An Analysis of Global Sex Trafficking
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Globalization has caused collective economic devastation that has stripped whole countries of their non-sexual assets forcing young women into prostitution, often on purpose.

1. Globalization’s neoliberal market economy, transnational movement, consumerist agenda, and feminization of poverty have created a breeding ground for sex trafficking. I posit that globalization’s effects on (particularly “developing”) economies, such as Thailand, and the environment has created a supply and easy movement of trafficked women and children; that Western-dominated and patriarchal approaches contribute to a feminization of poverty and gendered division of labor, which includes sexual services; and that the commodification of the female (and child) body through the mass media has increased a demand for sex trafficking.

Sweden’s approach targets the demand and refuses to victim blame having a strictly abolitionist approach.

1. Finally, I argue that Sweden’s approach represents the best practice toward ameliorating sex trafficking by targeting the demand.

Traffickers use violence, threats, coercion and murder to instill fear in victims. Globalization increases violence, threats, coercion and murder in areas that traffick in the most prostitutes globally. Washington state may be one such instance.

1. Sex trafficking victims suffer physical, psychological, and economic abuse in this modern-day slavery; traffickers use violence, threats, coercion, and murder to instill fear in victims. Why have an increasing number of women and children (mostly girls) fallen victims to sex trafficking? This article analyzes sex trafficking and its connections with globalization, and then considers what policy approach best serves to deter this gender-based crime.

The true problem lies with the buyers, the customers, and the 99% purchasers being men

1. “[W]e can see where the true problem lies—it lies with the buyers, the customers, the men” (Torrey, 2004; 74). In short, inclusion of controls on demand for the sex trade is the keystone to drafting improved legislation to combat sex trafficking.

Sex trafficking is a form of violence against women and girls.

1. Primarily victimizing females, sex trafficking is a form of violence against women, and feminist theory calls for an examination of all violence against women and girls

Sex industry has been kept invisible to allow for rationalization of its continuance clearly in the public eye

1. Why has demand for the sex industry been afforded a near invisibility in policy and research (Salter 2003; 4, 76)? Since heteropatriarchy “privileges heterosexual, promiscuous masculinity,” feminist theory can challenge the demand for sexual services of women and children (Kempadoo, 2004; 9).

Colonialization includes a superiority-inferiority narrative used to rationalize rape and human trafficking as something that “doesn’t count” or “is deserved”.

1. Socialist feminism can critique the commodification of the female body that supports this demand; Third World feminism can bring insight into sex trafficking as a continuance of colonial industry that exploits females on the basis of race, class, and nationality.

Women face an imbalance of power which increases as the demand for sexual services increases. This is usually hegemonized through horrific financial gaps.

1. I utilize an abolitionist feminist perspective toward the sex industry, which profits from a demand for sexual services supplied mostly by women, who face an imbalance of power within a patriarchal system. This demand for sexual services fuels sex trafficking

Globalization, through trying to source cheap labor, has fueled human trafficking and normalized it everywhere where labor trafficking and sex trafficking intersect for cheap services.

1. Globalization’s international trade with a neoliberal market economy, its transnational movement through outsourcing and processing zones, its consumerist agenda, and its feminization of poverty (especially in developing nations) and labor (particularly exploiting women of color) 3 have created a breeding ground for sex trafficking.

Traffickers benefit from corrupt authorities and may pay off investigators to keep trafficking. They may even install particularly corrupt investigators to not investigate obvious human trafficking

1. effects on (particularly “developing”) economies and the environment has created a supply of women and children to be trafficked, and an easy movement of people by traffickers, who benefit from corrupt authorities

Commodification of the woman has increased demand by men often fed by powerless exotic women with no capital and no access to schooling that will provide the defenses they need from this predation.

1. commodification of the female (and child) body through the mass media and the Internet has increased a “demand” by men for sexual commodities at the expense of “others,” especially “foreign, exotic” women.

Increasing economic inequality and disadvantaging the poorest of the poor purposefully takes away all money-created assets a person has to force them into selling their bodies.

1. While the feminization of poverty and gender-based violence exist worldwide, environmental injustice and unfair economic policies disproportionately harm poor women and girls in developing nations. A system favoring developed nations in the name of globalization, which promotes “free” trade, contributes to global sex trafficking by increasing economic inequality and disadvantaging the “poorest of the poor.”

Globalization devastated the local land so that Thai people could not rely on the land to survive and had to begin sex trafficking to survive.

1. One may examine Thailand’s environmental destruction to understand globalization’s increase in migration and urbanization, which contribute to sex trafficking. Transnational corporations in need of land for fast-growing trees (like rubber and eucalyptus) or industrial shrimp farms for their own harvesting have been displacing indigenous Thai people (who typically lack land titles) from their homelands, causing deforestation, flooding from soil erosion, and a lack of food and resources (such as mushrooms and fish) to sell for the local people’s income

Loan and debt creation was the primary entry red flag into being a target for human trafficking

1. One elder Thai woman explained how the market economy encroached upon villages, creating a consumer culture, luring the youth to the city, and creating a loan and debt cycle for people who wanted more market economy goods as propelled by the media (Usher, 1994; 16). After the military presence during the Vietnam War and the resulting sex tourism industry, more young women and girls left their villages to sell their bodies (all they had left to sell in the market economy) to support their poor families back home, because they could no longer produce sufficient food from the environmentally damaged lands and they were forcefully removed from other lands,

China trafficks Thai, Myanmar, Macau and Vietnamese peoples to Western nations as “exotic” luxuries. Up to two million people, including children, are being fed to this demand by Western nations

1. In addition to environmental injustice that disadvantages people within developing nations, such as Thailand, globalization’s “opening” of borders for goods and “products” includes people, thereby increasing opportunities for sex trafficking through lax controls and checks. Traffickers easily move victims across borders into and out of Thailand, a supplier and user of sex trafficking victims. In China, for instance, women and children are trafficked across regional borders into Thailand, Myanmar, Macau, and Vietnam, as well as from Thailand to Western nations for the sex trade. Statistics vary on Thailand’s sex industry, but they range from 86,000 to two million women and children prostituting in this global sex market (Usher, 2004; 18).

The Contagion in 1997 forced Thailand to devalue their currency which then couldn’t support their people. They then applied for an IMF loan that imposed policies and debt upon the Thai people that paved the way for human trafficking.

1. some, while harming the interests of many local people. In 1997, the Contagion (part of the Asian financial crisis) first struck Thailand, forcing the Thai government to devalue their currency, causing a rapid decline in salaries, job losses, and setting the scene for an IMF loan, which imposed policies and a debt upon the Thai government.5

IMF used this debt to control their policies

1. This neocolonialism destabilized their economies, made them poorer, devalued their currencies, forced them to borrow and become indebted, thereby allowing the IMF and other lenders to control their national policies. In December 1997, the Contagion reached Korea, which turned to the IMF when it neared default on Japanese and U.S. loans. Due to pressure, the banks rolled over their loans and Korea received the largest loan, $55 billion, in world history from the U.S.

There is definitely a pattern of causing financial crises in a country and then moving in to create a trafficking market there

1. “Countries as diverse as Vietnam, Cuba, and those in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union—all beset by acute financial crises while becoming market economies in varying degrees—are witnessing a tremendous increase in trafficking and prostitution”

Thailand attempts to pay off debts imposed through rigid ignorance of the differences between types of countries by prostituting women. Debt and debt servicing starts the machine of human sex trafficking.

1. By not fairly including developing nations in the global economy and essentially closing markets to them in the guise of IMF-World Bank-WTO policies, we fail to ameliorate an economic cause of global sex trafficking. Prostitution through sex tourism has become one of Thailand’s major financial resources as it helps the government pay off debts, which form a part of the cycle of economic abuse in globalization. Indeed, Saskia Sassen states, “Debt and debt servicing problems have become a systemic feature of the developing world since the 1980s” causing the creation of “shadow” or illicit economies of globalization (Saunders, 2004; 94). In order to combat sex trafficking, the global community should eliminate economic policies that create conditions ripe for an illicit sex trade.

Officials are bought off and are disturbing indifferent. In fact in Vietnam, 70% of people caught in sex acts are police. An Australian diplomat was another one.

1. 6 corruption among law enforcement officials and government agencies plays a key role in the successful operation of the criminal networks that traffic in human slave labor (King, 2004; 20). Officials can be bought off, laws against trafficking are weak in many countries, and attitudes7 toward violence against women are indifferent at best in many places. In Vietnam, “70% of those caught in brothels are reported to be state officials” (Enriquez, 2006; 4). Corruption exists within all nations, but rather than placing full blame on local officials, we must also hold non-locals colluding in sex trafficking accountable. For instance, “[f]ormer Australian diplomat Robert Michael Scoble was arrested March 2004 in Thailand in a joint operation conducted by the Royal Thai Police and Australian Federal Police…charged for promoting Thailand for sex tourism, child pornography, and trafficking of boys” (Cullen, 2004).

Young girls are “initiated” into prostitution by their pimp surprise raping them. Seeking help they are returned to their pimps and beat. The pimp convinced the girl of her worthlessness and tried to convince her she deserved her fate.

1. Sold at the age of fourteen to a brothel, Siri was “initiated” into the sex industry by a pimp raping her.8 She was now a prostitute—a sex slave. Though she escaped and sought help, a policeman returned Siri to the brothel owner, who beat her; brothel owners pay police to ignore sex trafficking. Physically enslaved and sexually servicing about three hundred men per month, Siri also suffered psychological abuse. “It did not take long for the pimp to convince Siri of her worthlessness, and for Siri to accept the view of herself as a mere female who deserved her fate” (King, 2004; 26). Like Siri, trafficked women and girls are victims of a modern slavery, aided by corrupt authorities, including government workers, and the new global economy’s circuits and movement of money and people.

Men in the military will try to attract women to their barracks; that failing they will actually kidnap them. That failing, they will sexually abuse their own female compatriots.

1. d a push for sex tourism to fulfill the demand of a hypermasculine and market-driven ideology that permeates globalization. Despite an increased supply of women drawn into the sex industry due to economic conditions under globalization, “this ‘supply’ would never be used for sex trafficking purposes without the creation of demand” (Nikolic-Ristanovic, no date; 1). In general, men in armed forces (whether “armies, militias, or groups of bandits”) either “attract commercial sex workers to their barracks, kidnap women [and girls] from villages to provide sexual services in their camps, or harass women serving in their own ranks” (Silliman, 1999; 96). The Balkans, for example, reveals a rise in sex trafficking due to the military presence during and after the ethnic conflicts, and calls attention to the corruption involved in the sex trade, as United Nations and NATO 9 forces committed sex trafficking crimes in the Balkans.

These behaviors lead to an increase in prostitution wherever these militaries are found.

1. The presence of a military base in a region, regardless of war, expands prostitution, thereby creating a larger demand for sex trafficking as evidenced in the Philippines and Korea.

During the Vietnam war this hid under the narrative of rest and relaxation.

1. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Department of Defense had a contract with the Thai government to provide "Recreation & Relaxation" [R&R or “rest and relaxation”] for U.S. soldiers. With money from the U.S. government, local Thai prostitution organized and expanded into a major industry

Here men are supposed to control others and act like pimps and acts like they are entitled to their bodies in a way they are not.

1. Hypermasculine denotes a sense of entitlement to women, the “Other” (Beauvoir, 1949), and a violent masculinity (like militaries) aimed at controlling others.10 Enriquez (2006) critiques the framework of globalization as masculinist based “on the gender division of labour, with women subsidizing reproductive work, and with neo-liberalism basing itself on the idea of competitiveness and domination” (Enriquez, 2006; 1). Heteropatriarchy encourages a viewpoint of masculinity that endorses men’s domination over and entitlement to women’s bodies, and certain groups of women fare worse due to race or other factors.

