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#TheOwlworks

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The Owlworks makes its Youtube (re)debut!

It only took an age and a half, but the winds of creation finally found themselves beneath my wings! Behold, my first vlog!
— - One tired but accomplished owl

I took a years-long Youtube hiatus, and now we're BACK — starting with a new writer vlog series where I take you through month-by-month adventures in the Owlworks! This episode 0.5 kicks off the series with a 2025/winter recap and covers the end of March... with most of April being through at this point (oh my god??), you likely already know where the next episode will pick up!

Be sure to subscribe so you catch future episodes of the Owlworks Vlog! Look forward to these uploads coming every early- to mid-month!

I really hope you enjoy following along my journey as an all-over-the-place creator, and every bit of support is mega appreciated! Likes, comments, and shares help tell the Youtube algorithm that I'm not just some weirdo on the internet, but a weirdo on the internet that's worth watching :)

#TheOwlworks #WAWA #WorldbuildingAwards

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WAWA Update from the Owlworks: HOLY / BLUE ANVIL /!

Many of you got to witness my live reactions to this information, but... six nominations??? I've done nothing but lay spiritually on the floor (maybe physically as well, for a little while) and process this!

Worldbuilding Awards 2025
Generic article | Apr 19, 2025

Taking a closer look at my entries to Worldbuilding Awards 2025, submitted for your consideration!

Thank you SO much for the community love and support — for my third Worldbuilding Awards run, you've tripled my total nomination count in one act of love and fevered voting. I hope I can count on you again to pull an award or two from these nominations, but I am just so thrilled to have reached this point. Much love!

For my fellow nominees:

First off, you're incredible! Voting in the first round was hard enough, but making those final decisions was truly killer.

If you'd like some fancy graphics to promote your work this month, the nominee gallery made its return once again! Sorry for the day's delay, but I hope you enjoy them!

Worldbuilding Awards 2025 Nominee Gallery
Generic article | Mar 10, 2025

#WAWA #TheOwlworks #AyunSovos #Malkora #WAWA2025 #WorldbuildingAwards

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Owlworks Update: Malkora & Ayun Sovos take on WAWA!

Is that a voting widget I see? That can only mean one thing... WAWA is in full swing! I'm equal parts thrilled and terrified, but I pushed through the anxiety and uncertainty to bring you my proudest works of the past year or so, for your consideration this Awards season!
Worldbuilding Awards 2025
Generic article | Apr 19, 2025

Taking a closer look at my entries to Worldbuilding Awards 2025, submitted for your consideration!

Whether my submissions win your vote or not, I appreciate you popping by and giving them a read, and learning more about my worlds, why I picked my submissions, and what I'm looking forward to most in my worldbuilding these days! Plus, some mushy feelings about the community support you've shown me in the past. I'm just a creature with so many feelings.
  Wishing the best to my fellow WAWA-goers this year! It's always such a privilege to share a stage with so many of you amazing brains as we put our work out there, shine together, compete, collaborate, and spread the love where we can.
  Now... it's time to do a LOT of reading.
#TheOwlworks #Malkora #AyunSovos #WAWA #WorldbuildingAwards #CozyFantasy #DarkFantasy #WAWA2025 #WorldbuildingAwards2025 #WAWASubmissions
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WorldEmber Update: Week Three Hype!

Much progress was made during today's Sunday Sprints stream — and the other streams of the weekend! Thank you, friends, for coming along for the ride!

