Summer Camp Reading 2024
My Own Full Camp Journey
I didn't think I was going to be able to do it but, somehow, I did. Especially since two bonus prompts actually did drop just as we knew something scary was going to happen at the last minute. But, on the last day, hours before the Big Red Button was pressed, feeling kinda bad and down and calling in hours late for work, I still managed to do it.
rundown of articles (and my thoughts on them)
Change
Change 8/8
For this category, I was debating between Loam and maybe reviving this Earth stub. I decided reviving the stub was the best thing to do because Loam ended up fitting a different prompt. Even though I sometimes feel strange when I write worldbuilding articles about more known and mundane things from our real world, I have learned over the years that adding my own eerie comedy and mysterious twist will leave readers in suspense.
A TUMULTUOUS REGION PRONE TO NATURAL DISASTERS
I was wondering what exactly to write about here. When it comes to natural laws, I see it in the same way as I see writing other mundane things that happen in our real world. But the important thing to remember is to incorporate stories and how it is relevant to my world specifically that will make it unique and interesting.
AN ENVIRONMENTAL OR OTHER LARGE-SCALE NATURAL DISASTER
I usually judge Characters, so when I received a Title this year and Dimitris himself was sponsoring a Character, I was surprised. Once stipulations were issued, I decided not to work heavily on this article at all until I reached Diamond. Though I honestly would be flabbergasted if I did somehow manage to win, it was the mindset that drove me. Lin is a character I've been wanting to add into the world for a while, and I was happy I chose to wait as I figured something like this would happen. I scrambled for a model for the images, though, but was elated to have found a wonderful one at the last minute! In addition, I am admittedly pleased with the CSS and formatting work I did.
A CHARACTER WHO GOES THROUGH A GREAT CHANGE OR METAMORPHOSIS
For this prompt, I didn't know what to do at first until I realized that I could make a condition about anything, even something as vague as "being sick". There are lots of excuses for absence and disappearance in the mysterious world of W.I.L.L.O.W.I.S.P., so why not actually write about something that seems so generic but could be eerily specific?
A SICKNESS THAT CAUSED SOCIETAL UPHEAVAL
Instead of focusing on a single document, I remembered that it didn't have to be one specific instance. Because of this, I chose to define a type of medium that is popularly spread throughout the setting. It was supposed to be something that "changed the course of history" so to speak, and it inadvertently did. Not only have these invitations altered the lives of the children picked to become agents, they have altered the world through the significant things each of those agents grew to do within the company that affected the organization and the universe as a whole.
A DOCUMENT THAT CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY
For the ethnicity prompts, I always stop back into my medieval world of Wynsumheord. I feel like there is always some kind of prompt about displaced people or ruined settlements being rebuilt, so I decided to focus on a land that was alright for the time being but was actually made up of refugees. Nearly everyone in Wynsumheord was originally from one of the four surrounding kingdoms. So I might as well take this opportunity to write about a people who are currently thriving.
A DISPLACED PEOPLE IN YOUR WORLD
Once again, instead of focusing on a single event, I chose to generalize these Chollas as something that happens regularly and is widely recognized. Of course, it would go hand in hand with Loam, my submission for the expanding environment prompt that would be introduced later.
A CONFLICT THAT INVOLVED A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT
I wasn't sure how 'societal upheaval' I wanted to go, but I wanted it to be something that was able to be subtle and still get reaction from the public. My more public-facing section of this project came to mind. Jenny Ford and SPO has wayy more experience with society and what everyone thinks and is led to believe...
A VEHICLE THAT, WHEN INTRODUCED, CAUSED SOCIAL UPHEAVAL
Wildcard 2/2
Staying in the vein of SPO, I aimed to go for a more comical and public-facing myth that was fun and simple to explain without having to go into too much detail.
This could be interpreted in so many ways, but I figured The Greenhouse would work best, especially when I looked upon what other building prompts would be. This is one of the articles I thought to switch around maybe to the sheltered category, but I ultimately decided against it.
Refuge
Refuge 8/8
Since I had already written about The Greenhouse itself, I wasn't sure what to do here. I always get tripped up on settlements and wonder how I should incorporate them into my work. Sometimes, the article templates can feel like a bit too much, but I managed to push those thoughts aside and focus on it like a college district-type setup to simplify things.
A SETTLEMENT CONSIDERED A REFUGE
I wanted to go for something I thought I already described but what I was thinking about was COMMS. W.I.L.L.O.W.I.S.P. has been known to create their own full network. This was it. COMMS is just a branch of that technology.