Women in both the North and South are purposefully disadvantage economically to make them vulnerable to human sex trafficking

1. While recognizing a greater impoverishment in the global South, Enriquez links patriarchy, capitalism, and economic inequality in the North and South, stressing that in both hemispheres women are disadvantaged economically and are harmed by globalization more than their male counterparts

Extremes of sexual receptivity are enforced on targets of sex trafficking, women and girls being groomed for sex trafficking, or actual human sex trafficking victims

1. “In Western industrialized societies, hegemonic masculinity is characterized by work in the paid labor market, the subordination of women and girls, heterosexism and the driven and uncontrollable sexuality of men” (NikolicRistanovic, no date; 4). Further connecting “hegemonic masculinity” to a demand for women’s sexual services, Robert Connell stresses that “emphasized femininity complements hegemonic masculinity,” which emphasizes the “sexual receptivity” of “younger women” (Nikolic-Ristanovic, no date; 4).

Governments profit from the pimping of women when male demand and economies in crisis coincide

1. Male demand, female inequality, and economies in crisis—among other factors—lie at the nexus of sex trafficking” (Hynes, 2002; 197). Governments, depending on the illicit economy of the sex trade, profit from the pimping of women (Saunders, 2004; 91).

Australia and Netherlands have legalized prostitution which ironically drives a huge market to bring in “exotic” new women whose homes and lives are destroyed to displace them to meet the demand

1. The increasing demand for the global sex industry. The governments of Australia and the Netherlands have benefited from the lucrative sex trafficking economy by legalizing prostitution, which creates a demand for the illegal recruitment of women from the global South.

Japan and Australia are loathe to investigate because their economies make so much money on it. This may lead to unconscionable representation.

1. In Australia, where prostitution has been legalized, the government seeks to maintain its new “taxpaying, profitable sex industry,” by denying sex trafficking and saying they have only a problem with illegal immigration (Torrey, 2004; 71). In 1999, a brothel owner in Australia profited “at least $1.2 million from the services of” 40 trafficked Thai women, and licensed brothels in Victoria, Australia, reportedly “earned around $1 million a week from the sex slave trade” (Cwikel, 2005; 315). Within “Japan, the world’s second largest economy, the sex trade brings in $400 million per year” (King, 2004; 21).

Criminal groups are turning to women as high-profit, low risk commodity. They literally refer to them as a commodity.

1. Yet, sex tourism is incredibly profitable for governments that unofficially accept or legalize prostitution, and “criminal groups are turning to women as a high-profit, low-risk ‘commodity’” (Weiss, 2002; 2).

A horrifying phenomenon has been witnessed where if a woman goes to the police or doesn’t want to be trafficked anymore they may try to make some final money on her in a snuff film.

1. Globalization’s commodification of the female (and child) body through the mass media, pornography, and the Internet has increased a demand for sexual commodities at the expense of the “Other,” especially “foreign, exotic” women. Within a market-driven, masculinist economy, sex trafficking thrives by treating women and girls as cold-cash commodities, which unlike drugs, can be sold for many years at a high profit to criminal networks. Yet, due to a large supply of poor women, trafficking victims are disposable products. If a woman complains too much, she is killed or sold to another brothel, and some women, particularly women of color, are raped and killed in “snuff” videos.

Pornography increased the commodification of women and callousness towards women.It increases the demand to levels that would not be so high without it.

1. “The more the subjects were exposed to pornography, the more they showed callousness towards women, the less they believed in the women’s liberation movement, and the less time they thought rapists should spend in jail” (Torrey, 2004; addendum 4). Some feminists argue that pornography objectifies women and increases the demand for the sex industry, which then uses sex trafficking to satisfy the increased demand (MacKinnon, 2005).

Auctions of men considering a woman and seeing if they want to buy her happen repeatedly and often, horrifyingly enough

1. In a photo by Kimberlee Acquaro for a sex trafficking article (Landesman, 2004; 24-35), a young girl stands outside a hotel in Mexico, surrounded by a circle of men of various occupations, deciding whether or not they want to purchase her body. Such a sex “auction” presents this girl as a commodity to fulfill a heteropatriarchal demand

Johns possess a neo--colonialist mentally that permits sexual violence that viewed women as products to satisfy them

1. Reflecting a sense of entitlement to women’s bodies, this neo-colonialist mentality of johns permits sexual violence similar to that perpetrated by colonial slave owners, who viewed purchased women as promiscuous products to sexually satisfy them (Eisenstein, 2004; 88).

99% of clients in the sex trade are male

1. “Ninety-nine per cent of clients in the sex trade are male. Boys are trained to be offenders and girls to be victims” (Seabrook, 2001; 168).

An article on prostitution saw weaponized fact checking that increased threefold when speaking on a store that included human sex trafficking, and false reasons for eliminating criticizing the demand side, showing extreme rationalization. Clearly trying to squash the story.

1. Many have participated in the sex industry at some point, so examining demand leads many to question their own involvement in or indifference to the sexual exploitation of women and children.12 The resistance to examining the demand side of the sex industry is evident in Peter Landesman’s testimony. At a human trafficking conference at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Landesman (2004) stated that his sex trafficking article (published in the The New York Times Magazine in 2004) was greatly criticized by men, including four prominent journalists “whose names most Americans would recognize.” It took three weeks of fact-checking his article rather than the regular one week maximum fact-check typically required. Lastly, he was told by the (male) editors that he could not research and write an article about the “demand side” for their magazine. Demand, of course, would focus on the men who demand sexual services from women and children (mostly girls). This refusal by editors to consider publishing the demand side of sex trafficking exemplifies the lack of questioning regarding the demand that contributes to a profitable, gender-based crime within a masculinist economy

Johns created demand by saying that was the girls’ only way of eating. They showed no intelligence in getting them schooling and jobs that could generate lifetime capital that was mutually healthy for everyone involved, especially the girls. They claim the girls would starve to death if they didn’t do this. Taking away food is a way to force them into sex trafficking.

1. The majority of global sex trafficking victims are from Third World countries, and Western johns create a demand for sex workers during business, military, or tourist trips. One U.S. john says of his trips to Thailand, “These girls gotta eat, don’t they? I’m putting bread on their plate…They’d starve to death unless they whored” (Torrey, 2004; 31).

Women are so disrespected by society that even when prostitutes, they need pimps to be respected whereas men who engage in the exact same prostitute behaviors do not run the same problems.

1. While poverty is certainly part of the supply side, poor men in Third World nations are not trafficked for sexual purposes as women are, and most men who prostitute do not have pimps as opposed to most women prostitutes.

Selling white women as Russian and white eastern European women garner the “highest profit” for traffickers showing that an influx of these types with no safety nets suggest an extremely illegal human trafficking “investment”

1. While Russian “Natashas” and white eastern European women garner the “highest profits” for traffickers, “[g]lobally, prostitution and sex trafficking victims are overwhelmingly female, overwhelmingly women of color, and overwhelmingly poor” (Torrey, 2004; 27). Racism and economic inequality exist between who supplies the majority of “sexual services” and who demands them (Kempadoo, 2007; 138-139). Many johns believe that “what you do to a foreign woman is different, it doesn’t count” (Seabrook, 2001; 89).

Photos of bare-breasted girls were illegally distributed to drive tourism to an area. Truly disgusting.

1. Globalization creates a growing competition within the sex industry that demands an “import” of “younger and younger women from more ‘exotic’ backgrounds, thus victimizing our indigenous or aboriginal girls” (Enriquez, no date; 4). While living and working in Ethiopia (2005), I learned that indigenous girls from a southern Ethiopian tribe had been abducted and found in brothels. Based on my observations, several tourism billboards and posters throughout the capital and large towns seem to sexualize these culturally bare-breasted girls, whose poses or looks at times could appear to men as sexually inviting—yet, I did not see posters of this tribe’s women or males, cultural icons in their own right.14

Slave owners tried to gain total access to slaves and rationalized it with inferiority narratives that were enforced by stripping them of their right to equal justice in the courts as an enforcement of the rationalizations that facilitated their sex trafficking.

1. In the colonization of the Caribbean, white slave owners had the “right to total sexual access to slaves…and concubinage and prostitution were institutionalized”; such sexual arrangements indicated an “inferiority” of “the conquered and colonized non-Western Others” (Kempadoo, 2004; 30-31). Similarly, prostitutes are the sex trade’s inferior “Other.”16

Sweden criminalizes pimps, brothel owners, recruiters and transporters as the ones who demand services.

1. Instead of criminalizing the prostitute, Sweden utilizes a “trafficking paradigm,” in which the johns, “pimps, brothel owners, recruiters, [and] transporters” are criminalized as “the ones who demand services, are enriched by the proceeds of commercial sex, and are the ones who control, and often even enslave, the women providers” (Schauer, 2006; 159).

Sweden has a successful democracy that full cooperates in ending human sex trafficking for the most part.

1. Seeking a “democratic society where full gender equality is the norm,” Sweden has a history of activism “against prostitution and trafficking” (Ekberg, 2004; 1188). Moreover, there is a history of collaboration between the public and private sectors: the government, including the Division for Gender Equality, public authorities, the women’s and shelter movements, and other NGOs (Ekberg, 2004; 1190).

Traffickers still hide in clandestine locations but it has successfully become unattractive to human traffickers, protecting and valuing its own

1. While traffickers may hide women in clandestine locations, “Sweden no longer is an attractive market for traffickers” due to its abolitionist policy against the demand for prostitution, which relies on the sex trade (Ekberg, 2004; 1200).

Neocolonialist policies imposed on developing nations have created debt

1. “Neocolonialist” policies imposed on developing nations have created debt and contributed to the feminization of poverty associated with global sex trafficking. U.S. media “accounts have generally lacked an analysis of the structures that account for women being trafficked into prostitution, namely, the global sex industry, the subordination of women, the gendered labor market, and the multiple economic crises and inequalities that underlie women’s lives” (Hynes, 2002; 200). Further, increased immigration controls in a global economy that demands migration will contribute to a reliance on “traffickers to cross the border,” thereby increasing women’s chances of becoming sexual slaves (Saunders, 2004; 99).

US doesn’t examine itself or other countries like Saudi Arabia for being part of creating demand

1. Western “powers” like the United States rank23 developing nations in a paternalistic, “unilateral” fashion regarding their efforts to reduce sex trafficking. Yet, the U.S. does not fairly rank certain (militarily or economically strategic) nations, such as Saudi Arabia, nor the U.S. itself, for their part in creating and continuing sex trafficking, and until 2005, the U.S. did not significantly address demand, such as whether or not a country “encourag[es] sex tourism” (Tiefenbrun, 2006-2007; 270-271).

Most women don’t have a chance, pimped and put up for sale the second they run away from childhood sex abuse

1. . Lastly, I acknowledge that some women may choose to enter sex work, but based on research, the majority of "consenting" sex workers do so for economic survival and/or based on past abuse (Cwikel, 2005; 307-308). Childhood sexual abuse is common for females in the sex industry. OJJDP (2003) reports that a large percentage of prostitutes ran away from sexual abuse. While many poor and/or abused women do not choose sex work, others may view it as their only or best choice given their circumstances/experiences that socially construct their identities and options within a patriarchal system.

Most prostitutes are extreme victims of DV, abused, threatened and killed if they try to leave. Strippers forced to have sex with their clients are common, and punished if they don’t act enthusiastic. They are broken in through rape and stripping.

1. Many assume that prostitutes choose to prostitute and can leave whenever they want. Based on my experience with Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive (H.I.P.S.) in Washington, D.C. (1996-1997) and other social work (domestic and international), I disagree with that assumption, because many prostitutes are trafficked from their hometowns, coerced/ forced to prostitute, abused, threatened, and killed if they try to leave. Domestic trafficking may include strippers who are forced to have sexual relations with customers/owners, or runaways who enter an abusive relationship with a recruiter, who first "breaks her in" for prostitution through rape and/or stripping. Moreover, since the sex industry is gendered in terms of supply and demand, it presents its exceptions of women who enjoy sex work

Forced slavery is at its greatest when there are weak economies and war in destabilized regions

1. King (2004; 9) writes, "The profit potential of forced slavery is at its greatest when there are weak economies and war in destabilized regions."

Initially, men try to evade new laws on prostitution citing they would be too difficult to enforce. However, when they spend time with the John school material, defending the atrocious becomes pretty much impossible and most of them want to walk back their original defenses of the situation.

