Summercamp 2026

Then & Now

My 7th Summercamp has come knocking and it has yet again come with its own challenges. Last year I officially completed 1 article and had a few more written down. I'd say it was a stellar achievement given that I was healing from surgery. This year I've got my mobility back but my computer is giving its death throes. Blue screens of death, black screens of death, freezing and restarting, broken hinges, who cares‽ Keep it coming! I handwrite my prompts before typing them anyway, I've got books to prop my computer up on, a laptop to buy this coming EOFY sale (fingers crossed that arrives in time) and if all else fails the library is but a bus ride away!

I've got this! (ง •_•)ง

As always my goal is to hit Copper with at least 8 prompts but I'm greedy for more. Over the years I've noticed a tendency towards taking this a touch too seriously, so this year I plan on having more fun with the prompts. Of course there will be in-depth serious ones, I know myself too well to bother denying it, but I'll be having fun and being silly with some of them as well. Time for me to remember I'm in Camp Chill for a reason.

This year my worldbuilding prompts will be scattered throughout my worlds, my silly ones especially, but my overall focus will still be Vilyiterna. I've decided to use the world for a series of individual stories to explore both the world and the characters rather than one overarching plot. The world has been left up in the air for so long its contents have become scarce and scattered, though I have finally managed to organise it in a way I like. With this I'll be exploring my world and deciding which direction to start paving a path.

Along with Vilyiterna I have a world for random RPG ideas that might, just maybe, eventually make it to a homebrew dnd game. It's nothing official though, just fun and games. I also have a world where I stash basically any article that doesn't relate to either of these worlds. These worlds will likely host most of the fun and silly prompt articles. As with Vilyiterna they're still in early stages if a touch emptier, but in case you're curious regardless I'll list them down below.

• Madame Vera's Atelier
• Madame Veras DND World

And that's about it. All I have to do now is dig out my blue Summercamp Notebook, my nice pens, a warm blanket, a great deal of patience for my poor, ailing computer and I'm all set! Let's see how I go. Best of luck to you as well.

Happy Writing!

Wave 1 - Love

Generally when asked what love is the first thing that comes to mind is romance, especially when referring to media of some sort. Even when looking beyond that the focus remains on interpersonal relationships, for example the love between parent and child, friendships, love for a pet and the like. But it goes beyond that, love also covers the passions of life, hobbies, ideals, places, foods, values. There is love for your personal experiences, your preferences, your community, your views of the world and your view of yourself. This year I intend to develop the interconnections of people and places and so I'll try to focus on the passions and ideals of the people within the world, especially those involving community and experiences.

Vilyiterna is a world packed full of people from all walks of life. Their stories and lives are as wide-reaching and varied as the stars above and sands below. The world in its current stage is an evolving prosperous era born from the efforts of a people recovering from a planet-wide disaster. From made and torn asunder, nations built and lost, traditions painstakingly protected or built anew, there is no possible end to the loves, lives and passions of the people of Vilyiterna.

If that weren't enough I also have a dnd homebrew world and a world for miscellaneous ideas lacking a home or destination. RPG games are based around the motives of Players and NPCs and built upon histories of clashes and connections to find drama in. The potential for stories here are endless so I can definitely see my dnd world coming into play in this theme. I'm honestly not sure the Atelier will be put to use here with my main 2 worlds being so well-suited to it. We'll see.

This year I hope to develop the communities within Vilyiterna by writing about the personal passions and values of its people. From there I will be better able to develop and add complexity to their cultures and subcultures.

I think it'd be fun write some pubs in my dnd world, or maybe an eccentric community. For Vilyiterna I'll always love traditions but I can see institutions like something for births or marriages making an appearance. A subculture prompt around a hobby sounds good, or a cultural quirk or spat people get passionate about, like the fuss over football in the states or the arguments over who made pavlova is Australia and New Zealand or how to properly prepare tea or scones in Britain. Anyone got any guesses?

My Prompts

Warm-up Exercise

Write a Settlement that's associated with love.
The Steaming Fields - a holiday town in Kalreem known for their hot springs and flower meadows. It's a popular location for couples on their honeymoons and anniversaries. There are plenty of jokes about things getting "steamy" (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)

Wave 2 - Growth

Growth and development are a function and result of change. It can be natural, like a plant spreading its roots and reaching for the sun, or man-made, such as the development of farmlands, cities and trade networks. A certain amount of growth is healthy, necessary even, but too much can also cause troubles. Invasive species can choke out wildlife, plants can overtake the capacity of soil, too much change at once can make it difficult to adapt, especially for humans. Growth is neither good nor bad, it just is.

Through the eras the world of Vilyiterna has changed to astonishing degrees. The devastation of the Twilight Era still echoes through the world in the face of scattered ruins, changed landscapes and adapting animals. The people of Vilyiterna are diverse and always living their lives and growing into each other's. On an individual they're always growing into their own people and building their families. On a wider scale their communities, homes, nations and cultures are ever-changing, ever growing.

