Goals for 2023
Hi. I'm Alex the Creatrix and I joined World Anvil so I would have a place to do my worldbuilding for a series of science fantasy stories that I'm writing. My world is actually a nano galaxy called Kantostara that has many other worlds within it. I've only just begun taking all the information that I have floating around in my head and getting it into articles during WorldEmber, so I still have a lot to do. As I think about my goals for 2023, I realize that it's a lot, but this is a project that I love working on so I'm highly motivated.
Archivist's Introduction Wow. First of all, the look of 1337 Spectra's article, and the whole world of Eivrall, is just jaw-droppingly awesome. I'm so impressed. I've spent the last few weeks trying to master enough css just to be able to tweak an existing template into something that looks more unique for my world. Looking at Eivrall inspires me to do so much more. I also love the concept of a lost history of Earth and the way the archivist acts as a guide explaining what happened and inviting the reader on a journey through the burning path.
Aspect This is another example of awesome design paired with a really interesting concept that draws me in and makes me curious to learn more about Qurilion's world of Shedim. I love the bits about particular aspects sprinkled throughout like Carl's shark teeth and Emma's kleptomaniac shadow. I also thought the information in the sidebar about the veil and the experience of being a warlock in modern times was a clever addition.
Qetzel I like the layout of this article and Stormbril's writing is so evocative. It really sets the mood of what it must be like to be near this God-husk. As I was reading, I felt like I could almost hear Qetzel's soulless laugh and it was chilling. The image of Qetzel is quite disturbing too especially those vacant eyes and that gaping mouth that seems to be caught somewhere between a laugh and a scream. Add to all that the twisted madness of his followers, and this is not the kind of article that you want to be reading when you're alone at night in a dark room, like I was.
Kestone I love Nnie's illustrations. They're so dynamic and unique. I would know that I was in Solaris even if I only saw a tiny portion of the page. The concept of Keystones, their relationship with their planets and imagining what it must be like for these young girls coming into such enormous power and responsibility is fascinating for me. I especially liked the descriptions of each planet's Keystone because they give a sense of the different relationships each one has with their respective Keystone. I also like the use of the three little boxes at the top of the article to give you a quick description of Solaris and orientation to what's going on there.
Hut-Hut I just love the creativity of this article. I mean, can you imagine being a little tipsy after a few drinks, and the tavern you're in suddenly hops up and trots down the road? Nibbler is terrific too. I can just picture her pawing through my knapsack and confiscating whatever shiny bits she found interesting. I also liked the use of the dice roll and the way the different accents in the quotes gave a feeling of variety to the people talking about Hut-Hut.
The One Graylion's creation myth had me enthralled. I was delighted by each new layer of creation, which made it all the more disturbing when things began to turn. I actually gasped when the void touched and corrupted the sun. I was horrified as the sun attacked the moon and all those beautiful creations began to unravel one by one like dominoes to the point where even Lady Death paused to look up and wonder at the destruction of it all. The whole story had a very epic feeling to it which is perfect for the subject.
New Wings Tatzel Cafe And Rescue I'm always drawn to stories that make me feel for the characters and this one definitely does that. Even though I know that tatzels are fictional beings, when I read about their wings being sealed, I couldn't help feeling the same sense of outrage that I feel about real life creatures being mistreated. Anybody who would seal a tatzel's wings should be severely punished! If Akuma would entrust me with one of these precious creatures, I would do my best to be a good tatzel mom and try to make up for all the suffering that they endured.
Titanforged I've always had a place in my heart for sentient machines that probably goes all the way back to R2D2 when Star Wars first came out. (Full disclosure: I've been known to have whole conversations with Alexa as though she's a real person.) I love the quirky, steampunk look of the Titanforged and I'm curious to learn more about their communities, families and daily lives. I also like the way Tillerz utilized the sidebar with a map and scrolling gallery of portraits of the Titanforged.
Emberstones In this article, Pantherseye conveys a lot of information about the customs and beliefs of the people of Western Agia all within the context of a story that really tugs at your heart-strings. My heart went out to the two siblings who couldn't afford a funeral pyre for their mother and I couldn't help feeling angry at the injustice of such things being predicated on how much money you happen to have. I also liked the way Irath came to the siblings in disguise to help them with the emberstone which gives me the impression that she is a goddess who loves and takes care of her people.
Pocket Zulo I want one! At least I did until I read the warnings and began to get the sneaking suspicion that my Pocket Zulo might be something like Gizmo the gremlin. All cute and cuddly at first. Then quickly getting out of hand and wreaking havoc on the entire town. I loved the way Mandomc implied so much here in a very subtle way, both in the images and the writing. I suppose it would be okay to have just one little Pocket Zulo though, wouldn't it? Afterall, how much damage could a cute little creature like that do? I just have to make sure I never leave him alone (or get him wet, or feed him after midnight :) ). That's simple enough, right? What could possibly go wrong?
