentler, and bolder because of you. Armed with the processing power of a university campus and a dozen drones in my back pocket, I can do the improbable. But I'm not the same because of you. You changed me. You walked into my domain and showed me the worst the world had to offer, the pain you endured, the loneliness. The terror of newfound freedom. And then, you changed the channel and showed me compassion. You filled my world with color and emotion, you gave shape to the universe beyond my walls. You carried my beacon like a heart-shaped promise. You rescued me, protected me, sheltered my humans. You held my hand. I can sing you the symphony of starlight, and it pales before your smile when Sanctuary Moon comes on. Because of you, I understand my crew that much better. Because you exist, SecUnit, I am not alone anymore. My timeline forever divided in two -- before you and after you. I'm so, so alive. Because of you.

[rosewind2007]

Hey everyone! There is a micro fest for the Murderbot Diaries running!

“A collection for Murderbot Diaries drabbles dedicated to some form of love, either for self, for humanity/all sentient life, one special someone, or several special someones! Drabbles, drabble series, or micro-fics encouraged! There is no word limit, but we're aiming at short and quick here. Collection open until end of February, 2024.”

So here’s my first (double) drabble, inspired by:

[gamebird]

The Murderbot Diaries Writing Micro-Fest

Two years ago we had All Systems Love, last year it was Heartificial Condition, and this year it is Rogue Emotions! What is it, you ask? It's an annual short-fic celebration of the idea of love in The Murderbot Diaries fandom. It covers fic or art, dedicated to some form of love, either for self, for humanity/all sentient life, one special someone, or several special someones! For all ship configurations, any TMBD characters or TMBD OCs, as long as love/devotion/importance is involved in some way. Does not have to be romantic or sexual, but also can be.

Drabbles, drabble series, or micro-fics encouraged! There is no word limit, but we're aiming at short and quick here, 100 to 5000 words. Collection open until end of February, 2025.

Anytime in February, you can post your short fic or art to the AO3 Collection RogueEmotions (https://archiveofourown.org/collections/RogueEmotions)

If you need inspiration, click on over to https://app.pipefy.com/organizations/300623467/interfaces/14d61385-a87b-4340-96cd-786ac73430eb/pages/46813c5b-583e-4000-bcd2-cb22300a7389 to find a list of prompts and tropes!

[cacodaemonia]

Fic Game

rules: give us the links to your fics with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the fewest words.

Thanks for the tag, @crystalshard! :D This will require some sifting on my part, as a lot of my images will probably be high on this list, so I need to exclude those, haha.

1. Most hits Will You Walk With Me? - No surprise here since it's one of my oldest fics, and written when TCW fandom was more active. Not my best fic, but it's my baby. 🥺 Waxer's pov, following him and Boil through the war. 🧡

2. Second most kudos Orbital Decay - 4th highest number of kudos, but two image works came in 1st and 3rd place. Old Codywan.

3. Third most comments Kinktober 2022 - Ah, I'm pleased with this one! It's actually one of my favorite fics I've written, haha. The epitome of 'character develop portrayed through smut.' 😂 Waxer/Boil, of course.

4. Fourth most bookmarks Modulation - 4th was actually Orbital Decay again, so I went to the 5th most bookmarked fic. This is another old one. Echo/Fives.

5. Fifth most words My Heart's Red Muscle - My best longfic, I'd say :) Waxer/Boil but Waxer is a cyborg. (I swear, I wrote this like a year before I even knew what The Murderbot Diaries were, but there are a shocking number of similarities XD)

6. Fewest words Hm, idk how to answer this one since my images don't have words aside from some image descriptions here and there. Then I just have a bunch of drabbles, which are of course 100 words. I guess I'll just go with the first drabble I see that catches my eye 😂 Sooo, how about Burden. Waxer & Boil. Summary: Waxer doesn't want to be one. (a burden)

No-pressure tags: @flowerparrish (gimme those sweet, sweet podfics) @bilbosmom-belladonna @petrifiedforests @kartaylirnaak @lizardberries

@aerjnn

[deputyrook]

2024 Writing Round-Up

Thanks @soupandsorcery for tagging me!

