SUMMER CAMP 2023 READING CHALLENGE

My Summer Camp Experience

Summer Camp 2023 was fantastic. I work part-time from home, so I have an advantage when working on projects. I ignored all my other personal project. I told my friends and family that I would be unavailable in the afternoons and some evenings. They agreed to only call me after 7:00 PM. This gave me hours of uninterrupted time.
I haven't written in a while due to some health issues and my bff being in the hospital. She's home now recovering and recuperating. All the tension over everything kinda released at once, leaving me with a healthier outlook on life. This allowed the creative juices to flow, and I completed all 42 articles. I wrote over 45K words.
The prompts were and are amazing. If you didn't get to write this Summer Camp or didn't complete all the prompts, I suggest working through them at your own pace. I had an idea for each prompt, sometime more than one idea. I can't wait to see what World Anvil comes up with for next year!!!

Summer Camp 2023 Pledge

Reading List

My three favorite prompts (damn, it's hard to decide) are:

1. An animal associated with, or symbolizing, power
2. A letter sent in secret by a well-known person in your world
3. A form of silent communication

I'm going to choose articles from those three prompts. I'll link to each article and write a brief though on them.  There are so many great articles out there. It's going to be hard to pick through them.

Magical Books by Kat Sanders with MidJourney AI

An Animal Associated With, Or Symbolizing, Power

For this prompt, I choose the ever popular Dragon, though in my world they are called Tashidon. As I was looking for articles, I noticed that dragons was a go to for a power species.

• Tigris - my favorite part of this article was the conservation of the Tigris. They resemble another big cat, one touch by their goddess, so they became sacred too.
• Thunderhoof Stags - My favorite part of this article is the way that the stag is called upon by spiritual leaders. In my spiritual practice, a black jaguar is my personal protector and guide. He's been by my side for over 30 years. This resonates with me profoundly.
• Dinosaurs- What is the saying - just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Apparently Megacorpolis asked it they could, did and it's done - and so are they???

A Letter Sent In Secret By A Well-Known Person In Your World

For this prompt, I told a little story, The Hidden Love Letters, about a granddaughter find her granddad's old love letters. These are accompanied by The Love Letters Of Tolin Markton and Laurent Ridgeway, those they weren't a part of Summer Camp, just written during July 2023.

• My Darling Garrick- In a few short paragraphs, a story starts to unfold. It's mysterious and intriguing. You want to know what happens next. Will Garrick and Serafina get their endless love?
• Marshall Lino're's Vigilante Marque- This is awesome. A raid on a ship to secure a weapon that would make Marshall Lino're's prospect better. I especially like the clean up crew. Now, what happened to the Jhoutigari Wayhall Patrol?
• Theo's Puzzle - So very cool. You need to go and figure out the puzzle to read the secret document. Well done!

A Form Of Silent Communication

I have always been intrigued by the hand signs that cops, military and others use to silently communicate. It's not quite sign language which is amazing in and of itself, but more a short hand. For this prompt, I created Manusigns which are magical shorthand that helps with rituals and spells.

• Quilting- Like I said on my comment, I thought this would be code through quilt square. It's not. It's so much better!!!!
• Dwarven Gemstone Code - I really like coded languages. I used to write secret message to my friends in elementary school. This code allows you to do the same, but with gemstone. The list of gemstone code is in the article, so you could make your own secret picture!
• Crystal Cypher- another intriguing code language. This one in how one touches, changes or emphasizes their jewels and jewelry. Very cool.

These are only nine of the articles that I read. There were plenty more. I congratulate everyone for a job well done this Summer Camp!!! 

Letter by Kat Sanders with MidJourney AI

My Writing and World Building Going Forward

I wrote articles in Ustehall this Summer Camp. Since then, I've been working on a new world, Mystoria. Ustehall has been and will be my epic fantasy world where everything has to be spot on. It's been my main world for over 30 years. I was a teenager when I started world building in Ustehall. The journals and notebooks I still have - oh my... Anyway, Ustehall will be a life-long project. However, I wanted a fun, over the top world where I could play with all the tropes and do crazy things that don't make sense. For me, that is Mystoria. 
I'm planning on world building Mystoria for the foreseeable future. I have completed the meta data, added a couple of articles, redid my Patreon, and set up social media and discord. Over the next few months, I'm going to create the basics of the world, including information on the countries of which there are thirteen, the major races of which there are thirteen, and the historical races of which there are thirteen. (Yes, I have a thing about the number 13!).
As for Patreon, I creating magical and mundane items that can be used for TTRPGs. There is a sample on my Patreon page. The first set of magical items comes out on 08/15/23, and will be available to anyone with the correct tier. Once you become a Patron, and for as long as you are a Patron, you will have access to all the items. Plus, additional fun rewards.
The basics of Mystoria will be free here on World Anvil, and can be used for your personal gaming needs.

Congratulations To Everyone Who Completed Their Goal During Summer Camp 2023!

Kat Sanders SC23 Certificate - Diamond by World Anvil