#mom you want me to write a book?

[dragons-and-yellow-roses]

My mom: Maybe you should consider going to college for writing!

Me: Mom, what kind of career could I get with creative writing?

My mom: You could write a book and get money from that

Me: I think you underestimate how difficult writing a book is

#my parents visited me yesterday and we were talking about college #because im 20 and havent started college #and have no plans to start #at least for now #school is hard #so we were talkinf about things like majors and community colleges and classes #i said i wasnt quite sure what i wanted to do as a career and she hit me with this #mom no #right now the only writing ive been able to do is brainstorming #its not even writing #its throwing ideas together in a tumblr draft and then saving it #in hopes thay eventually i can craft the stuff into a half decent poem or something #mom you want me to write a book? #i also dont want to do writing as a career and havent for awhile #i want to be a teacher #probably #most likely a music teacher but ive also considered special ed #but also teaching is becoming more and more difficult... #like with restrictions and shit specifically the lgbt limitations #but also teaching is my passion so like. what do i do? #thats why i havent started college yet #but yknow maybe i can just write a book /s

[emotionaldisaster909]

OMG XIE LIAN

OMG THEY KEPT THIS

Oh my GOD

THE CONCERN IN HIS VOICE AND ON HIS FACE

HUA CHENG LOOKS LITERALLY TERRIFYING IN HIS RAGE

I appreciate that the animators didn’t draw him “pretty” in this shot

They drew him HATEFUL

Angular, with heavy shadows

Which can almost be called ugly

In a sense that that’s how you draw characters wheh you want to emphasise that they are evil

And this is PERCECT DECISION

Because THIS IS WHAT HUA CHENG IS THINKING ABOUT HIMSELF

He thinks that this side of him IS MONSTROUS AND MUST BE UGLY TO XIE LIAN

YET LOOK AT THE WAY XIE LIAN LOOKS AT HIM-

#hey did you wanna see me overanalyse a single shot- #im glad that my otherthinker abilities have some use besides driving me anxious- #mom look #you always wanted me to write the best essays analysing books in school #:D look! it’s usable now!!! #tgcf #hualian #xie lian #hua cheng #tian guan ci fu #tgcf thoughts #tgcf season 2 #tgcf donghua #heaven officials blessing #天官赐福 #tgcf s2 #tgcf qi rong #tgcf analysis #tgcf meta

[boxwinebaddie]

Uncle Nina, do they do HYH in the RM universe?

OOOOOH!!!!! it’s interesting that ur asking me this, anon.

— because i wanted to say No ( bc you know, they got their own distinct style scent thing going, the smile pendejo thing, like its all the same but its different )

However...

so me and the ~wife~ ( cue me saying HI! ;) louder than anyone else ) were talking abt the ravesey divorce para i was writing where kyle was getting all his messy jersey bad boy attack dog battle wounds patched up by pacifistic gentle punk rock angel medic!ravenstan...

and that...while he was bandaging kyle's knuckles up ( you know, before laying all those tiny hello kitty and care bear bandaids ) raven definitely tenderly kissed Each One of jersey's knuckles...AND THAT GAVE ME MENTAL PROBLEMS BC YOU KNOW HE DID!!! you know he was so gentle, attentive and Loving!!!! which given The Context!!!

AAAAAA!!!!!! -bangs my head in the car door screaming-

anYwAys!

but i just Know that jerseykyle, who is never surprised, never caught off guard, never vulnerable, does not fluster and NEVER blushes, was completely captivated. all wide-eyed and stuttering like

"wh-what? whaddaya—stan, what are you doin—“

then stan gets to the last knuckle, kisses it, puts his hand down & kyle, putting all the pieces together like the logician he is, is like...

"oh my god...ya still do that?

— from when we were little kids?"

and kyle squints, then shakes his head in disbelief like...

