Vibeca's Summer Camp Pledge 2023
'Tis time! Summer Camp is here, so it is high time to get back into my worldbuilding in the world of Leanor, which, sadly, has been mostly dormant since WorldEmber. It is my second Summer Camp, and last year, I completed all the prompts. This year, I will be shooting for any badge. Diamond would be great, of course, but since I've been struggling with stress and a lack of motivation recently, I don't want push myself too much. If you want to read my answers to the prompts, you can either click on the prompt in the sidebar or check out my Progress Report here.
Themes
Copper Theme: Power
The world of Leanor has many different power dynamics. There are several kingdoms, where there are individuals who hold great political power and which also interact, and the countries which are not kingdoms are part of these interactions too, making these interactions even more interesting and complicated. Also, of course, there are power dynamics within and between families and organizations, which can get quite complex, as well as between individual people. Those relationships, especially between people of different backgrounds and ranks, can be very interesting to explore. Here, gender and sexuality also become quite relevant.
The story I'm writing within Leanor, currently titled "The War of the Lions" after the military conflict it describes, explores power dynamics between individuals, families and organizations. As of right now, there are seven POV characters, four of which are women from different backgrounds and of different rank, so much of the story explores their struggle with the power dynamics within Leanor. All the POV-characters have or gain some sort of power and influence on other powerful individuals or organizations. All those different power dynamics can help make Leanor and the stories of this world more interesting and compelling.
Silver Theme: Frontier
In Leanor, many different kinds of frontiers exist. The many rivers and mountain ranges create natural frontiers which have over the centuries of history in many cases also become political borders between the territories of different ethnic groups and, eventually, lordships and kingdoms. Despite the natural lay of the land, these frontiers have shifted more or less subtly with conflicts and wars, but even some of the no longer existing borders still have cultural relevance. However, not every frontier is one that exists physically. Things like a social code of conduct are not necessarily written anywhere or enforced, but, when broken, can still create rifts between individuals or groups. Ethnicity, social background, age, religion, gender and sexuality can create obstacles and barriers for individuals and groups.
These things are also relevant in "The War of the Lions". The story spans several coutries with different rules, religions and problems. Many of the characters in the story struggle not only with the power dynamics mentioned before, but also with both physical and non-physical frontiers. They come from different backgrounds ethnically, religiously and socially. As I said, four of my seven POV-characters are women in a world ruled by men. Additionally, a majority of the POV-characters are queer in one way or another. All of these facts make the exploration of the frontiers in Leanor even more interesting, particularly the non-physical ones.
Gold Theme: Relics
Hearing the word "relic", the first thing that comes to mind is some kind of object or artefact from the past. After all, in our world there are countless museums filled with all kinds of things from the past, from stone-age arrow heads all the way to mobile phones from only a few years ago, all relics of the cutting-edge technology of their time. Even the most mundane object can, with time, become a fascinating, valuable relic. But relics, like frontiers, aren't necessarily physical. They can be stories, traditions or figures of speech, even social constructs like gender roles. Last names are a wonderful example, since they often refer to a name or a job someone's ancestors had or to their place of origin.
These things are also true in the world of Leanor. Objects from the past can hold great value and are sometimes even used as symbols of power. They can also be memorabilia of ones personal past. Physical relics of ancient cultures are, in Leanor just like in our world, a great base for myths as well as scientific research. Language too reveals many relics of the past. Many a word or figure of speech refers back to, for example, the culture of the old Acadean Empire, which greatly influenced Leanor. The characters in "The War of the Lions" all in one way or another, struggle with the historically grown way their world works and the social relics the past left, such as consistent structural misogyny or homophobia. All of these things I can't wait to dive into during Summer Camp.
Diamond Theme: Communication
Communication is doubtlessly something that is relevant to every story and world setting. It starts with two people in one space and it goes all the way to indefinitely large entities, and there are countless ways to convey a message, all of which are a way of communication. This could be spoken words, sign language, musical cues, written messages and so on and so forth, the possibilities are endless. Even non-verbal cues like a look or someone's posture are often crucial for successful communication and can in many cases expose liars. Another thing to consider is that basically every living thing communicates in one way or another, some studies say that even trees communicate with each other.
In Leanor, a fantasy world set in a vaguely late medieval time period without a magic system (anymore?), communication has to work without modern conveniences such as phones, e-mail or cars. Therefore, communication across distances is considerably more difficult than in other settings and mostly relies on face to face communication or letters. For short to medium distance signalling, things like horns are common. Throughout Leanor, the languages spoken are more like closely related dialects of one language, which, when spoken slowly and clearly, are easily understandable amongst each other. The Serbaith people, specifically the hunters, use a type of sign language on the hunt to communicate without having to make a sound.
