Paul Benson
@paulbenson-writes.bsky.social
Terrible at self-promotion. Not bad at writing. Okay at being queer.
Pinned
I’m writing something! It’s fiction. It’s funny. It’s a podcast. It’s @whatlittle.bsky.social. And it’s not out yet.
I’ve started this account to talk about the frustrations, grind and sheer joy that come from creating something yourself. Even if it takes a while.
#audiodrama #writing #podcast
I’ve started this account to talk about the frustrations, grind and sheer joy that come from creating something yourself. Even if it takes a while.
#audiodrama #writing #podcast
Reposted by Paul Benson
"History will not look kindly upon______"
Damn history ... i don't look kindly upon it... we aint gotta wait
Damn history ... i don't look kindly upon it... we aint gotta wait
January 20, 2026 at 9:33 PM
"History will not look kindly upon______"
Damn history ... i don't look kindly upon it... we aint gotta wait
Damn history ... i don't look kindly upon it... we aint gotta wait
Reposted by Paul Benson
The Limits of Violent Authoritarianism
Trump’s authoritarian desires are boundless. But the past year proves that his ability to impose them on America is not.
Even invoking the Insurrection Act would not magically change that.
My new piece:
Trump’s authoritarian desires are boundless. But the past year proves that his ability to impose them on America is not.
Even invoking the Insurrection Act would not magically change that.
My new piece:
The Limits of Violent Authoritarianism
Trump’s authoritarian desires are boundless. But the past year proves that his ability to impose them on America is not.
steady.page
January 20, 2026 at 1:02 PM
The Limits of Violent Authoritarianism
Trump’s authoritarian desires are boundless. But the past year proves that his ability to impose them on America is not.
Even invoking the Insurrection Act would not magically change that.
My new piece:
Trump’s authoritarian desires are boundless. But the past year proves that his ability to impose them on America is not.
Even invoking the Insurrection Act would not magically change that.
My new piece:
Reposted by Paul Benson
Eating the AI art in protest is ironically more Art than whatever the fuck the ai guy was doing
KINGOOOOOOOOOOO
January 19, 2026 at 3:15 PM
Eating the AI art in protest is ironically more Art than whatever the fuck the ai guy was doing
Reposted by Paul Benson
Reposted by Paul Benson
I mean there's this sneaky framing shift that robs trans people much of the support of science that they absolutely have in the way these things are commonly talked about. Very few comparable medical / scientific things, save for gender, is allowed to be framed so strongly as a matter of opinion.
January 19, 2026 at 9:07 AM
I mean there's this sneaky framing shift that robs trans people much of the support of science that they absolutely have in the way these things are commonly talked about. Very few comparable medical / scientific things, save for gender, is allowed to be framed so strongly as a matter of opinion.
Reposted by Paul Benson
If you're looking for a sign to switch careers: this is the sign.
January 18, 2026 at 12:44 AM
If you're looking for a sign to switch careers: this is the sign.
Reposted by Paul Benson
This is the fucking limit. I had no idea that Amazon drivers AREN'T ALLOWED TO SING
wat
CRUSH this monopoly wtf my levels were already redlining
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
wat
CRUSH this monopoly wtf my levels were already redlining
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
January 18, 2026 at 4:56 PM
This is the fucking limit. I had no idea that Amazon drivers AREN'T ALLOWED TO SING
wat
CRUSH this monopoly wtf my levels were already redlining
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
wat
CRUSH this monopoly wtf my levels were already redlining
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
Reposted by Paul Benson
Seems unfair that you only get to use the bouncy slide to get off a plane when things have gone wrong. The bouncy slide should be a treat they give to the best passengers who did the flight correctly.
January 17, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Seems unfair that you only get to use the bouncy slide to get off a plane when things have gone wrong. The bouncy slide should be a treat they give to the best passengers who did the flight correctly.
Reposted by Paul Benson
Meg Elison is a brilliant author and you should buy and read everything she writes. As just one example, The Pill is prescient and hard-hitting.
My short story collection that includes The Pill 💊 is on sale for $5! Support an independent press and also me, your favorite unemployed author.
pmpress.org
January 17, 2026 at 10:54 PM
Meg Elison is a brilliant author and you should buy and read everything she writes. As just one example, The Pill is prescient and hard-hitting.
