A paragraph about two publishing-adjacent people

Tuesday 9/30/25

Person number one is kicked out of publishing because he's a sociopath. Many within are. But this was someone whose freezer you'd not want to look in because you'd think there's a real chance you'd find human fingers in there. Person number two lived his life, unfortunately, tonguing people. Lying to them. He knew better, but I don't think he could stop himself, even if he wanted to, and I believe he did. But he licked everyone he could lick until the day he died. Learning more about the dangerous insanity of person number one--and I'm underselling it with the comment about the freezer and the fingers--person number two writes me an email about what a sociopath person number one is. Few years later, person number two dies, and person number one takes to social media to "eulogize" their "dear friend," in gushy, maudlin, grandstanding prose, and the great depth of their friendship. I can believe that person number two, knowing what person number one was, and putting that to me in writing (I have it right in front of me), still couldn't stop himself from licking person number one, because I don't think there was anyone he wouldn't have licked--they could be a devil--save someone legitimate. But I also think it's quite possible that the sociopath had no contact with this person for years and just made up what they wrote. I see a lot of things like this in publishing and around the peripheries of it, and outside of it by people once in it or who'd like to be a part of it. Person number two once told me how Percival Everett would debase him with how he spoke to him. But he still couldn't stop tonguing Everett. It was sad.