Summer Camp 2024 Reading Challenge
Well, this year, I managed to write enough to get a Diamond badge; though, it was a little more of a struggle this time. Most of the articles I wrote were relatively short, like 350 to 500 words long, but I'm actually okay that they aren't all completely filled out. I think they established some locations, like Sunrise Point and The End of the Road, species (Vampirim and Wistarim), and characters (like Desdemona Bátoriová and Hikaru Genji) that will be fun to explore in stories and articles. Of all the articles I wrote for Summer Camp 24, I liked the one about Desdemona the most, I think. A Vampire preying on the people of Daskar is a story hook that I think I can use for sure!
Even though I was busy, and some of the prompts didn't inspire any ideas for articles, Summer Camp was fun. The prompts get me to think "outside the box" a little, and that's a good thing. But now SC24 has ended, and WorldEmber will be here before you know it!
So, enough about me, lol. Let's see what awesome writing other Anvilites have done for Summer Camp. As I've done in the past, I'll use a random number generator to pick the articles I'll read. There are 42 categories, so I'll start by picking that. 1. The RNG picked category 42, so the last is first! "A building that was meant to be temporary" has 98 entries, and randomly, article #53 was chosen, which is Scout Tent by Michael Chandra. The article describes tents made of sturdy fabric (presumably something like canvas) used by Scouts as they move around the lands of The Valley of Plenty. Having read it (and enjoyed reading), I don't know why the idea of a tent never crossed my mind, as this is a category that I didn't submit an article for! Certainly, the Scout Rangers of Sudland would use tents. This one of the reasons why I like reading what others have written on WA; it sparks a lot of new ideas! Though short, Michael's article is well-written and the reasoning behind it is solid. 2. The second category the RNG coughed up is #34, which is (if I counted right, lol) "An Organization Fighting Corruption." The category has 171 entries (a lot, but not unexpected). The RNG Says! Article #13: Die Schattenwächter. Oh heck. Sadly, though I took a year of German as a freshman in college, I have no hope of reading this article. I could run it through Google Translate, I suppose, but I'm afraid it will mangle it. I will say that the page design is really good! I'll have to pick another article, though, so back to the RNG! This time it says #67, which is Ikorsuk police force by pa_kalsha. Ikorsuk is the capital city of the country of Ileqia, which lies on the continent of Iasteron. The Ikorsuk police force has, according to the article, a well-defined structure and promotion system. The Ikorsuk police are responsible for maintaining the moral order of the city. Given that Ikorsuk has many nightclubs and music venues, I suspect that the Ikorsuk police are busy! 3. Okay. Article number 3 will be from category...41, which is "Food Often Eaten by Travelers." The category has 128 entries, and I will read article #82, Mhahar'ane - Traveler’s Date Cake by Tyrdal. I enjoyed this article. The date cakes sound delicious, and have some similarities to the Brambleberry Leather that I wrote about for this category. Now I'm hungry, lol. 4. The next article comes from category 32, "A Material That is Resistant to Decay." This category has lots of entries - 184 to be exact. The RNG spat out #86, which points to GraphoSilk Sheets by JaeDMC. This is a creative and funny article written as an advertisement for sheets made of GraphoSilk - a nearly indestructible thread made of carbon fiber wrapped in hexocarbon fibers (which I assume are carbon fiber tubes or something like that). In any case, real sheets made of fabric woven from carbon fiber would be 1) yes, probably very durable, and 2) horrible and quite possibly hazardous to your health. I hope I never have the misfortune to have to sleep on GraphoSilk sheets, no matter how durable they are! 5. The fifth category the RNG insisted on is #38: "A Piece of Tech that Prevents Decay." So this time, we're not just resisting decay, we are preventing it altogether. Let's see what kind of tech will do that... Yes, according to Tinkertech, The Book is a technology that prevents decay, and I must agree. Of course, books themselves can decay, though a well-made book can be very, very durable, but books are perhaps the best preservative ever invented - preservatives of knowledge and ideas, of course. My literal engineer brain was thinking of preventing physical decay, but decay of knowledge and other aspects of human society are probably even more destructive. By preserving knowledge and ideas, and allowing them to be disseminated more easily, writing in the form of printed books has arguably contributed more to the advancement of humanity than any other technology. Good of Tinkertech to remind us of this. Get your eyes off of your phone and your nose in a book! 6. The next prompt the RNG picked is #27: "A Leader or High-Ranking Person in an Organization." This prompt inspired a lot of people, with 222 entries listed. The RNG felt that article #181 would be a good one to read, so let's see. Article 181, assuming I counted correctly, is another article by pa_kalsha, Nuklǔm, the Firekeeper. The Firekeeper is the person within tribes of the Kimiut people that serves as a kind of chief, mediator, counselor, priest, and healer that maintains harmony within the tribe and keep the "fire of life" burning within the tribal community. Tribal societies often have one or more people that have a role like this. 7. Next up is an article from prompt #2, "An environmental or other large-scale natural disaster." This prompt has 299 entries! And I will read article #141: Volcanic Eruption of Arto Dez by arawlins. It describes the eruption of a volcano, thought to be dormant, that