Reposted by Paul Benson
The parallels with transphobia today are extraordinary, even if the good ol' Guardian can't bring itself to say so.
‘Naked homophobia’: play revisits BBC’s first programme on gay men in 1950s
Original script from 1954 referring to ‘troubles of this kind’ to be brought to life on stage for LGBT+ History Month
www.theguardian.com
January 17, 2026 at 6:31 AM
The parallels with transphobia today are extraordinary, even if the good ol' Guardian can't bring itself to say so.
Reposted by Paul Benson
Thanks! The thing I wanted to point out with the Théoden arc is that we should give folks some grace for doomerist feelings. I get them myself quite a bit, ngl
The cure for it, as Gandalf demonstrates, is acknowledging the validity of the feelings, support, encouragement, and refocusing on purpose
The cure for it, as Gandalf demonstrates, is acknowledging the validity of the feelings, support, encouragement, and refocusing on purpose
January 16, 2026 at 10:36 PM
Thanks! The thing I wanted to point out with the Théoden arc is that we should give folks some grace for doomerist feelings. I get them myself quite a bit, ngl
The cure for it, as Gandalf demonstrates, is acknowledging the validity of the feelings, support, encouragement, and refocusing on purpose
The cure for it, as Gandalf demonstrates, is acknowledging the validity of the feelings, support, encouragement, and refocusing on purpose
Reposted by Paul Benson
Sir Terry Pratchett is best understood as one of the most interesting, deeply ethical practical (I would say Pragmatist but I cede to actual experts) philosophers of the late 20th Century who just happened to work in deconstructed fantasy literature as his medium.
Discworld QOTD, from Hogfather
December 25, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Sir Terry Pratchett is best understood as one of the most interesting, deeply ethical practical (I would say Pragmatist but I cede to actual experts) philosophers of the late 20th Century who just happened to work in deconstructed fantasy literature as his medium.
Reposted by Paul Benson
If you’re wondering why your friends in academia are a little on edge right now, it’s because an eighteen-year-old who hasn’t done the reading, doesn’t look at the assignment, and has does no critical thinking skills more complex than “because I think it’s in the Bible” can literally end your career
The University of Oklahoma has removed an instructor who was accused by a student of religious discrimination over a failing grade on a psychology paper in which she cited the Bible and argued that promoting a “belief in multiple genders” was “demonic.” https://cnn.it/4b6g3rd
Oklahoma instructor removed from teaching for failing a Bible-based gender essay | CNN
The University of Oklahoma has removed an instructor who was accused by a student of religious discrimination over a failing grade on a psychology paper in which she cited the Bible and argued that promoting a “belief in multiple genders” was “demonic.”
cnn.it
December 24, 2025 at 6:21 PM
If you’re wondering why your friends in academia are a little on edge right now, it’s because an eighteen-year-old who hasn’t done the reading, doesn’t look at the assignment, and has does no critical thinking skills more complex than “because I think it’s in the Bible” can literally end your career
Reposted by Paul Benson
The news that AI was being trained on stolen works?
It was broken first about the BooksCorpus, on May 11 of 2021, and it was discussed in major news media thereafter. Romance authors talked about it. A lot.
The first archive they stole was largely romance.
arxiv.org/abs/2105.05241
It was broken first about the BooksCorpus, on May 11 of 2021, and it was discussed in major news media thereafter. Romance authors talked about it. A lot.
The first archive they stole was largely romance.
arxiv.org/abs/2105.05241
Addressing "Documentation Debt" in Machine Learning Research: A Retrospective Datasheet for BookCorpus
Recent literature has underscored the importance of dataset documentation work for machine learning, and part of this work involves addressing "documentation debt" for datasets that have been used wid...
arxiv.org
December 24, 2025 at 2:54 AM
The news that AI was being trained on stolen works?
It was broken first about the BooksCorpus, on May 11 of 2021, and it was discussed in major news media thereafter. Romance authors talked about it. A lot.
The first archive they stole was largely romance.
arxiv.org/abs/2105.05241
It was broken first about the BooksCorpus, on May 11 of 2021, and it was discussed in major news media thereafter. Romance authors talked about it. A lot.
