#eirenical.fic

[eirenical]

It's nearly two months after the Bicha poison has been purged from his system before Li Lianhua picks up a sword again.  He'll never be what he once was, will never be able to go toe to toe with Di-mengzhu and fight him to a standstill as he did in his youth.  But he misses it: the grace, the movement, the sheer joy of the dance of blades.  So he picks up Shaoshi, and he walks off into the forest, hyperaware of Di Feisheng following behind, eyes trained on him as though Li Lianhua were the only thing existing in his universe.

But hasn't it always been so?

Reaching a clearing, Li Lianhua slowly begins putting his body through the motions of the dance, weaving in and out through the bamboo, chasing an imaginary enemy as he moves through the steps.  Di Feisheng has come to a stop a safe distance away, leaning against a tree with his arms folding his sword close to his chest, but he steps no closer.  He seems almost afraid to interfere, to interrupt the dance before it's truly begun.  Perhaps even afraid of pushing Li Lianhua back into the protective shell of Lianhualou to never pick up a sword again.  But he can't stay away.  Can't move from that spot.

Many people had called Li XIangyi beautiful and meant it.  But only Di Feisheng had admired the dance as much as the dancer.  Di Feisheng's eyes remain on him throughout the entire dance, barely moving a muscle even to breathe until Li LIanhua sheathes Shaoshi at his side.  Li Lianhua returns to Lianhualou when he's finished, tired from the exertion but happy.

That night, Di Feisheng barely waits until Fang Duobing's footsteps have taken him up the first step to the second floor before pinning Li Lianhua against the wall and kissing him breathless.  He doesn't explain, and Li Lianhua doesn't ask.

He doesn't need to.

*

The next time Li Xiangyi picks up his sword, Di Feisheng is there, too.  And the next time, and the next.  He never interferes, never unsheathes his own sword to offer to spar, because that isn't the point.  The point is to give Li Xiangyi the space to rediscover what he loved about martial arts before the politics of the jianghu ruined it, before poison and betrayal stole both his strength and his joy in the sword.  The point is the way a soft smile that alights on his face every time this dance comes to a close.

Di Feisheng doesn't want to bring the harsh clash of swords into that ease.

…until the day when he steps outside to follow Li Xiangyi to his practice to find that Li Xiangyi has tied a red ribbon to the hilt of his sword.

He watches, entranced, as Li Xiangyi dances a dance for him that he'd only danced for one other in his life.  He is so absorbed, in fact, that he doesn't notice the red ribbon flicking ever closer and closer towards him until it's wrapped around his wrist, until Li Xiangyi has pulled him across the clearing and into the dance, a sparkle in his eye that has been long absent and deeply missed.

From there, it's easy.  He's been watching Li Xiangyi so long, so often, that he's learned the steps of this dance without trying to.  He knows where Li Xiangyi's imaginary opponent would stand to counter the moves he's making.  It should be a surprise—it really isn't—when he figures out that the moves of the imaginary man in whose footsteps he's walking so closely and naturally resemble the steps of his own swordplay, as though Li Xiangyi has been dancing with him all along.

And from that point on, whenever Li Xiangyi picks up his sword and heads into the woods, Di Feisheng goes too.  And there are very few moments when their swords clash against each other, but when they do, it's just another part of the dance, adding music to the steps, percussion to follow as they move together.

It isn't the fight Di Feisheng thought he wanted when they found each other again...

...somehow, it's even better.

#mysterious lotus casebook #di feisheng #li lianhua #li xiangyi #di feisheng x li lianhua #feihua #eirenical.fic #look #fan man huaisang #i finally cleaned it up and posted it #;D #just a little thing that's been noodling around in my head for a few weeks #thought i'd clean it up and post it finally #^_^ #mlcb fic #enjoy?

[rensrendition]

OK, I know it’s stupid late to be posting a fic snippet, and I have never posted fic from this blog before, but I need to do something to make myself feel better, so here we are.  Hopefully people will find it?  

This snippet takes place during the last chapters of “Ten Years Later” and will eventually follow the Iron Triangle as they recover from that separation.  Enjoy?  ^_^  (And yes, the below gif is mine; I did not repost it.  I’m just... hopefully temporarily locked out of my main blog. :P)

"What will you do?  When this is all over?"

Pangzi turned his head, catching just a glimpse of the man sitting beside him.  Pangzi didn't need more than that to know that he had his attention.  "Will you go back to the life you knew before? Always chasing the next tomb, the next mystery?"  He bumped their shoulders together.  "Or do you think you'll be ready to try something new?"

"Something new…?"

Pangzi nodded.  "He's going to need time when he comes out. Time to readjust.  To remember what it's like to be human and not… whatever it is that he became…"

"Behind the doors."

