Very few could ever see them, but all noticed the disturbance of air any movement of them would make. They did not like that. They were massive, too massive. They could not be properly controlled. So much muscle, so many segments; too difficult to think about while falling. That’s why he liked diving boards; the […]

This short story was inspired by the song Salvage by Abandoned Feat. HYLIA. Second Lesson She couldn’t help but wonder if the area of town leading up to the temple path was kept like this on purpose. Or, at the very least, was viewed by its keepers as a welcome barrier to the fearful, to […]

Our den is so much bigger now, it feels. The cubs have more room to play. They’re stronger; growing faster than I’ve ever seen. I believe I know why. I miss her so much. Miss how gentle she was, like when communicating to me what it was she wanted me to do. Whence come winters […]

[Eviscerated Actual] “Please let go.” “I don’t think it works like that.” “Well you need to let go. My hand’s stuck.” “I…I thought you were ok with it being there.” “I was, but you’ve made it apparent that you never wanna reach in to grab mine as well.” “What?? How could you possibly believe that!?” […]

It sickens me that I find joy in illuminating these things, and in the anticipation of my impending actions. I want to write more; bring more details of the nuance of the situations to your attention, but a phenomenon equatable to akathisia compels me irresistibly now to move towards my target, while holding the fully […]

Beauty was a titillating tragedy. I saw its face as it looked at me every day. Kept me alive with more vigilance than the moon and stars. It only ever got more beautiful. Then one day, when I was still fairly young…it never returned. I fell down the window. Prayed. Prayed, prayed, and prayed for […]

E-2124-09-13-1945 I did not go into work today. However, the purpose of my absence was, ironically, for work. Thus this log shall still be submitted. I needed to take a walk within Little Earth. I’ve only been there once, the real thing, and most of it was not dissimilar to habitable zones here, but what […]

It feels like at least half of my, as I’m sure you’ve put together, not insignificant time on Reddit, is spent reviewing my own profile, and seeing what comments and posts get how many upvotes and comments. I’d like to think that I feel motivated to do this not just so I can see number […]

Well here I am. My reflection and I have visual contact with one another. I suppose we could get at least a few millimeters from physical contact with one another. So I walk forward. Place my hand on the glass. Or rather, the tips of my fingers. It’s really intriguing to think about; also absolutely […]

It seems impossible, and it very well might be. But it is precise, as my aim must be before I use it. I’m hitting it just fine now, or rather, hitting the water at the point where I’m aiming. But in a few seconds, I will have the one opportunity of the day. Here it […]

Hopkins administration, Please consider the following before ejecting me from your institution. I will be asserting my certainty that, while preferable, your institution is not remotely proximal to irreplaceable in its utility to me. Then, I will be enumerating the most easily identifiable and discussible examples of the general proficiency necessary to achieve my goal […]

Quoted lines are, at the very least in their precision, paraphrased from recorded correspondence. “We need to have a serious talk. You’re not gonna like it, and I’m really sorry, but it’s something that we needa do. You can’t talk to me anymore, because we need to stop being friends. You’re a really good person. […]

Why is there so little information on Dinosaurs? I believe I mentioned a recommendation about tending with less focus and exclusivity to the Archives. 76 times thus far, yes. Indeed. So what’s the deal? Fascism. Damn book burners. With that attitude, they’re certainly damned. …fair enough. Well, how about instead of telling you about the […]

This is an essay which my professor successfully requested permission to use as an example for her class’s Extended Definition exercise. The only modifications thereto that have taken place have been the addition of the single bracketed section, and the removal of unintended double spaces between words. 2012-09-18: James O’BrienENG 101SchoellExtended Definition Imagination Try to […]

[You deserve a symphony.]