"'..cause ya mom, said that if you get hurt,

and you don't kiss it betta...It Won’t Heal Right."

and ravenstan just leans up and kisses jersey on the cheek — right where he has a cut — puts a hello kitty bandaid over it, and then...

in the softest, saddest, sentimental voice, smiles & says,

"Hope You Heal." :')

WHICHKHDSK RAAAAH!!! WHY WOULD I DO THIS!!!

i hate the ravesey divorce. i hope i fucking heal..

…bUT MAYBE NAUGHT WTF????!!!

-uncle nina, ~wheN WoRLDs cOLLidE~

#anyways #hell is a place #this directly mirrors a fb i was going to write but never did #where stan throws a ball on the playground in kgarten #it hits kyle in the face and stan is all freaked out like #did i hit you??? oh my god??? and kyle is like YEAH STUPID AND NOW IM GONNA HIT YOU winding up to Punch Him #but stan is still like hyperfixated like okay where did i hit you kyle? Exactly Where? #and hes like what the fuck do u think u fucken idiot right where the lump is forming in the middle of my gahdamn che-- #and stan jumps up on the bench where kyle is reading this gigantic greek mythology book yes its hades and persephone dont talk to me #and kisses kyle on the cheek and is like PhEw! i hope its in the right spot AND KYLE IS SHOOK LIKE dID YOU JUST KISS ME #and stan is like!!! ofc i did!!! my mom says that if you get hurt and dont kiss it better it wont heal right...so #*stan sigh and smile* I Hope You Heal :) <3 #and kyles hand is on his cheek all dizzy like...Me Too #ANYWAYS!!!! it was for pep but tbh now its applicable to rm #especially bc kgarten kyle had the jersey accent its canon #BUT YEAH WERE IN HELL I HATE THE RAVESEY DIVORCE BUT IF U WANT THE SAD HCS OF WHAT THEY WERE LIKE #BROKEN UP I HAVE THOSE #BUT UH I HOPE YOU HEAL WHAT THE FUCK THIS IS MY ACROSS THE NCUNIVERSE MOMENT #i'm gonna start screaming this is misery dude

[tennessoui]

do you know when we’ll be getting foolproof’s update, kit? Just wanted to ask bc I have a super stressful day today and I’ve been excited about reading the new chapter as a reward for getting through the stressful stuff for days 🥰🥰🥰

ahhh this is fair this is fair

ive actually reached the point in the chapter where it could very much be split into 2 halves seeing as i'm at 6.5k with about roughly 4 very crucial scenes to go, which would double that word count and then some....

but those are words that aren't there yet (for a time and tide update, i once just split a 12k chapter into 2 parts and posted them at the same time), so i could post what i have --- the current completed scene would be a stopping point that makes sense and it'd be roughly 6k --- or i could wait to post until i have what would be the full chapter and then split it into 2 parts and post them at the same time (that might be up to another week?) --- or i could post 1 very long chapter that does what i want it to do but could be overwhelming to read

literally went on a thirty minute walk today to try and think this through because trust me i do want to give y'all what's coming asap but i also have a vision, which at this point contradicts my stance against 14k chapters (they're gifts from god but also i get lost in them!)

#asks #stacy's mom au #i could see myself splitting it tonight and posting but honestly its been 6.5k words and anakin and obi-wan haven't even talked #but this would be where i'd split it if i had the 14k #its just youd have to then wait another week ish for the second half #but i would also feel disheartened if people waited to read if they saw the part 1 #feeling strangely vulnerable and unsure about my writing in ths chili's tonight #but if you send me an ask to say you want it #i'll start editing now #and i wont update another project until i give you part 2 of this chapter #it just may not be what you think #in other news i bought tickets to italy for next month and booked hostels and learned a LOT about naples #and applied for 2 jobs and covered for my coworker so she could on leave #started dating this guy and had a picnic on my living room floor because of a sudden thunderstorm #i dont say any of that to make you feel bad for asking i dont want you to feel bad for asking #i have been trying to promise ths updatee for a solid week #but i promise the delay isn't because im working on other things or secret projects or anything #when im writing its proofs for work memos for work writing warm ups for tumblr #or this chapter #i just want so much to happen

[metaphorical-goblin]