A soft sigh.  "Yeah.  We can't expect him to just pick up and go haring off into tombs with us again without missing a beat.  Even he may not bounce back from 10 years of solitary confinement so quickly.  So what will you do?  Leave him somewhere to work it out for himself while you go off having adventures?  Or…"

The barest quirk of lips gave him away long before the words emerged.  "Or try something new."

A quiet laugh followed those words—breathless, almost mirthless—but it cheered Pangzi to hear it just the same. It had been a long time since he'd heard his friend laugh, seen him smile.  The journey up the mountain had taken its toll on all of them, even him.  Pangzi nudged his shoulder again.  "Well?"

A deep breath, only slowly released, and with it, much of the tension in that lithe frame eased.  That tiny quirk of a smile widened, just a hint, just enough.  "Would it be premature to retire at my age?"

Pangzi snorted out a great laugh, hooking his arm around those slim shoulders and pulling him in for a tight hug that might have been more wrestling move than actual hug, but what did that matter between friends as good as they?  "Premature to retire at your age?"  He snorted.  "Well, it's not premature to retire at *my* age, and that makes it two against one. We'll talk him into it somehow."

"Yes.  We will.  A quiet place.  A gentle place.  Where he can spend his hours however *he* choses.  Where he can just… be."

Pangzi released him with a fond pat.  "I think that sounds lovely.  And I'm sure once we've talked him into it, he will, too."  Pangzi turned his attention back to the silent doors they had been sitting vigil in front of for the past twelve hours.  He shifted, digging a stone out from under his ass with a low growl. "If it takes much longer for these damned things to open, I'm going to blast them down, consequences be damned."

Pangzi was tired of waiting. He wanted his friend back.

"Be patient, Pangzi. They *will* open.  You'll see."

Pangzi snorted. "Patience may be a virtue, but it's not one of mine.  Ten years, on the dot, you said.  The dot passed an hour ago."

"'At my best guess,' I said.  Give him time."

Pangzi crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes, but otherwise subsided.  If he'd been here with them ten years ago, this wouldn't have happened; he was sure of it. But of course, Tianzhen hadn't called him, hadn't told him, hadn't warned him, so he could be prepared, and they could talk some *sense* into—

No.  There was no point in recriminations, in wishing the past could have happened differently.  It was done, and there was no changing it.  But they *could* start from now, and help their friend pick up the pieces when he emerged from whatever he'd been through while behind those damned doors.

"There.  Pangzi, look!"

Pangzi jerked his gaze up just in time to see the doors ease open a hair, and then a crack, and then finally widely enough for a person to pass through.  Pangzi was just numb enough from the cold, just stiff enough from having sat on the cold ground all night, that he wasn't the first person to reach the door.  He wasn't the one to catch their missing third when he all but fell through it, either, but he was there barely a second later, crouched down beside them both, laughing through tears as he gazed upon that face that he'd missed so very, very much—more than he'd realized he could miss anyone.

Dazed eyes took in both their faces, wrinkles drawing those brows together as he fought to find words after not needing them for ten years.

"…you're here."

Pangzi wrapped his arms around his friends, drawing them into an even closer embrace.  "He promised, didn't he?"

At the slow nod he received in response, Pangzi couldn't help himself anymore.  He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to that sweat-dampened brow, wrapped a hand around his friend's nape and squeezed just a little, just enough to reassure them both that he was really there.  

"Welcome back, Tianzhen. Welcome back."

#the lost tomb reboot #eirenical.gifs #eirenical.fic #snippet #wu xie #wang pangzi #zhang qiling #wang pangzi & wu xie & zhang qiling #pingxie #dmbj #dmbj novels

[eirenical]

OK, I almost never do this anymore, but it's been a roller coaster of a few days and I want to share something fun. So, have a snippet of my "the donghai battle was a hatefuck" fic that I just wrote over 2k words of after writing almost nothing for months and months (years, it's really been years, if I'm honest)? ^_^

.

He'd come on like the storm: fast, furious, and unforgiving.  There was fire in his eyes and lightning in his blade, and he spared no one as he advanced his one man army.  Scores of soldiers went overboard that night, preferring to risk the storm-tossed sea than whatever was going to happen on the ship that night.  That's the only reason I lived to share the tale.  I went overboard like the rest rather than face his wrath.  But even from a safe distance, the destruction was massive.  No one could have survived it, but it was a sight to behold.  It's no wonder our Sect Leader has been in seclusion ever since, regaining the cultivation, the strength, that he lost to his enemy that night.  I shudder to think what he must have seen…

*

The sea was wretched that night, not fit for man or beast.  As the sounds of his men's misery reached his ears even inside the cabin, Di Feisheng found himself grateful, yet again, for his strong constitution.  But even he wasn't entirely unaffected by the rolling and dipping of the vast ship beneath him.  He'd retreated to the cabin, unwilling to risk losing the meager dinner he'd eaten in front of his men… or anyone else who might come along.

