WE 2022 -— Articles

The first WorldEmber on Solaris ended up going beyond all expectation. The first article out of the gate was Symbiosis, based on the idea of wearing symbiotes like a tattoo. I had a lot of fun writing the article, and I was inspired by Becketville to lean more into more of a found document style. Because it was a fun article that came out early, it ended up in the running for the top liked article. It was battling Amélie I. S. Debruyne's Her Highness Princess Luna for the top spot for the longest while, but ended up a respectable third place. The second place was claimed by TJ Trewin's card game Gauntlet. It was a really impressive article that even simulates playing the game, and quickly rocketed up the top list.   The winds really felt like they were in my sails. For most of the event I was able to stay in the top three despite being a far less productive writer than Qurilion and Mochi. It was a fun and friendly competition. Solaris hit its first major follower milestone during this WorldEmber, crossing into triple digits.   By the end of the month, I was so tired. My family likes to host massive christmas parties, which is lovely but exhausting. Then our bathroom ceiling started to swell with meltwater and ash when our upstairs neighbours let the snow pile up too high on their rooftop balcony. Writing can make you really sensitive, and when you're tired it's harder to cheer yourself back up. I remember starting the new year nervous and scared, but trying to put on a brave face. It was one of those moments where life really feels like a rollercoaster, where for every high, there's a big drop. In hindsight there was much more good than bad.