Brandon O’Brien | National Pray For A Bredren Month
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therisingtithes.bsky.social
Brandon O’Brien | National Pray For A Bredren Month
@therisingtithes.bsky.social
5.1K followers 2.4K following 2K posts
🇹🇹 Poet, SFF writer, TTRPG designer. Worldcon 2025 Poet Laureate.
@rascal.news columnist. Podcaster @speculate.bsky.social & @skiffyandfanty.com.
Author of CAN YOU SIGN MY TENTACLE? and other things.
Thank God for words.
https://www.brandonobrien.xyz/
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therisingtithes.bsky.social
Are you at PAX Unplugged?

Do you wanna learn more about GRAYSHADE??

I’m running demos until 4 at the PAX Together Demo Days tables in Hall C of the Expo Hall until 4!

I’ll be back at 8:30 for more demos if you’re a late dice-roller, too!

Come say hi!
November 21, 2025 at 7:24 PM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
A post I made on Facebook I guess
It's International Men's Day. How yuh doing, bredren? There is always a lot to say on this day and some fellas are already saying it, which is good. But a thought came to mind: how often do men talk to each other about feelings that are not wrapped up in getting a gyal, holding some paper, or any form of maintaining power—over the house, the wuk, the world? I don't say this to imply that men don't have those other feelings—only that society makes it so easy to assume men have no inner lives that contain other multitudes, that it is hard to imagine visiting those other feelings. What do you know what gives your bredren joy? What do you know about your bredren's deepest lingering tears? Do you know, even if money or love or power were no longer an issue, what worries would still swell in your bredren's mind? Do you know the answers for yourself, as well? And is there a bredren you feel comfortable sharing those deeper truths with? Among all the other ways society has been designing the alienation that many men feel in the world, one of them is obviously telling them not to share too deeply. But more than simply the notion that boys learn early that having and sharing feelings is not masculine, I think when it happens too often some men struggle even to name the feelings that they are definitely still having—and grow up to rely on the women in their lives to fill the gap because 'dat is de woman job’. Instead of doing the truer, harder, more rewarding work—of being able to name the feelings you're having, trust the network of bredrens to have yuh back, and develop a structure of honesty and self-reflection that makes it difficult for the dominant culture to mamaguy you. So... how yuh doing, bredren?
November 19, 2025 at 10:21 PM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
AYO!

Quick-fast: /@wlsobell is obviously a fake. If you’re already following @wlsobel.bsky.social then you have no need for this IMPOSTOR! And if you’re not following the real Will Sobel, then you should fix that.

KILL THE MIMIC! (report this faker)
November 19, 2025 at 4:57 AM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
Everyone else is doing their awards nomination posts, so I guess I should do mine before I forget what I even wrote this year... 😅

Poetry has been a big deal for me, so considering any of my @seattlein2025.org poems for a Rhysling, or Con-Verse for a Best Related Work Hugo, would rock my world!
Verse Brandon O'Brien Wrote in 2025: - monster hunter as underwriter (Seattle Worldcon Program Book) - Jah Files for Asylum in the Caribbean Sea (Seattle Worldcon Program Book) - "its hour come round at last..." (Seattle Worldcon Program Book) - Landing: Seattle (Seattle Worldcon Opening Ceremonies Poem) - "We're gathered here on this momentous eve..." (2025 Hugo Awards Best Poem Presentation) Essays Brandon O'Brien Made in 2025: - Con-Verse (Seattle Worldcon Blog) - Better Earnestness Through Incantation: Speculative Poetry and Sincerity (Uncanny Magazine Issue Sixty-Five)
November 15, 2025 at 3:45 AM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
Before I forget to mention it:

I'm the opening act for @sfwa.org's Quasar Conference in November--and there are some other wonderful speculative poetry panel discussions planned that weekend as well! I hope to see you there!
Saturday, November 15 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST – Opening Act: Poetry by Brandon O’Brien Let’s celebrate the rich diversity of speculative forms with an opening poetic act brought to us by Brandon O’Brien.
October 26, 2025 at 4:05 AM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
Look what just came in the mail!

The Time We Have by @moreblueberries.bsky.social won me over on the premise alone, and then I watched just one AP of it and I was awestruck. I need so badly to find one other person and a sturdy door to play this with.
The box for ‘The Time We Have: A Conversation Between Brothers’. The subtitle on the box reads: ‘A Tragic Storytelling Card Game by Elliot Davis’. The art on the box cover features two male figures sitting on opposite sides of a door; the male figure on the right is holding a flashlight, while the figure on the left observes flowers emerging from their own arms. A small group of flowers appears above the door, one of which seemingly with an eye in its petals, looking down at them.
October 15, 2025 at 2:23 PM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
"The flip side of this exceptionalizing is to further erase and excuse the slow and less spectacular violence of American political life itself. When ICE agents raid homes, when Medicaid is stripped from millions, and when unhoused populations are criminalized by Trump or Democrats like Gavin Newsom, both politicians and media speak of “policy,” not “violence.” The deportation bus, the eviction notice, the denied hospital bed, the forced pregnancy enforced by an abortion ban: all vanish into the myth of law and order. It is only when someone disrupts that order—whether through protest, resistance, or, in an extreme example, an attack on a public figure—that the act appears as “violence,” a breach of the civic peace and deserving of unequivocal condemnation and universal opposition. Sorel shows how such disruption becomes mythologized. Benjamin explains why the state insists on this distinction: its legitimacy depends on hiding the violence it does in its supposedly normal operation."
September 24, 2025 at 8:50 PM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
I’m still tired and have neither the time nor the physical space nor the Action Points for a full book haul, despite it being minimal, but before I forget:

