"I really should be working," she muttered to herself while clicking on the next RECord. It was only 7:00. Technically, she had all night to do her work for tomorrow. "Just 30 minutes more, then...

Time begins to lose its meaning when you can control it. Hm, maybe control isn't the right word. People already do think they can control time-they talk about saving it, wasting it, using it. Th...

She stood there, shaking, as the doors of the church rattled and their horrible moans filled the air. She had seen the news. The world was coming apart bit by bit as the bloodthirsty hordes wer...

Alright, I guess I have put this off for long enough. I am also being selective with the questions, as I don't have answers for everything.

Who are you and what do you do?

Stop.

Just stop.

Stop being who they want you to be. They'll tell you who they think you are and what you should be. Really, people love to do this. But that doesn't mean...

He shot himself in the head. Again. It is becoming a bit of a habit with him. This is the fifth time in a month that he has loaded up his gun, put the barrel to his head, and pulled the trigger....

I miss you and I really really hate that I do. I didn't love you, not yet anyway, but I could have. It doesn't matter, I guess. You're gone now.

I remember the first time we slept to...

I try to wean myself off. I know it is bad. It is having a bad impact on me, on my mind, on my life.

Yet I can't stop.

It is always calling to me. Beckoning me. Wanting me ...

She wanted him, badly. Very badly. That didn’t matter, though. She realized that she would never have him. This wasn’t anything new- that was how it usually went. Either the guy wasn’t intereste...

Red was incredibly conflicted. She wanted to kill him-she had to kill him, or else he would try to kill her.

But she also wanted to fuck him. It would seem that lust and des...

You eye me as I'm walking. You notice that I am female and small. Easy prey, you think.

Automatic victim.

Poor helpless little girl by herself....

We constantly dance around the issue
you and I
rhythmically avoiding it as best we can
pretending it does not exist
We are ever so careful not to cross that line
and ac...

I am very short. I really really hate being short. I actually took growth hormone injections when from ages 12-18 and I am still pretty short. I don't think my face is all that pretty. I am th...

I have a creature inside me. She longs to be let out, to run rampant and free, without a care in the world. But I keep her inside, locked up, caged in. I feel her trying to break through the bar...

I wake up naked and tangled in your sweat-soaked bedsheets. My body feels sore and achy. I have bruises on my hips and thighs, scratches running down my back, bite marks on my shoulders. Our clo...

I haven't seen or spoken to you in years, yet you continually pop up in my dreams. I hate that. I would like to forget you, would like not to think about the ways you hurt me, but that becomes i...

We are constantly moving forward. Every moment becomes a memory. We may try to hold on to an experience, but it is quickly gone. The future soon becomes the past, and there is no stopping.

A kiss.

That was all it took to destroy everything.

He wouldn't have kissed her out of his own volition. But she kissed him, and he didn't push her away. No, he reveled i...

The first pimple didn't mean any harm, it just wanted a place to call home. It was rather small and innocuous, but still, you did not want it on your face. You put cream on it with the hope that...

If you fall in the forest -

do you make a sound...

when there's nobody but trees around?

-Metaphorest

One might say that you do...

What is normality? Why, it is being completely abnormal, of course!

Nobody is normal. Everyone is, then, abnormal. This means that abnormality is, in fact, normal....

You lie down. Your body sinks into the mattress. You close your eyes. Your breathing slows. Your heart rate goes down. You relax. Your thoughts start to jumble and make less and less sense. You ...

Nothing can quite describe the feelings of freedom, elation, and joy one feels after leaving their last class on a Friday afternoon. But then again, nothing can quite describe the feelings of dr...

They say that I am a poor, hopeless being due to the nature of my circumstance. They may think I deserve to be at the bottom of the caste system with all of those other gloams, but they are wron...

I've been writing a lot of records about sleep and dreams a lot on here, huh? Well, here is another.

I had this dream a couple of years ago, but it has stuck with ...

"Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

But is it, really?

I don't think so. There is already so much to deal with in life that I would like ...

Cover my body with paint

Give me a mask so I

can hide my face

Don't let the world see

the real me

Disappointing others can feel terrible.

It feels even worse when you disappoint yourself.

