Ben / alebensform
@sonofthe.bsky.social
THEY/he
Independent software developer. I care about people. I like to play ttrpgs. I like to play music. I like to learn lots of things.
Independent software developer. I care about people. I like to play ttrpgs. I like to play music. I like to learn lots of things.
Reposted by Ben / alebensform
Oh, hey.
Visa and Mastercard now say you can't pay for WoW. Magic the Gathering. FFXIV. DnD. Lord of the Rings. Because they're all "adult" content against their ToS just for being "fantasy".
Let that sink in.
Spread this like wildfire and have people in those circles call them. No quarter.
Visa and Mastercard now say you can't pay for WoW. Magic the Gathering. FFXIV. DnD. Lord of the Rings. Because they're all "adult" content against their ToS just for being "fantasy".
Let that sink in.
Spread this like wildfire and have people in those circles call them. No quarter.
Woke up to quite the update on this. I had been in contact with Payment Cloud about getting their service and they waited until now to hit me with the image below. Again, stringing me along instead of being upfront. They had seen my website multiple times before this.
September 10, 2025 at 8:17 AM
Oh, hey.
Visa and Mastercard now say you can't pay for WoW. Magic the Gathering. FFXIV. DnD. Lord of the Rings. Because they're all "adult" content against their ToS just for being "fantasy".
Let that sink in.
Spread this like wildfire and have people in those circles call them. No quarter.
Visa and Mastercard now say you can't pay for WoW. Magic the Gathering. FFXIV. DnD. Lord of the Rings. Because they're all "adult" content against their ToS just for being "fantasy".
Let that sink in.
Spread this like wildfire and have people in those circles call them. No quarter.
@lavietidhar.bsky.social I just learned about The Hood and I really want to read it. Any estimate on a US ebook publisher for it? If you can say.
August 11, 2025 at 3:26 AM
@lavietidhar.bsky.social I just learned about The Hood and I really want to read it. Any estimate on a US ebook publisher for it? If you can say.
Reposted by Ben / alebensform
Fuck the Ennies! No hype, no fanfare, no award shows, no spell checking, no nothing. I didn't even grab pictures for this post yet. Just the Ramanan Sivaranjan Awards for Excellence in Gaming 2025.
Save vs. Total Party Kill - Ramanan Sivaranjan Awards for Excellence in Gaming 2025
My friend Warren messaged me a few days ago. “Ram,” he said, “reminder to write the Rammies, Ennies are in 2 days.”Wait, what? The year zooms by and I’m always caught on the back foot. Even with the w...
save.vs.totalpartykill.ca
August 2, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Fuck the Ennies! No hype, no fanfare, no award shows, no spell checking, no nothing. I didn't even grab pictures for this post yet. Just the Ramanan Sivaranjan Awards for Excellence in Gaming 2025.
I grew up around similar beliefs. Luckily, they never sent me to the ER, but they left marks that I'm still trying to remove.
The bit about not believing hard enough really struck home.
It's also a good reminder that people turn to this out of desperation. I like having my compassion encouraged.
The bit about not believing hard enough really struck home.
It's also a good reminder that people turn to this out of desperation. I like having my compassion encouraged.
Wrath keeps overtaking me everytime I think about RFK. Why? I'm a type 1 diabetic. I got it when I was 14. Guess what you need if you're a type 1 diabetic? Insulin. Or you die. But my family believed that it could be cured with herbs & faith healing. I had a near death experience when I was 14. 🧵
May 2, 2025 at 4:10 PM
I grew up around similar beliefs. Luckily, they never sent me to the ER, but they left marks that I'm still trying to remove.
The bit about not believing hard enough really struck home.
It's also a good reminder that people turn to this out of desperation. I like having my compassion encouraged.
The bit about not believing hard enough really struck home.
It's also a good reminder that people turn to this out of desperation. I like having my compassion encouraged.
Just finished "From Enceladus, with Love" by Ryan Cole in @clarkesworldmagazine.com
Charming little space story about friendship, love, and family with a bit of suspense thrown in. Worth a read.
clarkesworldmagazine.com/cole_03_25/
#scifi #shortfiction
Charming little space story about friendship, love, and family with a bit of suspense thrown in. Worth a read.
clarkesworldmagazine.com/cole_03_25/
#scifi #shortfiction
April 28, 2025 at 4:19 AM
Just finished "From Enceladus, with Love" by Ryan Cole in @clarkesworldmagazine.com
Charming little space story about friendship, love, and family with a bit of suspense thrown in. Worth a read.
clarkesworldmagazine.com/cole_03_25/
#scifi #shortfiction
Charming little space story about friendship, love, and family with a bit of suspense thrown in. Worth a read.
clarkesworldmagazine.com/cole_03_25/
#scifi #shortfiction
Reposted by Ben / alebensform
whoever is doing ANYTHING -- acting in her shows, directing, going to hp world, checking her books out of the library -- to give her attention or put money in this woman's pockets is actively harming and killing trans people and especially trans women.