1. improve enforcement of prostitution/ trafficking laws. In Sweden, police (mostly men) were "being asked to enforce a [new anti-prostitution] law that seriously threatens traditional male values" (Ekberg, 2004; 1196). Thus, police representatives were initially "critical of the law, suggesting that it would be difficult to enforce" (1196). Yet, after receiving education on prostitution and trafficking, including its violence, their attitudes changed and the "initial criticism of the law as being difficult to enforce has ceased" (1196). In contrast to the norms or attitudes promoted by Sweden's Law, "[i]n countries where prostitution is legalized or tolerated, the idea that women are objects for male sexual pleasure and, therefore, can be sold and bought, is normalized" (1197). Tiefenbrun (2006; 270) agrees that "cultural attitudes" are important and "can be changed."

Raping girls is seen to break the girls, and pimps often deliberately father children with the women not out of interest in a relationship but to have collateral to leverage with them. Initiation rapes are often videotaped to blackmail the girls into servitude and distributed, often under false and unrelated narratives, to keep the girl being groomed/trafficked in line. She is told not to “grow roots” so that she can’t get help in any given city. If she does stay, she is constantly removed to different residences or everyone she talks to is isolated and turned against her.

1. 8 Based on my experience with H.I.P.S., raping girls is a common initiation by pimps and traffickers to "break" the girls, and pimps often deliberately father children, so the children can be used to keep the prostituted mothers in line. Initiation rapes or forced sexual services are often videotaped to blackmail the girl into servitude. She must "work off' her debt through prostitution until the pimp/traffickers are finished with her body; she is often traded from city to city to ensure that she does not become familiar with her surroundings or people who may enable her escape.

NATO forces were seen engaging in prostitution as were UN peacekeepers, trying to keep it from coming to light that the women weren’t trafficked so that they could abide by vague and permissive laws that said they would allow it as long as it wasn’t clear or not whether the girls were being trafficked, incentivizing extremes of court corruption and evidence hiding.

1. UN peacekeepers have "engag[ed] in sexual misconduct while deployed" in Cambodia, East Timor, W. Africa, Bosnia-Herzegovina; NATO's Stabilization Force included soldiers involved in "actually ‘buying' trafficked women and actively participating in the trafficking of women into prostitution by forging documents, recruiting, and selling women to brothel owners" (Alfred, 2006; 6-7). Dismally, the UN "reportedly responded to Bosnian abuses of the late 1990s with something akin to denial... [I]nvestigators experienced an astonishing cover-up attempt...None of the peacekeepers involved in these offenses suffered any punishment greater than repatriation" (7). NATO has since implemented a weak policy that allows troops to buy "prostitutes as long as it is unclear that the prostitutes have been trafficked" (15). In May 2002, U.S. Forces Korea was accused of "protecting" "establishments that employed trafficked women" through "courtesy patrols" (12). Resultant U.S. military "off-limits" policy for sexual services "has been effective in dissuading businesses from engaging in these practices" due to the negative economic impact of policies that forbid soldiers from frequenting such places (13).

Prostituted in Germany are aggressively and horrifically victim blamed in stark contrast to the excellent Swedish model.

1. Prostituted women in Germany are "frequently subjected to immediate detention and deportation, denied health services, and are viewed as illegal immigrants who have committed a crime, rather than individuals in need of support" (1954). Here, legalized prostitution does not adequately provide health benefits to prostituted women.

The internet is a primary way for pimps to prostitute in the Philippines, with many buyers of trafficked Filipino girls from China and Japan only possible to sell them to through the internet

1. In the Philippines, "[t]he Internet is the main recruitment tool for the sex tourist industry to bring in rich western tourists to the impoverished South. It is the advertising arm of this sex industry" (Cullen, 2004).

Capitalism destroys natural resources on purpose so the women are forced to commodify themselves, this is similar to someone destroying someone’s career and taking all their property to try to force them into sex work.

1. Luxemburg argues that capitalism destroys natural resources, so people will become impoverished and will depend on capitalism as workers.

Streetwalker districts lower the price for all the girls favoring only the pimps and expose the women to extreme violence

1. The competition among women in streetwalker districts...leads to low prices for sex services, unprotected sex, violence from the side of the clients, and fights among women" (49)

Pimps will attack the worth of their victims when they are not sexually receptive to the culture or clients as a way to “punch” them and control them as well. They can be witnessed in an aggressive influx of extremely abusive behavior when they refuse to go to someone the person is trying to groom them to go to, disgustingly enough.

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Kind Of A Verdict Move

Disgraced former President Trump could be a convicted felon by this weekend. But a guilty verdict is far from assured — and, even then, a prison sentence remains uncertain.

• Prosecutors and Trump’s defense lawyers delivered closing arguments on Tuesday before the 12 jurors who will now decide Trump’s criminal fate. Trump’s team argued the whole case rests on Michael Cohen, and that he’s a skeevy liar nobody can believe. Prosecutors countered: You don’t have to like Michael Cohen, but his story is backed up by this document (and this one…and THIS one….) We can’t know what the jury will do, or how fast they’ll deliberate. But if you’ve been waiting years for Trump to see the inside of a jail cell, the odds are you’ll probably have to defer gratification a while longer.
  
• Trump is charged with 34 felony counts spanning 11 reimbursement payments to Michael Cohen. The jury has to consider and decide each charge separately. That means 34 separate verdicts. We’re likely to be waiting for a while on this deliberation. The jury could convict Trump across the board, or acquit him on all charges. But it’s also possible that they return a mix-and-match verdict. Guilty on some, acquitted on others, an inconclusive or “hung” verdict on others still. An acquittal on any charge means Trump defeats it forever. A “hung” jury means he can be retried for that charge. Any “guilty” verdicts put Justice Juan Merchan in control of Trump’s fate.
  
• But the reality, as ever, is that Trump is no ordinary defendant…or, potentially, convict. If he loses, he’s sure to appeal. And while the judge could jail him pending that appeal, that’s super unlikely. An appeal will eat up more time until the election. If he wins the presidency, Trump’s sure to sue claiming that a sitting president can’t be jailed while in office. He’d be counting on the Supreme Court to back him up. And THAT could set up the nightmare authoritarian scenario: A president who’s awaiting jail the day his term ends. And that guy has NO incentive to ever leave office.
  
• There’s no roadmap because all of this is unprecedented. In another first today, the Biden campaign actually showed up at the courthouse to attack their opponent. The campaign dispatched Robert De Niro — a celebrity surrogate who knows a thing or two about wanna-be tough guys and showbiz mobsters — along with former police officers Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn, who talked about the Trump-inflicted violence of Jan. 6. This is new: Biden has avoided any comment or messaging around Trump’s legal problems. The White House is signaling that Joe Biden himself will speak out publicly after the verdict.
  

If Trump’s convicted, he’ll be a first-time offender with low-level felonies. Jail (several months or a year?) is possible, but so is house arrest or community service. Will Trump wind up in a jumpsuit picking up trash in Central Park just steps from Trump Tower?

Look No Further Than Crooked Media

Know some undecided voters, but don’t know how to convince them to show up this election year? Who are we kidding, of course you do. But fear not! Pod Save America host Jon Favreau is back with season 4 of The Wilderness, to give you the insights you need to persuade the persuadables in your life. With the help of some of the smartest strategists, pollsters, and organizers in politics, Jon explores the thought processes of voters who are slipping away and dives into what we can do between now and November to secure our democracy.
New episodes of The Wilderness drop every other Sunday in the Pod Save America feed - And next day on the Pod Save America YouTube channel!

Under The Radar

Israeli Defense Force tanks pushed into central Rafah on Tuesday, taking control of key infrastructure and territory in the heart of the city. Still, U.S. officials refused to say that the operation — or the Israeli strike that killed at least 37 Palestinians, most of whom were sheltering in tents — crossed a “red line” for offensive operations the U.S. says it won’t support. American officials called the airstrike “tragic” and “horrific.” But White House and other American officials continue to brand Israel’s Rafah operation as “limited,” and not in violation of their call for no “major ground operation” in the city.
While the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues, the U.S.-built pier meant to direct aid into the territory has ceased operating. The Pentagon blamed rough seas and high tides for damaging the pier and causing some ships to become unmoored. It’s unclear when the pier will function again, though it’s been plagued by logistical problems from the start. Initial aid shipments were heavily looted, either by black marketers or hungry, desperate people. The U.S. military said it plans to tow the pier to a nearby port in Israel for repairs, and then reinstall it in Gaza next week.

What Else?

Former South Carolina Gov. and GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley did a PR tour in Israel, where she signed “finish them!” on IDF artillery shells. A gross and crass gesture — and yet the moment also served up a lesson in the ease of spreading misinformation. This tweet accusing Haley of signing shells about to fall on Rafah, a city filled with Palestinian civilians, was viewed 3.5 million times and retweeted by prominent figures on the left. Haley was in fact on Israel’s northern border, where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah. Either way, still pretty bad!
Special Counsel Jack Smith’s attempt to gag Trump was denied by the Trump-appointed judge overseeing the Mar-a-Lago documents case. Smith sought the order to stop Trump from telling brazen lies about a supposed FBI plot to assassinate Trump.
Trump endorsed Rep. Bob Good’s (R-VA) primary opponent, saying Good is “BAD FOR VIRGINIA AND BAD FOR THE USA!” That’s especially bad for Good (sorry, we had to), considering he’s the chair of the MAGA-boosting House Freedom Caucus, and went all the way to Manhattan with other Trump sycophants last week to shill for the boss!
Former U.S. Capitol Police are starting to fan out to swing states for Joe Biden. Officers Sgt. Aquilino Gonell and Harry Dunn, who both fought rioters on Jan. 6, will appear in Nevada for Biden on Wednesday to talk about defending democracy and law enforcement. Cops4Biden lol okay we’ll take it?
MAGA Republicans in Wisconsin are launching a second attempt to recall the Republican Speaker of the state assembly, Robin Vos. Organizers, including a former state Supreme Court Justice Vos appointed to investigate stolen election conspiracy theories, are angry that the speaker refused to impeach the chair of Wisconsin’s elections commission.
Supporters of the Jan. 6 riot tried to drive a memorial stone honoring rioters who died at the Capitol through Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day. The stone honored QAnon conspiracy theorist and insurrectionist Ashli Babbitt — who was killed by Capitol Police after breaking into the building — and others. The supporters were stopped by cemetery personnel.

What A Sponsor

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Light At The End Of The Email

A North Carolina man who won $100,000 on a scratch-off lottery ticket made good on a years-old pact with a friend and split his winnings. “We are both men of our word,” Walter Bonds said of his friend and lottery winner, Curtis Hudson
A cool-headed, off-duty paramedic saved a woman’s life with CPR when she collapsed after dancing at the Loft Pub in Victoria, British Columbia to the Miley Cyrus song “Flowers.” We’ve all been there!
A solid majority of Americans, including 59% of independents, support holding fossil fuel companies legally accountable for climate change, according to a new poll. Meanwhile, about half support criminal charges against Big Oil for the deaths caused by global warming. Imagine if there were some way to translate majority opinion into government action!

Enjoy

Ben Crew on Twitter: "All the President's Men rules cause it's like "Bob Woodward, as appreciation for taking down the President of the United States we're going to make you HOT.""

