Prompt List 2011
After much ado and faffing about the prompts for this year's merlinadvent are finally ready :D
The prompts for all the 24 days of the advent and alternate prompts in case you want a bit extra:
Day 1; Writing
Getting Camelot off to a seasonal yet organised start today, the castle abounds with people writing last minute Christmas cards, desperately trying to remember which obscure relative they’ve forgotten (and therefore mortally offended), or maybe trying their hand at composing a love ballad. Maybe Merlin was called upon to write Arthur’s poetry for him…
[Blazing fire, red nose, ‘it’s stuck in my head!’]
Day 2; Home for the Holidays
Whether Merlin finally makes it back to Ealdor for a well-earned break, Uther comes back to haunt the throne room whenever the afterlife gets dull, or the knights musing about what the holidays will be like in their new home of Camelot today is for home. Wherever that may be.
[Ice, winter clothes, what to get?]
Day 3; Last Christmas
Horrible memories of family fights over the dinner table, a carelessly broken heart, or maybe the fond remembrances of a winter wedding, I’m sure we’d all love to know what happened in Camelot last Christmas.
[Eggnog, blizzard, with a ribbon on]
Day 4; Baking
Today is all about baking, so who’s in the kitchen? Are the knights stealing food again, has cooking turned into a flour fight, or is it simply the Camelot Annual Bake Off (speech and prize giving by the king himself)?
[Pardoning the turkey, glitter, ‘The holidays aren't about buying stuff, Arthur’]
Day 5; Magical Time of Year
Everyone knows Yule was one of the most celebrated festivals of the old religion, and it’s not hard to see why with magic around every corner! Merlin discovering that a little extra magic in these times goes unnoticed or Gwen trying her hand at a simple love spell for her brother, it seems like everyone’s gone magic mad!
[poinsettia, horrible parties, over-indulgence]
Day 6; Presents
Be it wrapping them, buying them or forgetting all about them until Christmas Eve when nowhere open, presents are the theme of the day. Did Arthur forget to buy Merlin a present again? Did Gaius try to give everyone tonics or indigestion? Maybe the fates decided to give Morgana a present she wouldn’t forget and brought Morgause back?
[Lighting the Christmas tree, shooting stars, ‘I’ll be home for Christmas’]
Day 7; The King’s Christmas Speech
King Arthur needs to get his reign off to a good start and what better way than a speech declaring his intentions for the year ahead? Of course this is Camelot though and something is certain to go wrong…
[Holly, snowed in, ‘not a cloud in the sky’]
Day 8; Stuff My Stoking
…Okay, let’s be honest here, if that’s not the name of a Christmas themed porno then it’s only because Gwaine hasn’t filmed it yet and dragged everyone else into it with him. Shameless excuse for pwp day, yays!
[Spiking the drinks, Secret Santa, Old St. Nick]
Day 9; Traditions
Merlin thinks he’s learnt all the holiday traditions Camelot has over the years but maybe there are more left to surprise him. Disagreements and family fights over proper tradition abound but does even Gaius have a book with all the answers?
[Lost in the post, hot apple cider, The Nutcracker]
Day 10; Decorating
Get out the tinsel, bunting and holly- it’s time to decorate! Whether it is Gwen and Arthur arguing over drapes for their chambers or Merlin using magic to float the star to the top of the Christmas tree, decorating for the holidays is something that’s always more fun with company!
[Dragon-pulled sleigh, cup of tea, glitter!]
Day 11; Snow!
All of Albion is taking a snow day today. Royalty can unbend a little to indulge in a snowball fight, servants can spend the day curled up by a fire with some company- this is the time for watching the world turn white and playing about in the snow like silly buggers.
[Iced over, mulled wine, huddled for warmth]
Day 12; The Twelve Days of Christmas
It’s tradition. Someone in Camelot has to have a true love willing to embarrass them with an endless parade of useless gifts surely. Either that or Morgana’s assassination techniques have gotten more elaborate…Does anyone know if you can train a partridge to kill a king?
