This will be the first challenge I am partaking in, so saying I am excited and also nervous is an understatement.

But I am very much looking forward to this challenge and hope it helps me make some progress on this worldbuilding project.

Week 1

Assignment 1:

Think about ways the theme of Nourishment affects your world. Do people generally have what they need? What happens when they don’t?

Nourishment takes so many different forms in our world as well as Luveri. Let it be the mana that freely flows through the world and is converted by all living being into energy, let it be food or even a parasite or symbiotic lifeform growing in or on a host and using the nutrition in order to grow and thrive.

During the summer camp I would love to focus on my mana cycle and flesh it out, since magic is one of my worlds corner stones and driving forces.

Assignment 2:

Download the pledge document and fill it out with your goal for Summer Camp!

Assignment 3:

If you found any outdated articles in your world, update the most important ones now! Do the same with your worldbuilding meta.

My world is newly set up and a mere few months old, so there is no need in updating articles I don't even consider finished yet. On top of that I am still just in the stage of figuring out what this world wants to be. Nothing is fully set in stone yet.

Week 2

Assignment 1:

Look at the cultures and areas you’ll focus on for Summer Camp, and think about how their past shaped them.

The past and origins of most species while varying in effects and outcome have similar events shaping them into who they are today. Let it be the always looming era of dream after each golden age or the fact that most mortals lost their access to the art of weaving magic. Some cultures still remember how their homeland used to be others only arrived after the changes took place.

Species like the elves or Echalux claim to have ancient records detailing events, which took place even before the interlocking or shattering of the old world. A time before the great spirits created the veil, stabilizing reality once more.

These two species as well as the land they call home are what I wish to focus on during this weeks theme. I want to figure out how the appearance of the deadly fog, Vloresk, covering elven homeland changed the fundament of their culture and how they view the world. Do they stick to their roots or are they trying to adapt? Do they resent the forest for the curse placed upon them?

In regards to the Echalux, I hope to find out more about their culture which is deeply rooted in their past and traditions as well as to find out more about their home, the silent continent. What was it like before sounds disappeared? How did it change the wildlife and sentient species living on it?

This theme will be filled with exploration and I hope Luveri decides to provide at least a few answers.

Assignment 2:

Go to your world’s homepage and imagine you’re a new reader discovering the setting for the first time. What should you change to make the experience more engaging?

Oh my, where do I even start...

1. The design, I didn't change anything from the standard yet. Thus it is extremely boring.
2. My "introduction" to the world is, like almost everything else, what first came to mind and in my opinion it doesn't do Luveri justice.
   The only part I consider good is my disclaimer note warning the reader of the rough state my world is still in. For it explains it is not laziness nor the polish I strive to achieve.
3. The layout. It's all over the place. Granted I didn't change anything from the default but I am not a big fan of the standard layout in the first place.

However these flaws are fine, it doesn't have to live up to my personal standards just yet. It is not my focus. Instead I want to build up my worlds fundaments and lore, ignoring wording, styling and layouts. Just pure, raw and unfiltered ideas, inspiration and lore snippets.

The design comes after, which does not mean I completely ignoring this part of my world. I am activly thinking on the style that suits myself but more importantly the world I am trying to understand.

Assignment 3:

Find your earliest worldbuilding project. What mistakes did you make that you want to avoid? What good ideas from those early days can you integrate into your current project? Remember to take a moment to be proud of how far you've come!

My earliest ever stories and worldbuilding go back to kinder garden when I wrote a tiny short story about two hedgehogs trying to reach the end of a rainbow. They were trying to discovered the treasure at the end of this magnificent phenomenon. I doubt back then I understood the concepts behind the myth and I frankly don't remember the outcome anymore. What stayed vivid in my mind however is the pride and fun I had seeing my parents smiles when presenting my little story alongside my small pictures. I even bound it with threat to create actual pages.

Several years later I always had a few pages here and there of a fictional story heavily inspired by the books I read, but they weren't worldbuilding projects and more little occupations for my brain. I did however share quite a few of them with friends or family.

What I can learn from those past projects is a sense of balance. I had a tendency to give my favourite characters powers way too strong to tell an interesting story or world that lasts for more than a single page. Over time I got much better at that.

