E33 Reading Challenge

Challenge Prompt: A fic focused on an expedition outside of the 33rd Fic Title & Author: Cultural Nudism and Other Existential Perils by Adwen Rating: Teen Word Count: 15,453 Pairing: Gen Author's Summary: The journal from Expedition 60 reaches Lumiere. No one could predict the series of events that would unfold, much less control them, but that's not going to stop the Dessendres from trying. My Notes: H E L P, this fic is so funny. I was about 10% through reading it when I realised that this was immediately going to be a new fandom-fave for me. It's so funny, and there's almost a Discworld-esque absurdity to the writing, and I love the way that the writer just absolutely runs with the potential consequences of their "what if".

Challenge Prompt: A fic that is less than one day old Fic Title & Author: Respite by Arumattie Rating: General Word Count: 1,415 Pairing: Gustave/Verso Author's Summary: Verso and Gustave grow close as the latter recovers from his fight with Renoir. Hair braiding is involved. My Notes: The Writing Game that has been going around Tumblr has been creating so, so many wonderful fanworks, and this is no exception. The mental image of Gustave with some lovely braids in his pretty hair is the most delicious type of food.

Challenge Prompt: A fic tagged with no beta we gommage like x Fic Title & Author: who'd have thought there'd be so much left to lose (i won't quit on you) by realtalk127 Rating: Teen Word Count: 2,590 Pairing: Lune/Sciel (although more Sciel-focused gen) Author's Summary: In the aftermath of Gustave's death, Sciel reckons with a new loss by confronting an old one. My Notes: The way that this fic depicts Gustave's death from Sciel's POV genuinely left me tearing up. Sciel desperately needs a hug in this - and I love the way that it shows the history and friendship between Sciel and Gustave, along with her caretaking of Maelle, which is so precious in the game as well. It's so painful and so soft all at once.

Challenge Prompt: A fic about the gestrals Fic Title & Author: do you think God stays in heaven because He, too, lives in fear of what He's created? by deadnotsleeping Rating: General Word Count: 1,508 Pairing: Gen Author's Summary: Young Verso and Clea go to a gestral beach. My Notes: The title alone on this one is fantastic - and then the ficlet itself is adorable! The gestral games are so impossibly hard as a player, and there is something very cathartic about seeing even the painting's creators getting their asses beat by them.

Challenge Prompt: A fic focused on the Dessendre family Fic Title & Author: An Evening with the Dessendres by didhero Rating: General Audiences Word Count: 2974 Pairing: Verso/Gustave Author's Summary: Verso is taking Gustave to meet his family for the first time, which includes dinner and board games. Verso did not expect Gustave to bring the WORST BEST possible choice for his family to play. My Notes: H E L P, this is so cute. It's an established relationship, "meet the parents" kind of a thing - and Gustave is wonderfully charming, and Verso is terribly anxious, and there's such a joy in picturing Renoir and Aline sitting around a table playing art games. So fluffy.

Challenge Prompt: A fic set in the modern day Fic Title & Author: All the Things I Never Said by MsCoffeebear Rating: Explicit. Word Count: 9033 Pairing: Verso/Gustave Warnings: Major Character Death Author's Summary: It starts with music. A darkened practice room. Pale blue eyes and long fingers dancing across piano keys. Gustave knows he’s in trouble from the first moment he sees Verso play. Their love unfolds in stolen moments: behind practice room doors, in empty dorm rooms, anywhere they can be themselves without the weight of expectations. Verso can’t let his family know. Can’t afford the distraction. But he also can’t seem to let Gustave go. A story about taking it slower - and all the things you wish you’d said sooner. My Notes: I think I ended up with genre-whiplash going from the fluff of didi's fic above to the absolute melancholy heartache of this modern AU - my heart. Verso's complex relationship with his family haunts this narrative as well and throws all kinds of wrenches into the works for his fledgling relationship with Gustave. The relationship between the pair comes across so well, and the smut is achingly bittersweet.

Challenge Prompt: A fic featuring the/a gommage Fic Title & Author: watering flowers already dead by StarboundKnight Rating: Teen Word Count: 962 Pairing: Gustave/Sophie Author's Summary: Gustave and Sophie discuss the different traditions people have following the Gommage and the death of Sophie's parents. Gustave wants something a bit non-traditional, in a sense. My Notes: This is a lovely depiction of a conversation between Gustave and Sophie about the gommage and what it means for each of them. It expands really thoughtfully on the world-building implications of the gommage - and, I think, neatly encapsulates some of the different world-views between Gustave and Sophie.

