#this is a real job but i mean full time maybe with benefits etc

[iocheaira]

i really should apply to this paralegal job bc it seems pretty interesting, is salaried (!), and just to get practice applying for jobs since i would like to be in a Real Job within a year or so

[deadhands69]

Something More [than each other]

Katsuki Bakugo x gn reader

MDNI

Setting: fuckboy!Bakugo, mid-time skip, Senior Year of College. Reader did not attend UA high, just joined for university. Enemies to lovers (with a lot in between.)

Warnings, etc: smut, angst!!!, light violence/injuries, drinking/intoxication, vomiting, swearing.

[sorry, you’re a mess in this one - i'll make it up in the next one, i promise!]

part 1  -  part 2  -  part 3  -  part 4 -  part 5  -  part 6  -  this is part 7 - part 8

“[y/n]”

“[y/n]”

“[y/n]”

Your name in his voice haunted your dreams and followed you through the day well after you’d woken-up. Such a small thing to mean so much. Maybe you’re overthinking it, you have to be. People say things they don't mean to during sex all the time.��Especially when they've had a bit to drink.

It's not like that though, this is different.

Katsuki Bakugo had never used your real name before, opting to call you ‘Backfire’ based on your quirk or some other rude nickname he came up with on the spot. If he hadn't added it to the top of a project the two of you submitted together, you could have assumed he didn't even know your full name. Even after sleeping with him for a month you still weren’t on a first name basis.

That is, until last night.

The memory is etched into your mind. Living rent free, playing on repeat.

“[y/n],” he moaned in your ear moments before whimpering into your neck as he finished. His face lingered on your shoulder, soft lips grazing your skin while he panted to catch his breath. Typically, he moved quickly. One of you being out the door of the other's room within five minutes. Last night he took his time, arms wrapped around you even after you'd both recovered. Eventually, he kissed the back of your neck, cleaned himself up a bit, and left - forgetting his hoodie on your bed.

(Like someone who is normal and totally not obsessed,) you've picked apart every detail of the night for signs of meaning. It all comes back to your name. Over and over and over again.

Nothing else exists. 

Of course, you want to ask someone for advice but you haven't told anyone yet. When you tried to, it felt too personal. Also, with your friends reminiscing about their cute dates it felt weird asking them to decipher the significance of your friend with benefit’s moans. A friend they'd known since high school. Too awkward. 

You couldn't even talk to Bakugo for a reaction, because he left this morning. His part time side-kick job requires him to travel sometimes. He'll be in another country the whole week and you don't think he even has cell service. It's just you now. You, here alone in your room with his voice stuck in your head. 

You want to text him every time you're thinking of him, but don't want him to be overwhelmed when his flight lands and the messages come flooding in. 

This is a totally normal way to feel about a friend you tell yourself while laying face down, clutching his sweatshirt in the bed he fucked you in last night. 

A week later, and you still can't get him out of your head. Your closest friends have been keeping an eye on you more than usual, although they don't know the whole story. Being the only people (as far as you know) who know about your "situation" with him, they both assume you're distant this week because of his absence.

If only they knew.

In any case, Jiro and Mina are heading to a party tonight and you decide to tag along. It'll be good to get out for a bit. Quickly throwing on something cute, you don't make too much of an effort because Bakugo only just returned so he's likely jet lagged and going to bed early. You saw him out your window a bit earlier, looking tired and pretty roughed up. Tomorrow you'll reach out. For now, let him rest for the night. He needs it.

In the lobby, you meet up with your friends before leaving. Kiri texted Mina that Bakugo would be there as well. Your heart jumps more than you'd like to admit at that. The three of you almost wait for them but Kaminari wants to make a beer stop on the way so you agree you'll see them all there shortly. Everyone seems to be preparing to go harder than most nights.

There will be no crazy partying for you though.

Professor Aizawa was nice enough to offer to train with you in the morning, making space in his busy schedule. You’ve been struggling with expanding the reach of your quirk and mentioned it to him in passing. Much to your surprise, he’d offered to help. In spite of what Katsuki Bakugo believes, you absolutely do not have a crush on your teacher but he’s been your favorite hero since you were a little kid and you can’t pass the opportunity.

Speaking of Bakugo, you see Sero and Kaminari. Where is he?

This house is massive. You begin wandering around the party in search of a tall blonde, he should stand out. The living room is dimly lit but you finally spot his messy hair. And he's-

Suddenly, you wish you hadn't seen him. In a dark corner, he's letting himself be pressed into the wall by a random girl you'd never seen before. His hand on her shoulder, staring down into her eyes making that awful lovesick face.

Fuck.  

Being stabbed in the heart might have felt better. You stumble out the door of the house, the contents of your stomach begging to escape. A quick visit to the bushes gains the attention of a very worried Jiro, but you're determined to get out of there. You can explain it to her later (considering how hesitant she still is of your situation, she'll completely understand.)

Carelessly, you slam straight into Shinso. His purple gaze looking you over to make sure you’re okay. There’s some unspoken communication between him and your friend before he decides to get you home safely. You know you’re completely sober but by the way you’re behaving, eyes glazed over and stumbling, no one else does. Nor would they believe it if you pressed the issue. You don’t fuss about it, simply following him on autopilot.

You’re not here though, your brain is a million miles away being forcefully wrenched from some universe where you and Bakugo had any chance together.

He’s not yours, you know that.

He’s not anyone’s. He doesn’t do that sort of thing.

You know it was just physical. Just for fun.

You know it shouldn’t be a big deal.

You know. 

You know. 

You know.

Then why does this hurt so bad?

Shinso grabs your wrist, helping you narrowly avoid tripping over a curb. Still, you can’t be bothered to pay attention to your surroundings.

Your heart hurts. You just want to be home in bed, but even that doesn't sound comfortable. Nothing and nowhere will make you feel better. And what's worse, you let this happen. You shouldn't have spent the last week daydreaming about someone you should have known doesn't care about you like that.

You told him you wanted more fun in your life and, feeling guilty, he gave you that. What was it he said at the beginning of the term, that you needed to get laid but no one pitied you enough to? Then he had reason to feel bad and proceeded to sleep with you. Maybe you should have listened to him when he told you who he was. Let's face it: you chose the wrong person to care for.

The boy with his hand around your arm is so fucking nice, why can’t you just like him?

Or anyone else? Or better yet, no one?

Before you know it, you’re sobbing. Concern creeps over the violet haired boy’s face, having been prepared to keep you safe physically, not knowing to expect this. He brings his face level with yours and asks if you’re okay. You don’t respond.

Because you’re not okay. 

You want your life to go back to when you were happy just being alone. Before you knew what it was like to be close to Katsuki Bakugo. Before you let him get too close.

[sorry this one is so short! it made the most sense to end this part here. i won't leave you hanging too long though - part 8 will be up very soon. it's the final part, switching between Bakugo’s perspective and yours]

part 8 m.list

Taglist: @anonymity-222 @k1tk4tkatsuki @arsonfrogger @dragonscribble @kalulakunundrum

@screaming-dough @rikislove @gold24fish @ita606 @arc6021

@pikachuzhc @jeanbabygirl @nemisimp

[dawnbreakerluna]

i was inspired by many creators talking about this but here are some of my formal criticisms of l&ds because no matter how much i love this game and find it near-perfect, there are still flaws!

zayne's english voice lines. while it didn't bother me on the level that it did most in the past, i do think infold could do a great service of rerecording the interaction lines. they finally found the right footing for his tone and how to capture his character with the later affinity content and the recent events / main story chapter. please! i beg! (i'm already aware the localization isn't top tier but i feel this is a somewhat doable fix, though tedious.)

the timing of banners. in this economy? insane. also i'm gonna be real, i'm unemployed right now (it was an unfortunate circumstance) and my means of finding a proper job is honestly difficult with my full load of classes. it's hard being a f2p player especially when the rewards for grinding isn't as hefty as i'd like it to be. i think it's decent for what it is right now, but it could be better. also... they need to space this shit out. LMAO. i've played my fair share of gacha and otome games, yes, but with how fast-paced the updates for this game is, infold could at least offer some more in-game benefits or rewards. (ex. giving out free 10 pulls... if you're going to do a quad banner, i wouldn't mind 40 free pulls as i could just grind the rest during the duration of that event.)

increasing rewards for daily tasks/challenges/etc. because what am i gonna do with 30-50 gens per card upgrade, and so on and so forth. i also would like a new update to the abyssal chaos deductions. maybe upgrade the rewards cap since so many of us (i assume) have already maxed it out. unfortunately as a girlie who fucking loves hack and slash games, abyssal chaos is my favorite game mode and it doesn't stress me out. (a bitch is STRUGGLING with her protocore levels right now.)

infold's stance on lgbtq+ fan content. i already wrote a post here somewhat related to this. while i'm talking fans specifically, infold's stance is what i feel significantly influences the homophobic behavior. yes, we know it's an otome game. yes, we know what otome means. but i just call it what it is and i think the love interests are not confined to strict heterosexuality and the norms of it.

the characterization and treatment of the LIs. i'll be honest one of the huge turn offs for me for rafayel is the way the mc's responses are programmed towards him. while i don't mind banter in the way that it's done for zayne/sylus, i don't like how snarky it is on the player's end for rafayel. also, i know i'm a pervert on the main but i do think infold could chill a bit on the hypersexualization in certain instances (sylus). because there's no way you're gonna give me 50% and then not fulfill the rest. this is the worst kind of foreplay.

i've seen a few instances of people from cn explaining that there's setbacks due to cultural norms, etc. that would prevent something like a card with fully explicit sex being made. that's why there's only sexually implicit content. (if anyone could provide context on this or confirm, do add!) ((yes, i've seen the car sex card from mqlc... need that with zayne actually.))

every day i'm thankful for the misty invasions event, but i still have hope for more. i guess what i'm trying to say is that infold is already on a good run with making this game as to appeal to a more mature audience, yet... THERE COULD BE MORE. idk.

