Lurker > Muscles

Conservative is a political term.

dude, chill.

The movie is really way ahead of its time and has some very artistic shots and transitions

But holy shit it is a SLOG at times

Axiomatically, they're hiding their explanation. That may or may not be a deliberate effort to obscure the truth. Sometimes, it may be a matter of just not wanting to bother, especially if the explanation is particularly complex and/or the person they're trying to explain it to is unlikely to accept the explanation. That wouldn't really be described as "hiding something."

XD That sounds like an interesting time.

Fox only cares about ratings. Just like any other news channel.

How often in your life are you in dangerous situations where either of those things would really help you?

If you're picking a shout you maybe get to use 2-3 times over the entire course of your life, it's not really a worthwhile choice.

Or if you're living a life where you're constantly in danger where you'd be using a shout to save yourself multiple times a week, maybe you should rethink your life choices in general and stop doing whatever it is you're doing.

This is pretty much the right answer. Nearly all the others are kind of useless in a real world, non-magical setting. Especially when you'd probably get arrested or shot in short order if you went around setting things on fire by shouting at them. Bend Will has the advantage of being useful in tons of situations, with the added bonus that people you use it on seem to forget what you've ordered them to do after it wears off.

Only other ones that might be useful at all are Clear Skies and Animal Allegiance. Though the problem with Clear Skies is that if you keep using it, you may eventually start messing up weather patterns and cause a local drought. And while Animal Allegiance might be useful for shouting at the squirrels in my attic and telling them to get the fuck out (though Bend Will can kind of accomplish the same thing), it's not going to be all that regularly useful for the average person in modern times living in the city or suburbs.

Practice.

Smile, and/or warmly say hello to people you pass by. Don't wait for people to initiate. If you're like me, initiating conversation is outside of your comfort zone, and pushing yourself through your discomfort can gradually help you be more at-ease with social situations.

Ask them about their day, or if you know them already, ask them about their family or something that they've shared with you in the past (sick dog, or car trouble, for example), and ask a follow-up question.

Try to avoid the traps of well-worn topics ("Some weather, huh?"), and dicey topics, like politics or religion. Save the dicey topics for people you are familiar with who you understand can handle differing opinions.

It's okay to voice your opinion on things, but don't pooh-pooh other people's opinions that you disagree with, unless you're okay with them disliking you. This circles back to my previous point about knowing your audience. The best way to prepare for possible backlash is avoidance.

Following current news and pop culture can come in handy. It's always good to be up-to-date with current events just to have something to chat about, even if it's to answer a simple question to avoid sounding clueless.

Even if you hate something to the very core of your being, avoid saying as much. I don't mean something obvious, like pedos or nazis, but something silly like Imagine Dragons or sushi. Your answers and statements help shape your personality in the eyes of the person you're speaking with, and while you shouldn't be disingenuous, you should take great care with voicing strong opinions.

If one of my coworkers were to tell me they were looking forward to seeing Imagine Dragons in a couple weeks, I would stick to "Hope you have a good time!", and if they ask me if I like their music, I would say something to the effect of "I've heard a couple of their songs. It's not my thing but I do like their drummer" or "I like this one song, has a decent hook"... I try to find something I can compliment, even if it's something I dislike, rather than completely shit on the thing they enjoy.

Again, your answers help shape your personality. It's okay to answer genuinely. It's okay to hint to the fact that you dislike something. You don't want to outright lie just for people to like you, but you don't need to shit on things you dislike, either.

It takes a certain level of charm to be that person who is "rough around the edges and tells it like it is"... there's a fine line between being that guy, and being "that miserable asshole who hates everything I like". In my experience it's much easier to soften your own opinions, and be more open-minded, or at least less aggressively spiteful, to things you dislike

Start learning random and interesting things to talk about. People know me as a human trivia machine because I know a ton of random shit. All you really need to do is be able to spark a topic that everyone can talk about.

I'm always googling random shit to learn about.

I've worn pants once it about 3 1/2 years, and that was at a wedding reception.

shorts are comfy and easy to wear

I mean, don't ya'll know the first rule?

Considering I don't watch sports, no. And considering they got away pretending they were a non-profit (although I think that got revoked), I dislike them.