The first archive they stole was largely romance.
arxiv.org/abs/2105.05241
Reposted by Paul Benson
I have always said it, I will continue to say it, we are limiting the productive potential of millions of freaks by demanding they earn a wage to survive instead of enabling them to do whatever thing their brain is broken for
December 22, 2025 at 12:45 AM
I have always said it, I will continue to say it, we are limiting the productive potential of millions of freaks by demanding they earn a wage to survive instead of enabling them to do whatever thing their brain is broken for
Reposted by Paul Benson
12% public approval is an actual sign of failure.
December 23, 2025 at 12:16 PM
12% public approval is an actual sign of failure.
Seconded. Just listen.
The second segment on the Ship of Theseus episode of Imaginary Advice is one of the scariest horror stories I've heard in a long time m.soundcloud.com/ross-sutherl...
Ship of Theseus
Play Ship of Theseus by Imaginary Advice on desktop and mobile. Play over 320 million tracks for free on SoundCloud.
m.soundcloud.com
December 23, 2025 at 4:31 AM
Seconded. Just listen.
Reposted by Paul Benson
The episode has been taken down from YouTube (due to copyright lulz) so get it here
December 23, 2025 at 2:12 AM
The episode has been taken down from YouTube (due to copyright lulz) so get it here
Reposted by Paul Benson
Check out this excellent writer who is being delisted elsewhere!
Okay if I can be selfish for a moment:
I'm delisted from itch. In the UK you literally can not see my profile.
A big chunk of my income, my living money, comes from bundles like this. It would mean a lot if you could share it, send it to friends. 🧵
itch.io/s/175443/ver...
itch.io/b/3377/bundl...
I'm delisted from itch. In the UK you literally can not see my profile.
A big chunk of my income, my living money, comes from bundles like this. It would mean a lot if you could share it, send it to friends. 🧵
itch.io/s/175443/ver...
itch.io/b/3377/bundl...
December 22, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Check out this excellent writer who is being delisted elsewhere!
Reposted by Paul Benson
After seeing Ley’s atrocious rant today, it is as well to remember this is the party John Howard destroyed projecting internal division out into the world. It’s ugly and dangerous, aided and abetted by an equally broken media, but it isn’t winning them any friends.
December 22, 2025 at 10:03 AM
After seeing Ley’s atrocious rant today, it is as well to remember this is the party John Howard destroyed projecting internal division out into the world. It’s ugly and dangerous, aided and abetted by an equally broken media, but it isn’t winning them any friends.
Reposted by Paul Benson
Just try to contemplate that those who marched in protest of such murders occurring (in much greater numbers) are now being blamed by the Liberal Party for the Bondi Massacre.
“Israeli troops kill six Palestinians sheltering in Gaza school, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed by Israel to 401 since October ceasefire.”
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
Israeli troops kill six Palestinians sheltering in Gaza school, say hospital chiefs
Attack brings total number of Palestinians killed by Israel to 401 since October ceasefire took effect
www.theguardian.com
December 22, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Just try to contemplate that those who marched in protest of such murders occurring (in much greater numbers) are now being blamed by the Liberal Party for the Bondi Massacre.
Reposted by Paul Benson
This kind of legal action against universities will chill the free speech of all who advocate for the rights of minoritised peoples. This was the bill’s intent. Lobbyists are already using it to shut down speech they don’t like.
Unless universities stand up strongly for ALL freedom of expression…
Unless universities stand up strongly for ALL freedom of expression…
Total gaslighting. Anti-trans activist; chooses to speak in person, provoking students who want to protect trans rights; they exercise their freedom of speech to tell her she isn't wanted; she gets to speak anyway; the BBC dutifully platforms her again; and now she threatens to sue everyone.
University threatened with legal action after protest at event
Prof Alice Sullivan says her talk at the University of Bristol became like a
www.bbc.co.uk
December 22, 2025 at 7:43 AM
This kind of legal action against universities will chill the free speech of all who advocate for the rights of minoritised peoples. This was the bill’s intent. Lobbyists are already using it to shut down speech they don’t like.
Unless universities stand up strongly for ALL freedom of expression…
Unless universities stand up strongly for ALL freedom of expression…
Reposted by Paul Benson
with alt text
December 22, 2025 at 2:59 AM
with alt text
Reposted by Paul Benson
And there it is...
December 22, 2025 at 2:55 AM
And there it is...
Reposted by Paul Benson
I love my two blackout drunk Minnesota sons
December 18, 2025 at 2:17 PM
I love my two blackout drunk Minnesota sons