killed nearly an entire tribe of dwarves. the Arto Dez, living within the mountain. The eruption was triggered by the demonic patron of an Orc warlock known as "Krath the Iron Sword." The eruption devastated the region around the mountain, leaving only a few survivors among the Dwarves. The article leaves me wondering of the Dwarves ever recovered from the disaster, so now I'll need to read more! 8. The RNG demanded that I read an article from prompt #9, "A Myth About Food." I like food, as anyone that sees me in person would quickly conclude, so I was happy to comply. The prompt drew 212 entries, so apparently, I am not the only Anvilite that likes food! The RNG believed that article #128 would be especially tasty. It points to The Crimson Reckoning by Comatose_Exe. The article tells the tale of Gorathrax, a tiefling chief that incites, then crushes, a rebellion against him, and then (apparently) regrets his actions. The tale is indeed mythical in scope. I was left hungry for a final resolution. And because there is no food mentioned. 9. Next to last, I'll take a look at an article from prompt #37, "A Degenerative Disease." This prompt has 172 entries, and I will read article #5, The Unraveling Thread by drunkenpanda951. The Unravelling Thread is a curse that people can get by "snagging" themselves on something cursed in the environment. When they pick up the curse, they begin "unravelling" - feeling more and more tired and worn out - until they unravel completely and die. I think this is a great idea for a curse. It mashes together a common occurrence - snagging an article of clothing on something, causing a thread to come loose and start unraveling - with the annoyance that causes and the everyday stress and depression that many people feel. It makes the curse in a way believable and relatable. It's a great idea, one that DMs/GMs could use in a game setting to add interest and urgency to game play for a character. 10. Finally, last but not least, to conclude, 最后, I will choose an article from prompt #7, "A Conflict That Involved a Changing Environment." This prompt has 225 entries, and the almighty RNG plucks out of its hat...#163. That is The Greatest Game by Rumengol. The article describes a game, played, apparently, by highly successful people to destroy rivals and opponents (typically, it seems, through assassination though, there is no formal objective to the game, no set win condition, and no formal set of rules. The strong set the rules; the feeble abide by them. The article describes three factions that players may belong to (and implies that others exist), but not how one joins the factions. The game is played by people that otherwise would be bored, having overcome all other challenges. It's an interesting concept, for sure, drawing on the idea that the world is controlled by secret organizations run by the ultra-wealthy and other conspiracy theories. After all, once you have a couple of billion dollars, what do you do with your time? Maybe you spend it playing The Greatest Game. Maybe I do, too. Well, that's it for this year's Summer Camp Reading Challenge. I really enjoyed every one of the articles I read. All were well-written and creative. I need to go back and follow all of the worlds that the articles are from, so I can read more and keep up on what the authors create. Reading improves my writing!
So, enough about me, lol. Let's see what awesome writing other Anvilites have done for Summer Camp. As I've done in the past, I'll use a random number generator to pick the articles I'll read. There are 42 categories, so I'll start by picking that. 1. The RNG picked category 42, so the last is first! "A building that was meant to be temporary" has 98 entries, and randomly, article #53 was chosen, which is Scout Tent by Michael Chandra. The article describes tents made of sturdy fabric (presumably something like canvas) used by Scouts as they move around the lands of The Valley of Plenty. Having read it (and enjoyed reading), I don't know why the idea of a tent never crossed my mind, as this is a category that I didn't submit an article for! Certainly, the Scout Rangers of Sudland would use tents. This one of the reasons why I like reading what others have written on WA; it sparks a lot of new ideas! Though short, Michael's article is well-written and the reasoning behind it is solid. 2. The second category the RNG coughed up is #34, which is (if I counted right, lol) "An Organization Fighting Corruption." The category has 171 entries (a lot, but not unexpected). The RNG Says! Article #13: Die Schattenwächter. Oh heck. Sadly, though I took a year of German as a freshman in college, I have no hope of reading this article. I could run it through Google Translate, I suppose, but I'm afraid it will mangle it. I will say that the page design is really good! I'll have to pick another article, though, so back to the RNG! This time it says #67, which is Ikorsuk police force by pa_kalsha. Ikorsuk is the capital city of the country of Ileqia, which lies on the continent of Iasteron. The Ikorsuk police force has, according to the article, a well-defined structure and promotion system. The Ikorsuk police are responsible for maintaining the moral order of the city. Given that Ikorsuk has many nightclubs and music venues, I suspect that the Ikorsuk police are busy! 3. Okay. Article number 3 will be from category...41, which is "Food Often Eaten by Travelers." The category has 128 entries, and I will read article #82, Mhahar'ane - Traveler’s Date Cake by Tyrdal. I enjoyed this article. The date cakes sound delicious, and have some similarities to the Brambleberry Leather that I wrote about for this category. Now I'm hungry, lol. 4. The next article comes from category 32, "A Material That is Resistant to Decay." This category has lots of entries - 184 to be exact. The RNG spat out #86, which points to GraphoSilk Sheets by JaeDMC. This is a