Reading Challenge 2024
Another WorldAnvil Summercamp is complete. Prompts have been delivered; articles have been written. Now it's time again for the reading! This year, as in the past, I hope to use the Reading Challenge to help broaden my horizons - to see how other folks interpreted the prompts.
The second prompt chosen was the "Dirty Job" Profession prompt. For this one, I had several candidate jobs in Cartyion, but some had already been taken (I wrote a series of articles about the Baron's Point sewer system in a previous Summercamp). Others were just "too obvious" to make me happy.
Tongue-Wise
The author explored using "proverbs" that have found their way into everyday speech patterns to get certain points across. If these snippets of wisdom were originally passed down in a religious text, they'd be an excellent example of what this prompt was looking for.
Words Never to be Spoken
This article describes an incantation that brings forth an unspeakable horror. Few may know the incantation itself, but many apparently know of it - and fear it. I could imagine quite a few "witch hunt" scenarios centered around these words.
Journal Entry of Historian Eldric Thorne
These are the musings of an elder who is dismayed at the manner in which youngsters are evolving the language. Eldric is convinced that the very culture of his people is embodied in their original, unadulterated language; he laments that the changes in speech patterns reflect changes in that very culture. An interesting take on the prompt!
Star Speak
If I'm interpreting this correctly, the "language" is the twinkling of distant stars spelling out the plans and schemes of the gods - and there are a giifted few who can see the twinkling for what it is. This is a really creative take on the prompt!
Forger's Tongue
A good, straightforward approach to the prompt, with some good examples thrown in. Concise and well laid out, too.
Bilge Pumper
No arguments about this being a dirty, disgusting job! In fact, I would never have considered making it a "profession"; this is duty that has to be rotated around to "share the suck". Dazzlinkat turns this around though, and not only defines it as a job, but identifies several benefits that come with the filth. And then tops it off with a brief tale of a character renown for their embracing of this profession.
Miners
Deleyna's selected occupation (mining) is no doubt dirty, and her description of the seaside mines, with their seepage and mud leave no doubt about this. But the focus is on the honorable approach the miners have to their job. This is who they are... this is what they know... this is how they provide for their families - and they seem content in that. This was a sweet article.
Muckraker
The job this time is "muckraker" -- essentially sewer worker, but the approach is much the same as in the previous article I covered. The conversation between two muckrakers conveys their sense of pride, accomplishment, and especially importance for performing a job that, while demeaning, is nonetheless critical to the continued operation of their town. The piece may have started with a hint of wistfulness, but it ended with confidence and contentment.
Soul Tenders
This article describes - sort of - the duties of those tasked with dealing with the fallen after a major battle. While no details are given, the implications are quite stront that this is not simply a matter of recording names and proper burials, though. There is a need to ensure the dead are not magically raised, and while no details are provided, it isn't difficult to imagine the need for some form of corpse mutilation to ensure this. The fact that a body first dealt with by the Soul Savers would later not be permitted re-interment in sacred ground pretty much says it all. Soul Savers perform a necessary job, but it appears that it is spiritually "dirty" as well as physically.
'Órnihhdér
This last article has an interesting twist. The profession is gold panner. The gold they collect is a required component for religious rituals. But since the river it comes from flows out of a region occupied by an enemy, anyone who spends their days in the waters of that river are "unclean" - and shunned! "Your gold is fine... it's you we don't want!" This doesn't strike me as a particularly stable situation. Surely the panners will one day realize the leverage they've got over the rest of society!
The collection of articles I reviewed for this challenge did contain a couple of lessons that I hope to keep in mind as I continue to build out Cartyrion. One is that it isn't alway necessary to describe condititions if you take the time to carefully express how characters react to those conditions. The other is that pride often trumps disgust - at least among those to whom the dirty jobs fall. Keeping this in mind allows for insights from the point of view of the "unfortunate" - who may not consider themselves to be unfortunate at all!
Cartyrion is a maturing world, but there is still plenty of room for new work, and I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities to put these lessons into practice.
As in the past, I'm going to focus on prompts that I did not personally complete. In the past, I've selected prompts for which I couldn't think of anything at all. This year, I've selected two prompts which I could have written, but didn't. And the reason I didn't was that, for each of these, the only ideas I could come up with were the glaringly obvious ones... the cliches... the "quick outs". I want to find unique ways that other people interpreted these prompts - ways that I never would have thought of.
The first prompt chosen was the Language prompt. For this one, it mentioned "language" or "slang". For language, the only thing I could think of was inspired by my real-world catholic upbringing and the use of latin (an otherwise dead language) in its formal operation. As for slang, I couldn't think of anything to get started with.