Arachknight/Pete Wayne (Batman + Spider-Man)
New Gotham Guild (Gotham Knights + Web-Warriors)
WeaveNight-SpideBen Grayson (Nightwing + Scarlet SpideBen Reilly)
Web-Girl/Ghost/Gwen Gordon (Batgirl/Oracle + Spider-Gwen/Madame Web)
Agent Red/Jason Thompson (Red Hood + Agent Venom)
Red Arachnid/Miles Drake (Red Robin + Miles Morales)
WeaveDamian Kaine (Damian Wayne + Kaine)
Black SpideCassandra Moon (Orphan + Silk)
Arachnia/Jessica Kane (Batwoman/Katherine Kane + Spider-Woman/Jessica Drew)
Web-Girl III/Hunting SpideMayday Wayne (Helena Wayne + Mayday Parker)
Web-GlideDhavit Prabhakar (Batwing/David Zavimbe + Spider-Man India/Pavitr Prabhakar)
Diode/Margo Thomas (Signal + Spider-Byte)
Web-Girl II/Carrie Corazon (Carrie Kelly + Araña)
Arachknight and his Guild patrol the cities of New Gotham and Queenhaven (Gotham + New York) (Bludhaven + Queens)
ALLIES:
Paladin/Jean Paul SpectoMichael Grant/Jake Lane (Azrael/Jean Paul Valley/Michael Lane + Moon Knight/Marc SpectoStephen Grant/Jake Lane)
CophunteHobie Pham (Clownhunter + Spider-Punk/Hobie Brown)
Fortune/Sarah Brown (Spoiler + Jackpot/Sara Ehret)
Arachknight 2099/Miguel McGuinness (Batman Beyond + Spider-Man 2099)
Bogey/Ryder Mulligan (Creeper + Toxin)
Heart-Attack/Elias Khan (Ghostmaker + Cardiac)
Wraith/Yin Watanabe (Ellen Yin + Yuri Watanabe)
New Gotham Police Department (GCPD + NYPD)
Commissioner George Gordon (Commissioner Gordon + Captain Stacy)
Stanley Bullock (Harvey Bullock + Stanley Carter)
NGPD's Finest
The Daily Gazette (Gotham Gazette + Daily Bugle)
Gillian J.B. Jameson (Gillian B. Loeb + J. Jonah Jameson)
Ned Bennett (Ethan Bennett + Ned Leeds)
Victoria "Vicki" Brant (Vicki Vale + Betty Brant)
The Daily Gazette's staff
Wayne Industries (Wayne Enterprise + Parker Industries)
Lucius Robertson (Lucius Fox + Robbie Robertson)
The Moth/Luke Robertson (Batwing/Luke Fox + The Hornet/Randy Robertson)
The Robertsons run Wayne Industries while Arachknight focuses on crme fighting.
Mary St. Cloud (Silver St. Cloud + Mary Jane)
Uncle Ben Pennyworth (Alfred Pennyworth + Uncle Ben)
May Thompkins-Pennyworth (Leslie Thompkins + May Parker)
Lacey the Spider-Hound (Ace the Bathound + Ms. Lion)
BIRDS OF LIBERTY: (Birds of Prey + Daughters of Liberty)
Web-Girl/Ghost
Black Raven/Dinah Romanova (Black Canary + Black Widow)
Crosshairs/Helena Bishop (Huntress + Kate Bishop)
Black Spider
Arachnia
Pursuit/Mercedes "Misty" Montoya (Question/Renne Montoya + Misty Knight)
Judo Wing/Colleen Sato (JudomasteSonia Sato + Colleen Wing)
Agent SmasheKatarina "Cheesecake" Armstrong (Spysmasher + Agent Cheesecake)
Owl/Hank Johnson (Hawk + Cloak)
Lark/Dawn Bowen (Dove + Dagger)
Lady Hawk/Zinda Livingston (Lady Blackhawk + Laura Livingston)
Wild TigeAva Montez (Wildcat/Yolanda Montez + White TigeAva Ayala)
Originally formed by the superheroine trio of Web-Girl, Black Raven, & Crosshairs; these vigilantes bring justice to various cities such as New Gotham and Metropia
MAVERICKS: (Outsiders+Manhattan Defenders/Heroes For Hire)
Hellstrike/Jeff Murdock (Black Lightning + Daredevil)
Element Man/Luke Mason/Rex Cage (Metamorpho + Luke Cage)
Fist of Fate/Kent Rand (Dr. Fate + Iron Fist)
Grace Jones (Grace Choi + Jessica Jones)
Ninjutsu/Elektra Yamashiro (Katana + Elektra)
Shen Long (Richard Dragon + Shang Chi)
Siren/Gabrielle Lopez (Halo + Echo)
Alleycat/Felicia Kyle (Catwoman + Black Cat)
Captain Thunderstrike/Freddy Masterson (Captain Marvel Jr. + Thunderstrike)
Silver Strata/Brion Sablinova (Geo-Force + Silver Sable)
Locomotive/Eric Alvarez (Freight Train + Powerman/Victor Alvarez)
EspeHeather Briggs (Looker + Moondragon)
Hell's Slum (Suicide Slums + Hell's Kitchen)
Harland (Freeland + Harlem
Metropia (Metropolis + Latveria)
City of Kun'bat (Nanda Parbat + Kun'Lun)
Tower of Immortality (Tower of Fate + Tree of Immortality)
Symkovia (Markovia + Symkaria)
Night DoctoLinda Balcescu (Crime Doctor + Night Nurse) The team's personal doctor
Peter Gambit (Peter Gambi + Stick) Hellstrike's adopted blind father who taught him martial arts, he's also a tailor.
After the arrest of White Whale, Metropia soon found itself under the deadly hold of the supernatural terrorist group known as The Thousand Hands. They were eventually pushed back by the original formation of Hellstrike, Element Man, Fist of Fate, Grace Jones, and Ninjutsu.
OTHERS:
ExecutioneAdrian Castle (Vigilante/Adrian Chase + Punisher)
ExecutioneBurt Welles (Alan Welles + Hitman/Burt Kenyon)
ExecutioneDave Cruz (Dave Winston + Carlos Cruz)
ExecutioneLynn Trayce (Patricia Trayce + Lynn Michaels)
ExecutioneNigel Powell (Justin Powell + Outlaw/Nigel Higgins)
ExecutioneRachel Chase (Dorian Chase + Rachel Cole)
HackeLinus Marshall (Hacker Files + Microchip)
Bloodshot/J.R. DuBois (Bloodsport + Shotgun)
Hit-Monke/Tommy Monaghan (HitMan + Hit Monkey)
Mr. Chance/Bryce Chance (Human Target/Christopher Chance + Bryce Fowler)
Peace/Christopher Bourne (Peacemaker + Solo)
Pitbull/Eddie Wheeler (Wild Dog + Payback)
ENEMIES:
Arkhamcroft Asylum (Arkham Asylum + Ravencroft Institute)
Holiday/Julian Turner (Calendar Man + Mindworm)
Tophat/Maynard Tetch (Mad Hatter + Ringmaster)
Hugo Warren (Hugo Strange + Jackal)
Tengu/Elliot Osborne (Hush + Harry Osborne)
The Tinkerer and Scarface/Phineas Wesker (The Ventriloquist/Scarface + The Tinkerer)
CleaveCletus Zsasz (Victor Zsasz + Carnage)
Wail/Margaret Barrison (Magpie + Shriek)
Vampire/Dr. Kirk Morbius (Man-Bat + Morbius)
The Asylum Six (Arkham Asylum Inmates + Sinister Six)
Doctor Nautilus/Otto Fries (Mr. Freeze + Doctor Octopus)
Doctor Nautilus/Otto Fries (Mr. Freeze + Doctor Octopus)
Crow/Adrian Crane (Scarecrow + Vulture)
Zeus/Maximilian Dillion (Maxie Zeus + Electro)
Enigma/Quentin Nashton (Riddler + Mysterio)
Clayman/Basil Baker (Clayface + Sandman)
Shock Wave/Lester Schultz (Electrocutioner + Shocker)
GatoWaylon Connors (Killer Croc+Lizard)
Carcass/Solomon Systevich (Solomon Grundy + Rhino)
Duality/Harvey Li (Two Face + Mr. Negative)
DeathstalkeMac Lynns (Firefly + Scorpion)
Innocent/Jane Smerdyakov (Jane Doe + Chameleon)
Blackgate Island (Blackgate Penitentiary + Ryker's Island)
Ezekiel Cain (David Cain + Ezekiel Sims)
The Outlaw/Aaron Armstrong (The General/Anarky II + The ProwleAaron Davis)
Iceberg/Lonnie Cobblepot (Penguin + Tombstone)
The Hint/Aaron Brown (Cluemaster + The Answer)
Getaway Sticks/Montgomery Day (Getaway Mastermind + Stilt-Man)
Silver Thorne/Silvio Thorne (Rupert Thorne + Silvermane)
Falcone Maggia (Falcone Crime Family + Maggia)
Vincent "Don Roman" Falcone (Carmine Falcone + Don Vincente Fortunato)
Giacomo "Gimmy-6" Falcone (Mario Falcone + Giacomo "Jimmy-6" Fortunato)
Valentine/Richard Falcone (Holiday/Alberto Falcone + Rose/Richard Fisk)
Crime Designer (The Designer + Crimemaster)
Blockhead/Roland Martello (Blockbuster II + Hammerhead)
Johnny Jigsaw/Johnny Russo (Johnny Stitches + Jigsaw)
Mafioso/Foswell Sionis (Black Mask + Big Man)
Enforcers Three (Terrible Trio + Enforcers)
Fancy Fox/Daniel Lawford (Fox + Fancy Dan)
Ostrich Montana (Jackson Lydecker) (Vulture + Montana)
Shark/Raymond Hardwick (Shark + Ox)
Belle Raft (Belle Reve + The Raft)
Vain/Eduardo Brock (Bane + Venom)
Nightshade/Adriana Isley (Poison Ivy + Spider-Queen)
Spotlight/Abner Ohnn (Polka Dot Man + The Spot)
Dr. Molt/Mark Sartorius (Dr. Phospherous + Molten Man)
Rodent/Otis Whelan (Ratcatcher + Vermin)
Lion/Thomas Blake Fireheart (Catman + Puma)
Killer Bug/Drury Jenkins (Killer Moth + Beetle)
Blindspot/Dex Lawton (Deadshot + Bullseye)
Slayer Court (Court of Owls + Spider-Slayers)
Lincoln Smythe (Lincoln March + Spencer Smythe)
Tarantula/William Smythe (Talon/William Cobb + Ultimate Spider-SlayeAlistair Smythe)
Guild of Shadows (League of Assassins + The Assassins Guild)
Kraven Al Ghul (Ra's Al Ghul + Kraven the Hunter)
Ana Al Ghul (Talia Al Ghul + Anastasia Kravinoff)
Pesticide/Damian Kaine Clone (Heretic + Spidercide)
The Gremlin/Jack Osborne (Joker + Green Goblin)
Harley Goblin/Harleen Kingsley (Harley Quinn + Hobgoblin)
Kaos/Gabriel Machin (Anarky + Kindred/Gabriel Stacy)
The Gremlin's DaughteSarah Dent (Joker's Daughter + Sarah Stacy)
Phooka/Alexis Urich (Punchline + Green Goblin/Phil Urich)
White Whale/Tobias Fisk (Tobias Whale + Kingpin)
Typhoid/Sy Walker (Syonide + Typhoid Mary)
FearmongeDelbert Cranston (Spellbinder + Mister FeaLawrence Cranston)
Warbomb/Simpson (Wardog + Nuke)
Cornell Stagg (Simon Stagg + Cottonmouth)
Back Tattoo/Mark Stryker (Tattooed Man + Diamondback)
Golden Man/Roger Killgrave (Psycho Pirate + Purple Man)
The Thousand Hands (The 1000 + The Hand)

