Lucky Shamrocks
Happiness is like a butterfly. If we chase it, we cannot catch it, but if we stop calmly, it will come down on us.Nathaniel Hawthorne
Review of my fiery promise 2024
Community favorite articles:
Inzisana - SunfestivalLayikanian Culture of Fire
Layikani - Firewalker
Achievements during Worldember:
10 placed articles in the categories
10 articles submitted
26 sticker gifts
33 own drawings
42 comments (as of January 4, 2025)
172 likes 11th place (as of January 4th, 2025)
13.496 (real) words
16.371 words including BBCode 110th place
It was my 3rd WorldEmber and as mentioned in my promise, the bar was a little higher to achieve last year's successes. I did it!
Thank you so much to the amazing WA community, none of this would have been possible without your wonderful support.
Not only did I write more words and Elaqitan was able to add some small drawings again, but some of my articles are also on the leaderboard for the first time at number 1 Tradition (Inzisana), number 2 Ethnicity (Layikan Culture) and number 3 Profession (Toasomu).
In addition, and I would have least thought this possible, Inzisana achieved in the wonderful Grand Celebration Challenge by Imagica and CoolG1319 first place. In addition to a gold pinata badge, I received this great prize from CoolG. The picture shows the course of the three sun goddesses from the myth about the eaten sun - I was very touched when Imagica presented me with the award and I really feel very honored as I have never received "fanart" before. Thank you 1,000 times!
1st price for the Win of
Grand Celebration Challenge by CoolG
Grand Celebration Challenge by CoolG
Review - Goals 2024
When I look back on my last year at WorldAnvil, I am very happy with what I achieved again last year. The fact that some Anvils see my world Elaqitan as inspiration also makes me a little proud, because I would never have expected this in my life.
Many thanks to the great community who supported me with their likes, warm comments and nice conversations in the chats on Discord to help me achieve most of my goals.
The 3 big resolutions
Write at least one or two more important articles from the World Ember List 2023 per month. - During the last 12 months I was able to add 13 new articles to Brictaelgis.
Develop a lexicon of sorts that includes small articles of 150 words or less for many of the one-word prompts, and write at least two short entries each month. - That's what I started with, but I definitely still need to get better at using variables, so unfortunately I only managed the overview article and some variables for the letter A.
Further develop at least one article in the five languages. - The language of Brictaelgis has been completely revised and translated into English.
The 5 little resolutions
Make quote frames and lines that represent each continent of Elaqitan. - I used frames and horizontal lines for later articles from May/June 2024, but many old articles still need to be adjusted.
Write an introductory article in Elaqitan to help readers find their way around. -
Check contradictions in articles. Continue working on writing prose.
When writing, think outside the box and use “oxymorons.”
The last three resolutions could become a “running gag” in my goals for the next few seasons, as I will probably never be able to finish them.
"Stories never have an end, Meggie," he once said to her. "Even if the books like to make us believe that, the stories go on and on, they don't end with the last page any more than they begin with the first." Cornelia Funke in Tintenherz-
Anvil Easter-Eggs
Before I present you my favorites from this year's Worldember, I would like to break down my scavenger hunt. I know you've probably already found all five Anvils in four of my ten articles from this year's WorldEmber. But if not, because I had to adapt their names a little to suit my fire language, here is a clue that might help you.
It's been a great pleasure incorporating these Anvils into my world and I look forward to adding more in future challenges. It's my way of saying thank you for great articles from the last two years that have stuck with me or for your support. But please, if you are one of those who recognized yourself but don't like what I did, write to me.
Mochimanoban
Qurilion
Crazy Eddie
CoolG
TJ Trewin
Qurilion
Crazy Eddie
CoolG
TJ Trewin
Inspiring WorldEmber favorite worlds
I think I've found the soulmate twin sister I never had and I'm very happy that she also finds my world inspiring.
Every article that Imagica has written during Worldember is great and convincing with depth, lots of detail, great pictures and is similar to some of my own ideas, which will make it incredibly difficult for me once I'm ready to publish my ideas are not considered plagiarism.
