Locus Amoenus, words that stood out to me as Professor Shemek explained the meaning behind it, a pastoral setting that is pleasant and peaceful. 

The Brigata, a group of 10 young adults who fled from their hometown due to the plague in Florence, escaped the city to live a comfortable life elsewhere. Somewhere where they can truly enjoy their lives without worrying about sickness and painful memories, the misery that the plague caused in their city. 

The Brigata decide to stay in different villas and are usually found in the gardens, where they can pass the time and do their storytelling. These gardens are known as locus amoenus, a "safe, comforting, beautiful place in nature that features trees, water, grass, flowers, birds, other animals"(Prof. Shemek). 

In some way, the group's political structure and daily storytelling showed me, as a reader, that the brigata are coping while freely and playfully exercising their imagination by creating different stories with different themes. 

I was able to tell that they wanted to create a different world, experiencing an "anti-world". A world where they can forget about the chaos of the world by banning any news of the plague. They are trying to live their lives where they can focus on their happiness and well-being. 

These gardens are a place to heal for the brigata.

Pastural spaces and sceneries are difficult to find in cities like my hometown, Oakland. In a city that's in the top 3 most dangerous cities known in California, going out and enjoying pastoral sceneries, such as a park, could be difficult to do. This is why when I first arrived at UCI, I immediately saw the difference in the settings compared to Oakland. I was able to tell how much nature is cared for. I found comfort and peace, finally being able to feel safe.

A place such as Aldrich Park became my go-to place that I enjoyed visiting!! Just being able to simply listen to music, sit and watch people interact with one another, as well as interact with others myself, I was able to find a sense of peacefulness that allowed me to world-build. 

Aldrich Park is similar to the locus amoenus that is mentioned in The Decameron since it is an area surrounded by nature that has become a pleasant and peaceful setting for me, it is a space I use to de-stress. A space I can use to distract myself from work or stressful situations and heal.

Overall, UCI has many areas in which it has many trees, plants, and animals that I find amusing since it is not something everyone has the privilege of having (living in a clean, and peaceful area and not worrying about dangers). These places often leave me thinking and reflecting on many things, one being the opportunity that I have been given of being able to experience and live in a calm and beautiful environment. A place where I can focus on myself and worldbuild.

Art has always been a hobby and interest I have had, although it is something I did not always have the opportunity to focus on or do back home. I find this club helpful whenever I need to disconnect from whatever is going on in my life to focus on my hobby of art as well as meeting new people who have similar interests as me. It's a way I can retreat so that I can feel noticed and improve/create my art freely by using my imagination.

Whenever worldbuilding is brought up in a conversation/topic, I always connect it to art and animation. Imagination is needed for animations and art to exist in the same way worlds need imagination to be built. Animation can help people build worlds with art based on their imaginative fanbases

Worldbuilding has become something that can be created in any space. Spaces such as the Animation Club at UCI, since this space has helped prove that there is no limit to creating artworks and fictional stories with the help of imagination.