Summer Camp 2024 Homework

The main themes of the stories that take place in Oabos are centered around change. Specifically changes in understanding. Oabos is a world where life is sustained by raw magical power, but it is also a land invaded a people and power from a distant world. Oabos itself is at a tipping point. Every action taken on this world has the potential to tip the scales toward the planet and her people or toward the invaders.   On a smaller scale, the world is filled with individuals of diverse race and backgrounds. With the current balance between them so tenuous, many individuals are facing changes or new revelations about what they thought they knew. The first story set in the world is focused on a group of humans coming to terms with the fact that the world they knew is nothing like they were taught. Change is a guarantee. The key is how the change is handled.

The goal this year is to at least match last year's result of getting the gold badge. Ideally I want to complete all of the prompts this year, but there are far more obligations and complications to my time this year. If I can at least maintain my achievement from last year I will be happy, but the true goal will be all prompts answered!

During World Ember last year I started a total overhaul of my structure for articles within Oabos, and then fine-tuned it during an unofficial challenge earlier this year. The current structure is build for exploring the world by faction and world zone. Each group has their own unique take on how the world is viewed and understood, so there are some duplicate articles which can cover the same topic from each perspective as well. This structure is designed to follow the understanding of the group you are viewing the world through.

Unlike the categories and tags in Oabos, I have not worked on my meta since the beginning of my time in WA. This is actually going to be a secondary project while I am working on summer camp. The world meta was filled out before any articles had been written for Oabos, and doesn't fit the current state of the world. My hope is develop the world meta into something more cohesive as I am creating the articles for this year's prompts.

One aspect of Oabos being so centered around change is that the world is also full of different refuges. The land itself is full of hidden subterranean groups. There are also hidden kingdoms deep beneath the ocean, where the denizens are hiding away from the chaos and danger on land.   Smaller refuges are also common. Dark rooms tucked away from the ever present light. Solitary spaces of quiet, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Busy bars when friends can sit and laugh together without rules or judgement.

I have been luck enough to have joined the Seven Tomes chapter last year, and plan to continue with their support throughout the summer camp and beyond. It has been great having the accountability, and a group of friends to share inspiration with.

Updating the world style of Oabos has been a running project for the past 6 months, and will still be continuing for some time. A lot of changes have been made, but there will continue to be style changes throughout the rest of this year as well.

Much like the overall theme and style updates, the CSS for Oabos is a change in progress and will continue to be updated as new style items are added.

There are many beliefs in Oabos. The beliefs that most readers would be exposed to are the religious beliefs of the Children of Radiance, and the myths of terrible dangerous creatures in the dark lands beyond the light. Most beliefs in this world are a mix of right and terribly wrong, and character stories revolve around learning, exploring, and understanding where their beliefs are untrue and what that means for their lives.

The inspiration pictures are also in my inspiration folder on my computer. There is also a world map, but it is in pencil on a large art page in my office. The map will eventually be finished up and added to WA, but that is in the future. The map currently under development is for the City of Chronwhorl.

No real changes here. Most of the changes to the inspiration collection is a shift to focus on a smaller zone of the world. Most of the articles and development this year will be focused in the city of Chronwhorl, to prep for the story developing in the Fog Zone beneath the city proper.

There are two main themes of decay in Oabos. The first theme is the Radiance is eating away at the natural light of Oabos, and slowly killing the soul of the planet. The other is a decay of faith in characters as they learn more about the world, and what it stands to loose if something doesn't change.

This year's summer camp is a little different than last year. Last year I was able to jump in and just go. This year there has been planning and prep, but also much less free time than last year. I have spent the past month clearing out the normally cluttered space on my desk to accommodate more time in front of the computer, and more references and resources on hand.   I also find myself in a position of avoiding caffeine this summer, so most of my favorite focus drinks are not allowed. Instead I have invested in a monster of a thermal water bottle to have fresh icy water on hand at all hours, and a goal to finish it every day. Time to attack summer camp with healthy options! Boooo...

Part of the theme overhaul this year has been a homepage overhaul. It has taken big steps toward a more attractive layout, but still has a way to go. Part of that requires more time to work on art and finalize what the end style will be.

My author profile has always been an area I have not put enough time into. While it did not happen this month, I am hoping to have an actual author profile section written up to put on the profile page. I also have a goal to put additional updates in there, so it isnt just a recap of each major event I have been part of. While these are always goals, the hope is to actually make some progress with them this summer, despite it not really being my person style of approach.   The main articles in Oabos are a whole different story. I am very happy with the main articles in world, and how they have been put together. As the themes and style continue to be updated, these articles should be more and more prominant and easy to access!