[theworldoffostering]

You guys, I feel like I’m drowning. These past three weeks have felt unmanageable to me. Like, I don’t know how to keep going.

I’m walking alongside (trying the best I know how) the older girls as one navigates this break up and the other tries to transition to college. We got DD a car, but it still needs a few repairs. She was here all afternoon today working on it with DH.

I am waiting for the updated version of Ms. 6’s IEP to hit my inbox to send it off to the school. I am also working on her housing contract. Then I think I can step back for a few weeks. Still trying to figure out what’s going on with graduation. Her mom is back to letting her go to it and maybe allow her to stay for dinner, but it’s Memorial Day weekend and I don’t want to put a deposit down for a dinner somewhere only to have her not be allowed to attend at the last minute. I also don’t want to disappoint her. I’m unsure of how to proceed, so I’m just sort of frozen.

DS takes his civics test next week. You have to pass in order to graduate high school. He has prepared and seems like he will do well. He’s also pole vaulting and doing well at that for being a novice and having very little practice time due to the crummy weather we’ve been having.

Work is a lot right now. It’s to be expected due to the time of year. I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s a lot to slog through.

DH was verbally offered a job this week as a special education teacher. He is supposed to return to school to get his teaching certification in about a week, and is waiting for a letter of intent via email from the potential employer. It’s a lot. We are trying to manage the financial aid piece and we are up against a super tight deadline right now. His interview for the job was virtual, so he’s heading to the school next week to actually tour it and meet his potential coworkers. In the spirit of living in a small town, one of the women he used to live who was in live with him (for real)—the housing situation was work related—works at the school. She has legit not spoken to myself or DH since he and I got engaged so that seems like it will be super awkward (although she is also married now and has kids).

DH is finally seeing a decent therapist and between the therapist and neuropsych eval he had done during fall, it is apparent he is super depressed. Depressed is apparently his baseline and super depressed happens quite a bit. It is helpful to have it identified, but wow, it is a lot to live with. I am really struggling as his wife because he cannot do much and is not really emotionally available 90% of the time. He’s so inwardly focused, that he cannot focus on me, the kids, relationships, stuff that needs to be done, etc. I’m drowning and he cannot take on any of the workload. It sucks.

My endocrin had me take b12 supplements the last three months and my level actually decreased. I’m starting up with b12 injections next week. My TSH is also super, super low which means I’m hyperhyroid and should be losing weight, but I’m gaining which also sucks.

My endocrin is out of network for me which means my injections will be out of network. I have ZERO out of network benefits. The whole healthcare system is atrocious. I refuse to go back to the three endocrins I saw before I connected with my current one. They were all terrible, but in network. I need a super expensive full body scan but I for sure cannot pay for that out of pocket, so I’m waiting to see if my GP will prescribe it when I see him in June.

My crown also broke this week and when the dentist looked at it, I had worn a hole clear through the middle. He said it was due to grinding/stress. I wear a mouth guard religiously at night, so it’s happening during the day. :-/ Cue more medical bills. They glued my current one back on and can’t get me in to work on repair until June. I almost cried when trying to schedule with them because I just cannot even do all of this any more. (It also hurt wicked bad last time they fixed it so I’m somewhat terrified to return.)

That’s my list of complaints/brain dump. There’s more, but I need to wrap up some grading and get dinner going. I miss a life that was easier and less complicated.

[carrymelikeimcute]

Stop Stealing from Authors

As an author, please please PLEASE do not download 'free' ebooks or listen to 'free audiobooks' on YouTube etc.

Books take work to research and write, and author advances are already incredibly low, without us having to PAY THEM BACK to the publisher because the book isn't earning enough. Authors are already earning far far below the minimum wage per hour of work we put in.

Many ebooks are incredibly cheap already and have regular price drops down to 99p/$0.99, and are FREE using a library app.

Audiobooks likewise can be accessed digitally for FREE via the library.

Authors in countries like my own receive a small amount of money when you access our content via the library. Money which means we can keep writing books. Using the library also gives them visitor numbers and incentivises funding, preventing library closures.

Funding piracy makes the already very hard job of writing as a career even harder and endangers library resources.

'Well then maybe you should get a real job' I have a job, and that job is being an author. It is very entitled to tell authors that we need to essentially have a full time job AND still produce content for you to enjoy for free, at a speed/quality which makes writing also a fulltime job.

As a fulltime author I wrote 3 novels last year, each with 4-5 rounds of edits at different stages in the process. I also edited the two books I wrote the previous year during that time. Hundreds of hours of work. And I have since seen piracy websites making money off of that work.

Saying that piracy 'expands the reach of our books' is as insulting as being 'paid in exposure'. If you want something that someone made, you have to pay them for it. It is not doing someone a favour, to steal from them. And let's be real - how many people are you telling about each book you steal? Are you recommending the piracy site to others in the same breath? Are you just rating on goodreads and counting that as 'payment' for what you stole?

If you want to get a free book and 'expand the reach' - sign up to Netgalley and get free books in exchange for posting reviews.

'But then I can't read all the books I want to read' - Why should you get everything you want? Genuine question. I don't have all the make-up I want, or all the decor I want, but I'm not shoving stuff in my pockets because it's not fair that I don't get to have everything my magpie brain desires. You don't have enough time in your life to read every book anyway. You have to choose.

I bet you also have more than one unread book in your possession, right now. Probably a TBR pile. Why do you need another one for free, when you have books to read? And if you don't want to read those books, you can access every book, via the library.

Authors would even prefer that you buy our books second hand, because at least that 1. is good for the environment as it keeps books out of landfill and 2. benefits charity if you purchase for a charity bookshop/ doesn't benefit pirates. And 3. unlike a stolen ebook, you can donate it again and it will be visible on a shop shelf, attracting new readers.

'You should write because you love it, not for money' I do write because I love it, that's why I spent years learning my craft and working to get published. So I could do this as a job. I even write fanfic on the side as a hobby, and that is VERY different to writing publishable novels for my editor - I get to do all the fun stuff with none of the WORK that my writing job requires.

I don't love being told what setting/theme is 'hot right now' and needs to be in my next novel. Or re-reading my book for the 15th time to look for typos, or spending 4-5 hours every morning writing to meet a crunch deadline and the rest of the day brainstorming the new idea which is due in a week, answering emails and editing. It's my job, not a hobby, and it's not all fun, all the time. No one page edits for the LOVE of it.

'If buying isn't owning, then piracy isn't stealing' - Unlike films/tv, books are still available as physical media you can own forever. They're also less likely to vanish from your ereader because they aren't licenced like a tv show.

'I don't want to support a horrible person but I still want the book' - so...you agree that pirating does nothing for the author? Good. Because that 'spreading awareness stuff' we already covered, is bullshit. But if they're so terrible...why do you want to read something that was invented in their brain, and is likely full of their terrible values/dog whistles? Why not find new authors to support instead of hate reading/continuing to absorb content from people you fundamentally dislike?

Lastly, the argument I routinely see is that 'it's just the same as lending a copy to a friend'. It is not. Firstly because you're putting money into the pockets of those who stole our work, via ad-rev on their sites, whereas lending a book to a friend doesn't result in you making money off of someone else's work. But also, lending the book to ONE person is not the same as making it available to EVERYONE. I just filed a copyright takedown on one of my new books which already had 200+ hits. Unless you plan to lend a physical book to 200+ people, you will not do that same amount of damage as piracy.

[frostbounddevotion]

My personal written Eulogy to Gojo and my VERY BRIEF take on the final chapter: and what I hope to share with Gojo fans.

Im grieving, and I'm upset. Theories about Gojo and the analogies, etc, make me almost mad. A possible reality i DO NOT want to think about. The more I read, the more im like

*Gege's writing needs work. Maybe a novel series on his own own time? Maybe he can "fix" it when his health is better and the pressure doesn't break him down?*

This is all so depressing. The disappointment is insurmountable. Gojo was used and abused in canon, some would even argue irl by Gege to promote the series. The fact that Gojo wasn't recognized or formally acknowledged is hard for the fans, really hard (and Gojo isn't my #1 bias/fav so please don't say it only affects Gojo stans), and it gives an air of vunerable feelings and unprocessed emotions. What makes me more upset is the very last panel. It seems like the entire journey was a waste.

Many will defend the ending, and many more will ciriticise it, but I can still acknowledge and respect why it ended the way it did while still being upset. Neither experience lives in a vacuum.

In my own little way, I'm going to mourn and commemorate Gojo's passing. Stories, fictional or not, still provide very real and (parasocial) experiences. So here we go:

Gojo was a flawed character. Very much like people in real life. We tend to romanticize the dead, overlooking our flaws. When I remember a loved one who's passed, I start with their flaws.

Gojo was an annoying, inconsiderate character who sometimes was cold and callous to other's experiences/feelings. He's a big fat inconvenience at times and generally makes others feel unimportant or small. Much hubris lies within him.

However, he had lead a very hard and selfless life from beggining to the end. From his first heartbeat to his last breath. And that should be considered when addressing his behavior. He was seen for what he can do, not for what he loved and enjoyed. His identity outside the 6 eyes and infinity was secondary. His worth in the jujutsu world came not from the relationships he could have formed, but the strength in his abilities. This experience isn't unique in the jujutsu world, as many other sorcerers walked away and tried to start their own life. But when this world and role becomes your identity and reason for your existence, it becomes even harder to escape.

I think many of us can relate to that. The burdens of our own thoughts and opinions of others can gravely impact our identity. Our beliefs, values, and sense of self worth affects the way we interact with the world around us.