With each of her releases my jaw opened a little wider because I was able to discover so much inspiration for myself. I love this world and it was really hard to choose an item.
Magical spiritual: Seraph - Aerith: Daughter of the erath and thy sky - The suntouched
Don't be afraid to be inspired by the earthly world and its diverse wealth of ideas of all kinds!
Even though Hatwolf only wrote six articles for WorldEmber, you definitely need to read them all because they are all fantastic, detailed, fascinating and very inspiring. He is also a great artist who "garnishes" his articles with just a few of his wonderful images and makes the content shine. His articles really need more public attention and Anvil love. So be sure to stop by! It's worth it!
Avoid adding too much bells and whistles to your articles and let the content speak for itself!
Community favorite WorldEmber article
It's always a pleasure to read Dhelian's articles forLethea, whose layout is always clearly structured despite the amount of detail, and this woman really blew me away. It's a wonderful life story, set in great detail in the context of her world, so that you really feel like you really want to get to know her.
Think about why people should definitely get to know your characters and create their (unique) life stories!
Kwyn Marie wrote an in-depth article for Wellspring Dragons about how people greet and introduce each other into one of their worlds. Thinking about it means delving deeply into your culture and the author has wonderfully shared many inspiring details about the development of the ritual and its execution in her article. Some examples with explanations and rules about what you should and shouldn't do as well as the use of the local language give a deep, authentic insight and bring the culture to life so beautifully.
Use local language in your articles and consider how everyday rituals influence life and society in your world!
It's truly amazing how Callyxtus for his world of Yeia has redefined the myth of unpopular harpies and filled them with lots of great information, making them a unique and lovable species. Aside from the wonderful drawings, I was very fascinated by their evolution and habits. A fantastic article not to be missed!
Reinterpret myths of the earthly world and make them something unique in your world!
I think writing about conflict is probably one of the hardest templates because you have to make so many considerations. I found a lot of inspiration in Koragath's article for Gokrenxia. I know how much work and thought my Tomie friend put into the article and it's great how he described the origin of the conflict and then visually represented the progression with some maps so that the reader can understand everything very well. In addition, the topic of the conflict was very unusual, which makes the article something special.
When you write about conflicts, don't just concentrate on how they happen, but also get to the bottom of what's behind them!
This article by Jontaro for his world Oniran indescribably philosophical and poetic, even though a rather sad topic is addressed. Together with the music and some poems, the author creates an eerie but at the same time frightening atmosphere before death. It's really an amazing article.
Use poetry and music to create an atmosphere that supports the content of your article!
If you're looking for some travel tips for some hot adventures in CoolG's world of Auxul then you should definitely stop by here. It's great how the author, in addition to lots of information about the planet with fun facts and travel tips, includes additional details that just make it fun to read. You can also expect a great travel poster of her wonderful pixel art.
Add fun facts and travel tips to your articles that speak directly to the reader and make your world even more interesting!
Have you ever thought about what would happen if humans hibernated? No matter whether yes or no - in this soulful and very detailed article by Hanhula for Istralar you will find lots of answers about the origin, how it is carried out and some of the dangers that could be lurking there. As dark as the cold night falls during winter, the author creates a unique and fascinating atmosphere with her great writing style and reflections that no reader can escape.
Consider how environmental factors and survival strategies influence your humanoids' cultures, traditions and rituals?
In many worlds, the dead are sent to the afterlife through cremation. Even in mine! But, Elspeth87 has added some new refreshing details here for The Wilds that will make it special in your world. She also wrote a wonderful poem that allows us as readers to experience the ritual much better and feel the pain of those left behind. This article is a gem that I would highly recommend to you!
Don't just write simple WIKI articles but add quotes, poems or short stories that lure the reader into your world!
If you remember Puck, then you'll love the white squirrel Beenlost in The Veil of tears created by Stillnessandsilences. It "gives away" golden acorns and seems to cause a lot of chaos in its world, because you never know whether the acorns bring good luck or bad luck. And that's exactly what makes it so exciting and makes you want to find out more about the events that the recipients experienced.
Remember that sometimes good and bad luck go hand in hand and can cause a lot of chaos in your world!