More than a few of his soldiers had begged leave to return to land, leaving naught more than a skeleton crew manning the decks, but more than that wouldn't be necessary.  This confrontation with Sigumen's Leader was for no one's eyes but their own.  The rest of his soldiers already had their orders to join their brethren on shore as soon as Li Xiangyi arrived.

…which, judging by the clang of swords he could now detect through the walls of the cabin, was imminent.

Moments later, the door was Li Xiangyi's latest victim.  Di Feisheng didn't rise to the bait, merely pushed a second cup of tea across the table and raised an eyebrow.  Over Li Xiangyi's shoulder, Wuyan briefly caught his eye.  Di Feisheng offered him a small nod of acknowledgment, trusting him to get the rest of their men off the ship and leave the two sect leaders to the business at hand.

And the business at hand was even now brandishing his sword far closer to Di Feisheng's throat than he was comfortable with.  He lifted a hand to push against the blade.  "You demanded a meeting, and I am here, Li-menzhu."  He motioned towards the cup he had pushed across the table.  "Tea?"

#mysterious lotus casebook #eirenical.fic #li xiangyi #di feisheng #di feisheng x li xiangyi #dihua #feihua #snippet #eirenical writes things #there will be MUCH MORE #this is the opening to an au that's going to span to present day #this is one of the first plot bunnies i ever had for this fandom #and i finally feel like i might finally have the energy to write it #but it basically becomes 'llh and dfs disappearing into the jianghu TOGETHER to wander around for ten years' #anyway #enjoy? #^_^ #the donghai battle was a hatefuck au

[eirenical]

Having a lot of feels about Huli Jing tonight.

Li Lianhua must have found him on the street, orphaned, abandoned, scrounging for scraps, maybe a little ragged, a little worse for wear. Maybe he felt a kinship, remembered a time long ago when he'd been just as small, just as raggedy, just as hungry: for a scrap of food, a kind word, a morsel of affection.

So when he leaves the town, groceries in one hand and the profits of his turnip sales in the other, maybe he has this rough, scrappy little dog tucked into his robes, as well. And that little body shakes against him, from the cold, from the fear of the unknown, from the excitement of the smell of the meat, he couldn't say. But a soft word and a pat calms him down almost instantly and he's quiet for the rest of the walk.

He takes to life in the Lotus Tower like he was born to it, making himself at home in Li Lianhua's bed and sitting patiently waiting for scraps as he cooks. Li Lianhua figures out quickly that he'll eat almost anything, even things he shouldn't, and that feeling of kinship rises up momentarily to throttle his breath and warm his eyes with wetness that doesn't quite spill over. He's known that feeling of hunger, of having to decide between death by starvation and death by food poisoning and he's much, much more careful with his herbs after that because Huli Jing should never have to make that choice.

He builds a small house on the side porch, wanting Huli Jing to have his own space where he can feel safe and be protected while Li Lianhua is away. But he sometimes seems like a fox spirit in truth, because he'll work his way out of the little house and into Li Lianhua's bed again whenever he sees fit.

But Li Lianhua can't force himself to invest in a better lock or to restrict Huli Jing's freedom in any way and on some nights he's even grateful for the dog's ingenuity. Nights when the poison in his veins steals his breath or nightmares from the past throw him shaking and sweating into wakefulness and Huli Jing is there, a warm presence against his hip, under his hands, over his legs, he's grateful that locks can no more contain Huli Jing than they can him.

And though he'd never admit it, Huli Jing is a balm of another kind, as well. He's the only friend Li Lianhua allows himself to keep. The only companionship he has until another pair of hopeful sparkling eyes--in a human puppy's face, this time--throws his entire carefully planned existence into turmoil.

It's no wonder Huli Jing takes so long to warm up to him.

ETA: Now cleaned up and with an AO3 link over here.

#mysterious lotus casebook #li lianhua #li xiangyi #huli jing #eirenical.headcanons #eirenical.fic #sometimes it's a grey area #huli jing & li lianhua #mlcb headcanons

[eirenical]

For the "Character-centric stories in 1k or less" prompt:

Di Feisheng and "what would happen to a houseplant in his care" (but obviously caring for any herb or vegetable Li Lianhua has planted is fair game!)

:D Thanks!

@bbcphile you have NO idea what you started this afternoon. XD I am so glad you shared that cracktastic plot bunny with me, because it rooted itself in my brain and wouldn't let go, so I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE RESULT. XD

This clocked in at 2,365 words when all was said and done, so I just chucked it directly onto AO3.

