SC 2021 "A Coming of Age Ceremony" Finalists

As you may or may not know, I'm judging Prompt 18, the "A Coming of Age" prompt, for Summer Camp 2021. I published an article for the Honorable Mentions and now here are my Finalists.

While reading 457 articles about the same subject, you get pretty numb. I'm not a teacher, but I have a newfound sympathy for teachers who have to grade papers! As I was going, I marked off the articles that stood out to me, that made me laugh or gasp or just feel something. Of those, I had the very hard job of picking a winner.

I personally picked them based on writing, layout, and ease of reading. They didn't necessarily have to have fancy css. However, line breaks, quotes, columns, and an image or two definitely keep me reading. I started reading every article, but I'm not going to lie and say that I finished all of them!

The twelve below are the cream of the crop for me, They pulled a real reaction out of me and I hope they do the same for you.

Summer Camp 2021 Hub

Generic article | Nov 16, 2024

Find all my Summer Camp 2021 Hub articles and preparation here.

Finalists

Childhood Funeral

by Mgatta

Every child in the culture of this article raises a pet and isn't considered an adult until they have buried it. This touching article shows the deep links between life and death, beginnings and endings. As always, MGatta delivers a well-written and thoughtful entry.

Childhood funeral

Tradition / Ritual | Jul 30, 2021

With a pet death's, adulthood starts.

Splitting the Stride

by Stormbril

Stormbril describes a suicidal ritual that you really shouldn't attempt. It features one of his signature god-husks and the foolhardy thrillseekers who get too close to it. The article features beautiful layouts, custom art, and revealing quotes.

Split the Stride

Tradition / Ritual | May 9, 2022

An exceedingly dangerous ritual undertaken by the young and the foolish of Russin.

Empyreal Eclosion

by Sloqush

This article opens with a verse describing the ascension of a celestial child to godhood. This article is detailed and well written and comes with a soundtrack. Press the play button before you read it to get the full experience!

Empyreal Eclosion

Tradition / Ritual | Jul 18, 2021

When a Child of Heaven spreads its wings, mortals should seek shelter.

Tenth Birthday

by ReachingForStardust

This well-written article delivers solid and central worldbuilding for ReachingForStardust's world. This article is well thought out and feels like an intersection between Harry Potter and Star Wars with the midichlorian like "power carrier concentration." But this article does it better than George's ham-fisted attempt!

Tenth Birthday

Tradition / Ritual | Sep 20, 2024

The day that a child, especially a Paragon, is first tested for their power level.

Unfurling

by RiverFang

RiverFang opens their article with some beautiful prose, describing the moments when a fairy's wings first unfurl marking the beginning of a lifetime in the sky. This article is polished and as detailed and delicate as the subject matter.

Unfurling

Tradition / Ritual | Jan 22, 2023

The grand Unfurling had occured for another young Fairy, marking them as an adult in their culture. The Fairies of the Little Greenwood and the Deep Fairies of Káto covet these moments when they are given their wings.

First Use of Magic Celebration

by shyredfox

One of the sweetest members of World Anvil delivers a sweet article about magical foxes. Shyredfox delivers a Japanese-style ritual featuring kitsune that first use magic and receive their names along with gifts and treats.

First Use of Magic Celebration

Tradition / Ritual | Jul 6, 2024

Proof the kit has survived childhood and gains a name

The Beckoning

by thechangeling

This charming article takes place in a realm full of indeterminate weirdness, and surreal dream logic. I enjoyed the lack of objective truths!

The Beckoning

Tradition / Ritual | Jul 22, 2021

The First Walk

by Qurilion

Cynical street mages take their first walk between worlds in the gritty world of Shedim. In typical Qurilion fashion, the celebrants of this ritual poke at the foundations of reality with the stick of their curiosity. This article is creepy, dangerous, and darkly funny.

The First Walk

Tradition / Ritual | Dec 10, 2021

An Apprentice Walker's first jaunt into the great unknown, the First Walk is both initiation and lesson.

The Admiration Day

by Naelin

There are birthdays and then there is Admiration Day. This is an uber celebration of everything about the celebrant. This once-in-a-lifetime event honors someone who has reached the peak of their profession and celebrates everything about them. Naelin engages all of your senses in this beautiful article.

The Admiration Day

Tradition / Ritual | Nov 24, 2022

The ceremony that celebrates a Stunveldti's mastery of their profession

Initiation Rituals in the Polytechnique Military School

by AmélieIS

The wonderful Amélie does not write short articles and this is no exception. We get an extensive article about the school, its history, and the hazing ritual that the article is actually about. Love the commentary by the sassy Sargeant. He sounds familiar for some reason.

Initiation rituals in the Polytechnique military school

Tradition / Ritual | Jun 11, 2022

Polytechnique is the best military school in the country, forming all the engineers of the French army. The initiation rituals welcoming the new students aim to teach them the respect of its glorious traditions.

The Pinning Ceremony

by LauraVAB

This ritual is anchored deeply in the lore of a corrupted ancient empire and its conspicuous consumption. This article is short and simple but dense with worldbuilding. I aspire to write as well as Laura does.

