Batten down the hatches, it's time to prepare for WorldEmber!
December is always an odd month for me. I only have a little over 2 weeks to complete whatever projects I'm working on before I head up to New York for the holidays with my family. It makes completing WorldEmber a bit challenging, but I'm always down for a challenge!
This year I'll be trying to write 25,000 words across 3 of my worlds. I was considering setting my wordcount goal a little higher, but I don't want to stress myself and need to continue work on Quests & Quarrels.
Quests & Quarrels, my TTRPG system, is getting closer to completion! If you're a member of the playtesting group, you've seen the skill trees starting to form and the wild character creation has begun. Want to play a street fighting divine healer or a chaos magic user who chucks your enemies as your thrown weapon? Soon you can with Q2!
Reverium is currently on the backburner. I love my piezoelectric dwarves making music with crystal powered instruments, but I need to focus on other things at the moment in order to get Quests & Quarrels completed.
NO BURNOUT ALLOWED! Mini goals every 5k. If I don't hit my goals, it'll still be a kickass WorldEmber!
HW 1: Focus Points
Focus: Recently Revived
Goal: 5k
Focus: Dimi Challenge
Goal: 10k
Focus: World Basics
Goal: 10k
HW 2: Mini Metas
Beckettville
Genre: Corporate Cosmic Horror
Themes: Dystopia, corporate control, loss of identity, reality manipulation, spiritual corruption
Scope: Tight focus on Recently Revived.
Goal: Beef up the Recently Revived article, as well as adding supplementary articles on the Devotional Age and Revision Conditioning.
Inspiration:
Coming To Beckettville
Recently RevivedOne of the major citizen types.
Devotional AgeA citizen's most sacred time serving the city of Beckettville.
Revision ConditioningA process most citizens will go through. Can result in Recently Revived.
Culinarypunk
Genre: Fork and Saucery
Themes: Whimsy, community, celebration, exploration, discovery, artistry, creativity, humor
Scope: The continent of Culinaria.
Goal: A collection of fun items, collectibles, and lore to add into your Culinaria adventures, plus some locations your party can explore.
Inspiration:
Coming To Culinarypunk
The Salt RoutesImportant trade routes that move spices across Culinaria.
Gravy Boat of HoldingA small container that stores an endless amount of liquid.
The Souperior SuitA suit that can produce a variety of soups to heal the wearer.
The Doughnut DiscusA throwing weapon shaped like a giant donut that delivers force damage.
Pie Plate PauldronsShoulder armor known for their durability, passed down through families.
Eldrispace
Genre: Cosmic Horror Space Opera
Themes: Existential dread, forbidden knowledge, isolation, paranoia, survival, sacrifice
Scope: The Inner Rings and Settled Planets
Goal: Expand on the core concepts of Eldrispace and flesh out all the major overarching pieces of the setting.
Inspiration: Animated Gore Warning
Coming To Eldrispace
Skinporium StoriesComing Soon, the Skinporium and it's collection of short stories.
Eldrispace TimelineA clear timeline of major events from the creation event to the current setting.
CreditsInterconnecting metal rings that contain encrypted currency.
Astral CodexAn ancient, leather-bound tome filled with cryptic symbols and forbidden knowledge.
Quantum Weave VestmentsRobes woven from quantum threads, providing enhanced speed and agility.
HW 3: Homepage Touchup
One of the first things I do with a new world is create the homepage and make a reading flow for how I assume people will want to interact with the world. This almost always changes a few months into the project and requires a major overhaul of the homepage, but it was nice going in to give them a once over before WorldEmber.Beckettville
Beckettville remains visibly untouched for now, but I have new tag systems being put in place that will change Beckettville navigation in the new year.
Culinarypunk
Culinarypunk did get a few new things on the homepage. Now that the TTRPG is getting closer, I’ve made it easier for readers to access the most important information depending on their situation.Check out the new tag system in progress!
