Summer Camp 2023 Reading Challenge

Hello, everyone, and welcome to my summer camp 2023 reading challenge article! I'm excitd to discover new worlds, share some love within the community, and gain inspiration from my fellow worldbuilders. Rather than choose only three articles from three prompts, I got carried away and started reading many. Without further ado, here are the articles I've read & commented on from summer camp:

Prompt #4: An animal associated with, or symbolizing, power

Goats by Tuisku

Yay, goats!! I enjoyed learning about various breeds of goats in Tuisku's world and how they are used and cared for by local cultures. Also, goat cart-racing made me laugh out loud. Awesome article! In addition to the article itself, it is also making me think about various species in my own word, particularly of the ovine variety. Since one of my sophonts are a branch of of ovines, I should probably take some more time and think through different sheep breeds...

Aurram: Mountain Goats of Leshiven by the It's Moro!

I'm sensing a bit of a theme from my choices for reading on this prompt. The Aurram is an interesting creature. I love the way that the author used the concept of an animal that never sleeps. It reminds me of animals like ducks, who rest only one half of their brain at a time, but waterfowl are perhaps not nearly as great as pack animals.

Winged Sand Fox by Moonlight Bard

So stinkin' cute! I love how such an animal can be turned into a revolutionary statement by the downtrodden of a culture or world.

Sprout Squirrels by Ecl1psed

Speaking of adorable! I love the incredibly salient and aweinspiring speech given by the squirrels in the opening dialogue. I find the hunter's codex rather funny - and good! - because it's saved these squirrels from being hunted. You don't want to anger the goddess of nature, no siree.

Prompt #7: The title & responsibilities of an important person in your world

Keeper of the Waterfowl by Dhelian

Waterfowl religion, gimme. In all seriousness, though, this was actually the first summer camp article that I read on WA purely based on the title. I work with birds at my dayjob, and my nickname is Duck Man there, and thus... Enough about that: this article is what inspired be to get involved with Summer Camp this year! All the greatest vibes to you and your Waterfowl Keepers!

Prompt #11: Lawless Region

Gold River by barriesaxxy

Interesting article! Unspoken agreements regarding governing authority unfortunately often wind up catching up to the people who live there... I'm curious about the origin of the name, Gold River. I live next to a 'Golden Pond' that's not so golden, and I'm curious about the origins of the name! The most eyecatching part of the article was the quilted map, which is such a fascinating way to make your world map. I've gotten into quilting recently via my job, and this gives me the inspiration to maybe-hopefully one day take a stab at quilting my world maps!

Phantom's Bay by It's Moro!

This overall great article makes me wish that I could see the ghostly pirate ships that haunt the bay in person. This article paints a wonderful picture of the Phantom's Bay, its sea dragon denizens, and how the communities have interacted with the area over time.

Enchanted Garden by Nezza

I love the map that you made of the enchanted garden! Although all of the descriptions are rather tranquil, I think it's the kind of tranquility that would feel pretty scary because of how at-odds it may be the surrounding area. Fascinating place and I wonder what created it. Great job!

Prompt #13: A Job That Takes Its Practioners to Remote or Faraway Places

Astral Cartographer by EmperorDrako

Is it odd that I kind of want to be an Astral Cartographer? I don't know that I have the know-how or the physical condition for it, but I think I have the spirit, in any case. This is a fascinating profession. I enjoyed the way that EmperorDrako listed different responsibilities for the profession that branched out from their primary goal of cartography. There's almost an entirely different looking sky (and celestial phenomenon) in different corners of the world to discover, after all. :) I look forward to seeing where this concept goes after summer camp.

Prompt #16: A Material Or Natural Resource that Comes From A Dangerous Location

Mana Stones by Tris

"Places of such catastrophes are dangerous to mortals and mages alike and only a fool would try to go there in a search of these precious stones. However, mankind has never suffered with a lack of fools (...)"

