SC'25 Homework
Meta Content Behind the Scenes
Meta Content
Behind the Scenes
It's that time of year again: the birds are singing, landscapes turn verdant, that shiny hot orb up in the bright blue sky says hello already at 3am, and faces melt like icecream (at least mine does!) ... all accompanying the sounds of frantically scritching pens and clacking keyboards. It's summer time, it's writing time, it's summer camp time!
— Wait, haven't I've written that once already? I blinked, and *poof* we're back here again. Time flies, huh? It's a bit surreal to think about. It felt like it wasn't all that long ago I wrote my 2024 homework. I didn't get very far into last year's Summer Camp, nor did I touch World Ember, due to having a pretty shitty time IRL. Most of the year went by in this odd haze that I barely remember any of.
... I'm doing better now, health wise, and I've rediscovered that taking a hiatus from this community is no big deal. Just say hello, and then jump back into it at your own pace. It's like finding an oasis in a blistering desert: this little paradise away from everything. I'm still tired, still sad, but determined to keep going forward. The community, as well as my writing and drawing, gives me something else to do than mull over things out of my control. It reminds me that I'm not alone. And remember: neither are you.
So, how about we dive into the inviting waves, wash off those troubles for a while, and enjoy the warmth of the sun? And don't forget to grab some ice cream if you want.
I am on purpose building this setting with a Knightglow 'alignment': There's enough grimdark in the real world that I've no particular interest in writing an overarching doomed or dying setting comprised of endless, hopeless struggles.
That doesn't mean I can't appreciate others doing it. And it doesn't mean I have qualms about writing dark, twisted, or hopeless situations... but I want there to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Rosepetal should give the overall impression that it's people are hopeful that hard times are transitory and given time and effort will move toward the better. I want the stories it has to tell to have a happy ending.
Over the years, I archived almost everything I did and I still have a chest stockpiled with old lore, maps, drawings, mindmaps, adventures, etc. Most of it was part of the growing World of Elythien fantasy setting that became my main backdrop for the TTRPGs I ran between 1997-2007.
But it also got ideas for new settings, novels, the Neverwinter Nights persistant world roleplays, and even fanfic/-art stuff from books and games. I revisited them regularly, and most ideas and concepts got moved between different projects - either as-is, or in a refined or even entirely reworked form. That is still true for Rosepetal.
Happy Summer Camp, Everyone!
by Nimin N.
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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?The short answer is, of course: 'Yes and no', and 'it depends'. Statistically speaking, any worlds connected to the riftgate network could easily distribute resources around to reach post-scarcity status. Whether that happens or not depends on the political, economical, and ideological climate on a world, its region of space, or the major galactic state it belongs to. Most are in agreement that basic needs should be met: any sapient should have shelter and food on the table — but exactly how that manifests and what's available beyond the basal parameters can vary wildly. Not all have luxury, or even their own freedom. Worlds that are more isolated — either by choice or by not owning operational riftgates — are much more dependent on their own ability to care for themselves and wouldn't expect anything less, either. Overflow or poverty could be just as unevenly distributed as in our real world. Extraplanetary visitors would be rare, and knowledge of the greater galaxy limited.
Assignment 2
Download the pledge document and fill it out with your goal for Summer Camp!
by Nimin N.
Copper-Badge [img:6693459] by Blue Fairy 74 ft. Midjourney
Assignment 3
If you found any outdated articles in your world, update the most important ones now! Do the same with your worldbuilding meta.I updated a few as a part of Tillerz's May-Be This Could Be Done Better challenge: It doesn't feel like it'd be a good use of my time doing too many article updates until I've finished my CSS theme rework, as that'll require me to go back and fix articles anyway. I haven't really gotten anywhere with the rework though, yet, as I'm still very tired and prioritized getting writing done. And even though I consider myself pretty experienced in CSS, the way WA currently handles it makes coding a (mostly) complete theme feel rather daunting. The meta isn't my cup of tea.
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Week 2: Roots
Assignment 1
Look at the cultures and areas you’ll focus on for Summer Camp, and think about how their past shaped them.I find that so hard to do without falling flat to my chronic worldbuilder's disease, and risk thinking about that for all of them — and next thing you know, you'll be here for the coming century reading about my random ponderings over dozens of things big and small. Though, I guess, something that stands out is this hope that there'll be prompts that let me tie in to last summer camp when I wrote about a ritual important to the furoot. I'd love to dive deeper into this species' origins, their relations to the dakuth, and how they've managed to adapt to their new homes in Rosepetal.
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?Well, give it a better intro blurb for one. And probably make categorization and navigation more clear. I'm working on it but also not much point doing too much before the above mentioned CSS theme rework is done. So it's not going to happen this Summer Camp, either.
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!
GM's Assistant
Oh boy, I always jokingly refer to my debut in worldbuilding being my 8-year old self acting assistant gamemaster and drawing monsters for the tabletop RPG campaigns my mother, aunt, and their friends ran. They were happy to engage with kid me when I showed interest, and it's probably them I have to thanks for being where I am today in terms of worldbuilding and roleplay. Though, as you can see on the drawings below, I was so flawless there's really no mistakes to learn from there! by Nimin N.
The difference is important! by Nimin N.