She never feels completely comfortable unless she is at home, by herself. That's when she truly is the most free. That is when the full extent of her personality comes out.

We are al...

Maggie was tired. She was just so tired of...feeling.

She wanted to stop all of these feelings and emotions from building up inside her, making her crazy.

"To hell with t...

I saw my shadow today
and though not a Longray
It looked graceful and tall
without any flaws at all

And now I must admit
though I'd hate to say it
But it put...

Stop shaking, stop fearing so much. Get outside of your head.

It's not as bad as you think.

You try to hold them in, to bottle them up, to push them down. And you do, for a little while, anyway. But the thoughts keep growing and growing. They drive you crazy with their evil, their ange...

Meredith had a strange and ironic problem. You see, when she had a lot of work to do, she would feel stressed. This, of course, is nothing special. However, when she felt overwhelmed, just think...

All worlds are made from dreams. Every time someone(or something) dreams, they create a new world. In fact, the world we are living in now is simply the result of a dream. Of course, I cannot ge...

She wakes up drenched in sweat. She gets out of bed to cool off. Still too hot. She turns on the fan. Still too hot. She takes off her clothes. Still too hot. It seems she cannot excape the heat...

I want you
I want you so badly it hurts
But I don't want to want you anymore
Really, I never did
But I can't control it

I want it to stop
Please, just stop

I can't get out of bed today

There is too much to do, too much to see

For my dreams, they take me far away

From this mundane life of mediocrity

&n...

She always had to look perfect when we went out. She painted up her face with makeup, wore a nice dress and high heels, did her hair, the works. Tonight was no different. I looked at her, standi...

You took my grandmother away. No, that's wrong. She wasn't a grandmother; she was never able to be, thanks to you.

You made a ten year old boy wonder why there was a prosthesis in hi...

Peeling, peeling, peeling. The wallpaper is peeling. Good, I think. Good. It needs to peel, so the woman can finally be set free.

I go and help it, tearing frantically at it so th...

I can't count the number of times I have found you like this; Seated upright with your  glass of wine in one hand, the remote in the other, the T.V. on, and your glasses propped up on your ...

Forever

Infinity

Eternity

Can we truly imagine what these words mean?

The idea of infinity, of eternity, is truly terrifying. Think abo...

When I was a kid, for some unknown reason, I started eating toast in a peculiar way. I would take my two pieces of toast, butter them, and put jam on them. But then I would take a little bit o...

The sunlight stings my eyes as I open them, forcing them shut again.  Where am I? Oh, shit, I realize, I fell asleep. The previous night's events come flooding ba...

I don't want to beg
I don't think it suits me
But I know you want me to
You are just  hoping I do

So fine, I may resort
to begging in the end
if ...

"Bite your tongue," I am told.  So I do. I bite down so hard that blood fills my mouth. But I don't dare stop.

The lies continue to flow freely like wine, and I just stand there ...

She looks in the mirror and hates what she sees. She wants to break it, to smash it to tiny pieces and walk all over them, asserting her own power over the mirror and her image. But she knows th...

Regret is a terrible emotion. It is hopeless and futile, and yet it is so easy to be regretful in life. We regret things we've done, things we haven't done, entire events and circumstances....

Time is what we hope moves quickly when we are bored or unhappy, or are waiting in complete anticipation for what is to come.

Time is what we cling to when we are enjoying ourselves,...

Strip me down
Cut me open
Try and figure me out

But baby,
you're gonna need some luck
'Cause I'm a mystery
even to myself

My thoughts
They are a jumble
a mess
a vortex of words
a burst of colors
and jagged lines

Pounding on my head
Weighing down on me

But maybe

Hey, just a heads up-this story contains cannibalism. And no, I do not know what is wrong with me.

The following is not based on a...

They say not to play with fire; you could get burned, after all. What they don't tell you is that sometimes the burn is worth it.

The truth is, you never really know unless you decid...

We fear the unknown
that which is new
and what we don't understand
So, I get it now

Here in this cage
I am trapped, but I know my surroundings
I know what my ...

We are having an argument but, all of a sudden, you grab my face and kiss me. You use your mouth as a stopper for my words, pushing them back down my throat and keeping them there. And I fall in...

