Summer Camp 24!

Week 1 - Change

 

Assignment 1 - What sort of changes fit with my world's themes, genre and other foundational points?

The Takeover is the main world change from the world we know. Fae overrun the human race, murdered many and subjugated most. This freed all of the other races to come out of the shadows. Which wasn't really part of the Fae plan, as they are inherently selfish and consider themselves vastly superior to all other races. They tolerate most other magical races to varying degrees as they are all connected through the Earth Magic, but humans are considered superfluous at best and vermin at worst. Once the Fae were out, the other races figured the cat was out of the bag and have mostly embraced the new world order with varying degrees of sympathy and violence towards humans.   The next big change, to the human characters and the world is the introduction of Dragons which are Fae in blood, but without all the selfish, shortsighted racism.   This world is still fairly new - it's only been 15 years or so since The Takeover, so there are still a lot of tumultuous power struggles, using a lot of violence and magic. This world is ripe for the introduction of all sorts of conflict and change, on large and small scales.  

Assignment 2 - My goals for Summer Camp 24

  I attempted the summer camp a couple of years ago but life got in the way. I'm hoping that this year I can manage the silver badge, and better learn my way around WorldAnvil!    

Assignment 3 - Getting organised

  I strive to be organised, but am a little overwhelmed with the complexity and size of the whole endeavour. I am keeping the organisational help tabs open for the foreseeable future to help me start on the right path! I'm sticking to the sc24 tag for ease!      

Week 2 - Refuge

 

Assignment 1 - What kinds of refuge fit with my world's themes, genre and other foundational points?

  There are opportunities to include many different types of refuge in this reforming world. Refuge in the literal sense for humans who have escaped Fae brutality to safer areas of countries and continents. The MC leaves her refuge in order to help her charge find refuge elsewhere, knowing he will never be safe where they are. They find a series of refuges in different and unexpected ways and places, safe and less so for each or both of them. Refugee camps, training facilities, rabbit holes and magical cottages of ancient and terrifying healers. They also find refuge in each other, and the family that grows around their adventure.  

Assignment 2 - Find an accountability buddy

I am on the discord server, but tend to get a bit overwhelmed. I'm going to try to post at every leg of the marathon - at least weekly. I have also just joined the facebook group! I am going to use my colleague and friend, as my accountability buddy IRL because she will be egging me on to be allowed to read what I write!  

Assignment 3 - Find ways to improve styling and layout in my world.

  I am working my way through a whole bunch of the help and how-to articles to figure out how I can make my world look fabulous, ready for the massive input of information in July. I will be trying out some new layouts and styles over the rest of the month until I get it just how I want it and really getting to grips with the site as a whole.      

Week 3 - Belief

Assignment 1 - What kinds of beliefs fit with my world's themes, genre and other foundational points?

  Each race and species has its own belief systems. The overarching theme of beliefs is that of nature and life or death. Some human fanatics deify the Fae and other magical beings, others cling to religions from the Old World, such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism etc. A few have embraced the deities of the races who exist near them, the Wistches have a large catchment area of humans who have converted to Sol and Mond, for example. The witches have deep beliefs tied to the sun and moon - Sol and Mond, who oversee, protect and provide, as well as judge and destroy. The mountain folk have a deity for Rock, Wind, Fire and Water - The four essential aspects of Life, These are hardy Gods for a hard life and each is prayed to and given offerings depending on the need - for example, Rainne, the deity of Water (from whom the phenomenon gets its name) also represents fertility and motherhood, the protector of infants. The Dragons keep their own council, very little is known about their beliefs. Some think of them as Gods in their own right, some think that the Fae defer to them as deities, some tried to find out and were never heard from again.   Superstitions, myths and legends abound in this world, because so many have come true. Vampires? just another type of Fae with a long, bloody history that has been warped into the series we all know. Ghosts? As many who have seen them as have not!  

Assignment 2 - Inspiration bank!

  'Truth is so much stranger than fiction' KMH 'Press the boundaries of what's possible and celebrate the natural world' KMH   The sensation of walking into a old, old place for the first time. The feel of the cool air on skin, the smell of ancient and decay and earth. The peacefulness of it, the shuffles of little creatures going about their lives, oblivious to the scale of time around them. You are just like them, tiny, fleeting, but an intrinsic part of the whole. Hands brushing a moss-covered stone, or trunk, soft and damp. clean, pure air fills your lungs, life and death, distant time and right now, how many sparks of life have passed this way? Now you are one of that number, part of the whole. Shards of sunlight dance across the space, both vast and, relatively, small. Bright flowers stretch and reach into the light, beacons to pollinators in the sea of green-grey moss billowing your slow, wonderous and gentle steps. There's a trickle of water down one broken section of wall a beautiful vertical garden, 5 foot tall, bromeliads and moss clinging to cracks and stonework as the water tinkles and patters into a little pond before trailing off along the edge of the old wall and down beneath an arching knot of enormous tree roots. You step forward and gather a handful of the crystalline water, it's cold and the feel of it on your lips is mesmerising. The cool, clean taste on your tongue before you swallow and treat yourself to another sip. Your toes curl over the edge of the pool and dip into the water, it is very cold, but refreshing and revitalising. You step away, turning towards those roots, running hands over the ridged and knotted wood, before setting your hands and toes into holds and pulling yourself up. knelt upon the roots, you take a moment to really feel your skin against that of the tree, making yourself comfortable in a nook, cushioned by more moss, you lay your forehead on the vast trunk, closing your eyes and feeling the deep, earthy and ancient sense of soul and belonging. Time ceases to exist around you, there is just you and the tree, the nature, around you, inside of you. An immense and consuming peace and contentment and when you finally open your eyes and take a deep breath. You climb slowly down, taking one last look around this sacred, beautiful space, before slowly walking back the way you came.   A sense of achievement, of suddenly realising that you have what it takes, that you can do this! Whether it's doing those reps with that weight, the finishing touches on that perfect cake, the last line of a perfect take. You can actually do this. It's inspiring, you are inspiring. Yes! That strength and beauty and committed perseverance glowing from your every pore.   The utter hopelessness of realising that someone you love is not okay, and there is nothing you can do. You are too far away to offer anything but words, and the despair goes so far beyond those.   'You are the curators of the space between the buildings' RG   Bring Me The Horizon - That's The Spirit 2015 Album  

Assignment 3 - Images for inspiration!

  Currently working on a map, but that might be a while off yet, even though it's essentially the Uk but broken! Here are some pictures in the mean time! Nature always inspires my writing and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy at the same time as making me eager for more adventure!          

Week 4 - Decay

 

Assignment 1 - What sort of changes fit in with my worlds themes, genre and foundational points?

  The human world as we know it has faced a very forced and violent decay - physically, morally, people and the civilisations that they had built. The barrier between the two planes decayed over millennia, resulting in the world Skylar lives in now. The decay of magical power, of longevity and greed have brought the Fae into world-ruling power, but can that be sustained?

Assignment 2 - Stock up and strategize!

  Strawberries and frozen Pineapple are the writing companions you didn't know you needed! My desk is beautifully organised, and ready to be ignored in favour of the sofa!

Assignment 3 - Review the homepage to catch prey... I mean attract visitors!

I am not the most fluent in WA and certainly barely able utter a 'please' and 'thank you' in CSS ... But I'm learning! Quick update... I have an elevator pitch, how exciting! So, CSS manipulation is still a long way off, but my homepage is now reasonably customised and attractive and has something on it at least!