Sort of? I actually spent a lot of my time doing other people's assignments for them for extra cash. I look back and consider it training for my current job making imprints. Well that and playing a ton of RPGs. But I kinda get what you're saying. Validation is validation, particularly if you get something personal out of it.

Are there really that many permanent imprints? They degrade over time and that's another kinky in the whole 'happy ever after part'. Honestly? After watching Echo, Sierra and Victor, I think we're deluding ourselves. They can grow. The imprint probably isn't the problem--we can make them be the perfect mate. It's the other side of the equation that's fail. So maybe it wasn't necessarily Elijah Wood's techniques that were wrong after all.