The Pinning Ceremony

Tradition / Ritual | Jul 21, 2021

Zabak'Taârr

by SableAradia

In this ritual, starfaring orcs haze their young recruits. The prose interspersed with the information in the article completely transports you into their culture. This should be no surprise to anyone who already know's Sable's work. She's one of the best writers and most helpful streamers in our community.

Zabak'Taârr

Tradition / Ritual | Mar 5, 2022

A Zabak'taârr is a rite of passage that every Orc male is expected to undertake.

Explore the Zone and Beyond

Life, Death, and In Between

Red Feather Regalia

Item | Sep 5, 2023

The garb of the Red Feather Battlemaster, the mightiest war mage in the world.

Alera, the Blood Siren

Character | Mar 9, 2024

The mysterious Blood Siren leads a clan of vampires and aswang secretly embedded in the world's most powerful organizations. She hides behind the guise of the famous performer Aleonera Molndal.

Ghost Boy of Kirinal

Character | Sep 10, 2024

The Ghost Boy of Kirinal seeks out interesting people and joins them on their adventures, whether they want him to or not! His adventures are documented in a popular series of books.

Crossroads & Cloisters

Primer: Kirinal Concordance Zone

Generic article | Mar 17, 2024

The Instructor of Recruits and Sgt. Kill Flayer teach you the basics of the Kirinal Concordance Zone.

Primer: Dragon Empire Revelations

Generic article | Feb 5, 2023

The dragons and dragonborn live in seclusion from the rest of the world. The Dragon Empire hides its secrets behind floating monoliths that blast elemental destruction on invaders.

Shards of Thaya

Geographic Location | Oct 29, 2023

Floating islands on the Shattered Moon harbor the only life on that broken sphere.

The Mighty & The Magical

Sovranty of Lozar

Organization | Nov 3, 2023

The ancient land of Lozar is a patchwork of different smaller nations and the home of the Kirinal Pit. Now that the time of gods and kings is done, it has become the Sovranty of Lozar.

Silver Slice

Geographic Location | Dec 15, 2024

The Northern Canton of the Zone is more commonly known as the Silver Slice. It's governed by followers of Chagroth Durinhelm and/or organizations founded by him.

Order of Tridensers

Organization | Nov 20, 2023

The foremost order of holy warriors in the world. Serving the god Anam, they have defined the tenets of law and the virtues of good for 1,700 years.

Life in the Sunlight

Legions of Light

Military Formation | Sep 8, 2024

The coffers of House Molndal employ an army of professional soldiers. This mostly human army displays their tiefling members to promote their diversity.

Lola's Comfy Kitchen

Building / Landmark | Sep 10, 2024

Lola's Comfy Kitchen serves home cooked meals and tropical drinks on the bank of the river. It's a thatched roof hut and sometimes Lola's friend, a giant gator, swims the tavern on it's back to a new location.

Rampol

Character | Oct 31, 2023

God of the Sun, Light, and Healing, his aspects include the Flame, the Source, and the Lover.

Customized figures and portraits made with HeroForge.

This site is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.

Background image: Chagroth's Tower by Gillian Galang

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World of Wizard's Peak

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kitoypoy

Publication Date

11 Aug, 2021

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10 Aug, 2021

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11 Aug, 2021

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Eternal Sage Stormbril

Aug 11, 2021 03:07 by Stormbril

I'm absolutely honored to have my short article listed among all these fantastic pieces of writing and worldbuilding :D And once again, I commend you on the effort that you've put into this! Sorting all these out, putting in write-ups for every chosen finalist and runner up, it's so much work and it's so inspiring to see :) <3

Cathedris, the world of God-husks and New Magic, welcomes you.

You have been invited to apply to the Veiled Academy...

Master MGatta

Aug 11, 2021 06:07

I was gonna call it a month after reading my own prompts, but now you have piqued my interest with all of these articles... I'm really glad you enjoyed the childhood funeral <3

Eternal Sage Kefkejaco

Aug 11, 2021 07:18

Will have to go through this list and read these as well ^^ They already sound interesting picks!

Feel free to check my new world Terra Occidentalis if you want to see what I am up to!

Grandmaster thechangeling

Aug 11, 2021 08:22 by TC

Damn, you really went for it! I'm honoured to be featured next to all of these amazing works, which I'm now gonna have to go read because of your wonderful descriptions <3 Lovely work!

Creator of Arda Almayed

Councilor of the Inner Sanctum Serukis

Aug 11, 2021 10:02 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

What a great selection of articles. I'm really interested to see which one you chose - I don't think I'd be able to!

Emy x
Explore Etrea | WorldEmber

Sloqush

Aug 11, 2021 16:34 by Sloqush

As others have said before it is an honor to be among the finalists of your prompt and I don't envy you for having to pick one of them :D Also, those write-ups you did for each article are awesome and I am happy you enjoyed my chosen article theme song ^_^

TimeBender

Aug 11, 2021 18:26 by Time Bender

I may not have made the cut, but I just wanted to say, that your dedication to reading all of the articles is astounding, and I'm so happy for whoever wins this in the end! :)