Post by himiko on Mar 31, 2019 21:50:11 GMT
It's that time again! As suggested at the end of the year-long 20th anniversary challenge in 2018, the Chambers of Merlin is back with the April Fanwork Challenge! **blows trumpets**
So, first things first, the 20th Anniversary Challenge is open in perpetuity for new and ongoing challengers – if people want to try their hand at those challenges using the prompts available, go ahead!
I've put together a few different challenges for people to try their hands at. I'm going to suggest that you pick one that speaks to you the most. Alternatively, if you want to give yourself more of a challenge (or perhaps more of a structure?) you can try and work multiple challenges into the same response.
Unfortunately due to real life stuff I haven't had the chance to put together any moodboard prompts as I said I would try to do. I may get a chance to do a couple later this month, but no promises- if anyone else wants to put one together I will happily add it to this main post.
Technically the challenge month is April, but in reality it'll pretty much be open until the end of the year.
Challenge 1 – The AU: I'm guessing AU (Alternate Universe) is a familiar concept to everyone here, so this is quite a broad challenge. Want to take your favourite (and/or not-so-favourite) characters from the film and put them in totally different surroundings? Maybe you'd like to try retelling events from the film but in a different context? Perhaps a crossover with another franchise? Or maybe you just want to take the characters and setting of the original film and explore what would have happened if someone had made a different decision somewhere along the line? Let your imagination run wild.
Challenge 2 – Character Interaction: For those of us who find ourselves writing the same few pairings/ interactions. Below, I've compiled a list of characters (film only, to make it simpler, and also only character with a fairly substantial amount of lines – if you'd like to add novel characters like Idath, or more minor characters like Elissa, feel free to assign them a number). The idea is that you find yourself a random number generator, a dice of many sides, or a helpful friend or relative to shout numbers at you, and get two or more numbers out of them. Those numbers correspond to characters below, and the challenge is to write about those characters. They could be having a conversation, one could be spying on the other, it could be romantic or it could be antagonistic, or it could simply be hilarious.
1. Ambrosia
2. Arthur
3. Boris
4. Frik
5. Gawain
6. Guinevere
7. Lady of the Lake
8. Lailoken (Soothsayer)
9. Lancelot
10. Mab
11. Merlin
12. Mordred
13. Morgan
14. Mountain King
15. Nimue
16. Uther
17. Vortigern
Challenge 3 – Prompts
This one's more similar to last year's challenge, whereby you can pick a word/phrase and make some fanwork based around that as an idea.
a) Seven Deadly Sins (Pride, Envy, Wrath/Anger , Greed, Gluttony, Lust and Laziness/Sloth) – you can either write a series of vignettes, one for each sin, or write around just one.
b) Seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn) – I've not included Winter in the list as it's already part of the 20th Anniversary Challenge, but go ahead and include it if you want to write a “Four Seasons” type fanfic.
Challenge 4 - Song Prompt
I was listening to this song the other day and was thinking that some of the lyrics could apply quite well to some of the Merlin characters. I've posted the song and lyrics below. Whether you feel inspired to write a fic or create some art based on some/all of the lyrics or whether you want to try your hand at a fanvid, the choice is up to you!
Illusion - VNV Nation
I know it's hard to tell how mixed up you feel
Hoping what you need is behind every door
Each time you get hurt, I don't want you to change
Because everyone has hopes, you're human after all
The feeling sometimes wishing you were someone else
Feeling as though you never belong
This feeling is not sadness, this feeling is not joy
I truly understand, please don't cry now
Please don't go, I want you to stay
I'm begging you, please, please don't leave here
I don't want you to hate for all the hurt that you feel
The world is just illusion trying to change you
Being like you are, well, this is something else
Who would comprehend? But some that do lay claim
Divine purpose blesses them, that's not what I believe
And it doesn't matter anyway
A part of your soul ties you to the next world
Or maybe to the last but I'm still not sure
But what I do know is to us the world is different
As we are to the world, I guess you would know that
Please don't go, I want you to stay
I'm begging you, please, please don't leave here
I don't want you to hate for all the hurt that you feel
The world is just illusion trying to change you
Best of luck to everyone! Have fun!