Despite being used, propped up for others benefit, and his body being used as a means for an end WITHOUT even a thank you, recognition, or appreciation for the person behind it is foul. From fighting the school to protect his students,To making his life purpose for children to ENJOY their youth (and breaking cycles), to 14-21 hours of sleep a week being his life without complaint, just to be blamed of all that is wrong in jujutsu's way of life but still getting every job done, and his only semblance of an understanding relationshionship being ripped away by the world that gives you meaning.... geeze.... and this man still chooses to smile. To live everyday with that much goofy adhd energy without taking his resentment out of someone or something (*unlikegetocough*) takes STRENGTH and RESILIENCE. It takes GRACE. It takes SELFESS SACRIFICE.

These feelings are something I struggle with everyday. Gojo became a singlr parental figure to a 6 yr old boy as a teen. He took it in stride. My little boy is the same age now. My little one (FJO) is.... on the spectrum and has a cocktail disorders that make living in this world hard. He's angry. He is defiant. He is full of love and potential. Being a parent to FJO is isolating, immensely difficult, rarely rewarding, and time consuming especially in a world who doesn't respect or bother to understand him. And I have schools afraid of me because I held them accountable for not doing their job.

Parenting is complicated. You end up losing your identity, freedom, and sense of self when you do it alone with no resources. And that's for healthy parents with neurotyical children. Add the fact that the parent I were raised for being "amazing, smart, and worthwhile as long as you meet these standards that we set in place to satisfy us and thats all you're good for" to then you feel like you were robbed of your life. That you were emotionally abused by those who were supposed to love and care for you and your youth robbed for the benefit of your guardians. Only for your life to change and be robbed of your sense of self once again. My body (i am born female) is a vessel for others, my career is for the approval of others, my time and energy with about 4 hrs of asleep if given to other's, my money and savings is spent on others. I don't want my child or others to feel the way I felt when i was little, but it's hard when you remain unhealed. I was chronically bitter.

Im not saying gojo and I the same. But as someone with no blood family and role models, what i take away from Gojo is to that it's OK to have flaws, confidence, and sacrifice. Because to someone else, I am or may be their everything. In their little world, I am Gojo to them. The one who's doing it all. And for their sake, I should be smiling. I should never let FJO see how much I'm suffering (no worries I'm in therapy. I'm getting the help I need). I want to be better for him. I want to be the best version of myself I can be. It's ok that this part of my life is thankless. It's not about reward or recognition or what others placed on me. Sometimes it's just THIS WAY, and if I am to do this, I should do it well.

I will honor Gojo in the way I parent. In the way I carry myself. In the way I interact with others around me. I will protect like the vulnerable under my care like he did. Sacrifice like he did. Expect nothing like he did (in the best way possible). Do my best to break generational cycles like he did.

Gee. One more thing about his ending. The way everyone just moved on without acknowledging Gojo's body or person and almost forgotten... brought memories of my safety net; my Grandmother. Whom died and had a funeral, and i video chatted once before she was gone. I never properly finished grieving her. I never got a chance to attend her funeral. Never was able to visit her burial. (I live across the country). I cried for 2 days and moved on because losing her was too hard to process, and i had other things to do. I felt like I disrespected her, and the manga resurfaced these feelings. I was able to be self-aware enough that I saw my grandmother in how Gojo's ending was all handled. I was now able to process that.

I had no role models. All I had was anime, fiction, and some school teachers. I'm grateful for Gojo's character. May i use these stories to become a better person. A better *me*. The JJK experience was fun. :) let's see what happens in the anime community from here.

Thanks for reading,

Alex

[declawedwildcat]

least favorite video games or your hot takes on games??

Now that's a question... least favorite is a bit difficult since if I don't enjoy a game I simply stop playing it, so ones I suspect I won't like I've simply never played and thus don't have a valid opinion on.

It's not a bad game but I will say The First Tree I found very disappointing; I thought it looked interesting, caught it on a sale for $2, and still would've refunded it if I hadn't been just over the play time limit 😔 In general I don't really like most FPS games, especially the gritty/"realistic" war shooters, but even those can have redeeming bits if the story or characters are okay. I will say though, I fucking hate Baldi's Basics. On rare occasion I'll see like a toy of it in a random target or walmart and just be filled with unjustifiable rage

As for "hot takes", I feel like most of mine are lukewarm at best, but:

No game is worth $70 per copy. There's really nothing worth $60 a pop. If you wanna spend that on DLC and in-game purchases that's your prerogative, but nothing above maybe $30 at most has ever felt worth it

You can bet that ↑ that raise in prices is not going back into the pockets of the vast number of people that it takes to produce a AAA title, because conglomerate companies will treat anyone as disposable means to shareholder profit. My new spot on a not well known free-to-play pays the most I've ever made, full time with extremely nice benefits, compared to the household-name franchise that had me on contract work at minimum wage with the only "benefit" being free lunches. That particular place has gotten a bit better and I thankfully dodged the worst of it, but anyone who's seen the game industry layoffs over 2024 can tell you that more expensive games are not making better working conditions or job stability

Stop fucking treating small indie teams like they are a AAA company with PR teams and some mythical widespread influence. If I have to see one more visual novel get torn to shreds because of something like a queer character wearing fucking outfit you didn't like, I am mauling you to death with my claws. If your reaction to some wholesome game made by 1-5 people making a small misstep is to raise hell and make sure they will never get to make another project, but things like blatant and purposeful hate speech in a mainstream title is to shrug your shoulders and play it anyway because pirating means they don't get my money anyway, boycotts do nothing, etc. you should take a good long look at who your actions are actually benefiting. I can guarantee whatever social harm you think is going to come from a game that most people have never heard of is not real and harassing creators and fans about it will only make things miserable for everyone involved

[inklingofadream]

Probably very long ramble about age, job experience, etc for the OG Archives gang (teen jon au ppl get tentatively excited)

Martin's birth year is pretty solidly 1987, because when he says he's 29 we have a semi-solid date for that; Jon is roughly the same, because he claims to be turning 38 in the birthday tape, in 2015 or '16, adding 10 to either his new or former age (as Sasha died in July 2016, but we don't know when exactly Jon's birthday is [unless you are a Jonny Sims just gave Jon his own birthday and never changed it as Jon became a v separate character, in which case Jon's birthday would be November 3, 1988]). Assuming a Bachelor's degree and on-time graduation, he would have graduated in 2009. He started at the Institute in 2011, and may or may not have had an office job in the two years in between. Or maybe he graduated late to make my life easier!

Martin left school to work full-time when he was 17, eventually landing his job at the Institute. Given that the search took long enough for him to decide he wouldn't be able to get the kind of money he needed on the back of his real CV, I would guess that he had some prior work experience, part-time stuff possibly dating back to before he quit school and similar stuff in between dropping out and getting hired at the Institute. He was working at the Institute in 2009, when he would have been 22, meaning a maximum of 9 years of other work experience. Realistically, I don't know that his mother's health was pressing enough for him to have started working at 13, but 15, when there would be fewer restrictions (and also because very few 13 year olds can pass for older, at least consistently). He had to get desperate enough to work up to lies as big as a master's in parapsychology (I'd assume he tried to pass with a Bachelor's of whatever first? Or maybe he was just tailoring his fake credentials to the posting's minimum requirements). Regardless, my assumption would be that he had a couple years of experience in customer service roles of various description.

Tim has a Bachelor's degree and was in publishing in 5 years before Danny died. Assuming 4 years to finish his degree (and he graduated with the highest honors possible, thank you Wikipedia page about UK degree classification) and the publishing job being his first job after graduation, he would be 31 in 2013, for a birth year of 1982, five or six years older than Jon and Martin and the only one of the four we know for certain has experience with a non-Institute office job.

Sasha is an information void (😭). She worked in Artefact Storage for 3 months, spent an unknown amount of time in Research, and transferred to the Archives with Jon. My inclination is to put her a bit older than Jon and Martin, but not more than a few years older than Tim. Call it 30 to 35 at the start of the show. We can guess at prior experience based on her behavior, but I don't know that that's a great indicator. Publishing is a pretty tough industry, and Tim was still the driving force of the wine in the middle of the workday, with both his bosses thing at the birthday party. I think even before things go bad the Institute is just on the casual side of things. For my purposes, I'm considering the Institute Sasha's primary professional experience.

By which I mean, someone else should benefit from the hour and a half I spent researching this unanswerable question

[witch-without-gender]

Sorry I have so many thoughts right now and I just had another one that I want to talk about so I’m going to.

Also tw I’m going to talk about some personal issues and it ties into capitalism and ableism

Also tw some discussion of s*icide

I understand the sentiment behind saying “hey, it’s ok to not be successful by age 25. You have so much time to live your life and do what you want!” And that’s a lovely sentiment and all but it doesn’t apply to me. I’m going to be 26 next year which means I’m going to lose my dad’s insurance. It’s not the best insurance in the world, but it does mean that instead of paying thousands out of pocket every time I have a medically necessary anything, I’m instead paying like, a grand max. Which is still a lot, but hey at least I’m not paying the 10000 it would cost me otherwise. I also currently have a job that I like quite a bit, but it pays just a bit above minimum wage, can’t give me full time or any upward mobility, and has zero benefits. Getting a job that pays well and has benefits just doesn’t seems to be anywhere in the cards for me anytime soon either. So when I inevitably turn the dreaded age of 26, I am going to be in a predicament. The absolute worst case scenario that is also a real possibility, is me being unable to afford my very necessary antidepressants and relapsing and, well you can guess from there.

I understand that the point of the sentiment of “you don’t have to be successful right away, plenty of people aren’t successful until they’re in their 40s, 50s, and up” is to help people understand that not being successful right out of college is no failing on their part, but maybe just to me, it feels like people are telling me it’s ok to not have job security and insurance and that I’ll get those things eventually in life. That’s not going to work out for me if I die because I’m unable to pay for medically necessary medications, treatments, etc, then I won’t even get the chance to be successful because our capitalist system doesn’t care if you’re struggling due to health issues and/or disabilities. If you’re unwell, better pay up or continue to suffer. And if you can’t? Well survival of the fittest.