[Bad singing, Yule log, snowflake]
Day 13; First Christmas
A first Christmas together can be a wonderful thing, whether through marriage or just meeting or even baby’s first Christmas. Of course there is then the side of things where Arthur forgot his holiday anniversary with Merlin and needs to go grovel to get him back…
[Roasted chestnuts, shiny things, A Christmas Princess]
Day 14; Film
A nice change of pace now with an opportunity to inject Albion with the magic of the silver screen. The Little Match Warlock, maybe Gwen is dragged off into the sky one night by a snowman and needs rescuing, or perhaps time for the Round Table’s annual cinema trip.
[red and green, Walking In the Air, ‘not this year’]
Day 15; Drink
Raise your glass, my good fellows, to the wonders of alcohol! It brings you confidence! It brings you bed partners! It brings you conviction that you really can run through the castle courtyard naked and not get caught! Drink up!
[Family, story telling, ‘This is going to be awful’]
Day 16; Mistletoe
A day of quiet and peace after the debauchery of yesterday. Or as much peace and quiet as can be had amongst the denizens of Camelot who have been driven kiss mad by the presence of mistletoe everywhere? Who’s going to get the most kisses?
[North star, snow fight, intrigue]
Day 17; Waking Up
Arthur waking up early to get in some sneaky extra training before the knights stir for the day, or Merlin waking up to all A Wonderful Life to find out he never existed and Camelot’s in ruins, today is all about the joys of waking up. Perhaps not in the bed you were expecting…
[Miracle, all tied up, ‘Is that a dragon?’]
Day 18; Falling in Love
The untold story of Percival’s first love, or how Christmas cheer made Gwen realise Arthur really wasn’t that bad after all, this is the day for romantic love stories in all their soppy glory.
[Paint a picture, Scrooge, presents]
Day 19; Wishes
Is magic running rampant around the kingdom granting wishes? Or is it just Merlin loosing control of yet another spell? Does someone wish for true love, to be undefeatable in battle, or simply for a lie-in? May the wishes of everyone in Camelot get there fair share of fulfilment today.
[Candy canes, fellatio and the mental pictures you just got from that *g*]
Day 20; A Christmas Carol
The ghosts of sorcerers past, present and future come to haunt Arthur Pendragon (after failing so miserably with Uther they probably deserve another chance). Today is all about the Christmas classic any way you can imagine it.
[Feast, unseasonable weather, hot chocolate]
Day 21; Bells
Has Camelot finally gotten a louder set of warning bells or decided to do without seeing as they’re invaded every other week? Is Merlin charming bells to ring near Arthur’s head every time he’s a prat? Today is for the musical ringing of bells- silver, sleigh, gold or church.
[Long-lost relatives, melting, so hard to choose]
Day 22; Solstice
It could be Morgana observing the holidays of the old religion- monster summoning optional- or the Winter feast that the entire castle looks forward to, but there’s no denying that on this shortest of days there’s plenty of opportunity for (k)night-time activities.
[Bah humbug, office party, ‘Did you keep the receipt?’]
Day 23; All I Want For Christmas
A night out singing Mariah Carey songs at karaoke or something a little more romantic, today is for seeing people get exactly what they really want this advent. It could be Morgana’s day as queen, magic being welcomed back to Camelot or just a quiet wish to hear ‘I love you’ as much as possible in the year ahead.
[Peace on earth, inappropriate presents, ‘Gwaine, if you don’t shut up-‘]
Day 24; Last Minute
Has Gaius forgotten the presents? Is a hunt needed to have enough food to feed a bunch of rowdy drunken knights? Either way today is the end and it’s time for all those last minute bits of advent happiness. Have fun!
[Nightmare Before Christmas, sleigh ride, ‘we’ve run out of reindeers’]
And thus end the prompts. Questions? Comments?
Further prompt ideas are also available in the prompt lists for the previous challenges, all helpfully under the 'prompt list' tag.
Sound off of who’s interested in which days? (Mostly so I know which days are hopelessly lonely and need filling so there’s Merlin-y goodness every day for you all.)
