The kind of thing where, halfway through, you realize it’s 2 a.m. and you’re reading about some obscure conspiracy theory you didn’t even know existed.
TheWriteGuy
Oh, that’s easy. Mongolian throat singing. Don’t ask me how I got there.
I nearly snorted my tea.
ReadToLiv
I wasn’t going to. But now I want to know if you tried it.
TheWriteGuy
I value my neighbors. And my dignity.
The smile on my face softened. It was easy with him, to just let the conversation flow until I was more relaxed than I’d realized I needed to be.
TheWriteGuy
What about you? What’s the strangest thing you’ve looked up?
ReadToLiv
Naming conventions.
TheWriteGuy
Like baby names?
ReadToLiv
Kind of. It started with baby names, but then I ended up reading about how some words just sound right for certain things. Linguists call it “sound symbolism.” You know, like how “fluff” sounds soft and “crash” sounds hard.
TheWriteGuy
There’s probably a whole science behind that.
ReadToLiv
There is. But honestly, it made me realize I’d be terrible at naming things. Seems easier to keep brainstorming, hoping at some point I get it right.
I hit send before I could overthink it, feeling oddly exposed by how true that was.
TheWriteGuy
That actually makes sense. Naming something feels permanent.
ReadToLiv
Exactly. Like if you name it wrong, you’re stuck with it forever.
TheWriteGuy
Which is why I have three different drafts with “Untitled” as the name. It took me forever to decide on the title Shadow, Smoke, and Mirrors.
ReadToLiv
Please tell me one of them is literally called “Untitled 3.”