for those who come after

[goosetave]

an independent, selective, and mutual exclusive roleplay blog for GUSTAVE from sandfall's CLAIR OBSCUR: EXPEDITION 33. dash only and iconless. written by sarah, est. 01 / 2026. 21+ only, minors dni. a study in hopelessness, survivor's guilt, and grief, this blog will contain mentions of death, gore, and implications of suicide. viewer discretion is advised.

↳ headcanons ↳ gallery ↳ inbox games ↳ starters ↳ verses

REPLIES AND ACTIVITY. i work a full - time job, and as roleplaying is a hobby of mine i cannot and will not be around 24 / 7. please do not harass me for replies; it's not going to make me get to them any faster, and it's a good way to get yourself blocked. my discord is available to mutuals upon request, but i ask that we've been spoken a few times beforehand.

MUTUAL EXCLUSIVITY. i withhold the right to write with whomever i please, and i am not obligated to give you an explanation as to why i have not followed you. this is about boundaries, something i have had issues with numerous times in the past.

NSFW & TRIGGERS. as mentioned above, this is a 21+ only blog. content aside, i simply do not feel comfortably following anyone under that age. graphic depictions of violence are likely, and smut is possible. any and all mature content will be tagged as "cw: usfw" or "tw: trigger" for blacklisting. if i have not tagged something that needs to be, please notify me immediately so that i may correct the issue.

SHIPPING. i ship with chemistry. i portray gustave is a bi - curious man, meaning he is very uncertain about his bisexuality despite not judging the sexualities of others. all ships will take place in their own little verse, so please never assume my muse is cheating. do not try forcing a ship with me, as it makes me incredibly uncomfortable and will likely get you blocked. finally, please be aware that i do not consider your muse flirting with gustave as forcing a ship.

REGARDING AI USAGE. i have never and will never partake in the usage of ai. it will not be present here, nor will be it accepted. if you are using ai to write or make your art for you, do not follow me. if you do not care enough to engage with me, then i do not care enough to engage with you.

MISCELLANEOUS. do not god - mod; do not maim or kill gustave without discussing with me first (*ahem* renoir). i do not accept magic anons (assuming these are still a thing); i get bored of them and lose track of them. i do not practice reblog karma; i do not care if you reblog things from me (but i will always reblog from the source because i cannot possibly remember who does and does not share this preference). always believe in yourself. stay in school. don't do drugs. eat your teeth.

[goosetave]

THIS FUCKER TOOK ME ALMOST TWO HOURS, ARE YOU PROUD OF ME MOM

[goosetave]

i think i said something about it a while back, but that bag meme from last night made me think about it again. 97% of the contents of gustave's wallet would be pictures of family and friends.

[goosetave]

'You can rest. I’m here.' from lune

SLEEP THEMED STARTERS (accepting)

Rest. The chuckle that escapes him is involuntary; it certainly isn't funny. How did she expect him to rest when he had just watched their entire team mercilessly slaughtered only a few hours ago? How did she expect him to rest when Maelle was still out on the Continent somewhere? Possibly injured, maybe scared, or alone. They still weren't sure who left them the message at the Indigo Tree. How did she expect him to rest with so much uncertainty. How could she rest?

Maybe she couldn't. There wasn't a doubt in Gustave's mind that the beach haunted her just as much as it had him. But Lune was strong, or perhaps just more stubborn than him in that regard, unwilling to show a shred of weakness even after witnessing and narrowly escaping an awful tragedy.

Gustave admired her, but he also worried for her. "I'm fine," he said, for fifth, sixth, or seventh time that evening. It sounded less believable than it had the first time. "I can take first watch. You should get some sleep."

@hellsmusing

[goosetave]

WHAT'S INSIDE HIS BAG?

a novel, whatever he's currently reading

portfolio, an expanding file folder full of schematics and research notes

pencil case, full of pens, pencils, grease pencils, and highlighters

protractors and compass

multi - tool and screwdriver

keys and wallet

reading glasses

tagged by: @hellsmusing tagging: @paintedxghost, @peindrenoir, @obscurd, anyone else who wants to!

[goosetave]

@topaintandwrite (continued)

Her fury is fair. The fire took more than just her brother. The Dessendre family was in shambles, physically and mentally. Trust broken beyond repair by people they had been cordial enough with up until recent years. People he could barely refer to as "coworkers", but that he was affiliated with regardless. Her fury was understandable.