I am about to be two-for-two on the inside joke of ‘reading everything of LeGuin’s but her fiction first’. Delighted to tuck into this soon.
August 22, 2025 at 7:56 PM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
Still in Seattle for a few more days. I think the Starbucks baristas can tell I have now transitioned from Visiting Writer to Full-Blown Tourist.
A photo of a grande Starbucks cup. “Enjoy Seattle :)” is written on the cup in black marker.
August 19, 2025 at 6:26 PM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
If anything, visiting these places wasn’t entirely a selfish geek trip so much as it was a very gentle, bright reminder that lovely places can be the impetus for curious, deliberate, weird-as-hell art—a reminder I have sorely needed this month in particular.
A framed grayscale photo of David Lynch, placed before a photo of his gravestone, which reads “DAVID KEITH LYNCH - 1946–2025 - Night Blooming Jasmine”. The second photo is wreathed in purple flowers.
August 19, 2025 at 2:44 AM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
Went on a field trip with @jenniferbrozek.bsky.social to North Bend, home of many of the iconic locations in Twin Peaks, including the RR Diner, where I obviously stopped for a slice of cherry pie, and the Salish Lodge where they set the Great Northern Hotel scenes. Today was a good day.
A Black man in a black polo shirt smirks with a fork in his hand. Before him is a slice of cherry pie (and a plate with an open-faced hamburger he is not paying immediate attention to, on account of the pie). A Black man in a black polo shirt and jeans standing at the overlook before a waterfall. Further behind him is a large reddish-brown-bricked building. An enamel pin with a black geometric lined pattern, a keychain with the text “THE GREAT NORTHERN HOTEL TWIN PEAKS, WA 315 - DROP IN ANY MAIL BOX - WE GUARANTEE POSTAGE”, and an enamel pin with the image of a television portraying a red curtain over a black and white zigzag-patterned floor.
August 19, 2025 at 2:35 AM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
KNOCK ON WOOD STARTS IN A MINUTE
TERRACE SUITE OF THE SCC
BE THERE!!!’
August 15, 2025 at 12:59 AM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
A gentle reminder to all doing Worldcon in person or virtually that @rsagarcia.bsky.social and Suzan Palumbo both have virtual readings this weekend so you better not miss them!
A screenshot from the Guidebook app’s programme for Seattle Worldcon: Reading: Suzan Palumbo Sunday, 17th August 10:30-11am Virtual Room 1 Suzan Palumbo reads from ‘Countess’, a queer, Caribbean, anti-colonial sci-fi novella. A screenshot from the Guidebook app’s programme for Seattle Worldcon: Reading: R.S.A. Garcia Wednesday, 13th August 11-11:30am Virtual Room 1 “Mid-Earth Removals Limited.” A member of an Evil Lord’s army is accidentally transported to modern-day Trinidad and Tobago where encountering a single mother proves to be a hilariously different kind of adventure.
August 12, 2025 at 8:51 PM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
Everyone else’s Canva Worldcon schedule game is on ten so I had to cook something up quickfast

Come say hi if you’re about!

And don’t forget to partake in all the other wonderful poetry goodness that @seattlein2025.org has planned for Worldcon weekend!
Brandon’s at Seattle Worldcon! Here’s what he’s up to! … you know, other than breaking into spontaneous bouts of verse during Opening Ceremonies or something… Thursday 14th at 6pm Knock on Wood SCC: Terrace Suite 4F Friday 15th at 10:30am Table Talk SCC: Room 430 Friday 15th at 6pm Speculative Open Mic! Sheraton: Issaquah Saturday 16th at 6pm Autograph Session SCC: Garden Suite 3F Sunday 17th at 1:30pm Panel—Livestreams and Actual Play: Gaming as Spectator Sport SCC: Room 420-422
August 10, 2025 at 7:20 PM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
So a friend & I just finished watching Megalopolis (which is like watching LSD take MDMA while you are also on shrooms)

this movie is a treatise on city infrastructure made by a man who’s neither seen a city nor a human

but also: I need someone who knows Japanese to translate this sign so badly
a cropped screenshot from ‘Megalopolis’: a man holding a sign that appears to be in Japanese.
August 5, 2025 at 2:55 AM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
I am at a Cuban place here in Indianapolis and having a lot of feelings about this glass of soursop juice allyuh

I feel like I am home
August 4, 2025 at 10:10 PM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
It’s time for MORE GEN CON!

