WorldEmber '22 in Review & 2023 Resolutions

And just like that, a new year begins.

"A new year? Again? I thought we did this already."

— Aster, exhausted by the relentless march of time

During WorldEmber 2022...

WorldEmber 2022 Badge by World Anvil

I reached my goal of 5k words! I named "Spiderworld", it is now called Lauthon City. I made some quick character articles for some of the most important people in the City (though I procrastinated Spidergirl herself a little bit too long...).

I also did some work right here in SanZera! I finished the article for the Bloodpeaks and created the Rivegonian Pass. I also created a brand new species of flower, the Red Blessing in response to one of the advant prompts. I'm really happy with the Blessings, I think they add a lot of interest into mountains.

I also spruced up the teeny article of Rivego. Maybe one day it will have more details in it, but for now it's just a forest.

I'm also proud to say that I definitely accomplished my secondary goal of having fun! I spent many mornings sitting down at my computer and just reading through the articles that people shared on the server. It was tons of fun, and very inspirational. I don't feel disappointed at all that I didn't reach 10k, because reading through all the beautiful writing that everyone else did was as much a reward as I could ever want.

2023 Reading Challenge

This has to be one of my favorite challenges of the year. I love the opportunity to read others' work and get inspired. I would love to write about some of the articles that I read during December, but in the spirit of the challenge I'll pick brand new ones that I haven't read before. Of course, that won't be hard--everyone is so creative!

#1: Pocket Zulo by MandoMC

A delightful little article about an "item" that can do all sorts of tasks for you... just make sure not to leave it alone! I liked how short and sweet this one was. It quickly explained the basics, while also leaving plenty of space for imagination and intrigue. I especially liked the list of disclaimers. The whole article gives me the suspicion that I'm not being told the whole truth... but I'm sure it's fine!

#2: Nyx by Graylion

A cat person that was kidnapped and trafficked, rescued by pirates, and now owns her own ship and follows her own rules as she travels amongst the stars. Can it get any cooler than that?

The layout of this article was quite plain, but it made up for it with an awesome character concept. It provided detail in all the right places, and lots of meaningful quotes! I found myself envious of how well it captured the character so effortlessly. It will have to be an article I remember when I try to make articles for my own characters; I often struggle to know what I should and should not include.

#3: Yggdrasil Online by minttea

A VR game that was built by a bunch of unrestrained AI and rushed developers, that was then seeded with NPCs capable of human-like intelligence. This was a fascinating read and really got my imagination roving. It was a very different approach to the technology template, which I found refreshing!

#4: Uvivuuryang by Khalan

A religious conflict that has been going on for decades and displacing hundreds of people. I don't read a lot of conflict articles, so this one was quite different for me. It provided an excellent window into multiple cultures of the world. It inspired me to work more on the religions in SanZera, and to better explore how the power structures within them could create problems. Religion can be a rather bloody topic, after all...

#5: Tattooing Ithakills by Catoblepon

A quick article summarizing how different kinds of people put markings on their bodies. It explains the different kinds of tattooing, including scarification and burning. It had a special section on how people with scales go about marking their bodies, as a regular ink tattoo does not always work. The article was short but to the point, and added some very interesting depth to the world!

#6: Ahelian by RiverFang

This was an amazingly detailed article on a military unit that seriously blew my mind. It's crazy to me that all of this is fiction that someone just made up. It feels like I'm reading about a real organization! The amount of information in here is just amazing. Each battalion has a clear purpose and their own crest. It really showed me that a military unit can be an interesting article packed with cultural details and lore about the world!

#7: University of Hulwar by CrazyEddie

A magical school! This article was thrilling, I loved the details it had about how it used to be a fallen Empire's school and now it has been rebuilt and repurposed, leaving behind remnants of what it used to be hidden behind the walls. Magical schools always have so much creative potential. I just love imagining the kinds of classes, teachers, and students that would be there. It inspired me to put more effort into the educational opportunities of the people of SanZera. Would SanZera have magical schools, too? I'm squealing just thinking about it.

#8: Magic in Niorath by Kefkejaco

An excellent summary of how magic works in the world. This article left no stone unturned and presented all of the information in an easily understood way. I really felt like I understood how magic worked in Niorath after I was done with it.

I have already known that SanZera's Aura needs a rework. This article provided for me some inspiration of the kinds of things I could include. Niorath's magic is very different from SanZera's, but there was still things for me to learn.

#9: Fae by MHBiscup

Little space bugs! I'm in love with these guys. This article was packed with fascinating information. I loved how they cannot see very well and instead primarily use their sense of smell and taste to percieve the world. They are so interesting because they experience everything from such a different perspective than I would. It really inspired me to consider how different creatures could use their senses in unique ways to navigate their environment.

#10: Ancient Gifts' Non-Correlation Theory by Escritora Novata

This one describes a document that was written by a scientist that is not considered a "real" scientist by his culture's standards. It was a very interesting read because it seeded so many other details about the world that made me want to read more! The article itself is not particularly meaty, but the things that it hints at were fascinating. Documents are really important for a lot of reasons, and I think it's a template that is too often ignored, especially by me.

Conclusion

I adore the yearly reading challenge! I'd love it if they were quarterly, so I could look back at the end of the year and see the kinds of things I was interested in. This year I specifically looked for articles that I hadn't heard of before. I picked articles from the worldember lists that did not have any comments in them, and I asked people for articles that they liked but didn't get love. I found so many hidden gems. I wish that I could have the time and capacity to look at all of the beautiful things people created this December. There really is no end to the creativity in this community.

2023 Resolutions

"I have always hated resolutions. Goals. Aspirations. Whatever synonym you want, they always fill me with dread. I can never accomplish things like that. My executive dysfunction simply will not allow it. So instead, I lean into the fixations I am granted. Whatever comes will come. Whatever does not, will have to wait."

— Aster, trying to manifest an ounce of self-love

I hate new years resolutions. I'm not going to make any because they always trigger my depression. Instead I will strive to try my best this year. I will strive to continue working on the things I am working on: being kind to others, having an open mind, active listening, meaningful empathy. I will pet my cat whenever I think about it. I will draw some pictures in the mean time.

I'm looking forward to the good things of 2023. We cannot even imagine them yet. Isn't that wonderful?

To anyone who hasn't heard it yet, you're worthy, capable, and loved. And you don't need to write down your resolutions if you don't want to. You don't need to make them at all. Not everything is so quantitative.

Thank you all for another great year as part of the best community on the internet. I love you, good luck, and happy new year!

MisC in a Box by Aster Blackwell