This isn’t strictly fantasy but it’s definitely writing related.

I am currently watching After the Hunt. Julia Roberts movie came out in 2025. like, literally, it’s on pause.

i will likely do a partial rewatch to see if I can pick a few missing pieces that might change my opinion.

NOW- first of all.. and this came to me a little over the halfway mark. she gets called out for misconduct (unrelated to main plot).. which jeopardizes her tenure.

OK- she’s been there HOW LONG? because tenure commonly occurs within 5-7 years and im pretty damn sure she is not being portrayed as a newer hire.

ALSO – there is some weird very brief staff meeting called, just prior to this incident.. WHO THE HELL ARE THE PEOPLE IN THIS MEETING? I can assure you there are NOT that many philosophy professors in ANY university– not even at YALE! There is a 2 second meeting about allegations being brought against a professor (I’m not sure if this is her or the male colleague– hence the rewatch)..

BUT this makes ZERO SENSE at all! And I don’t think (i can’t say because I’ve never been a full-time tenure-tracked professor) that this is how her own allegations would be handled. Most LIKELY- it would be in a one-on-one with the dept chair. ie head of the dept in his office.

IT’S NOT HARD TO QUICK GOOGLE for authenticity. it took me 15 seconds to ask– how long does it take to achieve tenure? and I added– why is tenure important.. just because I was curious.

AS WRITERS– WE OWE THIS TO OUR READERS/WATCHERS.. I get that there may (or may not?) be an important message in this story. But that message gets lost when we do NOT PERFORM DUE DILIGENCE take creative liberties that sacrifice any semblance of integrity (I’m not sure that’s the word/phrasing I want).. ie- this story could be just as powerful… keeping those elements in the forefront. Maybe the producers thought it was more “showy” that way… or maybe they had no fking idea how shit works in a university… I don’t know.

But I do know an intern can fact check and notate things long before a story is too committed to be changed. and I spend countless hours down the google rabbit hole.

How far can a group travel on horseback in a day?
What if the roads are bad?
What are some ways ancient culture denoted a woman’s status (cultural, social, economic, marital)…
What kind of magic power gives a mage the ability to create portals?

the list is long and eclectic. but we owe it to our readers to offer them our best version of authenticity. (word?)

so that’s my pet peeve of the day:)