Summercamp 2025

Then & Now

My 6th Summercamp is here, though I'll be welcoming mine along with the winter chill. It seems the 4 weeks of themes along with the wild cards is here to stay, something I'm honestly really glad for. I love this set-up. They've even given us the first theme already! Nourishment. It sounds interesting, I'm really curious as to the rest of them.   Last year my goal was to reach Copper with atleast 8 completed prompts. I answered prompts in my notebook (unfortunately forgetting to transfer a few of them over, woops) and kept to a lower prompt count goal so I could focus my time on quality rather than quantity. I also tried to use different worlds.   This year's goals and methods are similiar but will have a few differences. Firstly, I'll still be aiming for 8 completed prompts though it'll be more of a hope than a goal. I'll also be using my 3 main worlds with a focus on my central world, Vilyiterna. I will not be focussing on article quality and I will probably be typing rather than writing, for the same reason I'll not be holding myself to the goal of Copper.   I am currently healing from a surgery of my right rotator cuff which has left use of my right hand almost non-existant. Unless it heals very quickly hand writing will be beyond me and my typing will be very slow. Ah well, what can you do. This year I'll be prioritising my health and being gentle with myself, so this year's overall goal is "Whatever I can do while being gentle with myself". Fingers crossed that leads to Copper anyway. XD   But hey, I've got this! My computer is here, my task article and tables are set and ready, I've even located my nice blue Summercamp Notebook and some pretty new pens just in case writing's on the table anyway. All I need is some snacks and I'm ready and raring to go! Camp Chill here I come!

Wave 1 - Nourishment

Nourishment: is the food or nutriment that provides life, growth, and health to a person, animal, or plant. It can also refer to the act or state of nourishing, or the process of providing or administering nourishment.
Nourish: means to provide with the materials necessary for life and growth, or to support or encourage something. - via the Collins Dictionary

The first theme, Nourishment, gives just about everyone the immediate, instinctive thought of "food!" and honestly? Me too! Food nourishes our bodies, relationships, cultures, economies, and communities. Food is the heart and soul of us all. But for us to go beyond simple survival towards thriving life there's a lot more that needs placed under the spotlight. We can zoom in and see what fuels our fuel, animal feed, fertiliser, photosynthesis and more. Or we can zoom out for the larger picture, the logistics that transport our food, the arts, traditions, and cultures that grow our communities, the diplomatic connections, educational opportunities and currency that keep our governments, economy, and society strong and healthy. There are a great many things that keep us healthy and thriving.   I plan on focussing on these interconnections and where applicable, their cause and effect.   In regards to Vilyiterna, as a little hatchling world the possibilities are nigh endless. There are five major trade routes that require fleshing out, endless cultures and traditions to develop, flora and fauna to fill the planet with, economic systems to toy with and more. And of course the food! So much food!   Beyond Vilyiterna I can fill out the background of my game world, preferably with plot devices like markets, festivals or edible monsters. I can also choose to let my imagination run wild, free from the constraints of a set world or story, and make whatever I so please in the Atelier. You never know, it could well turn into a new story or flesh out an older one.   This theme honestly has me curious as to the rest of them. The themes tend to lead off eachother and Nourishment is so open-ended. I'm hoping I can use this develop culture through cuisines, fashion, the arts, craftsmanship, and community places like parks and markets. I'd also like to flesh out societal systems like agriculture and trade logistics. I definitely wouldn't mind making whatever the heck I wanted in the Atelier as well.   I am praying for tradition prompts. Festivals, fashion, and cuisine are all right up my alley, and I'd by genuinely disappointed If I don't get atleast one of them. A material prompt sounds fun too, like animal feed or fertiliser.  

My Prompts

Wave 2 - Roots

Roots: The part of a plant that grows underground, gets water from the ground, and holds the plant in place. The origin of something. The family history of a person or a group of people. A special connection to something. - via the Brittanica Dictionary

After Nourishment the instant thought of most people when 'Roots' was announced was 'plants'. But beyond that Roots can refer to the source or origin of something, a beginning, a history, the story that made something what it is today. Roots covers the budding of people, of cultures, of conflicts and enmity, of community and care. Roots are the first growth born of nourishment, or the seeds themselves.   Vilyiterna has a long history, much of it lost to the trials of time. Its people and culture are varied, scattered across seven continents, with even more establishments connecting them and keeping them afloat. The story of Vilyiterna starts and grows from its roots, so this will be an excellent opportunity to explore and build upon its origins. From there the roots will allow its many potential paths to grow and tales to bloom.   Roots will be a great way to get started on my RPG world. Currently, it has a scattering of fun items and characters but the world itself is a blank slate. I can also have fun exercising my creative muscles by working on the prompts separate from story ties in the Atelier.   Overall this theme is looking to be a good chance to set up the groundwork, scaffolds, and foundations of my world. Keeping to the nature vibes, rather than fancy garden decorations or greenhouse plants, I think I'll be doing a lot of landscaping to build my garden of worlds and stories upon. I intend on using this wave to solidify my world concept, the continents, flora, fauna, seasons, histories and more. That way I can start searching for the many smaller stories hiding within.   With any luck there will be articles describing major events or locations. Conflicts, natural disasters, phenomena, continents and more. This is the time for the really big picture.  

