The Worldbuilder’s Tavern

The Worldbuilder’s Tavern

By Emma Maione, Allison Alexander, and Christiana JonesArtsBooks
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The Worldbuilder’s Tavern episodes

  • 1.23 Architecture

    Underground cities, buildings created by technology or magic, structures surrounded by mystery… There’s a lot of fun to be had by dreaming up interesting architecture for your stories, and today, we’re discussing some fascinating examples from science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

    Notes

    • Kyle's example: Menzoberranzan from The Forgotten Realms
    • Christiana's example: Coruscant from Star Wars
    • Allison's example The Transcontinental Bridge from The Bridge podcast
    • Check out the blog posts "5 Indie Publishers that Accept Sci-Fi and Fantasy Submissions" and "5 More Indie Publishers that Accept Sci-Fi and Fantasy Submissions"

      • Produced by Mythos & Ink.

      Announcement Music: Coffee Beats by Aaron Parsons (Used with permission).

      36 min
    • 1.22 Starships

      We’ve been hyper-focused on fantasy lately, so we thought we’d shake things up. Today, we’re diving into worldbuilding in science fiction stories with a discussion about starships and spacecraft. Special thanks to our patron Mitchell W. for making this episode possible.

      Notes

      • Allison's example: Moya from Farscape 
      • Kyle's example: The Perihelion from the Murderbot series by Martha Wells
      • Christiana's example: The Millennium Falcon from Star Wars
      • Add Making Myths and Magic: A Field Guide to Writing Sci-Fi and Fantasy Novels to Goodreads
      • Watch "So You Want to Make a Graphic Novel" on YouTube
      • Get a copy of Thrud by Zach Schuster, the graphic novel about a mute, Norse warrior and the sentient puddle of god-spit she carries around in a flask.

        • Produced by Mythos & Ink.

        Announcement Music: Coffee Beats by Aaron Parsons (Used with permission).

        35 min
      • 1.21 Shadow and Bone: Religion

        We're continuing in our series on the Netflix show Shadow and Bone, which is based on novels by Leigh Bardugo! Our topic today: religion and belief systems. How does the show portray faith? What different religions are present? How does religion affect the way a character treats other people?

        Notes

        • Support the podcast.   
        • Join Mythos & Ink's Discord Community.

          • Produced by Mythos & Ink.

          Announcement Music: Coffee Beats by Aaron Parsons (Used with permission).

          20 min
        • 1.20 Shadow and Bone: Fashion

          We're continuing in our series on the Netflix show Shadow and Bone, which is based on novels by Leigh Bardugo! Our topic today: fashion. How does the series use fashion subtly, without drawing attention to it but using it to enrich the world? How is fashion gendered? How does fashion define class?

          Notes

          • Support the podcast.  
          • Join Mythos & Ink's Discord Community.

            • Produced by Mythos & Ink.

            Announcement Music: Coffee Beats by Aaron Parsons (Used with permission).

            17 min
          • 1.19 Shadow and Bone: Technology

            We're continuing in our series on the Netflix show Shadow and Bone, which is based on novels by Leigh Bardugo! Our topic today: technology. How does the series blend modern and fantasy technology? How does magic interact with technology? How do they interplay in your story?

            Notes

            • Support the podcast. 
            • Join Mythos & Ink's Discord Community.

              • Produced by Mythos & Ink.

              Announcement Music: Coffee Beats by Aaron Parsons (Used with permission)

              20 min
            • 1.18 Shadow and Bone: Magic and Societal Structure

              We're continuing in our series on the Netflix show Shadow and Bone, which is based on novels by Leigh Bardugo! Our topics today: magic and societal structure. What is the distinction between "small science" and magic? What is magic's narrative purpose in the show? How are the societies structured and how does considering structure provide ample opportunities for inserting conflict into a story's narrative? 

              Notes

              • Support the podcast.
              • Join Mythos & Ink's Discord Community.

                • Produced by Mythos & Ink.

                Announcement Music: Coffee Beats by Aaron Parsons (Used with permission)

                35 min
              • 1.17 Writing Science Fantasy and Cross Genres

                This week is another special episode, this time with graphic novelists Justin Currie and GMB Chomichuk! Join the hosts as they discuss the science fantasy genre, how to write cross genres, and particular challenges with the creation of their upcoming graphic novel, Rust and Water.

                Notes

                • Gregory's example: Dune by Frank Herbert
                • Allison's example: Final Fantasy
                • Justin's example: The Iron Giant 
                • View the event schedule for "So You Want to Make a Graphic Novel: 5 Comic Creators Discuss Launching Their Books" 
                • Support the podcast: www.patreon.com/mythosandink

                  • Produced by Mythos & Ink.

                  Announcement Music: Coffee Beats by Aaron Parsons (Used with permission)

                  45 min
                • 1.16 Shadow and Bone: Diversity

                  Today’s episode is part of our series on the Netflix show Shadow and Bone, which is based on novels by Leigh Bardugo! Our topic today: diversity. What is significant about adding diverse characters to your story? How do you do this without appropriating a culture or falling into harmful tropes? How did Shadow and Bone succeed or fail in this area? Join the cast as we discuss race, disability, LGBTQ+ characters, and female representation.

                  Notes

                  • Support organizations working to combat anti-Asian violence.
                  • Support the podcast.

                    • Produced by Mythos & Ink.

                    Announcement Music: Coffee Beats by Aaron Parsons (Used with permission)

                    34 min
                  • 1.15 Shadow and Bone: An Introduction

                    Shadow and Bone, a TV series inspired by author Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy, drops on Netflix today! We're celebrating by telling you everything you need to know about the first book in the trilogy before you watch the show and what we're hoping to see in the TV series. Stay tuned for follow up episodes in which we talk about the worldbuilding in the show itself!

                    Produced by Mythos & Ink.

                    Announcement Music: Coffee Beats by Aaron Parsons (Used with permission)

                    26 min
                  • 1.14 Mythology-Inspired Tales

                    This week is another special episode, this time with graphic novelist Zach Schuster and editor Kyla Neufeld! Join the hosts as they discuss mythology. How do you take inspiration from mythology for your own book? What mythology inspired Zach's upcoming graphic novel, Thrud? How do you create longer, more intricate works out of these short, simple tales?  

                    Notes

                    • Zach's example: Dragon Ball 
                    • Kyla's example: The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley 
                    • Kyle's example: American Gods by Neil Gaiman
                    • View the event schedule for "So You Want to Make a Graphic Novel: 5 Comic Creators Discuss Launching Their Books"
                    • Support the podcast: www.patreon.com/mythosandink  

                      • Produced by Mythos & Ink.

                      Announcement Music: Coffee Beats by Aaron Parsons (Used with permission)

                      27 min

                    About The Worldbuilder’s Tavern

                    From the publisher's feed

                    A podcast in which three nerds read sci-fi and fantasy novels, talk about their worldbuilding, and then guide you through building magic systems, monsters, spaceships, and more for your own stories.