229) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 54 -- The Sign-tific Process. And a horsey joke.
Melkorn was so happy, walking toward the barn with Reilly. People didn’t usually ask HIM to spend personal time with them like this.
228) Resisting Authoritarianism: It is time to get more involved
Look back at yourself someday as a goddamn hero, and be proud of what you did when the dark times came.
227) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 53 -- Chief Sign-tist
His mind was alive with ideas. This was the first time in his life that Melkorn had ever felt like this.
226) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 52 -- Form is Emptiness; Emptiness is Form
She could see Grok’s smile in the dim light of the fire. “And this is important to you?”
“Yes it is.”
“Do you know why?”
“Yes, I do.” And I really don’t want to talk about it.
225) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 51 -- A Horse, A Quest, A New Friend, and A Mysterious Villain
“It’s normal for my customers to insist on strict decorum, you might say.”
“They like to decorate stuff?” Reilly asked.
Grok laughed, “Well, I don’t know, Reilly! But I just meant that they expect me to have superlative discretion.'“
Reilly stared, blankly, still waiting for the explanation.
“They hold their cards close to their chests?” Dominic tried.
“You play cards with them?” Reilly asked, even more confused now.
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.