Kudos’ing A Fic Is Not Enough I Have To Take The Author Out On A Date

every day I wake up and it’s fucking january

Me while writing: oh hell yes this is such a good sentence I'm the master of poetic imagery

The writing when I go back to edit:

i find the “would harrow drink black coffee” discourse fascinating because by all accounts she would not. she would not drink coffee at all. she canonically only drinks water by choice. when forced to drink anything else her senses get so overwhelmed it’s nearly painful. she’s given the sad ninth equivalent of lemonade (sugar-water with a drop of preserved lemon) and it’s described as being both too lemony and too sweet for her. the specific words used are “half pleasure, half pain” and “almost hurt[ing] her teeth.” what makes you think she’d be able to handle anything stronger than a glass of room-temperature water or perhaps, on fancy days, a glass of skim milk

listen, fuck "to each their own", sometimes your mutual gets into some batshit insane rarepair that they're a little embarrassed about and it becomes your sworn duty to put on your jester bells and jingle jangle proudly by their side for moral support. don't be a pussy. it's ride or die motherfucker

“is this character good or bad” “is this ship unproblematic or not” “is this arc deserving of redemption or not” girl…

EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP SCIENTISTS AT THE SCHMIDT OCEAN INSTITUTE HAVE FOOTAGE OF A LIVE COLOSSAL SQUID FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

🦑‼️🦑‼️🦑‼️🦑‼️🦑‼️🦑

Continuing on from here my personal take on writing romance is there are three essential components: care/affection, profound mutual understanding and intense mutual admiration.

If you have all three you have the bones for something not just functional but aspirational. If you have the first and second but not the third, you have something that may be more of a deep, strong friendship but I can understand and appreciate the romantic overtones. If you have the second and third but not the first that's classic archenemy-shipping. If you have the first and third but are struggling on the second you have the bones of a painful tragedy. If you only have one, then what you have is probably not a romance, and my real quarrel is with people who think you only need the first.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries

By Heather Fawcett

Genre: Fantasy

Tl;Dr: 5/5

Synopsis: An epistolary story about a professor who travels to an isolated mountain town to study the Fae for her encyclopedia, but she learns about love, friendship, and community along the way

CW: Mild violence

Review: (Minor Spoilers)

5 Star TL;DR: believable and charming characters, a grumpy yet completely endearing MC, and a strong use of the journal format.

I found this book so immersive and charming. Scientific discovery as an ongoing narrative theme was relatable (as a scientist) and stayed relevant throughout without being grating. The other themes of coming to trust and rely on others and the importance of community, grew in intensity over the story. In that way, we were able to watch Emily’s heart soften and the world open up to embrace her. This is a slow paced fantasy, so we mainly get to watch Emily coming around to the idea of making friends and building meaningful relationships, alongside the magical action.

Emily was complicated and nuanced in such a beautiful and honest way. Although it is not confirmed by the author, Emily reads as autistic. I’m not autistic, so I can only speak from my outside perspective, but it felt real and not heavy handed (please let me know if I am way off here!). Because Emily was so realized, I found it easy to relate to her and root for her.

The Fae mythos was well thought out and integrated into the story. I don’t have a background in the Fae, so maybe I missed a few inaccuracies (ie. me not realizing that changelings are often used as a harmful allegory for transness, oof). However, as a package, the light magic system and fae mythos were compelling and fun to read about.

The romance was a big hit! Wendell and Emily are complete opposites, yet they function as perfect complements to each other. I love the level of tenderness that Wendell expresses for her and the resolute and pragmatic honesty that Emily brings in return. I was kicking my feet in delight. But remember, dear reader, I am a silly little goose.

Overall, I would recommend this to everyone, but especially people who like the Fae, light fantasy, or sweet romances.

Do y'all ever read a fic so good that it makes you want to elevate your own craft and also befriend the writer? It's almost like, "Hi! You write so well that you've inspired me to embark on a creative training arc. Also, can I yell about the character in your dms because you get it?"