The People want a masterpost of fics you enjoyed!!
Okay, I’m trying this again, because yesterday my computer shut down just as I was about to post this and I needed some time to recover.
Most of the fics I enjoy fall into one of four categories: it made me laugh a lot, it made me feel empty inside, it made me think (it might be the writing style, the concept, or the formatting style they used), or Iconic. I did have to add a fluff category for all three of those that I apparently had bookmarked.
The order here is meaningless, I just went down my bookmarks tab on AO3. A lot of these authors also have other really excellent works, so I highly recommend exploring their other works!
If your work or username are not here, that doesn’t mean I don’t like it or think you’re a good author! As I said, I just took these from my bookmarks–I literally have some of my favorite authors listed at the bottom whose works I have never bookmarked. Similarly, we just have a lot of good authors in this fandom, and I forget many of them.
I laughed:
Press One for Revolution by LoveKhaleesi (@arcoiriseglitter) & Zimriya (@zimriya)
ExR texting fic. It had me in tears.
Note: discontinued, but near enough to closure that it’s still worth the read.
Hit Me With Your Best Shot by TellThemStories (@tell-themstories)
ExR assassin AU fic, Grantaire’s perspective. R is an assassin, Enjolras is his target. It doesn’t quite work out the way he planned.
We’re All Stories, In The End by TheGlitterati (@kyrstin)
ExR crackfic, Jehan’s perspective (Enjolras’s perspective for a scene at the end)
Les Amours de Marius by Elenchus (@aporeticelenchus)
Marisette crackfic (kind of fake dating, but not how you’re thinking of it), Marius’s perspective. Marius recruits Bahorel and Grantaire (or rather, they recruit themselves) to make Marius’s grandfather more amenable to his engagement to Cosette.
#Roommate Chronicles by IAmSlytherlocked & ImpulseRun
Marius & Courfeyrac friendship tumblr fic, Courfeyrac’s perspective. Courfeyrac catalogs his roommate’s misadventures and the art of Pontmercying.
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner by sigh_no_more (@babesatthebarricade)
ExR holiday fic, Enjolras’s perspective. Cosette has asked him to attend their asshole bio-dad’s Thanksgiving dinner, but one Craigslist ad makes Enjolras slightly less begrudging in his attending.
Texting ‘Verse by Ladililn (@ladililn)
ExR texting fic. Joly sends a text to the wrong chat.
How I Seduced Enjolras by Gwynplaine
ExR crackfic, Grantaire’s perspective. My Immortal’s younger, smart Les Mis brother.
Note: this fic is rated explicit and contains explicit content throughout. It is essential to the plot.
I cried:
Just accept that all of these have a trigger warning attached, either for total whiplash or possible death/suicidal ideation.
Stereoscopic by TellThemStories (@tell-themstories)
ExR?, Enjolras’s perspective. Enjolras is working overseas for a year with only one-way video messages from his friends as communication. He has a gradual revelation about his feelings for a certain cynic.
Orpheus, Play Yourself a Path From Hades by Sovin (@sovinly)
ExR, Grantaire’s perspective. Grantaire’s cancer returns, and he doesn’t tell anyone. No dialogue.
If You Ever Come Back by MissAndrogyny (@missandrogyny)
ExR break-up/make-up fic, alternating perspectives from work to work.
World War II AU by LoveKhaleesi (@arcoiriseglitter)
ExR WWII AU fic, Enjolras’s perspective. Enjolras and Eponine are harboring a Jewish fugitive.
The only fic I will ever accept the fix-it ending for.
Situational Irony by Ryssabeth
ExR fic, mostly Enjolras’s perspective (I’m not a masochist, I’m not rereading this on a lovely Sunday morning to check). Coping with Grantaire’s death.
Barricade Dawn by Opium_du_Peuple (@just-french-me-up)
Jehanparnasse fic, Jehan’s perspective. Jehan is trying to write a good-bye letter to Montparnasse in case he doesn’t return from the barricade.
Note: this has an explicit content rating. The explicit content is most of the middle and nonessential to the plot, you can read just the beginning and the end.
I think this is also the only canon period fic. Whatever that’s worth.
Life is Only Moments by Raeldaza (@raeldaza)
ExR fic, Enjolras’s perspective. Enjolras reflects over the years of his and Grantaire’s friendship.
This has a fix-it ending, and that’s all well and good, but I prefer the suffering.
Serenata by IbbyLiv
ExR post-breakup fic, Enjolras’s perspective. Enjolras writes notes to Grantaire after he leaves.
Apparently this is basically just a song with some different words swapped in and out. I can’t say I care about anything but the emotions that bubble forth when i read it.
Cheers, Darlin’ by onemillionbranches
ExT post-breakup fic, Grantaire’s perspective. Enjolras is getting married, and Grantaire helps.
It moved me, Bob:
I’m also including what about each one really made me think, because of the nature of this category.
Beautiful Things Have Dents and Scratches Too by A_New_World_To_Be_Won
ExR feelings fic, alternating perspectives. Definitely makes you feel sad, but it has resolution.
I love how raw the writing style is and how directly it translates into pure emotion.
Tin Can by ejr
ExR relationship progression fic, alternating perspectives.
This prose style intrigues me, and I really enjoy it and its application.
You Never Have to Wonder; You Never Have to Ask by GamesForMay
ExR fic, Grantaire’s perspective. 18 months after a major protest, Grantaire returns to Paris for Cosette and Marius’s wedding.
