224) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 50 -- A rather strange party
“I cannot just say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ because it would lead you astray. Your questions are inaccurately framed, so any answer will likewise be inaccurate in its implications.”
Uhh…. People didn’t usually speak like this. Well, Lenny did sometimes, but not normal people.
223) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 49 -- Reilly and Melkorn get promoted
“I’m Reilly! Reilly Tree-Child, and this is Melkorn the Mighty! He’s really strong! He beat up a mountain giant! He’s my friend!”
Melkorn grinned, placing one hand on top of Reilly’s head and petting, like she was a cat.
222) The Salvation of Eden -- Chapter 48) What if the Universe is nothing but dead matter, and sentience is an illusion? And...what if it isn't?
Without warning, Eyes opened inside her chest, like they were her very heart. Ancient, deathless Eyes. They looked right through her, like she was nothing, like air, completely transparent to their transcendent gaze.
221) I would like to continue to exist, please: The problem of Conservative rhetoric
I don’t like slippery slopes that lead to it being illegal for myself to exist.
220) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 47 -- Melkorn the Mighty
When you step outside the little bubble of security you might be lucky enough to live in, the world Out There, where the monsters are, is completely indifferent. Unless it wants to eat you. People don’t realize how tenuous their existence is, and what lurks just beyond the border of The Known.
219) "They're eating the cats..."
Remember, there are no small number of people in the United States, even members of Congress, who believe in the QAnon fantasy-world. They believe that the Democrats are controlled by a Satanic cabal, who kidnap and torture babies in order to extract a chemical from their brains while they are tortured, which gives immortality.
218) Jordan Peterson’s “ideologically free anti-woke university” has launched. And, seriously, WTF?
Just as haters gonna hate, and transphobes gonna transphobe, Peterson gonna Peterson his bullshit more and more broadly as his right-wing hate-funded media machine and fan-base continues to make him richer and richer from his vitriol.
217) Francisco, and the motivation to keep reaching out to the world (NOTE: Please forgive me if I have misspelled your name!!) :)
And Francisco? You changed my life just a few days ago, simply by saying hi. It was such a gesture of kindness. I have to tell you, you reinvigorated me to keep reaching out to the world.
216) Having a great summer weekend
How do we live with this dissonance?
How do we have “good weekends” with a heart-at-peace, knowing our fellow humans are being exterminated as if they are vermin?
215) Just one year of love, is better than a lifetime alone
When you realize who you really are, authenticity is instantaneous. And it’s the loveliest experience of my life.
214) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 46 -- Like a farting contest between whales
Melkorn and Gorb stood poised, weapons drawn, Kohra, Lenny and Devona grouped behind, in their now-customary triangle, each preparing to Connect to the Flux. Riley held the rear, Wand out. This is what they had trained for.
What they hadn’t trained for then stomped into view….
213) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 45 -- Tricks and the Secret to Life
Little did they know it then, but this is the Secret of Life. Moving, learning, laughing, sharing, loving. It’s powerful magic available to any person, and it’s more than sufficient to keep evil from overtaking your mind.
212) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 44 -- Melkorn and the unexpected solution to madness
Although none of them were aware of this subtle shifting in their minds, they were already slowly succumbing to the psychic poison of the Reapers, a demonic possession that crept into the unconscious so slowly there was no possibility of stopping against it, an unshakable, nihilistic emptiness rooted in the knowledge of a violent, fiery, inevitable End.
210) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 42 -- As mortality opens one's eyes
She tried to turn her head to the side, and this time, her body responded, giving her a view of the rest of the room. It was triangular, with four beds, one on each wall, and hers, in the middle. The others were empty.
209) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 41 -- The Beast, Part 2
Kohra felt her terror, rage, grief, all of it like a black river pouring straight from her heart. She kept nothing inside, the door smashing wide open as a second lightning bolt erupted from Lenny’s hands.
208) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 40 -- The Beast
She felt split in half. She watched her hands move, and wondered who was moving them. We are already in the Hells. Everyone I love, is already dead.
207) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 39 -- A Gift of Love
“The right way to accept such a gift, is your way. Maybe it’s just this — telling me you’re overwhelmed.” Juanita smiled again, that unguarded, impish smile. “It’s your openness, Kohra. It’s how you show people your Real Self. That’s what sets you apart.”
206) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 38 -- Preparing to Die
Scurrying gratefully to the quiet of her room, she scooted under the blankets, pulling them right over her head, like when she was a little girl and would cocoon at night, safe from the monsters outside. Sometimes she would imagine she really was in a cocoon, and when she awoke in the morning, she’d have transformed into something beautiful and amazing.
205) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 37 -- The Sole Survivor
“We didn’t even fight it. We was shooting arrows at the air, waving our swords around at nothin’. The fernal demon just mowed us down, like it was the scythe and we was the hay.”