Only the Most Beautiful
The gorgeous, gut-punching, life-affirming fics I come back to time and time again. Sometimes it's love, unrequited or fulfilled. Sometimes it's friendship, family. Sometimes it's angst and horror and unhappy endings, sometimes everything is soft and nothing hurts.
Mostly Marvel, with some other gems. Use the bookmarks to see the full list of works with collector's commentary. Skip to the best-of-the-best if you want to be like that, but they're all the best.
(Maintained by WaterMe)
(Open, Moderated)
Random works
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Summary
When Julian volunteered to spend six months on Cardassia he set in motion a chain of events which forever changed his life - and Garak's.
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4 Minute Window by Speranza
Fandoms: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
06 Jan 2015
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Summary
"Look, if they catch me," Bucky muttered, "they're either going to kill me or they're going to put me in a box with a little window and—Steve, I can't."
Series
- Part 1 of 4 Minute Window
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What Dwells in Us by how_long_must_we_live
Fandoms: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
07 Jun 2022
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Summary
Three months have passed since Obi-Wan Kenobi arrived on Tatooine. He has settled into a quiet, uneventful life in the desert, watching over the infant Luke from afar.
Alas, his life isn’t going to stay quiet or uneventful for much longer.
OR: The novel-length story of Obi-Wan’s years in exile (and beyond!) I have always wanted to read.
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trouble is i don’t wanna let go by cheekysstyles
Fandoms: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Deadpool - All Media Types
12 Apr 2020
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Summary
Usually when Wade pictured Spidey straddling him and panting from exertion, it wasn’t quite like this.
or Wade wakes up to Spiderman literally holding an entire building up so it doesn’t crush them. Both of them realize pretty quickly the building is coming down anyway.
Series
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we could jump the state lines (we only get the one life) by notcaycepollard
Fandoms: Captain America (Movies)
22 Dec 2016
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Summary
It starts in Paris.
“You can’t steal things just because you like them,” Sam tells Bucky, feeling innately that this is a losing battle, and Bucky cocks his head to the side, considers Sam very thoughtfully.
“Really,” he says. “I’m stealing you, aren’t I?”
Random bookmarks
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in cayenne and honey, in vinegar and lime by alby_mangroves, Nonymos
Fandoms: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Black Panther (2018), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
04 Jun 2018
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Summary
M’Baku fought for T’Challa. But should he keep fighting for T’Challa’s vision? The king is professing change, such deep change, while the Jabari are supposed to be the guardians of tradition.
It’s a complex problem, which demands a cool head. So M’Baku could really do without an old love coming back to haunt him, an obnoxious royal teenager, and T’Challa’s secret one-armed guest.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 27,530
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 1,040
- Kudos:
- 3,606
- Bookmarks:
- 1,426
- Hits:
- 40,344
Bookmarked by WaterMe
21 Jan 2019
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Bookmarker's Notes
One of the best of the best. An amazingly well-researched character study into M'Baku (and, to quote the tags, what a character!).
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Daydreaming by Gement
Fandoms: STAS, BTAS, Superman - All Media Types, Batman - All Media Types, Sandman (Comics)
18 Jan 2021
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Summary
Bruce Wayne is being haunted. Whoever heard of a ghost that only comes out in sunlight?
(Or, the least goth ghost story of all time, in which Bruce alarms his loved ones, spites Lex Luthor, and makes
outfriends with a ghost.)Series
- Part 7 of Superbat Saturdays
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 38,762
- Chapters:
- 12/12
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 385
- Kudos:
- 425
- Bookmarks:
- 132
- Hits:
- 7,267
Bookmarked by WaterMe
19 Jan 2021
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Bookmarker's Notes
The most lovely and hopeful ghost story you'll ever read. Keep an eye out for big Sandman vibes, exquisitely researched Jewish culture, and A+ Lois Lane cameos.
"I thought of a name I liked," the man said. "But I only remember the story, not the name."
"Oh?"
"There was a wizard, and a shipwreck, on an island. And the name was in a cloven pine."
"The Tempest," Bruce said. Interesting choice. "Ariel."
"Yes!" The man's smile literally lit up his face, glowing from within. "I could be Ariel."
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if it's all in my head (tell me now) by notcaycepollard
Fandoms: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV)
24 Apr 2021
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With the code words, Zemo can do anything.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 5,967
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 44
- Kudos:
- 308
- Bookmarks:
- 29
- Hits:
- 6,158
Bookmarked by WaterMe
24 Apr 2021
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Bookmarker's Notes
The fic I've been waiting for since Zemo first appeared.
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John isn’t all that interested when he finds out that Mycroft is pregnant. Mary just left, things with Sherlock are difficult, and nothing is the same, most of all not John himself. But then there is a bond needed, a baby born, and it was never meant to happen like this, but somehow...
Family, love, sex, and making it work - the complicated way. Post season three Omega Verse AU!
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 272,549
- Chapters:
- 127/127
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 3,968
- Kudos:
- 2,375
- Bookmarks:
- 378
- Hits:
- 73,284
Bookmarked by WaterMe
06 Oct 2017
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Bookmarker's Notes
This story is the reason I got an AO3 account - I knew I had to keep up with this story as it unfolded, chapter by chapter. It's long, but worth it. Read if you enjoy: realistic interpretations of A/B/O; imperfect but well-intentioned polyamory; adorable genius children; older people being vibrantly sexual beings; burn so slow it physically hurts.
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not an end, but (the start of all things) by notcaycepollard
Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Captain America (Movies)
01 May 2019
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They keep driving, for lack of anything better to do. A mission, Sam had said, and maybe that's true; maybe wherever they're headed is the way out, the way up.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 11,267
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 3
- Comments:
- 141
- Kudos:
- 2,414
- Bookmarks:
- 567
- Hits:
- 18,546
Bookmarked by WaterMe
06 May 2019
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Bookmarker's Notes
endgame, from another perspective