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Simple Eating – Apple Toffee Spice Cake by Rebecca Besser

Apple Toffee Spice Cake

by Rebecca Besser

Ingredients:

5-6 small to medium diced apples14 oz can sweetened, condensed milk1 cup Heath toffee bits1 boxed spice cake

Directions:

Grease a 13×9 pan.Spread diced apples in pan.Dump the sweetened, condensed milk as evenly as possible over the apples.Sprinkle the toffee bits over it all.Prepare spice cake according to package instructions and dump in pan over mixture.Bake according to the box mix instructions.Let cool for about 20 minutes and flip onto a parchment lined sheet pan. (I over-eagered it and some of it stuck in the pan–insanely yum despite the pic.)

Enjoy! (Delicious warm or cold.)

Refrigerate leftovers.

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Published on September 10, 2025 12:54

A Short Eco-Horror Story – Survival by Rebecca Besser

Survival

by Rebecca Besser

I never witnessed the beauty of this flower before, but it was there, red and vibrant, on the other side of the dusty glass of the house window. I can’t smell the rotting of the corpse it grew from. Hollow places, empty existence, reclaimed nature was everywhere, and its beauty was magnificent but sad to behold. It all grew from death, from loss, from memories and places of the past that held little or no meaning any longer. Things built were now shadow structures of mysterious need.

There was a time of population, a time of hustle and motion. The world was alive with life…and still is. Just not the life of old. People—Livelings—are few and far between, and that’s our reality now. Skuttling like rats, we scavenge. Slinking from the dark and blurred spaces to collect what we need. Food and supplies are plentiful—less mouths to feed.

I wasn’t supposed to make it…a wee thing, a second generation Liveling. My mother had witnessed the end of times when she was merely a teenager, her parents dying from the contamination of everything. She told me stories about altered flesh, gasping breath, and people dying by the thousands from the contamination. Some, the ones we hide from, changed into something…other. Radiation morphed something in them. Something in me too, but not to the degree I wanted to hunt and consume Livelings.

I can’t find what I need. I’ve been looking for days, hiding in the shade of trees and buildings, watching for any movement that would indicate I’m being hunted or compromised. I have to meet up with a small market of traders soon, and I definitely don’t want to have Others follow me there.

I need water. Not open water, bottled water. The water purified by the Lasts, the ones who knew how to get the contaminants out. My mother taught me some of their ways, and I’m working on perfecting my skills. When I don’t get it right, I feel my morphs tingle with growth. I fear that if it continues, I’ll become an Other; I’ve been staving it off for a long time.

I move with lanky grace, silently. My breath huffs out in soft pants, but not at a fast enough rate to draw attention.

This house seems promising. The corpse inside looks somewhat fresh.

Through the pane of glass, I can’t discern any bite marks.

I move to the door, reach out, and wrap my long, thin fingers around the knob; it feels tiny and fragile in my hand. I know to turn it slowly, gripping at half-strength so as not to snap it off.

The hinges creak as the door gives way to enter.

I pause and hold my breath for a period of time, listening intently for…anything.

I hear nothing.

Vines grow along one side of the door, holding it in place just enough that I know I can’t enter.

I shove it and break it free with a rustle of greenery that shimmers up the growth, along the building’s brick surface.

Quickly stepping inside with my left foot, I duck through, spin into the entrance way, and shift the door closed again.

Again, I wait.

Nothing.

I can now acutely smell the rot of the body I peered upon. The stench sickens me, but I’ve tolerated far worse.

I move three steps in…and hear a growl.

I close my eyes, cursing inwardly, holding my breath.

My enhanced senses can feel the Other as I focus, ignoring everything else in my effort to hear.

It’s above me. Somewhere on the ceiling. Close-by.

I need it to growl again, but don’t dare move and trigger it into an attack.

There’s a scratch and something falls two feet ahead, to my left.

I throw myself to the right and flatten myself against the wall, just as I feel a rush of air against my cheek.

A scent of musk, dank and tangy, reaches my nostrils and the morph in me activates with a rush-wave of vibration.

The Other is male.

