SC24 Pledge
Summer Camp 2024 Pledge
Theme Preparation
Last year, I really let myself run with the themes as broadly as possible while also trying to squash stubs along the way. This approach really seemed to work and I will be continuing it this year as well. It doesn't matter how far and wide I cover across Isekai, there will always be another stub to follow in its place.Change
Change is a topic that so very much defines what Isekai is. Key points throughout the history of the world drastically changed the landscape and the people, for better or for worse. From the creation of the Divine and Elder Races, to the Betrayal of Libra's Oracle and the Silence of the Gods, to eventually the Eldritch War, so much of the world's history is marked by huge events that changed everything. There's is nothing in Isekai that is not marred by distinct change. I love this theme as it is so wide open and can be so many things. While the organization template and military organizations that cause change are some of my favorite to write, I would love to delve into all sorts of topics with change at either the forefront or as a secondary note to something else.Refuge
Sometimes I feel like the central topic of Isekai being the Eldritch War and what came afterwards, but it truly is the crux of the world. The event was earth shattering, causing a change in the world that is now driving the writing of history. The topic of refuge in this world is open ended because it could mean the temples and places that became safe havens for those who couldn't fight, but it could also be the organizations, beliefs, and all sorts of things that people found purpose and safety in when the world was turned upside down. I'm interested to see what types of templates go along with this theme because I feel like a lot more of them fit than it might seem at first. Buildings seem to be obvious choices but others could be fun as well.Belief
Isekai at last count has 30+? deities that are worshipped by a great number of people across the world. While this is probably the largest pocket of belief, there are so many other cultural ideas that are important to different people. Stewardship, storytelling, forgiveness, venegeance, and others are central tenants of life across regions and peoples. This could also mean myths and legends that permeate society or children's stories that drive behaviors. Belief seems to be one of the less open themes, at least template wise. I hope to see a couple of ethnicity prompts as we did last year, but I also hope that myth is included a number of times as well. Last year, some of the prompts that went with a theme surprised me so I'm betting that the prompts related to belief will do that again!Decay
When I think of decay in Isekai, it is hard not to instantly think of the Eldritch War, the beings that entered the world, and the decay that these creatures brought into the world in the areas known as the Deadzones. This is one of the biggest instances of decay in the world but I also can't forget the Djinn and Sphinx societies that have decayed just by being forgotten. The Djinn society especially exists as nothing more than history and ruins. In terms of templates and prompts, this theme is really wide open. While decay can be a physical process like a condition, it can also just be the loss of something over time. All of the templates could honestly be found under this prompt as it is rather easy to use decay in the same place as lost or loss of something.Side Quests
Work on categories and tags in Isekai is always ongoing but in June, I wanted to spend a bit more time getting some category landing pages set up that I haven't gotten to in the past. I will also be using the #summercamp2024 tag on any articles written during SC. Meta Update (1/1)
Also on my list for June will be some clean up on the meta, although I'm not sure there is much to do. Isekai is a massive world and a couple of years ago, I rewrote the meta to cover some of the biggest things in the world, but obviously not everything. Some clean up here may still be necessary. Styling
Style updates have been on my mind for awhile. I'm currently working with Damion Otter to update the CSS for Isekai and make it a bit more mobile friendly. This will be an ongoing process for a little while. Inspiration
Isekai takes inspiration from a ton of places and my images gallery is full of things to use. I love pulling from the different things I've learned working in a museum/archive, growing up on a farm, and the places I've been lucky enough to travel. Writing Space
I actually spent last weekend cleaning up my desk space to play games so this part of the homework was super easy to complete! World & Author Intros
While the world homepage and intro are fairly up to date, I do need to work on my author page a bit. This is on the list for this upcoming week.
Diamond, wow. Good luck with it, especially that the RL is now really so calm that this goal can work without too much effort. I look forward to your articles.