Memories: Near-Drownings and Bee Stings
When I was six I managed to almost drown and get stung by a bee at the beach, all in the one holiday.
Read MoreThe Planet Eater
The Planet Eater swung around the yellow star and closed in on his prey. The blue planet swelled into his view, emerging from the milky strew of stars. He could feel the radio waves emanating from it; see the spectral lines of molecular oxygen in its atmosphere, its swarm of tiny satellites. This was a planet at the peak of its lifespan. His mouth started to water.
Read MoreThe Universe and Me, Part 8: Nations
The Romans were the first of many kingdoms to lay claim to Great Britain over the centuries, which would rise from these hardships as an important international power...
Read MoreFinal Lover
Gosh, I wrote some dark stuff in high school. This was another thing I wrote while we were studying The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
Final Lover
I hang above her and I stand beside her, silent and patient.
When the world burned there was no shortage of companions for me. But where now is the sport? I drift above everything, everyone, and every minute I take a new lover into sweet oblivion with me. They think to resist me, mostly, but they all come eventually.
Read MoreReview: The God Engines
Hey all! I'm just writing to let you know that I've made my first post on Oddity.me Magazine, formerly known as ReadersDoor. It's also my first review, John Scalzi's The God Engines. Take a look! You know, if you want. Or not. Not that I care. (Please look)
The Universe and Me, Part 7: Humans
Human beings, the anatomically modern kind, have lived on Earth for the last quarter of a million years. Although that is a tiny amount of time compared to the vast spans I’ve described so far, I feel we’ve achieved rather a lot.
Read MoreScreenplay: Uncertainty
Hey guys! The next chapter in the History of the Universe is taking a little longer than the others, so I thought I'd put it on hold to post this screenplay.
I wrote this as the major assignment for my Introduction to Screenwriting unit last semester. It's a little rough and I'm not sure that I like a lot of things about it, but it somehow earned me an unexpected Distinction! It follows a university physics student who is struggling through his third year at university and dealing with his philosophical realisations about determinism. (Yes, there is a somewhat autobiographical bent to the script, which is one of the reasons I'm not totally keen on it)
Enjoy!
Uncertainty (2015)
The Universe and Me, Part 6: Mammals
Mammals lived, for 135 million years, in the shadows of much larger reptiles. Dinosaurs dominated the land, giant marine reptiles owned the seas, and pterosaurs patrolled the skies. Mammals did not rest on their laurels, however, developing the traits that define them today.
Read MoreThe Universe and Me, Part 5: Sex
Sexual reproduction has been a powerful force for the last 1.2 billion years. Exactly why and how it evolved remains unclear, but it does offer some advantages.
Read MoreThe Story of the Universe and Me: Life
How, exactly, the complex biochemistry that animates our cells came to be remains mysterious. The best guess we have is that RNA, ribonucleic acids, were the first part to materialise.
Read MoreThe Story of the Universe and Me: Earth
The Earth formed in the same manner as its brethren: by accretion from the disk of dust left behind by the sun’s birth. Heated by the many collisions that grew it, the planet was molten at first.
Read MoreThe Story of the Universe and Me: The Solar System
Around five billion years ago, an average-sized white star swelled from the dust of a barred spiral galaxy. From the disc of remains that surrounded it, smaller bodies pulled together and fell into line around it, until it was orbited by a swarm of planets, from gas giants to tiny, rocky worlds.
Read MoreThe Story of the Universe and Me, Part 1
Everything that makes up my body was once packed into a single point, along with all the other energy that has ever existed. That includes everything that makes up the planet Earth, every star in the sky, and you, dear reader.
Read MoreLjubljana: A Tale from the Gap
I first met Gaja in Rome, where myself and my friend had shared a hostel room with her and her two friends. They were on holiday from Slovenia. I was very taken with her. When it was time for us to leave, she gave us her email address and told us to get in touch with them when we were in Ljubljana.
Read More
Copyright (Extension 2 English Major Work)
Hey, everybody. I thought I'd share my Major Work from Extension 2 English, which I did in 2012. It actually made it into the Young Writers Showcase 12, which is a collection of the best major works from the year. I'm not saying mine was one of the best, but... Would the Board of Studies lie to you?
Anyway, my full major work is here:
It's a collection of short stories set in a dystopian future in which copyright law has become a controlling factor in the world. I think it's kind of neat.