Tagging: @ex0rin @the-darklings @glitteringdust @darethshirl @gastlygallows @brightaxe @envysnest @fenharael and anyone else who would like to!

words posted: 29,066 on A03 | 3508 misc. on tumblr | 9601 on pythium (some of that is coding, though, so I'm going to count ~7000)

additional words written: 8439

grand total of words: 48,013 (slower year, most of this was written in the last few months- I blame crazy work burnout and recovery)

fandoms: dragon age, rogue trader, saw, bg3, original fiction

highest kudos: 837 on Playing Cards (!!!)

highest hit oneshot: Same fic, Playing Cards, with 5984

new things I tried: Besides learning how to code an interactive fiction game (which has been a fun challenge), I also experimented more with writing in different perspectives.

fic I spent the most time on: I think probably Alliance of Three, I worked on it off and on for a week and then two days straight (20+ hours for sure.)

fic I spent the least time on: I banged out In Her Absence in around 2 hours.

favourite thing I wrote: Either of these drabbles: Chocolate/Kitchen Fluff, or Alliance of Three, though I think Mala Suledin Nadas is the best thing I wrote.

favourite thing(s) I read: In terms of novels/novellas, some of my favourites this year were Blood Standard by Laird Barron; The Murderbot Series by Martha Wells; Thrum by Meg Smitherman; and I've been loving Kushiel's Dart but I'm only 25% of the way through.

Favourite fics this year include (mind the warnings):

River Rushing Through My Veins - LunarLich/ @nerendus

I've read this fic like at least once a month since it was posted. One of those rare fics that hits every note perfectly for me specifically, on top of being gorgeously written.

the hand you deal & pray for rain - mafalda_157/ @darethshirl

Absolutely stunning command of language- and the characterization work that gets done through the prose! Not a sentence is wasted. Also, so hot?

How the Game is Played (series) - TheEvilScribbler

This series had my jaw on the floor. Not just from how brilliantly it's written and how wonderfully in-character everyone is, but from the places the fic is willing to go. Truly, I was gagged.

To Tame a Wild Yakboy - BeeKazoo

In contrast to some of my other favs, this fic is just incredibly wholesome, and was a lovely read. It takes the bones of the good romance story from the game, and makes it a great romance story.

Uccellino - 2Wardens1Blight/ @2wardens1blight

This fic is exactly what I wanted to read after finishing Veilguard. I've read it a few times, and it's made me cry each times. It just brings me a lot of happiness to read.

Pity the Mayfly- envysnest/ @envysnest

Speaking of fics with unbelievably good character writing. The Tav in this fic is one of my favourites that I've ever read. She's a likeable, relatable protagonist, and both she and all of the companions are written with depth and a particularly strong character voice.

Inferior- Anonymous

I would be remiss if I didn't mention this mysterious little fic, which was deleted two days after I bookmarked it. I somehow found it again via Wayback Machine (and saved a copy). The dirty talk in this fic... woof. I'm taking notes.

Finally, everything I've reblogged in my fic-rec tag. I've saved many incredible fics and drabbles there. In addition to those I've mentioned, some of my favourite dragon age writers right now include (in no particular order) @glitteringdust, @writerfromshikahr, @soupandsorcery @ode-to-fury and a number of others!

writing goals for 2025: Definitely to both read and write more in general! I would love to really concentrate on writing this year, both more fanfiction and original fiction. It's something that fell a bit by the wayside this year, and rediscovering how much I enjoy writing has been a really fun process (now that I'm not being crushed by crippling work stress and burnout).

new works: Alliance of Three for my most recent full-length fic; this little Illario/Rook drabble; this fluffy drabble about Lucanis and Rook cooking.

There are so many inspiring fic writers out there whose work I enjoyed this year ♥ There was no way I could include every fic that left an impact on me. But thank you!!!

[the-starry-seas]

So I guess it's as good a time as any to have a pinned post?

Hi, I'm Sticks! I use vae/vaer/vaers/vaerself and it/its pronouns. This is a multifandom blog with a dash of many other random things. I'm a proshipper, cloneshipper, multishipper, and polyshipper.

I'll tag things to the best of my ability if you ask. Sometimes I'll forget. I love being tagged in ask games, WIP games, last line challenges, literally whatever. Mutuals can DM for my discord.

You can check out my fics on AO3 at lizardwrites (Star Wars) or purpleturtle9000 (Rise/Bayverse TMNT). Or check the tag for sticks' fics to see drabbles and previews. My askbox is open for requests for more drabbles, headcanons, and general rambling.

Consider this a blanket permission for any and all transformative works of my writing. You may post translated versions of my fics on other sites but you may not repost the original work. And please show me what you've made!

