Greetings lovelies! The time has come and the 10th annual Carry On Countdown prompt list has finally arrived. Please visit our Official Rules post linked here or in our blog's bio for an overview of this event and our posting and submission requirements :)

As a reminder, the prompt list can be used in your original content as you wish and at your own interpretation, but if you have any questions or would like clarification, please send us an ask. We encourage (and LOVE) fanfiction, fanart, cosplay, memes, songs, playlists, crafts, puzzles, games, baking, fiber arts, etc.

Without further ado, the admins are pleased to present the prompt list for the 2025 Carry On Countdown:

Day 1, NOV 25: First Year ❄️

Day 2, NOV 26: Mystery

Day 3, NOV 27: Bloom

Day 4, NOV 28: Ash

Day 5, NOV 29: Alternate Universe

Day 6, NOV 30: Tune

Day 7, DEC 1: Anniversary

Day 8, DEC 2: Spectacle(s)

Day 9, DEC 3: Birthright

Day 10, DEC 4: WLW ❄️

Day 11, DEC 5: Angst ❄️

Day 12, DEC 6: Stain

Day 13, DEC 7: Tender

Day 14, DEC 8: Recipe

Day 15, DEC 9: Travel

Day 16, DEC 10: Sci-Fi/Horror

Day 17, DEC 11: Side Ships/Alternate Ships

Day 18, DEC 12: Battle

Day 19, DEC 13: Fate

Day 20, DEC 14: Candlelight

Day 21, DEC 15: Thirst

Day 22, DEC 16: 61 ❄️

Day 23, DEC 17: Mum ❄️

Day 24, DEC 18: Home

Day 25, DEC 19: Fright

Day 26, DEC 20: Crack ❄️

Day 27, DEC 21: Let It Snow ❄️

Day 28, DEC 22: Red

Day 29, DEC 23: Confession

Day 30 DEC 24: Last Dance

As a way of paying homage to the first Carry On Countdown ten years ago, we've marked all the prompts from this year that were also featured on the first Countdown prompt list with a snowflake emoji. Let's hear it for 10 years of the COC! Holy cows!

We're so excited to embark on another glorious season of celebrating Snowbaz and the whole gang with this wonderful community, and we can't wait to see what you all have in store for us this year. See you all on November 25th!

Love,

Carry On Countdown Day 1: Something Old

"Watford has been here since the 1500s. It's set up like a walled city--fields and woods outside the walls, buildings and courtyards inside."

Huge shout out to my collaborator @rimeswithpurple, who recreated all the little buildings in stunning detail so I could print them on fabric.

Hello Snowvians! It's our pleasure to announce that it is once again time for the annual 2024 Carry On Countdown. The Carry On Countdown is a fandom hosted, month-long ‘countdown’ event to the Chapter 61 Snowbaz anniversary for The Simon Snow Trilogy by Rainbow Rowell. The event begins on November 25th and features daily prompts to help inspire all kinds of wonderful fan-created content as we draw closer to Simon and Baz’s anniversary date on December 24th.

We encourage fanfiction, fanart, cosplay, memes, songs, playlists, crafts, etc. The prompts are completely up to your own interpretation and can be used in your original content however you like, but if you have any questions, please send us an ask. 

Speaking of, our admins are excited to present the prompt list for this year's Carry On Countdown: 

Day 1, NOV 25: Something Old

Day 2, NOV 26: Chosen

Day 3, NOV 27: AU/Alternate Universe

Day 4, NOV 28: Daydreaming

Day 5, NOV 29: Forest

Day 6, NOV 30: Truth/Dare

Day 7, DEC 1: Gently

Day 8, DEC 2: Bleed

Day 9, DEC 3: Side Ships/Alternative Ships

Day 10, DEC 4: Dinner

Day 11, DEC 5: Wavering

Day 12, DEC 6: Normal

Day 13, DEC 7: Lyrics

Day 14, DEC 8: Sour

Day 15, DEC 9: Sweets

Day 16, DEC 10: Punk

Day 17, DEC 11: Surprise

Day 18, DEC 12: Vessel

Day 19, DEC 13: Fluff

Day 20, DEC 14: Teeth

Day 21, DEC 15: WLW

Day 22, DEC 16: Angst

Day 23, DEC 17: Goats

Day 24, DEC 18: Holiday Shopping

Day 25, DEC 19: Truce

Day 26, DEC 20: Savour

Day 27, DEC 21: Intertwined

Day 28, DEC 22: Snowed In

Day 29, DEC 23: Alight

Day 30, DEC 24: Something New

You are welcome to participate in as many or as few of the days of the event as you wish. Completing every daily prompt for the COC is not mandatory, although anyone who does will earn a special spot on our “Page of Honour” once the event has concluded. 

