DMBJ Small-Med Exchange 2026
Hi and welcome to the Daomu Biji Small-Med Ships Exchange, an exchange for DMBJ ships where more than 3% of English-language authors have posted works on AO3.
In this exchange, participants will be anonymously matched to create gifts for one another during a seven week creating period.
This exchange is open to all the DMBJ canons - if it’s DMBJ, then it’s eligible! It will take place on AO3, so you need an AO3 account to participate – if you don’t have one, you can request an invitation code here. If there isn’t enough time, no worries - contact the mod here on tumblr or on discord and we can send you an invitation!
Here is the AO3 link. Please read this post carefully before signing up.
👓 Schedule
May 14: Signups close May 17: Assignments out July 12: Assignments due July 19: Works and Creator reveals & treats deadline
🛥️ Allowed Ships
Any DMBJ ship (other than PingXie or HeiHua) which has had more than 3% of English-language authors post works for it on AO3.
Er Yue Hong/Zhang Qishan
Hei Xiazi/Huo Xiuxiu/Xie Yuchen
Kan Jian/Liu Sang
Liang Wan/Zhang Rishan
Liu Sang/Wang Pangzi
Liu Sang/Wang Pangzi/Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling
Liu Sang/Wu Xie
Liu Sang/Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling
Liu Sang/Zhang Qiling
Liu Sang/Zhang Rishan
Qi Tie Zui/Zhang Qishan
Qi Tie Zui/Zhang Rishan
Wang Pangzi/Wu Xie
Wang Pangzi/Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling
Wang Pangzi/Zhang Qiling
Wu Xie/Xie Yuchen
⚔️ Guidelines
1. In your request please state which ship or ships you would enjoy, as well as which form of media. You can, but don’t have to, add tropes, prompts or ideas you want included. If you do not want a specific ship, trope, or form of media please add that to your Do Not Want list.
2. Your creation must focus on your recipient’s requested ship, or one of their requested ships if they have nominated multiple ones. While unrequested background ships are fine, unless listed as a Do Not Want, the focused ship must be one of the requested ones.
3. Filling any specifying prompts is not obligatory, but try to create something you honestly think your recipient will enjoy!
4. You must not include anything that your recipient has listed as a DNW (Do Not Want). This goes for treats as well. If the recipient has given additional information regarding other media (music genre, avoidance of certain triggers for videos for example), please adhere to these as well.
5. Because more media types are allowed, the requirements have changed a bit: Fic: 300 words or more Art: 1 unlined page of traditional or digital art, no photo edit Video: 30 second clip or more, youtube short format or wide Podfic: 500 words or 5 minutes Gif set: three or more gifs Other: please specify in your request/offer (can be photo edits, meta, translation etc.)
6. After the matching is done, all the requests will be made visible to everyone to allow for treating! There are no minimum requirements for treats (but remember to mind your recipient’s Do Not Wants!).
7. Since there is no "anon" period this year, all works and creators are revealed at the same time. Before that, the works will be listed as "Mysterious Work" in the Collection, but you can be as open or as secretive about it as you want - I just ask that you respect other's decisions. (If you absolutely want your work to be anonymous for a week, DM me - the default is that all works are revealed on July 19.)
8. If at any point you need to drop out, just click on the “default” button on your AO3 assignment page; I will find a pinch hitter to create a gift for your recipient instead. If you need an extension to finish your gift, contact me (on tumblr or discord) before the deadline.
9. Most importantly: Have fun and be excellent to each other!
🐍 Sign-Up Information
Sign-ups will take place here on AO3. There, you can fill out details about your request and offer. You can edit your sign-up at any time until the sign-ups close.
When signing up, you can choose fandom and genre tags, as well as specify any additional details. Please also add one or more media types.
You will have to select the DMBJ canon you’re interested in creating and receiving a gift in:
Novels: Daomu Biji / The Grave Robbers’ Chronicles (including spinoffs, side stories, and extras)
TV: Wu Xie's Private Notes
TV: The Lost Tomb 1
TV: The Lost Tomb 2 Explore with the Note
TV: The Lost Tomb 2.5 Heavenly Palace on the Clouds
TV: Ultimate Note
TV: Tibetan Sea Flower (Adventure behind the Bronze Door)
TV: Sha Hai (and spin off movies)
TV: The Lost Tomb Reboot/The Sound of Providence (and spin offs)
TV: The Mystic Nine (and spin off movies)
Movies: Time Raiders, Conjuring Curse, Misty Creed
This does not mean that you’re limited to requesting or creating a work during the canon timelines for those series/books. It’s just to mark which canons you’re familiar with to allow for easier matching: some participants might have a preference for a particular canon era, some might not be familiar with all the versions. You still have to choose your preferred canon eras even if you want to create or receive an AU.
You will also have to specify genres you’re interested in. Note that a few new tags have been nominated, you can add them to your request.
Please also include the media forms in your request and add details if you have any, for example music genres you like or if you prefer a certain art style.
🍜 Requests
Fandom - you have to choose at least one. If you’re willing to receive a gift in any canon era, you can just click “Any”!
Characters - you have to choose at least three tags. Note that a few characters are on the list that are not in the ships.