I posted this in other LGBTQ+ subreddits, but not this one. Also, since pride month is coming up, it made me think of this again. I'd also like to know about who you think of when it comes to closeted characters.
When I look back at some of the shows and movies I watched as a kid, I realize that some characters weren't straight, or didn't seem straight. A lot of things that I couldn't understand at the time, like innuendos, were easily missed because I wasn't exposed to LGBTQ+ stuff at the time. I didn't even know gay people existed until 2011 when I started high school and further didn't know that some of my friends were closeted before that. They all might not be confirmed though, but are for speculation. So looking back, I can think of some characters from a few shows and movies. If you have any or want to talk about what I responded with, feel free to reply.
Notes: 1) I’m not adding Velma because there is a current lesbian Velma post-2015 and she was confirmed to be queer-coded in previous incarnations. But for the sake of Velma, there are instances where she is with Daphne and checks her out even though she crushes on male characters in the shows. In the 2002 movie, Scooby Doo, Velma and Daphne kiss, but it’s taken out of the movie to keep it PG. 2) For the same reason, I won’t add Korra and Asami as there is a confirmation in The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars. 3) Examples that don’t have some level of a firm confirmation, or that are a longer series, will have more detailed explanations so if you want the TLDR, just bolded titles. 4) Also not adding Marceline and Bonnibel Bubblegum because they've been confirmed
Mulan (1998): Li Shang - biromantic.
Li Shang develops romantic feelings for “Ping” until realizing he’s a woman and gets disappointed. Later on, he develops romantic feelings for Mulan. I didn’t realize it until someone pointed it out later on some time on social media. Like most Disney films, the attraction between them tends to build in the middle of the movie before the climax or during the rising action. In the movie, when they are training, Li Shang pays more attention to “Ping” than he does to the other soldiers. This happens at the same time when the romance normally starts in Disney movies as I mentioned earlier, during the rising action and before the climax. If we’re going to look for the most possible straight explanation for this, he was impressed by the skills “Ping” demonstrated. Eventually, he was disappointed that “Ping” was really a woman named Mulan; and with her being a woman, it wasn’t right for her to be in the army. But in the end, he falls for her anyway and they get married in Mulan II. Some people like to say that his disappointment in knowing the true gender was that he was upset about thinking he was falling for a man, but was really falling for a woman. The normal reaction would probably be shock instead of disappointment.
Victorious (2010 - 2013): Jade and Tori - questioning, heteroflexible, biromantic/bisexual
This will be my longest because it has the most potential examples, probably due to being the longest running of these. With this one, I didn't realize until earlier this month. I think everyone was completely straight except these two. I thought that maybe Jade probably developed some sort of feelings for Tori because of her ability to handle Jade’s behavior and the fact that she’s the first to stand up to her and yet still show Jade kindness. This is the classic enemies-to-lovers trope and it’s seen in some other Nickelodeon shows: Josh and Mindy from Drake & Josh (2004 – 2007), Sam and Freddie from iCarly (2007 – 2012) [however, this one wasn’t great because this relationship was short, toxic, and was only fueled by passion], and Logan and Quinn from Zoey 101 (2005 – 2008) and Zoey 102 (2023). But the likely reason behind this not happening is due to them being girls and this show not having seasons in the later years when gay marriage was legalized. However, on June 25th, 2021, one of Nickelodeon’s YouTube channels called NickRewind posted a video titled “Should Tori Vega Date Jade West Bae or Nay 🖤💔NickRewind”. This shows that Nickelodeon’s staff is aware of the fact that this could’ve and should’ve been a thing, that fans have shipped them, and that the two characters have to at least be bi since this was during Pride Month and it would’ve happened if there were more seasons after 2015.
Beck is the only other person who isn’t Tori who actively challenges Jade and puts her in her place. That may be something that she likes in a person. She seems to like someone who stands up for themselves against her and can match her energy. The only other character Jade crushes on, along with Cat and Tori, is Moose in the episode “Three Girls and a Moose” but he’s the only one of Jade’s romantic interests who doesn’t challenge her because she doesn’t antagonize him. In many instances, Jade mocks Tori using a Southern Belle accent or a 1940s movie star accent. Tori usually defends herself by saying she doesn’t talk like that. This interaction implies that they don't like each other. But, this could provide Jade some sort of enjoyment for a few reasons: 1) mocking someone like what she does with Cat sometimes when she laughs, and/or 2) the fact that she knows Tori will defend herself might be a turn-on for Jade, which would then lead to 3) Jade does this because she secretly views Tori as someone sweet, popular, and attractive. The fact that Tori doesn’t get everyone else to turn on Jade, which very much could’ve happened if she wanted to as she is very likable and has gained the loyalty of the majority of the group, shows Tori cares enough about Jade to want to be her friend. Eventually, they respect each other to the point of helping each other and Jade somewhat admits that Tori is a friend of hers. This shows that Tori’s persistence and general nice nature worked on Jade of all people. This is the classic enemies-to-friends trope. But it felt like there was more between these two that I didn’t realize until now.
(Jade and Tori helping each other [Mainly Jade needing Tori’s help])
Jade goes to Tori for help whether or not Beck is an option as it seems she allows herself to be vulnerable around her despite claiming Tori as her rival that she doesn’t like (although, the rivalry is one-sided). Jade could go to anyone when she’s upset and needs help but usually chooses Tori. Tori is the person Jade goes to especially when it’s about Beck. One would assume that she would go to André because he is the level-headed one of the group and is Beck’s best friend, which could mean he would know Beck more to help her about their relationship issues. Another assumption would be that she could also go to Cat for help seeing as she is her best female friend in the beginning of the show (mainly because she can’t see Cat as a threat) but Cat is a very ditzy person and might not be as helpful. She could even go to her own boyfriend unless it’s about him. If she hates Tori so much and nobody else would be available, she could go to Robbie; but similar to Cat, he might not be much help. Jade and Tori also push each other to do things that benefit them when they don’t think they can. In “Jade Dumps Beck” Jade comes to Tori’s house and uses a broken kite as a metaphor for her problem and that Tori is the one she needs to go to in order to fix it. In “Freak the Freak Out” Jade, along with Cat, need Tori to defeat Hayley and Tara. This was also Jade’s plan and not necessarily Cat’s, but Cat agreed that it was a good one. In “Wok Star,” Jade needs Tori’s help again because of Jade’s play and her dad. She even hugs Tori after she receives help because she felt that she couldn’t deny Tori’s request for a hug. Tori prevents Sheema from brutally hurting Jade any further in “Locked Up!” This also shows that while Jade can insult people, she can’t fight. Ironically, she needs Tori, who is visibly skinnier than her and not aggressive at all, to protect her.
(Jade and Tori interacting well)
Throughout the show, we slowly see them become less hostile to each other. At the end of the “Stage Fighting” episode, they work together to clean up the set. This is probably due to Jade’s inability to accept the fact that she could owe Tori a favor and some level of guilt because Tori took all of the blame while knowing Jade lied. When Tori is trying to figure out what to give Trina in “The Birthweek Song”, Jade suggests some talent. This could be interpreted as Jade acknowledging Tori has talent, but she didn’t say that Tori should give some of her talent; and therefore, this might just be her way of saying Trina is untalented. Jade also doesn’t get as bothered as before about being touched when Tori does it in later episodes like in “Survival of the Hottest/Trapped in an RV” and in that episode, Jade and Tori share the last drop of water from a water bottle. In “Beck’s Big Break,” Jade tries to stop Tori from correcting Melinda Murray. This may be because she doesn’t want Tori to get in trouble even though that seems out of character for Jade. The other possibility is the fear that Beck would get fired because she cares for her boyfriend. They also work together to destroy a car in “The Wood” even though it ends with them damaging Festus’ car. They end up singing “Forever Baby” in both English and Spanish on cue. Also, in one of the segments for The Slap, there’s a request that someone gives to Tori to have someone who she doesn’t like very much peel dry glue that Tori should pour onto one of her hands while playing “Make It Shine” in the background. She picks Jade, who also doesn’t want to be with her; but in the end, they are enjoying themselves.
(Romantic/suggestive moments)
In “The Wood” after Jade tells Tori about her things in her room, she does a weird smirk and growl at her. Although it seems very confusing, it still implies that Jade was interested enough to want to go into her room. Although Jade made a growl like noise to Tori, Tori is confused. One would think that Jade making that comment implies Tori has things like sex toys. But Tori would’ve be embarrassed instead of confused. In “Tori Gets Stuck” when Tori is woozy, Jade offers to take her off Tori’s dress as an attempt to try to take the lead role from Tori in the Steamboat Suzy play. It’s obvious that she wants the lead role; but on top of nearly killing her in this episode, she is also willing to remove her clothes without shame. Then in the next episode, “Prom Wrecker” when Tori licks Jade’s can of Wahoo Punch out of anger for Jade ruining the Prome and Jade still continues to drink out of it either because she doesn’t care or because it’s the closest opportunity Jade will have to “kissing” Tori. They also wear similar dresses, but in different colors which can be seen as an obsession Jade has over Tori. Jade’s side of the story in “Who did it to Trina?” involves Tori asking “Why can’t I be pretty like you?” and Jade further goes along with the idea of Tori thinking she’s pretty by responding to Tori’s comment about Jade being demented with “Oh, so you think I’m pretty and demented?” which is something she probably longs for Tori to tell her (the pretty part). Jade also insults her in a way that also makes Tori seem perfect like she usually does. Tori points at Jade when she says “Baby, til you believe” during the “365 Days” performance in “Jade Gets Crushed. Jade knows that Tori isn’t pointing at Beck because she traces the finger to her left and looks that way and sees Lane dancing and probably assumes it was for him or that she was randomly pointing. Jade doesn’t assume Tori would point at her because Jade probably can’t fathom Tori being into her after their interactions. Then the next line is “It’s not just a phase.” Many people can associate this phrase with people who are openly LGBTQ+ and Tori pointed at Jade, so that could be another hint. This could’ve been some way for Tori to try to express feelings towards Jade without being so obvious. In “A Christmas Tori” there are a few instances of Jade’s potential crush on Tori. When Cat gives Jade a pair of scissors from “The Scissoring” Tori asks if it’s the movie about the girl who comes back from the dead and uses a pair of scissors on her two best friends. Beck replies with “Yep.” Jade, while staring at Tori, responds with “Starting with the pretty girl.” This implies that she thinks that Tori is pretty. Before revealing that she is Tori’s secret Santa, Jade allows Tori to pat her down to check if she has her new scissors on her. Keep in mind that Jade has stated that she hates being touched. While doing a pat down, Tori glances at Jade’s breasts twice (it’s possible this could’ve been Victoria Justice’s own intention in the moment, but still). As for Jade’s present to Tori, an idea for André’s project, there are moments in the choreographed performance where Tori touches Jade twice, on her nose and then on her back directly above her butt. Also, the “Jack Frost nipping at your nose” lyrics are accompanied with Tori touching Jade’s nose and then Jade growls. Keep in mind that this is Jade’s present to Tori. Therefore, the touching and every other choreographed part had to have been Jade’s idea, the same girl who supposedly hates being touched. It’s also worth mentioning that earlier in the episode Jade is upset that she has to be Tori’s secret Santa and begs for Sikowitz to assign her anyone else. Either she hates Tori and can’t stand the idea of giving her a gift, or she is secretly in love Tori and is afraid to give Tori a meaningful gift and potentially reveal her feelings towards Tori. So for her gift, this could be her attempt in this assignment to not only give Tori a present, but to exchange physical contact. She could’ve realized that she could avoid giving Tori something that reveals her feelings by instead turning it into an opportunity for Tori to help André. Beck has mentioned in “Jade Dumps Beck” that the only thing Jade has given him for one of his birthdays was a can of lemonade. This brings another question: If she had anyone else, what would she give? Is she a bad gift giver? Beck is her boyfriend and she couldn’t even find an appropriate gift for him on his birthday. With André’s dilemma, she could’ve helped him with his project. She basically did considering her gift to Tori was an idea for his presentation. Considering Beck’s dilemma, she could’ve found a way to catch and/or kill the cricket. That leaves 2 other people, Robbie and Cat. She probably could’ve helped Robbie or Cat by getting them to finally confess their feelings and become a couple. This episode would’ve probably made her learn how to give a meaningful gift either way. But the question remains, why was she so against the idea of being her secret Santa? What would she do if André didn’t need help and Tori found a way to give him a meaningful gift? Is it her hate for Tori that makes her not want to give her a gift? Does she have romantic feelings for Tori and therefore her giving her a gift will flood her mind with thoughts of Tori and frustrate Jade more? “Tori and Jade’s Playdate” shows that Jade finally receives the wish of being called pretty by Tori. After complaining about each other, Tori suggests that they have a conversation and compliment each other. Jade says to Tori that her singing isn’t awful. Tori then says she admires that Jade isn’t afraid to say what she thinks. Jade then awkwardly says that Tori is pretty at certain angles. Tori genuinely smiles after hearing that. But when Jade wants Tori to tell her that she is pretty, Tori does so and they become silent. Their reactions upon being called pretty from each other made it seem like Jade always wanted to hear Tori call her pretty and Tori always wanted to hear Jade call her pretty. Simultaneously, it seemed like they both wanted to call each other pretty. But when it happens, they don't know how to respond. One thing that gets noticed is that Tori wears a necklace that somehow gets worn by Jade after the episode. This implies that Tori gave it to her, or she stole it. But it wouldn’t really add up. That necklace has been with Tori for a while. Why would she suddenly give it to Jade if no feelings were involved? Was she being nice and gifted it to her? Why would Jade specifically choose to wear that necklace later on? How did Jade get it? Could she have stolen it? Or did she feel some way for her? In “Tori Goes Platinum,” while Jade says that she looks like an idiot, Tori replies with “A … pretty pink idiot … with a thing on her head.” This is another moment where Tori calls Jade pretty, but this time without being asked to. In the episode “Brain Squeezers” after attempting to lie to Tori to get on Tori’s team and failing, Jade grabs Tori’s shirt before threatening her and then glances inside it looking at Tori’s bra/breasts as she does so. (Again, can’t tell if this was Elizabeth’s wandering eyes thing or a Jade thing). While it was an April Fools’ episode, in “April Fools Blank” Jade tickles Tori and Tori invites it by lifting up her shirt in a way that looks suggestive.
(Moments where they have to or unintentionally act like a couple)
They have had to act like a couple in “Helen Back Again” for a lesson about subtext with Cat being their daughter. In “Car, Rain & Fire” they unintentionally act like a tired, married couple who take their annoying daughter somewhere. In this case, Cat is the “daughter” again. Tori even reminds Jade about soaking in the fumes of Mona Patterson. Tori is sitting shotgun instead of Cat, the person who wanted to do this, and when Cat starts to cry, Tori tells Jade “Just drive the child to San Diego.” And in the “Tori and Jade’s Playdate” episode, they play a couple. I think the writers poke fun at the idea of them being a couple, but all it does is make fans want more and it comes off as queer baiting.
(Others)
In “Crazy Ponnie” Jade is interested in getting a Tori doll similar to the one in the episode, possibly because it’s Tori or the fact that it said it was evil. In “The Hambone King” Jade is the first to point out that Tori won.
(TheSlap)
On a picture titled "Jade all prettied up" in Tori's Freak the Freak Out Gallery she tagged it as "Jade looks hot in this pic but don't tell her I said so. She doesn't like when I compliment her cuz it takes all the fun out of insulting me." Tori compliments Jade’s new look even though Jade hypothetically wouldn’t want it. Tori admits that Jade dressed pretty for the Prome. On Jade’s birthday, Tori was the only one to respond. When Jade talks about going to an abandoned mall and asking if anyone wants to come, Tori responds with a yes. Most of this just seems like Tori’s one-sided desire for Jade, whether it be physical attraction or friendship.
Kill la Kill (2013 - 2014): Ryuko and Mako - lesbians.
Mako would always have those moments where she would be near Ryuko and do some weird thing that involved touching her a lot in different places. In the last episode, she admits to Ryuko that she wants to date her and even kisses her in one of her weird moments where she says that she wants to go on a date with Ryuko when everything is done. Ryuko, under the influence of Junketsu, kisses Nui. Controlled or not, she still decided to kiss a girl. Ryuko does go on that date with Mako, even though Satsuki accompanies them. Some people argue that Ryuko and Mako aren’t lesbians and try to say that all of this is platonic. It’s probably because they, usually the homophobic ones, don’t like to admit that characters in one of their favorite shows can be gay. Also, Mako is the only one who can calm Ryuko down at times. This is either because she’s Ryuko’s friend, or maybe because Ryuko feels romantic feelings for Mako. Also, maybe the scissors are an innuendo. Yet there isn’t really a confirmation of this by the creators for some reason.