Challenge Prompt: A fic that is more than six months old Fic Title & Author: 1,2,3… Le Roi du silence commence by Soso_Imagination Rating: Explicit Word Count: 8549 Pairing: Verso/Gustave Author's Summary: Gustave is loud in bed. Verso sets him a challenge: to remain as quiet as possible for a set amount of time. The loser must grant the winner's wish. It's as simple as that. My Notes: Oh my gosh. Dom Verso Dessendre. I love this dynamic so much, and there is so little fic for it. This fic is such a fun piece of play between Gustave and Verso, playing around with Gustave's canonical loudness. The smut is really playful, and there's also so much tenderness between the pair of them - I love that there's such a sense of these guys really, genuinely liking each other.

Challenge Prompt: A fic that is currently a WIP Fic Title & Author: There Be the Night by YacHaer Rating: Explicit Word Count: 48,996 [Chapter 6 of ?] Pairing: Verso/Gustave Author's Summary: At first glance, it looked like the perfect place. To heal from grief and loss, Gustave dedicated himself to help his sister pursue her ambitious dream. Together, they shall open a school, a place where gifted youth can flourish through art. And they discovered the ideal location for that, an abandoned manor, nestled in the heart of Paris but plagued with a gruesome reputation. As the siblings bring new light into the desolated estate, Gustave begins to sense that he is not alone. A restless presence lingers in the empty hallways, burdened by loneliness and craving for kinship. And maybe love too. Meanwhile, in the hidden depths of the manor, something far darker than ghosts awakens… My Notes: I have been gradually catching up on this WIP throughout the past few weeks, and finally got up to the latest chapter this week. It's a great, spooky ghost story! It's set during the modern day, and features Verso, The Curator and The Paintress as spirits haunting a manor-turned-school. There are some really tense/spooky set-pieces, and the mystery of what happened to Verso in the past and how he came to be here is super enticing. I am hugely looking forward to reading future parts.

Challenge Prompt: A fic that is a character study of your favorite character Fic Title & Author: Reverie by bygonesigh Rating: Mature Word Count: 2427 Pairing: Gustave/Lune Author's Summary: Growing up and living in Lumière, death colored the living more than life ever could. Every action needed to be purposeful, every day that passed needed to be meaningful - Lune finds Gustave at his weakest. My Notes: Unsurprisingly, I instantly went looking for a Gustave Character Study for this prompt, and I was delighted to find this fic that looks at his mental state during the opening section of the game on the Continent. It's got some really interesting takes on Gustave's relationship with death thanks to the gommage, and makes some little tweaks to the flow of canon in order to add a little extra Lune in there too.

A fic you've already read once

I did multiple! Good excuse to look at my old favs.

Da Capo al Fine by @queenlua

...Like he'd done once while she was sitting to watch him play—making no noise, no motion, just listening—and he'd whorled on her, halfway through his scales, a snarl on his face: "Would you stop with that?" "With what?" "Sitting there. There," he said, and jabbed a finger at the chair where she sat in for emphasis. "Oh," she said. Afraid to even say I'm sorry because God knew how that might set him off. She'd taken to watching him play after the funeral, yes, because, by God, she'd almost lost this, a whole lifetime of it. But it had been weeks since then. He might've mentioned before if her sitting there was a problem, anytime at all, but—well.

GOD. This one haunts me. It's Goregous. It's horrific. It's Sad. Aline wants it all; Her son to live, for him to find success, and for him to be happy. But no matter what, it's just not in the cards for him. It was his time, and this fic makes you FEEL that. No matter what version of Verso it is, he always finds a way to slip into addiction, whether because he's sad or grieving or in pain.

thrash the lake white by @queenlua (as well hah)

He sets his shoulders. "What if Maelle had offered you the same thing?" "What?" "Not now, I mean—back then, when you swam out on your own." There's a hooked thing on his face, just short of a smile, and dreadful. "If you'd met a Paintress then, and she offered to just gommage you away, quick as that… Would that have been good? Would that have been right?" He's leaning forward. "Is that the sort of world you want?" Oh, she could slap him. She wants to. The only thing keeping her is that sneer on his face, the one that tells her that's what he wants, isn't it, and she won't give him that satisfaction.

Ohhhh this one stuck with me, too. I read it back in march and have come back to it probably 5+ times. It's a really unique take on act 3 where the group isn't as merry as you'd think. good balance between dialogue and physical cues to hint at what a character is feeling. Sciel's motivation slowly crumbles until all that keeps her going is the thought of seeing her Husband. Also Verso goes through it (TM), which automatically shoots it up to my favs. he's described a few times as going limp as a bird and it's. yeah. This book is on my phone so i can re-read scenes. This line got stuck in my head. "And there is a stillness inside her. And there is a Paintress beside her. She knows she can walk through that door, now. Can walk through anything, now."