I do not want to fall in love
for I fear it so

I do not want those feelings
those emotions
I do not want to be
so lost in another
so consumed

I do...

I am not a writer. At least, I don't think of myself in that way. When I try to write- actually sit down and try to think of something to say-I usually get stuck. I will dig deep down and try to...

I wish we could all stop wishing for things to happen and just start making them happen on our own.

Oh, right.

Damn.

Have you ever slept standing up? Most people say that it is impossible, or that they have to be extremely exhausted and, even then, it doesn't feel like real sleep. Well, these people are very s...

(I had written this a month ago but forgot to post it. Via's firefly video reminded me of its existence.)

Fireflies. To me, they've always signaled the beginning of summer. Just seei...

There is something special about going to the theater to watch a movie. The act of movie-watching becomes an event; something special. Sitting in the dark theater  with other moviegoers, in...

A chill, a shiver, down your spine.
Something is coming. Something is here.
Your heart races.
You swallow down your fear.
You turn around.
Nothing there. But you can...

Melissa loved him. She knew she did. Of course, she didn't actually know him, and she realized that she probably never would-he was a big movie star, thus making him special and sought after, an...

There used to be a house here, many years ago. No one really knows about the people who built and inhabited it, except that the house was never lived in again after they all died away. That is r...

I do not like absolutes
for nothing is ever set in stone
(even if it is literally set in stone)

We do not really know what we are,
who we are,
where the future wi...

Tired of hating himself, the man decided to hate everyone else, instead. He felt that was much better for his self-esteem.

Digging up the past may be good
once in a while
But sometimes you need to just
let it go
and move on

You might not be ready
to be covered
in all tha...

It was 1994. I was with my father, another man, and his young son in white room in their house. I was 5 at the time and didn't really pay attention to what they were saying. I may not have even ...

She was tired of constantly giving up, so in the end, she decided to give up giving up. Instead, she was going to just keep on tryng.

Fictional people are easy to fall for. You are seeing them from afar, and they are able to be idealized. Real people, on the other hand, are far messier, and typically more boring. They also can...

I tell myself I shouldn't care
I try to convince myself that I don't
But, despite attempts to feel unflared
the truth is it cuts me to the bone

Yes, I know that I shou...

She is a fixer of broken hearts. She mends them as best she can, carefully stitching them back together. No, she cannot make them as good as new, and the hearts will still be a little frayed aro...

Each step feels like an accomplishment as you wade through the thick summer heat. You are covered in sweat, but it does nothing to cool you down. Instead, it makes you feel sticky and even more ...

My grandmother (on my mother's side) died a year and a half ago. She was 99, and would have been 100 had she made it to October 2010. She had been in the hospital a month before, and we all thou...

It was the night before my sister's 26th birthday. At midnight, I gave her her present, which was a bottle of absinthe. We both partook of it. Around 20 minutes later, we hear this loud thump co...

Crack open your mind
Let me use it as a canvas
I will paint pictures with my words
I can create whole worlds there
colorful and rich
while your thoughts expand

I let myself
get lost in the idea of you
never once stopping
to see the truth

For I love
what I want you to be
instead of what
you really are

She was wearing pink lacy underwear and a yellow bra. I was completely drawn to her. Being a gay man, I clearly wasn't interested in her in that way. There were more than enough half-na...

You probably think my job is easy. You do, I can tell. You think, "Oh, that Christina, she has such a simple, stress free job. All she has to do is wander around the neighborhood for a few hours...

The last time I made myself throw up was 3 months ago. However, I actually did have a decent enough reason for it. I was sick to my stomach, and in so much pain that I knew I would eventually ha...

I peel off my old skin
shedding it like a snake
and hang it up
as if it were a coat

It is time to change

I am not the same person
I was before
No, ...

You fear the monsters under your bed
But worry not, for those monsters are only in your head
Now now, don't relax just yet
As I know of some you have not met

The ones I...

My hands are not meant to be held. Yes, they may be small, but they are also rough and fidgety. They are resistant to being confined. My nails are short, but they have edges. I might inadvertent...

I try to wake myself up, but my dreams take over. They force me back down, back into a seemingly endless slumber. I am not allowed to return to the real world yet. This is my life now. I am stuc...

