Summercamp 2024 Wrap-Up and Reading challenge
Summercamp Wrap-Up
Oh what a wild ride its been again my dearest friends. Once again into the wild of July, once again into the madness of Summercamp we went. We had goals, hopes, dreams, and missions. Camp Feral was rabid, Camp Chill was cool and collected. Many other new mini camps were formed alongside. We had some brilliant newbies, some old savvy veterans. We had everything from cool, to strange, to wierd, to wild, to downright mundane and insane ideas. It was a month of creativity and joy and madness.
It was a month well needed. Once again, July betrayed me. My favorite community got me through it. In real life, Ontario hit a bad stretch for construction and it was gonna be dicey just to insure me and my other half would make ends meet for august. Perhaps that stress affected my ability to get my 42 like I'd normally aim for. Sacrifices had to be made. Including in hobby space. Some things sold, some visual reference tools canceled or removed, some stress and depression battled. We made it, barely, by the skin of our teeth. Went a bit hungry for a couple days, drove my brake system almost into the ground on my vehicle, cause needed to get cash together to afford fixing it. But in the end, we made it.
But of course with Dimitris leading the charge, his new world built solely in Summercamp, Solspire and many of the rest of you doing so that you'll see below, even with these real life difficulties attacking me after that first week....I found my strength to at least hit diamond and keep that streak alive, and of that I am very proud. Perhaps the most proud of any diamond summit out of any Summercamp even though nothing after week 1 is anywhere near any of my best work. Not even close. But the ideas and seeds are there, and that is really the purpose of summer camp, is it not?
However beyond this, my passion to continue exploring the as of yet blank parts of Valerick have been reignited, the spark nurtured, by watching many of both those I know, as well as new comers who are showing their creative light here for us all to enjoy for the first time this Summercamp, and every level inbetween. Its inspiring, its exciting, its empowering. I wish I had the time to read every single article written in every single world I follow and comment and gush at all of you how brilliant and awesome and creative you all are. However reality is I simply do not. It would be a full time job, which speaks volumes of course to how dense and amazingly varied and vibrant this creative community is.
My approach for the reading challenge this year was as chaotic and wild as my own summercamp. I opened a variety of tabs and simply found the premises that elicited the strongest emotional responses for me and decided those would be my articles I'd feature here. However before we get to those, I would briefly like to plug the four articles I am by far the most proud of that I hammered out for Summercamp.
Many have already seen it, it needs no real introduction, but it is the article I am definitely the most proud of. Everything from the mystical aspect, to the horror side, the skeletons were a fun touch, and the connection to a later prompt, I am very happy with it, easily my favorite.
A little bit of Canadian salt might be present in this one, telling a fantasy version of something I wish had actually happened in June before camp began, however I am still very proud of the twist I put forth on this prompt, the Building for joy, happiness, pleasure/entertainment. I enjoyed writing this a lot, and may eventually try and make some cool newspaper-esque front page images as like 'historical' reference images for the story-telling within the article.
This one was an interesting writing exercise, getting into the weeds a bit about the strange relationship between the Aether, magisters, Manna, and the Void. It offers a deeper explanation for the way Magisters are treated (rightfully or wrongfully, you be the judge) on Valerick, and really explains why having the Touch of Arcanis (the ability to cast arcane magick) can sometimes be viewed as a curse.
I love this little article, its a wonderful and interesting twist on the protective personal item, and has been a blast of a homebrew item in both pathfinder games and dnd games I've run and I 20/10 recommend and give full consent for anyone to try them, twist the abilities, add abilites, whatever. Its a fun object, and creates some cool tactical choices for player characters too. Very happy with the worldbuilding and game aspects of this piece.
NOW ON TO THE MAIN EVENT!!!
But now to talk about the articles that just captured me, inspired me, made me have strong feelings, engaged my wild curiosity, invited me in. Some confused me (Looking at you HAN!) some excited me. Some made me laugh, some shocked me (Dark Mochi was unexpected but awesome) and they all drew me in and just straight consumed me and had me hanging off every word. So lets begin, though first a mild warning/disclaimer.
"This article will contain more than 10 articles. I don't know how many more. I could do this for a month. Do not tempt/test me. You are all too fucking awesome."
by Tyrdal in their world Aran'sha
This article is just amazing and fun. As a ferret owner, the creature the Gem Ferret sounds amazing and I would give anything to meet them. They are majestic and wonderful and I want dozens. I love everything about them.
by Stormbril in their world Cathedris
Everything about Cathedris is just amazing. I highly recommend it if you really want to explore somewhere creepy, amazing, a bit twisted and just strange and esoteric. Beyond that it is a true masterclass on what Worldanvil itself is capable of. This article in particular shows off so many cool things you can do within CSS in its layout and visuals. Beyond that the Veiled Academy is a fine show of how even a short article can have great and massive impact. It can ignite the imagination, really painting many a picture whilst still being thick for implications and dripping with narrative potential. Definitely an excellent read.
by Barron in the shared world (with Ademal, who will be mentioned shortly) of Ethnis
Ethnis needs no introduction and is a favorite among many Anvilites myself included. It is a diverse, wonderous, creative, fascinating, and in more than a few aspects, scary and horrifying, as well as enlightening, interesting, and strangely hopeful setting in its own weird way. I love it and you love it. Gilgamesh's Rest is yet another interesting biome that may be dangerous, yet offers many unique features one would wish could be explored more safely, adding to a plethora of such environs and locales in Ethnis.
