TJ's Summer Camp 2024 Inspirations

Feeling inspired, motivated, and on fire!

Reflecting on Summer Camp 2024

This year I decided to take things chill and just take part with no goal in mind. I ended up reaching copper and I'm super happy with it! It felt a lot more relaxing to not worry about trying to complete as many as possible like I've previously done :)

Reading Inspirations

I sometimes find it challenging to get inspired to write document template articles, so for this reading challenge I randomly picked ten articles from the prompt: A document of spurious or controversial attribution.
Here's what I've learnt from these articles that have inspired me to create interesting documents!

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The Usurper's Edict

World: Aubadeon • Author: Deleyna Marr

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Three things I learnt from this article:

1. A short impactful description sparked curiosity to read more!
2. Making use of the document contents section makes it feel immersive to read.
3. The tone and language used in the actual document give an emotional cue to what's going on in the world.

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Proof of Music-Based Casting

World: Ethnis • Author: Ademal

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Three things I learnt from this article:

1. The conversational tone made it more interesting for me to read.
2. A sudden sharp twist and change of tone was exciting and gave a "wait, what?" of surprise!
3. Having a mix of narrative, character perspective, lore, and history makes it really interesting to learn about the setting in context.

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Your Exhausted Scrap Thief

World: Babikiye • Author: AsterVela

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Three things I learnt from this article:

1. In a sea of 141 documents, the article title really caught my attention!
2. Having something written by a character tells me so much about them, and I also love the use of a tooltip to quickly explain the context of a word.
3. Adding descriptive flair to even things like the medium adds so much extra emotion to the article "...ink from a shaky fountain pen".

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A Suspicious Letter

World: Kohtalo • Author: drunkenpanda951

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Three things I learnt from this article:

1. I really like how the article addresses you, the reader - it feels like you've suddenly been transported into the world.
2. The article title was intriguing but also set the tone for how I read the document. Seems kinda sus indeed...
3. Even with no other elements on the page, this short text document was interesting to read and it struck the right balance of curiosity and verbosity.

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The Itakian map

World: Núreht • Author: pa_kalsha

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Three things I learnt from this article:

1. My brain defaults to documents as written forms, but of course - art, posters, and maps are documents too!
2. The topic of controversial cartography is a fantastic idea and I'll definitely be writing about how certain maps have been perceived in my world too.
3. I love the historical background of the artifact and it makes the world feel alive and full of stories.

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Tyrant's Trial

World: Eshor • Author: Rashkavar

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Three things I learnt from this article:

1. Something hidden in plain sight is a fantastic concept that got me thinking lots of "ooh what if...?"
2. The method of production for the document gives me a good idea about the technology level and daily life in this part of the setting.
3. Secret information makes me curious about what else is going on in the world at large!

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The Insulting Letter

World: Kalste • Author: Shalyn

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Three things I learnt from this article:

1. The consequences in this story got a good "OH NO" from me!
2. Having a visual representation of the document adds a lot of context and flavour of the world.
3. The historical accounting establishes that it became a widely known topic and would be common knowledge to most people.

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The Courtly Truth

World: Swords & Treachery • Author: Tris (necromancertris)

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Three things I learnt from this article:

1. The mystery from the start really hooked my interest.
2. How the document was recieved in the setting tells me a lot about the surrounding society!
3. This really inspired me to think about juicy gossip and drama in my world!

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Interview With Terria Jordan

World: Tread of Darkness • Author: Lilliana Casper

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Three things I learnt from this article:

1. The quotes are really engaging and add great point of view context from other people in the world!
2. I really like the contrast of narrative between: character quotes, lore description, and the document contents itself.
3. Including theories and questions within the article got me going "hmmmmmm...."

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Daily Drama!

World: Crimson Court • Author: Pandora 9

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Three things I learnt from this article:

1. Having a catch article title and subtitle is really attention grabbing!
2. I really love how in the At a glance and Stats sections of the sidebar it's not just an infodump - a little extra context goes a long way!
3. Having the introductory passage in the quote at the start feels really immersive and sets the tone well.

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by TJ Trewin

New Goals

Well, now that Summer Camp has concluded, you know what I can start preparing for next >:D
You might have already spotted some new art on the homepage and a few tiny tweaks here and there! I've also made a new pixel art map of Zendu - I'm pulling out all the stops this year!
Next on my list:

1. Finish adding custom markers and descriptions to the map (it needs some floating islands)
2. Continue adding more pixel art and polishing up WIP articles and stubs
3. Take part in upcoming challenges

by TJ Trewin

If you'd like to join me in making your best worldbuilding yet - I'm sharing my secret WorldEmber wisdom on my blog!

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The Zendian government has set a bounty for retrieving magical artifacts from deadly ruins guarded by living constructs, sparking an exciting nation-wide treasure hunt attracting adventurous travellers to the region (yourself included). Meanwhile, sky pirates are to blame for the vanishing floating islands, and newly invented airships have inadvertently brought horned rats to Zendu's major cities.