Last Minute Summer Reading 2023

Last Minute Summer Writing

Due to finals exams month coinciding with the summer, a basically had about a week of time. Overall, I'm happy that I was able to scratch 16 prompts out of that time. There were some interesting ideas and detailed flavor I was able to add to a world that has mostly been living inside my head.

However, I think with the amount of time I spent trying to write, I wasn't as efficient as I could have been. It would've been better If I spent more time taking scheduled breaks where I do something else for a time before retuning to work. I was too caught up in the idea that if I stray away I won't look back and then get nothing done. Ruining my sleep schedule was definitely not the best idea.

Later in to the week, I also succumbed to the admiration of progress. While it's a good thing that I can admire the things I've accomplished, I have a terrible habit of procrastinating just by mindlessly flipping through completed articles, not skimming for things to fix, not thinking about things to add. Again, when my brain needs a break, I need to learn to fully give it that. Going forward, mindless appreciation needs to be more sparing and replaced by reviewing progress with the brain turned-on.

Despite all of this, I'm happy to have kicked off my world on paper through my first ever proper World Anvil event. Thank you to people left comments and favorites on my articles, and to the everyone who clicked on them as well. While the numbers aren't everything of course, the digital validation is surprisingly motivating. As I find my footing in schoolwork as well, I'm looking forward to continuing on my world throughout the rest of the year, onwards to WorldEmber!

Favorites of My Own

Here's some of my favorite work from the summer.

A Powerful Organization in My World: The Medallion

The Medallion is an organization I've had sitting around in my head for a long time. I like the duality of it both being a symbol of progress and yet also a symbol of greed. A shipping guild turned global power through use of a waterfall that defies space, leading from one side of the world to another. The natural wonder is now traversed by huge specialized freighters, with tower structures to support their embarking, forever changing the sight people will see in generations to come.

This concept of this faction has spawned and influenced many many more ideas throughout the Worlds, including the Brass Tide and Lumene from this summer camp. I hope to expand on the many people, such as officers, engineers and more, who make up the Medallion. Further exploration of the darker sides of their business is also a topic I hope to delve into later on. Alongside the other factions of the city (which I will write), the Medallion is a core node of Thyra and Akayun's Worlds furthermore.

A Historical Culture Whose Influence Is Still Felt Today: Gata-Akay, the Forsaken

I enjoyed developing the Gata-Akay, imagining a secluded people devout to their gods, until the gods left them for a bigger place is the Worlds. I was exhilarated when I realized I had laid the groundwork to introduce changelings into my setting without intending to. I suprised myself even more when I realized the leadership of the Gozanal would be made of them, birthing Gata

Writing the Gata-Akay became a very defining moment in the development of this world. It changed the identity of the 'Creator Pantheon' from neglegent overseers of the world to an opportunistic group of gods that took control of the Worlds through a careful and long-orchestrated plan. The existence of the Gata-Akay has altered the way I see my setting and the Truce's place as an allegory at the crux of its identity.

A Profession That Has Been Rendered Obsolete: Crown Druid

The elves of my world I very dear to my heart. I considered writing the Itadaroa here instead, something much closer to the core of my elves. However, that's something I've known existed in my world for along time. And I've already told you about one of those. Instead, let's talk about a dead profession.

Writing the Crown Druids made me feel like my setting had reached a new stage of reality. Despite only being about a dozen articles in, I was writing an article whose concept was entirely derived from the existence of something else, the Rudena Clocks. From there, I concocted a long historical power struggle, based on the established arcane prowess of the current age and the long-held power of the emperor. I even got to hint at one of many cultural conflicts between the elves of the empire Empire and Woodland Elves, a topic I want to explore more of in the future. May I experience that feeling more and more as my world expands, and may you as well.

Last Minute Summer Reading

Let's have a look at the prompts that I picked my favorites from. I wasn't sure what to pick at first, and might as well waste no time.

A Powerful Organization in Your World

The Vault by Autumnkitsune

I really like the concept of a secret organization that only reveals itself at dire times in the world. While I'm sure it's a well-kept secret, I'm curious to know how the Vault keeps themselves so well hidden and defended. What is the people's relationship with the Vault? Have they even heard of it? How many monarchs have died believing that surely they could find and bring the Vault to their side? This organization seems full of potential to spawn little idoms, myths, and debates among the people throughout the world.