Word Count Update: 10.8k > 13.2k

Favorite of the Week

Brasara Caverns
Geographic Location | Dec 16, 2024

A geographical landmark located in Catrao, known best for its deep red stone formations.

by Strixxline

Content Highlights:

A lot of focus went into developing the khirophs of Ayun Sovos, which led to lots of new additions and articles!
  • Catrao - The tropical home of our newest friend, Arelio!
    • - Brasara Caverns - A cave network in Catrao, housing some treat-loving khiroph populations. I think this is my favorite of the day!   I also worked on a few articles connected to our dear Ebi!
  • Nahuara - Ebi's homeland! They've got a unique craft they share with the world, and it's a neat little detail :)
  • Iverra - Ebi's destination! At least, the first on her Path to Adventure! I'm very pleased with the additions to this article today.
    • Oh! And both Gidren and Brynna have new art in their articles!   I'm happy to have had so many of you with me while adding more words to my worlds! More to come, next weekend! You can always pop by my whole WorldEmber catalog here to see what else I'm up to!
    #TheOwlworks #Malkora #AyunSovos #WorldEmber #WorldEmber2024
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    WorldEmber Update from the Owlworks: The 10k Line is Breached!

    by Strixxline
    Immensely proud am I to announce that tonight marks 10k+ new words of worldbuilding across Malkora and Ayun Sovos! What a tremendous cause for celebration! I can hear the cheers and confetti cannons already, but they really ought to quiet down because it is bed time at this moment... We'll celebrate tomorrow!   I'm sending infinite love to those of you in the community who sat with me during my hours-long Sunday Sprints stream today to watch me cross that 10k line — your encouragement and enthusiasm made the milestone all the more special to me! 10k in ten days (less, actually, but I hear that's an unofficial challenge floating around ;) )... the Strixxline who started participating in WorldEmber for the first time in 2018 would be positively floored by this progress!  

    So, what's new?

    I'm so glad you asked! As you may know, I've started diving into the realm of storytelling, at long last, and these stories have been the driving force behind my worldbuilding this month.   Might I interest you in...  

    The Many Characters Across my Stories?

    I invite you to check out the main protagonists of Malkora's storyline, Fleeting Harvest, Gidren and Brynna! Might you also be interested in the latest chapter of their story?
    3 | White Walls
    Prose | Dec 1, 2024

    Chapter three of the Fleeting Harvest, where our protagonist makes his first breakthrough.

    I also offer you the plucky main character of Ayun Sovos's storyline, The Path to Adventure, Ebi! Ah, but how about some of the other lovely characters who make up the Path to Adventure cast (so far)?
  • Arelio, the Leafweaver
  • Farmer Emrys
  • Nana Liliwen
  • Gram-Nana
    • Or some important characters we know from Ebi's daydreams, that we might meet one day?
  • Keari
  • Ymeta
    •  

    How about some neat places and things in Ayun Sovos?

    Come get to know Brightfield, with locations like Lilipond Acres and Iverra — and this is a pretty neat plant you might find on your way there as you pass through the fields: Brisk Nettle.  

    I appreciate every read and piece of feedback!

    More information is being gathered for all of these articles by the day... but what might you be itching to know? I'm open to feedback on what might be "missing" all throughout the month, so don't be afraid to leave comments inquiring about different things! If I know there are certain articles that people are most interested in seeing developed, I'll be more likely to spend extra time fleshing them out! ^^   See my whole WorldEmber catalog here!   Cheers, to the remainder of the month. The words are flying, and I'm delighted by so much of the community's work already!
    Much love, your forever-feral Strixxline
    #WorldEmber #WorldEmber2024 #TheOwlworks
    14
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    Post-Summer Camp in the Owlworks!

    by Strixxline
    The dust has settled, and the jaws and claws of the feral sovereign have served their purpose... DIAMOND has been achieved! Cheer has been spread! and thus, the reading takes over...  

    Hard-Fought Diamond

    I can't overstate how proud I am of myself for keeping up with my diamond goal this year! It was a tough month, full of setbacks, illnesses, and hectic schedules. Low energy all around, and a shortage of time... it's a wonder I was able to do as much as I did! I have the community to thank for that, I think. Whether it's the regulars who join me in my writing streams, or the lovely beans who live in the SummerCamp channel on the Discord server, all of the encouraging voices sure kept me feeling like I could make it through, no matter what tried to hold me back!   In the end, I achieved less than I originally set out to do, but I didn't spare a lick of stress over that fact. I earned the badge I yearned for, and it came to me in a place of joy and fun! What more could I ask for? It's just a shame that most of my article editing will have to wait until after the awards ceremony.  