There are any things that can grow in an RPG world. Mysteries, dungeons, monsters, diseases, rumours, powers that be. There are businesses that can grow in influences, pubs that grow in popularity, monster nests that grow into communities. Then there's the natural world they all live and thrive in.

I think this wave will be fairly adaptable overall with a hidden trick or two. Growth is a natural force affecting everything, everyone, everywhere. There's no end to the possibilities. With this wave I think I'd like to show how the Twilight Era changed things through the lense of the current Iridescent Era. It would also be nice to show the adaptations of animals and the possibilities brought about by the current human communities.

I'm betting on a species prompt and a location prompt. I wouldn't mind doing those for any world. There could be a manuscript prompt but a character one might be interesting. They're not my fave but it can be interesting building a story around them.

My Prompts

Warm-up Exercise

Write a Geographical Location boasting different kinds of ecosystems.
The Circlet Cave Systems - Wicksler has an unusual water system which rings a full circle along the length of Wicksler and back round again via both above and underground systems. People live on and near the Circlet both above and below. The cave systems contain a variety of ecosystems from those in the rivers to natural cave pockets to manufactured groves and nurseries.

Wave 3 - Loss

After growth come loss or decay. Loss can be physical, decay, death, a lost item. Loss can be emotional, a lost fight, lost dreams, lost relationship. It comes wrapped in grief and acceptance both. People all have different ways of coping and not everyone can quite get a handle on it. Some losses are plain devastation, wars and fires. Others beget life, volcanic ash and magma turned fertile soil.

The idea of loss echoes through Vilyiterna like a aching old scar or phantom wound. The change from the Night Era to the Iridescent Era was a sudden and shocking one leaving waves of devastation in its wake. However, their people are tough, hardy things. Just as the animals adapted to their new world, the people learned to live and thrive alongside the losses aswell. Different parts of the world have handled the loss differently, some built small communities, some travelled where the grass was greener, some dug their roots in deep and took over what they could. These differences show even in their current world and communities, forming cultural traditions and national identities alike. Their stories are rife with life among loss.

Loss sounds like a good opportunity for both my dnd world and my Atelier, loss is an excellent story driver. I have to admit the temptation to use the meme... but alas! I will resist!..... I might be able to get away with it in the Atelier... we'll see. Both worlds are fairly flexible, lost minds, lost plots, lost treasures, lost cities, lost knowledge. There's loads of possibilities.

This wave looks tricky but I'm hopeful. Loss is an excellent way to develop worlds, histories, people and communities. It's a difficult thing to write about, but beyond worthwhile. I'd like to develop to cultural quirks that came about from loss, their values, funerary practices, flexibility and the like.

The idea of a historical article of some sort sounds fascinating. I'd love an excuse to go into my eras. A lost city sounds fun too, especially if I can make one that secretly still exists.

My Prompts

Warm-up Exercise

Write a Language lost to time.
Bellic Runes - Belryde has many ruins caused by the Twilight Era. Some were abandoned, others reconstructed for newer occupants and some are said to hold descendants of their original people. One set of abandoned ruins, the Barrow Ruins, was discovered near the crossroads where the Western nation border the Northern at the base of Alps Ranges. Runes are carved into its walls along corners and on roofs. The most popular theory is they were location markers but no one knows for sure. These runes can occasionally be seen in other Belryde ruins but none are so covered in them as the Barrows.

Wave 4 - Family

Families come in many shapes and forms. There are dynasties and clans which trace and protect family lines with devotion, families born of blood put together by fate and grown together for better or worse, families bound by ink through marriage or adoption, found or chosen families who flock together on their own with their own eccentricities, or even work "families" built through apprenticeships and patronage. Each family has their own highs and lows, values and traditions, histories and futures. All have a story to tell.

Vilyiterna has all manner of families within its lands. There are mercantile families who keep themselves isolated to hoard wealth and prestige, their are clans and tribes with control over regions of land and varied communities, there are dynasties which protect history and control vast swathes of people, there are communities of faith and work-systems which bring people together, there are families born and families bound. Vilyiterna is a world of history, connection and community. Family can cover these specific groups and the histories, cultures and traditions connected to them.

My dnd world could certainly use some families. There's NPC drama and underground families and ruling families and craftmanship families and families of species. I could put these prompts to use in a few ways if I'm lucky.

The theme of "Family" sits in this odd spot that's both narrow and wide at once. There's much we can do with it, but only in a few directions. I'm not sure about this one, but I wasn't sure about Respite last year and that wound up my best one so i suppose we'll have to wait and see. It would be good to develop the culture and tradition around families and communities in Vilyiterna, so hopefully I can stretch the prompts in that direction.

There's got to be a dynasty, surely. I'd love to build up the ruling family in Kalreem, my ideas for them are scattered but interesting. I'd also like to go into the complicated idea of families in MaiRycia where there's both a focus on blood and chosen families. Or work-based families like young apprentices who are supposed to see their Master's as parents or faith based families who view their fellow priests as family. It'll be interesting to dig into what does or doesn't count, why or why not, what exceptions there are, why it's an issue in the first place and so on.