I know the intent behind the sentiment is good, I just personally don’t like it and need to vent my thoughts and frustrations about it. Also not looking for advice, I have options for what I can do in the future, there just is an unlikely, but still very real possibility of me losing my SSRIs and becoming suicidal again and I’m just so pissed off about it

[lead-gen-marketing-experts]

Your Questions Answered – Your Concerns Addressed

I was swapping emails yesterday and today (I had also spoken with him on the phone) with a new restoration client prospect and he asked some great questions before signing up for a lead gen program...

So I figure I would copy/paste the conversation here so everyone else can benefit as well on multiple levels...

1- On a practical level as we go back and forth about specifics on what we define as a lead so it's crystal clear, pricing and billing structures, call tracking dashboard capabilities, etc.

2- On more of a personal level which should alleviate any concerns of working with a new marketing company. There is a ton of rapport and trust built here as questions are answered and concerns are assuaged.

I really think this showcases my personal and professional code of ethics that I conduct myself by.

------------------------

Hey Justin,

A couple of questions: 1. Disputes: what if there is water damage but the caller insists on having a plumber out first? There is no charge for reconstruction leads correct (we get those calls every once a while...)?

My Response:

If a lead ends up having a plumber out, and they sort out the issue in full and get paid for it, I won't bill you for that lead.

As far as disputes and invalid leads etc...I truly hate the "legalese" of contracts, it's just a formality of doing business. In real world talk here, you don't have to worry about invalid leads as there won't be any.

I, or a staff member, review all call recordings before sending the weekly report for billing so that I already know they're valid and so I know what to charge.

They are always:

1- Within your specified service area. Calls are very targeted location wise. 2- Only for the specific services that you offer (water/mold, bio/no bio, etc depending on what you check on the contract). This one's easy with a simple IVR we have that filters and sorts all that in real time before the call goes thru.

If anything weird still slips through, just lmk, I'll go back over the call recording to make adjustments, and take it off the final invoice w/o argument.

2. Is our $1500 shown on our dashboard as credit? If for some reason we decide to terminate the agreement before we use all of it, would we get it back?

My Response: If you don't like the calls I send you I'll refund your purchase in full, no questions asked.

Plus, both Google Pay and Paypal will immediately side with the buyer and refund your money immediately if a dispute is filed.

I get a lot of guys that are/were using *Edited so I don't get sued but you know who I mean!* or *Edited so I don't get sued but you know who I mean!* etc and they complain about getting calls for pressure washing, or roofing jobs and nonsense like that.

I'm only sending strictly restoration calls...very targeted. If some homeowner calls in for anything other than that because they thought maybe it was related enough that you would/could do the job, but don't...I won't bill you for the lead.

3. Is there going to be a contact for us in case we have dispute issues or for whatever other reasons?

My Response:

You'll get a phone number that, if it isn't answered live, the voicemails are checked and responded to at least once if not twice a day 365 days a year at 12 and/or 4pm eastern time.

Same timeframe/availability for the email contact.

4. Is there a way to put a credit card on file instead of Google pay?

My Response:

Both Google Pay and Paypal can be paid via credit or debit card when I invoice through them. I'm working with my call tracking dev to make a more integrated, automated billing system...

But right now, call recordings still have to be gone over for reasons mentioned above (validity and service type so I know what to charge) and then the invoice manually put together and sent to be paid.

All great questions thanks, I'm actually going to integrate all of those into a more comprehensive onboarding FAQ I'm working on for new clients.

LMK any other q's, and again...I'm available for a call after 5'ish my time.

His next follow up response after that lengthy, in depth email response answering his questions and addressing his understandable concerns:

Hey Justin,

I'm totally with you on " truly hate the "legalese" of contracts" but as the payer I have to understand what I'm paying for.

I'm not familiar with the payment platforms you mentioned, I will take your word on it (please understand, everybody can reach out to us offering leads, take the advance money and then to disappear).

  I would like to start working with you, please let me know how to move forward.

My Response:

I get it, I hope my last email made it clear on how I define valid, billable leads.

And how there will never be an issue with invalid leads/billing/disputes.

Both the contract and the payment processors are for your protection and peace of mind.

You can sign what I sent you earlier in Docusign.

And then I can send an invoice via either Google Pay, which is from The Google, doesn't get more trustworthy or secure than that. No processing fee there.

or

Paypal, which has been the most common digital payment processor on the planet since the 90's. There's a 3% processing fee on that.

It might be overkill, but if you need more peace of mind...

I always have my office addresses listed in my email sig to abide by CAN-SPAM laws and on my company website as well.

Plus there's tons of professional and personal background info between my contact, about, and personal bio pages here:

https://www.realtimeleadgen.com/contact

https://www.realtimeleadgen.com/about-us

https://www.realtimeleadgen.com/justin-hess

As well as the various other social accounts linked to from there, especially my Linkedin profile.

If you check the WHOIS registration date on my website it shows I've been using this domain for over a decade since 2012.

    Can't fake that.

  My Youtube channel has tons of content on it, a lot of which has me in the videos vs just being faceless, voiceless, text screenshots:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-wYIDpCc3a1dNqUv7Mw00w

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol9jWpOzfRE[/embed]

  The about section has the stats on the join date and view count which is 2013 and almost 14k views. https://www.youtube.com/@RealTimeLeadGen/about

That's their stats, not something I can add or edit.

If you scroll down the videos section you can see I started focusing on restoration marketing specifically in 2015. https://www.youtube.com/@RealTimeLeadGen/videos

The old quality is embarrassing but I leave it up for referencing it for things like this.

Point of all that is...there is nothing anonymous or "fly by night" about me or my business.

There would be no way for me to disappear with anyone's money.

I love what I do, and am very good at what I do.

I'm around for phone calls from now till around 7pm eastern.

Otherwise I'm around for calls from 9-7 tomorrow.

You've probably noticed this picture that I use on various pages of my website of me and my beautiful girlfriend.

Obviously, my handsome face matches up with all of my Youtube videos! And you can tell from our phone call that my voice matches the same.

I'm the real deal!

Internet marketing since the late 90's, doing SEO and lead gen since 2007, and switched to complete focus on lead generation and marketing ONLY to the restoration industry specifically since 2015.

So there you have it guys, great questions and I hope the answers provided some insight for you as well.

Especially if you're on the fence about signing up or have been burned by bullshit "lead gen" or maybe even worse "spammy SEO guys" in the past.

I get it.

Give me a call or shoot me an email to talk.

LET'S GET AFTER IT!

(570) 316-4775

justin@realtimeleadgen.com

The next publication Your Questions Answered – Your Concerns Addressed was first published on:Real Time Lead Gen LLC

Real Time Lead Gen 150 E 10th St Bloomsburg, PA 17815 (570) 316-4775

We'll Make Your Phone Ring!

Exclusive Water Damage Restoration Lead Generation Services

https://real-time-lead-gen.business.site/

https://www.google.com/maps?cid=13637965468191807517

https://sites.google.com/site/realtimeleadgen/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-wYIDpCc3a1dNqUv7Mw00w

#WaterDamageLeads #ExclusiveWaterDamageRestorationLeads #PayPerLeadWaterDamage #WaterDamageRestorationPayPerCall #BuyWaterDamageLeadsOnline #MoldRemediationSEOMarketing #DisasterRestorationDigitalMarketing #MarketingPlansForRestorationCompanies #WaterDamageLeadGenerationCompany #WaterMitigationLeads #WaterDamageRestorationSEOService #Marketing #ExclusiveLeadGeneration #PayPerLead #PayPerCall #SEO #InternetMarketing #DigitalAdvertising #LocalSearchEngineOptimization #VideoMarketing #RealTimeLeadGen

from Real Time Lead Gen - Feed https://www.realtimeleadgen.com/your-questions-answered-your-concerns-addressed

[ultravagabond21]

Your Questions Answered – Your Concerns Addressed

I was swapping emails yesterday and today (I had also spoken with him on the phone) with a new restoration client prospect and he asked some great questions before signing up for a lead gen program...

So I figure I would copy/paste the conversation here so everyone else can benefit as well on multiple levels...

1- On a practical level as we go back and forth about specifics on what we define as a lead so it's crystal clear, pricing and billing structures, call tracking dashboard capabilities, etc.

2- On more of a personal level which should alleviate any concerns of working with a new marketing company. There is a ton of rapport and trust built here as questions are answered and concerns are assuaged.

I really think this showcases my personal and professional code of ethics that I conduct myself by.

------------------------

Hey Justin,

A couple of questions: 1. Disputes: what if there is water damage but the caller insists on having a plumber out first? There is no charge for reconstruction leads correct (we get those calls every once a while...)?

My Response:

If a lead ends up having a plumber out, and they sort out the issue in full and get paid for it, I won't bill you for that lead.

As far as disputes and invalid leads etc...I truly hate the "legalese" of contracts, it's just a formality of doing business. In real world talk here, you don't have to worry about invalid leads as there won't be any.

I, or a staff member, review all call recordings before sending the weekly report for billing so that I already know they're valid and so I know what to charge.

They are always:

1- Within your specified service area. Calls are very targeted location wise. 2- Only for the specific services that you offer (water/mold, bio/no bio, etc depending on what you check on the contract). This one's easy with a simple IVR we have that filters and sorts all that in real time before the call goes thru.

If anything weird still slips through, just lmk, I'll go back over the call recording to make adjustments, and take it off the final invoice w/o argument.

2. Is our $1500 shown on our dashboard as credit? If for some reason we decide to terminate the agreement before we use all of it, would we get it back?