The Prompts
Check out my answers to the prompts by clicking on them in the side bar. If you do and a link doesn't work, please let me know so I can fix it.
Thoughts after Summer Camp
It is August now, and Summer Camp is over. I have reached diamond with 33 out of 40 articles, some more detailed and finished than others. Between exams, finding a new place to live and struggles with self-motivation, I didn't know how much I would manage, so I'm really proud of this result. Once again, this wonderful challenge allowed me to expand and deepen my world in past and present. This now gives me more things to reference in my writing, which is always a good thing. For the first time, I also thought about places beyond the lands of Leanor, though most of these still are little more than vague ideas.
I think that Summer Camp gave my worldbuilding a much needed push. Before it, I felt pretty stuck and somewhat out of ideas, so I needed some great prompts to get going again. I may not be able to participate in the reading challenge, because this August will be quite eventful as it is, but we shall see. I am also very sad to miss the awards ceremony stream, but as one of very few altos in my choir, I can't just miss our concert. Good luck to everyone!
A big thank you to everyone who read, liked and commented on my work. I truly appreciate the support of the community, and it makes me feel that my work just might actually be a decent thing. Who knows, maybe my writing will one day become more than a fun project I'm working on purely for my own enjoyment.
Themes
Copper Theme: Power
The world of Leanor has many different power dynamics. There are several kingdoms, where there are individuals who hold great political power and which also interact, and the countries which are not kingdoms are part of these interactions too, making these interactions even more interesting and complicated. Also, of course, there are power dynamics within and between families and organizations, which can get quite complex, as well as between individual people. Those relationships, especially between people of different backgrounds and ranks, can be very interesting to explore. Here, gender and sexuality also become quite relevant.
The story I'm writing within Leanor, currently titled "The War of the Lions" after the military conflict it describes, explores power dynamics between individuals, families and organizations. As of right now, there are seven POV characters, four of which are women from different backgrounds and of different rank, so much of the story explores their struggle with the power dynamics within Leanor. All the POV-characters have or gain some sort of power and influence on other powerful individuals or organizations. All those different power dynamics can help make Leanor and the stories of this world more interesting and compelling.
Silver Theme: Frontier
In Leanor, many different kinds of frontiers exist. The many rivers and mountain ranges create natural frontiers which have over the centuries of history in many cases also become political borders between the territories of different ethnic groups and, eventually, lordships and kingdoms. Despite the natural lay of the land, these frontiers have shifted more or less subtly with conflicts and wars, but even some of the no longer existing borders still have cultural relevance. However, not every frontier is one that exists physically. Things like a social code of conduct are not necessarily written anywhere or enforced, but, when broken, can still create rifts between individuals or groups. Ethnicity, social background, age, religion, gender and sexuality can create obstacles and barriers for individuals and groups.
These things are also relevant in "The War of the Lions". The story spans several coutries with different rules, religions and problems. Many of the characters in the story struggle not only with the power dynamics mentioned before, but also with both physical and non-physical frontiers. They come from different backgrounds ethnically, religiously and socially. As I said, four of my seven POV-characters are women in a world ruled by men. Additionally, a majority of the POV-characters are queer in one way or another. All of these facts make the exploration of the frontiers in Leanor even more interesting, particularly the non-physical ones.
Gold Theme: Relics
Hearing the word "relic", the first thing that comes to mind is some kind of object or artefact from the past. After all, in our world there are countless museums filled with all kinds of things from the past, from stone-age arrow heads all the way to mobile phones from only a few years ago, all relics of the cutting-edge technology of their time. Even the most mundane object can, with time, become a fascinating, valuable relic. But relics, like frontiers, aren't necessarily physical. They can be stories, traditions or figures of speech, even social constructs like gender roles. Last names are a wonderful example, since they often refer to a name or a job someone's ancestors had or to their place of origin.
These things are also true in the world of Leanor. Objects from the past can hold great value and are sometimes even used as symbols of power. They can also be memorabilia of ones personal past. Physical relics of ancient cultures are, in Leanor just like in our world, a great base for myths as well as scientific research. Language too reveals many relics of the past. Many a word or figure of speech refers back to, for example, the culture of the old Acadean Empire, which greatly influenced Leanor. The characters in "The War of the Lions" all in one way or another, struggle with the historically grown way their world works and the social relics the past left, such as consistent structural misogyny or homophobia. All of these things I can't wait to dive into during Summer Camp.
Diamond Theme: Communication
Communication is doubtlessly something that is relevant to every story and world setting. It starts with two people in one space and it goes all the way to indefinitely large entities, and there are countless ways to convey a message, all of which are a way of communication. This could be spoken words, sign language, musical cues, written messages and so on and so forth, the possibilities are endless. Even non-verbal cues like a look or someone's posture are often crucial for successful communication and can in many cases expose liars. Another thing to consider is that basically every living thing communicates in one way or another, some studies say that even trees communicate with each other.
