Summer Camp HW 2024

This will be my first Summer Camp, and I am so excited to see what its all about! I had planned to join last year, but never found the time join. This year, I have found some time to join and I hope to get the silver badge. But my aim for this year will be copper because I have less time than I originally thought. Instead of trying to hit a certain goal, I will just try to enjoy myself and do what I do best - worldbuilding! That's why I'll be joining Camp Chill, so I don't force myself to write when the time or motivation is not there.

Week 1

Theme 1: Change

"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."

— World Anvil

This week's theme is change and is the foundation of everything in Dankar. This world has been through many huge changes, the most recent one being the Ice Age, which buried most civilisations and history in ice. For Summer Camp, I'll explore regional changes and how those changes affect people and cultures. This will kill two birds with one stone: I get to explore more humanoid species/societies and expand Dankar's geography at the same time!

Setting Goals

Any SC articles I write will be tagged with the Summer Camp tag so I can find them easily. I was going to change the categories to be more location-focused, but that will take some work, and it will be easier to do when I have more articles written. So for now, they'll stay as they are.

World Meta

I always do a meta for my worlds, but I forget to look back at them afterwards! When I get the time, I'll update Dankar's meta, and hopefully, it reflects the themes of my world better. (And then it will go another few months without being looked at - much!)

Week 2

Theme 2: Refuge

"Where do you go when everything around you changes? A refuge can be a literal place, 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."

— World Anvil

In Dankar, people have sought refuge in many ways. When in trouble, people usually hide in neighbouring countries and cities to be safe. However, the Ice Age gave importance to another type of refuge, after it buried many civilisations and their cultures with them. Nowadays, people seek refuge in their cultures, traditions and their people.
This theme will raise a lot of questions about how a people keep their culture and traditions intact in their region. It also links nicely to the change theme in week 1. I said I'd explore regional changes for Summer Camp, and any change comes with new areas to seek refuge in. I'm excited to see how it all goes!

Accountability Buddy

I've never really needed someone to keep me accountable for my world. But I think for SC, I'll be more active in the Discord server. The community is really chill and helpful, and just the hype of Summer Camp in the server will be enough to keep me accountable when I write!

Styling & CSS

I recently got a Master subscription, and I intend to use it fully! I'm starting to learn a bit of CSS, but that is not a priority right now. So for now, I'll try to make sure my articles are not big blocks of text which are hard to read. I'll decorate some articles with some images, but I'm hoping to replace them with my own images at a later stage.

Week 3

Theme 3: Belief

"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."

— World Anvil

Religion is something I've touched on in Dankar. People who worship mainly worship the Sentinels, even though they aren't gods themselves. I know that God/Gods exist in Dankar, but I haven't developed the concept much more than that. So for SC, I'll create myths and legends that people use to explain how the world works. But if a prompt fits, I might create a deity or a pantheon of them instead.

Inspirations

I've already got my inspirations in order! I have two playlists I can listen to get my imagination to run wild. I've got a few books and shows that inspired me to make Dankar in the first place, and I can draw concepts from anything I read or watch! Also, my daily travels to uni have given me a wealth of ideas, inspiration and insight that I'll forever be thankful for.

Imagery & Maps

I've used images from many sources to add to my articles, but I hope to draw and add my own too. I have a map of the Known World, but it might change because the geography is currently not set in stone. A world map will come much later, once I've done the individual maps of the continents!

Week 4

Theme 4: Decay

"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.

— World Anvil"

This was one of the easier themes to brainstorm. By the time we get to the modern era, Dankar has experienced a lot of decay. Many civilisations collapsed, and entire countries were abandoned during the final years of the Age of Triumph. In many places, there are only ruins left, hinting at what came before. Explorers navigating these ruins also hope to find ancient relics and items, giving an insight into how people lived in the past.
Apart from physical and moral decay, there is also mental decay, despite Dankar being an optimistic world. Many people have lost someone in their lives, or something special to them, and had to learn to live without. The Ice Age made many spiral into madness, especially those who never quite found their families, friends, or cultures. Physical, spiritual and mental decay all converge in Dankar, as everything is interconnected in more ways than one.
Decay can also lead to positive outcomes. For example, powerful empires and nations which oppressed people in Dankar broke down, leaving something better to rise in its place. This is one of the big themes of Dankar: despite all odds, there is always something better around the corner!

Optimal Environment

The Homepage

I'd say my optimal environment is anywhere with a table! The past few years have shown me that I won't get much stability in my life as I'd like, so I'll work anywhere I can for Summer Camp. As long as I have my headphones, my laptop, and a table to write at, I should be fine!

I'm happy with how my homepage looks for now, but as I add more to this world, my homepage will probably change too. I'll probably change Dankar's elevator pitch and add some introduction articles to the homepage.

Author Page & Pillar Articles

My author page does not tell people much about me. I tried to make it as simple as possible, but because I'm not usually one to promote myself, it looks quite bland. I'll probably add to it at a later stage, but it won't be updated too much.
As for my intro article... well, I just realised I don't have one. That's something I've been procrastinating on for quite a while, but I guess I can't escape it anymore. It needs to be written soon, and I shall write it soon enough!

Nnie's Camp Chill Guidelines

Camp Chill (ID 4574878) by Rin Garnett

- Remember the prompts are suggestions, not requirements.

- Write what you're passionate about, leave what you aren't.

- Relax when you feel tired.

- Fight off any pesky brain-squitos trying to make you doubt your work.

- Don't abandon your non-summercamp goals! Write that article you're itching to write, even if it doesn't fit any prompts.


(Shared with permission from Annie Stein. Read her thoughts on 'Camp Chill' on her Camp Pledge.)

To use this block on your own camp pages: [block:1050823]