April 16, 2025 at 7:29 PM
whoever is doing ANYTHING -- acting in her shows, directing, going to hp world, checking her books out of the library -- to give her attention or put money in this woman's pockets is actively harming and killing trans people and especially trans women.
Here's a new tactic for reducing telephone hold times in #retail
Use this as your hold music /jk
youtu.be/BzNzgsAE4F0?...
Use this as your hold music /jk
youtu.be/BzNzgsAE4F0?...
Shepard Tone
YouTube video by J_II
youtu.be
March 29, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Here's a new tactic for reducing telephone hold times in #retail
Use this as your hold music /jk
youtu.be/BzNzgsAE4F0?...
Use this as your hold music /jk
youtu.be/BzNzgsAE4F0?...
Yeah, #1 was a surprise fav for me the year it came out and I'm not sure why I haven't read #2 yet. I'll take this as a cue!
Hi, new followers! If you don't know me, I'm a novelist and narrative designer on games. If you want some giant robots and trans/enby joy, check out my latest!
March 27, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Yeah, #1 was a surprise fav for me the year it came out and I'm not sure why I haven't read #2 yet. I'll take this as a cue!
@alexwhite.bsky.social have you thought about writing an adventure for the Alien ttrpg?
March 27, 2025 at 1:29 PM
@alexwhite.bsky.social have you thought about writing an adventure for the Alien ttrpg?
Also, if you value fiction in general, paying for short fiction helps support the authors, often new, who keep the artform alive.
And Clarkesworld specifically publishes some great stuff.
And Clarkesworld specifically publishes some great stuff.
Value human fiction and art? We do. No generated words. No generated art. No generated narrations. No generated translations. The list goes on.
If you like what we do and where we stand, please subscribe:
clarkesworldmagazine.com/subscribe/
If you like what we do and where we stand, please subscribe:
clarkesworldmagazine.com/subscribe/
Clarkesworld Magazine - Science Fiction & Fantasy
Clarkesworld Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine and Podcast. This page: Subscribe to Clarkesworld Magazine
clarkesworldmagazine.com
January 22, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Also, if you value fiction in general, paying for short fiction helps support the authors, often new, who keep the artform alive.
And Clarkesworld specifically publishes some great stuff.
And Clarkesworld specifically publishes some great stuff.
Reposted by Ben / alebensform
Last day for Evlyn Moreau's Doodle Land sale.
30 copies are on order for the @ratti.bsky.social zines store. So you may want to grab the physical copy instead if you can afford shipping. Otherwise grab the full color hyperlinked PDF on itch
#TTRPG #tunnelgoons #osr
30 copies are on order for the @ratti.bsky.social zines store. So you may want to grab the physical copy instead if you can afford shipping. Otherwise grab the full color hyperlinked PDF on itch
#TTRPG #tunnelgoons #osr
Doodle Land by Evlyn
setting for Tunnel Goons
evlyn.itch.io
January 17, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Last day for Evlyn Moreau's Doodle Land sale.
30 copies are on order for the @ratti.bsky.social zines store. So you may want to grab the physical copy instead if you can afford shipping. Otherwise grab the full color hyperlinked PDF on itch
#TTRPG #tunnelgoons #osr
30 copies are on order for the @ratti.bsky.social zines store. So you may want to grab the physical copy instead if you can afford shipping. Otherwise grab the full color hyperlinked PDF on itch
#TTRPG #tunnelgoons #osr
Reposted by Ben / alebensform
It's time for #tinyworldjam!
Join me and @vidityavoleti.bsky.social in making #TTRPG micro settings that can fit within a few pages - worldbuild on a small scale, keep the scope easy, and have fun with it
Submissions open from now until January 31st at 11:59 pm ET
itch.io/jam/tiny-wor...
Join me and @vidityavoleti.bsky.social in making #TTRPG micro settings that can fit within a few pages - worldbuild on a small scale, keep the scope easy, and have fun with it
Submissions open from now until January 31st at 11:59 pm ET
itch.io/jam/tiny-wor...
January 17, 2025 at 5:47 PM
It's time for #tinyworldjam!
Join me and @vidityavoleti.bsky.social in making #TTRPG micro settings that can fit within a few pages - worldbuild on a small scale, keep the scope easy, and have fun with it
Submissions open from now until January 31st at 11:59 pm ET
itch.io/jam/tiny-wor...
Join me and @vidityavoleti.bsky.social in making #TTRPG micro settings that can fit within a few pages - worldbuild on a small scale, keep the scope easy, and have fun with it
Submissions open from now until January 31st at 11:59 pm ET
itch.io/jam/tiny-wor...
It's always interesting to me to find out whether people rhyme "zine" with "line" or "magazine"
#pronunciation #descriptivenotprescriptive
#pronunciation #descriptivenotprescriptive
December 22, 2024 at 10:41 PM
It's always interesting to me to find out whether people rhyme "zine" with "line" or "magazine"
#pronunciation #descriptivenotprescriptive
#pronunciation #descriptivenotprescriptive
Why is it every time I see live music, I realize that it's so much more amazing than recorded music (which is already good)?
