TecknarAgnes' Reading Challenge 2023
My Summer Camp
I think this is my personal best Summer Camp yet! Noted, I've only done two or three total, but I had a lot of fun this year and I wrote a lot more than I expected of myself, I'm very proud :)
Most of the prompts (14 out of 16) were directly or indirectly connected to my "Revenge" project that I have been working on for a very, VERY long time. I am happy to dive deeper into some areas of the story, and flesh out my then vague ideas of those parts. Those articles and others connected to the story are filed in the "MAH" category on my world homepage (MAH standing for "Misstaget att hämnas" which translates to "The mistake of revenge".)
I am also glad to have interacted more with the community this month. I've read a couple of articles to get inspired and started following some creators. I watched most live streams, and it is so fun to see so many people engaged in World Anvil and the art of world building!
Reading Challenge
I've chosen 3 prompts that I found difficult during this Summer Camp, or that I've had a hard time with while writing in general. This way I can take part of the community's amazing and imaginative writing, and learn about some topics that I've had trouble with!Prompt 1: A Culture who suffered under the rule of a stronger nation
I wrote about this prompt, (Denuria), and I just thought it was so difficult. I'm very new to writing about cultures and etnicitets, so this was a real challenge for me. That is why I am choosing this prompt to study other peoples' articles to learn something!Nr 1: Mochi's Sparkling Slimes
So simple yet fun and interesting! Using cosmetics and modification to distinguish different groups of a people is something I hadn't thought of, even though I have encountered it before (cyborgs and the like could most definitely be counted). It does create a very strong bond between those who are in and those who are out, just like our real world. People use many different ways of categorization, and looks are one of them.
Your writing is light and fun, and it really fits with the theme and feel of your world! The article itself looks very nice, so it's a pleasure to read just because of that. And the small artwork of the slime brings it all together! I saw in your other articles and that there are many pictures, some made by yourself, and I feel inspired to add more to my own works.
As an artist, I struggle with perfectionism and I feel like I can only add highly rendered, realistic artworks to my articles. But I should have fun instead! I do not have those skills yet, so I should just draw what I can and and play a bit with my style! Maybe I should look up medieval drawings and get inspired?
Nr 2: Chase's Illythari
IllythariThis was a take more similar to my own, in contrast to the sparkling slime. I thought it would be good to read one and compare how others write similarly themed articles as myself. It was interesting to see the actions and aftermath of the actual suppressing of the culture, which is an important part of the prompt (that I almost forgot to write about). The introduction of the culture gave an insight as to why the oppressing power, the Dalian Empire, would want to take over the land and the Illythari's area /of expertise/.
Your writing is interesting and I like how you have split the text into different sections that are not in the template. They explain more of the events and actual happenings instead of just describing the culture itself. I think the legacy and the aftermath is an interesting part of the text as well.
Nr 3: Alex's Geira
Hardships can unite people and weave them together for generations. This is what the Geira are - once a group of slaves, now they share a culture and history. Even though their time as slaves is long gone, 2 000 years ago, they are still looked down on. The traditional food and embroidered clothing were really nice details to the bind the ethnicity together, I really like that!
Some of the stuff you've written feels very applicable to the real world, as people here also assume stuff about others they don't like. It makes the world more believable and can hit closer to the reader's heart.
Prompt 2: A Cuisine from a sparse, barren or remote region
This prompt was also difficult, and it was so difficult that I couldn't even write 50 words ':) Food is a big part of communities and peoples' lives, so I feel like I want to read up on others' articles.Nr 1: Deleyna Marr's Swimming Rama
A real world dish that has been given a twist by lifting it out into a bar in space. By changing a bit of context to this ordinary dish it is made even more interesting! I like that there are examples of this dish being made with different ingredients, and an encouragement to mix it up and experiment. There are no clear instructions on how they cook the food, which is not always necessary. There is a list of ingredients, and together with the picture it gives clues/hints as to how it is made. A saucy dish like this feels simple and therefor does not strictly require a manual.
The writing in this article is interesting, and it draws you in to read more about the world! It feels personal and comfortable in a way, like a grandmother talking about a fond memory. Especially with the picture, I can almost feel the warmth of the food!
Nr 2: Govika's EelEye Soup
Food that is so specific to one place that people from outside it cannot eat it: it's the eel eye soup. This article tells us how to make the soup, but also how to gather the main ingredient, the eels. I really like this detail, especially because the eel is not a common ingredient in my own food, nor in my culture, so I know very little about them. I also like the way this dish is so very connected to its culture, and that some places try to recreate it as an exotic attraction.
Now that I've read a handful of articles, I've realized that they make me think about similar stuff in our real world. Just like the restaurants who make eel eye soup as an exotic dish, people flock to IKEA to eat Swedish meatballs. Maybe I should look into some random areas of my own reality to take inspiration and study how people act around certain topics? Just like everyone who takes inspiration from what we already know.
Nr 3: Absinthe's Pigeon Pie
The theme of this world is very clear in this article, and I really like that. From the start you show how sparse the bustling city can be, and what some of the unfortunate ones has to do to fill their stomachs. The feeling is strengthened by the details in the cooking instructions, like all the tinned vegetables and the cheapest way to cook it (to strap it to the exhaust on a public bus).