...also because I'm seriously considering coming back and playing with this 'verse some more. XD

Enjoy? ^_^

From the Mud of Adversity (2365 words) by eirenical Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 莲花楼 | Mysterious Lotus Casebook (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Di Feisheng/Li Lianhua | Li Xiangyi, Di Feisheng & Wuyan Characters: Di Feisheng, Li Lianhua | Li Xiangyi, Wuyan (Mysterious Lotus Casebook), Monk Wuliao Additional Tags: brief appearance by - Freeform, Fang Duobing - Freeform, Crack Treated Seriously, ...mostly, Transformation, Lotus flowers, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Donghai Battle

Summary:

A single lotus flower lay in the sand, its red-tipped white petals half-buried, its broad green leaves wilted and mangled, its stem twisted upon itself and nearly broken. The pull of gravity on his body now that he had stopped was too much, and Di Feisheng folded slowly to his knees beside the ruined lotus. His thoughts drifted as he laid back down beside it, gently freeing its petals from the sand as he fought to keep himself awake. What a pair we must make, little lotus. Each broken and bleeding and far from where we belong… It was certainly his imagination, a hallucination brought on by encroaching fever or the sun beginning to beat down from overhead, but he'd have given almost anything if the grumpy voice he thought he heard in response had been real. ~Speak for yourself, Di-mengzhu. I'll be on my feet again before you know it.

#mysterious lotus casebook #di feisheng #li lianhua #li xiangyi #feihua #dihua #di feisheng x li lianhua #wuyan #eirenical.fic #1000 words or less meme #...failed at that one i guess #XD #writing meme answers #rating: g #crack treated seriously

[eirenical]

Strays

This is a repost of a headcanon/fic ramble from a few months ago, now cleaned up and posted on AO3. ^_^

*

Li Lianhua finds him on the street, orphaned, abandoned, scrounging for scraps, a little ragged, a little worse for wear. There is a kinship there, memory of a time long ago when he’d been just as small, just as raggedy, just as hungry: for a scrap of food, a kind word, a morsel of affection. No one paid a stray puppy more mind than it took to kick them out of the way. No one paid any more mind to a stray child.

So when he leaves town, groceries in one hand and the profits of his turnip sales in the other, Li Lianhua has this rough, scrappy little dog tucked into his robes, as well. That little body shakes against him, from the cold, from fear, from excitement, or the smell of the meat, he couldn’t say. But a soft word and a pat calm him down almost instantly, and he’s quiet for the rest of the walk.

He takes to life in the Lotus Tower like he was born to it, this little Huli Jing, making himself at home in Li Lianhua’s bed and sitting patiently waiting for scraps as he cooks. Li Lianhua figures out quickly that he’ll eat almost anything, even things he shouldn’t, and that feeling of kinship rises up to throttle his breath and warm his eyes with wetness that doesn’t quite spill over. He’s known that feeling of hunger, of having to decide between death by starvation and death by potential food poisoning, and he’s much, much more careful with his herbs after that, because Huli Jing should never have to make that choice.

He builds a small house on the side porch of the Lotus Tower, wanting Huli Jing to have his own space where he can be safe and protected while Li Lianhua is away. But he sometimes seems like a fox spirit in truth, because he’ll work his way out of the little house and be waiting patiently in Li Lianhua’s bed the minute his back is turned.

But Li Lianhua can’t force himself to invest in a better lock or to restrict Huli Jing’s freedom in any way, because on some nights, he’s grateful for the dog’s ingenuity. On nights when the poison in his veins steals his breath or nightmares from the past throw him shaking and sweating into wakefulness and Huli Jing is there, a warm presence against his hip, under his hands, over his legs, he’s simply grateful that locks can no more contain Huli Jing than they can him.

And though he’d never admit it, Huli Jing is a balm of another kind, as well. He’s the only friend Li Lianhua allows himself to keep by his side, the only companion he can trust… until a stray of a very different variety comes tumbling into his home and his life that locks also can't deter.

Li Lianhua has been alone for so long, and he tells himself he likes it that way, but every time Huli Jing sneaks into his bed, every time Xiaobao finds his way back when he's been left by the side of the road, Li Lianhua knows himself for the liar he is. Fortunately, no stray ever learned to let go of a good thing once they'd found it, and Huli Jing and Xiaobao are stubborn enough for all of them.

And on AO3:

#mysterious lotus casebook #li lianhua #huli jing #huli jing & li lianhua #eirenical.fic #rating: g #lian hua lou #li xiangyi

[eirenical]

Lightning in a Bottle (1558 words) by eirenical

Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: 莲花楼 | Mysterious Lotus Casebook (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Di Feisheng/Li Lianhua Characters: Di Feisheng, Li Lianhua | Li Xiangyi, Li Lianhua Additional Tags: pre-10 years, POV Second Person, Fight Sex, Not Really Character Death, Rivals With Benefits, Enemies to Lovers, Canon Compliant, (...mostly), Pre-Canon, The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known

Summary:

You're 15 years old and you hear his name for the first time. He defeated the demon of the Blood Realm, they say. A prodigy. The fastest sword in the jianghu. The promise of your generation fulfilled. A hero. You have no use for heroes.