I (40F) have a group of girlfriends that I treasure: Anna, Sarah and Victoria (names changed). We are 4 moms around same age all having kids similar age, live relatively close to each other (within 30min drive), and we are pretty much in the same stage of our lives. Work, home, kids keep us busy on daily bases so we meet up maybe once a month, but we chat every day using a group communicator. Each of us is different and has different career (we are all working moms) but we have a common understanding. We talk about everything, our kids, jobs, husbands, problems. We support each other, joke together, help out. We are aware of our differences but respect them and usually take them into account when interacting. Or so I thought. Anna is a rather neurotic person. Very empathic and will be the first one to help. But alongside, she will criticize and give unsolicited advice whenever she sees fit. I got used to that and wasn't much bothered by it, however, recently her unthoughtful remarks intensified. It worried us. We tried to gently tell her that it was no fun, but she would always brush it off. She would then either minimize it ("I am only sharing my opinion, I don't want to insult anyone"), or twist it ("you misunderstood, I meant something else"), or make a victim of herself ("you never let me say what I think, all the blame is always on me"). This was going on for months, half a year, maybe a year. It started to really bother Sarah to the point, that she stopped sharing a lot of info in the group. She would rather talk to me in private messages not feeling like being judged and remarked. She would regularly say "look, Anna again picked on me for this or that, she said this and that". So, I started noticing this, too, more and more. And it started getting on my nerves, too. Telling Anna was pointless. For her, she was exercising her freedom of speech and not hurting us. We would vent with Sarah to one another about those unpleasant comments. Not really talking bad, no gossip, no nasty words, just getting out our feelings whenever we would feel hurt by Anna. Then, we would go back to the common chat and go further about our days.
For context, I will give you a couple of examples of Anna's comments: when I tried a new soup recipe and shared some photos and my happiness how delicious the dish turned out, the only comment Anna gave was "I can already see an extra fat roll on your belly from all that grease" (I am overweight and she knows very well that I am trying to loose some weight). Or when we proposed to go together to spa and wellness to celebrate Victoria's birthday, she kept complaining how expensive that gift would be (about 10 euros per person + her own entrance 30 euros) and that she doesn't have money, just to then 2 weeks later search for a trip abroad. Eventually, she concluded she needs some relax and... went to spa alone cause we could not join (she chose a working day and we could not take a day off). She also had a disagreement with a bigger group of friends. She then made me believe they had mistreated her, while I learnt later on that she completely exaggerated the situation and actually was in fault herself. She had a fight with my sister-in-law, too, who offered to take care of her house, cat and chickens while Anna was away in exchange for letting my sis stay at her countryside homestead. However, when my sis was already there Anna moved in two other men and told my sis that her help wasn't needed and she can move out if she has a problem staying with strangers. Instead of supporting exhausted Vic, Anna would regularly bush her for putting in her kids' lunch boxes cookies, chips and some other unhealthy stuff (next to homemade goodies) while Victoria had 3 under 5 (infant included) and worked full time, and was so tired she was forgetting her own name sometimes. Yeah. This sort of comments.
To the point: one day I posted to the group chat a movie of a beautiful train diorama my father-in-law built (took him several years) and my kids going crazy playing with it. The other girls were really amazed, while all Anna said was "impressive, but my kids would not even look at that for longer than one minute, for them even a wet trampoline would be more interesting than this thing". Now, I had a really crappy day that day. I haven't slept well, I was in my period and sick, so her words annoyed the heck out of me. I really needed to vent that annoyance but I knew Anna would not understand. She would immediately go into defence mode "I was only talking about my kids, what, I can't do that?". I'm sure. We tried multiply times in the past. So I decided to vent to Sarah in private. I wrote to her:

"My kids wouldn't even look at that", awesome comment.
Anna is again fu**ing up with me.
She had a fight with half of her acquaintances, she had a fight with my sis-in-low. Now this.

And that was when I realised that I clicked the wrong window and I was sending these messages right to Anna, instead of Sarah... Autch. In all honesty I added "sorry, that was meant for Sarah" but that only made things worse. Anna went all ballistic how ugly we are, how we all talk behind her back, how she was only mentioning the interests of her kids and I made a mountain out of a molehill. And that I "misclicked" the widow on purpose to pour dirt on her (I did not). She just as much blamed the other girls for my words, said that now she knows the truth what I really think of her etc etc. I stopped responding in text and asked if I could call or if we could meet. I wanted to apologize and explain in person that it was only venting just like she always vents about her husband (she does that a lot), but she refused to listen to any explanation, she said we betrayed her. Anna left our group chat and did not speak to me for a month. She returned to the group after 2 months but ever since is rather reserved, and still doesn't want to meet nor talk about what happened. We all feel this gigant elephant in the room.
I don't want to loose a friend but I also don't know what to do if she is refusing to talk. Yes, I did criticised Anna's behaviour (with a strong word included), yes, I admit it was not nice, and I apologized multiple times to her for it. But on the other hand I feel that I have a right to talk to a friend about something that really hurt me and is not understood by the person who did that. So, IATA for venting about my friend's behaviour behind her back?
EDIT: I didn't do Anna justice here. She does not spit those hurtful comments out all the time. Only sometimes, when she has a bad day or something. Normally, she is a very friendly, always willing to help, spontaneous person. She is fun to talk to and be around. Smart, very hospitable and sharing. She is an added value to our group and I am very sorry to see her so distant now.

