#that's not to say some fics aren't novel quality btw. just that comparing this one to that is doing a disservice to the work it takes -

[samuelroukin]

"it'd come down to no more than 50k if i cut all the smut out" do you hear yourself. oh this cake would come down to no more than a bunch of frosting if i cut all the cake out of it. this house would come down to no more than a cement structure if i cut out all the bricks. this forest would come down to no more than a giant field filled with unsheltered wild animals if i cut out all the plants. this story would come down to a much smaller story if i cut out most of the story

the smut is important and even if the fic was literally just porn it would still be fucking impressive. but it isn't. and much of the plot is actually in the porn (much of the house is actually in the bricks). so. um. stop being mean to my favorite author that's what i meant by all that sorry for rambling again

LKJDHKJFG no i actually agree, maybe not all the smut is necessary but most of it is part of the plot in this fic, i mostly meant that comparing it to actual books doesn't work when the word count is porn instead of u know. world building and lore and action. like the smut isn't unimportant but if we're strictly talking story it could be severely condensed u know. actually idk if i'm making sense

like it's only long because i describe someone's boner and o-face in great detail when those things really don't serve the plot. but then again this was meant to light on plot and heavy on the porn before the worms took over

actually what i'm trying to say is i don't think you can compare fanfic lengths to novel lengths because unless you're writing an au so far removed from the source material that it's its own thing, playing with someone else's dolls doesn't feel like it has the same weight. in an original novel the author creates something from nothing, i'm just making some dudes bang lol