I've been playing D&D for four years, and DM'ing for one. I took over for my friend as DM for our next campaign. It seemed daunting, but two things really excited me. I wanted to have "all the secrets," because I was always the theory crafter of my campaign. "Playing Tolkien," and worldbuilding excited me to no end as well.  I had always loved D&D, but I didn't know much about the design and process of a dungeon master, and that didn't bother me. It took all of fourteen days for me to become obsessed. I was drawing maps, writing characters, and building kingdoms. I started DM'ing in 2020, a year that carries a lot of weight to you I'm sure. Writing - like many of you I imagine - was a welcome escape from the pandemic to me. I felt helpless in the real world, and escaped into one of my own design. One where anyone can be a hero, and the good guys win. As a college student (and a pre-med one at that!), I can't spend all day writing like I used to. That being said, I still try to spend an hour or two a day writing. That time is important to me. I'm constantly surrounded by numbers, terms, and symbols. But when I turn off "Lo-Fi Beats to Study to" and turn on one of my many "Fantasy Playlists," I find an escape. My life is not hard. I don't struggle to eat or to find a place to sleep. In fact, I'm blessed to be in a stable situation. But whenever I've had a bad day, I can always go back to Nur, my fantasy world. Not to get too sappy, I truly enjoy it!   Worldbuilding is not just an escape, it's meditative. It's relaxing. It's a creative outlet from my science-focused studies. I realized long ago that I do this mostly for myself. My players don't care so much about the history of "the Ghost Sword of Akarrin'zel." They care if it's +2 or +3 (It's definitely +3). And I don't blame them! It doesn't bother me whatsoever! But the fact that my little nerdy hobby can bring them some joy and happiness makes it all that more worth it.