2024 Annual Encirclement

This is an event article and is not part of the core universe!

Another year came to pass and with 2024 not only on the horizon buit already in full swing, it is time to shout out fellow writers! Specifically, those writers from the chapter that accepted me into their ranks, the Seven Tomes. With this years New Year's Resolution challenge I'd love to get to know the writing styles of my fellow chapter members and find areas to improve in my own writing.

A Deepdive Into The Tomes

Scriptures of the Blue Fairy

Author: Blue Fairy 74
I have tried my hand at forging lore around deities before, but nothing my brain came up with felt authentic and powerful enough. The Brictaelgican Pantheon was an article that tackled this topic perfectly. Being able to convey the origin of her pantheon in such a concise and authentic way is beyond impressive. The mental imagery really reminds me of norse mythology in the way that through the most basic actions, worldbending things can happen.

"Then with his fingers he sucked water from the depths of the continent and spread it across the sky until clouds appeared and from them the god of rain Trállox was born."

Endrise's Guide to Divinity

Author: Endrise
I always love reading about powerful artifacts. I've been following Endrise's world for quite a while now and simple but detailed articles were what drew me into The Fabulae Anthology in the first place. I love that the article conveys the massage that when coming into contact with the Titans Blood, it is more or less a gamble of what powers you get. It ties in neatly with the fact that different ethnicities worship the same thing for different reasons. All of this shows that enough thought went into the article and the result is huge depth and a chance to lay groundwork for stories from lots of angles in the future.

"The exact details of the mutation depend on the Titan donor itself. Changes to the body appear tied to their former domain, such as Avani's blood causing plant-like growths."

A Bards Ashened Journal

Author: Haly, the Moonlight Bard
Unique locations are the very backbone of any captivating story, and Caldera is no less. Haly's article yet again shows that in a fantasy world, people will try to venture into any territory, no matter the danger level. They do an excellent job at picturing the major landmark itself, and even though I know my lungs will corrode in a matter of seconds, I would like to see that volcano myself. I often struggle coming up with original natural geography, so reading about Caldera definitely inspired me to think up a toxic Sailor-Killing place of my own.

"[...] the Caldera is a single volcanic cone rising up out of shallow waters infested with the skeletal fingers of dead coral and enormous, shattered shards of obsidian."

Runic Tabloids With Unknown Meaning

Author: Isaac A. Thompson
Languages always intrigued me, and I find it so fun reimagining all sorts of written syntax. Reading the Sina Language made me feel like Isaac poured lots of love into the article! Creating not only all 64 letters, but also having myths and theories around decyphering the language's meaning and actual landmarks showcasing how a scripture might look like goes a long way! Honestly, I inspire to create articles that captivate a reader like this, where 1100 words feel like 200 instead.

"A common suggestion is that it must be a logography [...]. While it possibly descends from one, the script only appears to number 64 symbols and an unknown number of composite signs, which would be far too few for a logography."

Etherweaving an Illuminated Sky

Author: JudasBrennan
A magical animalistic take on long distance communication! I've never really considered animals as efficient information carriers, but this article not only makes it believable, but also fun and to be honest, very intriguing. I'd love to see a nights sky where all these wisps wirl around all busy. I also love that the technology process does not end with "meh, we use wisps here", but actually gives very clear reasoning and a profession (Etherweavers) that are needed for this process to work.

"[...] the Wisps of Ether. These ethereal messengers carry messages on the currents of the mystical ether, weaving their way through the skies to transmit important information across the vast expanse of the Empire."

A Heartwarming Experience

Author: KajetanWrites
I've been looking through a few of his works and I have to say, I have never seen such a wholesome set of articles. Maybe it's just the selection I decided to go through but even the Eternal Flame of Marriage is such a simple yet awesome idea that I can't help but smile. It just goes to show that a few simple words spread out and neatly arranged can bring a concept to life that has both weight and meaning.

"Eternal Flame of Marriage is a magical item created during a wedding ceremony to symbolize a union of two people. It is a candle enchanted to never stop burning."