But that definitely didn't mean it wasn't annoying.

Help how? Admittedly, he wasn't entirely sure himself. Gustave had known the Dessendre family for many years; Verso was his friend. Tensions weren't just unbearable between the family and the Writers. His relationship with them had essentially made him an outcast -- not that he really cared. Just as painting had never been Verso's real passion, writing had never been his. Gustave hadn't technically been involved with the faction for quite some time, but the fire -- the murder of Verso Dessendre -- finally severed those ties.

Gustave folded his arms, biting his tongue to keep himself from stooping down to her bitter level. He certainly didn't appreciate being lumped in with killers, but if he allowed himself to snap back at her neither of them would accomplish anything. "I know you've devoted yourself to solving your brother's murder and bringing those responsible to justice yourself," he states. "How exactly is that going for you?"

[aurorarpresources]

Sleep Themed Starter Sentences

You drool in your sleep.

Don't you dare sleep in those clothes!

Did I wake you?

You're going to end up with a sore neck if you sleep like that.

You're supposed to turn off the alarm clock, not break it.

Are you always this grumpy in the morning?

Keep your cold feet away from me!

The bed's big enough for both of us.

You can rest. I’m here.

Just how many pillows do you need?

Now that you're awake, can you let go of me?

Oh, so even you get bedhead.

You talk in your sleep, you know.

When was the last time you slept?

You kick in your sleep.

If you're not tired why do you keep yawning?

You were having a nightmare.

I'm going to smother you with a pillow if you keep snoring.

Would you stop stealing all the blankets?

I can leave the light on if it helps.

You can use my shoulder as a pillow if you like.

I hate morning people.

Please tell me your not just now going to bed.

Do you often have nightmares?

Five more minutes…

Ugh, somebody turn off the sun.

Can I sleep here tonight?

Can you even find your bed in this mess?

You’re exhausted. Go to bed.

You don't need more coffee, you need a nap.

You can have the bed, I'll take the couch.

You look way too comfortable for someone who has to be at work in twenty minutes.

You're warm. Don't move.

You always look so peaceful when you’re asleep.

Your desk is not a bed.

You sleep, I'll keep watch.

Did you sleep at all?

[goosetave]

me: i'm going to get some replies done after work also me:

[goosetave]

no, weirdly enough i haven't ign, because it's fucking $400

[paintedxghost]

A genuine chuckle was startled out of Verso, "In my experience, the main difference is beard and/or moustache hair." He scratched at his beard somewhat apologetically. "Although I don't want to assume anything about the ladies you've kissed in the past." Verso glanced away, and the corner of his mouth curved in a bashful little smile.

"There's no pressure, you know," he assured Gustave in a much softer tone. A first type of kiss was still a first kiss. If Verso was walking this man to a metaphysical gallows, he owed it to him to do things right. "If it's not something you're ready for, or interested in.

"That said," Verso said as he looked back at Gustave with a rakish smile. "I am very willing to be experimented on." In for a penny, in for a pound.

[goosetave]

Something that resembled a laugh escaped him, though Gustave wasn't sure why. He supposed it could have been a number of things. Verso pointing out that men tended to have facial hair whereas women typically didn't (the women he had been with certainly didn't), or it could have even been his assurances.

"I never said I wasn't interested." Those words came more naturally to him than Gustave expected them to. Of course, just because it had never occurred to him before, had never felt the attraction before (or perhaps he had simply never noticed it before, had never felt it so strongly before), it didn't mean that he was going to let the surprise of the discovery overwhelm him. Not when Verso was smiling at him so devilishly, sending shivers down his spine.

Gustave hadn't quite realized how little space there was between them when he turned to face him a little better. His tentatively brush over Verso's. "I'm not sure I'd phrase it like that," he joked, "but if you're that serious about this, uh... 'experiment', then what kind of scientist would I be to deny you?"

[paintedxghost]

"Ouch," Verso's grin had only gotten wider, and he leaned forward, slightly more into Gustave's space. "That was the work of a novice. Someone who'd only read theory out of a book on trains. Just imagine what I could do now that I've got all these decades and decades of experience and the finest teachers you can find in the Ultimate Sakapate workshops."