August 24, 2023: Well. I distinctly had other plans for my first fic in this fandom, but sometimes the heart wants what it wants. XD

Enjoy? ^_^

Note: if you prefer a bittersweet, angsty ending, you can stop reading at the end chapter 1 with the East Sea battle. But I can never leave my sad endings sad, so there's a tiny epilogue for you in chapter 2 if you prefer a happier/more hopeful ending. ^_^

#mysterious lotus casebook #li xiangyi #li lianhua #di feisheng x li lianhua #di feisheng x li xiangyi #feihua #eirenical.fic #hello new fandom #^_^ #what's up? #mlcb fic

[eirenical]

2023 Tumblr Top 10

I’m sure to no one’s surprise, 8 of my 10 top posts this year were Mysterious Lotus Casebook meta, gifsets, or fic.  XD  The other two were about the Bishop from Les Mis, which got a double kick because I did this after his first chapter in the Brick readalong came up again this year and... a very personal post that I didn’t want to shove in people’s faces again so I took it off the end.

Anyway, I just wanted to take this moment to thank the MLCB fandom, because this is the most interaction (and by that I mean genuine conversation not just reblogs and likes) I’ve had with people in fandom in a long time and I have been having so much fun with you guys.  I have more fic and more meta (and if I have the energy, more gifsets) planned for this fandom in 2024, so stick around and by all means, come talk to me.  ;D 

1. 204 notes - Oct 13 2023

2. 196 notes - Sep 4 2023

3. 184 notes - Nov 5 2023

It's nearly two months after the Bicha poison has been purged from his system before Li Lianhua picks up a sword again.  He'll...

4. 142 notes - Jul 31 2023

The rest behind a cut because this is going to be very long otherwise. XD

5. 125 notes - Aug 26 2023

I’ve been thinking a lot about Fang Duobing and names.

6. 76 notes - Jan 1 2023

I always forget how much I love the Bishop until I’m reintroduced to him at the start of every readthrough of the Brick.

7. 68 notes - Aug 10 2023

8. 66 notes - Sep 11 2023

Having a lot of feels about Huli Jing tonight. Li Lianhua must have found him on the street, orphaned, abandoned, scrounging for...

9. 56 notes - Sep 4 2023

Created by TumblrTop10

#tumblrtop10 #mysterious lotus casebook #eirenical.gifsets #eirenical.fic #eirenical.meta #mlcb meta #mlcb fanfic #oh tumblr #seriously guys i love you #you're the best #^_^ #thank you for everything these last four months #here's to many many more!

[eirenical]

Xiaoge and defeat for the ask meme please?

Thanks @fixaidea! I assume this one is for the three sentence meme? ^_^

Zhang Qiling had once believed that the word 'defeat' was not in his vocabulary, that its acceptance had been trained out of him so long ago that he had no hope of remembering... but now?

~Xiaoge... I'm sick.~

As his phone dropped from numb fingers, as those words ricocheted inside his head, as a distant sharp pain radiated up from his knees where they'd hit the floor... suddenly, he remembered what it felt like to taste defeat.

#the lost tomb reboot #dmbj fanfic #eirenical.fic #three sentence fic meme #fixaidea #angst #wu xie x zhang qiling #pingxie #snippet

[eirenical]

heiping or xieping and bruises?

Thanks @laireshi!

If anyone else wants to send ships/characters and prompts for the three sentence meme, feel free! ^_^

Yaba stared upwards, lips moving in patterns that only barely resembled words, more often resembled the first syllable of Xiazi's name, and Xiazi was not going to think about that, he wasn't, because Yaba was going to be fine; there were no other options.

But the bruises beneath his skin were spreading, dark and ominous and whispering of internal bleeding that Xiazi didn't have the tools to stop, and Yaba was shit at clotting besides; they'd talked about that, about how important it was for Yaba to be more careful now that he had a life he wanted to keep living.

And they were miles away from civilized help, but his erstwhile apprentice had a sixth sense for this, for Yaba being in trouble, and if Xiazi could just keep Yaba awake, keep him going until help arrived, then they'd all be laughing about this in a month's time... right?

#three sentence fic meme #writing meme answers #laireshi #dmbj #daomu biji #eirenical.fic #heiping #hei xiazi #zhang qiling #hei yanjing #xiaoge #whump #open ending #^_~ #dmbj fanfic

[eirenical]

Les Mis Modern Aesthetic, Couples Edition: Enjolras x Feuilly

"Do not go into the woods, my child,” Feuilly’s mother had often said.  “You will return forever changed, if you return, at all.”

But Feuilly was not one to be scared off by old wives’ tales.  Not when the woods called to her, sung to her, danced in her bones and made her restless with yearnings she could never put a name to but felt intensely for all of that.  So she crept along the fringes, touching the tender saplings, inhaling deep of the fallen leaves, listening as the wind ruffled the branches.

And she hoped.

