Summer Camp Prep 2025
Here we go again, it's that time of the year. Time to bask in the sun and spend time outside with friends and family. Or, one could stay at home and write about fantastical worlds on the internets.
All jokes aside, Summercamp is here again and like the last two times I took part, I plan on doing so this year as well. So, without further ado, let's get into it.
Errybody gotta eat. This is true even in fantasy land, and physical consumption isn't the only way to nourish oneself either. This theme has a lot of promise, but can also be a bit tricky to pin down, I feel. I'll just have to see what the prompts bring to the table, really.
On the physical, tangible side of things, the peoples of Nascindor are in a pretty good place. Haven provides for the city-states and the Arachnitha have plentiful prey to hunt in their subterranean empire.
The S'aue, however, are perhaps in a bit more of a pickle as they require crude oil to sustain themselves, which necessitates constant drilling operations all across the breadth of Nascindor. I have only briefly touched upon this subject in some of the S'aue related articles, and I feel like this could be a great topic to focus on during this Summer Camp, both to examine what the S'aue Empire is willing to do to secure oil, and how a shortage might affect them.
Otherwise, there are the less tangible forms of nourishment, such as spirituality and the arts, both of which I could definitely expand upon, for most of the factions that exist on Nascindor.
Done and done, the pledge is visible in the header for this article. I'm a bit of a coward, so I always underaim my goals. After all, you can always surprise yourself and do better than expected if you set your sights on the low hanging fruit, while the inverse is true for aiming high. No hate towards ambition, it's just not for me.
Therefore, my goal for this year's Summer Camp is a copper badge.
I constantly modify articles I've published to add links to new content that might be relevant, so this is an ongoing process for me. I might get to doing a bit of overhauling or more severe updating to a couple of articles, though.
As for the meta, I find it still describes the reasons why I am building this world and the vibes I am trying to convey fairly accurately so any changes would be just switching around wording, which serves no real purpose.
In terms of storytelling, roots are a powerful foundation upon which to start building. It can be the roots of a character, a place, a faith, a cause or anything, really. This theme will likely be helpful for planting new roots, as well as strengthening those that have already had time to settle.
In terms of background lore, I have woefully little of that. I have a foundation for both humans and the S'aue with the Godfall and the Logicians, respectively, but the Arachnitha kind of just exist as of right now, with no real origin story attached to them other than a few vague, handwavy mentions of natural evolution.
So there's a clear aspect of my world that needs to be touched upon and the theme of roots will most definitely allow me to do that, I feel.
I'm fairly happy with Nascindor's homepage, though I could really use an intro article of sorts that lays out what the setting is all about in one package. I've begun work on a kind of intro "adventure" that takes place in-world, but the more I work on it, the more it seems like a far too ambitious thing for simply introducing someone to the setting.
So, an intro article I will pen and perhaps do something with the choose-your-own-adventure articles down the line.
Nascindor is the first worldbuilding project I've ever undertaken. It is a brainchild that has been with me for several decades and only in the few past years have I slowly begun to spill that brainjuice into the container that is World Anvil.
If there's anything these few years have taught me, it is that iteration is king. I will often write an article in one continuous stream of consciousness, then prune it down to something presentable in the course of several days, going through multiple drafts until I am satisfied with one.
As for mistakes, I feel like the biggest mistake I've made in the past and still commit today is the self-defeating assumption that what I write is not fit for human consumption or is not verbose enough, and due to that assumption I've trashed quite a few ideas that I have later made use of. You need to be confident in your writing, and that is by far the hardest part of the whole process, at least for me.
Another pain point for me is that, because I am not a native english speaker, I fear I might commit to grammatical blunders that would cheapen my writing.
When you think about it, any work in progress is always in a state of metamorphosis, as new things are added or existing things are modified. Specifically in the field of fiction, where one is not bound by such pesky things as reality or facts, anything can and will change at the drop of a hat.
The humans of Nascindor have arguably gone through the greatest change, and this change was thrust upon them by a god literally falling from the heavens and entrusting them to keep an evil it brought with it in check. Their mostly naturalistic, tribal lifestyle was splintered and they established large city-states to shelter themselves as they adopted a new, dogmatic religion centered around the perpetuation of the Eternal Hymn, the gift of the Progenitor with which they may keep the Adversary at bay.