Iturbide was conferred with the positions of president of the Regency, honorary president of the Junta, generalissimo and admiral. The Junta called elections for the Constituent Congress that was installed on February 24, 1822, swearing to defend the principles of the Plan of Iguala, the Treaties of Córdoba and the fundamental bases of the constitution of the Empire which in summary established a moderate constitutional hereditary monarchy, representative government and the absolute separation of the executive, legislative and judicial powers. The moncarch was the executives, congress legislative and a Supreme Court the Judicial Power.
The Congress was conceived as bicameral because it provided for a mechanism for reviewing decisions, but the deputies decided to meet in a single assembly, altering the basis of their integration. Afterwards, they declared that national sovereignty resided in them and reserved the exercise of legislative power to themselves. It was the first coup d'état in Mexican history. The Congress, which was empowered only to establish a new Constitution, assumed supreme power. The congressmen did not want to create a constitution because, by approving it, they would have fulfilled their objective and would have had to give way to a permanent legislature. Instead, they wasted the sessions establishing commemoration dates and monuments to the insurgent figures. The problem of authority confronted Congress with Iturbide until they mutually accused each other of treason.
The hostility reached its peak when Spain ignored the Treaties of Córdoba on February 22, 1822, which the Americans learned a month later. The fact that Iturbide publicly exchanged letters with José Dávila, the Spanish commander of the fort of San Juan de Ulúa, to dissuade him from a counterrevolutionary movement, was used by the deputies to accuse him of inciting rebellion with the aim of being crowned. Later, without having the power to do so, they replaced the members of the Regency who were followers of Iturbide, leaving Isidro Yáñez, declared anti-iturbidist, and appointed the Count of Heras y Soto, Miguel Valentín, priest of Huamantla, and the former insurgent Nicolás Bravo. They sought to annul the Liberator. Several congressmen even proposed prohibiting the regents from having military command with the idea of ​​stripping Iturbide of his administrative position by making him renounce to the Regency. These episodes were read by society as an open threat.
The historian Timothy Anna has noted the fact that on March 27, Iturbide sent a questionnaire to local officials in the different districts of the country, among whose questions stands out a kind of referendum on the form of government that Mexicans should adopt: monarchy or republic. The responses overwhelmingly called for monarchical government. The lack of a monarch was a problem aggravated by the imperative need to have governability and control internally and before the world and legal certainty. An official letter from Iturbide addressed to the Supreme Council of Regency, dated, May 15, 1822, he explained it clearly: What is Mexico until now? Without a constitution, without an army, without a treasury, without a division of powers, without being recognized; with all its flanks exposed, without a navy, restless, insubordinate, abusing the freedom of the press and customs. The authorities are insulted, without judges and without magistrates. What is Mexico? Is this called a nation? On the night of May 18, 1822, the Celaya Regiment, led by its sergeant major Pío Marcha, left the barracks in Mexico City shouting “Long live Agustín I Emperor of Mexico!”
He arrived at Plateros Street accompanied by a crowd to urge the Liberator to assume the throne. Iturbide said and repeated at that moment that “Mexicans do not need me to command them,” but generals, regents, deputies and the president of Congress insisted due to public pressure. Iturbide got carried away. The buildings were fully illuminated, there were songs and merriment, and the church bells did not rest. In the early hours of May 19, the military commanders brought a petition to Congress so that the election of the emperor was considered urgent. Valentín Gómez Farías presented an initiative signed by 46 deputies requesting the coronation of the Liberator by general acclamation. It was said that this was not possible because the debate had to conclude with a vote. Iturbide himself requested that the decision be reverted or be ratified in the provincial councils. In the end, without any dissenting vote, he was named emperor. On the 21st, with 106 deputies present, Congress agreed to publish the election act of Iturbide and took the oath.
The validations soon arrived from both the provincial councils and the city councils. As Edmundo O'Gorman pointed out in The Novohispanic Political Survival, Iturbide's empire was nothing more than the attempt to provide the new nation with the being that concerned it in accordance with the traditionalist aspect of its historical possibility. In the Cathedral of Mexico, on Sunday, July 21, within the framework of a mass presided over by Juan Ruiz de Cabañas, the president of Congress crowned Iturbide and he crowned the empress. It was another day of euphoric shouts, bells, cannon salutes and pennants. Simón Bolívar congratulated Iturbide saying that no one else had a greater right to the throne than he.
The empire was formed to the north, with the union of New Mexico, Alta California, Texas, Atizona and Nuevo León, to the south with the voluntary annexation of Yucatán and Chiapas, the Internal Provinces and the Captaincy General of Guatemala, which included what Currently it is Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica and El Salvador, as well as parts of Belize. The North American Indian nations also voluntarily joined the imperial overlordship(See treaty between the Mexican Empire and the Comanche Nation for example). There was an empire with an emperor but the coffers were empty. The three-garant troops did not parade in uniform during their entry into Mexico City, but with clothes and shoes donated because they were half naked. The jewels that the emperors wore at their coronation, including the inlays on the crowns, were borrowed. The throne was made of concealed wood. There was no money for salaries, pensions or compensation. The mines were flooded and in ruins. Livestock and agriculture began their recovery. The war tax had been eliminated. Soldiers were paid in cigarettes. Forced loans were becoming more and more common. Added to the crisis of the public economy was the flight of Spanish capital.
Since November 1821 has part of regency, Iturbide tried to alleviate tension through the use of intangible goods: he distributed decorations and created the Order of Guadalupe. Another urgency was the replacement of the viceregal hearings with new courts to give effect to social order and legal protection. For this reason, Iturbide asked Congress to resolve the issues of finance and administration of justice by creating a Tax system and regulations for the Courts. But it was in vain. Ultimately, what most concerned Augustine I was the territorial ambition shown by the United States and the European powers. The Trigarante Army faced the invasion of Texas by North American forces, which took place, in October 1821, where the presidio of Bahía del Espíritu Santo wa taken, but were forced to withdraw by the army. To contain external enemies and for the persistence of civil authority, the emperor wanted an army of 35,000 well-equipped men, fortify the northern border, create a navy, agree on an alliance with the Cubans and open a transoceanic canal on the isthmus of Tehuantepec.
But the Congress that elected Iturbide spoke out against his government because, in addition to being a frivolous deputation, the majority was made up of Bourbonists, insurgents and Republicans was acting out of political revenge. They dedicated themselves to undermining the emperor; they voted that military command and executive power were incompatible; They denied him the power to sanction laws and abolished the the tax system recognized by the Spanish Constitution, but didn't created a replacement, in force as long as there was its own legislation; They assumed the right to appoint the members of the Supreme Court of Justice, which was the emperor's power according to the ordinances in force. Iturbide put into consideration the creation of a central bank for issuing paper money, the activation of mining and the establishment of military courts to restore order in the provinces; everything was rejected. Congress conspired around Freemasonic lodges and secret societies; those who directed the intrigues were foreigners such as the Colombian Miguel Santa María and the American Joel R. Poinsett, USA embassador. Some deputies handled the idea that Congress was sovereign, that the other powers belonged to them and must obey them, and that the emperor was only their delegate.
They ignored the Plan of Iguala and the Treaties of Córdoba, Servando Teresa de Mier Noriega y Guerra, representative of Nuevo León, informed the monarch that he didn't recognized him has Emperor. Finally, the deputies began to conspire to lead a mutiny, seize the Crown and proclaim the Republic. Augustin I responded by applying the law: he obtained written testimonies of the conspiracy and on August 26, 1822 he ordered the arrest of 66 deputies. He thought that in the face of overwhelming evidence of infamy, the rest of the deputies had nothing left but to condemn their colleagues, even if there were more conspirators who only sought to continue in dissimulation. However, Congress shamelessly requested the surrender of the detainees so that they could be judged them and began to meet to discuss the immunity of the deputies in relation to their opinions. Brigadier General Felipe de la Garza, commander of Nuevo Santander, mutinied, speaking out in favor of the detained deputies, but due to the lack of support he ended up being taken prisoner and accused of treason; However, the Emperor not only spared his life but also restored him to command. De la Garza was the one who arrested and executed Iturbide.
The Executive released the majority of the deputies under conditional release, government surveillance or absolute freedom; only a few remained in prison. He also expelled Santa María from the country, who remained in Veracruz under the protection of Antonio López de Santa Anna, who held a grudge against the Liberator because, having adhered to the Plan of Iguala, he assaulted the port of Veracruz and promised that his defenders would be dragged away begging for compassion, but the Veracruz people resisted and They only handed over the plaza when Iturbide relieved López de Santa Anna of command. Augustine I realized Santa Anna's ambition when, from the moment of his coronation, he tried to make his sister, Princess María Nicolasa of Iturbide y Arámburu, 60 years old, fall in love with him.
On October 31, the emperor finally decided to dissolve the Congress for reasons of state. In their place he appointed a National Instituting Board made up of former deputies, this board acted has legislative and were making rules for the election of a new Congress. He was once again cheered as the Liberator of the political impasse, but fate led him to experience the true dimension of the atmosphere of disloyalty of the Mexican political class. Brigadier Santa Anna behaved arbitrarily and perversely, he stole property and ignored the bombeers of the port of the fort of San Juan de Ulúa.
The accusation was leveled against Santa Anna and Agustín I went to Jalapa to deal with it. They say that he was standing at a meeting when Santa Anna arrived and was denied passage. After a the long wait, he sat down and was reprimanded for sitting in the presence of the monarch. Santa Anna left the ranch in a rage and upon returning he was stripped of his command and received the order to report to Mexico; He not only disobeyed, but he rode to Veracruz before his deposition was publicaly known and rose up requesting the Republic. He handed over the leadership of the movement to the fugitive Guadalupe Victoria and reserved military command for himself. He wanted to take Jalapa and was beaten.
To appease the riot, the Emperor turned to the military man he trusted most, the Marshal Echávarri, whom he valued so highly that he had promised to marry him to the eldest of his daughters. Echávarri advanced with 2,000 men, a force far superior to that of Santa Arnna, but strangely established a camp outside the walls of Veracruz. Agustín I realized the perfidy before but due of his trust for Echávarri only send him a letter asking for a explanation for his actions, meanwhile Echávarri and the generals Negrete, a close friend of Iturbide, José Lobato and Luis Cortázar took the time to sign the Casa Mata Plan on February 1, 1823 in which they requested a new Constituent Congress. Another thing unkown to Iturbide at time was that Echávarri and Pedro Celestino Joseph Negrete y Falla were hidden Bourbonist like their actions in 1827 would show when they were discovered has a part of a conspiracy to reinstaurate the Bourbons in Mexico. The three guarantees were the work of the Trigarante Army and this was pulverized. Under this scenario, the emperor did not want to fight the insurrection despite his prestige among the military. Still on February 22, 1823, the Provisional Political Regulations of the Mexican Empire were approved, but it was an anecdotal document.
On March 4, Iturbide, as the last act of his government, reestablished the Constituent Congress to be able to abdicate before an authority, which he did on the night of March 19 through the Minister of Justice Juan Gómez de Navarrete, and formally to thenext day with the Minister Francisco de Paula y Álvarez. The justification was simple: “I admitted the Crown with extreme repugnance, only to serve the country; But since I realized that its preservation could serve, if not as a cause, at least as a pretext, for an internal war, I decided to leave it. He also promised to expatriate himself. Then on 29th March 1823, the man who was no longer Mexican emperor, addressed Congress with a manifesto: May this abdication contribute to your happiness! Today Congress is the first authority. It is up to you to give direction to the movements of the people. If this body achieves a good success for its desires without shedding the blood of its fellow citizens, if united around a common center it puts an end to discord and internal divisions, if it governs by wise laws formed on solid bases, the people will be assured his rights and will work to increase the sources of public wealth if he is not agitated by political dissensions. If the nation is protected by a government that does not overburden it with taxes and does not hinder industry, the people will become an opulent people. If the strong Mexican nation, with the prosperity of its children, finally rises to the rank it should occupy among nations, I will be the first to admire the wisdom of the congress, I will rejoice in the happiness of my country and I will descend contentedly to the grave. All this happened before Santa Anna and Echeverri reached Mexico city with their army.
Having accepted misfortune Iturbide vacated the Moneada Palace and went to Tacubaya, from where he left with his family on March 30, 1823. As in different periods of his life, the mules from his cart were unhitched and thrown by the people to move the cart themselves. After that, the journey was long because there was an order to bypass the towns to avoid demonstrations of affection for the Liberator. He was held incommunicated. During the march his campaign printing press was confiscated. Commanding the escort was Nicolás Bravo, who discovered and confronted a plan to assassinate Iturbide on the outskirts of Jalapa. On April 21, in the town of Apam, the man from Valladolid asked that, for health reasons, his 85-year-old father and his sister be escorted back to Mexico City. In the port of Veracruz he endured two affronts without complaint: Bravo ordered customs to search his luggage looking for a imaginary fortune that he intended to steal, a review that was suspended when the guards smashed a Talavera crockery, and Guadalupe Victoria limited the number of passengers on the ship as a form of extortion, an order that he later canceled. Before leaving, he learned of the decrees of April 8, which declared his coronation to be the result of violence and null and void, and all acts of his government illegal, as well as the form of government proposed in the Plan of Iguala to be non-existent. The Treaties of Córdoba and the Constitutional Bases; and on April 16, which gave the status of traitor to anyone who recognized Iturbide as emperor, even if it just was with uttering “Long live Iturbide".

Some backstory: my father had an operation a couple years ago and ended up being on bed rest for a couple weeks. At the time I would do everything around the house, helping him and what not. In the middle of that, he would be talking to random people online claiming to be "celebrities" and I am like "yeah okay, people would die to want to talk to them but your not." Then one of our Facebook friends got hacked and he had spend $2000 on Apple gift cards for a certain amount of money in return. The Facebook friend announces he got hacked the next day and we use the money from Apple to get a phone.
Fast forward to today, nothing has changed one bit. Still falling for the same shit and routinely go into his phone and say "fuck off" (pardon my language) to these scammers, report them, block them and delete them. That would be through Facebook Messenger, Zangi, WhatsApp, any messaging app you can think of. He almost forced me against my will to go get $200 and to go to LAX to go pick up a car. Ended up calling the police because he can't do that to me. The police also background checked a sheet with other people who fell for the scam and those were old people who were from Virginia or somewhere.
There was also another scam where it was a golden ticket with the IRS and he almost fell for that until I looked up the individuals name online and it showed he scammed other people too.
At this point, I am on my last legs with him and this almost sounds like a plea. I really don't know what to do at this point. He wants to get remarried with a lady out of state but is talking to random people online, claiming he wants to marry one of these celebrities (Jennifer Lawrence, Lacey Chabert, Victoria Justice, some other people) in the hopes of wanting to help me out with money and taking care of me when he passes away. I'm like "well it wont be a celebrity, you can find someone else who is real."
No money has been sent at all. I called my father delusional and told him ever since last year you've done nothing but talk to scammers and don't take anything I say into consideration. Supposedly he is going to meet up with Chabert to prove to me that she is real to me. I'm like "if you do that I probably wont see you again."
Again I really have no clue what to do. He's done this for the past year and a half and has not stopped even though I am making my case to him, it's like he refuses to acknowledge me and what I am saying. He runs away from arguments too and I want to continuously get it through his head. Just does not seem to work.

