Aisha/Nex Story: 3 Worldbuilding Resources

It’s been more than a month since I talked about my Aisha/Nex story, so here’s an update.

My main focus over the last few months has been developing Nex and his family. After all, we don’t know as much about him in Winx Club as we know about Aisha. Here’s a taste of what I’ve come up with so far.

Nex comes from a family of five: mother, father, sister, brother, and himself. His sister is the oldest child, his brother is the middle, and he’s the youngest. As for his parents, his father recently passed away, but his mother hasn’t remarried yet. (I’ve given almost all these family members names, but I don’t have their designs nailed down yet.)

What roles will Nex’s family play in the story? You’ll have to read to find out! ?

Worldbuilding

The next step is to develop the world itself. As you know, my story won’t take place in the Winx universe. I took Aisha and Nex out of it because it’s stifling them. They’ll never reach their true potential in Winx Club, and the Winx fandom will never appreciate them in this context. My story will give the couple a chance to start over.

But that means I have to build my own world…

Oh, boy… ?

Worldbuilding can transform into a black hole from which a writer never escapes. They call it “worldbuilder’s disease” or “worldbuilder’s syndrome”, a condition where you become obsessed with planning every detail of your world. Some writers get so caught up in worldbuilding, they never write their stories.

I’ve read dozens of articles and watched dozens of videos and lectures about worldbuilding, but I still don’t know where to start. A world is so complex. There are so many elements to consider: history, climate, landscapes, flora, fauna, technology, magic (or no magic), races, species, cultures, languages, resources, countries, cities, towns, architecture, economy, classes, government…

What am I getting myself into? ?

But it’s worth it. I’m determined to tell a story Aisha and Nex deserve. No matter what anyone says, these two are a clever, well-matched couple. They just need a story that highlights why they’re compatible and what makes them unique.

Winx Club, as it is now, doesn’t have the right framework for their story. So if I have to build them their own world, so be it.

3 Resources for Worldbuilding

Fortunately, I’ve found lots of great resources for worldbuilding. Here are a few of them. Maybe these will help you with your stories.

1. World Anvil

World Anvil essentially lets you create a Wiki of your world. You can write articles about everything from characters and historical events, and you can cross-reference them with each other. Plus, you can make timelines and import maps.

How much does World Anvil cost? It’s free for the basic features, but you can buy a subscription (a.k.a. “guild membership”) to unlock the advanced tools.

2. Wonderdraft

Wonderdraft is the best map-making program I’ve seen. Granted, I haven’t used it yet. ? (I’ve bought it, but I’m waiting until I get a better computer before I download it.) But I’ve watched some videos, and Wonderdraft looks extremely powerful. Here’s the first video in a tutorial series made by the D&D Breakfast Club.

Price warning: Wonderdraft is $29.99.

3. Artiflexian

Artiflexian is a YouTuber whose channel is all about worldbuilding. He goes into detail about how to create languages, how to draw realistic maps, how to decide the flow of time in your world (and make a calendar for it), and more.

Final Thoughts

Obviously, I don’t wanna share everything about my Aisha/Nex story because I don’t wanna spoil it. But I’ll try to update you more often. I hope you’ll enjoy it!