dantheman93
Scribe
So I think this is going to come down to opinion, but I’m interested to know the sentiment on “contemporary fantasy”, specifically the world building.
I just watched a review video on Fourth Wing and one of his big gripes that he had was that it’s considered a fantasy, yet they attend a (magical) school and at said school they often have scenes in the cafeteria and are literally described using forks and metal utensils. This was his exact complaint. He was genuinely irritated and said that cafeterias shouldn’t have a place in fantasy, it just really bothered him.
And idk, buddy. That book had so many other problems
. I wouldn’t have flagged a cafeteria as one of them. For me I feel like having a cafeteria setting is fine? Like where else were they going to eat? Or I don’t think you have to reinvent every single thing. What’s wrong with forks? We don’t need to rename them dinglehoppers.
He also pointed out too modern or current language. He called out the character’s incessant use of the phrase “hot mess” and I do agree that can be egregious and lean into lazy territory. Like in theory, there wouldn’t or shouldn’t be a frame of reference for her to use that term.
But forks in a cafeteria?? Seems pretty practical to me.
I just watched a review video on Fourth Wing and one of his big gripes that he had was that it’s considered a fantasy, yet they attend a (magical) school and at said school they often have scenes in the cafeteria and are literally described using forks and metal utensils. This was his exact complaint. He was genuinely irritated and said that cafeterias shouldn’t have a place in fantasy, it just really bothered him.
And idk, buddy. That book had so many other problems
. I wouldn’t have flagged a cafeteria as one of them. For me I feel like having a cafeteria setting is fine? Like where else were they going to eat? Or I don’t think you have to reinvent every single thing. What’s wrong with forks? We don’t need to rename them dinglehoppers. He also pointed out too modern or current language. He called out the character’s incessant use of the phrase “hot mess” and I do agree that can be egregious and lean into lazy territory. Like in theory, there wouldn’t or shouldn’t be a frame of reference for her to use that term.
But forks in a cafeteria?? Seems pretty practical to me.