My Response: If you don't like the calls I send you I'll refund your purchase in full, no questions asked.

Plus, both Google Pay and Paypal will immediately side with the buyer and refund your money immediately if a dispute is filed.

I get a lot of guys that are/were using *Edited so I don't get sued but you know who I mean!* or *Edited so I don't get sued but you know who I mean!* etc and they complain about getting calls for pressure washing, or roofing jobs and nonsense like that.

I'm only sending strictly restoration calls...very targeted. If some homeowner calls in for anything other than that because they thought maybe it was related enough that you would/could do the job, but don't...I won't bill you for the lead.

3. Is there going to be a contact for us in case we have dispute issues or for whatever other reasons?

My Response:

You'll get a phone number that, if it isn't answered live, the voicemails are checked and responded to at least once if not twice a day 365 days a year at 12 and/or 4pm eastern time.

Same timeframe/availability for the email contact.

4. Is there a way to put a credit card on file instead of Google pay?

My Response:

Both Google Pay and Paypal can be paid via credit or debit card when I invoice through them. I'm working with my call tracking dev to make a more integrated, automated billing system...

But right now, call recordings still have to be gone over for reasons mentioned above (validity and service type so I know what to charge) and then the invoice manually put together and sent to be paid.

All great questions thanks, I'm actually going to integrate all of those into a more comprehensive onboarding FAQ I'm working on for new clients.

LMK any other q's, and again...I'm available for a call after 5'ish my time.

His next follow up response after that lengthy, in depth email response answering his questions and addressing his understandable concerns:

Hey Justin,

I'm totally with you on " truly hate the "legalese" of contracts" but as the payer I have to understand what I'm paying for.

I'm not familiar with the payment platforms you mentioned, I will take your word on it (please understand, everybody can reach out to us offering leads, take the advance money and then to disappear).

  I would like to start working with you, please let me know how to move forward.

My Response:

I get it, I hope my last email made it clear on how I define valid, billable leads.

And how there will never be an issue with invalid leads/billing/disputes.

Both the contract and the payment processors are for your protection and peace of mind.

You can sign what I sent you earlier in Docusign.

And then I can send an invoice via either Google Pay, which is from The Google, doesn't get more trustworthy or secure than that. No processing fee there.

or

Paypal, which has been the most common digital payment processor on the planet since the 90's. There's a 3% processing fee on that.

It might be overkill, but if you need more peace of mind...

I always have my office addresses listed in my email sig to abide by CAN-SPAM laws and on my company website as well.

Plus there's tons of professional and personal background info between my contact, about, and personal bio pages here:

https://www.realtimeleadgen.com/contact

https://www.realtimeleadgen.com/about-us

https://www.realtimeleadgen.com/justin-hess

As well as the various other social accounts linked to from there, especially my Linkedin profile.

If you check the WHOIS registration date on my website it shows I've been using this domain for over a decade since 2012.

Can't fake that.My Youtube channel has tons of content on it, a lot of which has me in the videos vs just being faceless, voiceless, text screenshots: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-wYIDpCc3a1dNqUv7Mw00wThe about section has the stats on the join date and view count which is 2013 and almost 14k views. https://www.youtube.com/@RealTimeLeadGen/about

That's their stats, not something I can add or edit.

If you scroll down the videos section you can see I started focusing on restoration marketing specifically in 2015. https://www.youtube.com/@RealTimeLeadGen/videos

The old quality is embarrassing but I leave it up for referencing it for things like this.

Point of all that is...there is nothing anonymous or "fly by night" about me or my business.

There would be no way for me to disappear with anyone's money.

I love what I do, and am very good at what I do.

I'm around for phone calls from now till around 7pm eastern.

Otherwise I'm around for calls from 9-7 tomorrow.

You've probably noticed this picture that I use on various pages of my website of me and my beautiful girlfriend. Obviously, my handsome face matches up with all of my Youtube videos! And you can tell from our phone call that my voice matches the same.

I'm the real deal!

Internet marketing since the late 90's, doing SEO and lead gen since 2007, and switched to complete focus on lead generation and marketing ONLY to the restoration industry specifically since 2015.

So there you have it guys, great questions and I hope the answers provided some insight for you as well.

Especially if you're on the fence about signing up or have been burned by bullshit "lead gen" or maybe even worse "spammy SEO guys" in the past.

I get it.

Give me a call or shoot me an email to talk.

LET'S GET AFTER IT!

(570) 316-4775

justin@realtimeleadgen.com

Your Questions Answered – Your Concerns Addressed is attributable to:Real Time Lead Gen Owner Justin Hess

Real Time Lead Gen 150 E 10th St Bloomsburg, PA 17815 (570) 316-4775

We'll Make Your Phone Ring!

Exclusive Water Damage Restoration Lead Generation Services

https://real-time-lead-gen.business.site/

https://www.google.com/maps?cid=13637965468191807517

https://sites.google.com/site/realtimeleadgen/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-wYIDpCc3a1dNqUv7Mw00w

#WaterDamageLeads #ExclusiveWaterDamageRestorationLeads #PayPerLeadWaterDamage #WaterDamageRestorationPayPerCall #BuyWaterDamageLeadsOnline #MoldRemediationSEOMarketing #DisasterRestorationDigitalMarketing #MarketingPlansForRestorationCompanies #WaterDamageLeadGenerationCompany #WaterMitigationLeads #WaterDamageRestorationSEOService #Marketing #ExclusiveLeadGeneration #PayPerLead #PayPerCall #SEO #InternetMarketing #DigitalAdvertising #LocalSearchEngineOptimization #VideoMarketing #RealTimeLeadGen

from Real Time Lead Gen - Feed https://www.realtimeleadgen.com/your-questions-answered-your-concerns-addressed

[centrally-unplanned]

-EU is exactly what I was thinking of! The EU is one of the most restrictive places for immigration on the earth, one of the opposites of open borders. Way harder to immigrate to the EU than the United States, Canada, even Japan (not as hard as China, sure). The fact that the EU has set up a quasi-open borders with a few of its neighbors, who all had to meet preconditions of governance, wealth, etc, that comprises ~5% of the world’s population, while running harsh controls on the other 95% - and that equilibrium still resulted in the UK leaving the org - is *exactly* what I mean when saying Real Open Borders probably isn’t happening. The biggest experiment in the modern era that was a baby step towards open borders being met with such backlash is a pretty good indicator.

I certainly agree than Open Borders is less “impossible due to human nature” than the libertarian state, it doesn’t have that fundamental contradiction of politics, but still - previous immigration policies were generally due to lack of state capacity to control immigration. 19th century China did not have ‘Open Borders” it didn't really have borders, the Chinese state lacked the ability to track entry. Ditto for India and others, while Europe was not like this at all and controlled entry. The concept of immigration just hadn’t really existed in their minds before the 19th century, it wasn’t a space states even had policies for.

And I am sorry, but I am not counting “the US was open borders...till too many chinamen came in taking our jobs so we passed the Chinese Exclusion Act and expelled them by the tens of thousands” as Open Borders Is Working Fine. That is also ignoring that the Immigration Act of 1882 also imposed poll taxes on incoming immigrants to reduce the number of ‘poors’ coming in, and placed restrictions on those deemed ill or a ‘public menace’, it was not just Chinese restrictions. The actual historical record of immigration is waves of refugees causing panicked state clampdowns, relegation to second class status, and frequently real or effective enslavement or purges. I again would not treat that as Open Borders. And the US in the 19th century was a radical experiment in active immigration, its the most liberal in the era. I don’t think comparisons to previous pre-modern eras tells you very much about today’s policy space.

-Next:

I dunno, this doesn’t seem particularly unlikely or even historically odd. “Get Elected, repeal regulations, starve the beast” was the official Republican platform at various points; Now, many of them were perfectly happy to have government overreach in other areas, but that’s idiosyncratic

That is not, in any way shape of form, idiosyncratic, it is entirely the point I am making. Republicans have never, once ever, consistently been libertarians - because they are politicians. Libertarians advised Pinochet in Chile to make some inroads on tax law while he would form death squads, Thatcher privatized the coal industry while re-criminalizing homosexuality. The track record of large, in-power, political parties pursuing Full Libertarianism is virtually zero, it doesn’t happen. This is not an accident, you can’t run an experiment a thousand times over a hundred countries and go “eh maybe next time”. These parties would liberalize in areas where it would benefit their stakeholders and supporters to liberalize, and expand government power where it would benefit their stakeholders and supporters to expand it. Actual libertarian parties exist in these countries and never win elections, ever, they never control the government. This is not an aberrational accident unless everything is an accident and you view the ‘political overton window’ as being thrown wide open. Its not going to happen unless a lot of things change.

do you really think technocracy is a government for a hundred years, or even a government that could last three hundred years?

No, I don't think so and just don't use this framing - technocracy has never been a government system. That 1930's "dominion of the experts" idea was a cool vibe, the aesthetics slap, but technocracy almost definitionally has no Theory of Power, it cannot organize a coup, win at the polls, launch a revolution, whatever - the people who are Experts At Obtaining Power are just never going to be the experts at water waste management systems.

Instead technocracy is a policy lever for existing government systems like democracy to use - they can set up their EPA to be "entirely agency-less where they simply execute the orders of parliament" or "highly agenic where they have loose mandates and pursue their own plans to fulfil those". No ministry is ever 100% one side or the other, but I, in many contexts (not all), think in the modern era we have tipped too far into the former and away from the latter.

Its like libertarianism - as a *system*, a "libertarian state", its communism-levels of contradicting human nature, it won't ever happen. But repeal the fucking Jones act, man, if you wanna address shipping costs in the US libertarian policy solutions have a lot of value (which I think a technocratically empowered "department of trade" would be more likely to pursue than congress).

