Summer Camp 2024

Written by writbyjones

Here goes! My first ever community event since joining World Anvil back in April. I hope to be able to participate as much as I can. From the very first day of joining this community, it's been a joy to watch, read, and learn so much from all of you. Inspiration hits me every time I open our Discord or join a live stream. So this is my pledge. I want to earn the copper badge. Is it a small step? Yes. Do I want to exceed it? Also yes. I have no idea what to expect from this summer, but I am excited to take the leap and hope that my imagination follows!

WEEK 1: GET YOURSELF ORGANIZED!
THIS WEEK'S THEME: CHANGE May you live in interesting times. — Apocryphal Chinese proverb
Tumultuous times are interesting moments to set stories in, whether they be due to natural disasters, sickness, conflicts, or others. Characters face unusual challenges, infrastructure breaks down, and society as a whole can change. Change can be big and small—from the size of a small community or city to the entire universe—, and it can be positive and negative.

In the world of Avaleen, there's been a lot of changes to the order of things. From way back when the Gods defeated the Titans, which led to the creation of today's continents and one of the moons - Gio. It becoming populated was also a massive change to the world as we know it. There have also been wars, as with all civilizations. But the most important, and the most recent, is the Great War between the ancient races the Akati and the Illevans. A war that not only ended with the Sundering but also ended the great golden age of Arcana. When cities and transportation vehicles could fly, and science and magic were treated the same.
In my world and for the characters I focus on in my stories, change is both local and personal. It can be about a relationship with a deity, getting a promotion, or becoming a chosen one, it can be violent as much as it can be quiet. Regardless of what the change is, there's a mythical group that usually gets the blame: The Old Guard.

PREPARE YOURSELF How much time do you have to write? - Not as much as I want. Alas, work has to be worked. This means I'm going to aim for at least 500 words for 1 prompt/week. I'm also having writer's block as I try to figure out how to rewrite the manuscript of my book. Going from sci-fi influences to almost pure high fantasy is no easy task.
Prepare your world: categories and tags - I've revamped my categories for this challenge and done a complete overhaul. It's still up in the air and a bit of a mess in terms of stylization but I'm getting there! As for tags... I don't have a tagging system and I'd love some input if anyone has the time! How do you use them? Without a doubt, I'm gonna revamp everything anew at some point heh..
Take a look at your meta, primer, and any other high-level document, and update it according to the current state of your world - Is there a World Anvil feature for this? My notes are a mess and I keep losing my overall info-docs.

WEEK 2: REFUGE
There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats. — Albert Schweitzer, philosopher and polymath
Where do you go when everything around you changes? A refuge can be a literal place (like a building or a city), but it can also be anything that keeps you safe or comforts you. The change someone takes refuge from can also be small in the grand scheme of things—sometimes, small changes can have deep consequences on a specific person or group.

On a personal level I've always found that refuge happens in the silence. Not the deafening silence, but the quiet, comforting silence where time and the world stand still. I think that's true for my heroes too. Especially Elmira Delid finds refuge from her undercover mission on the hidden precipice above a massive lake.
Surely there are places and locations within Avaleen that serve as refuge for people who need it. Where they are and what they are I have yet to discover, but knowing they're there is a comfort. Also knowing there's a war happening in my world, it's exciting to discover the places my characters find solace in. They will surely tell me when it's time.
Find a community - Even though most of my life has been spent dreaming up stories and writing, I'm very shy. And there's nothing more terrifying than to share with the world what happens in my imagination. I'd love to use the community Discord server as an accountability partner. I also have two friends on my own server who serve as witnesses and I love them very much for it.
Find ways to improve styling and layout in your world - Help? I must admit I don't know how to style a world... I don't know CSS but I'm considering learning. I do tend to organize the contents as best I can with headlines etc. for my own sake.

WEEK 3: BELIEF
Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck. — George Carlin, comedian
Religious belief is a foundational element for many cultures, but belief doesn't have to be about religion! Beliefs can be about superstition, urban legends and myths, people you believe in, and more. Essentially, anything and anyone that inspires people, for good or ill.

