Dr. Emily Friedman
@friede.bsky.social
Storyteller about storytellers.
18th century to today & beyond.
J.W.Liles Prof of English
Words: Polygon (RIP), LARB, etc
Next book: THE ACTUAL HISTORY OF ACTUAL PLAY (#TTRPG digital storytelling performance)
ecfriedman.com
(free) patreon.com/ecfriedman
18th century to today & beyond.
J.W.Liles Prof of English
Words: Polygon (RIP), LARB, etc
Next book: THE ACTUAL HISTORY OF ACTUAL PLAY (#TTRPG digital storytelling performance)
ecfriedman.com
(free) patreon.com/ecfriedman
Pinned
Dr. Emily Friedman
@friede.bsky.social
· Nov 14
Howdy, y’all.
I’m a tenured prof who studies storytelling outside the rules of mass media. This has included never-published manuscripts from during the age of print (1750-1900) & of late has made me a leader in the study of #TTRPG Actual Play.
I’ve learned a lot about friendship along the way.
I’m a tenured prof who studies storytelling outside the rules of mass media. This has included never-published manuscripts from during the age of print (1750-1900) & of late has made me a leader in the study of #TTRPG Actual Play.
I’ve learned a lot about friendship along the way.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
God I wish this group had been in the room when the editorial board at Adams was giving their notes.
The rules for Oh Captain are WAY less elegant than those in FtQ. That comes from editors insisting more ideas be spelled out and codified.
The rules for Oh Captain are WAY less elegant than those in FtQ. That comes from editors insisting more ideas be spelled out and codified.
Did we play Desperation?
No.
Did a dozen people show up?
Also no.
Did we have fun?
Absolutely.
Last night our small group played:
@helloalexroberts.bsky.social For the Queen
@oneshotrpg.bsky.social Oh Captain, My Captain!
Thoughts on pivoting, being flexible, & a micro-con-crit of OCMC.
No.
Did a dozen people show up?
Also no.
Did we have fun?
Absolutely.
Last night our small group played:
@helloalexroberts.bsky.social For the Queen
@oneshotrpg.bsky.social Oh Captain, My Captain!
Thoughts on pivoting, being flexible, & a micro-con-crit of OCMC.
Gathering My Parties, Part Four: PIVOT! [For the Queen and Oh Captain My Captain!]
YouTube video by Critical Prof
youtu.be
January 18, 2026 at 3:34 PM
God I wish this group had been in the room when the editorial board at Adams was giving their notes.
The rules for Oh Captain are WAY less elegant than those in FtQ. That comes from editors insisting more ideas be spelled out and codified.
The rules for Oh Captain are WAY less elegant than those in FtQ. That comes from editors insisting more ideas be spelled out and codified.
Did we play Desperation?
No.
Did a dozen people show up?
Also no.
Did we have fun?
Absolutely.
Last night our small group played:
@helloalexroberts.bsky.social For the Queen
@oneshotrpg.bsky.social Oh Captain, My Captain!
Thoughts on pivoting, being flexible, & a micro-con-crit of OCMC.
No.
Did a dozen people show up?
Also no.
Did we have fun?
Absolutely.
Last night our small group played:
@helloalexroberts.bsky.social For the Queen
@oneshotrpg.bsky.social Oh Captain, My Captain!
Thoughts on pivoting, being flexible, & a micro-con-crit of OCMC.
Gathering My Parties, Part Four: PIVOT! [For the Queen and Oh Captain My Captain!]
YouTube video by Critical Prof
youtu.be
January 18, 2026 at 3:11 PM
Did we play Desperation?
No.
Did a dozen people show up?
Also no.
Did we have fun?
Absolutely.
Last night our small group played:
@helloalexroberts.bsky.social For the Queen
@oneshotrpg.bsky.social Oh Captain, My Captain!
Thoughts on pivoting, being flexible, & a micro-con-crit of OCMC.
No.
Did a dozen people show up?
Also no.
Did we have fun?
Absolutely.
Last night our small group played:
@helloalexroberts.bsky.social For the Queen
@oneshotrpg.bsky.social Oh Captain, My Captain!