by Ademal in the shared world (with Barron whom was just mentioned) of Ethnis
I figured may as well keep the Ethnis mentions together. The Filament Spider is an interesting and wild ecological addition to Ethnis's unique fauna, and Ademal's choice to not provide us a direct visual reference of the creature (that is an image of it) is a wonderful choice tying well to the unique twist of what its protective anatomy is, the idea that its evolved many traits to help it avoid being seen at all as its 'protective' anatomy. This lack of direct visual adds another layer to that narrative idea, backing the writing up in a great way.
by Nnie in their world Solaris
Solaris is another old favorite, a world I visit often, and this article, Nnie paints us an amazing opening picture of the complexity of a biome one would think at best would be simple and limited. Showing us that such expectations should be taken with a metric ton of salt. These islands offer a unique and alien biome befitting of a planet so far from our own, and aid in providing a gateway into the idea that Uranus ecology is likely far more complex and varied than we would ever first guess.
by Tillerz in their world of Alana
A world I should visit more often, Alana is a wonderous creative setting chock full of unique bits and bobs worth exploring. This article is another such example. It is overflowing with narrative prowess, paints us not just a picture of how progress and technology can change the world around it, but the conflicts it can cause, as well as showcasing the ethical and moral dilemmas progress can often bring. Its a great example of this particular prompt, one of my favorites for sure.
by Mochimanoban in the world of Yonderverse
Dark Mochi was not on my Summercamp Bingo Card, but I am both appalled and pleasantly surprised that we got it! This is a brilliant conflict piece, written with narrative weight behind the actions, yet keeping things firmly in the realm of facts and what happened. It has dark outcomes, it is clear and concise, and paints the dark and tragic story well, one of escalation beyond limits that didn't need to occur. The whole thing reads like a series of tragic mis-steps, one cannot help but see at every turn how things going as far as they did was avoidable if only at any of at least half a dozen instances calmer minds, cooler heads and voices of reason could prevail, could take a moment and talk things out like reasonable sapient folk. That is all to often a truth of war. Mochi's darker tone is definitely worthy of a read and shows that the Yonderverse is capable of having its struggles and deep rooted conflicts as well.
by Phèdre in their world Isperion
One of the newbies I mentioned, Phèdre promises to be a force and fellow inspiration among many. Watching their creativity spread its wings, watching Isperion come to life and join the massive multiverse that is World Anvil, put on display and out in to the Ether for us all to explore and enjoy has been a genuine delight. This piece, the story of shattered gods, a broken pantheon, and a character, a diety who underwent massive, and one might argue deeply tragic, metamorphisis. It tugs at the heart strings and is a beautifully written bit of world-building. If Isperion isn't on your radar, it should be, I highly recommend!
by Alishahr (Elizabread on Discord) in their world of Valtena
Another in the laundry list of worlds I follow that I simply do not visit enough, for there are not enough hours in the day or days in my years to visit any of my fellow creatives imaginations as much as I would desire to! Yellow Fog shows us the magick of balance, really giving us wiki like details, getting into the nitty gritty, whilst insuring we understand and can feel and comprehend the impacts and views of this illness within the setting itself. It can be a difficult balance to maintain, but it is done beautifully in this article!
by Theiket in their world Pronathea
The Mouse House is a fun and brilliant article written in a tasteful fashion that leaves little to imagination, yet does not flaunt beyond reason what it is. A true 'pleasure' house of taste, a place well worth the visit for relaxation, delights and the promise that you'll be beyond satisified with your time there. Another excellent addition to Pronathea, and a fun, witty and excellent bit of worldbuilding!
Last but not least....
by Hanhula in their world of Istralar
Naturally as is common for Hanhula with Istralar, I could have listed about...well 42 articles here. However for the sheer factor of What in the fucking twisted hell is this!? factor it had to be this one. Han. HAN!?! What fever dream 2am madness inspired this twisted, wild, out to lunch masterpiece!? What teeth based trauma lies deep within you that possessed and influenced this!? I'm picturing a dentist visit from hell. I'm picturing a deep betrayal by one's own teeth in childhood. Whatever got us here, though this reads like the product of a fever dream of madness, the depth and detail provided show the commitment to the bit, as Han really brings this....insane idea to life in ways that suspend disbelief and truly make you second guess the idea that such things can't exist....or can they?
Conclusion
And that concludes my reading challenge. Many of the same old friends appear here, it was unavoidable as you are just too bloody brilliant, all of you, and you continue to inspire me and my humble (and admittedly massive and ever growing) project, as being a part of this community and multiverse that is World Anvil alongside you all is truly a thing to treasure. However I did my best to spotlight a couple I normally don't gush over, and of course insured at least one newbie, the brilliant Phèdre made an appearance. I am sure I'll be talking more about Isperion, or other projects they choose to indulge in during future events.
And with this, its over. Another year, another Summercamp, and another storm of brilliance and creative madness indulged in and fed upon. So many new ideas, so much inspiration, and so many worthwhile seeds and ideas imbedded in our worlds. I hope everyone had a blast, I hope everyone met and smashed their own expectations. I'm already excited for next year, and I cannot wait until Worldember as well. I love this community very much, I love what Dimi, Janet and the team directly responsible for the toolbox here have allowed us to to, to build, and to be part of. I love the stalwart community members, to many to mention, who are awesome and friendly and kind individuals, making our home on Discord an environment so worth being part of. You are all amazing, and I am humbled and so happy that I get to be a small part of it all!
Dark Mochi doesn't exist often, but when they do, they come in with a BANG. I am so glad you enjoyed my conflict article! It was a challenge and I did push it to be darker than I maybe needed it to be, but I'm happy that I did. <3