creative and funny article written as an advertisement for sheets made of GraphoSilk - a nearly indestructible thread made of carbon fiber wrapped in hexocarbon fibers (which I assume are carbon fiber tubes or something like that). In any case, real sheets made of fabric woven from carbon fiber would be 1) yes, probably very durable, and 2) horrible and quite possibly hazardous to your health. I hope I never have the misfortune to have to sleep on GraphoSilk sheets, no matter how durable they are! 5. The fifth category the RNG insisted on is #38: "A Piece of Tech that Prevents Decay." So this time, we're not just resisting decay, we are preventing it altogether. Let's see what kind of tech will do that... Yes, according to Tinkertech, The Book is a technology that prevents decay, and I must agree. Of course, books themselves can decay, though a well-made book can be very, very durable, but books are perhaps the best preservative ever invented - preservatives of knowledge and ideas, of course. My literal engineer brain was thinking of preventing physical decay, but decay of knowledge and other aspects of human society are probably even more destructive. By preserving knowledge and ideas, and allowing them to be disseminated more easily, writing in the form of printed books has arguably contributed more to the advancement of humanity than any other technology. Good of Tinkertech to remind us of this. Get your eyes off of your phone and your nose in a book! 6. The next prompt the RNG picked is #27: "A Leader or High-Ranking Person in an Organization." This prompt inspired a lot of people, with 222 entries listed. The RNG felt that article #181 would be a good one to read, so let's see. Article 181, assuming I counted correctly, is another article by pa_kalsha, Nuklǔm, the Firekeeper. The Firekeeper is the person within tribes of the Kimiut people that serves as a kind of chief, mediator, counselor, priest, and healer that maintains harmony within the tribe and keep the "fire of life" burning within the tribal community. Tribal societies often have one or more people that have a role like this. 7. Next up is an article from prompt #2, "An environmental or other large-scale natural disaster." This prompt has 299 entries! And I will read article #141: Volcanic Eruption of Arto Dez by arawlins. It describes the eruption of a volcano, thought to be dormant, that killed nearly an entire tribe of dwarves. the Arto Dez, living within the mountain. The eruption was triggered by the demonic patron of an Orc warlock known as "Krath the Iron Sword." The eruption devastated the region around the mountain, leaving only a few survivors among the Dwarves. The article leaves me wondering of the Dwarves ever recovered from the disaster, so now I'll need to read more! 8. The RNG demanded that I read an article from prompt #9, "A Myth About Food." I like food, as anyone that sees me in person would quickly conclude, so I was happy to comply. The prompt drew 212 entries, so apparently, I am not the only Anvilite that likes food! The RNG believed that article #128 would be especially tasty. It points to The Crimson Reckoning by Comatose_Exe. The article tells the tale of Gorathrax, a tiefling chief that incites, then crushes, a rebellion against him, and then (apparently) regrets his actions. The tale is indeed mythical in scope. I was left hungry for a final resolution. And because there is no food mentioned. 9. Next to last, I'll take a look at an article from prompt #37, "A Degenerative Disease." This prompt has 172 entries, and I will read article #5, The Unraveling Thread by drunkenpanda951. The Unravelling Thread is a curse that people can get by "snagging" themselves on something cursed in the environment. When they pick up the curse, they begin "unravelling" - feeling more and more tired and worn out - until they unravel completely and die. I think this is a great idea for a curse. It mashes together a common occurrence - snagging an article of clothing on something, causing a thread to come loose and start unraveling - with the annoyance that causes and the everyday stress and depression that many people feel. It makes the curse in a way believable and relatable. It's a great idea, one that DMs/GMs could use in a game setting to add interest and urgency to game play for a character. 10. Finally, last but not least, to conclude, 最后, I will choose an article from prompt #7, "A Conflict That Involved a Changing Environment." This prompt has 225 entries, and the almighty RNG plucks out of its hat...#163. That is The Greatest Game by Rumengol. The article describes a game, played, apparently, by highly successful people to destroy rivals and opponents (typically, it seems, through assassination though, there is no formal objective to the game, no set win condition, and no formal set of rules. The strong set the rules; the feeble abide by them. The article describes three factions that players may belong to (and implies that others exist), but not how one joins the factions. The game is played by people that otherwise would be bored, having overcome all other challenges. It's an interesting concept, for sure, drawing on the idea that the world is controlled by secret organizations run by the ultra-wealthy and other conspiracy theories. After all, once you have a couple of billion dollars, what do you do with your time? Maybe you spend it playing The Greatest Game. Maybe I do, too. Well, that's it for this year's Summer Camp Reading Challenge. I really enjoyed every one of the articles I read. All were well-written and creative. I need to go back and follow all of the worlds that the articles are from, so I can read more and keep up on what the authors create. Reading improves my writing!
Well, sometimes the luck of the roll favors you. Thank you for including my date cakes!
I enjoyed reading about date cakes. They sound delicious. I should try making them sometime!