Heaven's Jesters by Govika

The fun little details of [yet to be translate], the way The Aria seems out of place among all the ranks, oh, I LOVE IT! I am such a nerd for that kind of stuff, imagining organizations and your worlds history from the point of view of the scholars is one my favorite approaches to worldbuilding. I'm curious to know how explicit the Exhibit is about how much control the Jesters have, and how much control they actually do have. Do they really control everything, or is that just what they tell their members? How do they keep that delicate balance of tight-knit, powerful, and imperceptible? The idea of a central, shadowy kabal that controls the inner-workings of the whole world is wild fearmongering speculation in our world, and I wonder what makes this world different that allows for such an incredible scale of secret control.

Hiven Tech by Tara Fae Belle

I've never seen a worldbuilding article like this before. The way it seems to have been written by someone in-universe, with little comments on it from other people and everything. I'm obsessed with the little post-it interaction between 'Mimi' and 'Taegrin.' This modern fantasy (I think) world feels so alive just by the way the article is written.

I'd love to know more about what kinds of technology they make. As the supervisor notes, how would the cities fall apart? Would the economy crash? Would all the technology everyone relies on suddenly have no warranty? And what does everyone think of this huge company? It would be unexpected if a company so big and influencial wouldn't have myth and baggage all attached to it's name. Also, what about the cookies?

A Historical Culture Whose Influence Is Still Felt Today

The Shadewind Culture by Krayvuk

WOW! what a huge article! It's really interesting how the way it's written (at least to me) almost dips it's toes into reinterpreting 'culture' as the culture in 'microbe culture.' The way the culture is tied to a place, reforming anew where it was first destroyed and yet somehow maintaining its dark yet scholarly spirit is really fascinating. I'd love to see what a campaign or adventure run based on this would look like.

Missing Ethnicity by George Sanders

This is really interesting. In relation to the concept of elves mysteriously disappearing, the parallellistic prohecies that human's will meet the same fate feel very real. I also find the 100 year memory loss of elves a very fascinating idea. It's a very different way of accomplishing the same effect that the soul-cycling of elves in my setting does. It's so concise and yet it tells a lot and carries a lot of impact to a larger world.

Ancient Dragons by Autumnkitsune

Again, I love the implications of scholarly debate and uncertainty in worldbuilding. I can just imagine scholar's comparing the pieces of glyphs and calculating size of inhabitants based on the remains of the architecture. The Ruined Wonders sound like a wondrous place to explore!

A Profession That Has Been Rendered Obsolete

Governor General of Canada by Tynen_TM

The amount of work that must go into researching such an ambitious alt-history world. I love the concept of this setting all-together. The Governor General of Canada, becoming a defunct rank but then the holder of it assuming the new role that essentially replaces it, it feels like such a real detail, an illusion of change. Canada is a kingdom now, but still ruled by a British prince with the same old guy as the prime minister; I LOVE POLITICS!!!! Fictional politics, anyway.

Scale Sculptors by Heavy

A profession born in magical superstitions, with a conflict around the practice with lot's of different, believable perspectives. I like how not stopping at the dragons, it goes on to describe the colliding druidic perspectives, adding another layer of depth. And then no one 'wins,' it just fades away. The social phenomenon just comes and goes.

I really loved the article, and even how it was formatted. It felt like reading a poem, more than lore-filled prose. Inspiring Stuff!

When Life Gives you Lemons, Kill the Lemon Tree by KOSpades

My first ever full prose-based article I've seen here. The title itself was eye-catching, and makes a great metaphor that explains itself once the article resolves. The terrible consequences of 'innovation' expressed really nicely through these two characters. I try to include little quotations to make the things I'm describing feel more real, and am happy to be suprised at well that works when done all in.

Next Minute

Well, that's all! As I said up top, I'm going be focusing on studying for a bit, but once I get my bearings I'll be coming back to worldbuilding ASAP. Hopefully I'll have made the lessons I've learned my own by then. See you all at WorldEmber, at the very least.