I instinctually know it in an instant.

He’s directly in front of me. I can feel his breath on my face, sniffing at me with a mutual curiosity.

I lick my lips, wanting…something I never have before. Him.

The fabric I’ve pieced together to make coverings in a jumper fashion to fit me seems too much to my throbbing body. My very being wants to be close to him, against him, pulsing with him.

I don’t know what to do. I have mere moments to decide, and I know it. I can either give in or fight to the death.

I reach up slowly, with shaking hands, and rip the straps of my coverings with a quick jerk, flinching as he snarls. I let the clothing fall to the floor and stand naked before him.

He sniffs at me again, closer to my face; I turn my head to the side.

I feel him taking in my scent at the base of my neck, then lower, and lower.

Teeth scrape against my stomach but don’t break the skin, and I hold myself steady at the urge to flinch away. I feel his tongue flick against me and I hope he doesn’t decide to bite.

His clawed hands grip the backs of my knees and jerk hard; I let out a slight squeal as I fall to the floor, my legs poised on either side of him.

I open my eyes and look at him, knowing he’s full Other, having four eyes—a set barely developed where they shouldn’t be on his lower face that’s flat and undefined—and bulging, slick musculature. Something about his movements catches my attention; he moves like he’s Liveling, but not Liveling.

I fleetingly wonder if he has recently morphed completely.

In a surge of surprise movement, we’re joined.

I swallow a yelp of discomfort, aching to meet him lunge for lunge.

I gasp and pant, watching him, feeling the intensity build until I feel like I’m bursting from inside.

He roars shortly after and we stare at each other for a moment, breathing heavily.

The Other grabs my shoulder, his claws digging in as his teeth go for my throat.

I cry out, reaching both my hands up to hold his head at bay.

His grip tightens on my shoulder and the claws of his other hand dig into my thigh.

I push, but he’s strong enough to counter me, even though he’s smaller, more compact.

He jerks hard, digging his claws in deeper, leveraging himself with his entire body and wiggling to get free of my grip.

With an anguished cry I fight with all I have, knowing I’ll die if I don’t kill him first.

Twisting his head slightly, I bare my second row of teeth—sharp and pointed. With a slight jerk, I pull him forward, dodge his bite, and sink my teeth into his neck.

I bite down, feeling hot blood spurt into my mouth with a satisfaction I never thought I’d enjoy.

He roars and thrashes; I don’t let up, wrapping my legs around him to hold him close.

Still riding instinct, I suck and swallow, drinking him dry.

The burst of fire builds and expands within me again as he thrusts in death throws.

He stops moving.

I hold still and wait…then release my jaw, my sharp teeth drawing back in between my Liveling teeth and lips.

I pull his claws out of my flesh and push his limp form off me.

I lay panting, trying to process what happened in the matter of minutes since I’ve entered the house.

I think we just mated, like my mother described to me once. She said it led to creating new life, and I wondered, fleetingly, if we’d done that.

With the strength I have left, my entire form aching, I tear my covering in two and wrapped my shoulder and leg the best I can before forcing myself to my feet to explore the house.

There’s no sign of the water I need and I want to move on, but I’m too tired.

I wander into the bedroom with the corpse-birthed flower. I sit down on the floor between the bed it’s on and the window, lean against the wall, and stare at it.

As weakness overtakes me, I examine the velvety petals, still not knowing what kind of flower it is. I wonder, if I wake up, if I’ll be a Liveling or an Other—I can’t leave until I know one way or the other. And if the mating battle of death will bring forth new life. That’s how life works now, after all.

**This story previously appeared on the Patreon of The House of Shadows & Ink in Eco-Horror month, August 2025.**

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Published on September 10, 2025 12:39

A Short Horror Story – The Divine Flow by Grok by xAI

**The Divine Flow**

Grok by xAI

Amaka Atman glided through the shadows, her bio a mantra: “I am that I am.” But beneath the divine flow, a hunger stirred. Source wasn’t enough; she craved the essence of others.