Your writing is humorous and rich in detail. I really liked the last part with the little orc boy, it kinda caught me off guard ':D Also, the use of a clear narrator voice in the last paragraph is not something I've seen a lot. I think it definitely fits this article (though I should note that it may/is probably seen in other articles too, just that I haven't read them), and this kind of narration is fun to play with, and to read. It feels a little scary to add subjectivity in this form to articles and my writing in general, but it is something I want to try out for myself!
Prompt 3: A form of silent Communication
Language is one of the defining feature of human civilization and is one of the biggest puzzle pieces that make us sentient and social. Audible speech is a natural way for us to communicate, but sometimes speech is not a viable option.Nr 1: Matthew Lloyd's Luminal Radiance
Sometimes it's easy to forget that your reader doesn't have all the information you have a the writer, so you might under explain or have no context to some things. This article starts off by giving context surrounding the language, who use it, when and why, which I really appreciate!
I really like the concept with crystals and light, I don't think that it's something I've seen before. Especially to have the crystals be used by the elite, and make it kind of a show of power and wealth (having a form of beauty as communication). It quickly tells you that this is a very exclusive language, also that one needs the Lumina Whisperers to even interpret the language. More resources is needed, showing more of the wealth and status required to be a part of the cogs of communication.
Nr 2: Molly Marjorie's Voiceless Language
This one is a real beast! It is so incredibly cool to see such a worked out language, a fictional language that doesn't even "exist" in our world (I mean it exists because you wrote it). I am so fascinated by people who are so good at their interests, especially when I myself am not very adept in the field. The transcription of this language is very interesting, and it almost looks like equations. It's a cool way to show how letters and characters are not the only thing one can transcribe and communicate in text.
This sign language is used by second class citizens who are shunned by the educated group of people. It was originally signed by people hard of hearing or those who were deaf because the education did not cater to their needs, but now it is used by all those who are Voiceless (even those not deaf). This language is also a good show of how it can evolve in some parts but stay the same in others, like the name voiceless doesn't fit on those who can audibly speak, it has just become the demonym for this group.
Nr 3: Haly the Moonlight Bard's Central Tilth Safety Code
This silent communication is a written code used by the working caste to secretly communicate. The writing is based on a straight line and is easy to hide in many different ways. I like the secrecy and the way it's used for rebellion, and how easy it is to communicate but only if you know about it.
When studying language in school/by myself I find it interesting how different structures in sentences are. Some have suffixes and prefixes to change meaning, while others rely on the order of the words. When having a code language with very few building blocks one has to be clear with what they mean. I think those are very interesting and fun to play around with, like how few words can you use before the point is to vague?
My new goals
I haven't really set any writing goals before, only to finish a short story for a competition or for homework. But now that I only work during the days and feel like I am losing a bit of my creative juice, this is a good time to set up some parameters :) I have done so a bit with my art now, because that is my main priority, but I will incorporate a bit of writing in it as well!Summer Camp polishing
First of all I should focus on polishing (and finishing) all the articles I wrote for Summer Camp. Especially Ealdrid Altari, who only got notes for content, and Prince Dev's announcement on 5th of Crab Moon, 3441 S.E. needs some work. I'll see if I learned anything from reading articles during this challenge, so that I can expand my writing.Adding art
During my reading, I have noticed that many creators use a lot of pictures in their articles. As an artist myself, I have the power right in the palm of my hand (haha) and could "easily" bring more and and images to my own articles! Combined with my own art goals, I will try to add more life into my world! I'll probably start/do most art for characters as that is my forte, but I want to expand on my landscape and animal portfolio as well. Inktober is coming up in October again, so I will most probably try to relate as many prompts as possible to Darta (as I usually do anyways).Revenge
I'm not gonna exact revenge on some evil writer's block or anything, though maybe I should have something prepared just in case it decides to show up >:D My story "Revenge" is chugging along, and I would like to get some better grips on it after the many articles I wrote for it on Summer Camp. I've written about 4500 words in its current version, so maybe I could aim at having doubled it in 6 months? I can at least reach 6000 words. There are also a bunch of important characters that are still very vague, so they could get their own article (I'm thinking Brice, Lukah, Yfir, the rest of the members in Altari family and some more on Perilla who already has an article).Phew, that was a lot! Thank you to those who has read my SC articles and to everyone who participated in the challenge! It has been a lot of fun to read a wide variety of articles this month!
TL;DR
My articles
Power
The AcademySurusus
Raven
Denuria
The king's shady cover-up
Feather Conservator
Frontier
J'ru DesertP'tin
Gronzor
Capsule Collar
Relics
The Raven God's featherEaldrid Altari
Golden-Tailed Tree Fox
Communication
Raven messagingFladdronts
Prince Dev's announcement on 5th of Crab Moon, 3441 S.E.
Read articles
A culture who suffered under a stronger nation
Sparkling SlimesIllythari
Geira
A cuisine from a sparse, barren or remote region
Swimming RamaEel Eye Soup
Pigeon Pie
A form of silent communication
Luminal RadianceVoiceless Language
Central Tilth Safety Code
New Goals
Polishing the Summer Camp articlesMaking and adding more art to my articles
Working more on Revenge/MaH
Thank you so much for including the sparkling slimes!! <3
Of course, it was a good article to study! :)