The S'aue, for their part, are in a constant state of flux as they are mechanical beings and quite often find new materials, construction methods or innovations to better themselves. These ambitions are tempered with care, however, as upstanding S'aue do not want to follow in the footsteps of the Somatic Collective, who have thrown any notions of self-imposed restrictions to the wind.
Arachnitha go through their own cycles of change, as they molt their exoskeletons several times during their lifespans. These moltings, referred to by the Arachnitha as Turning of Skins, have profound spiritual meaning to the arachnids and are considered important milestones in an individuals life.
I struggled with this assignment because I consume media at such a broad spectrum that finding things I have not at least dipped a toe in was a challenge in its own right. But after some searching I did find a delightful duo comprised of Ben Richards and Georgia Train, known also as Bitter Ruin. I am almost a complete stranger to folk music, especially this more interpretive and experimental variant that these two wonderful people produce, but gods above, is it a joy to listen to!
I listened through their newest album Arches & Enemies and the album that is considered their most prolific, Waves.
From that sampling of their work, the most inspirational piece to me was definitely the closing act of Waves, a delightful piece of music titled "A Brand New Me". Not only is it a beautiful piece from a purely musical perspective, but Georgia Train's jaw-dropping voice elevates the song in a way that I don't think I have ever experienced. Then there's the lyrics, which (in my interpretation) tell the story of facing a change for the better, addressing a destructive part of the psyche, and the struggle involved in the process of excising it.
As someone who also struggles with issues of the mind, this track resonated with me and inspired me to think about my worldbuilding as a form of therapy. Not a way to traumadump, mind you, but rather an outlet for the ego so it has breaks from juggling with the day to day, if that makes any sense.
In any case, if you haven't yet, I'd say you owe it to yourself to familiarize yourself with Bitter Ruin.
I've been looking through the great summer camp prep articles on the event page and have been handing out likes to all I've read so far. Seeing people getting into the spirit, some to a slightly worrying degree (I see you, Ferals), is really hyping me via osmosis too.
Welcome to the world of tomorrow!
Futurama references aside, this is an interesting one. For when does a worldbuilder not think of the future of their setting and where to take it? The obvious answer is that when they are fleshing out the past, but even then I think the aim is to make the future of the setting brighter. After all, a well-rounded world is a more immersive world.
There are three kinds of futures I envision for Nascindor, or rather which would be the logical outcomes of certain events.
If the Somatic Collective has their way, all organic life on the planet will be wiped out, and the future belongs to the S'aue, whether the more peaceful S'aue Empire like it or not.
If humanity falters in upholding the Eternal Hymn, the Adversary will awaken from its slumber and its nightmare will spill into reality, turning Nascindor and all of reality besides into a reflection of the hateful madness of that fell god.
If the hymn does not falter, the status quo will be maintained, which is boring and still a pretty bleak outcome, considering the peoples of Nascindor are balancing on the blade's edge as is.
Yikes, not a lot of positivity to go around there. This is something I am actually struggling with a lot, as it seems I am almost physically incapable of writing nice things. I wonder what that says about me?
In any case, I'll have to resolve to be more cheery this summer camp, and maybe even try to come up with a "win state" for the peoples of Nascindor.
I've set aside some time to write for each week and I have the sustenance for long writing sessions. This is all I require. Indubitably. Hopefully.
My loyal (and extremely productive) cat Pepe will supervise my work, so the quality should be top notch.
As for sharing, I will of course be notifying my followers for any articles I complete and I will most likely also post them on the Discord, provided there will be a channel for it. If not, then on World Anvil my notifications will stay.
Whew, that's all the homework done. See you at camp, you wonderful people! Oh, and I do apologize for the long (dimension-wise, not necessarily verbose) article. In hindsight I should probably have used columns, but I am too much of a lazybones to do it now that I am done. I graciously accept all the blame for this editorial blunder.
All jokes aside, Summercamp is here again and like the last two times I took part, I plan on doing so this year as well. So, without further ado, let's get into it.
Week 1 - Nourishment
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?
Think about ways the theme of Nourishment affects your world. Do people generally have what they need? What happens when they don’t?
On the physical, tangible side of things, the peoples of Nascindor are in a pretty good place. Haven provides for the city-states and the Arachnitha have plentiful prey to hunt in their subterranean empire.
The S'aue, however, are perhaps in a bit more of a pickle as they require crude oil to sustain themselves, which necessitates constant drilling operations all across the breadth of Nascindor. I have only briefly touched upon this subject in some of the S'aue related articles, and I feel like this could be a great topic to focus on during this Summer Camp, both to examine what the S'aue Empire is willing to do to secure oil, and how a shortage might affect them.
