Worldbuilding Wednesday
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Worldbuilding Wednesday
@worldbuildingwed.bsky.social
A Medium publication dedicated to recommendations, resources, and rants for fantasy and sci-fi writers.
"It’s not that I dislike tropes — I love fanfiction! It was the fertile soil in which I sowed by nascent writing skills! — but the increasing overreliance upon them is… boring."

#booksky #writing #writingcommunity
You can’t rely on tropes (or can you?)
Are tropes becoming overused in the fantasy genre?
medium.com
February 14, 2026 at 12:02 AM
"Typically, when readers and writers are referring to romantasy, they are referring to the increasingly popular subgenre of fantasy books that have romance stories at their core.

Or are they romance books with fantasy settings?"

#booksky #writing #romantasy
On the origins of romantasy
How far back does this supposedly new subgenre go?
medium.com
February 13, 2026 at 1:23 AM
"Once Upon A Time was Disney’s first and best attempt at a fairy tale shared universe and a darker, slightly more adult take on the genre, and yet it failed miserably."

#writing #anime #disney #NoPaywall
Okami-San and Her Seven Companions > Once Upon A Time
How an obscure Japanese romance takes Disney’s basic premise and gives it much more punch
medium.com
February 11, 2026 at 1:45 PM
"There are, of course, already many Greek myth inspired worlds including: Xena Warrior Princess and Percy Jackson, but if there can be a million worlds inspired by Tolkien there can be just as many inspired by Greek mythology."

#booksky #writing #fantasy #lowfantasy
Greek Myth Inspired Low Fantasy: How It Can Work
Some worldbuilding ideas for low fantasy based upon Greek and Roman mythology
medium.com
February 10, 2026 at 5:10 PM
"So monster romance is getting steamier and (pardon the pun) beefier. Vampire fangs and reluctant werewolves seem tame in comparison to the increasingly normalized stories of love between monster men and millennial women."

#booksky #romantasy #writing
What if the Beast stayed beastly?
Monster romance has evolved past vampires, werewolves, and fae
medium.com
February 9, 2026 at 5:42 PM
"I totally fell for the aestheticization of the genre, forgetting that the “dark” part of dark academia once meant something far more meaningful than earth tones and Bordeaux-colored lipstick."

#booksky #darkacademia #writing

medium.com/worldbuildin...
I misunderstood the “dark” part of dark academia
How the genre has wandered away from its literary roots.
medium.com
February 6, 2026 at 6:35 PM
"Reviewing the two series this way, we can see that some core worldbuilding pillars (telepathic dragons, weyrleader vs wingleader, life-draining threats that only dragons can face) were lifted from the Pern books."

#booksky #fourthwing #dragons

medium.com/worldbuildin...
What Fourth Wing owes to The Dragonriders of Pern
How much did Rebecca Yarros copy from Anne McCaffrey?
medium.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:11 PM
"But let’s not talk about fanfiction as a whole; instead, focus on Senlin Yu’s masterpiece. They took our much beloved world of wizards to introduce sharp moral complexities and a myriad of greyscapes in what was once a ‘good vs evil’ series."

#booksky

medium.com/worldbuildin...
From Fanfiction to Mainstream Publishing — A Cinderella Story?
Is This The New Possibility for Writers?
medium.com
February 3, 2026 at 10:59 PM
"Isekai has become a hugely popular subgenre in Japan, South Korea, and China. The daydream of leaving corporate drudgery for a magical world in the style of epic fantasies like the settings of favorite books, movies, and video games is obviously appealing."

#booksky

medium.com/worldbuildin...
Reincarnated as the villainess??? The isekai story has made it to the West
How ‘Long Live Evil’ draws on a popular Asian subgenre
medium.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:31 AM
"In re-examining the words of the founding fathers of steampunk, we can make some educated inferences as to why sky ships and mechanized cities could appeal to readers in the year of our (tech) lords 2025."

#booksky #steampunk

medium.com/worldbuildin...
Does dark academia herald a return of steampunk?
Why the subgenre’s themes resonate with readers yet again.
medium.com
January 30, 2026 at 10:48 PM
"I didn’t know it then, but this was my first encounter with worldbuilding. Dragonology and Wizardology in particular sketched the outlines for worlds wherein a child’s imagination could run wild."

#booksky #NoPaywall

medium.com/worldbuildin...
Dragonology, Wizardology: Baby’s First Worldbuild
The immersive magic of the -Ology books
medium.com
January 29, 2026 at 11:16 PM
This month's newsletter is live! Get a curated collection of rants, resources, and recommendations for fantasy and sci-fi writers (and readers) ✨👽🦄
medium.com/worldbuildin...
✨Welcome to Worldbuilding Wednesday✨
January 2026 recommendations, resources, and rants for fantasy and sci-fi writers.
medium.com
January 28, 2026 at 2:11 PM
Fantasy and sci-fi fans: We're looking for more writers that want to rant about their worlds (and others) on Medium! 🌎✨ medium.com/worldbuildin...
Writers wanted! Worldbuilders welcome!
A submission guide for writing about your favorite fictional worlds. ✨
medium.com
January 27, 2026 at 6:18 PM