I was really proud of this post. 🥺 Writers, I made a post about 6 jobs in sci-fi/fantasy that we see all the time, and 6 jobs in sci-fi/fantasy we don't see enough, along with some ideas on how to make the latter work in fiction. theangrynoodle.com/science-fict... - ThreadSky

theangrynoodle.com • 424 days ago

I was really proud of this post. 🥺

Writers, I made a post about 6 jobs in sci-fi/fantasy that we see all the time, and 6 jobs in sci-fi/fantasy we don't see enough, along with some ideas on how to make the latter work in fiction.

https://theangrynoodle.com/science-fiction-and-fantasy-jobs/

Comments

robbneu.bsky.social•424 days ago

This is a great article!

theangrynoodle.com•423 days ago

Thank you so much, Robb!

realhumanmaz.bsky.social•396 days ago

Good write up!

jjorbles.bsky.social•392 days ago

dying to see a handler of strange animals in the Star Wars universe

by which I mean I want Malakili the rancor tamer to get his own disney+ show

lexibee69.bsky.social•392 days ago

No you dont. It will be 90% about him growing up and his love life with a single scene of him learning about rancor

trudieskies.bsky.social•423 days ago

For customer service rep, I recommend Cthulhu's Car Park! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40791393-cthulhu-s-car-park

fidelioscabinet.bsky.social•423 days ago

🌟🌟🌟
This is so well-thought out.

theangrynoodle.com•421 days ago

🥺🙏🏾 thank you so much!

maxpocalypse.bsky.social•396 days ago

Who did the art for the fantasy pieces?

thatoldbear.bsky.social•385 days ago

I'm re-reading Bruce Sterling's "scizmatrix" and I love that he's kinda sidestepped or leapfrogged every trap you outlined in the list:) Great work BTW :D

dotsandlines.bsky.social•423 days ago

I do appreciate that Star Trek does feature diplomats in varying importance to the plot, and I don't feel particularly lacking in that universe. What I'd like to see more of would be people who operate shipping vessels.

dotsandlines.bsky.social•423 days ago

Ooh, yes, I would love to read about/hear about/watch more tour guides! Off the top of my head, I can only think of a certain sci-fi guide book and Dante's Inferno, but there's so much more potential! Heck, you could even *just* write a tour, no other plot, and make it a podcast/audio play.

theangrynoodle.com•423 days ago

I love that idea so much. Just a nice little slice of life your or something. 🥹

emmaliawrites.bsky.social•424 days ago

Reminds me of a question that showed up in Codex earlier this year, "What second world fantasy stories DON'T star elite figures?"

marypcbuk.bsky.social•423 days ago

Think the strap of the page that's getting picked up by the link card has the dreaded typo

theangrynoodle.com•423 days ago

thanks for catching that! updated the excerpt

faggyflorian.bsky.social•424 days ago

Omg fantasy customer service rep

billstewart.bsky.social•386 days ago

There are lots of shopkeepers in Fantasyland, but they're less alienated from their labor than customer service reps.
Both of Travis Baldtree's recent books did a nice job of that, with an orc protagonist who retires from raiding and opens a coffee shop.

amfisher.bsky.social•423 days ago

I’ve done handler of strange animals and now I need to do customer service rep. ‘We’re so sorry that your wand isn’t functioning. Is the ogre going to eat you before I can elevate this call to my supervisor?’

iantencate.bsky.social•421 days ago

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

billstewart.bsky.social•386 days ago

One of the interesting trends across Steven Brust's Jhereg series is that while he starts with mostly nobility and warriors, the density of them as opposed to peasants, farmers, grunt soldiers, and low-end city workers changes a lot.

errantdreams.bsky.social•338 days ago

I love the sanitation worker--Jim C. Hines did a fabulous job using that idea!

devonellington.bsky.social•423 days ago

Love it. I use 11 of the 12 in my serial LEGERDEMAIN -- but then, it's set in a city and up to 150 episodes, so they are necessary. I don't have a hacker in there, although there's a cadre of art/jewel thieves spinning off into their own project, per reader request, to do a heist.

theangrynoodle.com•423 days ago

11 out of 12 holy shit, that's amazing!

devonellington.bsky.social•422 days ago

Well, the 150th episode just dropped, so I've had room to play!

kwpledger.bsky.social•396 days ago

One of the main characters in my book is a diplomat. He’s a brand new ambassador and the head of state is *not* happy the old one was replaced. 😂

panediting.bsky.social•424 days ago

Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse by Jim C Hines! The entire main cast are sanitation people! Omg it was refreshing.

princejvstin.com•423 days ago

Absolutely agree

radlein.bsky.social•423 days ago

I enjoyed going down the list because each entry immediately reminded me of all the great stories that used the rarely-used jobs. "A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking"! "Retief: Emissary to the Stars"! "Silverlock"! "The Shambling Guide to New York City"! The InCryptid books!

radlein.bsky.social•423 days ago

I know I've read at least one Customer Service Rep story, but all I can think of right now is "Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day," whose protagonist volunteers answering phones for a suicide hotline, which is pretty customer-facing, tbh

klm.bsky.social•422 days ago

perhaps it's recency bias but jobs you want more of in fantasy made me think about the Bone Witch trilogy by Rin Chupeco

kragar.bsky.social•338 days ago

We need a whole Bill Towner extended universe, instead of the 10 minutes of screen time he got

"Looks like you got some kind of alternate universe in there or somethin'."

sendai.bsky.social•338 days ago

Mike Trapp played a terrific animal handler in the D20 side campaign, Escape from the Bloodkeep.

davidaludwig.bsky.social•420 days ago

One of my favorites of yours; my notes on this post are in one of my main note files for Cat's The Pajamas.

This post is the reason I'm aiming for them to encounter a post scarcity culture in Book 6 that has creature handlers instead of a military.
Just kinda steer the buggers away from the people.

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