    New World Love

    This was my first year running through a major event with more than one world at my disposal! My ability to jump between realms to find the perfect fit for each prompt added a whole new element of fun that I never got to experience before! I can't wait to turn many of the new articles that spawned during Summer Camp into fleshed out concepts and ideas to bring some proper life to Ayun Sovos!   New art is coming soon for my bright new world! Plus, a new installment of the Path to Adventure prose series that I kicked off the world with! Come tune in this Saturday on Twitch to see the art being wrapped up! :D  
      My progress bars for the event have been updated! This was such a cute visual for my event completion :) I invite you to give my articles a visit!   Much love from your Feral Sovereign, Strixxline
    SummerCamp 2024 | Two-Realm Journey!
    Generic article | Nov 8, 2024

    Tracking my progress through SummerCamp 2024!

    #SummerCamp #TheOwlworks #SummmerCamp2024 #SharetheLove #CampFeral #DewyDiamonds
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    SummerCamp Update from the Owlworks!

    by Strixxline
    What a journey these past few weeks have been! We're halfway through Summer Camp and I sit boldly at a hard-fought copper — 10 whole articles! Were this any other year, I'd be badgering myself to pick up the pace and race race race for diamond; that's not to say I strive for anything less, still, but I'm taking a moment to be proud of the progress I've made, in spite of my present circumstances.  

    What's been going on?

    Since the start of Summer Camp, and all the way to even now, I've been fighting with some back-to-back illnesses and infections which haven't decided to show any sign of letting up (until now! fingers crossed). Nothing overly serious, mind you, so have no fear — but definitely enough to stall my progress, and shove aside any desire to sit down and get work done. As much as I wanted to bring my absolute feral best to the table, my feral presence was definitely being beaten back pretty hard by how sick I've been lately.   I'm so grateful that I was able to spend some time with the community over on Twitch smashing some prompts, and really letting that feral energy take over what's been, thus far, a tough Summer Camp for me to get rolling. We went from one prompt submitted to 10 in just one stream! I made the jump from feeling down about my progress, not knowing if I'd manage to reach my goal this year, to being proud of the words I've put together, and optimistic about my prospective journey to diamond.  

    What's next?

    Well, we're pushing for those badges, of course! All of the love and support from friends in the community has helped me maintain the chill mindset, and I'm happy to be pushing forward despite the obstacles set before me with excitement in my heart, rather than stress. We had an amazing Feral Friday this week, reading some stellar submissions from SC wave 1 — and I'll be hunting for more submissions from wave 2 to feature this Friday, so reach out if you've got a favorite you want to be featured on stream this week!   No plague is going to stop me from being feral! It won't stop me from achieving diamond! And it won't stop me from sharing my Summer Camp love and hype with the community! Let's make some awesome stuff over the next few weeks (and maybe keep it going after that?) :)   Much love from your Feral Sovereign, Strixxline
    #SummerCamp #TheOwlworks #SummmerCamp2024 #SharetheLove #CampFeral #DewyDiamonds  
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    Let's talk about the #WorldIceberg trend!

    Greetings, friends! Lots of us have seen and participated in the recent #WorldIceberg trend, kicked off by Mochi, and my experience with it really stuck out to me! I'm currently in the process of scripting a Youtube video on the subject of this iceberg trend— my first video in years! Now, I'm seeking community perspectives to make it all come together!

    Submit your content to be featured!

    If you're interested in having your iceberg featured and/or to share some commentary of your own on the topic, please fill out this Google form before May 31st at 11:59pm EST! Thank you, and I can't wait to dive back into the world of Youtube again!
    #TheOwlworks #WorldIceberg #AnviliteVideoCouncil
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    The Malkora Iceberg!