My "technocracy manifesto" is therefore advice for how existing systems should pass new laws and manage their bureaucracies. I can go pretty radical on it, but its still not a 'new system' that survives or doesn't survive, it will change as the policy needs change.

[duckprintspress]

Ten Things We Hate About Trad Pub

Often when I say “I’ve started a small press; we publish the works of those who have trouble breaking into traditional publishing!” what people seem to hear is “me and a bunch of sad saps couldn’t sell our books in the Real World so we’ve made our own place with lower standards.” For those with minimal understanding of traditional publishing (trad pub), this reaction is perhaps understandable? But, truly, there are many things to hate about traditional publishing (and, don’t get me wrong - there are things to love about trad pub, too, but that’s not what this list is about) and it’s entirely reasonable for even highly accomplished authors to have no interest in running the gauntlet of genre restrictions, editorial control, hazing, long waits, and more, that make trad pub at best, um, challenging, and at worst, utterly inaccessible to many authors - even excellent ones.

Written in collaboration with @jhoomwrites, with input from @ramblingandpie, here is a list of ten things that we at Duck Prints Press detest about trad pub, why we hate it, and why/how we think things should be different!

(Needless to say, part of why we created Duck Prints Press was to...not do any of these things... so if you’re a writer looking for a publishing home, and you hate these things, too, and want to write with a Press that doesn’t do them...maybe come say hi?)

-

1. Work lengths dictated by genre and/or author experience.

Romance novels can’t be longer than 90,000 words or they won’t sell! New authors shouldn’t try to market a novel longer than 100,000 words!

A good story is a good story is a good story. Longer genre works give authors the chance to explore their themes and develop their plots. How often an author has been published shouldn’t put a cap on the length of their work.

-

2. Editors assert control of story events...except when they don’t.

If you don’t change this plot point, the book won’t market well. Oh, you’re a ten-time bestseller? Write whatever you want, even if it doesn’t make sense we know people will buy it.

Sometimes, a beta or an editor will point out that an aspect of a story doesn’t work - because it’s nonsensical, illogical, Deus ex Machina, etc. - and in those cases it’s of course reasonable for an editor to say, “This doesn’t work and we recommend changing it, for these reasons…” However, when that list of reasons begins and ends with, “...because it won’t sell…” that’s a problem, especially because this is so often applied as a double standard. We’ve all read bestsellers with major plot issues, but those authors get a “bye” because editors don’t want to exert to heavy a hand and risk a proven seller, but with a new, less experienced, or worse-selling author, the gloves come off (even though evidence suggests time and again that publishers’ ability to predict what will sell well is at best low and at worst nonexistent.)

-

3. A billion rejection letters as a required rite of passage (especially when the letters aren't helpful in pinpointing why a work has been rejected or how the author can improve).

Well, my first book was rejected by a hundred Presses before it was accepted! How many rejection letters did you get before you got a bite? What, only one or two? Oh…

How often one succeeds or fails to get published shouldn’t be treated as a form of hazing, and we all know that how often someone gets rejected or accepted has essentially no bearing on how good a writer they are. Plenty of schlock goes out into the world after being accepted on the first or second try...and so does plenty of good stuff! Likewise, plenty of schlock will get rejected 100 times but due to persistence, luck, circumstances, whatever, finally find a home, and plenty of good stuff will also get rejected 100 times before being publishing. Rejections (or lack there of) as a point of pride or as a means of judging others needs to die as a rite of passage among authors.

-

4. Query letters, for so many reasons.

Summarize all your hard work in a single page! Tell us who you’re like as an author and what books your story is like, so we can gauge how well it’ll sell based on two sentences about it! Format it exactly the way we say or we won’t even consider you!

For publishers, agents, and editors who have slush piles as tall as Mount Everest...we get it. There has to be a way to differentiate. We don’t blame you. Every creative writing class, NaNoWriMo pep talk, and college lit department combine to send out hundreds of thousands of people who think all they need to do to become the next Ernest Hemingway is string a sentence together. There has to be some way to sort through that pile...but God, can’t there be a better way than query letters? Especially since even with query letters being used it often takes months or years to hear back, and...

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5. "Simultaneous submissions prohibited.”

No, we don’t know when we’ll get to your query, but we’ll throw it out instantly if you have the audacity to shop around while you wait for us.

The combination of “no simultaneous submissions” with the query letter bottleneck makes success slow and arduous. It disadvantages everyone who aims to write full-time but doesn’t have another income source (their own, or a parents’, or a spouse’s, or, or or). The result is that entire classes of people are edged out of publishing solely because the process, especially for writers early in their career, moves so glacially that people have to earn a living while they wait, and it’s so hard to, for example, work two jobs and raise a family and also somehow find the time to write. Especially considering that the standard advice for dealing with “no simultaneous submissions” is “just write something else while you wait!” ...the whole system screams privilege.

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6. Genres are boxes that must be fit into and adhered to.

Your protagonist is 18? Then obviously your book is Young Adult. It doesn’t matter how smutty your book is, erotica books must have sex within the first three chapters, ideally in the first chapter. Sorry, we’re a fantasy publisher, if you have a technological element you don’t belong here…

While some genre boxes have been becoming more like mesh cages of late, with some flow of content allowed in and out, many remain stiff prisons that constrict the kinds of stories people can tell. Even basic cross-genre works often struggle to find a place, and there’s no reason for it beyond “if we can’t pigeon-hole a story, it’s harder to sell.” This edges out many innovative, creative works. It also disadvantages people who aren’t as familiar with genre rules. And don’t get me wrong - this isn’t an argument that, for example, the romance genre would be improved by opening up to stories that don’t have “happily ever afters.” Instead, it’s pointing out - there should also be a home for, say, a space opera with a side romance, an erotica scene, and a happily-for-now ending. Occasionally, works breakthrough, but for the most part stories that don’t conform never see the light of day (or, they do, but only after Point 2 - trad pub editors insist that the elements most “outside” the box be removed or revised).

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7. The lines between romance and erotica are arbitrary, random, and hetero- and cis-normative.

This modern romance novel won’t sell if it doesn’t have an explicit sex scene, but God forbid you call a penis a penis. Oh, no, this is far too explicit, even though the book only has one mlm sex scene, this is erotica.

The difference between “romance” and “erotica” might not matter so much if not for the stigmas attached to erotica and the huge difference in marketability and audience. The difference between “romance” and “erotica” also might not matter so much if not for the fact that, so often, even incredibly raunchy stories that feature cis straight male/cis straight female sex scenes are shelved as romance, but the moment the sex is between people of the same gender, and/or a trans or genderqueer person is involved, and/or the relationship is polyamorous, and/or the characters involved are literally anything other than a cis straight male pleasuring a cis straight female in a “standard” way (cunnilingus welcome, pegging need not apply)...then the story is erotica. Two identical stories will get assigned different genres based on who the people having sex are, and also based on the “skill” of the author to use ludicrous euphemisms (instead of just...calling body parts what they’re called…), and it’s insane. Non-con can be a “romance” novel, even if it’s graphically described. “50 Shades of Gray” can sell millions of copies, even containing BDSM. But the word “vagina” gets used once...bam, erotica. (Seriously, the only standard that should matter is the Envelope Analogy).

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8. Authors are expected to do a lot of their own legwork (eg advertising) but then don't reap the benefits.

Okay, so, you’re going to get an advance of $2,500 on this, your first novel, and a royalty rate of 5% if and only if your advance sells out...so you’d better get out there and market! Wait, what do you mean you don’t have a following? Guess you’re never selling out your advance…

Trad pub can generally be relied on to do some marketing - so this item is perhaps better seen as an indictment of more mid-sized Presses - but, basically, if an author has to do the majority of the work themselves, then why aren’t they getting paid more? What’s the actual benefit to going the large press/trad pub route if it’s not going to get the book into more hands? It’s especially strange that this continues to be a major issue when self-publishing (which also requires doing one’s own marketing) garners 60%+ royalty rates. Yes, the author doesn’t get an advance, and they don’t get the cache of ~well I was published by…~, but considering some Presses require parts of advances to get paid back if the initial run doesn’t sell out, and cache doesn’t put food on the table...pay models have really, really got to change.

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9. Fanfiction writing doesn't count as writing experience

Hey there Basic White Dude, we see you’ve graduated summa cum laude from A Big Fancy Expensive School. Of course we’ll set you up to publish your first novel you haven’t actually quite finished writing yet. Oh, Fanperson, you’ve written 15 novels for your favorite fandom in the last 4 years? Get to the back of the line!

Do I really need to explain this? The only way to get better at writing is to write. Placing fanfiction on official trad pub “do not interact” lists is idiotic, especially considering many of the other items on this list. (They know how to engage readers! They have existing followings! They understand genre and tropes!) Being a fanfiction writer should absolutely be a marketable “I am a writer” skill. Nuff said. (To be clear, I’m not saying publishers should publish fanfiction, I’m saying that being a fanfiction writer is relevant and important experience that should be given weight when considering an author’s qualifications, similar to, say, publishing in a university’s quarterly.)

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10. Tagging conventions (read: lack thereof).

Oh, did I trigger you? Hahahaha. Good luck with that.

We rate movies so that people can avoid content they don’t like. Same with TV shows and video games. Increasingly, those ratings aren’t just “R - adult audiences,” either; they contain information about the nature of the story elements that have led to the rating (“blood and gore,” “alcohol reference,” “cartoon violence,” “drug reference,” “sexual violence,” “use of tobacco,” and many, many more). So why is it that I can read a book and, without warning, be surprised by incest, rape, graphic violence, explicit language, glorification of drug and alcohol use, and so so much more? That it’s left to readers to look up spoilers to ensure that they’re not exposed to content that could be upsetting or inappropriate for their children or, or, or, is insane. So often, too, authors cling to “but we don’t want to give away our story,” as if video game makes and other media makers do want to give away their stories. This shouldn’t be about author egos or ~originality~ (as if that’s even a thing)...it should be about helping readers make informed purchasing decisions. It’s way, way past time that major market books include content warnings.