Thoughts on pivoting, being flexible, & a micro-con-crit of OCMC.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
This was such a clever design for a museum show. The pockets of the c18th were suspended from the waist so here, a recreation of the various layers, like an anatomical illustration. The yellow quilted pockets are original amongst the grey blue of the facsimile, #1740s #VandA #FashionHistory 🗃️🪡
January 18, 2026 at 2:15 PM
This was such a clever design for a museum show. The pockets of the c18th were suspended from the waist so here, a recreation of the various layers, like an anatomical illustration. The yellow quilted pockets are original amongst the grey blue of the facsimile, #1740s #VandA #FashionHistory 🗃️🪡
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
I have been tasked with developing a course for English majors that is a book historical approach to 19c women's writing and touches on some heavy hitters like Austen and Eliot. Which means I have to make a decision I do not know how to make: which Eliot??
January 17, 2026 at 4:03 PM
I have been tasked with developing a course for English majors that is a book historical approach to 19c women's writing and touches on some heavy hitters like Austen and Eliot. Which means I have to make a decision I do not know how to make: which Eliot??
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Back in 2016, Nursing Clio put together a series called Protest: Past & Present. It was one of the most powerful series we've ever done, showing the power of protest (for good and bad). I'm going to post the essays below 🧵
January 18, 2026 at 2:18 PM
Back in 2016, Nursing Clio put together a series called Protest: Past & Present. It was one of the most powerful series we've ever done, showing the power of protest (for good and bad). I'm going to post the essays below 🧵
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Everything's terrible, but you can buy Girls Scout cookies from Troop 6000, a group of girls in NYC's shelter system. It's totes for a good cause and you can also donate the cookies if you are watching your girlish figure.
cc @joshuajfriedman.com
cc @joshuajfriedman.com
Troop 6000
www.girlscoutsnyc.org
January 17, 2026 at 12:04 AM
Everything's terrible, but you can buy Girls Scout cookies from Troop 6000, a group of girls in NYC's shelter system. It's totes for a good cause and you can also donate the cookies if you are watching your girlish figure.
cc @joshuajfriedman.com
cc @joshuajfriedman.com
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
I̵͎̿͂͝N̸̙͛͌͜C̸̪̰̔̉Ǫ̸͒͝M̷͓̦̈́I̵̠̮͋̍N̴̈́G TRANS̽M̶̑I͛S̷̨͂̔̀Š̵IO͙̫̞N̶̏̆
Audio artifact ProjectECCO_01.17.26 has been recovered but is damaged beyone repair due to chronological distortion.
Your experience of the story may be inhibited by your linear perspect-- wait...what is that?
open.spotify.com/episode/4pA4...
Audio artifact ProjectECCO_01.17.26 has been recovered but is damaged beyone repair due to chronological distortion.
Your experience of the story may be inhibited by your linear perspect-- wait...what is that?
open.spotify.com/episode/4pA4...
DATE NOT FOUND | January 17th
open.spotify.com
January 18, 2026 at 2:05 PM
I̵͎̿͂͝N̸̙͛͌͜C̸̪̰̔̉Ǫ̸͒͝M̷͓̦̈́I̵̠̮͋̍N̴̈́G TRANS̽M̶̑I͛S̷̨͂̔̀Š̵IO͙̫̞N̶̏̆
Audio artifact ProjectECCO_01.17.26 has been recovered but is damaged beyone repair due to chronological distortion.
Your experience of the story may be inhibited by your linear perspect-- wait...what is that?
open.spotify.com/episode/4pA4...
Audio artifact ProjectECCO_01.17.26 has been recovered but is damaged beyone repair due to chronological distortion.
Your experience of the story may be inhibited by your linear perspect-- wait...what is that?
open.spotify.com/episode/4pA4...
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
January 18, 2026 at 1:25 PM
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
What tabletop roleplaying games are there that use multiple GMs?
January 18, 2026 at 11:43 AM
What tabletop roleplaying games are there that use multiple GMs?
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
"In 30 years, we will look back, and this era – the wild west of the tech princes’ smash-and-grab into our hearts, souls and relationships – will be difficult to explain to our grandkids."
How can we defend ourselves from the new plague of ‘human fracking’?
Big tech treats our attention like a resource to be mercilessly extracted. The fightback begins here
www.theguardian.com
January 18, 2026 at 1:12 PM
"In 30 years, we will look back, and this era – the wild west of the tech princes’ smash-and-grab into our hearts, souls and relationships – will be difficult to explain to our grandkids."