Author’s note: After 9 years of what, by majority, was procrastination of addressing “Horror”, I now proudly present, in its entirety, The Thermite Collection metafiction. The project began with mere curiosity/intrigue at how a medieval kingdom might construct a dragon-proof structure. From there, it evolved into a recontextualization of humanity’s use of atomic weaponry, for […]

Several other documents were among the ones for which I have now published English translations. These other documents were numerous reports, from the resistance kingdom, of the occurrences of, and outcome from, the Siege of Thermite, which I have distilled into the following epilogue. They began at midnight; a foggy, cloudy night, for which they […]

The aching of my teeth now taints the transcendent experience of flight, which until now was my relief from the troubles of those who rule the ground. And now they dare to put fire in the sky. From this high up I can see nothing but the bursting of their weapons and the city on […]

The screaming wakes me up. Blood-curdling. I’ve heard it before. A mother is witnessing the death of her child. It is rapidly drowned out by other screams. All of them. The full cacophony of the suffering of hell. I grab my sword and run out. Whatever is occurring, it does not afford time for the […]

“Please let go.” “I don’t think it works like that.” “Well you need to let go. My hand’s stuck.” “I..I thought you were ok with it being there.” “It’s too tangled. I can’t get my hand out if something happens.” “Why would anything happen?” “Please let go.” “That’s not how this works.” “Then I’m pulling […]

[Copy/pasted from long-since-archived document] The Body-Bloodflow Authentication Scanner uses infrared imaging to scan the distribution of blood in a subject’s body. Scanning for emotional correlations, the BBAS allows passage only if the emotional indication of the subject’s bloodflow is in line with the purpose of that to which the subject desires access. Other Entry?The Bodily-Bloodflow-Based […]

ENDWeapons utilize Pulse Color Targeting. To maintain total divorce from any and all external signaling technology, including GPS, ENDWeapons employ an innovative targeting technology to guide their missiles. This technology is an array of differently colored lasers that can pulse signals beyond the perception of human vision. While firing a missile, an ENDWeapon locks on […]

My Dear Departed I must confess I have forgotten my own daughter. Our daughter. I had become obsessed with living happily ever after, until the end of my days, because I have no end of days, so I don’t know what to do with days anymore, now that you’re no longer with me. What is […]

INTERVIEWER: Welcome. Please, have a seat. So what brings you here today? INTERVIEWEE: You did. INTERVIEWER: Hardly. INTERVIEWEE: Okay then, the people you work for. INTERVIEWER: Cold. INTERVIEWEE: The person who contacted me. He brought me here. INTERVIEWER: Did he drive you? INTERVIEWEE: No, I got here myself. INTERVIEWER: Warmer. INTERVIEWEE: What does this have […]

Synapse Outline James O’Brien 2023-07-04 Top level lines are settings Nondescript office building Facility [ legos.pobspace.com/home/the-dreadnought-contingency-wiki/monarch/monarch-facility ] Virtual training environment, physically inside an indefinitely life-sustaining control pod in the heart of the Facility Aboveground Facility proper Aboveground Facility Aboveground Facility Aboveground Facility Aboveground Facility Aboveground Facility Aboveground

Well it’s been 3.25yrs since my last officially labeled blog entry. Despite all the numerous changes and transitions that took place in that time, I’m again living in the same city, and have again recently begun the officiation of my creative pursuits. There is a notable advantage this time, however: I’ve made a business partner. […]

He’s too bloody self destructive. Gonna lead to suicide. To conclude a case no doubt, but hospitals don’t sell their land to pay for the treatment of someone with no insurance. He’ll need something to keep him alive. Something to fight for. No. Something to fight against. I did always want to be a performer…

Please take note that the following historical text has been translated from its source language of Elvish. Thus the story told should not be taken as entirely accurate to its author’s intentions, as language is far too nuanced for any one translator to effectively rearrange into a different shaped box. He has done the best […]

It is not in the collected accounts of men broken by war, nor the decrees and laws of a kingdom, that one can know how life truly was before one’s time, for not all life ends in war, and not all life is lived in fear of law. But rather true life is shared between […]

Society’s conventional conceptualizations of heaven and hell are flipped. But first, I’ll talk about meaningless jobs. My first job was as a dishwasher. The following summer at that pizzaria, (or Bar and Grill if you’re concerned with marketing) I got moved up to pizza chef. Our backup cook that we called when things got overwhelmingly […]

“Gabriel?” “Yes, sister.” “I can’t do this.” “Whatever do you mean?” “You said I’d get to help people taste heaven while they’re still alive. You didn’t say anything about turning people away.” “Sometimes He asks of us things we believe we cannot do.” “Well if this is the sort of bureaucratic, metric based shit that’s […]

