iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Also, note the little cameos there from a TheGrover, James.

Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I never know what to expect from manatee tights, but I always enjoy it. This one’s no exception. manateetights.bandcamp.com/album/strawb...

manateetights.bandcamp.com

Strawberries to a Dog, by Manatee Tights

12 track album

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

“Please” by The Grove. “Though I know this might be wrong Darling please believe me As soon as you see this dog You will know completely Why I think it's right Even if it bites those it don't know” the-grove.bandcamp.com/track/please Have fun out there.

the-grove.bandcamp.com

Please, by The Grove

from the album Unorthodox Bossa Nova

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

If you feel bad because you are missing the H.P. Wizards Show, remember: Brad Neely’s Wizard People Dear Reader(s) is still out there in the world being the best version of that story.

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

It probably logged you out and kicked you out of the queue, same as it did me.

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Reposted by Ben around the world

Louise Blackwick @louiseblackwick.com · 17/08/2026

I got a wee surprise for y'all today! An odd little short-story titled "The Spirit of Sulphur".🤗 This tale (& others) will feature in my upcoming anthology "Stories from the Backrooms of Reality". Free for all on my Patreon (no sign-up needed). Enjoy reading! 💙📚 www.patreon.com/louiseblackw...

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

The first part has a drugging. This one involves some body-horror, an assault, and a creepy voice. I’m not good at warnings and I’m feeling a little delicate emotionally myself. I hope this information is helpful, is all.

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Hey! It’s Friday. Today’s story is kind of offputting, in case you’re not looking for that. Also, it’s a second part of one that was also maybe distressing. So, etc. and suchlike. betterlazy.com/smaller-sacr...

betterlazy.com

Smaller Sacrifices – Better Lazy

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Listening to Van Halen’s OU812 today, and realizing yeah, that’s not a very good August 12 tradition to start.

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Here’s part one, to save you looking. betterlazy.com/possession

betterlazy.com

Possession – Better Lazy

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Not sure what to say about this one, other than that it’s part two. betterlazy.com/order/

betterlazy.com

Order! – Better Lazy

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

I should clarify, the robot that pointed me there was an online shopping algo, not any kind of actually-cool robot. Sorry if I got any hopes up.

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Seventh Edition is fondly remembered for having all that new art, but nobody’s praising Slop Chronicles, just because it’s ugly and not real. Oh, what fickle folk are we.

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

A robot pointed me at a “Complete set of Chronicles,” and, like, maybe I am less familiar with that set than I thought I was?

A page from a binder with Chronicles Magic cards arranged in three rows of three. They appear to be Ashnod’s Transmogrant, Axelrod Gunnarson, the alt-art Ayesha Tanaka where she has closed eyes and a Groucho mustache, Azure Drake, Banshee, Barl’s Cage, Beasts of Bogardan, Blood Moon, and Blood of the Martyr.

A page of Chronicles Magic cards, three by three, with Bog Rats, Book of Rath, Boomerang, Bronze Horse, Cat Warriors, Chromium, City of Brass, Cocoon, and a biblically-accurate Concordant Crossroads with six arms and more faces than is comfortable, a harbinger of terror to come.

A page of Chronicles Magic cards from the middle of the set, where most people stop paying attention, arranged three by three in a pocket binder page. Includes a Craw Giant with three arms and a suspiciously low casting cost, Cuombajj Witches after they joined Elesh Norn, Cyclone-but-not-like-you-expect, D’Avenant Archer on their day off, Dakkon Blackblade doing a puppet show, Dance of the Many but it’s just one Rodian, Dandan as angler fish, Divine Offering again with Compleated art, and a biblicly-accurate Emerald Dragonfly if you think the bible conflates Dragonflies and Crossroads.

A 9-pocket-page of Chronicles Magic cards, arranged 3 by 3, all of them subtly or unsubtly wrong. We see the page above, which looks more or less alright, with the bottom of an Arena, Argoyhian Pixies, and Ashnod’s Altar. Our oage, though, is madness.
The cards are: Enchantment Alteration but it’s a Thunder Cat with four arms, as sweet a little Erhnam Djinn as you could imagine, Fallen Angel in a hastily thrown-together Pharoh costume, a Feldon’s Cane that would be marginally harder to use as a cane than the original, a Fire Drake with Ring-Wraith rider, Fishliver Oil but it’s an adorable little pixie who is pointing at you and laughing because you said Fishliver Oil, a Flash Flood in a valley at Night, Fountain of Youth without those pesky lion heads to distract from the fact that this one now costs 1 and a Portal Set Symbol instead of regular mana, and Gabriel Angelfire if he didn’t skip leg day and was, maybe, 20% more bird than he seemed back in Legends.

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Happy July 28th to those who celebrate. Happy short-stick-in-a-sharp-eye to them’s as don’t.

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

September 17. I saved you the trouble. Don’t fret, nobody knows when it is or what it celebrates or if I made it up. It’s Ok. It is kind of real, and some cities get out their decorative flags that day, but it’s not a “big” holiday like St. Swiven’s or Perlmass or The Feast of Jimothy or anything.

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Moving on, and back to stories. Felt good to read the Constitution. I’ll get to the Amendments at some point, maybe in September for Constitution Day. I’d hate to detract from the celebrations that will certainly be happening that day, though. betterlazy.com/small-sacrif...

betterlazy.com

Small Sacrifices – Better Lazy

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

More like the Unc-commercial traveler, right, Chucky Dickens? My beard touched my knees today. [sigh]

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

To say nothing of the two aces of blorps in the areay of cards there.