Truer words have never been spoken about mankind. Informative and funny, I really enjoyed reading Tris' article about Mana Stones. Unfortunately I'm unable to like or leave a comment, but I'll try to find a way to send my love in Tris' direction!

Prompt #17: A character driven by wanderlust or the desire to explore

The Eternal Tourist by Lil Pinecone

I love Anton, this perfectly average person who literally stumbled into eternal life. Er, afterlife? Poor guy, but at least he gets to travel his ghostly heart's content! This was an incredibly fun read.

Prompt #24: Venerated Historical Figure

Old Old Mother by The Big G

Oh, wow. I adore this article - beautiful work! I enjoyed following the story of Old Old Mother and how her legacy evolved over time into the goddess she is/was considered.

Purtote Taitolo by Paul Norris

Very nice article! I love the meaning behind the name and that now many children are named essentially in his honor. :) Also, love, love, love to see avian people!!!

Leviathan by Those2Nerds

Aw, this is such a sweet article. I'm so glad that the people treat Leviathan with the veneration he deserves. It's already hard to move from your home - I can't imagine how hard it was to leave when your home is a living thing!

Hypocritia by PrippyMontyPoppyCock

I enjoyed reading this article. What a fantastic in-universe rationale for the meaning of the word hypocrite! She reminds me of some of the unofficial saints today that persist regardless of the Catholic Church's efforts. :) Also, I love your theme! It is tidy and easy to read, which I appreciate.

Prompt #25: A profession that has been rendered obsolete

Ink Alchemist by Monzoobo

Ink alchemy is SO. COOL! I have a deep love of things like illuminated manuscripts and (insert heart eyes here). I sure hope they get that renaissance that they're predicting.

AICs - Automated Items Checkouts by Orthais

Love this concept! Not to sound like a criminal, but with the prices of groceries nowadays... Bypass cheat code when? :) I particularly love this article because of the way it twists the prompt; who's to say that a machine can't have a profession?

Prompt #31: A Method Used To Carry Goods Over Long Distances

Byrding by Irately

Short and sweet, but also pulled me right into your world. Excellent article. I love the quote/dialogue that you start with, which effectively sets the theme/tone for the subject.

Canal and River Barges by AmélieIS

Such a clever and humorous article! I love the way you've formatted it, it's eye catching and intuitive, and really makes the article flow well.

The Tonkrin by MissIzette

Young entrepreneur carrying expensive goods via a boat made quickly with cheap wood. What could possibly go wrong?

Prompt #33: A Silent Form of Communication

Pirate's Murmur by DMSirSwank99

The fact that the pirates have a special, silent language is cool and clever. I wonder how adaptations get spread through pirate ranks -- are there dialects of pirate's murmur for specific areas/crews? Fascinating concept that really has me thinking about different types of nonverbal communication that aren't strictly seen as a sign language.

Apriorian Weave by Nanotide

The image of the apriorian's learning to weave melts my heart! This is the kind of nonverbal language that I'd love to pick up a history book on, since weaving already makes me go cross eyed at the best of times.

Prompt #38: a building or landmark used for, or associated with, communication

Interactive History Museum by Jack Boon

This great article had a lot of thought put into the design of this intereractive history museum! I struggled with the building prompt and I'm definitely taking notes on how this article is laid out.

Mantis Anthology by Illumiinae

The concept of anthologies is very interesting. I have a soft spot for libraries and deities relating to storytelling, and so I enjoyed this article immensely. It's a departure from a library the way we know it, and sort of a library and distribution center. It also got me thinking about the different ways that a library can look; it can look just like a private residence.

Hall of Soldi by Tillerz

I knew I should've known the fate of the Hall of Soldi by the tense used in the beginning, and then I scrolled down and it was a ruined building... Even a hardly listened to voice is still a voice, and I'd be one of those sad to see the state it's in. </3 This article is a beautifully formatted and interesting read. I also love the way that it stopped on a cliffhanger and gave gm info/plot hooks, effectively illustrating that the Hall of Soldi (and Alana) is still moving forward into the future compared to when the article was written. It's a great way to generate excitement for readers/players, and definitely worked on me.