Then forgetting the lesson and going months without seeing any, only to get the same reminder when I finally go back.
#lessonslearned #lessonsnotlearned #musicisamazing
Then forgetting the lesson and going months without seeing any, only to get the same reminder when I finally go back.
#lessonslearned #lessonsnotlearned #musicisamazing
December 15, 2024 at 3:29 AM
Why is it every time I see live music, I realize that it's so much more amazing than recorded music (which is already good)?
Then forgetting the lesson and going months without seeing any, only to get the same reminder when I finally go back.
#lessonslearned #lessonsnotlearned #musicisamazing
Then forgetting the lesson and going months without seeing any, only to get the same reminder when I finally go back.
#lessonslearned #lessonsnotlearned #musicisamazing
I don't do enough repeat reading of the authors I like, so I'm afraid this'll be me from like 10-20 years ago. There's a bunch of more current authors that reach 3 or 4.
But here are five authors I've read five or more books by:
C.S. Lewis
Isaac Asimov
Stephen R. Lawhead
J.R.R. Tolkien
Gene Wolfe
But here are five authors I've read five or more books by:
C.S. Lewis
Isaac Asimov
Stephen R. Lawhead
J.R.R. Tolkien
Gene Wolfe
Five authors I’ve read five or more books by:
Stefano Benni
Terry Pratchett
Jorge Luis Borges
Italo Calvino
Neal Stephenson
Stefano Benni
Terry Pratchett
Jorge Luis Borges
Italo Calvino
Neal Stephenson
Five authors I’ve read five or more books by:
Clarice Lispector
Machado de Assis
Jorge Luis Borges
Italo Calvino
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Clarice Lispector
Machado de Assis
Jorge Luis Borges
Italo Calvino
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
November 24, 2024 at 1:43 AM
I don't do enough repeat reading of the authors I like, so I'm afraid this'll be me from like 10-20 years ago. There's a bunch of more current authors that reach 3 or 4.
But here are five authors I've read five or more books by:
C.S. Lewis
Isaac Asimov
Stephen R. Lawhead
J.R.R. Tolkien
Gene Wolfe
But here are five authors I've read five or more books by:
C.S. Lewis
Isaac Asimov
Stephen R. Lawhead
J.R.R. Tolkien
Gene Wolfe
🎃For #Halloween, I'll be watching 1976's The Omen for the first time.
Thanks to my public for the DVD!
Thanks to my public for the DVD!
November 1, 2024 at 12:32 AM
🎃For #Halloween, I'll be watching 1976's The Omen for the first time.
Thanks to my public for the DVD!
Thanks to my public for the DVD!
Reposted by Ben / alebensform
🚨 A Vancouver, WA ballot box was set on fire and hundreds of ballots burned.
"Voters who dropped off ballots at that location after 8 a.m. Sunday need to contact the Auditor's Office IMMEDIATELY for a new ballot."
#waelex
"Voters who dropped off ballots at that location after 8 a.m. Sunday need to contact the Auditor's Office IMMEDIATELY for a new ballot."
#waelex
Burning ballots were pulled from inside a smoking ballot box in Vancouver, Washington, this morning, hours after police responded to an arson at a Portland ballot box
www.katu.com/news/local/v...
www.katu.com/news/local/v...
October 28, 2024 at 3:00 PM
🚨 A Vancouver, WA ballot box was set on fire and hundreds of ballots burned.
"Voters who dropped off ballots at that location after 8 a.m. Sunday need to contact the Auditor's Office IMMEDIATELY for a new ballot."
#waelex
"Voters who dropped off ballots at that location after 8 a.m. Sunday need to contact the Auditor's Office IMMEDIATELY for a new ballot."
#waelex
Need a last minute, obscure & confusing but also cheap Halloween costume? Get a little red face paint and go as the person on the Sudafed box.
#badholloweencostumes #halloween #costumes #ideas
#badholloweencostumes #halloween #costumes #ideas
October 29, 2024 at 12:44 AM
Need a last minute, obscure & confusing but also cheap Halloween costume? Get a little red face paint and go as the person on the Sudafed box.
#badholloweencostumes #halloween #costumes #ideas
#badholloweencostumes #halloween #costumes #ideas
Videos of cheap/toy/etc cameras keep tempting me. But I'm trying not to buy things that'll just sit there, unused.
How do I convince myself to think of my phone as a camera and go for picture-taking walks?
#photography #outdoors #constitutional #saving
How do I convince myself to think of my phone as a camera and go for picture-taking walks?
#photography #outdoors #constitutional #saving
October 27, 2024 at 4:41 AM
Videos of cheap/toy/etc cameras keep tempting me. But I'm trying not to buy things that'll just sit there, unused.
How do I convince myself to think of my phone as a camera and go for picture-taking walks?
#photography #outdoors #constitutional #saving
How do I convince myself to think of my phone as a camera and go for picture-taking walks?
#photography #outdoors #constitutional #saving