Otherwise, there are the less tangible forms of nourishment, such as spirituality and the arts, both of which I could definitely expand upon, for most of the factions that exist on Nascindor.
Assignment 2
Download the pledge document and fill it out with your goal for Summer Camp!
Download the pledge document and fill it out with your goal for Summer Camp!
Done and done, the pledge is visible in the header for this article. I'm a bit of a coward, so I always underaim my goals. After all, you can always surprise yourself and do better than expected if you set your sights on the low hanging fruit, while the inverse is true for aiming high. No hate towards ambition, it's just not for me.
Therefore, my goal for this year's Summer Camp is a copper badge.
Assignment 3
If you found any outdated articles in your world, update the most important ones now!
Do the same with your worldbuilding meta.
If you found any outdated articles in your world, update the most important ones now!
Do the same with your worldbuilding meta.
I constantly modify articles I've published to add links to new content that might be relevant, so this is an ongoing process for me. I might get to doing a bit of overhauling or more severe updating to a couple of articles, though.
As for the meta, I find it still describes the reasons why I am building this world and the vibes I am trying to convey fairly accurately so any changes would be just switching around wording, which serves no real purpose.
Week 2 - Roots
In terms of storytelling, roots are a powerful foundation upon which to start building. It can be the roots of a character, a place, a faith, a cause or anything, really. This theme will likely be helpful for planting new roots, as well as strengthening those that have already had time to settle.
Assignment 1
Look at the cultures and areas you’ll focus on for Summer Camp, and think about how their past shaped them.
Look at the cultures and areas you’ll focus on for Summer Camp, and think about how their past shaped them.
In terms of background lore, I have woefully little of that. I have a foundation for both humans and the S'aue with the Godfall and the Logicians, respectively, but the Arachnitha kind of just exist as of right now, with no real origin story attached to them other than a few vague, handwavy mentions of natural evolution.
So there's a clear aspect of my world that needs to be touched upon and the theme of roots will most definitely allow me to do that, I feel.
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?
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?
I'm fairly happy with Nascindor's homepage, though I could really use an intro article of sorts that lays out what the setting is all about in one package. I've begun work on a kind of intro "adventure" that takes place in-world, but the more I work on it, the more it seems like a far too ambitious thing for simply introducing someone to the setting.
So, an intro article I will pen and perhaps do something with the choose-your-own-adventure articles down the line.
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!
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!
Nascindor is the first worldbuilding project I've ever undertaken. It is a brainchild that has been with me for several decades and only in the few past years have I slowly begun to spill that brainjuice into the container that is World Anvil.
If there's anything these few years have taught me, it is that iteration is king. I will often write an article in one continuous stream of consciousness, then prune it down to something presentable in the course of several days, going through multiple drafts until I am satisfied with one.
As for mistakes, I feel like the biggest mistake I've made in the past and still commit today is the self-defeating assumption that what I write is not fit for human consumption or is not verbose enough, and due to that assumption I've trashed quite a few ideas that I have later made use of. You need to be confident in your writing, and that is by far the hardest part of the whole process, at least for me.
Another pain point for me is that, because I am not a native english speaker, I fear I might commit to grammatical blunders that would cheapen my writing.
Week 3 - Metamorphosis
When you think about it, any work in progress is always in a state of metamorphosis, as new things are added or existing things are modified. Specifically in the field of fiction, where one is not bound by such pesky things as reality or facts, anything can and will change at the drop of a hat.
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?
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?
The humans of Nascindor have arguably gone through the greatest change, and this change was thrust upon them by a god literally falling from the heavens and entrusting them to keep an evil it brought with it in check. Their mostly naturalistic, tribal lifestyle was splintered and they established large city-states to shelter themselves as they adopted a new, dogmatic religion centered around the perpetuation of the Eternal Hymn, the gift of the Progenitor with which they may keep the Adversary at bay.
The S'aue, for their part, are in a constant state of flux as they are mechanical beings and quite often find new materials, construction methods or innovations to better themselves. These ambitions are tempered with care, however, as upstanding S'aue do not want to follow in the footsteps of the Somatic Collective, who have thrown any notions of self-imposed restrictions to the wind.