However something that I was much better at back then was actually putting my ideas into words on a piece of paper. I didn't procrastinate nearly as long on ideas and communicated them more freely. Hopefully with the Summer Camp I will be able to cut back on time spend on trying to write the perfect sentence.

Week 3

Assignment 1:

What transformations and adaptations have the people in your world gone through? What changes are going on right now… and who is trying to stop them?

When we talk about adaptations we have to consider the cycle the world of Luveri undergoes. The different eras, especially the era of dream has a massive impact on the lives of the different species. Different nations and cultures found different solutions against the dangers from beyond the veil.

For the elves and their forest the appearance of Vloresk changed the entire landscape, turning the forest from a bright lush green ocean into a fog covered deadly environment. It caused mass deaths among the flora and fauna and forced the affected nature to evolve and adapts drastically. The elves had to evacuate their cities in a matter of days sometimes hours and were forced into the ravines and canyons. Now generations later they slowly are starting to move on from this tragedy but they are not united in the path forward and different voices and factions formed. Some say the changes the elves were forced to undergo developed their species as a whole, others say they are nothing but a shadow of their former glory.

Another example are the light emitting walls, which were developed during the era of dreams to defend against the shadows and other nightmare occurrences.

Assignment 2:

Choose a new genre, style, or author, and take a look at their art! Write what you learned from them and what inspired you.

I didn't choose it nor would it be considered actual source of inspiration but last week I acquired a few ideas during lessons. It wasn't history or art but instead more mechanical based topics.

Past that I don't really have specific genres that inspire me. Only rarely am I looking actively for inspiration. When I see something interesting the ideas manifest in my mind and are not something developed by my brain to serve as idea for worldbuilding. Sure I sometimes try and come up with ideas more actively but that doesn't yield the same creative results.

Assignment 3:

Read a couple of articles from the community, give them a like (and why not a sticker!), and write about what inspired you.

When looking and reading through others articles it really is astonishing how different the different entries are styled, structured and written. Everyone puts emphasis on completely different things and approaches the given topics from different angles. It is aspiring and motivates me to try to approach my own world from a different view point as well.

I hope in the future I too will be able to write as elegant as some of the other world anvil users do. Words truly are powerful and every time I look at different worlds and different articles I am reminded of it.

Week 4

Assignment 1:

Think about current events that will impact the future. Who is working to create a specific kind of future?

I only have one world and it is almost a blanc canvas. So I guess I have around a month to figure out the current state of Luveri bevor being able to .

An interesting area to look at however is the city of Velmir. It not only deals with overpopulation and little space but also crimes. Even though it was predicted, that this city will one day fall out of the sky, it hasn't occurred. Some are afraid of it happening, they don't understand the invisible energies and mana flow which keeps the city in the sky and believe that it is some old sorcery, which surly can't hold forever.

Fortunately for the city, it houses some of the greatest craftsmen in the world and is in close cooperation with some renown universities. Together they try to understand the magic used to lift the city into the sky as well as try and find ways to prevent it from ever crushing down.

In the elven kingdom they are still trying to find a way for elves to regain their longevity as well as a way to deal with Vloresk.

Assignment 2:

Make sure everything’s ready—from your writing space to your writing schedule—before Summer Camp begins!

The day before Summer Camp I will make sure to deep clean my desk and room. A fresh room represents a fresh and clean mind. This will help to prevent being distracted by e.g. a fun miniature I want to paint instead writing.

Since my world is still young I don't have many stub articles I need to focus on and instead I hope to add on to some of the other articles. During summer camp my goal is to write as many articles on the prompts as possible, which is hindered by the maximum of article slots on the free version, thus me holding off on new articles until the start of summer camp.

Assignment 3:

Who or what will help you achieve your goal? What will your sharing strategy be during Summer Camp?

Boredom will help me greatly, the best ideas come in the dullest moments, let it be during lunchbreak at work or the mind drifting of on my way back home. These moments I will utilise to think about what I want to write once I am sitting at my desk. Hopefully achieving more efficient writing and less procrastination.

My friends already know about me partaking in the challenge and will keep an eye on the progress, the goal is to finish at least 4 articles/prompts per week to achieve my minimum goal of silver. During the weekend most of the progress will be done.