Summercamp 2025 The Great Reading

To begin this I would like to lead with a quote I used a couple times about SC as encouragement in my own unique branding and style for people experiencing moments of imposter syndrome. Its super relevant to the theme of this whole endeavor, and my plans moving forward;



You wild beasts and creatures and wonderful beings did not disappoint. My goal was 1000 notifications this SC. We crushed that hitting 1550+. Absolutely insane. Clearly with that many notifs, following that many worlds, I cannot represent everyone in the confines of an SC reading challenge. I wish I could but this is already gonna be a hell of a long article as is, I can't write a book if I want you all to read this, so if I don't mention you, mention yourselves down in the comments please. Just bury this thing in world links or favorite article links, because I can't put everyone I want to on here, but you all can. Turn this thing into a living memorial of just all the links to all the favorites and amazing pieces, lets make it a museum piece for community love that way. A snap shot of it if you will.

To start with however, credit where credit is due, Imagica, known as Make lore, not war on World Anvil, gave me this idea. Here are four worlds where I simply cannot just put a single article in my favorites (though they will show up) because they simply dug the hooks right in all Summercamp with absolutely everything they made.

: What do I even say. Look I'm not gonna hide anything in this article no shame here. This was my vote for the world in the SC voting. Best? Beautiful? don't remember I filled that form out on like 1 hour of sleep lol. But Crux Umbra my beloved, this world is just....look the visual aethestic? Gorgeous. The formatting? Sensational. Yet to be so real with you all, none of that is even what matters. All that stuff? Decoration, its beautiful and yes amazing. Yet it is decor. The magic in Crux Umbra is the wordsmithing. Read it. Read. It. It will change your entire view of the power of words I promise you. A picture might be worth a thousand words. But Imagica's skill makes their words do the work of dozens with each one so skillful is the weaving of their structure, linguistic decisions and narrative flow. Each sentence pulls you in, each paragraph drives you deeper into exploration, unable, unwilling, unwanting of leaving. I cannot sing the praises high enough, seriously. Put it this way. This was the first world I added, in its entirety, to my Trayzn the Infinite style collection, and remains one of only 3 to have that distinction. Its that good. Also this highlighting worlds idea, totally stole it from Imagica, its all their's I'm merely imitating it cause yes.

: Here we have an old hand, an old friend, someone who it feels like is always a shoe in to inspire, impress and amaze me, and the second of three worlds to get an entire metaphorical dimensional pocket dedicated to just them in my collection. What does one say about Istralar except to reiterate what we already know. Hanhula is an eldritch being, I'm sure of it. They write at the pace of a maniac, they weave blankets of words at a whim, and they never fail to draw you in, make you think, and evoke powerful emotions and feelings. They'll leave you wanting to learn more, feeling hope and joy, or terror and fear, or every type of emotion in between. They will leave you curious even when reading something you know good sense says you shouldn't want to explore, so good are they, so skilled are they at narration. Its a world built for TTRPGs and it reads like one, always hinting at potential great gains, even whilst never pulling any punches about the risks. Yet the promises so alluring how can any adventurous soul resist the call to explore and adventure, despite the dangers.

: Tanaria, the homepage says it best, A World of Enchantment and that it most certainly is. I have not kept up as well as I wanted to with all my notifications over SC and this is one world I have much to catch up on. Yet what which I've read, everything did exactly as the world promises to do. Enchanted me. Drew me in. Made me need, not want, but need to read to the end, to learn, to understand, to discover. There is no higher compliment I can offer except that in my metaphorical collection I have another dimensional pocket marked out, ready, for I suspect Tanaria shall be another setting that will need a space all its own to live in within that vast 'space'.

