Welcome to Penguin Island 2024
This years summer camp will be different from the others I have done so far. With energy levels at an all time low, I'll have to be more picky and choose where to invest what little energy I have. However, that won't deter me from having fun with everyone during one of WorldAnvil's biggest events and squeeze out some much needed creativity!
As a nice change of pace (see what I did there? :P), I'm going to do the assignments backwards! So, the order for me is now:
(not) made!
A couple days ago, I had a little sitdown with me, myself, and I to brainstorm about Hesli and figure out this primer and core principles thing. However, I didn't get too far in that department because I noticed a lack of monitvation. Why didn't I want to figure this out, why am I not having the fun that I imagined? So, I asked myself two other questions instead: what do I and do I not like about Hesli?
My brain, being the ever mulling thing that it is, processed my answers to these questions for a few days after jotting them down in my notebook. I realised that the things I dislike, are mostly the things that I cooked up during my first summer camp back in 2021. I had subscribed to WorldAnvil a month prior, but really got into it two days before summer camp started with a blank slate for a world. Of course, I had no idea what I was doing; I was just diving in head first, answering the prompts and making them fit somehow on the loose foundation that I had quickly whipped up just before the start of the event.
The things that I do like, are the ones where I put way more thought into the concepts and made them more cohesive as a whole. That, or I had one drink too many while/when writing and it resulted in an article that stuck in The Tipsy Chronicles.
So, I'm changing (oops, I did it again) my plans for this summer camp. I'm giving myself one objective.
Over this summer camp, I'll allow myself to write as a please by using the prompts to come up with fun ideas and inspiration for Hesli. It'll be totally okay if they don't fit perfectly in the core principles right now, because I don't have any solid core principles just yet. With that narrative freedom, I hope to just enjoy writing for the fun of writing. It's essentially the "throwing spaghetti at the wall" tactic to see what will stick and what won't. Which also means I probably won't work on my primer until the event is over.
I pledge to have loads of fun this years summer camp and simply enjoy myself while also holding a fundraiser for my beloved African PenguinsOver the next couple of weeks, the themes from summer camp will be released with a nice piece of homework to get the brain in gear for the big happening. Below, you'll find my answers to the different bits and bops of homework as the weeks progress!
The Themes!
Change
Refuge
Belief
???
Change
- Update the Meta/Create a Primer
- Getting organised
- Upload the Pledge
- What Kind of Changes would fit Hesli?
A couple days ago, I had a little sitdown with me, myself, and I to brainstorm about Hesli and figure out this primer and core principles thing. However, I didn't get too far in that department because I noticed a lack of monitvation. Why didn't I want to figure this out, why am I not having the fun that I imagined? So, I asked myself two other questions instead: what do I and do I not like about Hesli?
Warning! The answers to these questions contain major spoilers about Hesli!
Show me the Answers Anyway!
What do I like about Hesli?
What do I not like about Hesli?
The People! Or at least the stories and cultures behind them.
The randomness of the dragons downfall.
The origin of the people and the World
Five dragon types created the world; these dragons made the prominent sapient species of the world (the elves were made in the image of the gold dragons, for example every type of Phoenix is made from the five dragon types (likely a specific bone along with some dragon magic .
Five dragon types created the world; these dragons made the prominent sapient species of the world (the elves were made in the image of the gold dragons, for example every type of Phoenix is made from the five dragon types (likely a specific bone along with some dragon magic .
The weird "Luna arc" thus far, including the spawned magic items like Eye of Luna.
Most of the (sapient) species I made so far. The Lileon, Tartoise, and Hunting Snowfox are among my favourites.
The majority of conflicts I have thus far.
Some of the smaller regions, like the Lonely Marshes and Limani.
The lack of geographic consistency. The lack of a world map probably contributes to this at least a little bit.
The mechanics and idea behind the Reputation System.
A lack of overall baseline and core world principles and values.
But Shadow, what will you do with the articles you don't like?Of course, there are things among my early work that I still love — whole articles or certain concepts that I cooked up but don't fit the article itself too well; they will need a rework to make them fit better within my world. However, that's not a task to do during summer camp and I don't have nearly enough energy to get through it beforehand. Let's not worry about that just yet, but rest assured, I won't throw anything away.
So, I'm changing (oops, I did it again) my plans for this summer camp. I'm giving myself one objective.
WRITE FREELY!
It is kind of ironic that "Change" is the very first theme of Summer Camp. Why? Because the world of the African Penguin is changing, and not for the better unfortunately. Since they are one of my favourite animals, I wanted to help out somehow. So, I've started this fundraiser! During the entire event, from the homework until the award ceremony, you can find me on Twitch from time to time playing games, doing homework, writing for summer camp, and maybe some music practice too.
Will you help me Bolstering the Penguin Army in South Africa? There's this awesome organisation down in South Africa providing the African Penguins with a much needed refuge. (I promise, I didn't influence or bribe the WorldAnvil team with these themes!) The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (or SANCCOB) is a non-profit organisation taking care of seabirds. Of course, that includes more than just the African Penguins, but they are the main seabirds they take care of. From helping hatchlings, to wounded adult penguins, SANCCOB is a sanctuary for all. If it were up to me, personally, I'd fly my butt to the other side of the world to volunteer... but I don't have the funds to do that, hence the fundraiser instead. Together with Bird Life South Africa, SANCCOB entered a legal battle against the South African Minister of Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) to reduce the competition between the penguins and the fishing industry. I really hope they can make a change here to conserve the penguins.
Will you help me Bolstering the Penguin Army in South Africa? There's this awesome organisation down in South Africa providing the African Penguins with a much needed refuge. (I promise, I didn't influence or bribe the WorldAnvil team with these themes!) The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (or SANCCOB) is a non-profit organisation taking care of seabirds. Of course, that includes more than just the African Penguins, but they are the main seabirds they take care of. From helping hatchlings, to wounded adult penguins, SANCCOB is a sanctuary for all. If it were up to me, personally, I'd fly my butt to the other side of the world to volunteer... but I don't have the funds to do that, hence the fundraiser instead. Together with Bird Life South Africa, SANCCOB entered a legal battle against the South African Minister of Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) to reduce the competition between the penguins and the fishing industry. I really hope they can make a change here to conserve the penguins.
Such a lovely idea to include a fundraiser with this! Excited to see your primer, your SC articles, and how much we can do for the penguin army!!
Speculative-Fiction Writing
Thank you! <3 It just felt right to include the fundraiser, especially since September is the start of the penguin season! ^^ I hope to add some extra incentives for the fundraiser to get it off the ground.. maybe a crochet penguin or something...