Does anyone have any book recs of like… queer parents? Two moms against the pta or something, or a dad making so many “trans-parent” dad jokes that his kids just combust

I haven’t looked very hard, myself, but I would just love some domestic family/relationship stuff :)

#I know they say like #write the stories you want to see #but if someone has already written this. that would be lovely #and I would want to read it #but in the vein of writing something lol #how do we feel about soft post apocalyptic single moms falling in love #slowly and softly #bc I have been thinking about that. a lot #oh also read shark heart #bi rep for the win let’s go #that book had me full on sobbing I’m not even kidding #book recommendations #book reccs #reading

[bootyful-seventeen]

hey y'all, anyone have any good stress relief tehniques or habits they'd like to share cuz I've been more stressed in the last 3 weeks then I was in the last 6 months

#to cut the long story short my mom had to sell the old house cuz her broke ass couldnt afford to keep it up #eventho it is a whole ass hoarders house and was in shambles with a flooded basement a collapsing ceiling in at least 2 rooms plus mold #and the stench a dirt and dog piss and shit all over the floor really made it worse then it was #but yeah so shes been staying with me and my grandma and its been awful #she hasnt been taking any of the medicine the doctors gave her when she snapped and started a fight and also started screaming at neighbour #so shes been terrorizing us here while the house has become her second hoarders den since she dragged so much crap here #my backyard side entrance and front porch are full of her shit and my grandma hates it since she can barely step into the house #so since she kept looking for places way out of her budget i had to go do house hunting since my useless sister is busy getting lit again #so ive been showing her shit in her price range that was under 420k cuz im not a moron who looks at 800k homes when i have 570k #and each time she has a new complaint saying its too expenive or its too small or its too old when she said she wants to do renovations #but shes saying she wants to renovate a newly renovated place instead of an old one #so i just showed her a house near my sisters uni and she liked the inside & backyard but she complained that 400k for newly renovated 3 bed #that is literally a 9 minute drive from my sisters uni is too expensive when shes the one who was looking at an old ass unrenovated bungalo #that is a street over from us that is 800k and she says it looks like garbage cuz an old lady previously owned it before dying #like no shit it looks old cuz older people lived those decades and like it and she just keeps doing her bullshit again & again #cuz when i tell you her mind is gone i mean it is GONE and she starts up all these wild stories to just explain some shit #like something goes missing? the neighbours are hungarian and stole it and left the hoard of junk in her old house #she has more stupid stories to harass and stress us out with but if im gonna share that ill have to write a book about it cuz fuck #and you know its bad when no one else can stand being in any contact with her cuz she starts screaming at people about it #so the only one who even likes her anymore is my sister and thats cuz shes deep in denial about just how insane she is & how abusive she is #so yeah i need some stress relief help that maybe isnt constantly hitting up maryjane cuz i dont do weed often especially since shes here #cuz weed 'burns your brain & makes you crazy like this' when shes the only one whos ever infuriated me to astronimical levels #i know retail therapy helped before she came here but i dont want to keep spending money i dont really have #it would be great tho but shes refusing to give me the 70k she said was mine from the house sale so i can cut her out for good

[chadsuke]

Books Read in 2022:

The Faggots & Their Friends Between Revolutions by Larry Mitchell (1977)

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy (2022)

Life of Pi by Yann Martel (2001)

Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (2018)

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (2013)

In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed by Carl Honore (2004)

Sex and the City by Candache Bushnell (1996)

The Anarchist’s Guide to Travel by Matthew Derrick (2017)

Inuyasha Vol. 5 by Rumiko Takahashi (1998)

[ID: Covers of the aforementioned books. End ID.]