: Finally the maniac Mochi themselves, the third world currently with its own 'space' within my 'collection. How does one sing the praises. First off this absolute legend hit ONE MILLION WORDS of worldbuilding over Summercamp, so there is no shortage of amazing content to explore. The Yonderverse is everything such a setting should be for me, a fine example of anything meant to take place in space, with untold planets and worlds and space travel. It feels vast but also very very alive. Yes whilst the void of space is empty, if we are imagining a universe where planets have life regardless of their extreme conditions, it is far more interesting to focus on that life. Yonderverse is a busy crazy universe with so many stories, peoples, ecosystems, worlds and creatures of all kinds to see, explore and experience. It is truly amazing what Mochi has managed to create and this SC is no exception. Beyond that Mochi is just such a fantastic and caring cheerleader of the community and of SC always engaging, always taking part. Unashamedly they were my vote, no contest, for Human of the Match, though if I could I would have voted for 'The Community' as a whole sadly that isn't a valid option.



Naturally beyond all this as I was in Camp Feral as always, I need to shoutout a particular Anvilite and this feels like the right place to do it before I get to my 10 articles and then future ramblings of what comes next for Valerick. I know this is a long piece, however it needs to be. I promise I'll try and speed things up a bit from here.

: Strixxline deserves an entire like page specially dedicated to them, but I cannot write such an article deservingly enough. Camp Feral counselor, my vote running away for most helpful person of camp. From the brainstorming sessions after WA streams for prompt releases every single Saturday, to plethora of writing sprint streams and coworking streams, to the Prompt Chomps they made breaking down our brainstorming sessions and made available for all to see even beyond those who showed up to their streams. Strixxline was the sheer overpowering embodiment of camp positivity, being a Feral Creature, and most importantly, that being Feral also includes being Feral in support of your fellow campers. Truly the camp leader/counsellor we wanted, needed and deserved, they were amazing the whole way through and even whilst being that amazing of a community hero, still found time to reach, acquire and then pass by the Diamond Badge. Amazing feels like an inadequete descriptor, yet tis what I have to offer.



Alright without further ado, lets get into this. I'm limiting myself to 10, this thing is already so long I'm sorry!

Listen I could have picked at least a dozen for this. You should just read all Han's summercamp stuff, go do it now. Do it! However I had to pick this one. It had to be this one. This one had me commenting deep insightful, thinking philosophical what ifs and just in a well of thought and consideration and deep emotion. I genuinely felt....seen by the intro quote and from there it did not stop. A fantastic article, amazing, evocative, deep. 20/10 no further notes.

Answering the controversial principles organizaton prompt, Wreckerdwarf wrote quite the piece here and I must say it is well worth the read. The Censurs Guild is indeed controversial and I understand that view yet.....given the context provided in the article I must point out, they might very well be right. They might have a fair point. Which is always how you best write controversy. It works best when both arguments can have persuasive points to them that actually make sense.

Look anyone who knows my writing and worldbuilding knows I like dark creepy stuff. Mochi flat out delivers in this piece. This critter is horrifying and fascinating, they are amazing, yet nightmare fuel. The sheer number of comments on the article alone should let you know something special about this piece. Its got to be nearly 20, I didn't count but it was a LOT. Mochi and Dark Mochi combined on this one, creepy as hell, but the sheer depth of this species, how they function, their structure and colony details, the way they 'handle' the host organism, Mochi went full bore on this to the benefit of us all. Its an amazing read and I cannot recommend highly enough reading it both if you are into dark stuff, or if you want a master class on how to write a species of critter and really give it life. Mochi's species never disappoint and to have one where Mochi and Dark Mochi work together in a diabolical partnership is a treat we did not know we needed, we may not have deserved, but I am very glad we received!

We all knew the instant Dimi and Janet brought it up on stream we were getting these. But I defy you to find anyone who committed to the bit better and more convincingly than Barron in Ethnis. This article is so tongue in cheek, yet so deadpan. Its fantastic, its true TTRPG gremlin GM vibes but in an epic Ethnis technicolor trenchcoat. Hands down my favorite article for this prompt, like no contest, run away win, not even close. Barron took the bit and took it from just the bit to a full on presentation that has you both desiring to explore a fascinating locale, whilst cackling like a fucking maniac the whole time because the damn name just cannot be said without laughing hysterically no matter how serious the situation. Absolutely fantastic piece.