A TECHNOLOGY USED FOR DEFENSE OR PROTECTION
I started to make this Planet Earth but then I thought that I should make it something else instead, because Earth can literally fit every prompt that was being thrown out for geographic location. I guess my mind was thinking a lot about the Junior Sprouts for this camp.
A NATURALLY SHELTERED PLACE
I've really been focusing on Stewart lately and the solace he finds in the little things. On the outside, he's bright, bubbly, and comical. But, on the inside, he has a whole lot going on. His mind is always racing. He needs a place to calm down and ponder...or just let the thoughts fade into the ether. I really enjoyed writing about his room and drawing the picture for its cover. So happy that an individual apartment was able to be counted as a building!
A BUILDING CONSIDERED A REFUGE AGAINST THE WORLD
I can never resist puns, and with a character named Someone Elsewood in my world, whenever a prompt comes up that mentions the word "SOMEONE", it just has to be in relation to him. XD It's a personal challenge for myself. Though there wasn't a specific group tasked with keeping Someone safe, Bruce was assigned to, so I figured it was time to get Mr. Machete into the spotlight a bit. Despite how Someone feels about him, I admittedly think he's pretty cool.
A UNIT DEDICATED TO GUARDING SOMEONE OR SOMETHING
When I saw this category, I naturally thought about making it about a weapon or something like that, but that was too traditional. The Keycard is something that, for most people, doesn't come to mind very often. Still, they are super important. They grant access to restricted areas and make sure that unauthorized persons are forbidden entry into top-secret locations. This keeps agents safe from opposition AND keeps those curious kiddos safe from wandering into places that could cause them harm. Without keycards, the company would combust in chaos.
A PERSONAL ITEM THAT KEEPS YOU SAFE
This was more untraditional, but I thought that it would be good to cover the naming of agents. Then, I realized that I should go into the complete process of becoming your own person at the organization. I didn't know what it was called at first, but I managed a somewhat decent title for the experience. I know I'm weird because I usually have whole stories and stuff but don't know what people, places, and things are called yet sometimes. At least now I know. XP
A TRADITION THAT GIVES COMFORT
I really didn't know what to cover here. I wanted to make an article about Androids, but I even debated on whether they could be considered a species or not. I decided that, according to the official definition of the word, they could count.
Wildcard 2/2
Once again, I traveled back to Wynsumheord for this prompt. The wording of this prompt instantly put me in the mind of the Gardinbeaufians. Since I had already written about them, I figured I'd have to focus on something else. But then, I realized with this calling for a subculture, I could still cover them.
At first, I was going to make this about The Opposing School and put a twist on the fact that good is subjective, but then I realized it was better to focus on SPO--something I thought I had already written about but discovered it was only a stub. This is what I get for having too much stuff in my head and not enough on the (virtual) paper!
Belief
Belief 8/8
I was going to put this on the Doing Good category once I figured out, but then I thought about it and decided since it was literally called The Fact Faction, I simply had to put it here.
A FACTION OF AN ORGANIZATION BUILT AROUND BELIEF
The myth ones are always a bit of a struggle for me, mainly because there are a lot of things that are widely believed but are not fully surmountable as a concept without being too messy. The worst part of it is trying to name it but I realized that I could just make it called something vague. Since these 'legends' aren't set in stone in any books or anything like that, the general word or phrase used for them is fine.
A MYTH, URBAN LEGEND OR CONSPIRACY THEORY BELIEVED BY MANY TO BE TRUE
Back to the world of Wynsumheord. I thought I had written about this character already but I actually wrote about his group. Simply telling his origin story was enough to get up to wordcount but, every time I visit Wynsumheord, I feel like I've been neglecting it. The layout and most of the articles are nowhere near polished. Maybe someday somehow I'll get the time to refresh it all.
AN EVIL SPIRIT OR DIVINE ANTAGONIST
I was uncertain if this was going to be a page out of Lin's journal or something else, but once the language category was introduced, I knew I could make it a digital file instead of something physical. I wasn't fully able to go into the accusations, but I mentioned it in passing so that the article could fit the prompt.
A DOCUMENT OF SPURIOUS OR CONTROVERSIAL ATTRIBUTION
I really didn't know what to do here, but I decided to focus on an object that is not necessarily a single object but a mass-produced item. This award is a symbol helps WILLOWISP agents to believe in themselves and others. A bit of a stretch but, ultimately, I think this technically fits the bill.
A RELIC OR SYMBOL OF BELIEF
I didn't know what to do here either but I realized it could be a computer language. It is associated with not a religion but a belief that some agents will be devious and attempt to defy WILLOWISP's guidelines.