Today at the Writers’ Symposium I’m gonna be doing a speculative poetry workshop, a kaffeeklatch, a panel on afrofuturism in game design, & a one-shot of the #GrayshadeRPG with a group of amazing writers!

Come by the Downtown Marriott today and check it out!
August 1, 2025 at 3:09 PM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
I travel to Gen Con *this week*!

Want to know what I'll be up to during Gen Con weekend (& Worldcon later this August)? brandonobrien.xyz/brandon-is-d...

If you like my work, you can support me while I travel via PayPal (paypal.me/brandonobrien) or Ko-Fi (ko-fi.com/therisingtit...)!
A screenshot of Brandon O'Brien's schedule for Gen Con 2025.
July 28, 2025 at 11:19 PM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
What's this? 👀

Thoughts:
- is it simulcast? Is it Tokushoutsu, or the Toei Tokusatsu World YouTube?
- I love the design, but I am curious about the innovation space of 'he wears a belt but this time on his chest'
- DREAMS! We got ourselves a Girl By Moonlight Series 4 Rider, allyuh!
A screenshot of a tweet from the Twitter account @KamenRider_EN with the text: "A new Rider awakens... KAMEN RIDER ZEZTZ Premiering September 2025 in Japan Broadcast and streaming are scheduled to air in: USA, Canada, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and the MENA region. More details coming soon! Who’s ready!?" Beneath the text is the image of Kamen Rider Zeztz, a figure in a spandex suit of red and green riding a motorcycle; they are wearing a green helmet with large red eye visors and a pair of sharp metallic red antennae. Around the figure are several floating translucent orbs; on the figure's chest is a belt-like strap, which contains a similar orb in the center. The text 'MISSION START' is captioned in the center of the image in English, and the text 'Kamen Rider Zeztz' in English and Japanese is captioned at the lower third of the image.
July 6, 2025 at 3:12 AM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
Okay, maybe we're wrong:

what if this newsletter is actually the gurgling sound of the shambling carcass of Polygon rising from the grave that Valnet mobsters forced it to dig for itself, ready to claim vengeance?
An email sent by newsletter@polygon.com of what should be a Polygon newsletter, but only has the body text "gggggggggggg".
June 27, 2025 at 10:18 PM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
So since Valnet Kirby'd Polygon, someone's pet cat got on the social media staff's laptop, it seems.

(It doesn't help that I don't actually know the ultimate state of Polygon, given that many writers who definitely said they lost their jobs in May have new pieces on the site this week.)
An email sent by newsletter@polygon.com of what should be a Polygon newsletter, but only has the body text "rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr". Of note is that the footnote mentions that the recipient is 'subscribed to Moms.com newsletters'.
June 27, 2025 at 8:57 PM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
'THE GOD OF SPITE AND VIOLENCE is a game about hyperviolence, fierce vendettas, & bisexual lighting, for fans of John Wick or Kill Bill. In it, one player—the Angel—will seek brutal vengeance against the GM—the Devil—for ruining everything they loved.'

ko-fi.com/s/1ff8f2b883
the words "The God of Spite and Violence" in gold blackletter font against a dark red background
June 26, 2025 at 3:46 PM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
I’m having so much fun brainstorming for #wwwwRPG that I keep forgetting you actually need to sleep in order to prevent your brain from cooking in your skull

I am slowly entering the stage where I’m afraid this game is doing too much but so hype because it’s doing everything I think is rad
Keep Circulating The Tapes: Instead of snooping, spend 1 Drive to recall someone having a copy of a book, video, or recording that may be vital to your research. You cannot go looking for them until after your next downtime, though. DenkouKen: Check 4 Drive to summon a powerful dagger capable of severing the material world to reveal paths to the Loom. Break 3 Drive to do one of the following: open a decrypted file on a computer or unlock something hidden in the Loom | wound an object to save a file on your device about that object's history or use | make a hole in the real world that leads to the digital world.
June 23, 2025 at 8:57 AM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
Ginga from Kamen Rider Zi-O. Overall, it's a waste how cool the one-off Rider concepts in that show are only to never actually appear in the franchise proper. For all its foibles, Zi-O was fighting above its weight in a lot of its decisions. (I'd kill for a Fourze sequel with this guy in it!)
An image of Kamen Rider Ginga from Kamen Rider Zi-O: a figure in a purple galaxy-themed bodysuit with a dark blue cape. The bodysuit has emblems of the planets of the Sol System on its shoulder guard, bracers, knee pads and belt. The figure is also wearing a helmet with gold segmented eyes, and a flying saucer-shaped headpiece with long black antennae.
June 15, 2025 at 7:08 PM
therisingtithes.bsky.social
The protagonist of Kamen Rider Gavv can make weapons out of snacks, including that most sturdy and sharp of materials which we can rarely trust children to handle well without wounding themselves:

potato chips.

And yet it is still rad as fuck to see the first time he uses them.
An image of two ZakuZakuChipSlashers from Kamen Rider Gavv. The blades are made of large interlocking potato chips in the shape of cleavers. Their handles are the wrappers the potato chips came in.
June 14, 2025 at 8:11 PM