Like red wine spilled on a clean white shirt, we have this idea that sex ruins us and our supposed purity. It dirties us up, deforming our precious, innocent bodies and staining our souls; turni...

(Note: This is not exactly related to Joe's version of the story, but was inspired by JulesKD's record about it and a story I had written a while ago.)

So there she was, ...

This is the story of Josephine and Joe
They were lovers, as well you know
But this did not sit well with the preacher Joel
and he let his jealously take its toll

For Jo...

The Black and White Lady

She is beautiful and happy, appearing to be innocent at first. But then you notice the mischievous little glint in her eye, as though she has...

I can't help but notice you. In fact, I can't help but become distracted by thoughts about you. This is particularly troubling while sitting in class, like right now. Yes, I find you attractive....

I think I've always been a somewhat weird person. When I was younger, I remember trying to hide this. I tried to be 'normal,' whatever the hell that is, but I was really just pretending. It neve...

Sometimes when I can't sleep, I like to watch you dream. I can't help but wish that I could experience the unique world your subconscious is creating, no matter how mundane or terrifying it may ...

When I say "I hate you," I always mean it. In the moment, anyway. It is so easy for me to say it (or yell it). The words fly out of me with such conviction and anger. I want them to tear you dow...

As she contemplated all of the ways to commit suicide, she said to herself, "If only there was a suicide store. Life would be so much easier."

Though things ended badly for poor Fred
as, clearly, he was quite dead
There is a silver lining to this story

The animals rejoiced when they saw his head
and soon there...

I wasn't going to write anything for this. I didn't really have anything to say on the subject, but something just came to me.

Who is Joseph Gordon-Levitt? Before August of 2010, I w...

The humans, on the other hand, felt a bit like robots. Or they would have, had they stopped to consider it.

You told me that you needed me, but I think you were confusing want and need. It's okay, though. That is a common mistake.

I didn't know you very well. I feel like I should have been closer to you, talked to you more. I only now found out that you had been a lover of acting, for instance. Acting has always been a pa...

She spent so much of her life waiting to be noticed, but this was a complete waste.  It wasn't until she stood up and demanded attention that things started to change.

Following the crowd is incredibly easy, even if you don't particularly want to. What's really difficult is being willing to go against the grain and do what you want to do, especially if you hav...

The sound of the gun going off was really the most jarring thing. It wasn't the bullet hitting my back, nor was it seeing said bullet leave through my chest. Just the sound. Even when my body cr...

No one could fall in love with her. Not really. Sure, she was likable- anyone could admit that. Some lusted after her, were infatuated with her, even really really liked her to the point of almo...

She woke up in his arms again. She hated when that happened. His body felt like a hot, sweaty trap. This was not a slight against him; she always overheated when she slept, which was made even w...

After all this time, I still have not gotten used to the change. No matter what, I can always count on it being excruciatingly painful. How could it not be? My body reshaping itself, bones break...

I cut open my chest
to carve out my heart
so I could give it to you

But when I reached inside
I found nothing by emptiness

It seems someone else
had ...

Don't stray from the path
Don't forget your place
Don't dare to be different
Don't dare to be free

If you do stray, my dear
then you only have yourself to blame

"Straying from the path" has many meanings in the story. It means hat a woman shouldn't stray from what is proper and expected. She should do as she is told or face the consequences. If she ...

He chose her because she was just a girl. Girls are the easiest of prey, of course. After all, they are basically helpless. Automatic victims, really.

But, as he learned, girls are n...

The Big Bad World sure is tempting to venture out into, but it is no place for a girl. It will eat you up and swallow you whole, and you won't be able to do anything about it. Leave it to the me...

I am a feminist. Why do you find that such an ugly word? You laugh and make fun of me because you find it so ridiculous for me to consider myself part of such a movement. But why? Why is it wron...

Little Red Riding Hood was originally penned by Chalres Perrault, though different versions of the story were told before. What is interesting about his version is that it ends with Little Red b...

He had this thing about kissing her palms. Never the back of her hands, like other men did, just the palms. Whether in bed, on the couch, or out walking, he would sometimes take one of her hands...