My Prompts

Wave 3 - Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis: Change of physical form, structure, or substance especially by supernatural means the metamorphosis of humans into animals. A striking alteration in appearance, character, or circumstances. A typically marked and more or less abrupt developmental change in the form or structure of an animal (such as a butterfly or a frog) occurring subsequent to birth or hatching - via the Merriam Webster Dictionary

Metamorphosis isn't just a change, it's a transformation. The appearance, the nature, the function of something changes shifts into another existence entirely. But for all the differences the roots, the history, the very essence of it remains, its marks carrying into the future. Metamorphosis can be the change of an individual, the result of an epiphany or the simple passage of time. It can be the maturation of a culture or society, the result of growth or a revolution. It can be the liquid result of plants fermented in a barrel cocoon or the solid result of an animal gone through the torturous transformation of adulthood. It can be the next step of a single great leap or the culmination of a great smaller many. Metamorphosis is both the effect and the cause of change. Though whilst it remains a vital natural process in both the natural and human worlds, its occurrence may not always be so.   Vilyiterna is characterised by its constant, great changes and has nursed a hardy and adaptable people from it. The world is currently sent in the Iridescent Era, the time after a great cosmic natural apocalypse which wrecked havoc on all its inhabitants. No one remembers it anymore, but this is actually the second apocalypse its people survived. Currently, some millennia after the disaster, the people are thriving in the midst of technological revolution, globalisation and cultural reformation. A hidden section of the world which can boast of surviving both disasters is also steadily progressing to reconnecting with the world. Metamorphosis is root of everything involving the world of Vilyiterna.   The RPG world could also gain from this. Battles both political and monstrous are always changing the scenery and the futures of the people living within it. New adventures and mystery are always to be found. The Metamorphosis theme can be used to define the movers and shakers of the world, and to explore the consequences of their wills forced upon it.   I see we're sticking with the nature theme this year. Perhaps the next set will be about a harvest? I can see the the theme of Metamorphosis being a handy one for getting the technicalities and connections of the world down, but the prompts will likely be tricky in return. I honestly don't have any plans for this one but I'm certain I'll be using it. It fits my world too well not to. Perhaps it'll help fill the stop-gaps? Who knows?   I'm placing my bets on there being a conflict prompt (e.g. describe a conflict that has caused great change to...) and a settlement prompt (e.g. describe a setting that has experienced transformation in a short amount of time). Perhaps a landmark too. Or an animal that acts as a symbol of change.  

My Prompts

Wave 4 - Tomorrow

Tomorrow: The day after today. Refers to the future, especially the near future. - via the Collins Dictionary

Tomorrow as a theme is a vision of the future and all the hopes, dreams and goals it carries. Tomorrow is the place of fears and ambitions, of potential and uncertainty, of change and stability alike. Tomorrow is the inevitable result of the past, refined and defined by those present.   Vilyiterna is a world everchanging and growing, largely because it's still being made. The world is the setting of a number of stories across varying eras, as such there's no defined present, let alone a set Tomorrow. However the people living within are a people filled with hope and grit, trodding steadfastly along into the future no matter the uncertainties of today. Prompts could expand upon their hopes, dreams and ambitions, especially those conflicting with each other. It would be a good opportunity expand upon the conflict between the Zaurclirian Empire, a theocratic region run by the Church of Clirizidaun, who believe the skies beyond belong their deities, and an internal faction who believe they were meant to use the hands and minds their deities blessed them with to study and explore the space beyond.   My RPG world is a blank slate so there's plenty of work to be done. I can develop a variety of futures to allow plenty of flexibility for future players or even take a more practical approach with factional agendas, prophecies and seers. If I'm fortunate I can work on the worldbuilding or plotting of my fanfiction world, but in the more likely case of copyright infringement I can always play freely in the sandbox of my Atelier.   Rather than the future in and of itself, the Tomorrow theme set is a good chance to focus the goals, agendas and perspectives of various people and organisations. It'd be fun if it could develop small events that create larger ones such as in the "For Want Of A Nail" trope and poem. I think this theme will be a tricky one for me but I've been pleasantly surprised before. Why not again?   For this wave I think there'll be an organisation (e.g. describe an organisation with conflicting views of the future) prompt and a document prompt (e.g. describe a document which has affected the publics view of the future). I think this wave of prompts will focus more on people than places.  

My Prompts

Wild Cards

The lucky dip set! I love having random unthemed prompts, they're perfect for a creativity refresh and are loads of fun. I'm liking the themes this year, though I'm stumbling over the Metamorphosis and Tomorrow themes a touch. They've focussed on more positive concepts, a decision I'm very grateful for, so I wouldn't be surprised if they snuck in some darker prompts here. We shall see.   Now that I've better direction in the purpose of Vilyiterna my worldbuilding will be a lot easier. I'd like prompts to develop the basic, like continents and climates, and surprise flavours, like local lore and fun facts. Organisations, flora and fauna would be great to create. But hopefully there aren't too many characters. Macro over micro worldbuilding please. But I'm sure I'll have fun regardless.  

My Prompts

Now & Then