Thank you for joining us, this has been our extended rant about how frustrated we are with traditional publishing. Helpful? No. Cathartic? Most definitely yes. 🤣

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[haik-choo]

I don't write cause I feel I don't have a good grasp on the characters personalities etc, the characterisation of akaashi post is so helpful! 👀👀 Would you do kuroo or bokuto?

a/n: I hope you like both of these! again, if yall want me to do others, let me know! these are across the span of their life, so some may seem college-related and some may seem young-adulty! 

[MISCHARACTERIZATIONS OF BOKUTO AND KUROO]

bokuto kotaro.

clueless: i’ve stated this in akaashi’s post, but bokuto is extremely emotionally intelligent. he can pick up on the slightest changes in people’s demeanor or posture, he can tell if someone is sad or happy even if they aren’t good at displaying emotions. he’s not a dumbass -- and he can pick up on others’ limits and boundaries very quickly. despite his ability to read people relatively well, he has no qualms about pushing people out of their comfort zones and forcing them to do things they might hate at first, but will love later. he pushes boundaries according to your comfort level, and respects your hard limits. 

only positive: a lot of people write bokuto to be someone ho’s only happy-go-lucky, or someone who rarely gets sad (aside from his moods that are less sad and more discouraged), but I think that almost dehumanizes him. he gets back up faster than most, yes, and at the end of a lost game where everyone is crying, bokuto is dry-eyed. he’s the type to get home and plop down on his bed, face-first into his pillow, lips quivering and eyes lightly watering. there are times where he feels insecure, especially when he’s younger, just because he can tell he’s different from the rest. he has a feeling that people are put-off from his personality, he has a feeling that he’s not as (traditionally/academically) smart as everyone else, he has a feeling that some people find him annoying. that’s why when he’s near his close friends he’s very loose -- he doesn’t feel the need to hold back even a little because he knows that they love him for him. this translates to his toxic trait with his lover being that he feels dejected/insecure if you ever want space. while he can read boundaries, he would really benefit from a lover who has just as few as he, because then he can be his truest self.

love-at-first-sight: he’s not the type to fall in love at one glance, he’s just not. yes, he might get interested or you may catch his attention, but he’s not going to fall in love with someone because they have a pretty smile. it’s not that he’s calculated or over-thinks his emotions, he knows exactly what he feels, it’s just that his heart is a little slow when it comes to falling in love. he’s such an energetic all-over-the-place person that love is never really on his mind (he gets into some trouble with accidentally leading girls on because he’s so friendly). when he eventually falls in love, though....oh boy. he stutters, he’s over-thinking all his movements when it comes to you -- he’s usually impulsive but with you he really, really doesn’t want to screw up. he wants everything to go smoothly -- so he’s the type to plan out a confession and actually try to stick to it. when it comes to something like love, bokuto is surprisingly slow and careful, because he knows how fragile a heart is. 

never gets angry: i think most people like to imagine his anger is so rare because the image of an angry bokuto is scary, especially with his stature. and while it’s true his anger is uncommon (because he’s good at processing his own emotions and not lashing out at others), when he does get angry it can be pretty unnerving. he’s the type to slam his fist on the counter unknowingly when having a really bad fight with his lover, and he has a booming voice. he’d never hit someone, but he doesn’t realize how intimidating his physique is. anger is uncommon, but that doesn’t mean he’s not scary. he always apologize afterwards, though.

boundless confidence: i touched on it earlier, that he has bouts of insecurity, but again, i really want to emphasize that he’s not endlessly confident. honestly, maybe in the anime and manga he seems that way, but if you want to make him more human, have more life than a fictional character, you have to create limits or certain traits. bokuto is very sensitive, and the slightest thing can either inflate his ego or deflate it. plays in volleyball constantly not working may dig at his confidence, but he always re-inflates. in real life, outside the court, there are things that keep his confidence low everytime they happen. fights with his lover are one of these things; he’ll get jealous when they leave the apartment after a fight because he’ll worry about you finding someone more stable than him. jealousy alone is a solid sign of chipped confidence, something that someone as sensitive as bokuto gets every once in a while. 

overall, bokuto is a lot more intelligent than what people give him credit for. he’s honest with his own emotions and can read people very well, which is probably why he’s such a people person, but he still has flaws. he does not have boundless confidence or have no perception of boundaries; he’s unbelievably understanding. he may be initially insecure, have intimidating anger, etc. but ,after all, he’s human, isn’t he? 

kuroo tetsuro. 

sex god: don’t get me wrong, I definitely believe that he’s had a lover or two, especially in college, and that he’s played the field a little bit. but i don’t see him as the guy that has had sex with every person in his major. he’s a genuine guy and can’t have sex with someone he’s not emotionally invested in -- despite not being a ‘player’, he’s totally gotten in trouble with a few people because they think he’s leading them on when he walks with them to class everyday. 

intimidating: people always characterize him as this mysterious, sexually intimidating guy, but i just can’t see him as someone intimidating. if anything, he may be a little unapproachable because he has a really tight knit group of friends that he’s always with, but he’s not scary. he’s not the center of attention but he’s not a wallflower either, he enjoys observing people and watching drama play out, but he’s not silent and glaring all the time. he’s quite fun, he’s loud, and he enjoys embarrassing his friends in public. he’s the type to twerk in public and laugh his ass off when akaashi or kenma give him the side-eye and bro-kuto joins in. he likes to have fun, ya know? i don’t know about you, but a guy that twerks in public isn’t very scary, to me at least. 

prideful: I understand why people paint him as a prideful guy, he obviously likes what he does and has a personable personality, but honestly, he’s not perfect. he often has moments where he doubts himself because of his past decisions, his career one of them. kuroo is an amazing middle blocker, and his choice to go into sports advertisement rather than an actual volleyball league no doubt haunts him at night sometimes. he thinks of the ‘what-ifs’, and he dreams of what he could be. especially since his best friend is bokuto, a professional player, it’s often on his mind. it’s a super touchy subject for him, and if someone were to question his job-choice i have no doubt that he’d get really sour and distant from that person because he’s not sure of himself either. 

frat boy: he’s not someone who can’t cook, he’s not someone who sleeps at 5am everyday, hungover. he’s not the type of person to be immature in any way -- he’s got his shit together. i’m sure most people can actually see this, but kuroo is very responsible and realistic (which is part of the reason he didn’t do professional volleyball). he does his taxes, does his homework, gives out good advice, gets up early and eats everything that a healthy person should eat (in all the right proportions, too). he doesn’t even drink often, if anything he’s just a social drinker. he goes to bed at 10pm and wakes up at 6am to work out, no joke. he’s gotta keep that physique somehow. 

decisive: i know i said he’s responsible, but i don’t think that translates to decisive. i can see him having a lot of conflicting things going on in his life, different wants and different paths that he wants to take but can’t keep all open. it happens in love, his career, his college major, etc. he wants a lot in life, he wants success, happiness, a good love-life, everything. when he had to choose between volleyball and a life-long, stable career, he was broken for weeks. was he good enough for his dream? was it wise to chase his dream? would it be better to get more kids into volleyball, do what he did, what he couldn’t do? in his love life he always hesitates, too: does he see a life with them? how long will they love him? will they be able to deal with him once they see that he’s not perfect? is it worth it? it doesn’t matter if he’s in love or not, because his extreme caution can come off as very distant and unwilling to let you in, hence his toxic trait. he’s indecisive, scared, yet passionate and hard-working. 

overall, kuroo is full of contradiction. he wants a lot from life and is willing to work for it. he has dreams and tries to stay healthy and put himself out there, have fun, the whole shabang -- but he’s not perfect. he’s overly cautious when it comes to making important decisions simply because he can see a future with all of the different paths he can take. but honestly, isn’t everyone a little contradictory? 

[itsclydebitches]

So The Owl House just had their main pairing kiss on screen in the latest episode. How is it a show under Disney can have their queer couple kiss but RT can't even confirm if Yang and Blake are actually together, much less kiss.

Was that in the final episode (minus some additional content I've been hearing about)? Because that seems to be the go-to trend nowadays: build up a relationship, but wait until the final hour to confirm it. Which, to be very clear, I don't mean as a criticism of TOH. Beyond the fact that I haven't watched it for myself yet (I know, I know), everyone working at Disney is fighting tooth-and-nail for any scrap of representation, often taking such compromises — they can't kiss, but they can hold hands; there will be a wedding, but it won't air in this country; we'll confirm it, but only when the show is cancelled/ending, etc. — over getting nothing at all. Plus, from what I've heard second-hand, TOH apparently does a fantastic job with their relationship, even with such obvious, external difficulties. The point being that, as you say, anon, if creators can manage this under the thumb of such homophobic corporations... the originally independent webseries who, it seems, only entertained the idea of a queer couple because the fans wanted it should absolutely be doing better. Like, way better.

Not to continually gush about OFMD in my RWBY asks, but even more than getting one queer kiss from a Disney cartoon, shows like OFMD emphasize, for me, how much better RWBY could be doing. Here's a nonbinary character! Here's a gay character! Here's another gay character! They're having unambiguous sex in this episode! They might be poly based on how they respond to a particular conversation! Even if they're not they're super chill about expressing their sexuality in various ways! Here's a repressed queer chihuahua man who will theoretically work through the homophobia he's internalized due to toxic masculinity! Here's another gay man who didn't realize he was gay until the end of the season! Here's a fourth gay man! They kiss!! Even though we only get ten episodes at 20-30 minutes each!

