A former teacher of mine, now sadly diminished by age and infirmity, used to declare "style is a revelation of epistemic stance!" I think fondly of her ability to elevate sensible observations into the realm of academese, and of the twinkle in her eye as she did it.

Here would be her advice to a questing sub: "get doms to talk about themselves, a lot, and listen to them quite closely. It's hard for a mind to remain long-disguised behind a shield of words. The one who sounds like a pompous ass, is. The one who cannot complete a sentence, will not fulfill a promise. The one who cannot answer a question the same way twice, does not know his own mind. The one who cannot understand your question, will not understand your soul. The one who demands your obedience rather than earning it, fears his own weakness."

For what that's worth,

S.