Ben Shearwater
@shearwriter.bsky.social
I do words good. Also, I doodle sometimes.
Pinned
At a certain point it’s necessary to sit with the fact that we’re “discussing“ real human beings.
At that point it’s not an abstract difference of opinion to be debated. It’s a difference in who we consider fully human, deserving of full rights, vs. those whose freedoms we are willing to sacrifice.
At that point it’s not an abstract difference of opinion to be debated. It’s a difference in who we consider fully human, deserving of full rights, vs. those whose freedoms we are willing to sacrifice.
Reposting outside of a thread bc this deserves to stand on its own.
Trans rights are human rights, now and forever. To debate some level of ’acceptable’ curtailing of trans rights is to call the very nature of universal, inherent human rights into question.
Trans rights are human rights, now and forever. To debate some level of ’acceptable’ curtailing of trans rights is to call the very nature of universal, inherent human rights into question.
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
1. The rich
Want to put out a show-stopping Christmas dinner? Here’s what add to the menu.
7 main dishes for an impressive Christmas feast
Make Christmas dinner feel extra special with these main dish recipes, including ham and lasagna.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 24, 2025 at 4:04 AM
1. The rich
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
Jesus, can you hear me? Good, the comms are working. Now, you're gonna need to run if you want to evade those Roman soldiers. Hold down A to sprint. Go ahead and try it. ... Good work! You just might be the savior yet. Now pick up that AR-15 and let's do some target practice.
December 24, 2025 at 3:32 AM
Jesus, can you hear me? Good, the comms are working. Now, you're gonna need to run if you want to evade those Roman soldiers. Hold down A to sprint. Go ahead and try it. ... Good work! You just might be the savior yet. Now pick up that AR-15 and let's do some target practice.
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
The point of writing crap is not that you should barf out anything.
It's that you should be aware as you are writing it what the flaws are, and you need to get through it the first time, because the act of doing so informs you what is wrong.
It's that you should be aware as you are writing it what the flaws are, and you need to get through it the first time, because the act of doing so informs you what is wrong.
December 24, 2025 at 3:59 AM
The point of writing crap is not that you should barf out anything.
It's that you should be aware as you are writing it what the flaws are, and you need to get through it the first time, because the act of doing so informs you what is wrong.
It's that you should be aware as you are writing it what the flaws are, and you need to get through it the first time, because the act of doing so informs you what is wrong.
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
The act of writing is *thinking*. If you do not allow yourself to think thoughts that feel wrong, you will never get a feel for what feels *right*.
December 24, 2025 at 4:01 AM
The act of writing is *thinking*. If you do not allow yourself to think thoughts that feel wrong, you will never get a feel for what feels *right*.
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
Last Christmas Ich gave thee myne hearte
The verye next daye ther came a wolf
Wyth sinews of whispers - quiet as frost -
And the wolf stole myne hearte, fled
To a tower out of tyme biyonde all the stars.
Seek now myne hearte,
Return it within a yeare and a daye:
Thys ys thy queste
Fayle not
The verye next daye ther came a wolf
Wyth sinews of whispers - quiet as frost -
And the wolf stole myne hearte, fled
To a tower out of tyme biyonde all the stars.
Seek now myne hearte,
Return it within a yeare and a daye:
Thys ys thy queste
Fayle not
December 24, 2025 at 3:14 AM
Last Christmas Ich gave thee myne hearte
The verye next daye ther came a wolf
Wyth sinews of whispers - quiet as frost -
And the wolf stole myne hearte, fled
To a tower out of tyme biyonde all the stars.
Seek now myne hearte,
Return it within a yeare and a daye:
Thys ys thy queste
Fayle not
The verye next daye ther came a wolf
Wyth sinews of whispers - quiet as frost -
And the wolf stole myne hearte, fled
To a tower out of tyme biyonde all the stars.
Seek now myne hearte,
Return it within a yeare and a daye:
Thys ys thy queste
Fayle not
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
dedicating my dumbass life to art because i’m going to die anyway. might as well die covered in paint
December 24, 2025 at 12:34 AM
dedicating my dumbass life to art because i’m going to die anyway. might as well die covered in paint
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
When we say "no, everything hasn't been digitized," I need you to understand that we really mean is that virtually nothing has been digitized. This is because the realm of primary sources that historians use is incomprehensibly large.
Seems like it's worth posting this one again.
Why Do Historians Still Have To Go To Archives?
Why do historians go to archives? Hasn’t everything already been digitized?
contingentmagazine.org
December 22, 2025 at 1:40 AM
When we say "no, everything hasn't been digitized," I need you to understand that we really mean is that virtually nothing has been digitized. This is because the realm of primary sources that historians use is incomprehensibly large.
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
He’s making a list
And he’s checking it twice
While he’s having a smoke
And she’s taking a drag
And he’s checking it twice
While he’s having a smoke
And she’s taking a drag
December 9, 2024 at 11:35 PM
He’s making a list
And he’s checking it twice
While he’s having a smoke
And she’s taking a drag
And he’s checking it twice
While he’s having a smoke
And she’s taking a drag
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
Whyyyy did my brain's pattern-recognition system give me a false positive for Goatse on this image whyyyy
Had to clamber over a barbed wire fence, rip my coat and trespass to get a photo of this folkloric monster pretending half-successfully to be a tree. I have no regrets.
February 5, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Whyyyy did my brain's pattern-recognition system give me a false positive for Goatse on this image whyyyy
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
Pepsi Cubed: Same GREAT Taste, Perilous NEW Bottle
Pepsi³
EVERY. SIDE. OPENS.
Pepsi³
EVERY. SIDE. OPENS.