The first prompt chosen was the Language prompt. For this one, it mentioned "language" or "slang". For language, the only thing I could think of was inspired by my real-world catholic upbringing and the use of latin (an otherwise dead language) in its formal operation. As for slang, I couldn't think of anything to get started with.
Selecting Entries to Read
I've already described the general approach to this year's reading challenge: I've picked two prompts that were difficult to get interesting ideas for; I'll read and comment on five articles for each. In the past, I've done completely random selections of articles to read within the chosen prompt categories; this year will be a little different. I will randomly select two of the articles, but the remaining three will be selected from among authors whose work I am familiar with, and whom I know to be innovative and creative in their approaches to prompts like these.The second prompt chosen was the "Dirty Job" Profession prompt. For this one, I had several candidate jobs in Cartyion, but some had already been taken (I wrote a series of articles about the Baron's Point sewer system in a previous Summercamp). Others were just "too obvious" to make me happy.
The Language Prompt
Somewhere in your world describe slang or a language associated with a religion or belief
Tongue-Wise
by Dazzlinkat
The author explored using "proverbs" that have found their way into everyday speech patterns to get certain points across. If these snippets of wisdom were originally passed down in a religious text, they'd be an excellent example of what this prompt was looking for.
Words Never to be Spoken
by Deleyna
This article describes an incantation that brings forth an unspeakable horror. Few may know the incantation itself, but many apparently know of it - and fear it. I could imagine quite a few "witch hunt" scenarios centered around these words.
Journal Entry of Historian Eldric Thorne
by WantedHero
These are the musings of an elder who is dismayed at the manner in which youngsters are evolving the language. Eldric is convinced that the very culture of his people is embodied in their original, unadulterated language; he laments that the changes in speech patterns reflect changes in that very culture. An interesting take on the prompt!
Star Speak
by Yerran
If I'm interpreting this correctly, the "language" is the twinkling of distant stars spelling out the plans and schemes of the gods - and there are a giifted few who can see the twinkling for what it is. This is a really creative take on the prompt!
Forger's Tongue
by Paul Norris
A good, straightforward approach to the prompt, with some good examples thrown in. Concise and well laid out, too.
The "Dirty Job" Prompt
Somewhere in your world describe a profession that is considered dirty
Bilge Pumper
by Dazzlinkat
No arguments about this being a dirty, disgusting job! In fact, I would never have considered making it a "profession"; this is duty that has to be rotated around to "share the suck". Dazzlinkat turns this around though, and not only defines it as a job, but identifies several benefits that come with the filth. And then tops it off with a brief tale of a character renown for their embracing of this profession.
Miners
by Deleyna
Deleyna's selected occupation (mining) is no doubt dirty, and her description of the seaside mines, with their seepage and mud leave no doubt about this. But the focus is on the honorable approach the miners have to their job. This is who they are... this is what they know... this is how they provide for their families - and they seem content in that. This was a sweet article.
Muckraker
by WantedHero
The job this time is "muckraker" -- essentially sewer worker, but the approach is much the same as in the previous article I covered. The conversation between two muckrakers conveys their sense of pride, accomplishment, and especially importance for performing a job that, while demeaning, is nonetheless critical to the continued operation of their town. The piece may have started with a hint of wistfulness, but it ended with confidence and contentment.
Soul Tenders
by no-bees nova
This article describes - sort of - the duties of those tasked with dealing with the fallen after a major battle. While no details are given, the implications are quite stront that this is not simply a matter of recording names and proper burials, though. There is a need to ensure the dead are not magically raised, and while no details are provided, it isn't difficult to imagine the need for some form of corpse mutilation to ensure this. The fact that a body first dealt with by the Soul Savers would later not be permitted re-interment in sacred ground pretty much says it all. Soul Savers perform a necessary job, but it appears that it is spiritually "dirty" as well as physically.
'Órnihhdér
by Kveldulfr83
This last article has an interesting twist. The profession is gold panner. The gold they collect is a required component for religious rituals. But since the river it comes from flows out of a region occupied by an enemy, anyone who spends their days in the waters of that river are "unclean" - and shunned! "Your gold is fine... it's you we don't want!" This doesn't strike me as a particularly stable situation. Surely the panners will one day realize the leverage they've got over the rest of society!
The collection of articles I reviewed for this challenge did contain a couple of lessons that I hope to keep in mind as I continue to build out Cartyrion. One is that it isn't alway necessary to describe condititions if you take the time to carefully express how characters react to those conditions. The other is that pride often trumps disgust - at least among those to whom the dirty jobs fall. Keeping this in mind allows for insights from the point of view of the "unfortunate" - who may not consider themselves to be unfortunate at all!
Cartyrion is a maturing world, but there is still plenty of room for new work, and I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities to put these lessons into practice.
Thanx for including TWO or my articles. Wow!
PANGORIO
andHYPNOSIUM