SLANG OR A LANGUAGE ASSOCIATED WITH A RELIGION OR BELIEF
This is the category I am judging. I decided to stay on the Bruce train and write more about his teams and his position.
A LEADER OR HIGH-RANKING PERSON IN AN ORGANIZATION
This was something that I wasn't completely sure of, but I decided also to make it looser and focus on a general idea rather than a specific ceremony.
THE PRACTICES AND CEREMONIES OF WORSHIP
Wildcard 2/2
There were many places I could use for this one, but I decided to stay on the Bruce path here, showcasing the place where Cacti typically meet before the big Cholla.
I wanted to go with plants on this one instead of animals, as animals are usually the focus of such things. I was thinking about how it could be something simpler yet still very intriguing and effective. The plants are something that people have expressed interest in seeing, so I would love to add art to the article after the judging period (if I have time and remember to do so)!
Decay
Decay 8/8
I was once again thinking of vague ideas for these myths...there were quite a lot of myths this round! It is challenging to think of a name for these concepts, but I ended up pulling something off.
A MYTH OR PROPHECY ABOUT THE END OF THE WORLD
I wanted to go more non-traditional with the material. Since there is an "electronic" subcategory under this template, I figured it could fit. Later, I realized there was also a technology template that kinda covered the same thing, so I decided to focus on the parent process.
A MATERIAL THAT IS RESISTANT TO DECAY
I wanted to make this dirty in the literal sense of the word, so I looked to Janitors. I like to explore the positions in WILLOWISP that are not directly agents. Many people don't think about the regular normies and randos who keep these places running efficiently but I do. It's quite a fun thing to explore. Just the kind of thing that drags me down rabbit holes about 'extra' characters I know too much about lol.
A PROFESSION THAT IS CONSIDERED DIRTY
This was something more minor in the organization department. At this point, I was flailing. There were too many organization prompts and I figured I shouldn't overthink this one. The Petrichor Four was a small group created by Stewart and his friends as they neared the end of their Junior Sprout program. It was something simple but also tied in with Lin who was a center character in this summer camp journey of mine.
AN ORGANIZATION FIGHTING CORRUPTION
Again, I faced the conundrum of summarizing a vague concept rather than something more official and specified. The notion to 'test the waters naturually and inevitably seems to nag at the mind of almost every new WILLOWISP inductee. And such can be considered moral decay due to the fact that the organization believes that anyone who goes against it is corrupt.
A TRADITION THAT REPRESENTS MORAL DECAY
At this point, I was flailing again and went back to Dionaea Muscipula and the likes of GMG Scorpions.
AN ANIMAL OR PLANT THAT FEEDS ON DECAY
I knew that Erasure had already been covered for humans, but I didn't completely cover Android memory loss which has been previously hinted at even within the Human article itself. I figured that this would be a unique take on the prompt, using a disease or condition template to describe something that happens to an electronic mechanical being.
A DEGENERATIVE DISEASE
Again, we have the near duplicate article because I thought I was being clever making an 'electronic' material that prevents decay, only to remember that there was an actual technology template of the same nature coming up. No matter. I decided to focus on the parent technology.
A PIECE OF TECH THAT PREVENTS DECAY
Wildcard 2/2
Quade is a lovely character I adore from the wonderful medieval world of Wynsumheord. I thought I had already written his article but I figured out that I hadn't. I recently found some wonderful short stories I'd penned about him years ago and I wanted to add much more to the article but time was on a crunch! Good thing I already had his HeroForge render lol.
I was thinking about Earth for this one, but I figured to make Earth the first one because it was being judged by Strixxline and hopefully it would be a nice short one for them to skim through lol. That category probably got the most entries out of all of them, I'm guessing. Sending prayers, love. and hugs to Polina! lol
Bonus
Bonus Wilds 2/2
Being in a modern-day world, I could have written about literally anything, but I chose these granola bars because I thought it would be an amusing little fun article that is easy to read (and write)!
FOOD OFTEN EATEN BY TRAVELERS
I was glad that I could stretch this prompt a bit. I kinda wrote about Someone's Apartment before, but not his specific room. This one was not an entire building that was meant to be temporary in the traditional sense of being broken down after use or something, but it was not intended for Someone to stay there indefinitely.
A BUILDING THAT WAS MEANT TO BE TEMPORARY
Judging Your Articles!
This camp, I was tasked to judge the Rank article type category themed A Leader or High-Ranking Person in an Organization. At the end of it all, I received 222 entries! Two is my favorite number, also. :)
The first year I judged a category, I messaged each and every person by commenting on their articles and asking them if they wanted me to read them on stream. Unfortunately, though I love WorldAnvil, the notification system here isn't the best. Still, I got so many responses in time to stream (and even more replies as late as this year lol).