    Shoutout to Mochi for starting this idea! This was actually such a good way to put my world themes in writing! How deep does your world's iceberg go? :D  

    Like my themes? Come follow Malkora!

    Malkora

    Seek a new dawn, in Malkora!

    With much of its history lost to the calamitous discovery of magic, Malkora is a world in which humanity was, and continues to be, pushed to rebuild and evolve alongside an ever-changing world.

    #Malkora #TheOwlworks #WorldIceberg
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    This Year's Craftiest Creature!

    My winner for Crafting Creatures 2024 has been chosen! Please join me in appreciating the heck out of this lovely article by about Leafweaver Bats! My commentary can be found in the image block below!   Thank you, all who submitted to this challenge! It was such a delight getting to see the crafty creatures of your worlds, and I hope I get to meet even more of them next year!  
    Crafting Creatures 2024 Winner Badge
    Crafting Creatures 2024 Winner Badge
    Crafting Creatures 2024 Winner Badge by Strixxline
    This badge was awarded to 's Leafweaver Bats!
    Leafweaver Bat
    Species | Mar 5, 2024
    This article captured the theme of the challenge perfectly, showing how a creature in Felix's world can be crafty (literally!) and shape the world around them through their ingenuity and creativity.   There were so many lovely facts tucked into this article related to how the people of the world see and interact with these creatures and their crafts as well, and the featured illustration was so cute!   The end of the article stated, "the sight of a colony of leafweaver bats is thought to bring good luck on any journey you are undertaking[...]" and that sparked a great deal of joy in my heart! Here's to all of the adventures we'll go on to have this year! And may we see many lucky bats along the way! :)
    #CraftingCreatures #UnofficialChallenge #CraftingCreatures2024 #TheOwlworks #ChallengeWinner
    19
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    I was nominated!

    My article, Leylines, has been nominated for the Wondrous Nature Award! I would be so honored if you would spare a vote for me in this final round!   I may have only caught one nomination, but I did create graphics for every category that all nominees are welcome to save and share! Best of luck, and immense congratulations to everyone whose name got called for the nominee pool!
    Worldbuilding Awards 2024 Nominee Gallery
    Generic article | Mar 9, 2025
    #WorldbuildingAwards #WAWA2024 #IWasNominated #TheOwlworks
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    Have your Creatures been Crafting? Final week of #CraftingCreatures!

    Crafting Creatures 2024 Badge by Strixxline

    Claim this fancy badge for yourself!

    Have you hopped on the #UnofficialChallenge hype this month? Crafting Creatures is drawing to a close soon, and I have a NEED to see your craftiest creatures!   And, because I've realized that closing my challenge on a Monday is a silly endeavor, I'm extending the deadline by almost a week! You have until Friday, April 5th to submit your entries, and I'll be doing article reads of the entries on stream that day!
    Crafting Creatures 2024
    Generic article | Mar 29, 2025
    #CraftingCreatures2024 #CraftingCreatures #UnofficialChallenge #UnofficialChallengeMonth #TheOwlworks
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    Craft some creatures with us!

    You've received a quest from a charming creaturefolk! Will you accept it?

    Welcome to #UnofficialChallenge month! I've got one for you that asks a simple question: who are nature's little artisans in your world?
    Crafting Creatures 2024
    Generic article | Mar 29, 2025
    I want to know about your world's craftiest creatures and the things they create! What do they make out in the wild? How has it inspired your setting's people? I hope you all love the theme and take off running with it!
     
    #UnofficialChallenge #CraftingCreatures #CraftingCreatures2024 #TheOwlworks #AyunSovos
    24
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    Revisiting the Nominees from the Worldbuilding Awards 2022!