In Leanor, a fantasy world set in a vaguely late medieval time period without a magic system (anymore?), communication has to work without modern conveniences such as phones, e-mail or cars. Therefore, communication across distances is considerably more difficult than in other settings and mostly relies on face to face communication or letters. For short to medium distance signalling, things like horns are common. Throughout Leanor, the languages spoken are more like closely related dialects of one language, which, when spoken slowly and clearly, are easily understandable amongst each other. The Serbaith people, specifically the hunters, use a type of sign language on the hunt to communicate without having to make a sound.
The Prompts
Check out my answers to the prompts by clicking on them in the side bar. If you do and a link doesn't work, please let me know so I can fix it.
Thoughts after Summer Camp
It is August now, and Summer Camp is over. I have reached diamond with 33 out of 40 articles, some more detailed and finished than others. Between exams, finding a new place to live and struggles with self-motivation, I didn't know how much I would manage, so I'm really proud of this result. Once again, this wonderful challenge allowed me to expand and deepen my world in past and present. This now gives me more things to reference in my writing, which is always a good thing. For the first time, I also thought about places beyond the lands of Leanor, though most of these still are little more than vague ideas.
I think that Summer Camp gave my worldbuilding a much needed push. Before it, I felt pretty stuck and somewhat out of ideas, so I needed some great prompts to get going again. I may not be able to participate in the reading challenge, because this August will be quite eventful as it is, but we shall see. I am also very sad to miss the awards ceremony stream, but as one of very few altos in my choir, I can't just miss our concert. Good luck to everyone!
A big thank you to everyone who read, liked and commented on my work. I truly appreciate the support of the community, and it makes me feel that my work just might actually be a decent thing. Who knows, maybe my writing will one day become more than a fun project I'm working on purely for my own enjoyment.
Somewhere in your world, describe...
Week One
Theme: Power
1) A powerful organization in your world
2) A seat of power (of any kind!)
3) A resource that provides fuel or power
4) An animal associated with, or symbolizing, power
5) A culture that has suffered under the rule of a stronger nation
6) A conflict between two unequal powers in your world
7) The title & responsibilities of an important person in your world
8) A destructive natural or supernatural event
Wild Cards
9) A species known for its mischievous personality
10) A popular summer tradition that involves art and creativity
Week Two
Theme: Frontier
11) An unclaimed, unregulated, or lawless region
12) A settlement at the limits of the "known" or "civilized" world
13) A job that takes its practitioners to remote or faraway places
14) An animal found in a non-populated area
15) A useful plant found in a wild area
16) A material or natural resource that comes from a dangerous location
17) A character driven by wanderlust or the desire to explore
18) A cuisine from a sparse, barren, or remote region
Wild Cards
19) An iconic building or landmark representing a location
20) A letter sent in secret by a well-known person
Week Three
Theme: Relics
21) A tradition or behavior considered old fashioned
22) An item of great cultural or religious significance to a people in your world
23) An ancient city that is still inhabited today
24) A historical figure still venerated today, and why
25) A profession that has been rendered obsolete
26) A children's tale or song based on a real event
27) A species now considered extinct
28) A historical culture whose influence is still felt today
Wild Cards
29) A ceremony that represents a transition or transfer
30) A rare natural phenomenon that most people look forward to
Week Four
Theme: Communication
31) A method used to carry goods over long distances
32) A system used to send messages between distant places
33) A form of silent communication
34) An organization for which recruiting or proselytizing is important
35) A species with an unusual form of communication
36) A character who excels in manipulating others through communication
37) An important public announcement that one person adressed to many
38) A building used for, or associated with communication
Wild Cards
39) A character who prefers to lurk in the shadows40) A "negative" condition that has hidden advantages
Bonus
41) An organization dedicated to keeping a major secret from the public
42) A myth or truth about the meaning of your universe
Congrats on achieving diamond last year! I've been pretty inactive since WorldEmber too, so it's good to get back into worldbuilding again :D Looks like we share the same goal for our pledges! What are your favourite kinds of articles to write about?
Thank you for the like and comment! (THE TJ commented on my Pledge?!) I'm very excited to get back into worldbuilding and writing. To answer your question, I don't really have any favourite kind of article to write, it sort of changes depending on my mood. How about you?
haha much the same! Although lately I have quite enjoyed writing about conditions :D I'd like to write some more about the balance of ecosystems during this summer camp, so we'll have to see what the prompts have in store for us both sooooooooooon!