with the prompt "A fic set before the game" we're talking about Do Not Go Gentle by Sky_kiss. disclaimer before we start that this isn't only set before the game, but 90% of it is so im counting it ok leave me alone/j
second disclaimer that this Is a mature fic. they do bang sometimes but it's not the focus of the fic
is anyone shocked that this is another painted family fic. you shouldn't be by now. this one however is focused on painted renoir and his attempts to keep the whole. yk. situation under control starting from the fracture. it is mostly a character study, especially deeply showing his relationship with aline and his feelings about being. well. a painting. from the fic's summary:
In the beginning, they were the Dessendre family. No more. No less.
There was a fire; Renoir knew that much. The specifics had never mattered. Like a nightmare, the finer points had since faded. Renoir concerned himself with one thing: he’d been there. Verso lived. His little one would carry her scars the remainder of her life, but she lived too. He could ask no more than that.
Seven years after the fire, the nightmare began again. Only this time, Renoir could not wake. The Fracture shook the world apart. He stood powerless as the foundations of the earth crumbled.
i love love love when fics try to explore painted renoir's side of the story and this one does so very well. i really like the exploration of his work as a justified hunt and his desire to be exactly what aline needs even if it's not what he wants to be. this one's a longer oneshot but it's a good read and i went through it pretty fast, although that might just be me. as always, recommend if any of this speaks to you
this time following the prompt "A fic set on the Continent", we are going for Third Choice by WoodTree_0611. you know it's gonna be a good one when English isn't the author's first language
this one was actually on my TBR for quite a bit! i just now took the chance to actually read it and didn't regret doing so
this fic is still ongoing and therefore unfinished, but it's an alternate universe revolving around the idea of the painted family actually assisting the expeditions, presumably set in a sort of loop after the game and coming after Alicia's gommage at the Reacher. as described in the work summary:
Painted Alicia gets a brand new chance, allowing her to stop her father from massacring the Expedition on the Dark shores.
The father and daughter discuss their plan and convince Verso to join them, gradually revealing the entire truth to the Expedition.
Painted Renoir began to aid the Expedition, rather than slaughter them.
~~~~
I believe that Painted Renoir and Painted Alicia have unlimited potential in the story. So here I am.
if you know anything about me (hi stelle) you know i fucking adore the painted family and any content of it is awesome to me, but the very idea of this au is also so interesting to me. the dynamics of the family with the expedition are so interestingly written and the ways the actual story changes dramatically just from small things no longer happening are So entertaining. if the premise sounds interesting definitely give this one a shot
My notes: versavs! versavs wrote this based on an absolutely insane, crack idea about a caveman AU for Verstave that spanned hours on discord chat. I applaud versavs for organizing that insanity and writing an actual, cohesive fic. It's pure crack. It's delightful.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
using this reading challenge as an excuse, i will be trying for the next two months to go through some prompts and recommend fics i enjoyed from it! starting, yes, quite literally from day one
the first prompt i chose from week 1 was "A fic that is less than 5000 words long", and so begun with Divergent Paths, from a user who is currently anonymous as the fic is part of an exchange!
this 2488 word fic is a oneshot set after Maelle's ending and revolves around Verso, dealing with his struggle to accept his new life and the knowledge he lost the battle against convincing his sister. described in the fic summary:
After everything, Maelle asks him to stay.
i particularly enjoyed the characterisation! the way Verso is written is very entertaining and shows his whole internal debate nicely. seeing Monoco again is also always a plus. it's a quick and nice read, and so i do recommend it. enjoy!
You can find full instructions here, an FAQ here, and a full list of the prompts here.
You have between now and the end of July to find and read as many E33 fanfics as you can, using the prompts from the list. Each week we'll be highlighting a few prompts as we go along.
Week 1 Prompts
This week your challenge is to find and read any of the below:
A fic that is less than 5000 words long
A fic you've had in your TBR for more than a month
The Expedition 33 Summer Reading Challenge is coming up fast - the prompt list will be posted on the 20th of May, and the reading kicks off during June and July.
Check out our info post and our FAQ if you'd like to join the challenge.
I've loved the idea of this reading challenge since you first pitched it! In addition to the gold stars for fic recs, I wonder if there could be something that encourages leaving comments on fics read, even if it's just a simple heart emoji or keysmash once per fic! I try to leave one every chapter but I know many struggle with / get nervous considering even one per fic. Is that something that could be added to the challenge? :]
We're glad you're looking forward to the challenge! It should be fun.
We have some tips in our FAQ for anyone who hasn't left comments before, as even a love heart or two can brighten someone's day. 💖
We're happy to add in an extra star as a special goal for anyone who manages to comment on everything that they read. There will be stars at the end for anyone who:
Reads 1 fic
Reads 5 fics
Reads 11 fics
Reads 22 fics
Reads 33 fics
Contributes Fic Recs to the Community
Comments On Everything They Read for the Challenge
If you have questions, we have answers. If you want to know anything that isn't answered below, please jump into our Ask Box.
What is the E33 reading challenge?
For the E33 challenge, we will provide a set of prompts about types of fanfic to find and read. The prompts will range from "find a fic with less than 5000 words" to "find a fic with a French title" to "find a fic about the gestrals." Your challenge is then to find a fic that matches that criteria, read it and comment on it.
Over summer, you should keep a track of how many fics you have managed to read, and at the end of the challenge there will be digital gold stars for you to collect.