    With the release of the new #WorldbuildingAwards2024 event page, it's a good time to look back on past #WAWA nominees and their submissions, as we scramble to put together our own for this year!
      Last year, for the #WorldbuildingAwards2022, I made a collection of graphics for each of the awards and their respective nominees, and now I present the gallery of them all! It's a little silly that I didn't do this sooner, but there it is!
    Worldbuilding Awards 2022 Nominee Gallery
    Generic article | Apr 14, 2024
    Also, a note: gosh, so many people on this list became sages in the past year! I had to workshop so many URLs to dodge 404s from outdated slugs!
      Wishing all of my fellow worldbuilders luck with choosing your submissions this year! Just choosing what to submit is already a battle I'm not fully prepared for!
     
    #TheOwlworks #WorldbuildingAwards #WAWA2024 #WAWA2022
    17
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    Worldbuilding and Gaming for Charity this Week!

    Greetings, friends! In light of a recent tragedy that has shaken up my LARP community, I'm pivoting my regular weekend streams into a four-day fundraiser benefiting two different charities focused on shark research and education, as sharks were deeply loved by our late friend. Charity donations made through my Twitch channel will go directly to Shark Angels, Inc. (Twitch does NOT take a cut) and I will be personally matching $100 of the total donations raised, benefiting Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS).
      This weekend will be a mix of worldbuilding, art, and gaming — and I'll be checking out a new game, Nightingale, in early access. How exciting is it to jump into a gaslamp fantasy survival game not too long after WA hosted a stream on the gaslamp genre? Isn't it also a bit of portal fantasy? Which was also featured on the blog? Hitting a lot of fun bases in one!
      First stream is tonight (Wednesday) at 6PM EST (GMT+5). Next three days should begin at 2PM EST. Any level of support for the fundraiser is so appreciated — whether you drop by the stream just to chat (or lurk!) or you donate to the cause, every little bit helps. If you can't catch the streams at all but still want to help, donations are accepted through my Twitch channel any time, live or not.
      Hug your friends more often! I'm beaming so much love to you all. And I say, with every ounce of passion I can muster, %#&$ cancer!
    #TheOwlworks #CharityStream #Fundraiser
    20
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    Craft a bright new world, in Ayun Sovos!

    This weekend, I released something super shiny to the community: a brand new world! I invite you all to follow along as I develop the world of Ayun Sovos, a realm of charming creaturefolk driven by a passion for craft and creation, supported by the brave adventurers who venture out into the treacherous reaches of the world to fetch them the materials they need for their next big project!
    Ayun Sovos

    Crafting your way through any adventure!

    A realm of charming creaturefolk driven by a passion for craft and creation, supported by the brave adventurers who venture out into the treacherous reaches of the world to fetch them the materials they need for their next big project!

    This world is a project of love and delight in worldbuilding, and you can expect bright, cheery stories, places, people, and things all around. As I pull Malkora down a darker and more complex path moving forward, Ayun Sovos will be the warm home I can always retreat to whenever things start feeling a little too real.
      I can't wait to show you all of the fun things I have planned for this world! Keep your eyes peeled for a new unofficial challenge coming your way for the month of March! :)
     
    #TheOwlworks #AyunSovos #OvO #Fantasy #HighFantasy #SwordandSorcery #Crafting #Adventure
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    New art for Malkora!

    I don't think I've ever been able to say this during WorldEmber before, but Malkora has new art! Some excellent little sketches cooked up during this week's streams — our final final push stream is tomorrow at 11AM EST!
    by Strixxline
    by Strixxline
    See them in action over in Malkora's brand new world primer, which I'm now declaring complete!! At least.. until after WE where I find things to change bahahaha!
    Savelan Geography Lesson
    Generic article | Sep 14, 2024

    An introduction to the world of Malkora, from a Savelan perspective.

    #WorldEmber2023 #TheOwlworks #Malkora #WorldEmber #Art #WorldPrimer #AnviliteStreams
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    Malkora's first critically successful WorldEmber!

