Summer Camp Reading Challenge 2023

My Summer Camp 2023

I especially enjoyed this year's camp, thanks to the support of friends and family, I was able to progress at the planned pace. The variety of prompts helped me roll through dead ends when I suddenly ran out of ideas. I'm still worried about the language barrier, but I've checked the articles several times and unfortunately it doesn't get any better than that at the moment.

Overall, I enjoyed my time creating. I reached my goal sooner than I expected, so I had a few days to format the texts and check the links. I even had the opportunity to check and translate some of my previous works into English.
I was surprised and very pleased with the attention to my work and the many comments from the Community. I find it extremely inspiring!

Thank You for all the feedback, I hope you will like my upcoming works too!

I allowed myself a two-week break, now I only write what is absolutely necessary to fulfill my duties as Gamemaster, but soon I will continue the expansion of Evera with renewed energy. I want to focus mainly on Damus and Utea.

Reading Challenge 2023

This year, I purposefully chose articles related to the challenge, but I also read a lot of great writing during the Camp. I couldn't read everything, but you guys are great! Looking for inspiration for the further development of Damus, I now delved into your works in relation to plants, settlements and people. Among the many great writings, I would now like to highlight those that have not yet received attention.

Inspiration for my bestiary (flora)

"a useful plant found in a wild area of your world"

This blue lily(?) is a medicinal plant.

I liked the scientific formulation of the article, and the structure of the whole world is very well organized. I found myself clicking from one article to the next. Unfortunately, I can't read it in French, but the translator did a good job.

This plant is used for magic by the inhabitants of the world.

Among the many colorful illustrations, there is also very informative text about the plant, its use, propagation and its pests. (I've never thought of so many things when I've created plants before, but I'll take some of these ideas.)

The plant itself is similar to the one Solioran gave Pandora as a token of his love, looking at the images for a long time.

The scent of this flower affects a person's sense of time and dulls the mind.

Its innocent appearance is particularly attractive to nature lovers. In a game system (such as in Shadowdark), where time plays a critical role, the presence of such a plant could be life-threatening for the characters. I can imagine that the flower lives in symbiosis with some predator that is not affected by its scent!

Inspiration for remote settlements

"a settlement at the limits of the "known" or "civilized" world"

This cold settlement has its own problems, but it is developing in the meantime.

Very nice article structure (I'm still struggling with basic CSS). It is very informative and gives an insight into everyday life from the perspective of the locals. It made me think about what problems the villages of Damus have to face besides getting food, and and inter-tribal warfare.

A mining colony inhabited by goblins.

A minimalistic summary of an isolated settlement, yet I learned almost all important information from the description. I would have liked to see a map or more details about the inn, the everyday life.

An outlaw town in the "middle of nowhere".

Far from the iron fist of the law, in places hidden from prying eyes, good things rarely happen. I wonder who would decide to live here and what horrors they had to go through to choose that place as their home.

Inspiration for new characters

"a character driven by wanderlust or the desire to explore"

Professor of Archaeology.

I would have liked to read more about her work (about her own research) and life. What difficulties did she had to deal with? What was it like to be a woman in her career? How difficult was it for her to follow in her mother's footsteps?

Doctorate of Xenobiology.

I have similar questions in my head again. What are the challenges of advancing in such a career as a woman? (I think I'm too afraid to return to my career after a two-year hiatus.)

A great explorer of her world.

I think she is just the kind of character that a young and ambitious adventurer can look up to as a role model. I like the idea of her not being lost and still showing up in the world as a supporter.

Breaking social expectations, she became a traveler.

Originally, the name caught my eye because it almost matches my grandmother's name (Pfeiffer) and I involuntarily began to draw parallels between the two. I like that Laura didn't give up her own dreams to serve others. (On the other hand, it must have been hard for her children to grow up without a mother, but that's their story.)