The prompts for all the 24 days of the advent and alternate prompts in case you want a bit extra:
Day 1; Writing
Getting Camelot off to a seasonal yet organised start today, the castle abounds with people writing last minute Christmas cards, desperately trying to remember which obscure relative they’ve forgotten (and therefore mortally offended), or maybe trying their hand at composing a love ballad. Maybe Merlin was called upon to write Arthur’s poetry for him…
[Blazing fire, red nose, ‘it’s stuck in my head!’]
Day 2; Home for the Holidays
Whether Merlin finally makes it back to Ealdor for a well-earned break, Uther comes back to haunt the throne room whenever the afterlife gets dull, or the knights musing about what the holidays will be like in their new home of Camelot today is for home. Wherever that may be.
[Ice, winter clothes, what to get?]
Day 3; Last Christmas
Horrible memories of family fights over the dinner table, a carelessly broken heart, or maybe the fond remembrances of a winter wedding, I’m sure we’d all love to know what happened in Camelot last Christmas.
[Eggnog, blizzard, with a ribbon on]
Day 4; Baking
Today is all about baking, so who’s in the kitchen? Are the knights stealing food again, has cooking turned into a flour fight, or is it simply the Camelot Annual Bake Off (speech and prize giving by the king himself)?
[Pardoning the turkey, glitter, ‘The holidays aren't about buying stuff, Arthur’]
Day 5; Magical Time of Year
Everyone knows Yule was one of the most celebrated festivals of the old religion, and it’s not hard to see why with magic around every corner! Merlin discovering that a little extra magic in these times goes unnoticed or Gwen trying her hand at a simple love spell for her brother, it seems like everyone’s gone magic mad!
[poinsettia, horrible parties, over-indulgence]
Day 6; Presents
Be it wrapping them, buying them or forgetting all about them until Christmas Eve when nowhere open, presents are the theme of the day. Did Arthur forget to buy Merlin a present again? Did Gaius try to give everyone tonics or indigestion? Maybe the fates decided to give Morgana a present she wouldn’t forget and brought Morgause back?
[Lighting the Christmas tree, shooting stars, ‘I’ll be home for Christmas’]
Day 7; The King’s Christmas Speech
King Arthur needs to get his reign off to a good start and what better way than a speech declaring his intentions for the year ahead? Of course this is Camelot though and something is certain to go wrong…
[Holly, snowed in, ‘not a cloud in the sky’]
Day 8; Stuff My Stoking
…Okay, let’s be honest here, if that’s not the name of a Christmas themed porno then it’s only because Gwaine hasn’t filmed it yet and dragged everyone else into it with him. Shameless excuse for pwp day, yays!
[Spiking the drinks, Secret Santa, Old St. Nick]
Day 9; Traditions
Merlin thinks he’s learnt all the holiday traditions Camelot has over the years but maybe there are more left to surprise him. Disagreements and family fights over proper tradition abound but does even Gaius have a book with all the answers?
[Lost in the post, hot apple cider, The Nutcracker]
Day 10; Decorating
Get out the tinsel, bunting and holly- it’s time to decorate! Whether it is Gwen and Arthur arguing over drapes for their chambers or Merlin using magic to float the star to the top of the Christmas tree, decorating for the holidays is something that’s always more fun with company!
[Dragon-pulled sleigh, cup of tea, glitter!]
Day 11; Snow!
All of Albion is taking a snow day today. Royalty can unbend a little to indulge in a snowball fight, servants can spend the day curled up by a fire with some company- this is the time for watching the world turn white and playing about in the snow like silly buggers.
[Iced over, mulled wine, huddled for warmth]
Day 12; The Twelve Days of Christmas
It’s tradition. Someone in Camelot has to have a true love willing to embarrass them with an endless parade of useless gifts surely. Either that or Morgana’s assassination techniques have gotten more elaborate…Does anyone know if you can train a partridge to kill a king?