Some people are beautiful when they cry. She isn't. Her nose gets red and puffy and starts to run. Her face turns blotchy. Her eyes get red and glassy. Her mouth scrunches up and makes her look ...

You tell me I am limited
because I am only a girl
You tell me I am something lesser
because I am only a girl
You tell me what  I am (supposedly) not capable of
bec...

The Clock People are a strange bunch, indeed
They seem to get by with very few needs
Human emotions are incompatible with their duties
So do not try to relate to these beauties

If you had to pick one song to listen to on repeat for the rest of your life, what would it be?

"I Think I'm Paranoid" by Garbage. I just love it for some reason. It is one of ...

Ignorance is bliss---> Knowledge is bliss; ignorance is useless.

Spin me a tale
and do make it good
Spin me a tale
one that is easily understood
Spin me a tale
one that hasn't been told
Spin me a tale
let it slowly unfold

Never wear white after labor day---> Wear white (or any other color) whenever you damn well please.

Idle hands are the Devil's playthings ---> The Devil will probably try to play with your hands no matter what they are doing.

His records were few

but I would still consider them art

His recommendations were many

a sign of his big heart

I may not have known him

Her alcohol of choice was scotch. She preferred to drink it out of a small stainless steel flask. Tonight was no different. She liked the cool feel of it against her lips, and the way it contras...

Some day, almost all humans will be partially (if not more) machine. Blood, skin, and bone will fuse with metal to create something more. Something better. At least that's what they'll want us t...

The Chapel of Nowhere
is located in the Land of Nothing
and visited by Nobody

If you try to find it
you may end up Nowhere, yourself
and will never be seen again

What are your plans in life? Go on, write them down on a piece of paper. Okay, now take that paper, crumple it up, and throw it out. Your plans are meaningless. Sure, have goals, dreams, aspirat...

The second we are born, we are begging and crying for attention. And from then on, the need for it doesn't stop. Every little bit we get only fuels the desire for more. We may find ourselves add...

If you turn out the lights
and look into a mirror
repeat her name thrice
and she is said to appear

She is known for her bloodlust
and her murderous rage
Your...

I found aimeecanto's Yara record fascinating, so decided to turn it into a rhyme. I wrote this quickly, so it is not all that smooth, but I just wanted to put it out there.

When traveling through the town of Sleepy Hollow at night, one would do well to be on one's guard. The town is said to be haunted by a ghost who rides on horseback and is missing his head. He ha...

Both of my sisters freaked out when they turned 25. To them, 25 was close to 30, which is, apparently, a horrible age to be. 30 means "old." Or so they tell me. Well, I will be 23 in about 1 hou...

"So, you may be asking 'Why Cyborgs?' Well, ladies and gentlemen, all I can tell you is that we are striving for perfection. Just think of this as another stage of evolution. Sure, we are skippi...

I tried to make myself believe I wanted you. No, that's not right. I did want you. For that one night, anyway. But you wanted more. And I made myself go along with it for a while, even though I ...

When Katherine was a child, she dreamed of living a fairytale life, with a perfect prince coming in and sweeping her off her feet. She had grown up on Disney Princesses, after all, and with the ...

She broke his heart. It really was an accident. He had been so careless with it, leaving it out like that. She didn't even notice it lying on the floor. It wasn't until after it was crushed bene...

My younger self would be so disappointed in me. She had specific rules that I was supposed to follow, and promises that I was never supposed to break, and I broke them. For one thing, tattoos. I...

I hate August. I've always thought of it as the sunday of summer, and I really hate sundays. This is directly related to the fact that the end of summer, for me, has always meant the beginning o...

"Oh!" They all said
"It is so sad she's dead
She was such a pretty girl
It is a horribly cruel world!"

But is it the beauty of her corpse
that makes you feel this ...

First you'll be skinned then you'll be stuffed
Outsiders say this job seems a bit rough
But it is my passion, my love, my art!
And indeed, I do work so very hard
It requires ...

I wanted an escape. We all did. Television provided that quick fix.  But we let our thirst take us over. We wanted more and more. Constant stimulation. No more free thinking, no more doing ...

Don't hold that door open for me
I am perfectly capable of doing it myself

Don't insist on "ladies first"
You are just as important as I am

Don't treat me how you...