December 21, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Pepsi Cubed: Same GREAT Taste, Perilous NEW Bottle
Pepsi³
EVERY. SIDE. OPENS.
Pepsi³
EVERY. SIDE. OPENS.
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
Ah, the world! Oh, the world!
December 21, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Ah, the world! Oh, the world!
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard.
December 14, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard.
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
to be clear no man can escape or outrun the curve. men simply are not done cooking until at least 45. i don’t make the rules
This is a thrilling read because I have been thinking for years that I was behind the curve, but it turns out that, in finding myself around 35, I was actually well ahead of it.
i wrote about why exactly i love ran-thru bald men so much
www.patreon.com/posts/145164...
www.patreon.com/posts/145164...
December 6, 2025 at 12:18 AM
to be clear no man can escape or outrun the curve. men simply are not done cooking until at least 45. i don’t make the rules
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
Best local election coverage on the internet. By far. Comprehensive and in the local weeds while also connecting the dots to the bigger picture.
I'm not exaggerating when I say following @boltsmag.org rn will unlock money for our journalism.
A generous reader, @russ41.bsky.social, has offered to donate $1 for every 1-person increase to our follower count.
If you're not following @boltsmag.org yet, it'll directly help fund our reporting!
A generous reader, @russ41.bsky.social, has offered to donate $1 for every 1-person increase to our follower count.
If you're not following @boltsmag.org yet, it'll directly help fund our reporting!
December 6, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Best local election coverage on the internet. By far. Comprehensive and in the local weeds while also connecting the dots to the bigger picture.
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
idk some kind of joke that's like "hey king, you dropped this" and it's a picture of a yellow legal pad bc the king is horror novelist stephen king who famously writes his novels longhand on yellow legal pads
December 3, 2025 at 5:18 AM
idk some kind of joke that's like "hey king, you dropped this" and it's a picture of a yellow legal pad bc the king is horror novelist stephen king who famously writes his novels longhand on yellow legal pads
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
(encountering anyone) well this guy must be dealing with a lot
December 2, 2025 at 2:35 AM
(encountering anyone) well this guy must be dealing with a lot
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
Does anyone have suggestions for SF & F in which the main character is a full time wheelchair user?
Literally asking this for a friend who uses a chair and wants to see themselves in a book.
Literally asking this for a friend who uses a chair and wants to see themselves in a book.
December 3, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Does anyone have suggestions for SF & F in which the main character is a full time wheelchair user?
Literally asking this for a friend who uses a chair and wants to see themselves in a book.
Literally asking this for a friend who uses a chair and wants to see themselves in a book.
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
You're telling me a reindeer ran over this grandma
December 3, 2025 at 12:55 AM
You're telling me a reindeer ran over this grandma
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
coffee isn’t enough i need to be put inside a giant rock tumbler
December 2, 2025 at 11:49 AM
coffee isn’t enough i need to be put inside a giant rock tumbler
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
an advent calendar with each day providing a small piece of the mystical sword needed to fight Santa when he finally breaks in
December 2, 2025 at 1:18 PM
an advent calendar with each day providing a small piece of the mystical sword needed to fight Santa when he finally breaks in
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
has anyone ever told you how beautiful I am?
December 3, 2025 at 6:15 AM
has anyone ever told you how beautiful I am?
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
The DM started describing a thieves cant symbol
I got this far into drawing it, at his instruction, before realising what it was and getting So Mad
I got this far into drawing it, at his instruction, before realising what it was and getting So Mad
December 3, 2025 at 10:32 AM
The DM started describing a thieves cant symbol
I got this far into drawing it, at his instruction, before realising what it was and getting So Mad
I got this far into drawing it, at his instruction, before realising what it was and getting So Mad
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
It seems to me that in 2025, of all years, the question "Is strict adherence to long-established professional norms a viable strategy for protecting oneself from attacks by fascists?" is one that we should all acknowledge has been answered fully in the negative.
December 1, 2025 at 1:37 PM
It seems to me that in 2025, of all years, the question "Is strict adherence to long-established professional norms a viable strategy for protecting oneself from attacks by fascists?" is one that we should all acknowledge has been answered fully in the negative.
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
There's another interesting cognitive bias: humans suck at negating statements.
Spinoza had an interesting idea that when you encounter a new sentence or idea, you first try to understand how it could be true *and then* deny it. Comprehend, and then negate.
It turns out he was right.
Spinoza had an interesting idea that when you encounter a new sentence or idea, you first try to understand how it could be true *and then* deny it. Comprehend, and then negate.
It turns out he was right.
As I mentioned before, human memory is associative, and you can tell because look at this image and then close your eyes.
Whichever one you saw, maiden or crone, will make certain words easier to hear or read through noise. Because those words have been primed in your associative memory.
Whichever one you saw, maiden or crone, will make certain words easier to hear or read through noise. Because those words have been primed in your associative memory.
June 13, 2024 at 9:09 PM
There's another interesting cognitive bias: humans suck at negating statements.
Spinoza had an interesting idea that when you encounter a new sentence or idea, you first try to understand how it could be true *and then* deny it. Comprehend, and then negate.
It turns out he was right.
Spinoza had an interesting idea that when you encounter a new sentence or idea, you first try to understand how it could be true *and then* deny it. Comprehend, and then negate.
It turns out he was right.
Reposted by Ben Shearwater
A thing that baffles me is that when you turn off personalisation etc, Google shows you *trending searches*. Like I'm not searching for a specific thing, but searching for the sake of searching. As an activity in and of itself.
November 28, 2025 at 11:40 AM
A thing that baffles me is that when you turn off personalisation etc, Google shows you *trending searches*. Like I'm not searching for a specific thing, but searching for the sake of searching. As an activity in and of itself.