#2022media #f slur #okay so faggots and their friends was SO GOOD if you havent read it yet. do so. #i'm glad my mom died was incredibly well written and i hope she gets to pursue writing if thats what she still wants to #(seems like it) #life of pi was good! i read it to help my sister w/ a paper but had been meaning to #care work was a very good book tho disclaimer i dont like author's pov/discussion about #feminine vs masc people that made me :/ #in praise of slowness was audiobook and it was fine? #not radical or anything but gave me stuff 2 look up and also the author stops short of addressing #the actual core root problems and paints it as individual and blah blah #sex and the city wasn't for me but the fact that it was a SATIRE was unexpected and good #how is the tv show what it is. #anarchist's guide to travel will be very helpful once im back in united states but there was a lot that i won't use #i dont think i'd like the author if i met him but thats just. his general vibes imo. #inuyasha is good i love inuyasha #EDIT FORGOT TO TALK ABOUT BRAIDING SWEETGRASS LOVED IT 10/10 #absolutely reading the gathering moss book soon by same author #gigi.txt

[daisywords]

started rereading a book that I had mixed feelings about but have also thought about a lot since (and I do like to revisit works that had a particular resonance with me to try and figure out what that captivating something was) and anyway I did read this book the first time when I was probably too young for it (I think my mom was reading it for a book club and I saw it on her nightstand and read the blurb and she told me I probably should wait until I was older to read it) and I remember that sneaking into her room to read it in little snatches. Sitting on the floor of her bathroom in secret with that book. But ANYWAY what I'm trying to say is I remembered being vaguely annoyed with the narrator and I was wondering if that would still be the case reading it as an adult. And the answer is yes. I am finding her insufferable, in fact.

#it's The Thirteenth Tale in case you were wondering #and this gal is annoying for multiple reasons #but to get specific. She was born with a conjoined twin but her twin died and she didn't find out about this until she was ten #and weirdly defines like her whole identity on that #haven't got far enough yet but I remember later in the book they like wax poetic about this inherent sense of ''twin-ness'' #and like her always feeling the shadow of her dead twin and stuff #which. ok. vibes I guess. #but hear me out. I was also actually a twin (we think) bc my mom literally had a miscarriage but then was still pregnant with me #which. (1) was not a defining moment to find out about bc I do not even remember her first telling me that #(2) maybe has caused me to wonder more about what it would have been like to grow up as a twin than your average person #but I also think that's probably normal to wonder about a little #and (3) is definitely not something I would base my identity around at all?? #granted. being born connected is more dramatic and also this is literally gothic fiction #but still idk she's all like ''oh woe is me I'm half of a whole and I've been lonely forever bc I'm missing my other half'' #like. girl me too? but idk I'm normal about it #also the whole ''I only read books all day and I don't talk to anyone and I just work at my dad's bookstore #where I don't actually have to do that much work I just get to read whatever I want and also write when I feel like it'' #I HATE YOU #she's just like me if my main character syndrome was indulged and if I was ANNOYING and self-obsessed #what growing up an only child will do to you ig lol #if you've reached the end of my very petty and specific rant. hello.

[mejomonster]

My biggest complaint about red white and blue is the cover ToT

(Don't take me too seriously dhdhf)

#red white and royal blue #lb #by this i mean: the novel? AMAZING. excellent superb. i am enjoying it phenomenally #the cover however reminds me more of the 200 page or less romance comedies that are very lighthearted with very little #depth of stress. which is fine. thats also a good kind of book. #but rwrb has like... alex being the biggest bitch in it. a workaholic out of touch emotionally (but very Emotionally acting) man #prince henry and the Actual Horrificly Fucked reality of life in the spotlight. political Weight and stress of calling out poljticial issues #By Name and risking alienating the reader audience by REQUIRING them to learn to sympathize with alex who may be unlike them #and who Feels unlike those in power and who Feels half his heritage hes being estranged from with his moms situation #and then Also asking you the reader to empathize with henry in a way you have provably never had to do in real life with Anyone like him #because in real life we simply never meet someone in henrys situation #its not the polish of prince charming. its the heartwrenching pain and fear and tragedy of Being #The Symbolic Prince Charming. it is a much HEAVIER novel than its cover implies #and i like the cover and think the Pop Bright Cover made romcom readers give it a chance and likely #expanded the readership and got readers to try a novel the would not otherwise have given a chance. so marketing wise its Excellent. #but i feel like... the core Reader who would go out specifically looking for a novel Like rwrb would #see this cover and assumr the story isnt as heavy as they were looking for. #likewise i saw caseys other book cover and i hate it lol ToT i would actively avoid reading it #but becausr its Casey writing? i bet it IS as heavy and complex emotionally and Specific as i want a novel to be #its just the cover of bright pop orange and pink was not designed for Me. it was designed to appeal to a broad audience