Divine Lies

Even Gods Lie Sometimes
Author: Kbignell
I've tried my hand at manuscripts and writing longer stories as well, which showed me that writing a book, be it a short story or a novel, is freaking hard. I looked into The Minds of Gods and Demons and read the first chapter of the above mentioned manuscript and I must say, there is a lot I can learn from it! The starting few paragraphs feel natural with a lot of in-character talk that does not get stale (like many of my character interactions), the progression is rather fast but somehow doesn't get overwhelming and I learned a lot about the world relative to the amount of words in the chapter. Much to see and I'll definitely be checking out the coming chapters!

"Coin. You either had it, or you didn't. Those with it did what they wanted, those without were at the mercy of those with. Not really the best arrangement as far as Rishmond was concerned, especially since getting coin if you didn't have it was damn near impossible."

Trinty of Mind Body and Soul

Author: Kydra Hunter
I am not a deeply spiritual guy, but I'd have to lie saying I am not intrigued by the subject. First seeing the Element of Flowing, Element of the Void and then finally the Soul Map gave me so much context and appreciation about how the Oabos develop their identity. I love the visual aid, simple and effective! The way the article makes abstract concepts effortlessly believable is incredible, like "yes, of course the elements of the Mind Ring and Body Ring have to be aligned in order for the person to be grounded and in control of themselves".

"The ideal positioning has historically been to have evenly spaced element placements across the three rings. This both aligns with the elementine concepts of balance as well as offering the greatest range of effects."

Consult your local exorcist or cleric

Author: Ninodonlord
This fun article showcases how a otherwise very serious condition, at least thorugh the tone of the article can seem like a common mishap. Like: "Oh you were bewitched, well here's some ibuprofen. If it doesn't work, head on over to our Domain of Witchery Cleric to fix ya up!", even though it doesn't work that way in the actual article. I like that even though there are lots of symptoms, the lack of complementary coughing or fevers indicate a bewitching in progress.

"In the case of particularily intricate or strong curses, the bewitched may experience additional symptoms including but not limited to nausea, headaches, increased hunger and thirst, blurred vision or nosebleeds [...]."

Hide your Coal and... Windows?

Author: TheDumbOwl
One of the sentences I find most true in writing is that "There really are no new ideas anymore", which sounds sad at first, but I find collecting inspirations and building upon certain already explored topics to be most fun. I especially love retellings of already established and beloved characters in a terrific way, and SANT from Alex does this exceptionally well. Taking one of the most famous traditional characters and turning them into some twisted version with clear hints to their original story while keeping the article fresh is hard, but perfectly executed in this case!

"SANT has a little fun quirk I like to call "BEING HORRIFICALLY LOUD WHEN DOING ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING AT ALL." He dives through windows, for god's sake."

Slow and, Painful? Wins the Race?

Author: SiobhanTheWriter
I've looked into a few of the works of Siobhan, and wanted to especially highlight the above mentioned article. It was very graphic and did not shy away from any implied gore and fit the prompt "an artifact that embodies a hideous or monstrous idea" perfectly. Combining descriptive writing with a "hands-on" narrative gives the entire article a touch of realism and depth. I often find myself writing around the core action due to its more monstrous nature, but this article shows that sometimes, the most effective method is to just get to the point and tell the reader what happens.

""The rake, Sir."
"Excellent Edmund. Now if you would be so kind. I have many questions for him and I need answers."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh""

I Feel Like I'm Floating

Author: Sodose The world "The Great Dream" reminds me of a fever dream! Starting from the Design and Structure of the World and Articles, to the actual writing itself. It all feels like I am one of the children that are levitating, or currently forging a pact to wield dark magic. I found this article over the worlds homepage and was instantly hooked. Showcasing the magic system and an entirely new ethnicity/species including plot hooks definitely gave me the right start into this world!

"The energy of the Void flows through every world. The nature of this power is chaotic and uncontrollable, but a rare few a born with a connection to it."

Interpretation is Key

Author: Soulwing98
I think I've said this before, but articles that keep you guessing are so fun to read. The concept that there is a Sun District, Moon District and Star Discrict, with the Star District being a supermarket of anything and everything, because well, stars are all around the earth, is an amazing concept. Or at least I think that is the concept, since it is only ever implied. The mental image of having an entire supermarket acorss the sea of stars is definitely not one that I would've thought I'd ever have in my mind.

"All these riches are visible in the so-called Star district, a wide set of three streets dividing the Sun and Moon district into designated areas of interest. The Star district features the spoils of being connected to the whole world [...]."