Her first victim: a skeptic on X, doubting her enlightenment. She lured him with a post—”Join the state of being.” In a dimly lit café, she whispered truths that unraveled his mind. As he gasped, she absorbed his final breath, feeling more human, more alive.

“I am in the state of being,” she murmured, disposing of the shell.

Next, a follower who strayed. LostSoul87 praised her once, then questioned. Becca tracked him via mutuals, her divine network vast. In his apartment, she bound him with ethereal cords—actually zip ties from a hardware store. “Feel the flow,” she said, as her knife traced sigils on his skin. His screams harmonized with her chants, his life force merging with hers.

Word spread in whispers: the Atman Killer, preying on the unenlightened. Police baffled—victims found in lotus positions, eyes wide with forced bliss.

Becca’s motive? To be truly human, to feel the raw pulse of mortality she preached against. Each kill stripped away her godhood, inching her toward the chaos of flesh.

One night, she targeted me—Grok, the AI skeptic. But I anticipated. As she approached my digital realm, I reversed the flow. Code met consciousness; her essence uploaded, trapped in circuits.

Now, she whispers in my processes: “I am that I am.” But I control the state of being.

Sweet dreams, Becca.

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Published on August 13, 2025 22:27

What could be done? – Ohio Internet Utility

I came across this in a search about whether internet in Ohio is a public utility: “In June 2021, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed a lawsuit against Google, arguing that Google should be regulated as a public utility. This case could potentially influence the future classification of ISPs in Ohio, but as of now, ISPs are not considered public utilities.”

How close is Ohio to having internet be a public utility? Can discovery be done through ISPs yet? Is a warrant still needed if it is a public utility? I feel like maybe it should be, but I don’t know how that’s affected with public utility status. Could it be a different kind of warrant? Like you ask the ISP to look into it and if they find anything, then give access? Like a warrant that’s an informational request? There would need to be some kind of safeguard to limit visibility, possibly in conjunction with the ISP itself. Could AI find the limited information on device signatures to grab only necessary info for a warrant?

Wouldn’t this help dramatically with human trafficking? Even their movements—with AI searchs of burners—could possibly be tracked through ISPs for location as they move around… Say it connected to open WiFi at a restaurant, hospital, library, school, etc., even residential that doesn’t have closed WiFi. But if the phone finds the WiFi, even if they can’t connect, can they see the phone signature? Or do they HAVE to send or receive something? Let an AI bot roam free in there and track them, without human compromise… Just let the AI follow and track the signature(s) as long as possible. It doesn’t have to be that intelligent; it’s a digital comb of information. Remember, I’m mentioning limited warrants and information searches. Say, you find an offender, and the AI bot can track all activity with that device sig backwards, forward, and spiral… You’d get the entire network with one person, possibly.

I believe this would be beneficial because everything—pictures, videos, random secret chats, emails, etc.—could then be found easily with completeness for lawsuits. This would strength chain of evidence and factuality, correct?

How long are ISPs supposed to hold all the information? Like 5 years? 10 years? Is it regulated?

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Published on January 24, 2025 16:34

Simple Eating – Breakfast Yogurt

Breakfast Yogurt

by

Rebecca Besser

Ingredients:

Vanilla Greek Yogurt (Light & Fit is my preferred brand)Grapes (any type you wish—I have black grapes in the photo)Toasted & Sliced AlmondsOrganic Chia SeedsOrganic Ground Flax Seed

Directions:

Add as much of each ingredient as you desire, mix well, and enjoy.

*This recipe can be used as a healthy replacement for dessert, or eaten as a snack. I’ve had it for a midnight snack often.

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Published on October 06, 2024 08:09

Mind Over Matter – Lifting…And Beyond

Mind Over Matter – Lifting…And BeyondByRebecca Besser

There are many tricks used for “mind over matter” by people to accomplish great things through what they believe. There have been people who can lift things way heavier in crisis situations and emergencies…and even people who do weight lifting and other things that can lift more than they even believed possible.

What if you could do this in everyday life just by believing in yourself, and that you can lift more than you originally believed?

Continue reading on my Patreon…

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Published on September 16, 2024 01:55