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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the kubler-ross theory by antivenom
Fandoms: Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Amazing Spider-Man (Movies - Webb), Deadpool - All Media Types
03 Dec 2017
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Summary
Peter loses Gwen in a split-second of motion.
It takes much, much longer for him to find himself afterwards.(In which Peter deals with a loss that immobilizes him and permeates through every drawn breath. In which his grief is a visceral abstraction that he can touch, that he can feel. And in which, with a little help, with time, with acceptance, with anger, with sadness, with Wade, he learns how to live in a world without her.)
Series
- Part 1 of the kubler-ross theory
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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
Tags
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?”
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Summary
Post-RotJ, Leia and Luke are the most important humans in Han's life.
Series
- Part 1 of Starfall
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Love Among the Ruins by Carelica
Fandoms: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
31 Mar 2019
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Summary
"I want you to sleep, James,” comes the man’s unexpected reply. “I want you to drift. I want to make your mind beautiful, in the way it used to be.”
________________________________________
Forced insulin coma was a real psychiatric therapy … and now Hydra aren’t the only ones using it.
Steve knows about the Chair. He doesn’t know about the Needle.
Series
- Part 1 of Tales from the Sisters Grimmer
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Summary
An abridged history of Nyota Uhura's experience with Vulcans, including the gay one she dated who became her best friend, and his former betrothed who became her wife.
Random bookmarks
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devil in a sunday hat by aloneintherain
Fandom Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types
06 Feb 2017
- Words:
- 14,625
- Works:
- 2
- Bookmarks:
- 1,384
Bookmarked by WaterMe
19 Apr 2020
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Bookmarker's Notes
"Birds Eating Other Birds" and "(go home) find yourself happy"
"Peter wishes he hadn’t gotten out of bed that morning. Then, maybe, he wouldn’t be reduced to this—limp-crawling through the rabbit burrows that is Oscorp Tower, a monster of a man on his heels, bloody and bruised and choking on a panic attack."
Young Spidey, alone and terrified, is honestly enough to break me.
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Summary
Andromeda Black's life has been meticulously planned on her behalf. It was past time she refused the path laid out for her.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 27,570
- Chapters:
- 7/7
- Collections:
- 4
- Comments:
- 27
- Kudos:
- 185
- Bookmarks:
- 58
- Hits:
- 3,815
Bookmarked by WaterMe
30 Nov 2019
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Andromeda Black meets a man in a muggle club (and then it gets sexy). Or: How to deprogram the ideologies you inherit.
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Daydreaming by Gement
Fandoms: STAS, BTAS, Superman - All Media Types, Batman - All Media Types, Sandman (Comics)
18 Jan 2021
Tags
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:
- 426
- Bookmarks:
- 132
- Hits:
- 7,285
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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The Sweetest Days by how_long_must_we_live
Fandoms: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
22 Aug 2017
Tags
Summary
It had begun as a dare.
“Hello there,” the whore called out.
Series
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 10,465
- Chapters:
- 10/10
- Collections:
- 3
- Comments:
- 235
- Kudos:
- 911
- Bookmarks:
- 61
- Hits:
- 10,576
Bookmarked by WaterMe
22 Jan 2018
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Bookmarker's Notes
One of those out-of-left field pairings that I never in a million years would have gone looking for. And it turns out to be sexy as hell and heartrendingly beautiful.
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half the night you’re a dependable chap (then the too white teeth all night) by voxofthevoid
Fandoms: Captain America - All Media Types
16 Apr 2019
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Summary
Steve Rogers is a sad fucking man, but he’s a soldier down to his bones, and Bucky’s always been weak to that particular combination of tragic eyes and fistfuls of blood.
That’s why he’s plastered to the walls and incapable of looking away from Rogers’s heaving chest and cracked knuckles. He doesn’t speak a word, doesn’t even dare to breathe loudly until a vicious punch from Rogers sends the poor bag flying across the room, spitting sand everywhere. There’s no startled sound from Rogers. He doesn’t even freeze, just huffs like he’s inconvenienced by his inanimate victim’s inability to withstand the pounding.
Bucky bites his tongue so he doesn’t offer himself as a replacement.
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Bucky makes a bad decision that snowballs in predictable fashion.Series
- Part 1 of couldn't get the boy to kill me
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 4,885
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 5
- Comments:
- 186
- Kudos:
- 2,240
- Bookmarks:
- 208
- Hits:
- 36,470
Bookmarked by WaterMe
21 Jul 2020
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Bookmarker's Notes
This series is hot as hell and painful as fuck. Only read it if you're ready to have some FEELINGS (in your pants and your heart).