Paul McNelis is an independent author, digital producer, and multidisciplinary artist operating under the moniker Ephemeral Rift. Over the course of a decade-plus online career, he built a reputation for pushing boundaries in sound design, satire, and speculative worldbuilding on YouTube. Still residing in his hometown region of Southeastern Pennsylvania, he has transitioned into full-time writing and independent book production.
Nah, fuck all that.
Good Now! To whoever, and wherever you are across the world! I hope you’re doing well, preferably, splentastic, or better! Such as pheldritchnomenal, or any of the infinite adverbs and adjectives that describe such an intense state of celestial bliss that they’re incomprehensible to our simple ape brains! Well, to my simple ape brain, present company excluded, of course!
My real name is Paul McNelis, and welcome to my third home, the second being my YouTube channel (where I used to dump the majority of my creative energy before embracing the writer in me and embarking on that final creative path of my life back in October 2025), and the first being the actual home where I live with my wife and son in Southeastern Pennsylvania, where we were all born, raised, and still reside.
I plan to write my official memoir in a few years (knock on wood, hopefully starting in 2028/29), where I plan to share my life story and the lifetime (55 years and counting) of things I’ve experienced.
Until then, if you’re at all the least bit curious about me, my interests, and what makes me tick (besides biopunk and eldritch magic, of course), feel free to peruse the laundry list below.
Note: The terms and descriptors below are those that I found best describe certain aspects of who I am based on what I do, what I don’t, what I think, the conclusions I’ve reached, etc. I don’t walk around wearing them as badges or titles. I just live, and the rest comes naturally.
Last Updated: September 30, 2026
- Godless Ape / Animal – I am (we are) a product of evolution, not any fictitious, human-manufactured god, be it Christian, Hebrew, Muslim, or otherwise. The/this universe started however it did, naturally, Big Bang or otherwise. Eventually the earth, moon, and sun formed, molecules came together to create water and life, and then *poof* here we are X billion years later via evolution. And the only reason we’re even here to begin with is because a rando asteroid struck our planet 66 million years ago, wiping out 75% of life, most significantly all non-avian dinosaurs. And since dinosaurs existed almost everywhere, their existence prevented mammals (our ancestors) from evolving. Once the dinosaurs were gone, the mammals (and pretty much all of life) rapidly expanded (The Great Ecological Boom). Ergo, the godless ape moniker.
- Domesticated Super Predator – (I can’t help but laugh at this term myself) Because of how humans learned to control fire, communicate and socialize, and create tools and weapons, we’ve become the most lethal species on the planet, placing us above the world’s natural Apex predators. Strip away all that, and biologically we’re fragile, clever, omnivorous, mid-level primates trying to avoid being eaten. And while we sit atop the food chain today, ironically, we’ve been (self) domesticated, similar to cats and dogs. Instead of roaming the land freely, taking what the earth provides, we’re now paying taxes, and for our food, among other things (water, shelter, knowledge, tools, medicine, etc.). We’ve been taken out of the jungle, but the jungle hasn’t been taken out of us. We’re still apes. We’re still part of the animal kingdom. No amount of fancy clothes, degrees, advances in science or medicine, or rhetoric will ever change that. We should be using our eyes, ears, hands, teeth, and minds to hunt, kill, and forage. To build and maintain tools, shelter, make clothing from animal fur, etc. But we don’t anymore, yet we still have those natural, primal instincts, which are the cause of much strife in society. Instead of using our cunning to hunt prey for food, we prey on each other for money, or worse. We’re bored or feel useless because we’ve been stripped of what makes us human. Indoctrination into modern society beats the animal in all of us into submission, thus domesticating who and what we really are: primates that should be living a more natural life, living free and off the land, with agency, autonomy, and true independence, and in small tribes and true communities, where we know and take care of each other in the process. But moving 8+ billion people into the woods ain’t gonna happen. And of course there are those who are disabed. This really deserves its own essay.
- Eclectic – I’m free to take whatever fruit resonates with me from any tree, and integrate it into my own personal mindset, philosophy, code of ethics, etc., while leaving the rest. And equally free to discard that fruit at any time, should it become rotten or I feel it no longer serves me like it originally did.
- Independent & Free Thinker – Philosophical nomad. My mind belongs to no one and no group. I do not associate with, take part in, subscribe, adhere, pledge allegiance, or bow to dogma, tribalism, any political party, any flag, or any ideology. While I lean toward anarchist thought and philosophy, it’s a fraction of who I am. I don’t wear badges or uniforms.