Prompt #39: Character who lurks in the shadows

White Smile by Revyera

Creepy, but in an incredibly cool way. "Some things that lurk in the dark just want to mind their own business" caught my attention immediately with a chuckle -- too true, and so important to remember that nothing is a monolith, even the creatures that live in the dark! If there's any other spirits of darkness, though, I'm not so sure I'd be one of the ones willing to pay the price of turning out the light. White Smile is a unique and interesting character! Great article! <3

Nikolla Trimme by Illumiinae

"Wondering if learning how to make her own deodorant would be difficult" is such a university student thought, I laughed. Nikolla is an engaging character and this is a great introduction that really gives me a clear image of her in my head! I feel bad for laughing, and slightly awkward for relating to her plight to a degree as someone who was regarded as eerily quiet, and thus easily forgettable & prone to hearing gossip, as a teenager.

Frossefall by PrippyMontyPoppyCock

Poor, sleepy Frossefall. I'm glad he has a good sense of humor about the people who visit him, but I dearly hope that he isn't actually the last dragon. :( This was a great read. I especially enjoyed the origins of his name, which is very thoughtful. Though it's a pun, it's a beautiful name at the same time.

Prompt #40

Black Rot by AlwaysRoomforPud

Such a creative twist on the condition prompt! I can totally see this exact scenario playing out in real life between farmers, who are just trying to stay afloat, and beekeepers, who are taking advantage of food trends.

Prompt #41: Secret-keeping organization

Starworth by BasicDragon

This is such a clever take on the secret organization prompt. Honestly, I admire the hustle, why waste gold when duping wealthier people is easier... except for the part about theoretically murdering people to keep the secret.

Prompt #42: A myth or truth about the meaning of your universe

The Fable Paradox by MutsKun

Love the way that the Fable Paradox is laid out, that the world is full of nested stories. One writes the story of Fable, and Fable writes the story of Asharith, and so forth. I love the theory that the world's meaning is in its preservation.

Personal Reflection

I have learned so much from this community even though I've only been active here for a short time. There are so many inspiring worlds and articles, sometimes to learn from but also to simply enjoy as they are. While I'm not satisfied with all of my summer camp articles and all of them need a serious update after August 26th, I'm proud of my perserverance during July... And incredibly grateful for the support I've gotten while writing and reading since July!

Personal Goals

I am early on in the process of translating my private work into my public work here on WorldAnvil, so the sky really is the limit! Here are my main goals for the next few months of worldbuilding that we have left this year:

1. Create the first and second drafts of all of the introductory content necessary to understand the basics of the world of Babikiye, such as (but not limited to): geographical content, each sophont species, key cultures, key characters, each Sophont species, cultures within them, and the magic system.
2. After August 26th, I plan to revamp many of the Summer Camp articles to add more nuance and nicer formatting, especially for articles like Nanatu Zylpeiros, who I really should have passed on because the incompleteness of the article is killing me right now... And it's the first link on my entire world. -Insert Facepalm Here-
3. I want to look through past challenges and prompts to see if any of them spark inspiration for more articles, since I apparently respond very well to prompts rather than choosing by myself!
4. I need to double down on the appearance of the world. While I've made significant headway since the start of August, there is a lot of streamlining I want to do (as well as potential ideas to implement).
5. Stay involved with the WorldAnvil community on site and via discord! Y'all have been wonderful inspirations, and I'm worried that I'm going to fall off the face of the social media (as I am apt to do). I'll get up the bravery to enter other spaces, I swear!

Babikiye's Summer Camp Articles

If you have a hankering for more to read, here are my 42 articles from this year's Summer Camp! Feedback is always welcome.

Copper Prompts: Power

Silver Prompts: Frontiers

Gold Prompts: Relics

Diamond Prompts: Communication

Bonus Prompts