She wished.

She wanted.

And one day... she heard a voice.

“Why do you hover so close, yet stay so far?”

“I am afraid,” Feuilly said.

“What is there to be afraid of?”

“That I will enter these woods and never return, at least not as myself.”

“Would that be so terrible?  To become someone new?”

Feuilly paused, then, one hand on the trunk of a young oak, one foot hovering over the forest path.  “My mother thinks it so.”

"And this is reason enough to fear?”

“...my mother is wise in many things,” said Feuilly.  “I trust her judgment more than my own.”

A flash of gold had Feuilly turning quickly, away from the path and deeper into the woods.  The warmth of captured sunlight in a flash of golden hair--it was there and then gone once more.  Only a sparkling laugh remained behind.

“We all must grow up someday.  We all must leave our mothers’ sides, no matter how much we wish to cling to their hands, to their wise words.  Feuilly... will you come?

Temptation beyond any measure.  A yearning filled to bursting: to dance among the shadows of the trees, to run and run and run, feeling the leaves crunch beneath her until she had no more breath with which to run.  Feuilly wanted these things more than she could express.  She always had.  But she was afraid.

Again, that flash of gold hair, a soft touch as a fur ruff settled around her neck... and left her forever changed.  Four paws, not two, beneath her.  A wealth of information in her keen sense of smell.  Ears that swiveled to and fro, elevating the song of the woods to a symphony.  And a lush, rich tail streaming out behind her as she sprang away, after the golden hair that had become golden fur.

She was led a merry chase through the trees, across the streams, weaving beneath the underbrush into the dappled sunlight of a meadow.  Never had she felt so alive, so free, so much like she belonged!

They came to rest as the sun slid down beneath the horizon, in a warm, cozy den, safe from all who would seek them out.  Panting softly, Feuilly said, “How is this possible?”

“You are what you are.  What you have always been.  What your mother was before she left the woods for the arms of your father.  I simply reminded you.”

Feuilly snuggled closer, eyes sliding closed in spite of herself.  “How long can I stay?”

“As long as you wish it.”

"Do not go into the woods, my child,” Feuilly’s mother had often said.   “You will return forever changed, if you return, at all.”

...and she was right.

#les miserables #feuilly week #feuilly #enjolras #enjolras x feuilly #les mis modern aesthetic #les mis modern aesthetic: couples edition #eirenical.photosets #eirenical.fic #i don't quite know what this is... #enjoy anyway? #;D #fem!feuilly #fem!enjolras #trans or gender swap take your pick

[eirenical]

for 3 sentence meme: Luo Fusheng, bloody smirk 👀

Thanks for the ask, @miss-ingno!

For the three sentence meme. ^_^

"Shit!" Huang Xinghan immediately dropped down beside Luo Fusheng, hand hovering over his bowed head, unsure whether his touch would be welcomed when the last one had hurt so badly.

Ruomeng landed beside him mere moments later, out of breath from her mad dash from across the courtyard and hands nowhere near as hesitant as his own as she brushed Fusheng's hair back from his forehead and demanded, "What happened?"

But Luo Fusheng surprised them both as he raised his head, lips a bloody smirk that revealed the teeth beneath them also lined in red, "Now that was a halfway decent punch; let's try it again."

#granting you a dreamlike life #three sentence fic meme #luo fusheng #duan tianying #huang xinghan #duan tianying x huang xinghan x luo fusheng #miss-ingno #this was the first thing that came to mind #XD #eirenical.fic #snippet #gyadl fanfic

[eirenical]

A Decent Proposal (6,271 words) by eirenical

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 盗墓笔记重启 | The Lost Tomb Reboot (TV), 盗墓笔记 - 南派三叔 | The Grave Robbers' Chronicles - Xu Lei Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling, Wang Pangzi & Wu Xie & Zhang Qiling, Minor or Background Relationship(s) Characters: Wu Xie (DMBJ Series), Zhang Qiling, Wang Pangzi

Additional Tags: brief appearances by: - Freeform, Ye Piaopiao - Freeform, Xiao Mei - Freeform, Background Relationships, Wang Pangzi/Ye Piaopiao - Freeform, The Iron Triangle | Wang Pangzi & Wu Xie & Zhang Qiling, Accidental Marriage, Asexual Character, Asexual Wu Xie (DMBJ Series), Tomb Shenanigans Gone Wrong, Hurt/Comfort, Head Injury, Broken Bones, Whump, Hurt Wu Xie (DMBJ Series), Near Death Experiences, Hospitals, Ye Piaopiao Lives, Cuddling & Snuggling, Sharing a Bed, Love Confessions, Internalized Acephobia

Summary:

Wu Xie stared down at the red folio that had fallen onto the table.  He had been handling Xiaoge's paperwork as the Patriarch of the Zhang family for years now.  Xiaoge didn't have the patience for it nor the interest.  After the first few months, Zhang Haike had begun bypassing Xiaoge altogether and sending the paperwork directly to Wu Xie, instead.  They might dislike each other on basic principle, but at least they both had Xiaoge's best interests, at heart.  Neither wanted to see him unhappy, nor having to deal with the kind of paperwork and trivialities that would have dogged his steps in normal circumstances.  But this?  This was something else entirely.  Wu Xie's heart clenched in his chest, momentarily cutting off his breath as that red folio swam in his vision.  How could they have married Xiaoge off without even telling him?  Did Xiaoge even know?