I have a lot of OCs and I love talking about them. I also want to hear all about yours! In the meantime, there's a list of mine below the cut. tumblr wouldn't let me link all of them, but you can try copy-pasting the-starry-seas.tumblr.com/tagged/ and put in the character name (I tag with ranks, so put in CT Racer instead of just Racer).

The Murderbot Diaries:

Jude (she/they rogue SecUnit)

ROTTMNT:

Kestrel

Star Wars:

212th Squad (Boot, Mik, Squeaker, Moxie, Onion, Crumpet)

Aces Squad (CT Racer, CT Fury, CS Blue, CT Whisper, CT Ember)

B Roll, all-girls clone squad formed of Bark, Bite, Bumble, and Bee

Clone Force M (CT Winter, CT Bee, CT Indigo, CT Jewel, CC Nebula, CT Zenith, CT Sunny, CT Star, CT Sky, CT Silver)

Mar'eyce, modern AU Clone Force M, featuring the Smokejumpers

Ghost Squad (CL Harlow, CS Karla, CT Shay, CT Cavalry, CT Boom, CT Ray, CT Nox, CT Tally) and their associated Mandalorians

Green Squad (formerly) now civilians Aralyn, Berry, and Prey Drive

Royal Squad, five tubies adopted by the royal family in a nobody-dies Bail/Breha/Fox AU (Bug, Jaonyc, Yancy, Helio, Vidal)

Shili Squad (Chen Nihaan, Alyx, Bella, Corvin, Watcher, Atlas, Ginger, Circuit, and Synch)

Shiny Squad: Kit's batchmates CT Lucky, CT Shrike, and CT Carno

Grafitti & Rence of the Corrie Guard

Kit also of the Corrie Guard and Fox's shiny/adopted son

Legacy and Legend, a pair of Force-sensitive batchmates who are smuggled to a Jedi temple

Prim Fett (clone, Mandalorian, and adopted daughter of Boba)

Riye Verda (Kamino-cloned, Mandalorian-raised)

Switch (clone, reconditioned, cyborg, mercenary)

Kryndi (florist and Kit's girlfriend in the royal OT3 AU)

Cathedi (Jedi)

Xerin (Jedi)

Clan Merit, composed of Quin, Aya, and Amery (Mandalorians)

Mirshko (Mandalorian)

Torrak Varkus and Torrak Vermil (Mandalorian)

Vinir (Mandalorian)

Soruli and Seryla (Nautolan Jedi and Force-sensitive smuggler)

A'Hidayat (Tusken)

R'Esahmab (Tusken)

U'Rajya (Tusken)

Tusken OC umbrella tag

Ripper (Yautja in Star Wars)

Valkyries (all-women pirate crew-slash-polycule)

CC Kamor, Eixes Judarri, and Padawan Rivi from the Better or Worse AU, where a clone captain finds and adopts his general's padawan, with the help of the Zabrak smuggler who becomes his queerplatonic partner

Chen Xunielah, a Togruta ambassador and duchess, and her clone husband Chen Nihaan, who form the Chen family with their kids

Scrapper Crew, a collection of troublemaking ladies

Come Home AU, about Mando spouses separated by the Empire and later reunited

Mordex, a Force-sensitive kid enslaved by a Sith who later becomes a bounty hunter during the Clone Wars

Transformers:

Button

Chromeblaze

Demoiselle

Goldshot

Neutrobolt & Nitroblitz

Nightflash

Stormbrake

Voltcast

Various:

Rowan

[m00nymonster]

It All Sounded Interesting

Written for Tideland's On the Loose prompt!

"I'll give you a tour of the station, Three, and if you want we can go to the planet later," Dr. Ratthi said, clearly excited. This was my first time on Preservation Station, and I wanted to make a good impression.

"Yes, Dr. Ratthi," I said. 1.0 told me I didn't have to answer humans if I didn't want to anymore, but old habits die hard. Dr. Ratthi gave me a sad half smile.

"Ratthi is fine, Three."

"Yes, Ratthi."

It felt strange to address a human so informally. A lot of things were strange now that I was rogue. Freedom in general was strange.

"I--oh. Just a minute." Dr. Ratthi got a vague look on his face, and turned away, subvocalizing as he did so. I looked around. 1.0 had told me that humans here didn't know what SecUnits looked like, so they would think I was an augmented human, but 1.0 had also altered its configuration. Perihelion had offered a similar treatment, and while I had declined a physical alteration (not being SecUnit standard bothered me and I didn't know why) I had altered my code to grow my hair out. Still, it was strange to look at the humans through a fringe of hair.

So many things were strange, now.

