iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 04/07/2026

What’s one worldbuilding detail that'd make your life harder if you lived in your favourite fictional world? That’s where the interesting stuff is! 🎙️ Send a voice/video: rubipod.link/msg #Worldbuilding #SpeculativeFiction You can leave a voice note or video, link in first comment!

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 18/06/2026

Good worldbuilding is not wallpaper. It changes what characters can afford, risk, refuse, investigate, and survive. That is what makes Matt Witten’s 51% worth discussing. rubipod.link/51percent #Worldbuilding #WritingCraft #SpeculativeFiction

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 17/06/2026

Sometimes one invented job title explains the whole world. In 51%, Haylee Navarro is a crime marketing consultant. When justice needs funding, even murder has to be sold. That’s a strong bit of systems-driven worldbuilding. rubipod.link/51percent #SpeculativeFiction #Worldbuilding #Writing

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 16/06/2026

The real sting in 51% is not just corporate power. It’s the ownership model. Education, healthcare, debt, survival. Sell enough of your future and the system starts owning you back. That’s the sort of practical worldbuilding I like getting into. rubipod.link/51percent #Worldbuilding

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 15/06/2026

What if justice had to be crowdfunded? Matt Witten’s 51% imagines a privatised America where even murder investigations depend on money, visibility, and marketability. That gives the world real teeth. Episode here: rubipod.link/51percent #SpeculativeFiction #Worldbuilding #DystopianFiction

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 15/06/2026

Heads up! There's a new episode of the show out, right now! Visit Richardson's Rubicon to subscribe via your favourite podcatching service. richardsonsrubicon.com/#subscribe #worldbuilding #specfic

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 11/06/2026

Boarded windows, restricted movement, hunting nights. Autumn’s world changes because vampire society changes the ordinary rules of life. Fascinating chat! rubipod.link/midnight #YAFantasy #Worldbuilding #FantasyBooks

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 10/06/2026

The real hook here is not just vampire lore. It is a human protagonist trapped inside a hidden social order built by predators. That's right, she's prey. rubipod.link/midnight #SpeculativeFiction #Vampires #AuthorInterview

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 09/06/2026

Magic gets more interesting when it has limits. Sara A. Freites talks here about spellcasting tied to ingredients, control, and cost rather than easy power. rubipod.link/midnight

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 08/06/2026

In Rise of Midnight, vampires consume souls rather than blood. Strong hook. Better still, Autumn has to survive inside their society while still being seen as prey. rubipod.link/midnight #Worldbuilding #Vampires #SpeculativeFiction

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 08/06/2026

Heads up! There's a new episode of the show out, right now! Visit Richardson's Rubicon to subscribe via your favourite podcatching service. richardsonsrubicon.com/#subscribe #worldbuilding #specfic

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 03/06/2026

Disaster stories live or die on pressure: what a character wants, what the world blocks, what they’re willing to trade. That’s the focus in this chat with Ryan McGinnis. rubipod.link/terrestrial #WritingCommunity #SciFi

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 02/06/2026

Parallel narratives: cut at the wrong moment and you kill tension. Cut at the right moment and you double it. We talk structure and escalation in Terrestrial. rubipod.link/terrestrial #AmWriting #Worldbuilding

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 01/06/2026

Meteor impacts + an invasive lifeform + an ISS crisis you can’t phone home about. Ryan McGinnis on Terrestrial. rubipod.link/terrestrial #SciFi #Podcast

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 31/05/2026

Heads up! There's a new episode of the show out, right now! Visit Richardson's Rubicon to subscribe via your favourite podcatching service. richardsonsrubicon.com/#subscribe #worldbuilding #specfic

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 27/05/2026

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 21/05/2026

Shindo Dacan is a mechanic inside a warlord’s system, carrying guilt for what his machines enabled. Power isn’t abstract when you build it with your own hands. rubipod.link/sapiens #SpecFic #Worldbuilding #AmWriting

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 20/05/2026

If you write post-apocalyptic or rebuilding-era fiction: put a real price on travel. It instantly tightens tension, trade, and politics. rubipod.link/sapiens #WritingTips #SciFi #Worldbuilding

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 19/05/2026

“Logistics is plot” is the core takeaway: rough roads + scarce fuel = fewer easy escapes and more believable choices. rubipod.link/sapiens #WritingCraft #Worldbuilding

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 18/05/2026

No oil is a great constraint because it turns movement into a serious decision, not background noise. Biofuel exists, but it’s expensive and changes the shape of the world. rubipod.link/sapiens #Worldbuilding #SciFi #AmWriting

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 17/05/2026

Heads up! There's a new episode of the show out, right now! Visit Richardson's Rubicon to subscribe via your favourite podcatching service. richardsonsrubicon.com/#subscribe #worldbuilding #specfic

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 14/05/2026

If your world bans fire in the forest, ask the next question: how do people cook? Melinda Kucsera’s answer: lumir crystals. That is where worldbuilding starts to feel lived in. rubipod.link/SecrecyAndSurvival #Worldbuilding #WritingCraft #FantasyWriting