Belief is a brilliant, dangerous thing in Avaleen. Of course, the pantheon is very real and most people know the deities as creatures that do exist. However, there are groups who believe the deities are frauds and the figment of a collective imagination. I spent a couple of weeks this spring to try to figure out who the deities are, their realms and their quirks. So far I only know that Ithe, the goddess of death and winter has a following called the Dusk Order. I also know that Ayursha is a very hands-on deity and for the Akati both she and Farachimo are very much among the people. The reason James doesn't fully buy into his brother's vendetta against the Akati is because of his belief in the Angel who saved him as a kid. When he meets that Angel, a rather unordinary ordinary girl he has to figure out a great many things.
Assignment 2, maps and images - I got quite the bank of images. And I've started creating maps for my world too with the help of Nortantis. This week was also spent in the borderlands between Sweden and Norway, a magic landscape with bare mountains and wilderness and weather which has given me so much input in the design of the mountain regions.
Check your inspirations again. Are they still relevant? - The reason I joined World Anvil was because I had this story, this complicated, chaotic story that never found its roots. At first it was a multiverse story with the same characters in different worlds, alternate realities and all that belongs with it. When I first wrote it, Avaleen did not exist. And it was not a book either. It was a movie script. About Alana (then named Kayla) and James did, and their love story. But then it was about a woman whose soulmate had died and her trying to remember him again. My mentor at the time really got stuck on this one sentence and asked me to write that scene. And I did but he wasn't happy, because he was also trying to figure out what fantasy meant and needed more. So that scene became the first act. And then that act became a book. And that book became the first of I don't know how many. So Aeternum became the Red Dawn which became the first of the Agartha Chronicles, or the Old Guard Chronicles which became the Rouge Angel. But it wasn't done. It wasn't good. The bones didn't hold. Then I fell into the deep D&D rabbit hole and found my people, my inspiration. So Sangora and Agartha went from a planet in Andromeda Galaxy and the legend of Hsi Ten on Earth to sharing the world of Avaleen. And now I'm working on merging my previous sci-fi esque science and tech with the arcana of D&D. It's all very exciting, and so very confusing and I love every second of it.

WEEK 4:DECAY
All things are subject to decay and when fate summons, monarchs must obey. — John Dryden, poet
Most things decay over time, but, just like all other themes, decay can be understood in a multitude of ways. There's physical decay, but there's also moral decay—both often go hand-in-hand with old organizations, and physical decay can be used as a metaphor for moral decay. And decay isn't always a bad thing - an evil empire might crumble so something better can flourish. Think about how people in your world try to prevent decay too!

Assignment 1: - All kinds of changes could fit into the world of Avaleen, I think. There's ongoing moral decay in the groups that are ruled by hatred, fear, vengeance, and megalomania. There are politicians who are straying. Ordinary folk who make bad decisions. The ruins of Japhaia and Agartha decay as nature takes over, and Zion is becoming more and more cursed to name but a few examples. There's a decay of faith, both in people and deities which I'm looking forward to explore.
Assignment 2: Optimize your environment - Luckily I live alone. Unluckily I have a job that lacks boundaries. Because it'll be summer and I'm north of most of Canada geographically speaking, there is no night during this summer camp. I have set up a mattress on a windowsill to utilize most of the light and air. I have moved my desk to be nearby and I'm currently looking for some image or such to hang on the empty wall in front of it for inspiration. As the previous view used to be out the window.
Assignment 3: Review your world homepage - I have changed the style of the page, and got some help from the awesome Rin over on Discord to make CSS changes to make the template cohesive even when it comes to generic articles. My first ever CSS added! I have also changed the categories and found a way to make them an article and then add further category links in that same article which I hope makes navigating easier. This is still very much an ongoing process but I'm discovering more and more!
Assignment 4: Take a look at your author profile - You know what, I actually gave you my name here. That's big for me and I'm excited to not hide myself anymore! I also published chapter one of the Rogue Angel and overhauled the book covers.