And that’s where babies come from. But what about worms? If you cut one in half it becomes two worms. Well first of all, you should never cut a worm, or any other living creature, in half. You wouldn’t like it if someone gave you a cut just to show their friends that it would […]

Her first time The giant waves crash They breathe on the sand She’s afraid Dips a toe in And the sea ripples into glass ________________ Waves rock the ship The sailors are shouting And that’s her que She runs on deck, splashed by the sea And leaps into it And the sea ripples into glass […]

“Where am I, and why does it look like ye olde pearly gates of heaven?” “Turns out it cause they are.” “But if I recall correctly, St. Peter was, in fact, a man, and is not commonly portrayed as being overwhelmingly attractive.” “It does say here that you’re perceptive.” “So you’ve got everything there in […]

20201001 I could probably be classified as a hyper self critical perfectionist. As such my mentality toward failure is almost always: what could I have done differently in this situation to improve it and to have made the failure in question less likely to have occurred? It’s an extremely useful philosophy for two reasons: there’s […]

“The Imprisoned One”A DOOM Eternal Fan Story Part 1: To Daisy He writes: To Daisy, I must’ve written things before in a life I barely remember having lived, because I know some of the ways I’m supposed to put a letter together. I feel like I keep seeing you in the corner of my vision. […]

Well I finally released my first short film. It was very easy to identify that as the first proper step in my journey towards one day realizing Monarch. But it took way longer and was way less creatively enjoyable than I anticipated. The first step, writing, was the easiest, most enjoyable, and most fulfilling step. […]

After decades of endless confinement, many of the participants of Project Adamas grew tired of the freedom to create, and explore and express ideation in the effective post-scarcity afforded by the Monarch facility. When an underground bare-knuckle boxing organization arose, Monarch intervened for the safety of its participants. Seeing no use in quelling primordial drives, […]

She’s an electric mistress And the sweetest I’ve ever kissed She lights a fire in me And I know that I can’t resist When she’s callin’ my name The only pain Is knowin’ that there’s gonna be fallout I hate that I can’t love this Oh I hate that I can’t love this Yeah I […]

Conall awoke abruptly at the stark sound of metal scraping, swinging on itself, harbinger to a man who made no attempt to conceal his foreignness. Of all the questions he had, Conall chose what was now the most urgent, “Who are you?” And out of nowhere, dreadful regret struck him. “Someone who knows more about […]

It’s been nearly half a year since my last blog. In that time my mood has been consistent enough to declare 2019 to be, assuming the following week remains consistent, “episode” free. Medication seems to work well, and I’m two out of three for efficacy. I still don’t at all appreciate the idea of being […]

You’re the result of an unbroken chain of optimization, born from the most chaotic and unforgiving developmental process known to exist. You’ve been made to recognize, craft, and manipulate tools from within your environment to bend that environment to your will. You’re an idiosyncratic cog in an unfathomably complex social machine, codeveloped over ages to […]

I actively work to be what I believe is considered a kind person. Not nice exactly, but kind. More often than not, I find myself quite pleased with my kind behavior towards others. However, my satisfaction with my own kindness decreases with the negative feelings I may have for the person toward whom I’m being […]

Two Kings and Two Knights One day a king and his queen gave birth to twin boys. Because they were both the king’s firstborn sons, the king promised them they would each get half of the kingdom when it was their turn to rule. The boys grew to men, the king grew old, and half […]

The future is hard to talk about when it brings forth new realities. Not just places and times, but entire worlds, entire idiosyncratic universes. Time isn’t just relative, it becomes absolutely meaningless outside of its immediate context. Space isn’t just controlled, it’s very fabric is manufactured to the desires of infinite souls. And Travelers can […]

What should I do with an idea? It’s a question I sometimes ask myself on a case-by-case basis, but it’s something that’s so consistently relevant that it seems worthwhile to address it as an idea itself. I’m sure there cannot be a single best solution for ideas in general, and that contemplating the best course […]

