approximately three minutes after the alarms start going off

[thesettingsun]

SOME OF US DON'T HAVE POWERS THIS BINGO IS RIGGED

[Glad we got the complaining out of the way.]

Comments

[thesettingsun]

Even if it doesn't, you'd still have a portrait to show for it. I'm sure a lot of people would pay a ton to be painted by you.

[wordcarvings]

There already are people who do that, but it would feel a bit odd to ask if someone wants to pay to watch me draw their portrait for this.

[thesettingsun]

Don't want to mix your professional life with Retrospec stuff?

[wordcarvings]

Preferably not. It’s already a little mixed, but if I can I would like to avoid it getting mixed up further.

[thesettingsun]

Good luck with that. Do painters take pen names? Or I guess it'd be brush names for them.

[wordcarvings]

Some do, I suppose. But I don't know what I would use anyway.

[thesettingsun]

You could have one that's not as obviously Japanese if you're worried that people will think your work isn't 'ethnic' enough.

Not that I am bitter.

[wordcarvings]

Have people said that to you?

[thesettingsun]

How could you tell?

[wordcarvings]

That last line of yours.

[thesettingsun]

I'm actually a little bitter.

[wordcarvings]

What happened, exactly? If you don’t mind telling me.

[thesettingsun]

I've written short stories and tried to get them published in anthologies, that kind of thing. And publishers can be big into having a "diverse" group of authors, but when I actually send them my stories, they don't want them. They were expecting something more Japanese as they understand Japanese.

[wordcarvings]

I’m sorry about that. People can be very narrow-minded about what something from a specific culture must be like, and won’t try to see it in any other way.

[thesettingsun]

It's alright. I'm going to get published someday if I have to publish my own novel without any help.

[wordcarvings]

Hopefully somebody will get it and you don’t need to do it all on your own.

[thesettingsun]

Maybe. You wouldn't happen to know anyone who works at a publishing company?

[wordcarvings]

I’m afraid that I don’t.

[thesettingsun]

Too bad. That'd be a good place to start.

[wordcarvings]

It would, yes. But maybe someone who knows one will show up at some point.

[thesettingsun]

We're getting all kinds, so it wouldn't surprise me.

wrap?

[wordcarvings]

Yes, it’s a possibility. I hope they will be helpful to you if it happens.

sounds good

[thesettingsun]

I'm going to be published one way or another. Count on it.