January 2025 Reading Challenge

This is going to be my article for the reading challenge. Getting started a little later than I intended, but such is life. Normally I put some care into selecting which articles I read, but honestly I wasn't really into World Ember this year so it'll be hard to find things that relate to the parts that I enjoyed or where I wanted a bit more practice at something. So I'll find titles that I enjoy from the top articles and go from there.

In no particular order of preference (I listed these in the order that I read them):

First: Clebveth Pantheon, by elspeth87. Loads of great details in this one. Each of the five gods has a little segment. I also love the story of it. The Clebveth basically had to trick their way into keeping their religion at one point, and it worked. It's also anxiety based, in that their worship is meant to distract from their anxiety issues. It's a really cool concept, and a good reminder to have at least some reason behind why organizations do what they do.

Second: Corvyn Seinrill, by solomonjack. This one was pretty intense. So much story packed in. Very long. Possibly a little too long, but dang, so much detail. I loved that the character was a bit ambiguous as well. Could turn out to be a villain or an enigmatic ally.

Third: Honey Nut Bacon , by Moonlight Bard. There's an actual recipe for honey nut bacon in there, so it gets all the points. Not all articles can do this, but if possible it's such fun to include the real world application. Add a little bit of fun history, and this is a great article.

Fourth: Kentigern, by Hallucigenia. A settlement doesn't have to be just one little town, but a whole area. This one features a fort and a town noted for its music in a variety of ways. A fun contrast, and a nice little snippet of history.

Fifth: Dragonmoth Breeding, by Hallucigenia. Neat little article. Definitely shows off the value of using visuals, and of leaving links to answer further questions and lead the reader further into the world.

Sixth: Markata Matha, by Colonel 101. When in doubt, go ancient. A mother spider goddess makes for some cool imagery. I enjoyed the connections made with existing mythology.

Seventh: The Cask Conflict of 35-36, 2A, by Koragath. Not all military conflicts need to be deeply personal or fight against injustice or some grandiose reason. Sometimes it's for simple economics. Or perhaps not so simple, considering how this war progressed. Some details were a little confusing, but it makes for an interesting read. In the end, it all comes down to barrels.

Eighth: Aurorite, by skairunner. First of all, crystals are pretty, and useful crystals are fantastic. I like that this is a variation on another material in the world. I also like the little history of it, including that it went out of favor for a while because people didn't realize its true value. Hidden gems are great.

Ninth: Tellus Ring, by Spyglass Realms. I'm a sucker for ancient societies who build artificial worlds that are then left behind as a clue as to what they were once like. Lots of history, and lots of present day exploration.

Tenth: Hotel Dawnstar, by Dimitris. Masterclass in how to organize an article in an informational and appealing way. Lots of great little details, and the important information is in bold so your eye catches on what you need.