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 13/05/2026

Sarn’s eyes glow when he uses magic. Simple detail. Huge consequence. A secret is much harder to keep when your body gives you away. rubipod.link/SecrecyAndSurvival #Worldbuilding #FantasyBooks #SpeculativeFiction

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 12/05/2026

The Enchanted Forest has three rules: no fires no weapons no harm That is clean fantasy worldbuilding because every rule creates behaviour. rubipod.link/SecrecyAndSurvival #Worldbuilding #WritingCraft #FantasyWriting

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 12/05/2026

Magic is illegal. Magic is useful. That contradiction does a lot of work in Melinda Kucsera’s Curse Breaker: Enchanted. rubipod.link/SecrecyAndSurvival #Worldbuilding #FantasyBooks #SpeculativeFiction

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 12/05/2026

Heads up! There's a new episode of the show out, right now! Visit Richardson's Rubicon to subscribe via your favourite podcatching service. richardsonsrubicon.com/#subscribe #worldbuilding #specfic

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 06/05/2026

Greetings all! I'm making real progress with the interviews and the booking calendar should become open soon. If you're an author, be the first to know by either using browser notifications or join our new telegram channel. Deets here! rubipod.link/takepart

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 03/05/2026

Heads up! There's a new episode of the show out, right now! Visit Richardson's Rubicon to subscribe via your favourite podcatching service. richardsonsrubicon.com/#subscribe #amwritingscifi #amwritingfantasy

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 29/04/2026

Bookings are temporarily paused while I catch up with a backlog of authors. Reopening will be announced on the site first, then here. If you’re planning to take part, keep an eye on this & FOLLOW NOW. rubipod.link/takepart #WORLDBUILDING

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 28/04/2026

Wow, look at this! 10,000 streams & downloads! I'm stunned! Authors, there's a pause on interviews but you can be notified when the calendar reopens by visiting the site and enabling notifications, or follow me on your social media of choice. #SpeculativeFiction #amwritingscifi #amwritingfantasy

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 27/04/2026

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 25/04/2026

Mercy in a brutal world only works if the world pushes back. What’s your favourite way to make mercy feel credible, costly, or even frightening, rather than soft? Forum thread: rubipod.link/mercy #amwritingfantasy #worldbuilding #speculativefiction #writingcommunity

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 25/04/2026

Greetings all you lovely authors! Here's a little update for you about bookings. They will reopen in 41 days, yes, that's right! 41 days! Get notified when slots reopen by following this link: rubipod.link/takepart

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 19/04/2026

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 19/04/2026

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 18/04/2026

Magic systems: rules or restraint? Are the best choices driven by what characters can’t do, or what they feel they shouldn’t do? Forum question here: rubipod.link/RulesOrRestraint #amwriting #amwritingfantasy #amwritingscifi #Worldbuilding #MagicSystems

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 13/04/2026

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 11/04/2026

Forum question: If Babbage’s engine worked in an alt-Victorian world, who wins first? My bet: government, banks, big firms, state security. Everyone else gets the side-effects (incl. being easier to track). Do you follow the power or keep it as wonder-tech? rubipod.link/whogetspower

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 05/04/2026

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 05/04/2026

Happy Easter from Donito Mussolini! 🤣 In good news though, a great episode with author Tim Standish is in post, so if you subscribe quick you'll get to hear it before Tuesday! Sub here, free: richardsonsrubicon.com

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 03/04/2026

📋 Guest booking's are closed for now for the best reason possible. The queue is absolutely packed with incredible authors, and I want to give every single one of them the time they deserve. In the meantime, come hang out in the Forum, catch up on past episodes, or just lurk!

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 29/03/2026

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 28/03/2026

Forum prompt for fantasy writers: power hierarchies that bite. What makes your invented hierarchy feel believable and fresh, without just photocopying real-world systems? Join in: rubipod.link/PowerHierarchiesQuesti… #amwritingfantasy #Worldbuilding #WritingCraft #SpeculativeFiction

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 22/03/2026

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 20/03/2026

Censorship matters on the page when it changes what characters can safely do on a normal Tuesday. Forum prompt: What’s one thing people in your setting can’t say out loud, and what workaround do they use instead? rubipod.link/MultiverseQuestion #amwritingfantasy #amwritingscifi #PodMatch

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 16/03/2026

Why would oxygen levels affect magic? Aurora Winter explains how her multiverse rules change the stakes every time characters cross a portal. Episode: rubipod.link/MagicMultiverse #amwritingscifi #amwritingfantasy #amwriting #PodMatch

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 14/03/2026

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 13/03/2026

Worldbuilding question: what do you leave undefined on purpose? We’re discussing ambiguity, reader imagination, and where “mystery” turns into “vague”. Add your take: rubipod.link/AmbiguityInWorldbuildi… #SpeculativeFiction #PodMatch #amwritingfantasy #amwritingscifi

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 12/03/2026

Hey writing community! 📚 Quick update on episode releases: if you're waiting for your episode, it's coming soon! I stick to my weekly publishing schedule, and right now I've got twelve episodes in various stages of production. The stories you're all creating? They're incredible.

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 05/03/2026

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