My Inspirations & Motivations - Inspo-August 2024

This article is an entry to Jacqueline Yang's Inspo-August challenge! Thank you for making this great little challenge, it has been lovely to check out the inspirations of other Anvilites!

What is the main thing or one of the main things that inspired your world(s)?

Nakkan Swamp by Mochi

Goodness me, how do I even answer this? I take inspiration from everything around me. Every new movie, TV show, or other piece of media I digest gets spat back out as a Yonderverse article. New TV shows and whatnot always gets me excited to write about something new and different in my world.

Many of my planets are directly and indirectly inspired by video games. I don't play many games, in fact I only semi-regularly play three - Minecraft, the Subnautica games, and the Slime Rancher games. I have countless ocean planets inspired by the Subnautica Series, and planet Osao is my own version of the Slime Rancher world. I really enjoy these games for their immersion, being able to tell your own story, and of course, the creatures you can find in them.

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How can I not include the natural world in this section, too? It's a given, anyways. Eeeeeverybody that knows me and my world knows how much I love to dive into the ecosystems of a planet in the Yonderverse. Growing up fascinated by wildlife, exploring every forest, river, field, that I could possibly explore in suburban England, I've got a passion for nature that will never fade, and I want to express that through the Yonderverse (and the A to Zoo).

Knowing just how rich and diverse the natural world is, I'll never feel like I've truly captured it in my world. But that doesn't dissuade me, it makes me want to work harder!

What is your favorite aspect of your story/world and what inspired that aspect?

I love speculating what life could be like on other planets, without being dampened by the laws of our universe. Expressing different themes, genres, and styles in one world is something I really enjoy doing. Writing about the horrors of Spinerot, the destruction of the Galanti-Karkhala War, diving into the vibrant world of Emycelium and its fauna, and bouncing around with slimes, I find so much joy in creating such diverse corners of my world.

What are some writers/worldbuilders that inspire you to write/worldbuild?

Finally, the bit I've been waiting for. This will be a list entirely made of Anvilites, because I don't actually read outside of World Anvil.

Here are five worlds that really inspire me at the moment.

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We all knew Ethnis would be the first thing on my list. I don't shut up about how much I treasure this world. The sense of mystery and intrigue, the stakes and drama, the weirdness, it's got everything. Every time I open up this world, I just feel this desire to write.

I've followed JOY from the start, and it's been really cool to see an Anvilite I've looked up to for years tackle a brand new project. JOY is the epitome of wholesome, and makes me smile every time I check it out. It is pure vibes, and the pixel art is the cherry on top.

Wow that's a lot of stars, or TALOS, is the gold-standard of CSS, navigation, writing, and pretty much everything, honestly. Rin excels at writing articles that make you want to learn more, and thanks to how enjoyable this world is to peruse, you definitely will.

Demongrey's consistency with writing, quality never declining, is so inspiring. I look forward every daily article from this world, and learn a little bit more about the Million Islands, day by day. I love that I can tell where each article is based, from the title alone. The consistency in linguistics in the Million Islands is yet another thing I admire.

Aran'sha is one of the fastest-growing worlds, and for good reason. Not even a year old and already has 100 followesr? It MUST be something special. The worldbuilding of cultures in Aran'sha is what stands out most to me, and continues to be an inspiration.