She stood at her window
and let down her hair
but no one ever came
She waited for her prince
but he never existed in the first place
She could have saved herself, if she...

You realized too late what I was
I seduced you with this naked flesh
This flesh that you both love and hate
and now you are mine
But, oh, that is not enough
I crave ...

Home is where the heart is. Well, your heart, to be exact. I burned the rest of your body, but I just couldn't bring myself to dispose of your heart. You did tell me it belonged to me, once upon...

Do you want to know what the future holds? Listen through the static. Listen closely.

Pain. Anguish. Despair. And it is

all

your

fault

I wake up drenched in sweat again. I hate when that happens. I showered last night, but it looks like that was in vain. My previously clean body has been dirtied up all over again. Previously cl...

The Hunger strikes at night. The cravings start to disrupt my thoughts. Some nights, I am strong. I can resist. But not always. Tonight I give in. I wander in search for that which is beckoning ...

(I am attempting this one again)

The bartender came over and asked me what a nice, clean girl like me was doing in a place like this. Clean, that's a new one, I thought. I would neve...

Henrietta was born in 1920 in a small town in Massachusetts. In 1941, she started a career as a nurse at a local hospital. She would sometimes have to work the night shift, but she didn't mind. ...

He slept through breakfast. He always slept through breakfast, when he could. And on the days when he actually had to be up by breakfast time, he would only grab a bite of something and be off. ...

Leah Holden forever resides at Black Pool

She is a ghost, this much is true

Once she was known for being pretty

But now she is rather gritty

One day a...

I would rather speak my mind

and deal with the consequences

than have to swallow down the bitter regret

that results from biting my tongue

The Princess never felt the pea through the mattresses, because she was a human being. When asked how she slept, she replied, "Not very well, actually. I have a terrible fear of heights, so bein...

You don't want to just be on the outside looking in, do you? No one really does. You want to penetrate that bubble and be part of the group. You want to feel accepted, feel cool, feel liked.  Wa...

The great thing about zombies is that we are pretty non-discriminating when it comes to people. We'll be into you no matter who you are and what you look like. Of course, by "be into you," I mea...

Things happened, he said. He didn't mean for them to, just one thing led to another and blah blah blah. Okay, fine. Yes, I was upset but I was trying to process it all. But then he told me it wa...

When I was 20 years old, my grandmother gave me the diamond engagement ring from her second marriage (to my grandfather). I never met my grandfather; he died when I was a baby. I was surprised b...

She tried her best not to be awkward. Unfortunately for her, her attempt to not act awkwardly resulted in her acting awkwardly.

Awkwardness knows when you are trying to avoid it, and...

She sacrificed it all to be with him
Indeed, she had given up her tongue and tail
She did not think the outcome would be grim
Her plan, she thought, was one that would not fail

I could speak about your body metaphorically. I could say that it is a road and that I want to discover it, explore it, and yes, ride it. I could compare your hips to speed bumps, though of cour...

You and your bad habits
Yes, god knows they are hard to break
It's true that you keep working at it
but those little shifts never do take

You tell yourself you will cha...

Just keep going
Repeat repeat repeat
Spin like a record
Spin spin spin around and around
Your life is a loop
Constantly spinning
Never falling down

Is th...

My mother says that I inherited her social anxiety and self-doubt. But it has been magnified in me, she says. She never went on medication, not like I did (for both depression and anxiety, thoug...

Memories are funny things. The not-so-great ones can seem rosier, softer around the edges, when remembering them later in life. Some of the seemingly good ones end up withered and decayed when y...

I don't think I've ever had a "lazy Sunday." Well, not in recent years, at least. No, Sunday for me is always about getting things done. Sunday is when I finally have to do the work I'd been put...

The first record I ever contributed was posted in August 2010. I had only a vague idea what the site was about and really had no idea what I was doing. It was hard for me to first participate, e...

(This is meant as the second part of Awkward is Human, and is thus part of the prologue for Reboot The System)

"Sir, it appears we have a problem."

Everything in life is uncertain... except for the fact that everything in life is uncertain.

I saw her again today. She was standing outside in the rain. The water should have soaked her completely, but it just went right through her. Of course. I don't know why I expected otherwise.