Arachnitha go through their own cycles of change, as they molt their exoskeletons several times during their lifespans. These moltings, referred to by the Arachnitha as Turning of Skins, have profound spiritual meaning to the arachnids and are considered important milestones in an individuals life.
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.
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 struggled with this assignment because I consume media at such a broad spectrum that finding things I have not at least dipped a toe in was a challenge in its own right. But after some searching I did find a delightful duo comprised of Ben Richards and Georgia Train, known also as Bitter Ruin. I am almost a complete stranger to folk music, especially this more interpretive and experimental variant that these two wonderful people produce, but gods above, is it a joy to listen to!
I listened through their newest album Arches & Enemies and the album that is considered their most prolific, Waves.
From that sampling of their work, the most inspirational piece to me was definitely the closing act of Waves, a delightful piece of music titled "A Brand New Me". Not only is it a beautiful piece from a purely musical perspective, but Georgia Train's jaw-dropping voice elevates the song in a way that I don't think I have ever experienced. Then there's the lyrics, which (in my interpretation) tell the story of facing a change for the better, addressing a destructive part of the psyche, and the struggle involved in the process of excising it.
As someone who also struggles with issues of the mind, this track resonated with me and inspired me to think about my worldbuilding as a form of therapy. Not a way to traumadump, mind you, but rather an outlet for the ego so it has breaks from juggling with the day to day, if that makes any sense.
In any case, if you haven't yet, I'd say you owe it to yourself to familiarize yourself with Bitter Ruin.
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.
Read a couple of articles from the community, give them a like (and why not a sticker!), and write about what inspired you.
I've been looking through the great summer camp prep articles on the event page and have been handing out likes to all I've read so far. Seeing people getting into the spirit, some to a slightly worrying degree (I see you, Ferals), is really hyping me via osmosis too.
Week 4 - Tomorrow
Welcome to the world of tomorrow!
Futurama references aside, this is an interesting one. For when does a worldbuilder not think of the future of their setting and where to take it? The obvious answer is that when they are fleshing out the past, but even then I think the aim is to make the future of the setting brighter. After all, a well-rounded world is a more immersive world.
Assignment 1
Think about current events that will impact the future. Who is working to create a specific kind of future?
Think about current events that will impact the future. Who is working to create a specific kind of future?
There are three kinds of futures I envision for Nascindor, or rather which would be the logical outcomes of certain events.
If the Somatic Collective has their way, all organic life on the planet will be wiped out, and the future belongs to the S'aue, whether the more peaceful S'aue Empire like it or not.
If humanity falters in upholding the Eternal Hymn, the Adversary will awaken from its slumber and its nightmare will spill into reality, turning Nascindor and all of reality besides into a reflection of the hateful madness of that fell god.
If the hymn does not falter, the status quo will be maintained, which is boring and still a pretty bleak outcome, considering the peoples of Nascindor are balancing on the blade's edge as is.
Yikes, not a lot of positivity to go around there. This is something I am actually struggling with a lot, as it seems I am almost physically incapable of writing nice things. I wonder what that says about me?
In any case, I'll have to resolve to be more cheery this summer camp, and maybe even try to come up with a "win state" for the peoples of Nascindor.
Assignment 2
Make sure everything’s ready—from your writing space to your writing schedule—before Summer Camp begins!
Make sure everything’s ready—from your writing space to your writing schedule—before Summer Camp begins!
I've set aside some time to write for each week and I have the sustenance for long writing sessions. This is all I require. Indubitably. Hopefully.
Assignment 3
Who or what will help you achieve your goal? What will your sharing strategy be during Summer Camp?
Who or what will help you achieve your goal? What will your sharing strategy be during Summer Camp?
My loyal (and extremely productive) cat Pepe will supervise my work, so the quality should be top notch.
As for sharing, I will of course be notifying my followers for any articles I complete and I will most likely also post them on the Discord, provided there will be a channel for it. If not, then on World Anvil my notifications will stay.
Whew, that's all the homework done. See you at camp, you wonderful people! Oh, and I do apologize for the long (dimension-wise, not necessarily verbose) article. In hindsight I should probably have used columns, but I am too much of a lazybones to do it now that I am done. I graciously accept all the blame for this editorial blunder.
oh god how did this get here i am not good with computers–Shaaman
by Midjourney
by Midjourney
by Midjourney
by Midjourney
by Midjourney
by Midjourney
by Midjourney
Best of luck with your goals! And have a great time during summer camp :)