Santé by @grumblecrows

Silvertongue's less grandiose callsign is Verso, as Julie comes to discover after a few nights of coaxing surrounding the imbalance in knowledge with her name tag. He likes dogs - he's got two of them. Cute and fluffy ones, as the pictures demonstrate. The way he bounces around the selection of wine-based liqueurs with his orders suggests a strong sweet tooth. His favorite color is a deep, dark maroon. "Like blood," Verso says, doing that macabre thing again and smiling in a way that reminds Julie of being shocked by static.

I literlly cannot put into words how much I adore this fic (yet I will try). It's the first Versulie fic I read. The concept hooked me; Bartender Julie easing Verso away from his drinking problem. And then the emotions sealed my fate. The fic treats both Julie and Verso very gently. It doesn't infantilize Verso, and it doesn't make Julie overbearing or "I can fix him". The characterization is amazing. Little details fit so well (Verso's nickname is 'Silvertongue,' which I sometimes refer to him as in my head LMAO). Lots of nods to the game and sun/ moon representations. And I enjoyed it so much, I have it saved to my phone so I can read it as a treat. also , looking back on it, it was one of the catalysts for me starting to write more and I inadvertently met a lot of great people. sante my beloved

On Endymion by peppermeadow

“The Paintress didn't recognize her,” Verso says. “She didn't realize that she was her real daughter.” “She couldn't even determine that you were her creation,” Lune says. (The real Clea Dessendre had no trouble at all. “I hate doppelgangers,” she muttered to herself in dark tones. “You are a ghastly affront to my dead brother's final piece of soul, do you know that? You profane this Canvas with your very existence.” Then she killed him.)

Started reading for the tags and stayed bc of the emotional moments. I stayed up until 2am (DURING EXAM SEASON) reading this. I had to take breaks between each chapter. it was that intense. think of getting hit in the chest with a sledgehammer and then reading the most lovingly emotional thing. then the hammer. repeat 4x. Verso is very in his head during this and his mind can't stop wandering and being sad. i think im seeing a trend in my fav fics...

edit, bc i can't believe i forgot abt these!!!

Portrait of the Artist’s Wife by @snuggetfish

“Truth be told, I can't imagine my gentle, distinguished husband partaking in such a cruel sport.” This finally gets Verso’s attention. He locks eyes with you, then, with a languid stretch, his head nestles into the crook of your neck. “You don't know what I'm capable of,” he matches your tone, but coats his warning in a restrained need. “Living amongst beasts could turn me into a dangerous man.”

oh my god i think abt this fic so often. literally spawned a whole new fic for me to write because i love the concept of reluctant painter verso so much. so many complex emotions in (relatively) short word count)

Perfect Strangers by @snuggetfish

He could find out. Right then and there. All it would cost was your trust. His sanity.

look. it's really good. and hot. the way the author writes verso scratches my brain. and then at the end p!Verso gets very dark and i think that was the part that stuck out to me the most. (I really am seeing a trend in my fav fics...)

A fic about a rare-pair (the rarer the better)

My scale for 'rare-pair' is skewed because I consume so many nicher-ships. So here's a few;

the one that got away by @anakinh

"You have to be kidding me," the man complained; he spoke English in a posh, upper class accent. "I get murdered, and Death talks to the murderer instead? The bloody French murderer, no less?"

WOWWWWWW i typed a paragraph on ao3 but it's really interesting AU, with a lot of historical details. Immortal Verso bounces around and keeps meeting death (Sciel).

Ars moriendi by The_Doctor21

The same thing again. They will come here. They will try to kill him. They will force him into self-defense. As always. It's always self-defense. You are brilliant at making excuses. "Shut up." "Your Grace?" Cedric asked, taken aback. "It's nothing. Continue."

I stg every week I read a Versulie fic, LOL, I'm a sucker for the 'dead lover in a weapon talks to the alive lover' trope and this was perfect for that. Also has Verso who's gone crazy. which. mhmmm :)))

A fic set in Maelle's ending

l'art poétique by pathofcomets

“Are you real?” she asks instead, when he offers up a piece of fruit to her, settles the jacket of his suit over her cold shoulders, maybe not yet peace offerings, but reminders.  Such basic tasks, eating and keeping warm, in the midst of all this insanity. She wants to do none of it, forces herself to accept his gesture instead. The drip of juice down her wrist feels real enough, as is the sweet taste on her tongue, the warmth of the jacket’s fur against her skin, the sound of his breath next to hers.  “As real as you are,” Verso replies, and that is what she feared - because she knows that is not real, not real at all.