The COC is a fan-created and fan-run event, and we have a lovely, dedicated team of admins who are busy organizing all of the fun: Cora @otherpeoplesheartachept-2, Froggy @jasonfunderberkerthefrogexists, and Raegan @carryonmylovelies.

Even though we can hardly believe it, this is the 9th consecutive year that the fandom has hosted this countdown, and its admins are thrilled to continue this cherished tradition with you all. We feel quite lucky to be a part of something so special every year, and we truly cannot wait for another delightful season of sharing Snowbaz fan-creations with one another. We wish everyone who is planning on participating in the countdown the best of luck. And don’t forget! Our askbox is always open for any questions you may have concerning this event.

Reblogs are very much appreciated (please reblog!), and the hashtags we encourage using with posts relating to the countdown are #Carry On Countdown and #COC 2024. 

Much love,

Hello, friends! We are excited to announce that it is once again time for the annual 2023 Carry On Countdown. The Carry On Countdown is a fandom hosted, month-long ‘countdown’ event to the Chapter 61 Snowbaz anniversary for The Simon Snow Trilogy by Rainbow Rowell. The event begins on November 25th and features daily prompts to help inspire all kinds of delightful, fan-created content as we draw closer to Simon and Baz’s anniversary date on December 24th.

We encourage fanfiction, fanart, cosplay, memes, songs, playlists, crafts, etc. The prompts are completely up to your own interpretation and can be used in your content however you like, but if you have any questions, please send us an ask. 

Speaking of, this year’s admins are thrilled to present the prompt list for the 2023 Carry On Countdown: 

Day 1, NOV 25: Creature

Day 2, NOV 26: Confession

Day 3, NOV 27: AU/Alternate Universe

Day 4, NOV 28: Stars

Day 5, NOV 29: Fight

Day 6, NOV 30: WLW

Day 7, DEC 1: Midnight

Day 8, DEC 2: Sick

Day 9, DEC 3: Pride

Day 10, DEC 4: Wrath

Day 11, DEC 5: Side Ships/Alternative Ships

Day 12, DEC 6: Wings

Day 13, DEC 7: Shudder

Day 14, DEC 8: Blade

Day 15, DEC 9: Familiar

Day 16, DEC 10: Smoke

Day 17, DEC 11: Fluff

Day 18, DEC 12: Hunger

Day 19, DEC 13: Sci-Fi

Day 20, DEC 14: Flowers

Day 21, DEC 15: Begin Again

Day 22, DEC 16: Music

Day 23, DEC 17: Bite

Day 24, DEC 18: Cross

Day 25, DEC 19: Carnival/Faire

Day 26, DEC 20: Angst

Day 27, DEC 21: Gift

Day 28, DEC 22: Gently

Day 29, DEC 23: Cherry

Day 30, DEC 24: Crack

You are welcome to participate in as many or as few of the days of the event as you wish. Completing every daily prompt for the COC is not mandatory, although anyone who does will earn a special spot on our “Page of Honour” once the event has concluded. 

The COC is a fan-created and fan-run event, and once again we have another dedicated team of admins who are busy organizing all of the fun: Cora @otherpeoplesheartachept-2, Lola @dragoneggos, Froggy @jasonfunderberkerthefrogexists, and Raegan @carryonmylovelies. Please stay tuned for our Meet the Admin’s post in a few weeks!

If you can believe it, this is the 8th consecutive year that the fandom has hosted this countdown, and its admins are thrilled to continue this cherished tradition with you all. We wish everyone who is planning on participating in the countdown the best of luck. And don’t forget! Our askbox is always open for any questions you may have concerning this event.

Reblogs are very much appreciated (please reblog!), and the hashtags we encourage using with posts relating to the countdown are #Carry On Countdown and #COC 2023. 

With love,

Hello there! We are thrilled to announce that it is once again time for the annual 2022 Carry On Countdown. If you’re new to this beloved tradition of ours, welcome! The Carry On Countdown is a fandom hosted, month-long ‘countdown’ event to the Chapter 61 Snowbaz anniversary for The Simon Snow Trilogy by Rainbow Rowell. The event begins on November 25th and features daily prompts to help inspire all sorts of wonderful fan-created content as we draw closer to that cherished anniversary date on December 24th.

In order to give everyone who wishes to participate enough time to prepare, the prompt list for this year’s COC will be posted a month before the event begins, on October 25th. Content for the Carry On Countdown can be just about anything you desire to create! We encourage fanfiction, fanart, cosplay, memes, songs, playlists, crafts, etc. The prompts are completely up to your own interpretation and can be used in your content however you like, but if you’re confused or have any questions, please send us an ask.