Even though this article isn't finished yet, it has a lot of potential in Joella Kay's world of Mirielle. Today it is just a myth. But this myth is astonishing and frightening at the same time if you really read between the lines.
Don't be afraid to completely reinterpret modern technologies for your fantasy setting!
I'm a fan of Mochi's little colorful drawings that make the Yonderverse so colorful and original. Dive into the wonderful tropical coral reefs of Norab and marvel at the enchanting fish, one of which immediately reminded me of marble cake and was lovingly named Cupcakesunsetta by the author.
Bring color and diversity of all life forms into your world!
In the School of Laughter in the wonderful Millionen Island world by Demongrey, there are different principles for how to laugh. It's really great how the author uses the beautifully written fables to explain these principles, which was certainly not easy. And that's exactly what makes this article so great.
Write fables and fairy tales for your world that reflect the philosophy of life of your world's inhabitants!
From the first few lines of this article by Solomonjack for Unknown Shores I was hooked. The author has a wonderful writing style that describes the content in a great and profound way. Through his words you can see how intensively the religion of the three saints is connected to the culture of the Tieflings and at the same time it shows that the Tieflings are more than just a simple people with horns. Additionally, there is a fourth mysterious force whose name is only whispered and never depicted, adding even more mystique to this religion.
Remember that religions live not only from their gods and their worship but also from their miracles, legends and the mysticism that surround them!
Finally a spider that you don't have to be disgusted by, because here it is a wonderful cosmic entity that is considered the origin of life and gave birth to the egg of miracles. Loup Des Bois has, for the world Bellyem, magnificently reinterpreted the myth of the Arachnae and metaphorically interwoven the cosmos with its stars through the threads of the spider. This world is brand new and seems to be full of mystical secrets that you should definitely discover.
Avoid clichés and tropes in your world!
Germany is also called the land of poets and thinkers. And here Nightone wrote for Irda a terrific ballad for, that really made me laugh and could become a real fantasy party hit. You also have to listen to the version with music - it's a catchy tune!
Bringing poems and songs to life using AI could be worth it for your world!
My resolutions for 2025
- The first big challenge will be my very first participation in this year's WorldAnvil Worldbuilding Awards 2025, as I have never had the courage to submit anything for it before. But in 2024 I wrote some important articles for my world that I would like to share again to make my world a little better known.Resolution: Attend WAWAs 2025!
- I've been reluctant to convert my worlds to BS5 for a long time because I've changed so many world CSS over the last two years that I'm afraid that in the end nothing will be the way it should be. But now it's time to face this challenge in 2025, at least for Elaqitan. Additionally, the amazing Davina gave me a few tips on using CSS variables for my individual continent color themes, which I would like to integrate into my world CSS so that I can concentrate on writing even faster in the future. I'm not sure yet whether I'll make any additional creative changes to the design concept, as I'm actually quite happy with it. However, I also admit that I have seen so many great worlds in the last two years and I often doubt that my concept can keep up with those of others.Resolution: Switch Elaqitan to BS5 and use variables for the different color themes of the continents.
- Last year I designed the category page for my meta category for Elaqitan for the first time and thought about using this for some of the most important categories as well. Maybe I can create better access to the categories during my BS5 and CSS transition.Resolution: Use the category pages for important overviews and summaries!
Kiyomo's Twelfe
During WorldEmber, Kiyomo, asked me if I would like to be a guest judge on his 12 in 12 Challenge this year. In the last two years I have only done unofficial challenges on my own and it will be a new experience that I am really looking forward to. I invite you to join us for a new year of inspiration from 12 amazing guest judges.
If you would like to find out more about it:
I wish you all a successful and wonderful 2025!
May all your wishes come true, may you achieve your goals and, above all, stay healthy.
Happy New Year!
Omg Blue you didn't have to.. ;-; I'm so happy you loved your prize and my lil planet article <3 I wish you the very best of luck and success in 2025 :D
Yes, I didn't have to do it, but I definitely wanted to do it - it's a great price and your article deserves to be mentioned here. Thank you very much.
You're very welcome <3