WOWW AGAIN. This one blew me away. It's so elegantly written. Jumping between scenes and conversations, Lune and Verso have. the theme of 'real' vs 'not real' comes up a lot. And it's amazing how much these characters go through in just over 12K words. I can't find the right words to describe how much I loved this. pls go read it.

A fic that involves Verso's Drafts

catimini by @asaara-writes

They start feasting. Verso’s appetite is insatiable, and he’s been dreaming all night of this moment: the poached pears they had for dessert last night did little to satisfy his sweet tooth, and now he can finally eat all the cake and candy he wants, his parents none the wiser. Esquie is eating too, shovelling birthday cake into his face with both hands, the food disappearing into his belly with a flash of magical light.

Challenge Prompt: a fic you’ve already read once Fic Title & Author: O Brawling Love, O Loving Hate by arumattie Rating: Mature Word Count: 5,534 Pairing: Gustave/Verso Author's Summary: It had been a while since he'd last seen Verso—eight months, seven days, and ten hours—and even now, grief ate at him for what could have been. Gustave missed the feeling of his fingers in his hair, and he missed the sound of Verso's laughter; he missed falling asleep in Verso's arms and the heated kisses they once shared. A shuddering exhale slipped past his lips as he checked the time once more, the second hand ticking away his life like a heartbeat in his palm. My Notes: I adore Phi's writing so much, so for this prompt was basically "Which one of Phi's fics shall I re-read?" I opted for this one, which is a Romeo & Juliet inspired tragedy, with writer!Gustave and og!Verso on the opposite sides of an escalating war. I love the way that the fic runs with the R&J theme, and the sense of inevitable tragedy threaded throughout.

Challenge Prompt: a fic about a rare pair Fic Title & Author: After the Flood by vailkagami Rating: Teen Word Count: 12,214 Pairing: Gustave/Lucien Author's Summary: With the Paintress gone, the world saved, and everyone back from the dead, they should have their perfect happy ending. But death has a habit of leaving scars even where it is reversed, new beginnings do not come easy, and no one is entitled to forgiveness. When he returns from the continent newly alive and with the memory of his last moments ringing in his mind, all Lucien can think of is how he failed to protect Gustave in the end, and how he does not want to fail again. But looking after Gustave has always been a challenge, and it is made no easier by the fact that Maelle has all these memories of another life now, and a new brother, and trouble figuring out her priorities and how they affect those around her. My Notes: Gustave/Lucien is such a delightful little angst-bomb of a rare pairing, and this fic is an in-depth examination of what a post-game reunion might look like for them. I love the way that this fic doesn't pull its punches about Verso's role in what happened to the canvas (and to Gustave himself).

Challenge Prompt: a fic set in Maelle’s Ending Fic Title & Author: Blossom by thevalesofanduin Rating: General Audiences Word Count: 6,231 Pairing: Gustave/Verso Author's Summary: When Sciel advises Verso to try gardening as he struggles to find out who he really is after all is said and done, he just looks at her in disbelief. But he could use something cathartic—Sciel’s description, not his—in his life, and, save from talking to Maelle, it’s one of the few things he hasn’t tried. Why would he have? It is gardening, after all. He certainly doesn’t expect it to end up changing his life… My Notes: I love the creepy, eerie, horror-movie quality of Maelle's Ending, and it's one of my favourite settings to explore in fic - so, for this prompt, I thought I would swing the pendulum in a different direction and pick up a fic from my TBR list that had a nice, positive spin on Maelle's Ending instead! I love the thought of Verso being able to find some catharsis and healing in tending to a garden in the wake of all the destruction he nearly caused.

Challenge Prompt: a fic featuring Verso’s Drafts Fic Title & Author: catimini by aban_asaara Rating: General Audiences Word Count: 1,687 Pairing: Gen Author's Summary: A sugar smell welcomes them, making Verso’s mouth water. He’s filled the place with paintings of everything he likes, with little regard for contrast and composition and proportions. Endless swirls of cotton candy rise into pastel skies; lollipop flowers bob their heads in welcome, and the distant whistle of a train echoes as it speeds along a floating track before disappearing into fluffy pink clouds. It breaks all the art rules his parents have taught him. He doesn’t care. It’s the best place in the world. In any world. My Notes: I didn't have anything in my TBR list set in Verso's Drafts, so I went on a treasure hunt through the AO3 tags and found this cute little fic about wee!Verso going on adventures there. There's always something so melancholic about fics about Verso's childhood when we (as the audience) know the grim fate that awaits him, and I love that this ficlet gives us a little glimpse of some of the sweetness of his youth.