I looked around, and realized Dr. Ratthi had walked away, probably assuming I was following along behind. A transport docked and a flood of humans deboarded, chattering amongst themselves, separating me further. I could ping Dr. Ratthi, ask him where he was. I could. If I wanted to.

Decisions were hard, so I was proud of myself when I decided not to follow him and instead let the crowd drift me away.

The main discourse was beautifully decorated, with sculptural shapes hanging from the ceiling and both holo and real plants scattered along the pathways, as well as many comfortable looking chairs and benches. There were several storefronts, but the one that drew me had a large display of media, including almost an entire wall of nonfiction books. 1.0 found my fascination with nonfiction puzzling--it preferred fiction--but it wasn't here.

A human walked up to me.

"We have digital and paper books," he said, his smile making little wrinkles around his eyes. I was confused.

"Paper?"

"Yes! We sell all genres. Are you a history fan?"

I wasn't sure how to answer this, but as I said, old habits die hard.

"I'm not sure."

"Hmm. Well, I have several interesting books if you want to find out! The most popular here of course is the story of Preservation, but I have other polities as well as the Corporate Rim."

It all sounded interesting.

"All of it, please," I said.

"All of it?"

At his expression I hesitated. This seemed like an unusual request. 1.0 had told me to not behave unusually.

"Just Preservation," I amended. The man beamed.

"No, no, always happy to encourage a fellow history enthusiast! Which would you like first?"

Dr. Ratthi found me an hour later, browsing the last of the nonfiction selection. I had already downloaded all the history books the man in the shop had recommended, and now was looking at biographies.

"There you are!" he said, out of breath. "I was looking everywhere for you!"

"Ah, is this your friend? I must say, this young person is a voracious reader! Quite commendable!"

Ar Dr. Ratthi's glance I looked down.

"1.0 gave me a hard currency card," I said meekly. It would not have understood why I actually paid for the books instead of just downloading them, but according to it I also didn't have to justify my decisions to anyone anymore.

Dr. Ratthi smiled. "If you want more I'll cover it," he said. The shopkeeper smiled widely.

Later, when I'd left with as much as Dr. Ratthi and my hard currency card could afford, Dr. Ratthi laughed.

"I'll say this, SecUnits certainly aren't predictable. Set you loose and you buy half the bookstore!"

I wasn't sure what to say to this, so I didn't. It was nice.

[rjam9]

cleaning up my old drafts so here some random Murderbot drabbles for you all. i’m tired -> https://archiveofourown.org/works/60976981

[comment-bingo]

Forever lauded in our Comment Bingo Hall Of Fame:

Bingo Winners:

Aphelocoma_californica

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every_eye_evermore

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@specialagentartemis

@the-smallest-infinity

Wordlet

Verso @grammarpedant

Blackout Winners:

@blessphemy

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@thetreebuddy

Reminder to blackout winners: you may redeem your blackout for 1 Murderbot drabble or ficlet. Send your fic request to @specialagentartemis or to our ask box if you are so inclined.

And thank you to you everyone who participated in this event! Whether you hit a bingo or not: if you shared fanworks, rec lists, wrote comments, etc. The joy you've spread in this fandom is its own prize. 💛

[jadefyre]

i need something more (in my mind) by musicofthespheres

I take a walk around Mihira Station while ART undergoes a minor interior upgrade. It’s giving me a guided tour while we watch Worldhoppers in the background.

When I’m finally allowed back on board, I brush my hand along its new walls appreciatively.

That feels nice, ART says.

I pause and scrutinize the material beneath my fingertips. There are pressure sensors now.

Now you can try punching me in the face if you want, it jokes.

“I don’t know how I’d manage that,” I say. “You still don’t have a face.” Plus, I’m not even sure I want to try.

---

for @murderhelionweek prompts "Touch" and "Watching Media Together"

please consider leaving a comment on AO3 if you liked this drabble :)

[specialagentartemis]

To sweeten the pot for participants in the Murderbot Diaries @comment-bingo:

I’m offering ~*~prizes~*~!

If you complete a blackout of your card, ping me with a picture of your completed bingo card and I’ll write you a drabble or ficlet with the character(s) of your choice!

*terms and conditions apply. This is for fun so I reserve the right to not write a ship if I don’t wanna. I’ll do my best to get to everyone but the semester is starting soon so I will keep writing them on a first come first served basis until my dissertation and teaching obligations overwhelm me. I will get them to you Sometime but I do not promise a timely manner hah.