My taste in music is apparently quite unique. That’s not to say I believe I’m the only one with such musical taste, as in fact I’m quite aware that there are those out there who share similar preferences (how else would I be able to find such music). However, I can count on one hand […]

I’ve been meaning to write another blog entry for some time now. A fair bit’s happened since the last one. For example, I finally got a job after half a year of unemployment. It’s at a retailer that shall remain nameless, but I get a steady 30+ hours a week, a consistent work schedule, two […]

On May 16, it will be four years since the beginning of our four month, three day conversation. I came to 9chat looking to at least partially fill the void left after having accepted that my former confidant and best friend was no longer speaking to me for entirely unexplained reasons. My guess though is […]

It’s been at least five years and I still don’t know what the [heck] to do in this situation.  Netflix has finally been closed, the lights are off, the white noise generator is on, and I’m fully horizontal. But I’m still not tired. At least not in the way that would result in unconsciousness in […]

Well I just discovered the Justify setting on WordPress for word alignment. It makes me inclined to go back to all my previous posts and apply the setting (which I believe should be a standard, and the default setting for word alignment). However my laziness seems to have won out over my compulsions for consistency, […]

I’m making a point not to stress too much about this blog. If I commit to releasing daily blogs at approximately the same time every day, lapses in that commitment will be much more quickly demoralizing to me than if I tell myself I’ll keep with it even if I only inconsistently release a blog […]

At the advice of my psychiatrist, I’m now writing a blog. This is primarily to combat the substantially diminished creative drive and ability of my “normalcy.” Supposedly writing anyway, as with this blog, should give me more opportunities and ideas for creative works, specifically literary ones, than I would otherwise have without the creative assistance […]

Hello again, it’s been a while. Not sure if you were gone the whole few months, of if you really did briefly show up once or twice in between things. Honestly I can’t really say I’ve missed you. I’ve missed some parts of you of course. The sleep primarily. What else? Well I suppose you’re […]

Prologue: Jim the monkey lived at the zoo and always dreamed of being in the circus. Jim is a small, brown monkey with large, round ears. One day he made a discovery: a forgotten LEGO set. He discovered his ability to build very quickly, which soon led him to life in the circus. Jim the […]

Probably plea guilty. She knows exactly what she saw, and I’m certainly not gonna ask her to lie. But how was I supposed to know he was schizophrenic? And did it even matter then, in that moment? What was I supposed to do, let it play out? Try to talk? He wouldn’t listen. He didn’t […]

Ripped a man’s throat out. Apparently that’s what I just did. Probably should’ve trimmed my fingernails yesterday when I thought to so this wouldn’t have–  would’ve been less likely to happen. But what does that matter now. I can’t tell if she thinks I’m her savior, or if she thinks I’m even more of a […]

[The sketch would be preformed with me switching my posture and gaze a la Smeagol/Gollum, though not necessarily changing voices or, like, dilating my pupils.] Thanks for being here everybody. I apologize that it’s now my turn to do this thing. He’s lying, he thinks we’re fucking hilarious. Dude! Don’t cuss! What will my friends […]

He could be right, but there’s no other way. The king was informed as well, and hasn’t stopped our scheming, and though I’m his hand, he is the mind of the kingdom. I trust him more than he trusts himself. And he is no coward. They talk of assassination; breaching the wall in secrecy. But […]

I’m no alchemist, but apparently I’m the best we’ve got. If it can melt through any of my swords, it should be able to breach the wall. I won’t be able to make it any better than it already is, but if the dragons fear it, I doubt I’ll have any need to. There’s so […]

“Your highness, here he comes!” So he survived. I would have gone myself to face the dragon, but these tedious tactics don’t take care of themselves. How do you make sure your kingdom doesn’t get swallowed up in treachery like the rest of them? You win the war. How do you win the war? You […]

Am I trying to combat my newfound sense of mortality by immortalizing my thoughts into word? Am I hoping others can use this to find a cure? I’m probably just trying to organize my own thoughts on all this. At any rate, that’s enough of a preface. I don’t remember the name, and I’m too […]

Representing a paradigm shift in personal mobility, the Kinetic Recursion Boots from Recourse Dynamics allow their user to rapidly gain superhuman speed over short distances. These boots absorb kinetic energy from the user’s legs and feet and feed it back into repulsor diodes on the soles of the boots, accelerating the user. A feedback loop […]