[Bad singing, Yule log, snowflake]
Day 13; First Christmas
A first Christmas together can be a wonderful thing, whether through marriage or just meeting or even baby’s first Christmas. Of course there is then the side of things where Arthur forgot his holiday anniversary with Merlin and needs to go grovel to get him back…
[Roasted chestnuts, shiny things, A Christmas Princess]
Day 14; Film
A nice change of pace now with an opportunity to inject Albion with the magic of the silver screen. The Little Match Warlock, maybe Gwen is dragged off into the sky one night by a snowman and needs rescuing, or perhaps time for the Round Table’s annual cinema trip.
[red and green, Walking In the Air, ‘not this year’]
Day 15; Drink
Raise your glass, my good fellows, to the wonders of alcohol! It brings you confidence! It brings you bed partners! It brings you conviction that you really can run through the castle courtyard naked and not get caught! Drink up!
[Family, story telling, ‘This is going to be awful’]
Day 16; Mistletoe
A day of quiet and peace after the debauchery of yesterday. Or as much peace and quiet as can be had amongst the denizens of Camelot who have been driven kiss mad by the presence of mistletoe everywhere? Who’s going to get the most kisses?
[North star, snow fight, intrigue]
Day 17; Waking Up
Arthur waking up early to get in some sneaky extra training before the knights stir for the day, or Merlin waking up to all A Wonderful Life to find out he never existed and Camelot’s in ruins, today is all about the joys of waking up. Perhaps not in the bed you were expecting…
[Miracle, all tied up, ‘Is that a dragon?’]
Day 18; Falling in Love
The untold story of Percival’s first love, or how Christmas cheer made Gwen realise Arthur really wasn’t that bad after all, this is the day for romantic love stories in all their soppy glory.
[Paint a picture, Scrooge, presents]
Day 19; Wishes
Is magic running rampant around the kingdom granting wishes? Or is it just Merlin loosing control of yet another spell? Does someone wish for true love, to be undefeatable in battle, or simply for a lie-in? May the wishes of everyone in Camelot get there fair share of fulfilment today.
[Candy canes, fellatio and the mental pictures you just got from that *g*]
Day 20; A Christmas Carol
The ghosts of sorcerers past, present and future come to haunt Arthur Pendragon (after failing so miserably with Uther they probably deserve another chance). Today is all about the Christmas classic any way you can imagine it.
[Feast, unseasonable weather, hot chocolate]
Day 21; Bells
Has Camelot finally gotten a louder set of warning bells or decided to do without seeing as they’re invaded every other week? Is Merlin charming bells to ring near Arthur’s head every time he’s a prat? Today is for the musical ringing of bells- silver, sleigh, gold or church.
[Long-lost relatives, melting, so hard to choose]
Day 22; Solstice
It could be Morgana observing the holidays of the old religion- monster summoning optional- or the Winter feast that the entire castle looks forward to, but there’s no denying that on this shortest of days there’s plenty of opportunity for (k)night-time activities.
[Bah humbug, office party, ‘Did you keep the receipt?’]
Day 23; All I Want For Christmas
A night out singing Mariah Carey songs at karaoke or something a little more romantic, today is for seeing people get exactly what they really want this advent. It could be Morgana’s day as queen, magic being welcomed back to Camelot or just a quiet wish to hear ‘I love you’ as much as possible in the year ahead.
[Peace on earth, inappropriate presents, ‘Gwaine, if you don’t shut up-‘]
Day 24; Last Minute
Has Gaius forgotten the presents? Is a hunt needed to have enough food to feed a bunch of rowdy drunken knights? Either way today is the end and it’s time for all those last minute bits of advent happiness. Have fun!
[Nightmare Before Christmas, sleigh ride, ‘we’ve run out of reindeers’]
And thus end the prompts. Questions? Comments?
Further prompt ideas are also available in the prompt lists for the previous challenges, all helpfully under the 'prompt list' tag.
Sound off of who’s interested in which days? (Mostly so I know which days are hopelessly lonely and need filling so there’s Merlin-y goodness every day for you all.)