New Years Resolution 2023

Its the new year '23, Im stuck in quarantine and I completed Worldember successfully! Time to keep this going! Let's get inspired!

10 Articles by others

The following list is not in any particular order, its just the order I found them in. No ranking in terms of quality or my preference.

• Hollowbury by MandoMC: What an article to start this with! I am blown away by the craftsmanship... There are so many aspects I love, that I dont even know where to start tbh. The use of the settlement template works perfectly here, it does not take away from the article like I fear it sometimes does in my articles. I adore the seamless integration of the map, which makes me wish I could do the same, and I love the use of groups and the header at the top. It seems I will have to learn css at some point (is this even css?). The layout is beautifully done and the use of the discussion boards for what I assume are players in a campaign set here is genius! I will have to steal that for when I can finally start running games in my world for real...
• Rocksnapper Turtle by Kefkejaco: I had read quite a few of Kefkejacos articles throughout Worldember, so I already knew this article was gorgeous in terms of design. But apart from that, the Rocksnapper Turtle is a very exciting monstrosity, which feels fitting for its environment and the world in general. So far I only have one monster of my own, and I definitely want to expand on that. Never can have enough of these in remote places to throw at protagonists, if things need a new exciting twist.
• Inquisition by Crazy Eddie: It seems that the trend of beautifully polished articles still continues. Maybe I just have a knack for choosing them. As for the content, the concept of a large organisation spanning continents and superceding borders is appealing to me. I will build some of my own in the future and this is a great way of starting I guess. The way the Inquisition is integrated into the history and the way it influences it is especially salient and something I would have likely not considered on my own from the beginning. The carousels are also a nice touch, but I'd way more images to use them.
• Samson by Tillerz: A character! I suppose I dont need to repeat my praise for the gorgeous desings a fourth time, so I will focus on the content instead. This article in particular stood out to me for its efficiency. It is not very long, but still manages to convey so much depth. I should strive to be as efficient in my own characters, as I fear I sometimes drone on a bit much, if I'm allowed to.
• Burial Rites in the Dark Halls by Revyera: I had already read this one during worldember, but I had to come back to it. I love the gloomy tone this world conveys and the burial rites enforce its themes and feel perfectly! So far my stories have been more light and classical in their fantasy tone and I definitely want to write something a bit more grave in the future. The concepts used in the burial rites are fascinating to me and resonate with me on a level I did not anticipate.
• Crystalline materials and their use in magic by AmélieS: Another one I was previously aware of. As a chemist myself, I struggled (and still do) to make magic work in my world. The need to make them work with my understanding of matter and energy is in tension with the ability to make the concepts of magic feel like magic and not just like another system of energy that can be exploited by sapient beings. Amélies approach in this is lovely and it makes me want to dive back into magic systems of my world, which I feel I have neglected in the past. Maybe Runes are a cool way of ensuring the magic remains as such while still making sense of the rules of magic?
• Sentinel by nnie:Nnie has been an inspiring icon for me during worldember and I love the concept of faceless solemn protectors of the world. The concept of keeping things from the outside away from the sometimes fragile world inside is actually something that already exists in my world. So far things lying beyond are just a nameless evil. But maybe I should instead think a bit about the bigger picture?
• The Red Fang, A Novel by Noons: Writing a novel is something that is already on my to do list anyways, as Act 1/3 is already almost done. The idea to use an article to summarize and link my book(s?) within the world they are set in is something I had not yet considered and I will definitely do so.
• Slow-Whale by Mochimanoban: Fantastical creatures are always a hoot. The slow-whales are a lovely addition of a gentle giant type of species and I definitely plan on adding such beasts to my world. I adore the silliness of the slow-whales as a concept and I feel like my world could definitely use more whimsical elements to lighten the darkness other stuff can bring.
• Dream Vanilla by Leashea: Harnessed plants are an unexplored field for my world so far. I am unsure if it is wise to expand here at this point, when there is no need for it and therefore no direction though. The article itself though is wonderful for its simplicity. There is often a tendency, I feel, to only talk about the most amazing, most complex and most extraordinary aspects of a world, which sometimes makes them feel like caricatures of themselves. For that merit alone, I feel like I should expand upon my "normal" aspects of the world more.

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My own New Years Resolutions:

are threefold.

1. I want to finish my novel (ideally before NaNoWriMo, so that I can focus on a new story by then.
2. I want to put my TTRPG ruleset into words.
3. I want to make it to a progress of at least 75k words before next WE (luckily I am already at 42k right now)

The first two are not as connected to worldbuilding itself, though certainly influenced by it. For the third though I need good areas to focus on and good ideas.
Based on the articles before, I think another list is in order:

• I want to flesh out my megafauna more. Over the years I have noticed my own bias towards the concept "What if beeeg?" and its time I lean into that more! I want to make at least three new types of giant animal this year!
• The unknown as a terror is something I feel can satisfy my itch for darkness in the world quite nicely. I feel like I should therefore think about what is out there (quite paradoxical no?). If I can write two or more articles about the things beyond Tai'Sans veil I would be very happy.
• I need to think about things that have great influence on my world more. Two of those is my magic system(s) and organisations powerful and longlived enough to actively change the path of the world. I want to write about three world-level organisations this year and finally work out some of the rules of magic
• Finally I dont want to neglect normalcy for the sake of extraordinary. I want to match each of the above articles with a little one that describes life on a smaller scale, that fleshes out the day to day or that breathes details in between the broad strokes.

Right! Time to get on it!

Checklist!

Megafauna:

Drachick Razortooth Giant Sahal

The things beyond

Places beyond Ksrizka

Magic and mega-organisations

The Crimson Fleet Organisation 2 Organisation 3
Basic rules of magic: Natural and Supernatural Forms of Energy (this one I might add to at a later point)
Schools of magic Magic restrictions

Cozy fantasy

The Bow-Breaking Snow in Aruël
Bloodstopper The Dorralian Sky-Rat Aruëlian Destrier
Ridgewood Pine Soup St. Elians Eve
The Barrow-Song Article 9 - In world rumor Article 10 - In world rumor
Article 11 - Normal dude

THIS MARKS THE END OF THE UPDATES TO THIS ARTICLE!
For newer Resolution stuff, check the Reading Challenge after Summer Camp