Why are you running a reading challenge?
The E33 fandom has a huge number of incredible writers and there is so much fantastic fic to read. As organisers, we realised our To Be Read lists were reaching mythical heights - so this challenge is to help motivate you to read more, and to celebrate the writers of our fandom.
How do I take part?
There are no formal sign-ups required. When the 33 reading prompts are posted, you can pick up as many as you like and run away to start reading.
We'd encourage you to reblog the details of the challenge or post to your own tumblr declaring that you're taking part and how many fics you're going to try to read (think of it as the fandom equivalent of declaring your Reading Goals on GoodReads) but this isn't mandatory.
More questions under the cut
Do I really have to read 33 fics??
You can set your own reading goals! 33 prompts are provided so that you can flexibly pick-and-choose which ones you'd like to fulfil.
Can I count 1 fic for multiple prompts?
While it's likely that one fic might be able to fulfil multiple prompts, the reading challenge is focused on reading more - you should therefore count each fic for only one prompt. To collect a "I Read Five Fics" gold star at the end, it would need to be five separate fics rather than one fic that fits five categories.
Can I count reading my own fics?
Unfortunately not. While there may be some fics in your back catalogue that would perfectly fit some of the prompts, as this challenge is about reading & celebrating the fic of other people you wouldn't be able to count those towards your goal.
Can I count re-reading a fic?
Absolutely! Re-reading is reading, so you can re-read an old fave if it fits one of the prompts.
Do I have to comment on everything I read?
You don't have to, but there is a special gold star at the end of the challenge if you do. Comments are excellent fuel for encouraging your favourite writers to write more (and then you can read more.)
I've never commented on a fic before, what should I say?
You don't need to leave anything elaborate behind. Examples of how you might want to comment would be:
❤️❤️❤️
"I loved this"
"I really liked X scene, and when Y did Z!"
Copy & paste a couple of lines that stuck with you, and tell the author why you liked those parts.
What are fic recs/How do I do fic recs?
For the E33 Reading Challenge, there's a special star at the end for anyone who publicly shares the fics that they've read & enjoyed. This might take the form of a tumblr post (or the fandom social media location of your choosing), and would typically involve sharing the details of the fic, why you loved it, and the link so that other people can read it too. You might do one for each fic you read, or you might choose to compile them all into one list.
Fic recs can help us to shout from the rooftops about works that we love, and also help people with finding more great stories to read.
How/when should I be tagging my posts to be included on the challenge tumblr?
If you post anything on tumblr about the challenge (such as your Summer Reading Goals or a list of fic recs), if you tag it with #e33readingchallenge we will find it and reblog it.
I read something for the challenge but didn't like it. What should I do?
The old fandom saying is "Don't Like Don't Read." The other older saying is "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."
If you start to read something and work out it's not for you, it's best to use the back-button on your browser and disengage.
Is there a Discord server I can join for this challenge?
This challenge has not got its own Discord server and is not affiliated with any specific fandom space, but we strongly encourage you to chat about it anywhere and everywhere you feel like chatting.
Welcome To The Expedition 33 Summer Reading Challenge
Do you have a backlog of fics you keep meaning to read? Is your To Be Read list out of control? Do you really, really, really like earning gold stars?
The Expedition 33 fandom is blessed with amazing writers and fantastic fics - and this challenge is dedicated to helping you read more of them.
How Does It Work?
Over summer, we will post a set of 33 prompts showing different types of fics to find: the prompts will range from "find a fic with less than 5000 words" to "find a fic with a French title" to "find a fic about the gestrals."
You can then comb through AO3 (or wherever you prefer to read your fic) and find a fic that matches that prompt: read it, enjoy it, comment on it, and then give yourself a big tick for meeting that challenge.
At the end of summer, you can collect a shiny gold star depending on how many prompts you managed to meet. We will have stars for managing to find and read:
1 fic
5 fics
11 fics
22 fics
33 fics
Special Stars
In addition to the above stars for meeting your reading goals, there are two other gold stars available at the end of the challenge:
Fic Recs: Because we want this challenge to be about shouting from the rooftops about how much we love all the talent in this fandom, there will also be a special gold star for anyone who shares Fic Recs of the lovely things they've read.
Commenter: If you leave a comment (big or small) on every single fic that you read for the challenge, there will be an extra gold star at the end for you too.
Timeline
20 May 2026: The full Reading Prompt List will be posted so that you can plan ahead.
1 June 2026 to 31 July 2026: Read, comment, & recommend as many fics as you'd like. We'll post weekly to highlight a different set of prompts from the Reading Prompt List every week.
August 2026: We'll post stars and will reblog anyone who posts under #e33readingchallenge confirming they've met their challenge
Questions?
If you have any questions, check out the Q&A on our tumblr, or jump in our Ask Box and ask!
What Should I Do Now?
Reblog this post and let us know underneath or in the tags what your reading goals are for this summer!
Then follow us to keep an eye out for the prompt list on the 20th May, and the weekly prompts throughout June and July.
This summer, look out for the Expedition 33 Summer Reading Challenge: it's all about finding, reading, and sharing fanfics that we love.
There will be fanfic scavenger-hunt prompts (such as "find and read a fic with a painting technique in its title") and gold stars for anyone that meets their summer reading goals.
More details to come in May - watch this space.
Huge, huge thank you to @thunderstyled for blessing us with this image of Verso "AO3 Addict" Dessendre.
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