Top Shelf Fiction: Reach up and grab a bottle of the good stuff
A personally curated collection of shining examples of writing. In order to be added, a story I've read needs to stand out as having at least one aspect of writing that it does to a masterful degree, such as especially vivid characterization, creative plot, or clever humor. May contain fics with rough spots, opinions I don't share, or questionable content. Read the tags and use your own discretion.
(Open, Moderated)
Recent works
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Summary
Zuko had never excelled at anything. Azula was a prodigy. Uncle always knew what to say. And Father... Father was strong, iron-like. But Zuko had only ever been good at surviving. Putting one foot in front of the other in a grim show of stubborn determination, gritting his teeth and bearing it. Survival was all he had ever been taught. He knew how to do it. So when he was kidnapped by the Southern Water Tribe, he expected to fight as he always had. He didn’t expect to be taught instead how to live.
In a warring land, the Water Tribe forgave the enemy in an act of defiance. For this, he was torn from them, and this time, his wounds won't heal so easily.
Forced back into nothing but survival, the last person Zuko expected to see was Hakoda's son. Hakoda was a promise of safety. The relentless blue of Sokka’s eyes was a promise of happiness. Zuko could have both if he just reached out his hands, but he found them clutching into fists. After all, he’d been burned one too many times.
But hey, at least between Hakoda and Sokka, Zuko could appreciate the family resemblance of pure, asinine stubbornness.
PODFIC AND TRANSLATIONS AVAILABLE
Recent bookmarks
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Known Exploited Vulnerability by laxlyricism for glitterary
Fandoms: The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells
14 May 2026
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Summary
A Known Exploited Vulnerability, or KEV, is a documented security flaw in software, hardware, or firmware that has been exploited in real-world attacks.
ART and Murderbot have faced the horror of talking about their emotions and come out the other side. Maybe they glossed over the sex stuff a little, but that's not important; sex isn't part of their relationship. Anyway, there are certain things ART would prefer to keep private, and Murderbot would prefer not to know. But when Murderbot comes back aboard acting strangely, the cracks in their fragile arrangement start to show.
Note: If you prefer to avoid sexual content in your TMBD fics, you can consider "Show Me How You Want It To Be" the proper end of the series and skip this one.
Series
- Part 3 of Fight or Flight
- Part 6 of The Fight or Flight Cinematic Universe
Bookmarked by Kuraiummei
07 May 2026
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Bookmarker's Notes
Rich, emotional writing that gives depth to an immense love with mismatched edges. Programming references abound, and also gets into logic that establishes that organic morality can't apply one to one for machine intelligences or constructs. Brilliant concepts, must read.
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Emotional Context by Clare_Hope
Fandoms: The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - Kate DiCamillo
27 Mar 2026
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Summary
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.)
Bookmarked by Kuraiummei
29 Apr 2026
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another zinger from this author. spent the entire time crying, no regrets, excellent parallels.
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Summary
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.
Bookmarked by Kuraiummei
29 Apr 2026
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Bookmarker's Notes
this was wonderful. i basically spent the entire read crying. 10/10 bookmarking immediately.
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When Murderbot falls face first into a mud pit, Gurathin is there to help it deal with the mess.
And if it enjoys the temporary loss of eyesight for certain recreational activities, well, it’s bringing Gurathin along for the ride.
Bookmarked by Kuraiummei
15 Apr 2026
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Bookmarker's Notes
it's so RARE to see someone write intimacy with attention to the little details, with patience and this sort of overwhelmed feeling. truly excellent.
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Humans were screaming, I was sprinting toward the problem, and the sky was unleashing a chill, torrential rain that made me nostalgic for getting hosed off in the security ready room.
It should have been the perfect day.
Well, not for the screaming people trapped in the collapsed building. Their day probably sucked. For me, it was exactly what I needed.
More than anything, I really needed there to be a problem, because if there wasn’t then I was the problem.
And there's only one kind of problem a rogue SecUnit can be.Bookmarked by Kuraiummei
01 Apr 2026
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Bookmarker's Notes
I've got one hand in my hair, fingers curled and pulling on it to brace myself while I read this. The intensely driven characterization and depiction of non-human mental illness is *incredible*. I am distraught and intrigued by turns.
read to ch 5 in march '26