This article is a special one and a special callout. This individual was quite the nervous creature through camp and still is on some level. They in fact helped inspire the quote previously in this article about everyone belongs here. This wonderous myth and creature were their first piece I saw, and I think their first SC article. They have given it a glow up, however if you go read my comment, I will remind you all, that comment was made when this was '300 words and hit submit'. Keep an eye on Dreamlands and FeelingKoi, they were my vote for most improved camper for a reason, though there were many I could have picked. They came in unsure, uncertain, on perhaps a bit of shaky base with self confidence. Thinking maybe they could get copper. Unsure that they 'fit in'. By the end of the month they had surprised themselves, blowing through all their goals, even after extending the mission four times! Doing all 40 prompts and were even attempting to be competitive with few of them, and writing entire pieces and making amazing wonderful and fantastic art to go with them. The rapid growth of sheer confidence and creative forward momentum is what SC is all about. Fantastic work, I'm so proud to have got to be a part and watch it happen thus far and can't wait to see what else you come up with and how Dreamlands and any other future projects grow and expand!!!

Dimitris started the initial camp stream mentioning he had not been sure he would take part at all, but that we, the community and our eternal hype and sheer wild excitement pulled him back in. All the way in. He set the mission at Diamond and though circumstances (some I should think work related given WA experienced some targeting by, I'm gonna be blunt, fuckwits, trying to disrupt our fun all through camp) we cannot fully know meant he did not accomplish that goal, the very fact that he took part at all is amazing, and I"m so glad he did. If he hadn't then pieces like this wonderful article wouldn't exist. Its a wonderful answer to the prompt diaspora spread around the world and interpreted that prompt in such a fun and unique way that I adore and humbly suggest you all read it. Its absolutely fantastic.

Another article for the symbiotic species, the community cooked a bit with that prompt. Cato here needs a nod because this article gave me goosebumps. I love the way its written, the leading in the narrative of it, the questions it leaves out on the table, the eerie vibe overall. Its absolutely fantastic, a wonderful article and I enjoyed it very much! Beyond that, now that the both of them have been mentioned, the beautiful community spreadsheet many of us used as well as the solo player one? Yeah that's Cato's and Han's handiwork! So give them some love and thanks for that, cause that was awesome! Honorable mention too of course we had note-takers each week on Saturday, someone (my brain says Annie or Amelie but I cannot remember if I'm right or if others did too) filled it in with each wave of releases, since for time zone reasons both Han and Cato were often unable too.

For this SummerCamp Those2Nerds (Rin on the discord) did something truly fantastic. They decided to show off WA's capabilities, despite being a Grandmaster, by creating a whole new world and writing articles more or less using just the features and capabilities you have available as a free user, I think perhaps only barring one or two small exceptions (obvious one being article count limit). And honestly, the project is an awesome success. I've been quietly impressed with how clean, how smooth it all looks, how well it all reads. Really shows that though some of us use the fancy tools and adore them, they are in fact just tools. You don't need them. You can make and write and present cool stuff in an appealing way without them. This article in particular was a wonderful one I enjoyed a whole lot, a powerful one with a lot of emotions within it, exploring some heavy topics, and doing so with grace and tact.

Though I sung their praises about Crux Umbra, I will highlight their other project here, because honestly I can't pick one article from Crux Umbra for Summercamp you should read and I wasn't going to highlight both worlds. Kena'an is just as much worth the reading as Crux is, all of it. Imagica's signature wordsmithing is just as evocative, just as powerful, mystical and amazing. This is just less overtly dark of a setting. This particular article I choose to highlight because honestly the garment prompt was one I expected to skip over mostly, just not really my thing. However many of you managed to hook my eyes and mind and heart, writing something that drew me in. This article in particular is the shining example of that. The Talekeeper's Sash is in fact definitionally a garment in every sense of the word, yet to even describe it as a mere item of clothing or an accessory feels almost blasphemous for the sheer importance and cultural power it holds. Every word within helps guide you to understand this item of clothing this worn object is so much more important than its mere article would suggest. What it is, what it represents is something truly evocative of a creative spirit and something I think in many ways we can all identify with, and I love that most of all about it.