You are welcome to participate in as many or as few of the days of the event as you wish. Completing every daily prompt for the COC is not mandatory, although anyone who does will earn a special spot on our “Page of Honour” once the event has concluded. 

The COC is a fan-created and fan-run event, and we once again have another dedicated team of admins who are busy organizing all of the fun.

We have five main admins, Froggy, Cora, Lola, Yoey, and Raegan, whose brief introductions can be found below. 

carry on:

wayward son:

any way the wind blows:

1. i’ll think it just once

2. actually i’ve literally always thought it

At first the idea of Simon being immune to magic seemed really tragic to me - another degree of separation between him and Baz and Penny and the whole World of Mages. But the more I’ve thought about it the less I see it that way.

I think for me it comes down to the fact that magic, in relation to Simon, was always a weapon. It was weaponized against him through the Humdrum and the Mage, just as much as it was a weapon he wielded. Magic was used against Simon from literally the moment of his conception; he was created and born and raised as a magickal weapon. He should have had magic that was just his own, his birthright, but because of the Mage magic was always something that was done to him as much as it was a part of him.

We know Simon misses his magic, misses it like a phantom limb, and at first his magickal immunity seems like another form of loss. But I don’t think it is. Simon losing his magic directly affected what he could do; becoming immune to magic directly affected what could be done to him. That immunity immediately puts him that much further out of the reach of people like Smith Smith-Richards. We see this really clearly in the chapel scene, when Simon is able to withstand the onslaught of hundreds of spells directed at him. He charges into the Chapel knowing he’s safe, and that he’s able to keep Baz and Penny safe by extension. In that scene, his immunity looks a lot less like a tragedy and a lot more like a superpower.

The fact that this happens in the Chapel, the same place where Simon killed the Mage, is probably the most important detail. There’s a direct parallel between the “spell” Simon casts that kills the Mage - “Stop hurting me!” - and the fact that Smith’s/the other mages’ magic literally can’t hurt him. I think it’s symbolic of his healing, of a cycle being closed. 

But the person who gives Simon his immunity is the Big Bad of the book! How can healing come from the villain? 

Well, yes, but Smith-Richards is also clearly a foil for Simon. Through Smith-Richards, I think Simon is finally able to see how destructive and toxic the Chosen One role he was forced into is; seeing how Feverfew manipulated Smith maybe gives him some insight into how the Mage manipulated him. At the beginning of AWTWB, Simon asserts that nobody used him - at the end, he admits to himself that the Mage used him, turned him into his boy soldier. Through Smith, Simon is able to comprehend and feel part of the immense damage done to him, and by confronting and ultimately defeating Smith he symbolically confronts and begins to move beyond certain aspects of his own trauma. Therefore I see the fact that Smith casts the spell that gives Simon his magickal immunity as a sneaky way of figuratively showing Simon healing himself and giving himself the tools to work through his trauma.

Simon’s magickal immunity is a hard boundary being placed. Throughout the book (and the series) Simon and other characters repeatedly mention how uncomfortable Simon is with having spells cast on him. He specifically asks that spells not be cast “on my body” and only allows for very particular exceptions. It’s not a coincidence that his immunity prevents spells from being cast on his body. Things on or around him can still be magickally affected - his shirt can fit like a glove, for instance - but his physical body is beyond the reach of magic. It is solely under his control and power. I can only imagine how good that would feel, after finally realizing how much harm has been done to him, to know that his physical body is protected that way! Simon also clearly states that he doesn’t want Penny to keep trying to find a way to reverse his immunity; he clearly prefers having it to not having it, so I think it’s safe to say that the immunity gives him some measure of comfort!

Magic was always a weapon in relation to Simon. It was a weapon used against him over and over and over again, until it couldn’t be used on him at all. It was also a weapon that Simon wielded, but never felt fully comfortable with. He could never control the chaotic, explosive magic that the Mage forced him to carry, and he was always more adept with his sword. In AWTWB, Simon is further distanced from magic but reunited with a sword - he reclaims a strength that truly belongs to him, down to his muscle memory. And that sword being the Salisbury Excalibur, a family heirloom, stands in beautifully for the magic that was Simon’s birthright as a mage, that he should have inherited from Lucy. It’s a point of connection to his heritage and the World of Mages.

Simon being immune to magick and incapable of performing magic does set him apart from the World of Mages, but doesn’t remove him from it entirely. For one thing, he’s not the only magick-less mage anymore, and for another he has Shep - someone who also exists on the boundary between the magickal and non-magickal worlds - to help him navigate that liminal space. To tell him that he can put zippers on his shirts instead of spelling them to fit his wings. To maybe even help him meet others with magickal physical traits but little to no actual magic!