The! Motifs! Are! So! Good! The way Enjolras is shaped and Grantaire’s decision is set before them…and I love the moment all of this revolves around that happened 18 months ago. It’s just a gorgeous piece.
Golden by the_sky_is_forever (@theskyis-forever)
ExR post-breakup fic, alternating perspective. Enjolras goes to Grantaire’s first art gallery since he left the artist.
Okay, so this is also a sad fic. But!! I value the artistry of the writing and love how they were able to pull and shape the emotions with the way they handled their words and sentences and phrasing.
Primary Relations - A Politician’s Journey rev 2-1.avi by Samyazaz (@samyazaz)
ExR documentary fic. Enjolras is running for president, and Grantaire is documenting it.
The prose is so interesting and inspired a yet-unpublished fic I’ve been working on! It can be difficult to write from this perspective, and I think they handled it really well.
Have & Hold by arriviste (@arrivisting)
ExR fake-marriage fic. Enjolras wants to make a political point about gay marriage and meets less resistance than he expected.
This is probably the only fake marriage fic I will ever love and appreciate because the author did such a great job representing the unhealthy feelings involved when you go from zero feelings to being married.
Dismantling Oppressive Establishments, Teamwork, And Other Things Your Coach Never Taught You by AnnaBolena (@annabrolena)
ExR mixed media fic, alternating perspectives.
Usually stories that get told half through dialogue and half through articles drive me nuts with their incongruence and messiness with image formatting, but this author did a phenomenal job with the article styles and telling the story and keeping me interested without bogging the whole thing down with extra formatting.
If There’s No One Beside You (When Your Soul Embarks) by ToBeFerre
ExR reincarnation fic, Grantaire’s perspective. Everyone is back except Enjolras, and Grantaire is trying to keep the club running until Enjolras’s return.
I just really love the concept of the anxiety they carry and the ways they’ve changed since the first time around.
Felled By You, Held By You by EyeOfAHurricane (@eyeofahurricaneart)
ExR progression fic, alternating perspective. Grantaire falls in and out of love with Enjolras.
The concept of love and affections being ephemeral things, the way that love moves more quickly for some than others, and the seasonal symbols made me start thinking and inspired another yet-incomplete fic.
Iconic:
The World Ain’t Ready by IdiopathicSmile (@idiopath-fic-smile)
ExR fake-dating fic, Grantaire’s perspective. I’m not providing a description because this is required reading for anyone in the Les Mis fandom. Just read it if you haven’t yet.
Friday I’m in Love by The Librarina (tears_of_nienna) (@thelibrarina)
ExR fake-dating fic, Enjolras’s perspective. Enjolras is going to his family’s summer residence for a week and needs a way to stick it to his parents.
Words Never Spoken by StrawberryBubbles
ExR soulmate AU, Enjolras’s perspective. Your first words with your soulmate are supposed to appear when you turn 18, but Enjolras’s never do.
Your Heart on Your Skin by Zade (@racetrackthehiggins)
ExR soulmate AU, Grantaire’s perspective. Flowers appear on your body that represent different qualities about you as you experience life experiences that bring them about.
The Season Underwater by andtheheir
ExR swimteam AU fic, Grantaire’s perspective. Grantaire is put on the varsity swimteam for his junior year and really doesn’t want to let Enjolras down.
This fic is just really beautifully written and really started to make me think about my writing style and start experimenting with it more.
BE by ToTheWillOfThePeople (@kvothes)
ExR theater AU fic, Enjolras’s perspective. Enjolras is roped into directing a production of Hamlet.
Arcadia Ballet!Verse by Darrenjolras
ExR ballet AU fic, Grantaire’s perspective. Grantaire shot his mouth off at some gorgeous up and coming dancer, and now he has to choreograph an entire ballet.
Fluff:
In Love When You Wake Me Up by BethXP
ExR fic, Enjolras’s perspective. Enjolras wakes up from his surgery high and in the presence of his two best friends and a third person.
These Are Some of my Favorite Things (The Post-It-Note!fic) by Zimriya (@zimriya)
ExR fic, Grantaire’s perspective. Enjolras has been leaving post-it notes on things (Grantaire) with seemingly no logic behind it.
Foregone Conclusion by Raeldaza (@raeldaza)
ExR fic, Enjolras’s perspective. Enjolras is receiving gifts from an “anonymous source” (but he’s pretty sure he knows from whom).
As I was doing these, I realized that there are some others authors whose works I love that I didn’t have one or two fics I could choose to put up but still wanted to include (and there are probably more that I’m forgetting):
Myrmidryad (@myrmidryad)
Lovely, thorough writing style.
Sunfreckle (@mysunfreckle)
Lots of lovely Jehanparnasse! They and Opium_du_Peuple are my go-to’s for Jehanparnasse content.
SarahYYY (@sarah-yyy)
So many ExR short stories! Definitely peruse all of her stuff (though be aware–it’s a bit like Russian roulette for the sad stuff; there’s one in there that I was even prepared for and am still recovering from).
Lady_Ragnell
Everything by her is Just. Iconic. So good.
Noelia_g
Also really good. (Sorry, I lost my steam by the end of writing this monster, I really do enjoy her work.)
If anyone knows the tumblrs for any of the authors that I haven’t already tagged, please DM me so I can add them in!