Holy heck we made. Its almost over. This Summercamp was the most amazing and transformative of my entire creative journey. Transformative perhaps not as much in how things will look in Valerick, though that too is going to change some, but in how I think, feel, and associate with my creative voice and what creativity and the arts and this space, our little corner of the internet truly means to me. I am better off and elevated for the experience and cannot wait to move forward with what I've learned and who I've become.

For me the person it likely means attempting to keep as close to daily readings as I can, reading a select few pieces, some new when notification appear, some deep in collection when I need the benefit of happy memories, and some just exploring older content in the worlds I love or new ones I stumble upon, given I am a natural speed reader, I'm hoping to keep up reading some 5-10 articles a day, at least half of them being ones I haven't read, liked or commented on before. With the goal of interacting with the community more, being a more engaged and active member because I love it here.

Could I maybe one day see myself doing something crazy like streaming? Probably not. But perhaps one day if I'm doing enough cool other stuff I can create a space for centered around Valerick, I might make a discord who knows. That might be a thing I do. We'll have to see. I mean GMing was my gateway drug, perhaps I might try and set up a discord with both play by post type options and rooms as well as to just pull in people where I can easily try and wrangle together a game group when I'm next ready to kick off a game within the setting, give my friends and fellow anvilites first call to see if anyone wants to take part. I'm not going to say it isn't possible but that's a longer term thought.

No what comes next? Valerick has grown a lot over these last few years and though there is some organization and structure there also has been a lot of growth in me, and how I view both writing and worldbuilding. I've started really finding my style, finding my approach, and thus a lot of my older works could use a good revamp, reconsolidation or indeed some stuff might simply need to be removed. Not every idea stays canon and not every article written, especially during Summer camps, fits as a forever piece of lore. Thus though I shall be enduring to create some new works and expanding the setting and lore further of course, there will begin a great revamping/reorganizing/restructuring of Valerick. It has technically already stared cause I did the dumb and altered the world name right after Camp ended which is why if you tried to use notifications or the discord chat to find my stuff they all were broken. I did a dumb. If you've read this far and had wanted to read my SC articles Summer Camp Articles! that link will take you to the I did a dumb dumb announcement and within that article is the link to my competetion page, which thankfully those links still work. I also updated them all on the multiplayer spread sheet if you prefer.

With that my friends, for now I wish you all well. Wherever you are, wherever you're coming from or going to, and whatever you might be experiencing in the moment, take care of yourselves, take care of each other. Hold tight to your memories, they are treasures beyond measure, hold tight to your imagination, for it is all yours and no one is allowed to take it away from you. It was a hell of a ride, we made it and took July for all it was worth. Rest, read, breath, recuperate. Judges, your work is cut out for you, I do not envy any of you. Good luck to you all, don't lose your minds if you can avoid it.

To Dimi and Janet and the WA team I say infinite thank you and gratitude. You put on this event every year, and its always clear the passion and love within it that goes beyond the surface. To the mod team in the discord, thank you all, you guys are bloody brilliant and keep that discord (despite the size and massive traffic it likely sees) a welcoming and wonderful space, ever vigilant but never over active, truly skillful caretakers of a community.

Finally, to my fellow creative gremlins, creatures, fae folk and wild things....thank you. Thank you for being, thank you for sharing, thank you for existing in this space and welcoming us into your imaginations. You are all the lights flickering, dancing, being absolutely fantastic, holding back a deeper darkness of nothing and emptiness and that is a superpower don't ever forget it.