rec-cember #1 - the murderbot diaries & more

[queenslayerbee]

Recs every day for this event would've been a little too much for me, so instead, I decided to put together a bit of a larger list, mixing some of the most prevalent fandoms I'm currently into + some miscellaneous recs for everyone ^-^

THE MURDERBOT DIARIES

I just read this series in October (in about a week...) and already I've gotten a glimpse to a pretty creative fandom.

FANFIC

• Murderbot/Mensah Distraction Kissing [WIP] by satai. ~1k, G. Self-explanatory. It says WIP, but it stands on its own. Good characterization and a fun set-up for these characters, who are, IMO, quite an underappreciated relationship.
• Closed Loop System by One_of_Them (greenbean_paste). ~1.5k, T. Two SecUnits try to get keep their humans safe. PLEASE do click in this fic. It's interactive, a choose-your-own-adventure type... where you advance by playing minesweeper. Then, after you've played around with that one, read Ending win-three: Governor Module Hack by katabatic_winds (~1k, G), an alternate ending.
• Supervisor Leonide is Objectively Attractive .ptp by The_Onion. 1.7k, G. Another what-it-says-on-the-tin fic. Murderbot acknowledges the aesthetic beauty of exactly two humans in the series, and one of them being LEONIDE is just so, so funny.
• How I'm Imagining You by jriracha. 7.2k, E. ART fantasizes about doing surgery on ITS dear SecUnit. A+ robot porn.
• Murderbot's Law by pendrecarc for 20thcenturyvole. 10.7k, T (ao3 account necessary). A whodunit featuring Murderbot and Mensah in a story that feels like just another installment of the series.

FANART

• @ghostcashewart on tumblr has some really adorable android art. Some of my favourites are the one of ART and Murderbot Watching Media together in Artificial Condition, his Miki design (also featured in this scene where Miki lies for Murderbot), an illustration of Amena doing Murderbot's hair, one of Murderbot's rescue by Three, and this last one with ART/Perihelion and Iris as a child. His ART and Miki's design are lovely.
• Murderbot and Mensah in Exit Strategy by @eagleeyethree.
• Murderbot and Mensah ballroom dancing by @dooplissss
• Perihelion in its golden cage by @shadelorde. This Perihelion design (very clearly inspired by Raava from Legend of Korra, aka one of my favourite parts of that show) is amazing.

META

• Lawyers in this verse (ft. Pin-Lee) by @mavisthemae.
• Thoughts on ComfortUnits by various users, with @fuguetelemetry as the original poster.
• Murderbot and sexual trauma by @annabelle--cane.
• Some analysis on ART's actions when it first meets Murderbot by @asthedeathoflight.
• SecUnits and versions of autonomy by @little-cute-pink-horrible-being and @rhysintherain.
• Some show-critical posts by @mensahbots here and here, and by various users here.

MISCELLANEOUS

FANFIC

• la petite mort by howlingmoonrise (TheDarkStoryteller). 3.8k, T. This is a Barbie/Dracula crossover (and a Barbie/Dracula romance) and I urge you to read it. AMAZING fic, I swear.
• Nomon by interlude. 6.4, T. Fic set in the time jump between season 4 and season 5 of The 100, focused on Bellamy/Echo and the Space Kru. The premise is basically, what if Echo got pregnant? I'm not one for pregnancy stories unless they fit specific criteria, but this one definitely passes the test.
• Lamb to the Slaughter by angelfishofthelord. 85k, G (... I would not agree with this rating LOL). If you like whump, this fic has it in spades. It's a Supernatural what-if of that episode in s14 where John appears, Because. What if instead of Castiel losing his memories, the Winchesters did? And they encountered a strange creature in their bunker that they do not remember... Featuring Castiel being put through the ringer + a badass Mary Winchester.

FANART

• Queen Bitterblue in her city at night, from the Graceling series, by @riseupriseupandcomealong. And to add something else from this fandom, this drawing of Bitterblue's statue by @coppakee.
• Two Pluribus pieces: Carol + the Hivemind as Gustav Klimt's Death and Life painting by @clover-fell-over, and Carol + Zosia/The Hivemind + Helen as that Twelfth Night picture by @mxdamred.
• Eerie fanart of Samantha Strong from Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by @bearoutofmind.
• Some lesbian archers by @yimmygee. Original art and gorgeous.
• Disney's Aurora/Maleficent, with knight!Aurora by @marascomics.

META

• Some thoughts on the Frankenstein family and their pseudo-incestuous relationships by @frankingsteinery and others.
• Analysis of the current trends of "dark" romantasy love interests by @goblins-riddles-or-frocks. Some thoughts on Deathless by the same poster here.
• Willow and Tara's beginnings and how modern audiences misunderstand them by @coraniaid. Another great Buffyverse meta on the shortcomings of season 3 by @herinsectreflection here.
• Captain Kirk's diegetic makeup by @anghraine. I would recommend any meta post of hers, really, especially those about Star Trek: TOS and about Pride and Prejudice. This one unites both, analyzing two mothers: Amanda Grayson and Lady Anne Darcy, and how audiences react to them.
• The value of anachronistic female characters by @susandsnell. She and @goblins-riddles-or-frocks, mentioned above, share the spotlight on a post that critics Katniss Everdeen's writing. Hot-button topic, but one that I still think back to with some bitterness, not gonna lie.

I hope there's something here for everyone. Enjoy!