So, first things first, the 20th Anniversary Challenge is open in perpetuity for new and ongoing challengers – if people want to try their hand at those challenges using the prompts available, go ahead!
I've put together a few different challenges for people to try their hands at. I'm going to suggest that you pick one that speaks to you the most. Alternatively, if you want to give yourself more of a challenge (or perhaps more of a structure?) you can try and work multiple challenges into the same response.
Unfortunately due to real life stuff I haven't had the chance to put together any moodboard prompts as I said I would try to do. I may get a chance to do a couple later this month, but no promises- if anyone else wants to put one together I will happily add it to this main post.
Technically the challenge month is April, but in reality it'll pretty much be open until the end of the year.
Challenge 1 – The AU: I'm guessing AU (Alternate Universe) is a familiar concept to everyone here, so this is quite a broad challenge. Want to take your favourite (and/or not-so-favourite) characters from the film and put them in totally different surroundings? Maybe you'd like to try retelling events from the film but in a different context? Perhaps a crossover with another franchise? Or maybe you just want to take the characters and setting of the original film and explore what would have happened if someone had made a different decision somewhere along the line? Let your imagination run wild.
Challenge 2 – Character Interaction: For those of us who find ourselves writing the same few pairings/ interactions. Below, I've compiled a list of characters (film only, to make it simpler, and also only character with a fairly substantial amount of lines – if you'd like to add novel characters like Idath, or more minor characters like Elissa, feel free to assign them a number). The idea is that you find yourself a random number generator, a dice of many sides, or a helpful friend or relative to shout numbers at you, and get two or more numbers out of them. Those numbers correspond to characters below, and the challenge is to write about those characters. They could be having a conversation, one could be spying on the other, it could be romantic or it could be antagonistic, or it could simply be hilarious.
1. Ambrosia
2. Arthur
3. Boris
4. Frik
5. Gawain
6. Guinevere
7. Lady of the Lake
8. Lailoken (Soothsayer)
9. Lancelot
10. Mab
11. Merlin
12. Mordred
13. Morgan
14. Mountain King
15. Nimue
16. Uther
17. Vortigern
Challenge 3 – Prompts
This one's more similar to last year's challenge, whereby you can pick a word/phrase and make some fanwork based around that as an idea.
a) Seven Deadly Sins (Pride, Envy, Wrath/Anger , Greed, Gluttony, Lust and Laziness/Sloth) – you can either write a series of vignettes, one for each sin, or write around just one.
b) Seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn) – I've not included Winter in the list as it's already part of the 20th Anniversary Challenge, but go ahead and include it if you want to write a “Four Seasons” type fanfic.
Challenge 4 - Song Prompt
I was listening to this song the other day and was thinking that some of the lyrics could apply quite well to some of the Merlin characters. I've posted the song and lyrics below. Whether you feel inspired to write a fic or create some art based on some/all of the lyrics or whether you want to try your hand at a fanvid, the choice is up to you!
Illusion - VNV Nation
I know it's hard to tell how mixed up you feel
Hoping what you need is behind every door
Each time you get hurt, I don't want you to change
Because everyone has hopes, you're human after all
The feeling sometimes wishing you were someone else
Feeling as though you never belong
This feeling is not sadness, this feeling is not joy
I truly understand, please don't cry now
Please don't go, I want you to stay
I'm begging you, please, please don't leave here
I don't want you to hate for all the hurt that you feel
The world is just illusion trying to change you
Being like you are, well, this is something else
Who would comprehend? But some that do lay claim
Divine purpose blesses them, that's not what I believe
And it doesn't matter anyway
A part of your soul ties you to the next world
Or maybe to the last but I'm still not sure
But what I do know is to us the world is different
As we are to the world, I guess you would know that
Please don't go, I want you to stay
I'm begging you, please, please don't leave here
I don't want you to hate for all the hurt that you feel
The world is just illusion trying to change you
Best of luck to everyone! Have fun!
Alas! I will work on rewriting some of the ideas that seemed to be going somewhere, but between this and the delay on the other challenge I will probably run behind on this challenge too XD