Even as his startlingly pale, blue eyes glanced down at Gustave's lips, Verso couldn't quite silence the small voice in the back of his head asking what are you doing? Allowing himself casual dalliances never went well. He should be ignoring the way something as simple as a man putting away his tools had made Verso's heart rate pick up. It would only make things hurt more when the Expedition made it to the Monolith, or... more likely, died along the way.

And the risk to Verso's person if the Expedition uncovered even a hint of the terrible truths Verso was hiding from them? Exponentially higher if he were involved with one of them.

Too bad Verso's body was immune to that sound logic. He was just a man, after all."Do you have experience running this sort of experiment?"

[goosetave]

"Oh, I dread to think." Though he barely catches it out of the corner of his eye, Gustave could feel Verso's presence moving close. It was odd to think that a lack of space between made him uncomfortable once. He needed to remain guarded around Verso, just in case he truly couldn't be trusted. That he was still somehow in leagues with his barbaric father.

It almost sounded silly thinking back. Even more so now, when Verso's close proximity made him anxious, just not quite in the way it used to. It was the same racing feeling through his veins he felt when Sophie was near, her hand entwined with his or the feeling of her kiss. Frankly, it was a sensation he wasn't so certain he would feeling again. Though the location and with whom was a surprise, it wasn't unwelcome.

"Which part?" Stupid question or playful banter? Gustave wasn't sure; he certainly felt stupid since it was all he could think of to say. It would have been far from his first kiss, so why did it feel like it? "I'll admit," he started, running his right hand through his hair, "I've never felt... I haven't exactly kissed another man before, though I imagine that's no different than kissing a woman."

[goosetave]

I NEVER EXPLORED THE MANOR AS ALICIA. I THOUGHT NOCO THE DOG WAS A FANON THING.

[goosetave]

handyman gustave who brings lil treats for the dogs every time he's hired to do a job for the dessendre's

[goosetave]

i'm feeling a tad under the weather, i think just a minor chest cold, so i'm taking a day off from work. i'm still gonna try to get some replies out, though, and that includes the inbox.

[fil3t]

lumière s'éteint (light dies)

[prints]

Inspired by the second line of this verse from "Lumière s’éteint" (spoilers):

Si le temps se perd à contre-courant, If time loses itself to the tide, Les miroirs sans tain dévoilent leur nature One-way mirrors reveal their nature Si nos pulsations jouent à contre-cœur, If our hearts beat against their will, Notre amour veillera sur la mesure Our love will guard the rhythm Lumière s’éteint Light dies

Who can see whom through a one-way mirror depends on which side is brighter. As light (lumière) fades, a mirror becomes a window, and an illusion breaks.

[cathianemelian]

[paintedxghost]

@goosetave (♪)

"Since when is 'for science' not a valid excuse to do nonsensical things?" Verso asked with a sardonic grin. As loath as he was to admit it, Monoco had been right when he'd said Verso was starting to get attached to these Expeditioners. And despite the fact that Gustave had thrown a wrench in his plans by surviving, Verso was glad that he had.

The man was adorable when flustered. Verso would have been content to leave things at just banter and light teasing, but today. Today, it seemed they were on a different wavelength.

"You did propose a hypothesis; we should test it out. If we were being responsible science men."

[goosetave]

Gustave wouldn't admit it while Verso wore that annoying grin on his face, and he was pretty sure he was kidding, but Verso had a point. There were actually quite a few ridiculous things he had done in the name of science (and "science"). Using blue mushroom spores to make gun powder (science), or putting random objects underneath the hydraulic press to see if they would smash down or simply explode into pieces ("science").

Kissing another man, specifically one that he'd had a rather... complicated relationship up til this point, was certainly not on that list.

Was he against it? Surprisingly, no, and when he realized that he noted his heart beating a little faster. His cheeks felt warm. It had been quite a while since he felt such anxiety. Longing. The Continent was definitely not the best place for it, but at this point he was even less sure what tomorrow would bring than ever before.

"Responsible science men," Gustave said with a chuckle. He shoved his screwdriver back into his bag, knowing he wouldn't be getting anymore work done one way or another. "And here I thought you were more of an artistic man than a science man. Remember, I've seen your handiwork on the Shield Dome. I think you should stick to piano."