    I can't believe I get to say it this year, but I've achieved my 10k goal — BEFORE the final day of the event! I'm so excited about the progress I've been making, and the content that I've already put together as part of this event!   Now, I'm not done yet — I have more plans, and plenty more ideas to put into writing — but I'd love to show off my proudest works thus far!
    Savelan Geography Lesson
    Generic article | Sep 14, 2024

    An introduction to the world of Malkora, from a Savelan perspective.

    Malkora's very first primer is now live! This is the article I wanted to create the most this year, and I did it! It's an immersive first step into the world, led by an in-world narrator and his collection of books and maps. It features some of these core articles I also wrote this month:
    • Powers of Malkora — Less organized, but with a ton of world lore, this article dives into the three sources of power in Malkora. Another overdue core article I'm glad I got to work on!
    • Leylines — An overview of Malkora's arcane domains, and the leylines that carry their magic throughout the world! I can't wait to get some art in here soon.
    Incarnates of the New Age
    Organization | Feb 7, 2025

    First of Malkora's pantheons, born of the broken fragments of ancient humanity.

    Also very excited to dive into Malkora's very first pantheon! Even more excited about the new lore developments I've made in how pantheons are structured, and how major deities fit into regional pantheons — more info to come on deities and their shards soon! I'm excited about the two gods I've already started writing for (and check out how cool the tenets sections are for each)!
    • Atreimus, Strength Incarnate — The god sweeping Arsavela and the Eastwind Pantheon — the embodiment of humanity's strength. The Purifier title is now but one shard of Atreimus, out of a potential sea of others around the world.
    • Vosra, the New Dawn — Principal goddess of Malkora, first to arrive, and origin of most of Malkora's other deities. She is the embodiment of hope, and ensured humanity had the will to fight on at its lowest point.
    Phew. I hope that's not too much for one update, but I really am just so excited for all I've accomplished already this month. Gigantic thanks to the members of the community who have been cheering for me, hanging out in my writing streams, and generally pushing me to make great things.   Sip, sip, hooray!
    #WorldEmber2023 #WorldEmber #Malkora #TheOwlworks #Fantasy
    17
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    Prepared, and Thankful!

    You can always count on the ADHD-brained worldbuilder to save things for the last day! Finally, I present my completed homework, and I'm sharing it with some things I'm deeply thankful for this year.
    WorldEmber 2023 | Ages of Magic
    Generic article | Nov 2, 2024

    My pledge, prep, and plans for WorldEmber 2023!

    Thank you, friends!

    I'm so thankful for...
    • the cheems, who inspire and encourage me every day with their excellence
    • my fellow Tomies, who continue to bring fantastical visions to life all the time
    • my community, who tunes in to hang out with me as I build my world on stream
    • my partner, who listens to my ideas, even when they don't make sense (yet)
    • myself, for taking steps to take care of myself at the tail end of a very difficult year
    • WorldAnvil, the team and community alike, for making this platform my virtual home and a safe space to explore my creativity
    Not long now, before the writing frenzy begins. I just wanted to tell all of you, "thank you for being a part of my journey so far. Let's keep adventuring together for a while." ❤
    #WorldEmber #WorldEmber2023 #WorldEmberPrep #HomeworkClub #Thankful #TheOwlworks #Malkora
    22
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    Need Images for Articles this SummerCamp?

    Here on WorldAnvil, we know how important it is to decorate our articles with art that we have permission to use, but I see lots of people aren't sure where to look for such things! Well, I made a promise on my stream that I would put together a list of FREE art and image resources that are available that could assist with this little problem.
    Medieval Port City by August von Siegen

    See the blog post on my website!

    Linky: Images for Worldbuilding... for Free!
    I know I'm not the only person who plans to rely less on AI for sourcing images, so I hope that these resources help at least some of you beautify your articles, without fear of copyright issues or ethical dilemmas! ❤   Happy (and Feral) SummerCamp season, friends!   #WorldAnvilTips #SummerCamp2023 #SummerCamp #TheOwlworks #ImageResources
    16
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