Ed loved her the first time he met her. An instinctive and overwhelming awareness that "She is the one. I’m going to marry her."

But they were young. He was shy. They went to separate colleges. And it was 16 years before they met again, both older and more worn down, but he didn’t care. Because she gave him a chance.

She was his life. His one true love.

He was happy to become a dad to her daughter because that was HER child.

Truly was an extension of Barbara. He had to accept her daughter to have Barbara in his life, and it was a deal he was willing to make.

For four years he lived a happy life.

He was married with a beautiful wife that he loved more than anything.

Then she was gone.

Murdered by Truly. Shot dead in the house he’d bought for her with the gun he’d bought so she could feel safe from her unstable and dangerous ex-husband. And it was her daughter–the girl she’d loved more than ANYTHING (even him!)–that did it.

And he didn’t know why.

Whatever story Truly gave, Ed didn’t believe it. Didn’t trust it. Because Barbara was the kindest, gentlest, most wonderful person ever. A truly loving mom.

And Truly cold-bloodedly shot her dead.

And all the excuses and reasons were weak. Untrustworthy. Manipulations he could not believe.

But he would smile at her in court. Mouth words of love and trust. Do or say anything to get her released from prison.

Because in the gaping maw of his broken heart, he was desperate for blood.

/END

~Harper Kingsley

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GENESIS

In the beginning, was there the chicken or the egg? Without darkness, can there be any perception of light? From the moment of beginning, is there already the awareness of an end?

A seed was cast across the void. A spark seeking to become a flame. A baited lure with an imperceptible line leading back to a distant shore.

It drifted with seeming randomness while actually following a hidden path. Finding the points that connected one reality to the next. Gathering strength–fuel–to power its metamorphosis, parasitizing and consuming as necessary to reach its goal.

And from the darkness, a star was reborn.

/END

Happy unbirthday to me. Happy unbirthday to you. Unless it’s your birthday. Then happy birthday to you.

I will be posting for my unbirthday for the next 12 days. Enjoy!

So, I figure everything past the initial snake bite is a venom-induced fantasy produced by a dying brain. And what we don’t see is the guy panicking and shaking her body as her eyes are rolled back and she’s frothing at the mouth, blood bubbling out of every orifice.

SHE NEVER GOES TO A DOCTOR!

It’s bad enough he sucked the venom out with his mouth, likely killing himself too, but afterward they’re just like “Everything is good now. Back to normal life” and she doesn’t even get checked out at the commune clinic or anything.

It’s like when someone writes about someone having an allergic reaction and they’re like “Character receives epinephrine shot. Allergic reaction defeated. Back to the story” when in reality it’s a race against time to get the person to the hospital within 15 minutes after giving the shot so they can receive treatment FOR THE STILL HAPPENING ALLERGIC REACTION.

There’s so much bad biology takes out there that everyone just accepts as normal. It is 2026 and people just accept that stuff as hard fact.

I am surprised more humans don’t die everyday than currently do. Just bananas.

• epinephrine is given to keep a person alive until they can receive medical care

• after an allergic reaction, there is likely to be a secondary allergic reaction. Get to a hospital and stay there.

• snake venom should not be sucked out, as the sucker will be poisoned

• tourniquet the snake bit extremity and go to a hospital for antivenin

• anuses are not self-lubricating

• lactation requires pregnancy, or the introduction of hormones

• a penis is not long enough to “breech” the cervix, and if it is long enough to mash against the cervix, it’s very painful and non-masochists do not enjoy it

• there is not a secret opening into the sphincter that will bring amazing pleasure to the dick that reaches it

• surprising someone with piss-, shit-, breath-, weird object insertion-, gun-, etc. -play is not fun or edgy

• carbon is not a treatment for an open wound

• butter, ash, oil, mayonnaise are not treatments for burns. If someone is splashed with boiling water or hot stuff, rinse with cool water for at least 15 minutes and contact medical professionals.

• do not mix a bunch of cleaning chemicals. You don’t get a better clean; you get found passed out or dead on the floor.

• nutritional yeast does not give you yeast infections. Nutritional yeast is cooked, so it’s dead, for one thing. For another, that’s not how yeast infections work.

• eating rabbit meat when pregnant won’t give a baby a cleft lip

• the sky is not blue

• people do not see through their irises. You look through the pupil.

• sperm DNA is not stored in other people’s bodies. If a paternity test says that’s not your kid, that’s not your kid. No, your lady did not have sex before meeting you and that man’s sperm DNA has not been stored in her body waiting to transform your baby into someone else’s offspring. Your lady cheated on you, sample reports were mixed up, babies were switched, or you are a chimera. But no, sperm DNA does not remain forever in someone else’s body like something out of a sci-fi story.

• humans are not ready for reproduction just because they’ve begun displaying signs of puberty

• people do not need to be kept awake if they have a concussion. Once someone has received medical care, it’s actually better for them to sleep as their body can fully focus on healing the damage.

• worm eggs can survive 2 years in carpets. Why are you walking around barefoot in random motel rooms?

• eggs are nutritious and not as bad for your heart as previously suggested. It was that people usually paired eggs with bacon and cooked them in bacon fat. Or they would eat a fried steak and eggs everyday. Eggs are not the overarching problem, cooking methods are.

• fluoride prevents tooth decay. A toothpaste or mouthwash containing fluoride is an easy way to prevent cavities.

• carnivore diet is a dangerous fad. Colorectal cancer is on the rise. Constipation, which can be caused by a lack of fiber, can contribute to colon cancer. Eat an apple. Eat some leafy greens. Don’t pack your insides with red meat and gristle.

It is a miracle the human race has lasted as long as it has. But some people out there are definitely out to shorten some lifespans with misinformation and just bad advice in general. Because that’s what the algorithm likes: misanthropy.

There are times when he has to wonder if what they’re doing is wrong. In more than just the “tormenting a sentient creature to consume its offspring” kind of way.

In a moral, soul-destroying kind of way.

But then he sees all the well-fed people. Realizes that no one is ever going to starve ever again. And he eats a mog-burger with fries and that wondering voice in his head goes silent.

The little guy is his friend. His cute little buddy. Though when he goes to visit him, the little guy will turn his face away and no longer makes sounds of greeting. Used to turn his back to him and huddle in the corner of his wire mesh cage, though now he doesn’t do that anymore. Will just lie on the pile of wood shavings that makes up his bedding.

His little buddy won’t greet him anymore. Won’t stand up and nudge against his hand and hug him. But he still sees the little guy as his friend. Still loves him the way he always has.

Even if mog-burgers are delicious, that doesn’t take away from their friendship. Their closeness. Their sense of family.

Just as he refuses to consider any questions of morals and ethics, he refuses to accept that their relationship has been changed. Broken.

Approaching the cashier, he ordered a mog-burger, a 6-piece box of chicken fried mog-nuggets, a medium french fries, and a cola. Then steps to the side to wait for his food.

Gazing at nothing. Thinking about nothing. Emptying his mind of any kind of question or concern. Waiting to eat his lunch. Planning to visit his little buddy after work.

They’re friends, after all.