[mielnah]

i like my creative writing class a lot but hate 2 people in it sm

#after me reading aloud a part of this book we're reading for class #which has a guy dealing with a hoarder mom he was kind of laughing? between the parts that annoyed the shit out of me #*between reading the book #and i've dealt with a hoarder parent in the past so naturally not amused #he seems really immature overall but i still hate him and want to knock some sense into him #not to mention his voice is so scratchy and irritating #the other girl is just irritating to me like ok you're writing a novel... and? #you're not the quirky little potato you think you are

[bitchfendi]

if i graduate its over for you motherfuckers

#if i graduate that means ill have more time to write whatever i want #like yeah writing about some ocs is fun but i would also like to write something else #if ya kno wat im sayin #ive also gotten really into splatoon but not like lore wise #im into splatoon the way dudebros are into every fps #lets see what else #i wanna draw but my mom is next to me and drawing in front of her idk me da vergüenza #ugh can it be tomorrow already i wanna smoke some zaza #im boreeed #.-. #i havent played nss in a while but im still burnt out on it #i havent played anyother game besides taiko and splatoon actually #honestly i dont know what to do after i finish school like i was thinking of going to a temp agency and finding an office job #the dream is to work for a game company but thats just a dream and i gave up on my dreams a long time ago #its funny bc my profs would talk about the publishing world n selling their stories and im like #lol im not gonna be writing books im only in the program cuz 1. i didnt do the remedial math class bc that shit costed money and #b. i wouldve been miserable in anyother program so #if you made it this far in my tag ramble congrats #you found him: 🐀

[arthur-r]

these are all piled together in the same part of my brain and i’m so obsessed with it

#IM SORRY FOR POSTING JUKEBOX THE GHOST UNDER MY SKIN LIKE ITS FINE ART #BUT MAYBE IT IS. MAYBE IT IS #actually. im sorry for posting POOLBOY KING OF COOL as if it were fine art HELLO #a minute earlier: when you go leave me my baseball glove…. some cigarettes…. and a playboy…. that’s all i really want…. #five seconds later: cause i will.. give you asthma…. every time you try to run…. so don’t run….. #BUT have you ever been trapped for the next nine months with your dick in your hand EATING ARTERIES FOR LUNCH. no i dont think so #anywayyyy #these are um. ok so in order it’s: #i.b. vyache — a poem called victim complex. from the book conversations over sanguinnaccio dolce #minimall — static!! one of the coolest best songs ever in the world and i love it very much #poolboy — king of cool it’s such a strange and bad song but it’s also so visceral and i love it so much #and last but not least jukebox the ghost under my skin #when i was really into that song like four years ago my mom thought that he was singing about PICKLES #i can fit two pickles under my skin!! i will prove it if you will listen!!!! #shdhdf anyway something something consumption devotion something something being a home being a hearth being an ORGAN being a VESSEL #not to run a dead joke into the ground but it keeps being so TRUE: i am a HOUSE FUCKER i swear #anyway there are definitely more of these like on my pinterest probably but these are the ones i had off the top of my head shdhdf #could somebody climb around in here and join me ‼️ #anyway. i hope everybody is doing well. i have ANOTHER advisor appointment today (information science this time!!) and i’m also so tired #OH and i have a ten page paper to write by sunday…. but it’s chill and normal i got this 👍 #anyway i hope everybody is doing well lmk if you need anything!!!! #with best wishes and kind regards sincerely yours!!!! #me. my post. mine. #delete later

[iknityounot]

(Long post, sorry y'all)

A little more than two years ago now, my grandmother passed away. She and my grandpa had moved down to my home town a few years before so we could take care of them. I brought them groceries once a week, helped them write checks, fixed tvs, and found lost things. I was really close with my grandma.