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
I wrote about my experiences being sexually exploited as a child, and what we need to do to make sure AI doesn’t make that a reality for millions of children.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
My picture was used in child abuse images. AI is putting others through my nightmare | Mara Wilson
I was a child actor, exploited by strangers on the internet. Now millions of children face the same danger
www.theguardian.com
January 18, 2026 at 2:20 AM
I wrote about my experiences being sexually exploited as a child, and what we need to do to make sure AI doesn’t make that a reality for millions of children.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Content creators who deal in “drama” often cloak themselves in righteous “service to the community” — but generally their targets have already been blasted to obscurity.
I wonder sometimes if they understand that they need to weigh the impact of making someone’s name trend upwards for good OR ill.
I wonder sometimes if they understand that they need to weigh the impact of making someone’s name trend upwards for good OR ill.
January 18, 2026 at 1:10 PM
Content creators who deal in “drama” often cloak themselves in righteous “service to the community” — but generally their targets have already been blasted to obscurity.
I wonder sometimes if they understand that they need to weigh the impact of making someone’s name trend upwards for good OR ill.
I wonder sometimes if they understand that they need to weigh the impact of making someone’s name trend upwards for good OR ill.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
More people should know about the day 90% of Icelandic women went on strike, forcing real political change towards gender equality:
www.bbc.com/news/magazin...
www.bbc.com/news/magazin...
January 18, 2026 at 4:32 AM
More people should know about the day 90% of Icelandic women went on strike, forcing real political change towards gender equality:
www.bbc.com/news/magazin...
www.bbc.com/news/magazin...
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
I tire so of hearing people say,
Let things take their course.
Tomorrow is another day.
I do not need my freedom when I’m dead.
I cannot live on tomorrow’s bread.
(langston hughes was the poet that made me fall in love with poetry. i was 13. that’s when i knew i wanted my life to be about poems.)
Let things take their course.
Tomorrow is another day.
I do not need my freedom when I’m dead.
I cannot live on tomorrow’s bread.
(langston hughes was the poet that made me fall in love with poetry. i was 13. that’s when i knew i wanted my life to be about poems.)
Freedom
Freedom will not come Today, this year Nor ever Through compromise and fear.
www.poetryfoundation.org
January 18, 2026 at 4:26 AM
I tire so of hearing people say,
Let things take their course.
Tomorrow is another day.
I do not need my freedom when I’m dead.
I cannot live on tomorrow’s bread.
(langston hughes was the poet that made me fall in love with poetry. i was 13. that’s when i knew i wanted my life to be about poems.)
Let things take their course.
Tomorrow is another day.
I do not need my freedom when I’m dead.
I cannot live on tomorrow’s bread.
(langston hughes was the poet that made me fall in love with poetry. i was 13. that’s when i knew i wanted my life to be about poems.)
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Come join us! It's a Hittite-flavored mashup of Archipelago III and Dogs in the Vineyard with some Desperation mixed in as a treat. Your dad might be a giant boulder and also a god. Maybe you'll fight an eagle-headed giant. Somebody will probably complain about property lines and water rights.
Parseler, Crusher, and Scut is a fantasy #TTRPG for 3-6 players that atomizes facilitation authority into three bite-sized roles that can get shared around in various ways! Now available via our Patreon! #games
Parceler, Crusher, and Scut | Bully Pulpit Games
Get more from Bully Pulpit Games on Patreon
www.patreon.com
January 16, 2026 at 8:47 PM
Come join us! It's a Hittite-flavored mashup of Archipelago III and Dogs in the Vineyard with some Desperation mixed in as a treat. Your dad might be a giant boulder and also a god. Maybe you'll fight an eagle-headed giant. Somebody will probably complain about property lines and water rights.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Let me tell y'all about guys like Newsom, because we learned the hard way in Dallas.
Eric Johnson was a respected Democratic state rep when he was elected mayor in 2019. This made sense, as Dallas is deep blue. Johnson's tenure began normally.
But then he started hanging out with Republicans. 🧵
Eric Johnson was a respected Democratic state rep when he was elected mayor in 2019. This made sense, as Dallas is deep blue. Johnson's tenure began normally.
But then he started hanging out with Republicans. 🧵
Ben Shapiro: "Israel did not commit a genocide in Gaza"
Gavin Newsom: "I agree with you."
Gavin Newsom: "I agree with you."
January 17, 2026 at 10:04 PM
Let me tell y'all about guys like Newsom, because we learned the hard way in Dallas.
Eric Johnson was a respected Democratic state rep when he was elected mayor in 2019. This made sense, as Dallas is deep blue. Johnson's tenure began normally.