Meanwhile, RWBY is like... what if we wrote eight years of content... and the first kinda queer character is a background dude who's maybe gay... and the next was going to be an actual gay guy except we decided not to do that because he dies as soon as he's introduced... and then the lesbian is an obsessive radical out to murder her crush's parents and then disappears from the story after a two-second redemption... and there's a very cute queer couple who hold hands, but they're minor characters who are only around for half a season... and there's a bunch of intense queer coding for these two dudes (one of whom is a fan fave), but it's totally not our fault because the animators made them wink and flirt without our consent... and then one dies in a horrific fashion, but you can't call it bury your gays because they were never gay haha gotcha... and the main ship that's helping to keep this webseries afloat gets to—wait for it—blush and sometimes, SOMETIMES, touch their foreheads together, but they're not together-together yet, just wait for it! Hm? What do you mean we confirmed two main straight couples already? 😗

Meanwhile me, having just watched a ship full of queer pirates live their best lives while the story still makes time for numerous unrelated plots:

I know I often give RWBY the benefit of the doubt because I do believe strongly that almost any story can turn itself around — not fix what came before, but still improve going forward — but I do really believe that the beginning of Volume Nine will have a huge impact on how Blake/Yang is received by the fanbase for the rest of the story's run. If we get a kiss (or some other kind of confirmation), then I believe that the majority of viewers will be lenient in regards to the arc overall. People will forget how long these Volumes felt in real-time, more and more fans who come into the community will get to binge RWBY and never having to wait on that confirmation, plenty of posts will pop up reassuring others that it had to happen this way because this was the right time for them to get together, it's more proof of RT's amazing storytelling... and basically most non-RWDE folks will be pleased. Which is good!

However, if we miss out on a confirmation the concept of, "It just needs to be the right time" looses its persuasive power and we'll be left asking when the hell we can expect to see them get together if it's not after a post-assumed death reunion. The very end of the story, perhaps? Honestly, I can easily see RT crafting a scenario in which the emotional punch of the void is lost before Blake and Yang ever find each other again. Blake could wake up and immediately go, "Oh, well I haven't died. Therefore Yang shouldn't be dead either. I'm no longer freaking out about this!" and Yang might be worried about her teammates, but she never saw them "die" like they did with her, likewise creating a, "I'm sure everything will be fine," reaction. Toss in the amount of time it might take for them to reach one another on the island (time to cool down, not do anything impulsive based on high emotions) and the fact that RWBY is really bad at emotional followups to begin with (Weiss and Winter don't need to resolve their differences, Jacques is killed off by Ironwood, Qrow doesn't care about killing him anymore, Ruby barely reacts to Yang falling, etc.) and I can EASILY picture a reunion where it's just another forehead touch like after the whale separation. You know, despite the fact that the fandom will be screaming about you thought Yang was dead, Blake, how is this not the perfect time to admit your feelings?

Not to reduce a show to its shipping, but Blake/Yang is such a huge part of the RWBY community that if RT fucks that up even more, it may well tank the show's popularity in a way the bad writing hasn't managed to. We might get a kiss in Volume 9. More likely we might get it at the very end of the run. Worst case scenario is if something happens and RWBY doesn't finish, or — heaven forbid — they bow out of making the relationship canonical at all, and we're left with, at best, some panel announcement where they reassure everyone that of course they're in love... we just didn't get the chance to show you that for whatever nonsense reason PR has helped us come up with. Not having gotten anything by now isn't good, but not getting anything by mid Volume 9 will be even worse imo. It's a now or never kind of deal.

[sundayswiththeilluminati]

The unplanned fourth part to my apparently-a-series on Essek Thelyss in the context of real-world espionage (parts 1, 2, and 3), today we look at an aspect of his story that doesn’t always apply in a D&D world: how do you prosecute espionage? 

Psych! That’s not the real question. The real question is: do you prosecute espionage? The answer is a) not as obvious as it might seem; and b) going to differ between D&D and the real world, because D&D governments are storytelling tools and IRL governments are...not.

The benefits of prosecuting espionage are obvious: the interests of justice are served, the person responsible can be punished appropriately and in accordance with the law, the full extent of their crimes are revealed (including potentially exonerating other suspects), counterintelligence gets to chalk up a win, and other people thinking about committing espionage themselves are hopefully discouraged. But there are a surprising number of arguments in the “against” column.

Some agencies that identify enemy assets want to leave them in place for their own purposes. For about 20 years during the Cold War CIA reserved the right to just plain not tell the Department of Justice if they had proof someone was engaged in espionage because they wanted the opportunity to turn them as double agents, feed them misinformation, etc. rather than outing and punishing them (President Gerald Ford ended this arrangement by executive order in 1976). This isn’t necessarily a good idea IRL, but it forms the bread and butter of RPG espionage storylines and is definitely something to think about in a D&D context.

In the real world, ideally someone can only be found guilty of a crime and punished accordingly after a trial, and an agency often finds itself with sufficient evidence to doubt a person’s trustworthiness but not enough hard proof to take to court. In those cases agencies may decide to leave that person in place but cut off their access to classified info. Ironically, sometimes this means promoting them - moving the person into a higher-ranking job in a different area that just so happens not to deal in secrets. Sometimes the asset realizes they’re close to being rumbled and goes along with the effort, maybe taking retirement early or changing jobs before they can be pushed, and the whole matter will quietly lapse without anything so formal as a trial. Sometimes someone makes a mistake and sidelines a loyal, competent employee. That’s a judgement call.

In the real world, ideally someone can only be found guilty of a crime and punished accordingly after an open trial. Given how severe the punishments are for espionage, civilized countries do try to stick to that even though holding such a trial carries risks. Providing proof that someone stole secrets generally requires talking about said secrets, which means revealing classified info in court, which may negate trying to keep the information secret in the first place. They may also not want to reveal in court how they figured out that person was a spy, especially if it was a double agent or cryptographic source that fingered them. In D&D-land where monarchs are common and still wield judicial power, fantasy rulers may hand down whatever punishment they please based on whatever evidence they (or the DM) will accept, so this isn’t as much of a concern.

Even a D&D monarchy that doesn’t have to worry about revealing secrets in court might think twice before publicly punishing a high-ranking spy, though, because the only thing more embarrassing than failing to convict a major spy is succeeding. A government having to admit that its people were compromised, especially high-ranking people, is a body-blow to its standing both at home and abroad. It damages trust in the government, makes the public feel unsafe, and makes allies hesitant to share information lest their secrets be leaked as well. Lower-ranking government employees may think, “My boss is selling secrets, why not me too?” or “Why bother to follow security protocol when some mole will give it all away?” Every decision and contribution made by the asset becomes retroactively suspect, even those that had nothing to do with whatever secrets they leaked. The foreign nation to whom they passed information inevitably gets drawn in as well, negatively affecting those relations. And of course everyone involved looks very, very bad.

All of which leads me to say I think there’s a chance - maybe not a good chance, but a chance - that Essek could privately confess the affair to the Bright Queen without major public repercussions. Leylas Kryn could simply declare him a traitor and order his public execution without justifying herself, but it would raise a lot of questions and none of the answers would help her or the ruling dens; Den Thelyss allowing Den Kryn to unilaterally execute a high-profile member - a child of the umavi - without explanation would stoke ferocious rumors about what Essek might have done and cast a major shadow over the entire den. But publicly declaring what Essek had done also doesn’t do the Dynasty any favors. It makes everyone involved look very bad - how could they miss a spy at the highest level? so close to the Bright Queen herself?? who can be trusted??? - especially Den Thelyss, which might lose its place among the ruling three as a result. Publicly outing such a high-ranking Kryn official as compromised might set off the Dynasty equivalent of a Red Scare, too, since the Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount mentions the constant and well-justified Dynasty fear of agents sent by Lolth to destabilize the Kryn out of sheer spite that they got away from her.

By the time Campaign 2 ended the latest clash between Empire and Dynasty had been settled and neither side seemed to want to stir it up again right away. The fact that both stolen beacons have been returned also bolsters the case for letting the matter lie. A confession from Essek clears up remaining doubt on the Bright Queen’s end - while he doesn’t know every Empire agent in the Dynasty, he can tell her exactly how the beacons were stolen and who else was involved, probably clearing the names of many currently under suspicion. Essek would have to resign as Shadowhand, of course, and leave the Dynasty (at least for a couple centuries), but he never seemed interested in being Shadowhand and he wants to go exploring anyway. Den Thelyss definitely wants the whole affair swept under the rug and would go along with whatever story made that happen. Other than Verin I don’t get the impression many people would miss Essek except as a lost opportunity. I hope they’d give him long enough before leaving Rosohna to pack up his cool leyline-weathervane though. He could totally mount that on Yussa’s tower. Or Allura’s!

And that concludes this particular train of thought re: Essek Thelyss in the context of IRL spies and espionage. Again, all of this is only as relevant to the campaign as the players decide it is, so don’t go giving people crap for being “unrealistic” about their versions of how the beacon trade went down. Frankly the last thing you should want here is realism, because “realistic” espionage is a callous world of deception, manipulation, and general human pettiness with no sense of narrative flow.

None of what I’ve talked about is an excuse for Essek’s actions. But it is a reason. It’s why and how a person entrusted with precious national assets could get into a headspace where it seems reasonable, even necessary, to trade them away to foreign enemies. It’s how a person of otherwise decent character & beliefs can end up committing terrible crimes. It’s why that person might sincerely regret what they’ve done, and not just because they fear punishment. The Warmind Rasputin paraphrases Octavia E. Butler saying, “Misdirected by accident or intent, intelligence can foster its own ecstasies of growth and decay.” In other words: sometimes you get too far into your own head. Without an anchor to reality, without perspective, your own mind gets twisted up. Sometimes you just need a friend (or seven) to grab your arm and say, “Breathe.”

(This accidentally turned into a series on Essek & IRL espionage: Parts 1, 2, 3, 4)