In addition to her hilarious personality and dry wit, one of my favorite things about her was that she was a painter and a crafter like me! She used to crochet, and I took her to the craft store a couple of times so she could get more yarn and books on crochet. But her arthritis and the shaking in her hands kept getting worse, so she eventually had to stop.

She kept her most recent project, a granny square blanket, safely packed away in a plastic bin. She told all of us she was going to finish it one day.

Her hands never got better, and when she got sick, and we found out it was cancer, she rapidly deteriorated.

After she passed, I went to work helping my mom clean out my grandparents apartment so we could move my grandpa in with her. In our frantic cleaning, I found that bin again:

DOZENS of granny squares, dozens of half used skeins. I asked my mom what she wanted me to do with it, and she said she didn't care. I set it aside and later took it home.

Maybe a month later, that tumblr post about the Loose Ends Project was going around. It felt like a sign--I was never going to learn to crochet in order to finish my grandmother's blanket. But they might be able to help!

So I filled out the interest form. They got back to me SUPER quick. And maybe 2 weeks later, I was paired with volunteer in my state (only 2 hours away!) and the box of yarn, granny squares, and my grandmother's crochet hook were in the mail. That was at the end of January this year.

Over the next couple of months, my "finisher" emailed me regular updates on her progress, and asked me questions on my preferences for how she constructed the final blanket.

At the end of August, the blanket was done!

I had always intended the blanket to be a gift for my mother. So I cleaned it up, put it in the only bag I had big enough to fit it, and drove to my mom's. I gave the blanket to her and she was gobsmacked. I explained to her all about Loose Ends, and how someone volunteered to finish the piece for us. She was speechless. (I was quite pleased with this, because I am not the best at giving gifts, so this was a pretty exciting reaction!)

She said that it was the most thoughtful gift she had ever been given. She said "your grandma would love this". To which I replied, "yeah, I know she really wanted to finish it a couple of years ago". But that was when my mom dropped the bomb of a century on me--she told me that my grandma had started making those granny squares OVER 30 YEARS AGO. She had started the blanket when my grandpa was staying in the hospital, but that was back when my mom was younger than I am now! My grandma had packed them all away, planning on finishing it, when my grandpa was sent home from the hospital. Then it went from house to house, from condo in Chicago to their apartment in my hometown. All that time and my grandma had wanted to finish it, but couldn't. First because she was busy, then because she forgot how to do it, then because of her arthritis, and then because of the cancer. My mom said she had given up on expecting my grandma to finish it. 

She said I brought a piece of her childhood with her mom out of the past.

And really, all of this is to say, if you have seen or heard about the Loose Ends Project and have an uncompleted project or piece from a loved one who has passed away--these are your people. They were so kind and treated my project with such care. That box probably would have been found by my own grandkids one day if I hadn't heard about Loose Ends.

Five stars, absolutely worth it!

(From what I understand, you can sign up to volunteer too! If you have time to share, it might be worth checking out!)

#loose ends #the loose ends project #joy knits #text #long post #knit #knitting #crochet #crocheting #craft #crafting #diy #crochetblr #yarnblr #yarn #knitblr

[sburbling]

thank you alice oseman for calling me out specifically and violently. radio silence changed my life and i will never be the same again

#i just wanted to read a fun little book by an author i liked #but that #that was Me #like radio silence the book is me and i am it #im aled and frances and daniel and #and its all about everything that ive been thinking about all the time for 7 months #im going to be thinking about this regularly for at least the next few years #BUT ALSO #theres a bit where frances was writing an essay at 12:30 am and her mom told her to go to sleep and she said she couldnt #cause it was due first thing in the morning #AND IT WAS 12:30 WHEN I READ THAT #AND I WAS PROCRASTINATING ON MY ESSAY #AND MY MOM HAD JUST TOLD ME TO GO TO SLEEP AND I SAID I COULDNT CAUSE IT WAS DUE IN THE MORNING #and then. and then there was another bit where aled was working on an essay late at night bc he put it off until the night before #and he said he couldnt finish in the morning bc it was due at 10am #I PROCRASTINATED MY ESSAY UNTIL TONIGHT #AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME ITS DUE #9:55 AM TODAY #alice please remove the cameras from my house #this is rambly and i never post and i never post like this but dear god im losing my shit and a ya novel just changed my life so fuck it!!! #breaking my silence or something. not mysterious anymore #anyway. #radio silence #man.

