Here it is guys! The 2025 Feveruary prompts! We wanted them to be more generally comfort focused so then they be able to be interpreted in different ways to allow you guys to be as creative as you’d like!

We’re so excited to share these with you and we can’t wait to see what you write! As always feel free to ask any questions or share your excitement about this event! :D

We'll post more about how to submit your work and the AO3 collection closer to the time! For now though, we wish you goodluck and happy writing!

Text Version Below:

thoughts

also wasn't sure what to do with the lan simp brothers so i guess they can sit on the side

From a group chat I joined 😂 these boys will be the end of me 

> Art blog | MDZS tag | Ko-fi

i'd like to think i'm a pretty chill, laidback person. (i'm not, but i sure would like to think it.)

that said, i do ardently believe that before a media conglomerate makes an adaptation of a pre-existing work, the creative team should be required to answer a simple, maybe sixth grade level multiple choice test about the themes and intentions of the original. and then also maybe a single short essay question where they must justify why, beyond strictly business reasons, this new version needs to exist. this would be graded pretty leniently but there would need to be something.

lcla! shiguang really do grow in such a beautiful way—seeing lu guang emphasize over and over how in spite of how important this mission regarding his teacher is, cheng xiaoshi and his safety come first.

he says flat out cxs doesn't have to do the mission (i mean, god, he even burned the original photo just to show how sincerely he regretted hiding and lying to cxs), showing how regardless of how badly he wants to cling to the past, for the sake of cheng xiaoshi and their friendship, he is willing to let it go.

then there's cxs's unwavering devotion and dedication to lu guang—he takes the mission extremely seriously and trains all for lu guang's sake and loses sleep over it because he has to get this right, he has to be able to give lu guang the closure he needs.

then there's the scene following xitha's death, where cheng xiaoshi says, "you must be sad, I'll come back and accompany you."

lu guang is preoccupied with the mysterious killer, obviously looking for justice for his teacher. but in that small moment cxs just wants to be with lu guang, and be able to comfort him.

it truly was a gradual process to get there but they care about each other so much <3

just a tiny bit slow XD

They talk about the inconsistencies between the scenes in both ep 1 and 2!

something I think we all know about fanfic, but don’t talk about because it would hurt writers feelings is that some fics are like fast food. I mean this as a compliment. I don’t always want to sit down for a six course meal that will be a flavor experience. Sometimes I just wanna dip some fries in a frosty. Sometimes I want something homecooked and delicious and super niche, but super comforting. Sometimes I want to eat an entire dark chocolate cheesecake in one sitting even though I know Its gonna make me sick. Just. holy crap, y’all. Sometimes I don’t even want fast food, I just want to eat an entire bag of chips. and yeah, I’m ashamed of myself afterwards, but at the time it was exactly what I wanted. So, no, we’re never going to say to our fanfic writers that we consider their writing to be the equivalent of a midnight run to taco bell - and we shouldn’t, feelings would be hurt by that. But writers, please, please, please, remember this. You don’t need to create a six course meal if you don’t want to. You don’t have to make something complex and homemade if you don’t want to. You don’t even have to finish cooking it - because someone will be thrilled that you brought a bowl of cookie dough and a spoon, because they cannot even consider sitting down and having a proper meal right now. It’s okay writers, whatever you decided to make. Someone was happy to have it. You gave them what they needed. You made them happy. You did good.

I don’t know why being fast food would be considered insulting!

A few years ago, I read an essay by a romance writer who openly admitted that her books were trashy, formulaic, and not Great Art. But what she said is that she gets fan letters all the time. From women with six kids whose only time for themselves is reading her books. From women in abusive relationships who read her books to give them hope that loving relationships exist. From women with depression who manage to eke out some pleasure reading her books. From women whose lives are awful and who read her books to give them the strength to live another day.

And– she points out– the writers of Great Art have many virtues, but they do not generally get fan letters from people whose lives are miserable and who seek out comfort and joy from the books. Because most of the time when our lives are awful, we don’t seek out Great Art. We seek out, well, literary fast food. We seek out emotionally manipulative hurt/comfort or fluffy coffeeshop AUs or Mutual Pining where there is Only One Bed.

Be proud of your work! Be proud of making literary fast food. Try to make the best damn literary fast food you can. Because somewhere out there– you might not know who, you might not know when– there might be someone who has just finished their last final, or who got fired from their job, or who is up all night with a newborn, and your fast food fanfic made their lives better. And that is no small thing.

Hey in middle earth is there any ecological consequences for those big fuckin eagles

Goblins and hobbits both make their homes underground

Funniest answer for why gandalf didnt use eagles to carry the hobbits to mordor

i cannot emphasize how necessary it is to have a buddy to participate in fandom with. completely elevated experience. don't have a buddy? find someone you like and message them and be their friend. gush over every sketch and drabble and insane headcanon they have. live life to the fullest.

thank u to all my fandom buddies

STEP 1: Safety First!

STEP 2: Hands on shoulders! Hips are too intimate.

STEP 3: Remember this is a NO HOMO ride.

I don't know who wrote the script for 1x11 but they are one of us.

choosing to interpret (live action) lu guang's mild disdain towards dr. he as love triangle-esque petty jealousy cos it's So Much Funnier like that.

cheng xiaoshi coming back from his motorbike date hangout with dr he and hiding his injured elbow ONLY FOR THE DR TO SHOW UP AND BRING MEDICINE, leading to lg being like "why didn't you tell me???" (and probably thinking he'd treat cheng xiaoshi so much better)

cxs trying to placate lu guang by saying "look i was learning from him so i could drive faster on our moped that you only rode on with me once. you complained I was too slow so im trying to get faster :(" to which lu guang says alright he won't commute on public transport anymore he'll ride on that silly second hand motorbike with him ! (it's giving marital spat lmao)

also the scene beforehand where cxs basically asks for lg's permission to see dr. he and lu guang saying "im not your guardian or whatever go see him," but really i know and you know he's Pressed about it