But then he started hanging out with Republicans. 🧵
Eric Johnson was a respected Democratic state rep when he was elected mayor in 2019. This made sense, as Dallas is deep blue. Johnson's tenure began normally.
But then he started hanging out with Republicans. 🧵
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Respectfully, I am going to whisper to some of our white comrades a truth that should be more widely known: You definitely have some ancestors to be proud of, ancestors who refused white supremacy, and poured out their lives in many of these struggles over time.
Time to claim your true history.
Time to claim your true history.
January 17, 2026 at 7:29 PM
Respectfully, I am going to whisper to some of our white comrades a truth that should be more widely known: You definitely have some ancestors to be proud of, ancestors who refused white supremacy, and poured out their lives in many of these struggles over time.
Time to claim your true history.
Time to claim your true history.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
every child in America should receive a copy of “The Westing Game” at birth
If you are only now learning about THE WESTING GAME, written by Ellen Raskin in 1979 & winner of a Newbery Medal, find it and read it NOW.
It's the best puzzle mystery novel ever, and is illustrated and typeset by Raskin herself (who started as an illustrator and book cover designer)
It's the best puzzle mystery novel ever, and is illustrated and typeset by Raskin herself (who started as an illustrator and book cover designer)
January 17, 2026 at 9:03 PM
every child in America should receive a copy of “The Westing Game” at birth
Yeah, this is the friction I have with migration: for personal playlists, it's pretty fine aside from one band that isn't available.
But the playlists of Actual Play get totally destroyed.
But the playlists of Actual Play get totally destroyed.
It does look like the transfer has mangled some podcast-based playlists – it's not found the episodes, so it's populated the playlists with songs with similar titles, amusingly – but the number of 'not found' songs was pretty low.
January 17, 2026 at 8:02 PM
Yeah, this is the friction I have with migration: for personal playlists, it's pretty fine aside from one band that isn't available.
But the playlists of Actual Play get totally destroyed.
But the playlists of Actual Play get totally destroyed.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
Anywho, the main truth I know is that there's ALWAYS something that can be done. Always. You just have to find the things you can do.
January 17, 2026 at 6:13 PM
Anywho, the main truth I know is that there's ALWAYS something that can be done. Always. You just have to find the things you can do.
God I love a spreadsheet. STRUCTURE THAT DATA. CONTROL THAT VOCAB. And ooooooh did I see a little conditional formatting?
NEW VIDEO ALERT:
230 games came out on Steam the first week of 2026. I looked at every page to see what I could learn about the state of Steam. It made me feel like I was dying.
youtu.be/Yjf-GPp3n5k
230 games came out on Steam the first week of 2026. I looked at every page to see what I could learn about the state of Steam. It made me feel like I was dying.
youtu.be/Yjf-GPp3n5k
January 17, 2026 at 7:36 PM
God I love a spreadsheet. STRUCTURE THAT DATA. CONTROL THAT VOCAB. And ooooooh did I see a little conditional formatting?
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
This thread is now an op-ed:
Opinion | I'm a Minneapolis sociologist who studies violence. Here's how ICE observers are helping.
Research into how violence occurs shows that disapproval from the people around you can help reduce it.
www.ms.now
January 16, 2026 at 6:53 PM
This thread is now an op-ed:
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
The "default" of game design, let us not forget, is playable hentai.
NEW VIDEO ALERT:
230 games came out on Steam the first week of 2026. I looked at every page to see what I could learn about the state of Steam. It made me feel like I was dying.
youtu.be/Yjf-GPp3n5k
230 games came out on Steam the first week of 2026. I looked at every page to see what I could learn about the state of Steam. It made me feel like I was dying.
youtu.be/Yjf-GPp3n5k
January 17, 2026 at 4:53 PM
The "default" of game design, let us not forget, is playable hentai.
Reposted by Dr. Emily Friedman
When I lecture to students about how the apparently thriving economy of the 1920s was really a house of cards just waiting to be knocked down, one of the points I stress is how much a small number of the very rich were essentially propping up consumer spending in unsustainable ways
The top 10% now account for nearly half of all consumer spending.
January 17, 2026 at 6:50 PM
When I lecture to students about how the apparently thriving economy of the 1920s was really a house of cards just waiting to be knocked down, one of the points I stress is how much a small number of the very rich were essentially propping up consumer spending in unsustainable ways