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Am I wrong, or does Spock give Fingler vibes in this printing of “Highly Illogical?”

A detail of the painted art from the upcoming Magic card, “Highly Illogical,” depicting a scene suggesting the Star Trek episode “A Piece of the Action.” Mr. Spock, in a suit and with maybe 11 or 12 fingers all wadded up in front of him, watches dubiously as a demonstration of the fictional game “Fizzbin” occurs in front of him.

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Hey! The new album by your favorite band and mine, The Grove, is released! Check out the most unorthodox bossa novas this side of the Atlantic! (Featuring cover art of un chien niçois!) the-grove.bandcamp.com/album/unorth...

the-grove.bandcamp.com

Unorthodox Bossa Nova, by The Grove

15 track album

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Reposted by Ben around the world

Mark Finn @markfinn.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Spider-Noir and Mando & Grogu this week. It’s nice to be back. ntab.substack.com/p/weekly-bri...

ntab.substack.com

Weekly Briefing from the North Texas Apocalypse Bunker, 05/29/26

Nostalgia By Any Other Name Edition

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

No, see, in Texas anybody who ate turkey one time is a vegan. [/sarcasm]

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

But, what” I pretend to hear you ask,”does a President do all day?” So, 1) I don’t know, but 2) THIS IS A LIST OF SOME OPTIONS!” Let’s read (a small part of) the thing, shall we? betterlazy.com/lrtt113/

betterlazy.com

Let’s Read the Thing Together, Part 13 of 21 – Better Lazy

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Doofy conspiracy theory that I realize sounds like hot nonsense in terms of human words: Wizards B&R today was only a smokescreen to distract from the fact that they forgot to make Goblinstorm.

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Article I is behind us. Articles II-VII are before us. We’re about half-way done with the read-through. Let’s goooo! betterlazy.com/lrtt112/

betterlazy.com

Let’s Read the Thing Together, Part 12 of 21 – Better Lazy

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

But don’t worry, all this exposition pays off. Article II has the bank robbery, and in Article III the long lost cousin comes back from a bat-tickling expedition in South America to find the guest cottage has been ransacked and a very important item has been stolen!

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Half-way through this project, and we’re only to the end of Article I. That maybe says something about the document or about my choices in dividing it, or maybe just the motivations of some dead Americans. betterlazy.com/lrtt111/

betterlazy.com

Let’s Read the Thing Together, Part 11 of 21 – Better Lazy

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

It’s radium toothpaste all over again.

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Look. You can post comical misspellings about the date and jokes about space movies if you want, but I won’t participate in this partisan business. I’m not looking for any “May the 4th” beef with you.

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

If you were going to be worried that we’re about halfway through the thing and you won’t know what’s going on, don’t. There’s no bad place to jump on the education train. Plus, I put a button on every post that will take you back to the start. Yay! Also, the start: betterlazy.com/lrtt101/ Yay.

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Taking May 1 to remember the benefits Unions have won for you? Well, maybe you want to hear a little bit of the US Constitution read aloud with annotation by somebody you don’t know. I mean, it’s possible. I’m not gonna judge you. betterlazy.com/lrtt110/

betterlazy.com

Let’s Read the Thing Together, Part 10 of 21 – Better Lazy

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

It seems only fair, if Microsoft is going to put a button on every email asking if I’d like it to forward to an AI company to read and summarize, it should also provide an analogous button allowing me to ask Microsoft what in the everloving hell made it think I might.

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Reposted by Ben around the world

Kim Sokol (Open for Commissions/Freelance!) @kimsokol.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

I'm wide open for work right now, if anyone's looking! I have lots of experience in gaming (card/ttrpg) spaces and I'm trying to work my way into book covers. More in my portfolio at kimsokol.com, signal boosts appreciated!

YA book cover featuring a girl with a candle burning away a circle of leaves

Several TVs stacked on top of each other in a dark room show a staticky creature pressing up against the inside

A dark-skinned man crouches over the top of a train, magic in his hands

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Also, because it’s been a minute since I said it, there may be finer sources for legal advice, and they aren’t me.

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Spoilers: It’s Article I, Section 8. Eight comes next after 7. That’s how numbers work, mostly. But that’s next week’s problem.

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Art.I, §7 finds us at about the 1/3 mark for reading the Constitution out loud in little 1-2 minute chunks. What comes next? I can hardly wait to find out! betterlazy.com/lrtt108/

betterlazy.com

Let’s Read the Thing Together, Part 8 of 21 – Better Lazy

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

I got you. “Mog” refers to kittens/cats. Mogging a person means staring, but having very reflective eyes, like a moggy. “Look Smax” refers to fandom of Dig’em, a cartoon frog who sells cereal. A “clavicular” is a car that runs on the shoulder, ie “clavicle,” of a ski slope to bring people snacks.

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

1/3 through the series now. Feels good, making little progresses, I suppose.

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Ben around the world @betterlazy.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

I’m enjoying The Grove’s new album. It’s shorter than the last, but I think it came together into a solid whole in a satisfying way. Please, if you are so inclined, enjoy. the-grove.bandcamp.com/album/on-all...

the-grove.bandcamp.com

On All Fours, by The Grove

7 track album

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