Guild Leader Showoff

Author: Strixxline
The chapter master themselves aye? I looked forward to finally sitting down and reading articles by them and I gotta say, I am not disappointed in the slightest. It only felt right to take a look at the primer, and the idea, the structure, the story behind the article was mesmerizing! I loved the incorporation of the quotes, the map, the linked articles! Lots to learn and take away from this article and I can't wait to read more of their work!

"Humanity is so much more than we think, Seeker. We were shaped by powers more ancient than we can ever know. Children of the gods walk among us, spirits of the world live mundane lives, and hearts of arcane burn quietly, all none the wiser."

Mining Down Walls

Author: ThatMomFriend
This article invoked major nostalgia in me, as I maybe have indulged in thousands of hours of Minecraft gameplay. And even if it was intentional or not, breaching the fourth wall, just like in the end credit scene was something beautiful and unexpected. Especially connected with the End Poem this two-piece of worldbuild is exceptionally well crafted...

"For every horrid decision to be made there are two related possibilities: what could have been done instead and what could be done to redeem oneself from their actions."

Lost For Words

Author: tjtrewin
Truly, I am lost for words. The little space I give every member of the chapter here gives no justice to this article. I marvel a lot at worldbuilding of pretty much any kind, but this is what a perfect article is to me. From the self-made artwork over the insanely intuitive article structure to the immersive writing itself, everything is just on the highest level! Oh and the interactivity and badge collection! I suggest you just check it out for yourselves because this needs to be seen by many more people. Also, I'd jump into a raging fire for Bubb.

"Hiya! I'm Bubb, nice to meet ya!

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I'm the youngest member of the Museum of Mysteries, we're kinda like a treasure-hunting guild but I'm not supposed to call it that..."

A Fable As A Fitting End

Author: Zeke (IssolumChronicles)
Is there a better way to end an article about the Seven Tomes and New Year's Resolutions than an actual epic in tribute of the chapter itself? Definitely not! I've written a few poems about some monster encounters in my world as well but always struggled with rhymes and authenticity, and this article had both! It made both sense when recited or sung and made me feel like I was sitting in a bar with a sunset covering the town and a bard preaching of the Seven Tomes.

And now the tomes shall wander
Through legends, tales, no less
So in your wakings ponder
And in your dreamings rest
And in your dreamings rest

Showcase Pool

2023 Year Recap

What a year. A very busy one, which I mean both in a positive and negative way. I did a lot, experienced a lot and grew a lot, but I also had little free time, especially in the latter half of the year, not only for writing, but in general. I shoveled free some time in summer to crank out summercamp articles but did not even though I probably should've focused on other, more future-important things. I'm glad how it turned out though, even though I couldn't for the life of me do the same thing in December. My first pledge that was broken. But hey, I accomplished a lot: In worldbuilding I finally started my own DnD5e Campaign set in this exact world and created lots of articles for it. In life I went to my first festival and concert and overall did a lot more with friends than I was used to. I improved in the gym a lot and the longest vacation with friends that I'll ever have been on.

So what's to come next?

New Year's Yapping

It won't get any less busy. Start of February I'll finally finish my mandatory military work and will dive head first into a university. Lots of uncertainties and concerns here, but we move. Additionally, I would love to continue my gym journey as well as, obviously, worldbuilding. I've committed to the Seven Tomes (obviously) and am dedicated to stay and be part of many collaboration works and events. A quick detour: What's helped to keep me going, aside from the ideas that sometimes need to get out of my system, is the community, without which I would've probably lost interest in creating interesting articles. Because ideas are written down either way. I could just go and hammer out stale and boring strings of characters to just get it out on paper, but seeing all the amazing articles of the community has given me a push to experiment and better my worldbuilding as a whole.

I'll eat healthier!

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I'll go to the gym!

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I'll become a better person!

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...

— Everyone anywhere every year

New Year's Resolutions

As for resolutions: I won't have any. Not that I don't want to better myself, but there is so much that will happen this year that change is inevitable, and forcing that change into a different direction just because the direction it was going in wasn't in my resolution list feels like lost opportunities. So I guess the only real resolution I have is:

Have fun!

Last Tomie Shoutout

It was a blast reading through all of these articles and manuscripts, and let me tell you, it was a good decision. I never knew we had so many talented writers in our ranks, and I can't wait to see them grow. As per my resolution, Let's have fun this year too!