Author’s Notes: Snuck in just under the wire with this one before the collection opened for @elenothar for the @pingxie-exchange and for once somehow actually managed to remain anonymous.  ;D  First time for everything?  ^_~  And thank you to my incredible beta @achray1​ for you always valuable input. ^_^

#eirenical.fic #pingxie exchange 2022 #dmbj #dao mu bi ji #the lost tomb reboot #pingxie #wu xie x zhang qiling #wu xie #zhang qiling #rating: t #whump #hurt comfort #accidental marriage #ace!wu xie #ace!zhang qiling #dmbj fanfic

[eirenical]

where you find light, when all grows dark (6,022 words) by eirenical

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 盗墓笔记 - 南派三叔 | The Grave Robbers' Chronicles - Xu Lei Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling, Wang Pangzi & Wu Xie & Zhang Qiling Characters: Wu Xie (DMBJ Series), Zhang Qiling, Wang Pangzi

Additional Tags: Home, Massage, Families of Choice, Rain Village (DMBJ Series), The Iron Triangle | Wang Pangzi & Wu Xie & Zhang Qiling, Iron Triangle feels, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Gardens & Gardening, Home is the People You Love, Cats, Zhang Qiling Gets a Hug, Established Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling, Retirement is a Good Look on You, Comfort No Hurt, Lost Memories Affecting the Present, Building A Home, Implied/Referenced Sex, Morning Cuddles, Lazy Mornings, Morning Kisses

Summary:

Zhang Qiling loved dawn.  It was quiet, still, the sun sending the softest of fingers to dance over the landscape, refracting off the dew-laden grass and painting the land in warmth.  But more than even the most beautiful of sunrises, he loved this: Wu Xie slowly waking, his nose wrinkling in the sweetest of smiles at the sight of the face hovering above his, his breath catching at the touch of Zhang Qiling's fingers on his face.   These things were more precious than any dawn, and they humbled Zhang Qiling every time.

“Home isn't where you're from; it's where you find light when all grows dark.” ― Pierce Brown, Golden Son

Author’s Notes: Written for @mekare-art for the 2022 @pingxie-exchange.  The mental image of soft, happy Yucun times and Xiaoge getting a little spoiling and pampering was just too good a mental image to pass up.  ^_^  And thank you to my incredible beta @achray1 for you always valuable input. ^_^

#eirenical.fic #dmbj #dmbj fanfic #pingxie #xieping #could go either way #wu xie x zhang qiling #wu xie #zhang qiling #dao mu bi ji #yucun biji #rating: t #is this... fluff? #this is fluff #WHO KNEW #I CAN WRITE FLUFF #XD #pingxie exchange 2022 #pingxie exchange

[eirenical]

Chapters: 9/9 Fandom: 盗墓笔记 - 南派三叔 | The Grave Robbers' Chronicles - Xu Lei, 终极笔记 | Ultimate Note (TV), 怒海潜沙&秦岭神树 | Explore with the Note & The Lost Tomb (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling, Wang Pangzi & Wu Xie & Zhang Qiling, Hei Xia Zi & Zhang Qiling Characters: Wu Xie (DMBJ Series), Zhang Qiling, Wang Pangzi, Hei Xia Zi (DMBJ Series), Xie Yuchen, Zhai Xingyao

Summary:

Once upon a time, Wu Xie fell in love with a man who wasn't real. The man who wasn't real loved Wu Xie in return, and in so doing, became just as real as he was. But being real comes with dangers of its own, and those dangers could destroy everything they both hold dear.

I wrote this fic for @mnemonicmadness-blog for the Hurt/Comfort Exchange, this fic has been my absolute baby.  I started working on it almost immediately after getting my assignment and it just... consumed my existence for the duration.  It was one of those stories that just had to get out of me once I got the idea for it and of everything I’ve written, it’s probably one of the ones I’m most proud of.  And I just realized I never shared it here.  Oops?  ;D  So yeah... it’s a roller coaster, but I tried to write it so it would be comprehensible even if you haven’t seen Dollhouse, so I hope you’ll give it a try?  ^_^

Notes and additional tags below the cut because there are quite a few of them.  O_o;;;

Many, MANY thanks to my amazing beta, @achray1, without whom this story would not be what it is.  THANK YOU.  ^_^

May 30, 2022: "On the off chance that you know [this] fandom: Alksdkjs doesn’t Pingxie practically beg for a Dollhouse AU??"

