an epiphany i had earlier

>someone tries to blackmail you
>offers you two choices
>[A] succumb to their demands, just so they can keep extorting you as long as they have leverage over you
>[B] they release the blackmail they have on you, losing any leverage they had, leaving you with no incentive to submit to their will

but wait... there's a secret third option they don't want you to know about

>[C] realize they only have as much power as you give them, so the less reason you have to fear that which they threaten to use against you, the less of a danger it poses to you
>gauge how much damage the weapon formed against you can do and anticipate it - prepare for it if need be
>also realize that they gain nothing from harming you - the leverage they have against you is but a means to an end - usually some material thing, beyond which they have no interest in you
>besides, what would they get out of releasing the blackmail, unless they're a sadist?
> notoriety would only hurt their success; the smaller their footprint/reputation, the better
>knowing all this, disengage
>prepare to take the L or whatever the youths say these days and move on
>no further action required

it's that simple
hope this helps B)
(pic somewhat related - couldn't find a better one)

that's just option B with extra steps retard

>>33199900
you're right, but they either knowingly or unknowingly omit said extra steps i laid out in option C. option C is basically a more comprehensive option B, explaining how unlikely the scammer is to actually follow through on the threats they might make. i could've probably said something like
>[B] they release the blackmail they have on you
>...losing any leverage they had, leaving you with no incentive to submit to their will [etc]

>>33199842 (OP)
>what would they get out of releasing the blackmail, unless they're a sadist?
1) Blackmailers are sadists. 2) What would they get out of NOT releasing it? They absolutely will release it, and make sure it gets as much publicity as possible, so that the next person they blackmail knows the threat is real.

>>33199842 (OP)
Option C is getting ahead of the blackmailer by telling on yourself before they do. But anyway, consider that if you have secrets you don't want getting out, you should probably reevaluate your life choices in the future.

>>33202504
appreciate the advice, although i can't think of any secrets that haven't already gotten out. i'm a fairly open person, and just about anything remotely shameful that i've told people in confidence has likely gotten out already.

in this instance it was just nudes of me, but i'm not ashamed of my body. pretty much my entire family has seen me naked at some point, as have a fair amount of my friends, so i don't think they'd care much if they were sent this blackmail. shit, if my dad saw it he'd just go 'that's my boy!'.

besides, sexuality is nothing to be ashamed of - in fact, it's celebrated where i live; we're a pretty sex-positive country.

more importantly, just like the last scammer who blackmailed me with my nudes, they threatened to send it to my instagram followers -many of the same ones, this time around, and the majority of whom i haven't seen or spoken to in years - in close to a decade even, some of them.

given the scammer only sent screenshots of my followers list, it's safe to assume those are the only contacts they had/have access to. to my knowledge the previous scammer never actually sent them that information like he said he would, because to this day i've never gotten a complaint from any of those friends/acquaintances, and some of them had already seen my cock long before the aforementioned scammer got ahold of those nudes.

so considering the inane nature of the blackmail, and how many of the potential recipients have already seen the contents of it, if it got out it would be an inconvenience at worst.

sorry if that's too many words - just thought i'd give a little context to explain what inspired this post.

>>33200047
unless your livelihood depends on protecting your image and you've no plan B, you have nothing to fear. most of us aren't celebrities, influencers, high level athletes, or politicians, so no amount of publicity would make enough of an impact for us to consider paying them hush money.