- 99.99% Right About Everything – Okay, okay, sometimes I’m wrong. Like, once a decade maybe. I have strong convictions. I’m always open to new information and ideas, and have no problem being proven wrong, as long as the evidence speaks for itself.
- I Know What’s Best for Everyone – Well, I like to think I do! Especially ever since I became a dad. You know what I mean: take care of your teeth, watch your sugar and saturated fat intake, exercise at least 15 minutes a day even if it’s just a brisk walk, don’t smoke, don’t drink, obviously don’t do any hard drugs or narcotics (maybe occasional cannabis use for medical reasons), etc. If you ever want a lecture, come see me! I got plenty of them at the ready!
- Getting Older, Yet Still Learning & Evolving – I don’t know everything! One day I will though!!!!!!
- Mistake Maker, and Learner from Mistakes – It’s true! I’m not perfect. Shocking, I know!!!
- Unfiltered Observer – Neither a savior nor champion of the people (no one is, though I always root for the underdog, and who could be anyway, with 8 billion people and counting), just an ape who uses the platforms he’s on (this website, YouTube, etc.) to occasionally rail against the usual suspects: capitalism, religion, government, and even humanity itself.
- Bullshit Detector – E.g. God and the Devil/Satan, Ghosts, Bigfoot, Greys, etc., are not real. The Enneagram and personality tests are pseudoscience nonsense. Crystals don’t heal, medicine does. Life on other habitable planets via evolution? Definitely. Extraterrestrial life visiting us in spaceships? Absolutely not.
- Catholic School Survivor – Former Roman Catholic (Kindergarten to Senior Year High School) now non-believer (Atheist, Agnostic-atheist, Antitheist, whatever). I think I tapped out mentally around fifth grade at the age of ten when I realized it was all bullshit, though I still had to endure Catholic school and church on Sundays. I feel bad for kids all across the world still unwillingly being subjected and indoctrinated into various religions and their dogma. Maybe one day it’ll stop. It’s all one can hope.
- Optimistic Nihilist – Ahh, the wonderfully and absolutely liberating feeling knowing life has no meaning or purpose, therefore one can do whatever the fuck they please minute to minute, day to day, to make it meaningful and enjoyable in their own way, whatever that means from one
personape to the next. As they say: different strokes for different folks. That’s absolute freedom, after all. - Cynical Optimist – Expect the worst, but hope for the best!
- Ambithrope/Compassionate Misanthrope – 60/40 Hate/Love for our species. 90/10 on a cloudy day, 30/70 when it’s sunny. Surely you know how it is: there’s great food, music, art, tech, culture, etc., but then there’s also landfills, deforestation, nuclear waste, pollution, factory farming, government, religion, capitalism, etc. It’s the dichotomy/paradox/conundrum of being human in “modern” society.
- Anarchist – Mostly philosophical, sometimes practical, like self-publishing my own book. I probably align most with anarcho-primitivism. Like everything else on this list, this is just a fraction of who I am. It’s also our default state when we’re born, just like Atheism.
- AntiCapitalist – Everything should be free, just like it was for billions of years before we started owning the food and land. Financial barriers shouldn’t exist, and gatekeeping basic needs behind money and labor is something only a backwater society would do. Either no one owns anything, or everyone has equal share. Equal pay for everyone, too. I guess you can add Egalitarian and Idealist to this list.
- Naturalist – Love nature, bugs, wildlife, trees, healthy environment good, pollution bad, but also: the indifferent universe and nature doesn’t care about anything, including itself, and us.
- Realist / Pragmatist – Being rational, sensible, efficient. What I said above about nature.
- Writer – My true creative calling! My 2nd creative pivot (my 1st being my YouTube channel that I opened at 40 in 2011) at 54 in mid-October 2025, when I started writing my 1st book, which I plan to self-publish. It was originally going to be a simple copy & paste anthology of my old short-form writings (poems, lyrics, etc) from the early 2000’s. But then I got creative with it, and it turned into a 2nd person story. Because I plan to self-publish and have complete creative control, I have to wear many hats (Typographer, Typesetter, Proofreader, Editor) with occasional assistance from AI, though not with ideas or anything creative. I use AI like a surgeon asks for a scalpel during surgery (Besides, I’ve been behind a computer since the Commodore 64).