Challenge Prompt: a fic set in Verso’s Ending Fic Title & Author: a shadow treading through the willows by rhibbet Rating: General Audiences Word Count: 2,435 Pairing: Gen Author's Summary: In Paris, Alicia sees a man who looks like Gustave. My Notes: I love the strangeness in this fic and the way that it makes you (and Alicia) doubt her own reality. In Verso's Ending, outside of the canvas, Alicia sees a man that looks exactly like Gustave, and is left trying to decide whether or not to interact with him. Alicia's sense of isolation and loneliness is so, so powerful here: I want to scoop her up and hug her.

Challenge Prompt: a fic with a French title Fic Title & Author: Ma Meilleure Ennemie by yurikazen Rating: Explicit Word Count: 22,950 Pairing: Gustave/Verso Author's Summary: After making a promise to each other at the Canvas' edge, Maelle restores Lumiére to its former splendor, and Verso tries to live his life in it as simply and unobtrusively as possible. Too bad that Gustave absolutely hates Verso's guts, and Verso's blossoming feelings for Gustave are of a complete opposite nature. My Notes: This fic may be the longest-standing resident of my TBR list, as I think I've been waiting to read it for around 11 months: I could tell it was going to be tailored right to my interests and wanted to be able to save it for a time that I could sit down and devour the whole thing more or less in one sitting. And, oh, it was worth the wait! The dynamic between Gustave and Verso is so crunchy here - it's jagged and difficult. The fic is from Verso's POV, and you're left with Verso trying to read between the lines of his interactions with Gustave and work out what's going on in Gustave's head. And there's a truly lovely about of yearning and pining from Verso. Such a great read, and I'm so glad that this challenge allowed me to finally sit down and read it!

A fic centred on a character you've never read about before Le Soleil brillait. by AveSapphic (GarlicHater)

“Finish our work,” she told me before turning away from me and boarding the ship with our father. I could feel Stella’s fury behind me, but when I turned around, it was Sol’s gaze that stunned me. I didn’t recall ever seeing him lose his composure in the face of anger. He was holding back his expression, but his eyes said it all.

I've never read about Sol before, and this one focuses mostly on Lune and Sol's relationship pre-expedition and dives a bit into their family dynamic. I really enjoyed it A fic with two or more authors Tergiversi A Praetus Suis by @lutza97 and @HairyEcballium

...An eccentric painter, gradually becoming jaded and staging theatrical performances for the newspapers, selling his art through scandals. Art must be on display — just like the artist himself. Balls, receptions, reckless deeds, promiscuous liaisons, absinthe, opium, yet another painting, lauded by the critics. Verso wanted to chop off his own hands and throw them into the waters of the Seine. He hated every day of his life. 

Holy fuckkk. It's so good. Amazing worldbuilding, well-written characters. The vocabulary especially stood out, because you can tell the authors RESEARCHED before writing it. Every time an author mentions Verso drinking absinthe I know it's going to be amazing. The premise alone is interesting, but there's mystery and intrigue added around Gustave and the town that makes me want more and more. I really like the take on Verso's character in this one. "Verso, a Parisian eccentric painter, arrives to Lumiere, a hidden Alpine village near Durance to heal his melancholia and acedia." I saw art from the fic that made me want to read it, so it's been on my TBR list for a while.

A fic set outside the canvas When He Sees Me by glittergoblins

“And what would it matter to you Monsieur…?” “Chevalier. Simon Chevalier.” “Monsieur Chevalier,” she continued, “if those thing were true.” She dragged the rim of her glass across her lower lip. Simon made no effort to disguise the way his eyes tracked the movement. He took a step closer. Clea attempted to take a step back but her back hit the wall. Merde. “I would say,” he leaned in, “I like those kinds of things in a woman.”

Literally kicking my feet and giggling while reading the dialogue. Simon is persistent but not overbearing in his quest to woo Clea, which is very charming. It focuses a lot on Clea's mind as she struggles to be vulnerable. Bonus: Break Me In by @merryminstrel (Set outside the canvas)

“Are you… enjoying yourself?” She sounded uncertain. Flustered. And just a little winded.  “Of course I am,” Verso answered, lowering his voice. “We’re dancing.”  She watched him closely. “Are we? It feels more like I am giving you a lesson.”  He let out a noncommittal hum, delighting when her slender frame responded to the sound with a tremor.  “You’re all tense,” Aurélie whispered with a hint of concern. Verso exhaled slowly.  “Am I?”