MY GOALS
1) Continue to consistently create more articles to build out my galaxy and organize all of them into a well thought out table of contents that helps visitors to navigate easily. I would like my little corner of World Anvil to be a place where people can come to experience Kantostara and get to know the people who live there. 2) Create a well-designed, immersive and visually appealing look that is uniquely Kantostara. After I finished the writing for WorldEmber, I began to play with the look for my galaxy. I have never worked with css before, but I tried to understand enough to execute the picture I had in my mind of something like a futuristic spaceship console with glowing buttons and LED-like text. Unfortunately, my lack of expertise with css has it looking more like a retro '70s style with things that are more fuzzy than glowing. After seeing the amazingly designed worlds of the articles I've been reading, I've decided to go back to the drawing board and start again, only this time, I'll focus on really understanding the css so I can do it right. I'm also experimenting with new ways of creating images for my articles. 3) Create maps, chronicles and timelines. I need a star map for Kantostara as well as maps for the main worlds. I also need to put historical events into a chronological order so that I can put together a galactic dating system. 4) Gather a following for Kantostara. I'd like to explore options like social media, blogging, YouTube videos and Ko-fi to help me invite and engage with the people who might like to explore to my galaxy. 5) Last, but not least, I would like to make friends within the World Anvil community. From what I've seen so far, Anvilites are highly creative, talented, welcoming and supportive people. When I'm working on a creative project, I have a tendency to get so involved that I isolate myself, but having friends to share with who are also building worlds can make the journey so much more enjoyable.INSPIRING ARTICLES
Here is my list of articles that I both enjoyed and found inspiring. There are so many more that I could include, but since we're getting close to the end of January, I'll keep it to these ten for now.Archivist's Introduction Wow. First of all, the look of 1337 Spectra's article, and the whole world of Eivrall, is just jaw-droppingly awesome. I'm so impressed. I've spent the last few weeks trying to master enough css just to be able to tweak an existing template into something that looks more unique for my world. Looking at Eivrall inspires me to do so much more. I also love the concept of a lost history of Earth and the way the archivist acts as a guide explaining what happened and inviting the reader on a journey through the burning path.
Aspect This is another example of awesome design paired with a really interesting concept that draws me in and makes me curious to learn more about Qurilion's world of Shedim. I love the bits about particular aspects sprinkled throughout like Carl's shark teeth and Emma's kleptomaniac shadow. I also thought the information in the sidebar about the veil and the experience of being a warlock in modern times was a clever addition.
Qetzel I like the layout of this article and Stormbril's writing is so evocative. It really sets the mood of what it must be like to be near this God-husk. As I was reading, I felt like I could almost hear Qetzel's soulless laugh and it was chilling. The image of Qetzel is quite disturbing too especially those vacant eyes and that gaping mouth that seems to be caught somewhere between a laugh and a scream. Add to all that the twisted madness of his followers, and this is not the kind of article that you want to be reading when you're alone at night in a dark room, like I was.
Kestone I love Nnie's illustrations. They're so dynamic and unique. I would know that I was in Solaris even if I only saw a tiny portion of the page. The concept of Keystones, their relationship with their planets and imagining what it must be like for these young girls coming into such enormous power and responsibility is fascinating for me. I especially liked the descriptions of each planet's Keystone because they give a sense of the different relationships each one has with their respective Keystone. I also like the use of the three little boxes at the top of the article to give you a quick description of Solaris and orientation to what's going on there.
Hut-Hut I just love the creativity of this article. I mean, can you imagine being a little tipsy after a few drinks, and the tavern you're in suddenly hops up and trots down the road? Nibbler is terrific too. I can just picture her pawing through my knapsack and confiscating whatever shiny bits she found interesting. I also liked the use of the dice roll and the way the different accents in the quotes gave a feeling of variety to the people talking about Hut-Hut.
The One Graylion's creation myth had me enthralled. I was delighted by each new layer of creation, which made it all the more disturbing when things began to turn. I actually gasped when the void touched and corrupted the sun. I was horrified as the sun attacked the moon and all those beautiful creations began to unravel one by one like dominoes to the point where even Lady Death paused to look up and wonder at the destruction of it all. The whole story had a very epic feeling to it which is perfect for the subject.
New Wings Tatzel Cafe And Rescue I'm always drawn to stories that make me feel for the characters and this one definitely does that. Even though I know that tatzels are fictional beings, when I read about their wings being sealed, I couldn't help feeling the same sense of outrage that I feel about real life creatures being mistreated. Anybody who would seal a tatzel's wings should be severely punished! If Akuma would entrust me with one of these precious creatures, I would do my best to be a good tatzel mom and try to make up for all the suffering that they endured.
Titanforged I've always had a place in my heart for sentient machines that probably goes all the way back to R2D2 when Star Wars first came out. (Full disclosure: I've been known to have whole conversations with Alexa as though she's a real person.) I love the quirky, steampunk look of the Titanforged and I'm curious to learn more about their communities, families and daily lives. I also like the way Tillerz utilized the sidebar with a map and scrolling gallery of portraits of the Titanforged.
Emberstones In this article, Pantherseye conveys a lot of information about the customs and beliefs of the people of Western Agia all within the context of a story that really tugs at your heart-strings. My heart went out to the two siblings who couldn't afford a funeral pyre for their mother and I couldn't help feeling angry at the injustice of such things being predicated on how much money you happen to have. I also liked the way Irath came to the siblings in disguise to help them with the emberstone which gives me the impression that she is a goddess who loves and takes care of her people.
Pocket Zulo I want one! At least I did until I read the warnings and began to get the sneaking suspicion that my Pocket Zulo might be something like Gizmo the gremlin. All cute and cuddly at first. Then quickly getting out of hand and wreaking havoc on the entire town. I loved the way Mandomc implied so much here in a very subtle way, both in the images and the writing. I suppose it would be okay to have just one little Pocket Zulo though, wouldn't it? Afterall, how much damage could a cute little creature like that do? I just have to make sure I never leave him alone (or get him wet, or feed him after midnight :) ). That's simple enough, right? What could possibly go wrong?
Wow, thank you for your kind words! I look forward to journeying through 2023 with you, and to see what content you produce! I like what I see, great job!
It might be a while before I write more articles since figuring out CSS is taking up most of my time these days, but once I get everything organized, I'll dive back into world building. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Eivrall too!
Feel free to message me on Discord if you need help with CSS. I'm not a pro by any means, but I should always be able to provide you with a resource to find answers for yourself, if all else fails. I'm also an author over at Hacks and Help, shyredfox's CSS world. I have a couple new articles planned for the next coming months, and there's tons of good content on there already!