Ratings - you have to choose at least one. This will help your gifter know what you like and are comfortable with when they're coming up with ideas to fill your prompts.
Warnings - you have to choose at least one. This does not mean that you WILL receive a gift with warnings, it just lets your gifter know if you are comfortable receiving a gift with warnings or not.
Additional Tags - you have to choose three, please choose at least one media type. If you fail to do that, your request will be defaulted to "fic".
Description - here’s where you can go into more detail about your perfect exchange gift! You can include:
General Likes: your gifter may, but doesn’t have to, include them. This isn’t a place for detailed prompts, just general themes you enjoy, like getting together or established relationship.
DNW (Do Not Wants): things that your creator must not include - squicks, triggers, characters or things that you simply don’t like. You don’t owe anyone an explanation about why something is a DNW, and DNW are not meant to be taken personally. Just list the things you don’t like, “DNW: X, Y.”
Please list if you have any audio or visual triggers (such as flashing lights). This could be in your DNW or could be separate. Please also list song/music DNWs (e.g. "please no lyrics that use the n-word" or "please no lyrics in [specific language]" or “please no [specific genre/s of music]”).
Prompts/specific ideas: if you have any prompts, you can also put them here! You can be as general or as detailed as you’d like, but remember that while your creator will try to make the best gift for you, filling a specific prompt is not obligatory. You can include a crossover prompt (with other DMBJ verse or other canons), but make sure it’s not the only prompt you have.
For vid prompts, please list things like genres/styles of music you like (or like in videos), vibes/tone/theme you’d like to see (e.g. “angsty amnesiac Xiaoge”, “Fuba crack”, etc.), and things like that.
Important: Please do not only post a link to a "Dear Creator" letter here. You can add it for additional information, but please make sure all important points are listed here.
If you chose novels as one of your fandoms, you can use this field to list the ones you’re familiar with, such as ‘Books 1-4′ , ‘main series only′, ‘main series + specific extras’, etc.
The requests will be made publicly visible after matching is done, so that others will be able to create treats (additional gifts) based on them!
🍜 Offers
Fandom - you have to choose at least one. If you can create works for any canon era, you can choose “Any”!
Characters - you have to choose at least three tags. Note that a few characters are on the list that are not in the ships.
Ratings - you have to choose at least one. This will help matching what people are comfortable creating with what people are comfortable requesting.
Warnings - you have to choose at least one. This does not mean that you have to create a gift with warnings, it's just for helping to match what people are comfortable creating with what people are comfortable receiving.
Additional Tags - you have to choose three, please choose at least one media type. If you fail to do that, your offer will be defaulted to "fic".
Description - in this field, you can tell us more about the kind of works you like to create, for example if you really prefer established relationship, feel best with certain kinds of AUs, or like writing darkfic. We’ll take it into account when matching! By the same token, if there’s something you really don’t want to write, let us know here as well.
If you chose novels as one of your fandoms, you can use this field to list the ones you’re familiar with, such as ‘Books 1-4′ , ‘main series only′, ‘main series + specific extras’, etc.
In the optional details of your offer, you can also name people you don’t want to be matched to, for example your regular beta, and we will do our best to avoid matching you!
The offers will only ever be visible to the mods; never to anyone else.
🐍 Your Assignment
You will be matched to create a gift for someone who requested at least one of the fandoms that you offer, with as many similar genres/likes as possible. This exchange will be hand-matched, after using AO3’s matching algorithm to first generate the potential matches.
If you have any issues when you receive your assignment (you have a question about it or think there’s an issue with it), contact the mod as soon as possible. Do not contact your recipient on your own.
You will have to create a gift for your recipient, fulfilling the minimum requirements of fandom, genre, and ship, and avoiding any stated “do not wants”. Filling exact prompts is optional, but try to create something matching your recipient’s likes that they will enjoy!
You will have to post your gift to the exchange AO3 collection before the due date, using the “gift this work to” option to give it to your recipient. Your work will remain in the collection only visible to you and the mods until the reveals happen. Remember to tag your work appropriately or use the “chose not to warn” warning.
💚 Treating
Treats are additional gifts for the participants! To allow for treating, the requests will be made visible when matching is done. You can create treats at any time until the creator reveals! There are no minimum requirements for treats, and every form of media is allowed in addition to fic, art, and vids. As with assignments, you have to respect the recipient’s Do Not Wants, and while the optional details are optional, try to create something fitting the listed likes. One treat can only be gifted to one person. For the assignments fics, art or videos are allowed; for treats any form of media is acceptable. You can do anything you want if it isn't on a DNW list.
🖊️ Pinch Hits
In case someone needs to drop out, we will look for a pinch hitter to complete their assignment. Pinch hits will be posted to this tumblr and the DMBJ Yucun discord server.
🕑 Extensions
If you think you can finish your assignment, but you need a few days more, you can always ask for an extension. Please contact the mod via tumblr or discord.
🐍 Other Important Information
Make sure to check the email you use on AO3 frequently during the exchange, as it will be the primary means of communication. We might contact you if there is an issue with your sign-up or if your gift creator has a question for you.
If you’d rather be contacted on your discord or tumblr, please leave your handle in the offer section of your sign-up.
Follow this blog to avoid missing an announcement or a deadline!
If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to contact me here on tumblr or on discord.