My Prompts

Wave Prompts

Warm-up Exercise

Write a Myth that reveals the "true" meaning of family.
There is an old myth in MaiRycia, none know where it begins or whether it holds truth but it is agreed it comes from the Twilight Era. When the night's veil was torn away and skies first bloomed families were torn asunder. Some sat and wept, some raged at the winds, others yet sighed and built up their homes once again. But there were some that wandered, wandered, wandered, searching for homes and loves lost. Of these wanderers there were 5 that came together, an old crone, a young child, a grizzled middle-aged man, a teenager and a foreign traveller. Their paths combined and they walked them together, wandering, wandering, wandering. Until they found each other. Some stories have them find their lost and rebuild anew, others have them rest and live together when they find a nice spot, and more still have them wandering, wandering, wandering, until their bodies are laid to rest.

But all agree that they were family.

In many regions the weight of blood was lost or weakened with the devastation of the Twilight Era. Some protected surviving blood by rebuilding Clans and Dynasties and forcing opposition to their knees. Some rebuilt families and blood from scratch, others kept the ways of old and welcomed any, or excluded only a few. But the new welcome to those without blood or ink to connect remained in some way everywhere and this Myth is often told to explain why.

Wild Cards

Yay! Lucky dip time! This will always be my favourite section of the Summer Camp prompts. I love having alternatives for when I'm stuck and the surprise factor really gives it a nostalgic vibe, like those little $2 lucky dip bags we'd get from the stationary store as kids.

This year the prompts are very seasonal. When I first saw the Growth and Love themes i was like, "this is very Spring of them", only to later discover each theme was a different season. First, Love is Spring, then Growth is Summer, Loss is Autumn and Family is Winter. They're a bit out of order but that's just me being finicky. But with that overarching theme I guess that makes the wild cards Out-Of-Season? XD

As fun as they are I hope there isn't a vehicle prompt again. I love them but there's only so many vehicles you can make, y'know? But I guess that's the benefit of miscellaneous world like the Atelier. As for prompts and articles I hope for... a material would be interesting, or a natural law. I tend to forget those on my own but they're fun to make and useful too.

My Prompts

Now & Then

(fill in after the Summer Camp is complete)

Copper Counter [00/08]

Prompt Counter [00/40]

I, Madame Vera, pledge to earn the Copper Badge. I will write a minimum of 8 prompts. They will be focussed on the world of Vilyiterna, but not limited to it. I will have fun and be as silly as I please.

Copper-Badge [img:6693459] by Blue Fairy 74 ft. Midjourney

Camp Chill (ID 4574878) by Rin Garnett

▢ Assignment Checklist ▣

Week 1 - ✓

▣ Pledge Your Goal

▣ Submit Your HW

▣ Review & Update Vilyiterna

▣ Complete the Warm-up Prompt

▣ Create/Update World Meta

▣ Explore the theme Love in HW

Week 2

▣ Choose a Focus Point for the 2026 SC

▣ Describe & Explain Your Focus Point

▣ Complete the Warm-up Prompt

▣ Explore the theme Growth in HW

Week 3

▣ Plan Your Writing Time

▣ Read 3 Articles By Other Anvilites (3/3)

▣ Go For A Walk

▣ Complete the Warm-up Prompt

▣ Explore the theme Loss in HW

Week 4

▣ Find A Community

▣ Prepare Your Writing Space

▣ Complete the Warm-up Prompt

▣ Explore the theme Family in HW

Anvilite Articles

Pandaros, the Free City

from Erenel, by Gamingbrew

This one was fun, they describe the scenery in such a way it makes you feel like you could wander around it in a video game. I want to wander the plank walkways. They open the article with a quote from a local funeral passage. It sets the tone of extremes in a maritime environment and gives you a window into their culture and values immediately.

The Stokers

from Penny Dreadful, by pickledfishfingers

I love the spooky chef art. I really love the spooky chef art. I already liked their world but if I wasn't curious before the art and detail in this article would have me downright invested. I mean, it's about a religious vampire fighting Order more interested in Cooking than God, with a mercantile underground faction that acts like MI6 with information control, espionage and kill missions. Who wouldn't be? This article's a long read but an enjoyable one. It goes into great detail about their organisation set-up, members, values, goals, functions, industries, trades, connections and more. It's practically a character in and off itself. The Stokers is a great example for setting up a group with depth and history for a story.

Vale Calendar

from Crevice, by ScaleyDragon

The origin of the the Vale calendar was interesting. I never would have expected it to start from a school project. The idea of of their merchants having to follow a school's schedule that has nothing to do with them is amusing. I enjoyed the poems in this article, they were pretty, easy to read and informative. The calendar poem felt like you were running with the girl through the Vale. The sidebar poem had interesting points about in-world colour symbolism. They even went into their language at the end of the article. I felt like I was in a class but it was an enjoyable lesson.