The Kinetic Energy Sword from Recourse Dynamics is a next-generation hybrid weapon combining the reliability of edged weaponry with the practicality of ranged capabilities, all while being powered by the human body. Utilizing energy absorption crystals throughout the entirety of the weapon, the Kinetic Energy Sword converts the energy from a swing into electrical current. […]

[This article was compiled sometime in 2015 from observations of and shared experiences with many introverts. It is not necessarily intended to be used as a comprehensive and absolute explanation, but rather as insight into the level and nature of thought that some apply to their friendships.] To begin, we shall first define that which […]

Introduction It seems the worst may be behind us concerning the blame put on video games as a medium. I could be right, I could be wrong; perhaps I’m just old enough that people don’t have much reason to blame video games for my behavior or the behavior of my peers anymore. Gaming has even […]

Rolling around doing nothing in my bed, Or so you’d think ’cause you can’t see in my head. Much needed sleep eludes me and I don’t know what to do. ‘Least I know the problem: I can’t stop thinking about you. Girl I’m restless here with you. That’s why I’m awake: captivating beauty, That came […]

One day there was built a thin, enclosed glass bridge. The bridge lead from a northern place called Anywhere to a southern place called Everywhere. As one could imagine, it was a useful bridge. Built off the left side of the bridge was a bar, and built off the right side was another. People would […]

Rolling around doing nothing in my bed, Or so you’d think ’cause you can’t see in my head. Much needed sleep eludes me and I don’t know what to do. ‘Least I know the problem: I’m not sleeping next to you. Girl I’m restless without you. Why am I awake, are you the missing part […]

In a dark basement, a single rifle round is being made. The shell is being cast from solid brass. The powder is being mixed from raw grain. The primer is being formed from sheet metal. All is now ready. All but the projectile. … A man opens the door from a staircase onto the roof […]

Don’t need the quiver anymore. I just need speed. If it’s here, I need to get to it before he gets to me. I want to look back, see just how small the dragon appears in this forest of massive, otherworldly trees. It would be the last thing I ever see. This looks like the […]

Near the end of a medieval world-war, a lone kingdom remains unconquered by a villainous empire. The empire is strong; with much of its goal of world domination now complete, and a capital city with walls of an irregularly impenetrable material, its final conquest poses little threat. This last kingdom knows its only chance at […]

Unfortunately the origin of the events is still highly questionable. The mention of the city of Alexandria is, of course, of no help at all in pinpointing the location of the historic battle where thermite was likely first weaponized, nor in aiding in the rediscovery of the hopefully non-fictional Forest of Sanctuary, as I have […]

INT. – DAY – AN OFFICE A minimally furnished room with bright lighting and a single chair placed in front of a desk, behind which sits a standard-looking, middle-aged INTERVIEWER. A GIRL gets up from the chair in front of the desk to leave, exiting out the door directly behind. INTERVIEWER Thanks for coming in. […]

It would appear as though I can consistently write at the reading level of a college graduate. Although at the end of the previous sentence, the predicted reading level was listed as 9-10th grade. And now 11-12th. Perhaps I shall attempt to increase the reading level by introducing more sophisticated terminology. Not yet effective. One […]

Book 1 Nightstalker Day 1 And that was it. I’ll find out tomorrow. They said that two years of (extremely repetitive) training would fly by, but it feels like it was an eternity. If I am chosen tomorrow at least it’ll be worth it. I keep saying all these things in my head like someone […]

Awareness is an experimental project I’m currently testing to see how well it can help me deal with the stress of idea-induced sleep-deprivation. It should come as no surprise to those who know me well that I can develop a great difficulty in becoming mentally inactive enough to actually achieve unconsciousness. It’s become decidedly problematic, […]

James Hi! I’m James! I’m the real-life author of this thing! Overanalysis Guy You know you’re not, dude. James Oh shut up. Close enough. It’s understood that the text they’re reading isn’t actually my person. Overanalysis Guy Well I’m not actually a man. I’m a figment of your imagination you created as a fictional personification […]