[idiopathicsmile]

you know what really grinds my gears?

okay, bear with me: so as you may know, harry houdini and arthur conan doyle were friends, at least for a while.

by the early 1920s, both arthur conan doyle and acd's wife jean, aka lady doyle, believed whole-heartedly in spiritualism, talking to ghosts and all of that. (sidenote: this was of course right on the heels of a devastating world war and a devastating pandemic, both of which had created a huge population of grieving people, so spiritualism was having a moment.)

lady doyle sincerely thought she had the ability to go into a trance state and pass along messages in writing from the dead. she offered to do this for houdini. houdini agreed.

lady doyle attempted to channel houdini's late mother. she basically drew a cross at the top of the paper and filled it with generic platitudes addressed to "harry." houdini's mom was jewish and didn't talk like that, so houdini knew the jig was up, even if lady doyle didn't. but not wanting to make the situation awkward, he kind of went along with it to their faces.

then acd decided to publish a glowing account of the seance, and since both he and houdini were super famous, it got a lot of attention, and letters started pouring in for houdini, asking if this was true. ultimately, houdini couldn't lie about it. so he essentially said, like, "yeah, i think lady doyle THINKS she can talk to ghosts but she absolutely can't." and it ruined his friendship with acd forever.

and then of course a lot of the people running seances weren't even well-intentioned like lady doyle, they were just simple charlatans taking advantage of traumatized people mourning loved ones. in houdini's youth, he and his wife had traveled the carnival circuit where he did an act pretending to commune with spirits, so he knew all the tricks of the trade AND he had lingering guilt over having done this, AND he was infuriated by this increasingly popular wave of con artists so he decided to assemble a team of anti-grifting grifters and together they went on the road exposing whichever spiritualists were preying on the locals.

houdini's best agent was a young woman named rose mackenberg, who donned disguises to visit the fraud de jour and then importantly sussed out what non-supernatural thing was actually happening, and then houdini would demonstrate the techniques onstage to packed audiences.

(if you want to know more, check out episode 175, "ghost racket crusade" of the podcast Criminal or read Tony Wolf's book The Real-Life Ghostbusting Adventures of Rose Mackenberg.)

but yeah, what really gets my goat is that all this happened and as far as i know, we still don't have like four seasons of a Leverage-style historical procedural about rose mackenberg and the rest of the crew having adventures in the 1920s as they unmask craven hucksters all over the united states. (what we do have, apparently, is one season of a show called "houdini and doyle" which is about the oddball friendship of two contrasting men solving sometimes-actually-supernatural mysteries, and whose premise does i think at the very least a real disservice to houdini's whole quest and also totally erases rose, who is arguably the most interesting part of this story to me.)

i am just steamed about this. steamed.

[infiniteseriesofhalfways]

no its ok this chapter is already 9k let me add some more fuckin words to it

#i was just telling my mom that i am a short chapter girlie #like the fuckin...the name escapes me but the lesbian romance ebook i was reading. 10 minute chapters. great i love it #according to reedsy this ch is like 40 minutes. which. is not my jam. i might have to cut it up #which tbh it was previously and then i thought about it like... this is all one night. theres a flashback in the middle #but then we're talking three chapters and idk how i feel about that #but the self pity spiral im writing is like. its important to the why ryan has to fix shit #but maybe theres something to be said for 'he'd wanted to fix it [...] but no. of course he's gone and fucked it all up. #why is he surprised? #and just leave it at that. i dont fuckin knooooow #im sure the way i ramble about this book makes it very appealing #but you know what fuck it this is the process sometimes #like a movie #nightmare calling