My dear recipient, the day assignments went out, I opened your letter and read that sentence and all I could think was "IT SURE DOES" and "YOU'RE RIGHT AND YOU SHOULD SAY IT."  And this AU then absolutely consumed me for the next two months.  I cannot thank you enough for planting this idea in my head, because writing this fic has been exhilarating and possibly the most fun I've had writing in a while.  I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it!  ^_^

A few notes on setting: This fic is a fusion with the TV show Dollhouse, but I've tried to write it so that people not familiar with that canon can still understand what's happening.  It is still set mostly within DMBJ novel and Ultimate Note canon, just with the Dollhouse framework.  Also, I know you didn't request TLT2, but I needed a tech guy, so rather than making up an OC wholesale, I've borrowed Xiao Hua's adopted brother, Zhai Xingyao, from The Lost Tomb 2 (Explore With the Note), but that's as far as that particular canon is really involved.

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Dollhouse Fusion, Dollhouse-Typical Consent Issues, Consent Issues, Dubious Consent, Mind Control, Self-Discovery, Loss of Identity, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of Cancer, Identity Issues, Bottom Wu Xie/Top Zhang Qiling, Top Wu Xie/Bottom Zhang Qiling, The Iron Triangle | Wang Pangzi & Wu Xie & Zhang Qiling, Hurt Zhang Qiling, Zhang Qiling Needs a Hug, Wu Xie Needs a Hug, Wang Pangzi Needs a Hug, Everyone Needs a Hug OK?, Hopeful Ending, Rain Village (DMBJ Series), Brainwashing, Golmud Sanatorium (DMBJ Series), Medical Torture, Dehumanized and Abused Character is Shown Genuine Love and Affection, Touch-Starved Character Melts When Gently Petted, Character doesn't care about their own wellbeing, Mind Manipulation, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Appearances by:, Huo Xiuxiu - Freeform, Wu Erbai - Freeform, Pan Zi - Freeform, Wu Sanxing - Freeform, Child Neglect, Childhood Trauma, Blood Loss, Canon-Typical Amnesia, Mind Wipes, Building Yourself Anew, Self-Esteem Issues, Dysphoria, Panic Attacks, Crying, Hugs, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Zhang Qiling Lacks Bodily Autonomy, Self-Harm, Canonical Self-Harm, Drug Use, (Snake Venom), Amnesiac Kitten Xiaoge, Caretaking, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Bathing/Washing, Communal Bathing, Medical Examination, Undercover, Tomb shenanigans, Day At The Beach, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending

#dmbj #dao mu bi ji #pingxie #xieping #wu xie #zhang qiling #xiaoge #wang pangzi #eirenical.fic #ultimate note #the lost tomb 2 #hei xiazi #xie yuchen #xiao hua #zhai xingyao #wu xie x zhang qiling #wang pangzi & wu xie & zhang qiling #hei xiazi & zhang qiling #wu xie & xie yuchen #dmbj fanfic #daomu biji #dmbj novels #dollhouse fusion #the lost tomb ultimate note #the lost tomb explore with the note #rating: e #consent issues #...please read the tags

[eirenical]

OK, so I sadly did NOT have the time or energy to write anything new for Barricade Day this year and, unless a miracle happens between now and tomorrow, I’m not going to, so I thought I’d share some Barricade-relevant fic from years past...

I Have Come to Sleep With You; Rated: T, Courfeyrac & Feuilly, Major Character Death

Four blocks from the barricade, Feuilly finally stopped his headlong flight, arrested by a shortness of breath from a wound left behind by a bullet that had had his own name written upon it… and by a query so softly voiced that he almost believed he had imagined it until he heard it again.

“You are bleeding.”  A short pause.  “I believe you are wounded, my friend.”  Another pause.  A wet laugh.  “You and I are a matched set, I fear.  Come.  Sit with me, awhile.  Rest.  You are always racing about.  A force not to be–”  A harsh cough.  “–stopped.   It is why Enjolras admires you so.”

Je me souviendrai; Rated: T, Courfeyrac & Feuilly, Graphic Depictions of Violence

...a related work to the above, slightly happier alternate ending/sequel.  ^_^

To Live, Dying; Rated: T, e/R, Major Character Death

Once the others had gone, the Captain finally moved, stepped over the bodies in the center of the room without even a passing glance. He knew them all. He knew their names, their faces, their habits and vices. He knew their loves and their hopes, their dreams for a brighter tomorrow – a tomorrow which would never come. Not in their lifetimes.

June 6th. It always came back to June 6th.

Enjoy?  ^_^

#les miserables #les mis #eirenical.fic #barricade day #courfeyrac #feuilly #enjolras #grantaire #courfeyrac & feuilly #enjolras x grantaire