Web Video / Ephemeral Rift

Ephemeral Rift is a YouTube channel and the nickname of its host (sometimes shortened to E.R. or Uncle E, real name Paul McNelis). Paul is a YouTuber and podcast host, specializing in ASMR videos and audio.

Having stated on several occasions that he is a fan of, and largely inspired by, horror writer H. P. Lovecraft, Paul's videos are often surreal, confusing, and sometimes even downright creepy. Using a wide variety of characters (all played by himself) such as Professor Clemmons and his brother, Corvus, and wife, Margaret, Deep One Dave, Charlie (Carl), Iggy M. Manley, and many more, Paul has created a deep and confusing narrative of multiple universes and dimensions, often leading to self-contradictions in the timeline.

Please note however that several videos on the channel such as the board games, video games, eating, personal chats or random sound effects are not part of the story canon.

Ephemeral Rift can be found on a YouTube channel and Facebook page.

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Tropes in Ephemeral Rift videos include:

• Aerith and Bob: Invoked with Cthulhu, who prefers to be called "Kevin"
• After the End: This video says that World War 3 will eventually leave Earth uninhabitable, though Corvus Clemmons will be one of the few survivors in the future, living on another planet.
  • The series as a whole operates on this, as most episodes take place at some point in the future, but between whatever event caused a breakdown in society & the rise of the NWO banning things, the world became stagnant & still resembles the modern day- though due to the numerous time portals and dimensional rifts, the exact state of each Earth seen can vary somewhat.

• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking:
  • From the video "Guessing random things about you":
    "Do you have a tattoo on you left calf of a one-legged Victorian high-backed chair in which sits a man o' war jellyfish reading poetry to a group of maligned stalagmites which represents the ongoing struggle between parent and child as described in chapter 12 of her majesty's decree to the inhabitants of the inner sanctum of the eternally finite toweltarians?" [scribbles on notepad] "Did you eat a carrot today, but without peeling it?"
  • In Corvus Gets Mad his anger over a pair of missing gloves leads to worldwide disasters including landslides, tornadoes, hurricanes, building collapses, wildfires and... a toaster catching fire plus a Windows blue screen of death on a random PC.
• Catchphrase: For The Candyman:
  • "People call me the Candyman, but you, my friend, can call me the Candyman."
  • "Imagine if you will..."
• Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Almost every character is this to some extent.
• Conspiracy Theorist: The member(s?) of the Tin Foil Hat Society.
• Crosscast Role: Margaret^note Though this hasn't stopped endless debate in the comments section as to whether or not it's really Paul under the mask and wig
• Crossover: Several mentioned with the SCP Foundation due to the interdimensional nature of the rift itself. One video features SCP-049 rather than Corvus and some patients have been referred to as misplaced D-Class.

• Cult Defector: Deep One Dave is revealed to be this in The Innsmouth Barber Shop, having left the Order of Dagon because of its use of Human Sacrifices.
• Face of a Thug: Deep One Dave, who has a face only a very aquatic mother could love but is easily one of the nicest characters in the mythos.
• Food as Bribe: The Candyman prefers to get past security this way, apparently Turkish delights are the easiest way past capitol guards.
• Fun with Acronyms: Rather than Arkham Asylum, it's the Arkham Sanitarium for Mental Relaxation (A.S.M.R.). Corvus has confirmed that it is not Arkham Asylum, but a separate facility.
  • Ape Sounds Make Relax
• Genius Loci: Arkham Sanitarium is a created form made by an ancient entity named Arkham, seeking to offer a place for the sick to be healed. The entity once took human form to explain its nature.
• Good Is Not Nice: Corvus is generally benevolent but that will not stop him from performing some bizarre or even painful experiments on the sanitarium's patients.
• Herr Doktor: Corvus, who calls himself this verbatim on a few occasions. He's a Mad Scientist, albeit a fairly benevolent and understated one, and he has the required accent and occasionally drops German words into his speech.
• Historical Domain Character: "Rob Ross" is Bob Ross having been reanimated by Professor Clemmons, mostly intact and suffering no particular future shock due to his revival.
• Idiot Ball: Happened in hindsight in this video when Paul admits in the video description that using rubbing alcohol to clean action figures was not a good idea- as seen with a few toys in the video, isopropyl alcohol can dissolve paints as some figures lose chest decals instantly.
  • Seemingly the point of The ASMR Cone of Silence, as leaving the titular cone in the room silenced the audio for an hour-long recording.
• The Illuminati: Frequently mentioned as one of the "nefarious organizations" the Tin Foil Hat Society is up against.
• Madness Mantra: Many characters have these, but one of the most notable is Professor Clemmons and his cutting mat:
  My name is Mister Clemmons. Would you like to see my cutting mat?
• Meaningful Name:
  • Iggy M. Manley, who is, in fact, quite manly. His initials also spell out "I. M. Manley."
  • "Corvus" happens to be the name for the genus of birds ravens, crows, rooks, and jackdaws come from. Very fitting for plague doctor Corvus. His initials are CDC, as well.
• Oh, My Gods!: Deep One Dave proclaims "Oh My Cthulu" upon tasting some fudge in "Innsmouth Boardwalk Fudge Tasting"
• One World Order: Part of the backstory for the Merchants of Rift World series. The governments of the world gradually banded together as part of a plot to create an authoritarian dystopia that bans everything from comic books, video games, and snacks, to nothing.
• Split Personality:
  • Professor Clemmons appears to be split between 3 or 4 personalities in Professor Clemmons Cutting Mat.
  • Played With in the case of the Tin Foil Hat Society. Paul wears a different hat and tinfoil outfit in each TFHS video, and it's left ambiguous as to whether each outfit is a separate person, or if one man is playing the part of an entire society of conspiracy theorists.

• The Unintelligible: Several videos are based around people in ordinary professions (doctors, store clerks, etc.) who only speak in mumbled nonsensical babble.
• Unreliable Canon: In-Universe. Due to a series of cataclysmic events and the opening of rifts all over the multiverse, timelines are constantly merging and changing. As such, it's not uncommon for one video to directly contradict an earlier one.

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