My Dragon's Trove
I took my first own trembling steps into worldbuilding in 1997, at the age of 10, when I had learnt enough of the TTRPG rulebooks to start introducing the game to other kids my age. They didn't include any preset settings you could use for your adventures like a lot of modern day TTRPGs do, just an example or two of how a game session played, so if you wanted some form of continuity you'd simply have to build them yourself. And avid daydreamer me, who already had books worth of stories on constant playback within my head, it came naturally to do so. by Nimin N.
by Nimin N.
The Lesson
I think the most important thing I learnt over the years is to not be ashamed of where I came from. We've all been beginners once and done — frankly — shit pieces of work that many of us in later years become so embarrassed about we wish they never existed. We shouldn't be. Because they're part of what got us where we are today.
Learning by doing.
Practice makes perfect.
<Insert more related proverbs> It's both nostalgic and humbling to be able to look back at my roots, my struggles, and my developments. And to always remind myself that something I might have discarded previously might one day find a place in my worldbuilding. That these relics of childhood can still be an inspiration; the seeds to something new. There's so many times I've looked at them and said 'there's something there, let's try it again'. It might take several reiterations before its done, it might not even be the slightest recognizable from the original anymore, and that's all good. It's as it should be.
Practice makes perfect.
<Insert more related proverbs> It's both nostalgic and humbling to be able to look back at my roots, my struggles, and my developments. And to always remind myself that something I might have discarded previously might one day find a place in my worldbuilding. That these relics of childhood can still be an inspiration; the seeds to something new. There's so many times I've looked at them and said 'there's something there, let's try it again'. It might take several reiterations before its done, it might not even be the slightest recognizable from the original anymore, and that's all good. It's as it should be.
by Nimin N.
by Nimin N.
Week 3: Metamorphosis
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?
Hoofa. Big question that's difficult to answer without going overboard, not just because of the sheer size of the setting I'm working with. It's also because of the actual ongoing history and planned future is still somewhat in flux and nebulous at the moment.
It's been one of my main points of frustrations these last years: the sheer time it's taking me to refine the ideas and concepts I do have into something cohesive that lets me more easily answer questions like this.
My entire setting is a project in mid-metamorphosis, currently roiling inside it's chrysalis and still awaiting firm form. Rosepetal is a grand potpourri of ideas from several past settings. The best kitchen sink there ever was.
I think something I do have down to pat though is my goal of trying paint the move of Rosepetal's various civilizations and cultures toward increased equality and democracy. Some going through change with less friction than others, and currently at differentiating stages of their evolution.
There's the United Worlds, more egalitarian than the rest, slowly grinding down the ancient beast of the Ascendancy, with other states either caught between or lingering at the periphery. There's the looming threat of the Wheel trying to sweep worlds beneath stifling, uncompromising uniformity.
There's also the looming threat that poured out of the The Skethas Companions and the Tasiv's Tear. The Mersanida being rather a more literate take on the metamorphosis theme, though.
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'm a little too tired to dive into something new new for this homework. I pride myself already being a nigh omnivore when it comes to genres within books, movies, art, and music so it's actually a bigger challenge than one might believe for me to find something I haven't at least tried before. And the reasons I don't entertain them now is most often because they simply didn't appeal to me for some reason or another. It's not always just about the genre either - I can be drawn the craftsmanship itself, the implied work poured into it. I want to read between the lines and analyze. Even if the end result doesn't always appeal, I appreciate and wonder over the effort and intent. I might not like the cadence of the song but adore its lyrics.
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.I'll do you one better. Here's two crazy good worlds to check out:
My most recent discovery, by Imagica.
I feel sort of humbled below not just their sheer design skills but also their quality of writing. The setting itself is intriguing and draws on my interest in horror writing.
My second to most recent discovery, by Soul Sorbet.
Though I have drifted from fantasy in my later years (maybe because of sheer overload in my youth?) I just admire this world as beautiful writing on a beautiful canvas.
Week 4: Tomorrow
Assignment 1
Think about current events that will impact the future. Who is working to create a specific kind of future?
I'm running a bit low on steam, and risk repeating most of the points I already made under last week's first assignment. I would really recommend you to check out my settings primer to the right, under the section 'State of the Galaxy', for a brief introduction of some of the going-ons I want to touch on in this setting.
Assignment 2
Make sure everything’s ready—from your writing space to your writing schedule—before Summer Camp begins!Check. Kinda. It's as good as it can be, and I'm taking it chill anyway.
Assignment 3
Who or what will help you achieve your goal? What will your sharing strategy be during Summer Camp?I'll probably hang around the discord as much as my energy allows me. I'm still feeling weird for a lack of better words and have a hard time connecting to people both IRL and on the internet. It's nothing new, kinda seems to happen after I've had a crash/burnout. Oh, almost forgot: I will take part in the multiplayer tracking sheet like every year but won't keep a personal one this time around. I have also prepared a category hub as an in-world alternative of finding everything I do related to Summer Camp 2025.
I was surprised to by your comments about your homepage so I thought I would mention that I specifically remember your world as having a great intro and homepage. I'm sure you can improve it, and I'm looking forward to seeing that. But I already thought it was so good that I put it on my list of worlds to use as inspiration.
Wow, thank you, that means a lot. I guess I'd like to just write something more catchy than 'Hi, welcome to my nebulous kitchen sink'. :) I'd also like to give the narratives 'portals' some more distinction, so visitors can more easily get a grip of what they are and what they can expect to find when clicking on them.