- Terrible Musician! – I tried, too! Guitar, drums, piano, digital music… And while I can keep a beat, strum a few chords, write a synth line, music is not my thing. I don’t have the dexterity or patience to learn. Although I can play the Native American Flute okay, for what that’s worth.
- Artist – I guess you could say Absurdist, Dadaist, Surrealist.
- Comedian/Humorist/Satirist – Again, YouTube, not Standup. I’d probably be good at the latter, but never knew much about pursuing that avenue in my youth. No desire to do it now (plus I hate travelling anymore). I love to crack jokes, make people laugh, and poke fun at the many absurd aspects of life and society. At times I’m guilty of going too far, but it’s never from a place of malice. I don’t have a mean bone in my body. Actually, that’s not true: the Middle Phalanx of my left foot’s small toe does have a temper, but it’s gotten much better with shock therapy!!
- Actor/Performance Artist – YouTube, not Hollywood. Again, something I didn’t know about pursuing in my youth., Have thought about it over the past decades, but fuck that, and celebrity. Give me the simple life!
- Character Creator/World & Universe Builder – On my YouTube channel. Thalmultaria (aka Rift World aka Rift Verse), Professor Clemmons, Corvus, Margaret, etc., etc.
- Inventor/Neologist – Literary. “Splentastic”, “Good Now”, “Pheldritchnomenal”, and the various words I’ve created in my first soon-to-be-published self-published book. Anyone can do this. Just put random letters or parts of words together, and voila! Rich Hall’s Sniglets may have been one of the earliest inspirations for this, along with Douglas Adams.
- Photographer – Primarily Nature & Macro since ~2005 in my early 30’s.
- Drawer – Hobbyist level. Don’t draw that often.
- ASMR Creator / ASMRtist – Since 2012. A basic hobby anyone can do. While enjoyable, for me, ASMR and the video medium are far too limiting creatively, compared to writing, where I get to play god, having unlimited freedom and no constraints on what I can express (barring things like hate speech, obviously).
- Sound Designer/Editor, Videographer
- Costume & Prop Designer
- PC Builder – Built my first one in the early 2000’s (my early 30’s). It’s easy. Like adult legos!
- DIY’er – If, when, and where I can, I prefer to do it myself. Thus, self-publishing!
- Angler – Rekindled and obsessed passion from April to August 2025, then stopped altogether, especially once I embraced becoming a writer.
- Former Moderate Drinker – Here & there since ~1988 (Not much in my 20’s, mostly 30s/early 40s). Quit for good early January 2022.
- Former Moderate Smoker – Again, off and on since ~1988. Quit for good ~2005.
- Former Infrequent Cannabis User – Maybe ten times total from ~1988 then quit for good ~2005.
- Never did any drugs harder than the above, but would like to legally and safely try LSD or mushrooms for the experience, and to see what the psychedelic experience is like.
- Moderate Sugar User – Hard to go a single day without a little something sweet! Though I’ve cut back, using Splenda or other sugar free alternatives when possible.
- Moderate Coffee User – Black, decaf or caf; don’t need the caffeine, unless mentally tiring in the afternoon.
- Foodie / Omnivore – I love it all! It’s one of the few “Humans are cool” things. Well, except for mayo—unless I can’t smell or taste it in things like coleslaw and potato salad—cream cheese, and sour cream.
- Gamer – Since the Atari 2600 and Commodore 64. Not so much anymore (since my early 50’s).
- Fluent in Sarcasm
After spending most of my life trying to figure out what I wanted to do with it creatively, aside from being a husband and father, I stumbled onto the ASMR niche on YouTube at some point in early 2012. That’s when I realized the thing I experienced all my life had a name, and the rest is history. My YouTube channel and channel name were created in September 2011 prior to the whole ASMR thing. Ephemeral Rift simply happens to be the name I came up with for my channel when I opened it in September of 2011. I basically searched for two words that you didn’t often see or hear at the time that sound good together. It has no implied meaning whatsoever.
I enjoyed creating a wide variety of videos ranging from quiet, calm and relaxing, to loud, provocative and unsettling. I still do, however, since embracing the writer I should have always been since a teen, the whole “ape make video” thing isn’t as important to me as it used to be. It’s now second fiddle to my true calling and passion: writing.
Oh, and I was diagnosed in 2010 with having an Acoustic Neuroma in my left ear which led to permanent hearing loss and tinnitus in that ear by around 2014 or so. So I’m like a modern-day Beethoven, except I suck at music.
Take care, for now,
-Paul