The task was overwhelming and I had a hectic time trying to organize everyone and stuff, so last year, I instead said that people must fill out a form to be featured on stream AND have a chance to win. This was met with criticism as many were disappointed that they could be skipped if they didn't submit a response. As result of this, I felt guilty and ended up picking some people who didn't submit to the form as honorable mentions, and I still made myself read through and comment on all the articles.
This year, I have decided to read them initially off-stream, but leave a message that they can be featured after the fact in a future stream if they care to. This is the best of both worlds in my opinion. It takes the pressure off and allows me to have time to read through them on my own schedule, and then invites people to visit my lives anytime and request for their articles to be read. Even if I've already read it, I can reread it for the chat to view it, too.
It was QUITE A LOT but I managed them all!
...below are a few that particularly caught my interest...
Some stood out due to lovely design and formatting, while others were filled with intriguing writing, wonderful worldbuilding, and curious mysteries that made me want to know more. A few articles contained all of the above.So, after all that, who won???
The Winner
Tellurian
Incredible singers of spiritual importance.
by Paul Norris
A very intriguing title to read. The idea of singers being revered so highly in the community is lovely and makes me super curious about your world! The quotes and neat layout kept things short and to the point, but gave enough interesting information to draw me in. God bless and thanks for sharing!
hey! pssst!
Thanks for reading and much love to you <3
2024 Summer Reading Challenge!
This time, the World Anvil team challenged us all to read TEN articles! Instead of nine, like previous years. I decided to take a look around the Community and see what everyone was up to. Then, I planned on using my handy Summer Camp prompt spinny wheel to pick a few categories to scroll through and choose ones that look interesting. In addition to this, I had a bit of fun reading over some from people around my Infinite Imaginations discord server. If you want me to read yours, feel free to link it below. Also, if you'd like to be featured on one of my reading streams, be sure to drop by my Twitch channel anytime I'm live and let me know you're watching.
what I liked and learned
This was an intriguing take on AN ENVIRONMENTAL OR OTHER LARGE-SCALE NATURAL DISASTER. To imagine something turbulent happening within the mind as a natural occurrence is fascinating but true. When we think of natural disasters, we traditionally picture things that happen on a physically large scale somewhere in the Earth or our universe, but mental disasters are very large scale and sadly widespread. They affect many people (myself included) and it was quite the experience to read about it in this fictional setting. The way DreamCartographer described things and told about the law in story form was captivating and held my attention til the end. This article helped to reinforce what I have been learning to do with articles over the years: stretch the templates and never be afraid to think outside of the box.
what I liked and learned
what I liked and learned
what I liked and learned
by TinkerTech
what I liked and learned
what I liked and learned
what I liked and learned
what I liked and learned
what I liked and learned
by BasicDragon
what I liked and learned
Honorable Mention:
Phoenix_Bluefeather withdrew their entry from A BUILDING ASSOCIATED WITH JOY AND FUN, but it was quite an interesting one that I was looking forward to putting into my reading article. Thankfully, they were nice enough to give me permission to feature it anyways. This hauntingly eerie and scary concept reminded me of a fever dream. The creepiness of the house's strikingly mismatched appearance combined with the fact that visitors are filled with abundant joy and do not want to leave is unsettlingly fascinating! It makes me super curious about the world. Along with all its vivid descriptions, I believe the narrative voice is very engaging, and the final sentence is the cherry on top. This article reinforced that focusing on senses and experience is essential in getting your audience to truly feel what they are reading.
Plans going forward
I had a lot I wanted to do, but I don't know. I'm going to have to restructure everything due to my current financial situation. I am still uncertain, but I do need to update my paid supporters and complete a few unrelated freelance projects now that I have actually finished this article. Those are my immediate plans of focus. Also, figure out something about next month. I was on forbearance but now my back mortgage is due and I still haven't secured a stable source of income. I am thankful for the donations and freelance work orders I have been receiving, but it, unfortunately, isn't enough to sustain me full-time. If I was not a lifetime Sage, I would have been forced to leave WorldAnvil back in January when I got laid off. ':(
God bless and much success with your own Summer Reading plans!
Sending prayers, love, and healing hugs always.
Feel free to link your reading articles below!
Good luck with the rest of your reading. Though 222 is a big number, I'm glad to read that 2 is your favorite number! Oh, and thank you so much for including me amongst such great company up above.
<3 I did end up getting through it! Thank you for reading and sharing your own article :)
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