Eldrispace
Eldrispace is the baby of the bunch and hasn’t been around long enough for an overhaul, but I have a feeling after WorldEmber it will be getting some sort of touch up. For now, it serves its purpose until more content is put into the world. I'll still be working on organizing the back end to work in a similar way to Culinarypunk.
HW 4: Last Minute Prep
I’ve been working on a bit of last-minute prep for the last week already and I’m more than happy to continue poking along with my prep. I’ve finally decided on a cover style for Culinarypunk that I really like and works well in multiple situations, you can check them out on my Tag References or Alphabetical Index.My Support
The We Aren’t Dead Yet team has been hard at work in the background after releasing our first short story anthology, Macabre and Monstrous! I’m so grateful for Sapha and Dazz, who not only put up with my shenanigans but keep me creatively engaged and are constantly supporting me and pushing me to keep writing. Between the WADY team, my gaming friends, and my husband, I have a pretty hardcore group of people who keep me going. That’s not even mentioning all the amazing people who follow my worlds and the WorldAnvil community overall! I would love to join a chapter in the new year, but haven't had a chance to look into the options that have room yet. If you're in a chapter or run a chapter looking to take in a new wyrd worldbuilder/writer, hit me up!
My Space
I have an office in my home where I spend my entire day, which means it gets a bit messy. I’ve been meaning to do a little redesign here but I don’t have the time before the holidays. Instead, I’ll be doing a basic cleanup and moving a few things around before I leave, then redecorating when I get back. I have a new bookshelf coming when I get back and I plan to move my horror stuff into there to create a really neat setup for writing. I also have a new tapestry and some new wall art I’ll be putting up in the new year.
My Time
As for a writing schedule, I’ve cleared out my schedule completely for the first few weeks of December. Rest, recover, and write. I’ve definitely been feeling the sting of burnout the last few weeks and it’s felt like the slowest crawl to December but we’re almost there! Due to entering WorldEmber with a light tinge of burnout already, I’m taking it easy this year. I have a secret list of articles I plan to write and I already have more on there than I could get to this month hahah.
My Fuel
Much like a chubby Potatoad, I am incredibly food motivated. You can get me to do almost anything as long as you promise we’ll get a snack on the way home hahahah. I am an absolute treat fiend and have made sure there are plenty of Reeses, chicken nuggets, and coffee in the house to sustain me. I swear I'm not 3 goblins in a trenchcoat.
Relaxation in the Time of Embers
Video Games
My current rotation is Baldurs Gate 3 (Currently on my second Durge run!), Starfield, and Planet Zoo.
Books
I’m still working my way through the end of House of Leaves, then I have S. by JJ Abrams to get into.
Hubs Time
My husband and I love Legos and 3D wooden puzzles and we have so many to get through!
Secret Side Project
I've been batting around an idea for a few weeks. Well, it’s really been all year but I wasn’t sure which setting I would place the project in. After settling on how to separate out my more mature content, I’ve decided it’ll take place in Culinaria. So, you can expect some hints at this project during WorldEmber. Your first hint:
Eggplant Explorers
Entry for WorldEmber Prep 2023
All original material (including but not limited to text, images, and concepts)
Copyright ©2024 Emily Armstrong. All rights reserved.
Images created by Emily Armstrong as detailed in How I Art.
Culinarypunk runs on the Quests & Quarrels TTRPG system.
Copyright ©2024 Emily Armstrong. All rights reserved.
Images created by Emily Armstrong as detailed in How I Art.
Culinarypunk runs on the Quests & Quarrels TTRPG system.
25k words are quite the challenge for nearly two weeks time. I root for you, but don't burn out, we need you! :)
Hahah no burning out allowed!! If I don't reach my 25k, it's noooo sweat for me. I try not to put a failure condition on events like WorldEmber and Summercamp, any progress with worldbuilding is worth celebrating! This year it's more about having fun than reaching that wordcount, especially in Culinarypunk. Making myself and others giggle has been the biggest joy this year and I want to make sure I end the year on a high note :D <3