Metaphysical Boundaries

Greek necklace made from gold, bone, rock crystal, and a greenish veined stone

Early-Middle Bronze Age, 2100 - 1800 BCE

Same goes for the people I saw just the other day whose discord server explicitly disallowed "Yaoi" but said that M/M content was allowed. What they meant was "M/M content is allowed as long as it isn't pornographic and fetishistic." What they actually said was "M/M content is allowed, but M/M content is strictly forbidden," and expected you to understand that the Japan-Adjacent term has porn/fetish connotations while the English-language term for THE SAME THING refers to the "normal, non-perverted" version.

I refer, of course, to the time Buzz Aldrin (age 72 at the time) cold-cocked a moon landing conspiracy theorist straight in his smug face after being accused of being a coward, liar, and thief.

Yes, someone was indeed dumb enough to tell a man so unafraid of death that he was willing to go into the void on a fragile explosive rocket, a coward.

Said dumbass was filming this confrontation as some sort of proof of moon fraud, but has instead captured this glorious moment of near-cosmic justice for us to loop for all time.

Great dialogue can come from radical emotional honesty. But in most real conversations, people

dodge questions

answer indirectly

lie (badly)

change the subject

crack jokes to avoid serious answers

lie (convincingly)

say half of what they mean

tell the truth but get so anxious/angry/defensive others now think they're lying

If your dialogue feels unnatural, it might be because everyone is saying exactly what they think, or articulating their thoughts too well. Try letting characters hide things instead.

To be fair, Random GOP Congressman is not the same level as McConnell, who in turn is not the same level as Trump. Every time Trump disappears for more than a few days, people have been ALL OVER it (not least since we are all, of course, so hungry for him to finally eat shit and die). You really can't keep the president of the US totally out of sight for more than a week before somebody somewhere is going to notice, and while they will doubtless try to stall as long as possible, they can't get away with it indefinitely. It would, however, be grimly hilarious to watch Vance try to act like a Great Statesman (TM).

“Yes, the wars and yes, the hell and wreckage. But you cannot save a life if you are broken…you are not betraying anyone by choosing joy.”

--Joseph Fasano

Sarmatian Gold Choker with Mythical Beasts Inlaid with Turquoise and a Large Amethyst Cabochon, 1st Century BC/AD