Not shared, nor my shade; but something to be weaved; just as the measure of disappointment became it's own solution. But I talked my way through things forbidden, just to find myself blind in bed with those who are dead. Clumsy, but altogether natural of course, because it's consciousness what you refer in the description, yet that's what we don't get a lot about. See your deeds the way you are seen, and then return to a restless place: and the question in-between sheets will be why. Well, I just can't motivate myself to work without hot bitches staring. And that's the truth. Sad but True
— Hearfelt comment for an instagram witch.
Del desprecio a ese descarte, no he visto muchas cosas. Así se pasa una más para las cuentas, y aquí otro más para los versos, por qué aquí no hemos sido vistos. Cuánto más querría uno, que sino lo cuentas ni mucho menos piensas: << lo de este pibe que cosa más horrible>>, haciendo eso lamentable, por qué en decirlo nadie ha mentido. ¡Es horrible! Que cara es entonces la cuenta de lo que le sale a uno vivir sin más complejos; mejor seria cobrarmelo, para así saber que de algo ha valido. Bloqueame.
— Heartfelt comment for a random supermodel-to-be.
The Spirit of Fire
Flames begone, flames in spite: their warmth I felt - so I closed my fist until I could feel the warmth of my blood in my hand. And in dreams Fire came up to me and said: who am I? And I said unto him: you are bound to my bidding, thus your name misery will be. But fire wretched as he was, got closer and asked: and who are you?
And I said unto him that the blood of David ran through my veins, as I was his heir; for the mother of God claim me from death as a son. So Fire tried me, and figured it out.
You are son of woman —said Fire unto me— but as Fire acknowledged the name, I extended my left hand, and took Fire by the neck throwing him into the gound. — You are going to lace yourself to the right hand of the beast, and you'll keep him steady, so I can cleanly take him down. And Fire stayed down, and with his forehead kissing the ground asked unto me —why would the heir of David do so to earthly man?
And I said unto Fire that the beast from the abyss had left no mother for God, so I was to leave none of his body left for his head; as I was going to make it bleed until the end of the end of times.
The Spirit of Earth
Shapeless and without body, but keen within her many numbers, Earth came up to me in dreams, and said: who am I? And posessed in spirit as I was, I said unto her, that God had made her maiden again, and that she shall become the coins that Judas never received, which were to become the due payment of man and women for the body of Christ. Then I extended my right hand, and grabbed Earth by her hair —which descended deep into the abysses of hell— and cut it short so the demons of Lilith would no longer had her gripped by her back.
You are now a woman, and I'm going to rise you from the grounds. You'll lace yourself to the left hand of the beast, and keep it steady so with one shot I can cleanly take him down.
The Spirit of Air
A dream shaped by written words, whispered down for years by the currents of this Montain, and it's requiem witnessed but by a few — the end of dreams. But from where I standed at the peak, I called upon the distant currents that went down, and asked them: who am I?
And Air came unto me as bird, which had thousands of letters for feathers, and in the tongue of dead men answered.
"Somebody who only a few will remember by strange deeds; as the burden on your back, is a past tainted by impossible dreams. You were a lunatic giving new names to folk, and folk never bothered to remember —so your name must be freak, as you died in a forgotten shack some short time ago."
And as Air said these things upon me, I called Misery —as I had dubbed Fire — and told him to get inside my shot. The burden as Air had said, became lesser as i took the shot from my quiver. And I said upon Misery; that he was to set ablaze this arrow, as I was taking down the bird of Britain, and that I would do so, so God would give the deeds of Earth some better names.
The Lord is making a bridge between the empire of strength, and the last empire of men. Now by God's grace, I'm making the tongue of free men, the tongue of Spain. You will be eventually bound to my bidding, and if not me, it will be to the one I'm preceding; for I'm giving you twenty years to attone your wrongdoing. Alas, now because of your wretchedness, my shot on earthly men won't be clean, for his left leg won't stay steady.
Your old name was apathy, now I'm calling you Cisma, which in the tongue of dead men means schism. So now by the will of God lay unto the ground and say the words you've been teached. And as the arrow blazed forward, it's bending motion pierced the veil hiding the secret ladder of men. The bird of Britain catched on Fire, and it's hollering resounded throught the ladders of the mountain until the depths of the abyss. A column of air turned into fire, then violenty erupted from the vowels of the bird, and the wild fire spread as a storm from west to east all throughout the five kingdoms of men away from its own fiery wings, with a gift of misery and a few words to say.
"The name of your woman or the name of your man, will no longer explain their purpose to a man, a woman, or God. Charred words written by thunder will now be the new ladder of men — but until then, darkness upon thee."
The House of Water
I head into the coasts, and the beautiful beaches in-between, to find the stranger who burns images in the skin of men. He is the stranger, and has adopted the body of a monster, and he is one who cannot be understood, so he went on to only go out home in stunts, for the burdens in his heart have become too great to bear. Through terrible pains he has given all he once was for an identity, and as I pick up on his past, i found familiarity in the feelings of his heart. Oh dear friend how we found looking in sadness to ourselves, after doing same but with different means, carrying into our shoulders the loneliness of this world. As you have in-skin the garments of the strange doctrine that I preach — I shall congrate you, for you truly have fought the world entire, for my doctrine is the words of those who shall defeat the world entire.
I may not have your strangeness in-body, but I have it in these words, and in the true feelings of my heart. And I say in admiration that there's no higher form of art, philosophy or religion: than those who perform the highest thing they can give a name about.
Now even within solitude, and at odds with what old dead men call God, I see you and I found strength in you, as I can see you are within me, and in that, you are within everything as it should be - as is meant in everyone who does something that touches the heart of another man. I call this the kingdom of God. Yet blind men and women will wonder how can the kingdom of God possibly be within two outcasts such as you and me.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Upong giving my regards and waiting for response, I found my way into a bench. It was a warm afternoon, and the wind carried the water of the sea. The bird of Britain came about down from the wind of north, and layed on the bench were I was sitting.
The bird asked: why hast thou become this?
And I said back to bird, scorched he was and nearing death, that it was me someone who was supposed to give names, yet for years I couldn't figure out one for myself. Then on went to being given a name, Alas all the wrong ones. Did Adan gave himself a name? - I asked the bird back. And there was no response from bird. Then I continued.
A man has the essence of his soul retained by what he is seen doing. Yet I did things nobody saw, so my soul wasn't with God but with something just as ancient, and nonetheless unknown by men in its true nature — then Satan as the better known devil, came about and pushed me into a hole. It was my own doing. Yet the things I did, I thought were seen. But nonetheless what I did was without contemplation on a posible return. Just as somebody who prints an image on their own skin. It's permanent. This is the essence of a memory in the soul of the man who's seen by others. But in the familiarity of a man who picked every irreversible decision like the Alien, I find myself feeling sympathy, for the man is still not what he has been seen doing, he shall redeem himself by what he decides to turn himself into.
Is this a way of saying that you want to get yourself a tattoo? Get a new look? - the bird mockingly asked.
And I gave the scorched bird no answer.
Then the bird said unto me: what about your career as a prophet, uh? And the things you said about returning with substance? Do you actually think this is substance?
And i considered what the Bird said, then I negated with a movement of my own head. It is not i answered, but i find the memories of me not making sense unbearable. For those mean the memories of a fool, un pendejo, an insane person, or both. And I will always try to amend what I don't do well. But now I wish for only one thing, and it is to be remembered as someone who makes sense, and who out of that sense, made good upon the world. I don't expect anything in return for what I do now, as it is merely an outlet to keep me sane while I finish editing my work. It's clear I'm too incompetent to be a competent influencer. As for once, I don't care about influencing anyone into what I think; but to perform what I think it's important.
Then every proverbial student is free to take classes so as they see fit, and to interpret such classes as their comprehension gives them grasp of what it's said. In such regard, this is what I offer now, while I make the journey to Madrid. And the bird tilted it's head so as to observe me with his left eye, then after a long impasse, it made a loud and painful caw, and finally flew away. Soon after the bird flew, I looked upon the stars in the nascent night, and confessed to them, that it was the memories of who we were, what often stumps us into wrong beliefs of who we should be, maybe even wasting an entire lifetime retained by that which other people remembered us as being. But we are not the owners of our own names, the place we go, and our destiny. That's the biggest lie the western world of hollywood heros tell you, as in truth is collective agreement what determines what we look like doing and thus the meaning we should comfort to, recalling that names are practical mechanisms to remember the purpose of things, their meaning, and how their motion is described in the world.
But making the task of beating that collective belief, akin to the Nietzschean ideal of the camel turning into the lion, so as to transform it's spirit and become something else. But if it's the golden dragon of all the huamn values which judges you insane, will you be prepared to wrestle with the entire culture so as to have your way?
As I layed my eyes upon each star counting up to the number seventeen, I confessed of being scared of those beliefs, as revisiting the past, became a painful deed — and as I prepared to leave, I uttered one wish on the seventeenth point in the sky.
Lord please grant me strength, the way you have given my friend strenght.
2.
The night deepen, while the sea tide sang its own song of breathing. Some time passed, and then on the stranger showed himself approaching at the distance. I waved my hand at him, and after the instant, he found his way into my bench while I welcomed him with an extended fist which he casually bumped - after the short acknowledgement the dark alien looked at my face in between it's cover of dark, and looking at it undiscernable in its true features, with suspicion asked.
— What is it that you want?
I acknowledged him as a friend, then mentioned my brief research, as I had come to know him as man looking for a job, yet nobody would hire for things mundane due to his appearance. I listened closely to the news, and came to understand that this was a man looking for a second chance.Then I saw the intent behind his doing, and two words came to stick to my own thoughts. The first one was <> and the second one was <>. I was admired.
In analytical psychology I figured this man was the ESFP —the personality archetype related to the performer and the entertainer—, possessed in an abnormal way by the spirit by which a person submits to it's contrary nature, seeking to integrate and find fulfillment through the chase of what's perceived absent. If he was the ESFP then doing the flip by following the radial axis of each Jungian function in the stack towards their opposite resulted in the INTJ. The mastermind. The architect. The genius yet awfully complex individual. That was the elusive spirit he was chasing.
But a spirit and a character that at its most pronounced embodiment in a person, would experience life as an eternal foreigner hiding from the light of other men. Such made sense to me, for I myself was the INTJ, and had at spirit the ESFP. Him. So where as this man chased the spiritual fulfillment of being a complex and deep individual, I chased the fulfillment of becoming simpler, so I could demonstrate with action the deepest desires of my heart. One who was born plentiful in means to be liked, becomes complex, mysterious and uncomprehended, meeting one who will be seen trying to make sense becoming simpler. For Carl Jung portrayed the anima and animus of individuals, as the sense of what its absent, yet deeply cherished an valued. So I said these things to the alien, while he silently listened to me.
— All of that sounds like bullshit to me. -Said the alien after some contemplation .— Sorry but the things you say, don't mean anything to me.
And alas for I expected such response, as if one thing was true about this journey, was that explaining the journey in and of itself would become it's grimmest task. I affirmated what he just said with a slight nod of head.
— These things I say and how they relate to each other, in its excercise are similar to doing stecheometric balance with equations in the head, but simpler I'm afraid. - Then I paused, looked back into the sea, and continued. — That's high school chemistry, but I don't expect everybody to pick up on it, nor like it, nor understand it.
— Now i have called you a friend, and where I came from we dub with this title the people we share destiny with. As far as I'm concerned, we are chasing the same thing, which is the hardest posible thing. We both innately understand that we are not home, as we want our spirit to return to us, and that's not what a lot of people ever honestly try to attempt in a lifetime; as such is anyone's call to feel complete.
— And very few people ever reach true individuality, beyond the name they are imposed at birth.
Then I looked into the black alien, and in-between his foreign facial features, I interpreted something familiar. Disturbance. And I continued.
— We have given ourselves hell as we lived chasing something hard, so we can avoid the same hell later on when we are finally back to our own house. This is a christian precept, altought a rundimentary one. Does that makes sense to you?
And after listening such, the black alien calmly looked at the veil in my face in silence. Trying to discern what my face actually looked like, but the night was dark. Then turned his stare back to the reflection of the moon over the waters, giving some thought to what I just said. I opened up my backpack, and drawed two cans of beer from it. Offered one to him, and he silently refused with a gesture of hand. I popped my can and gave it a sip, while I myself stared at the tides coming in and out of the shore.
— If you wan't a tattoo, we can work that out. But this sounds annoyingly familiar, and my interest is not religious. Are you religious?
I nodded in affirmation, and complemented saying. — But my doctrine is something nobody has heard nor seen. For its aim, is doing as Christ said, in perfect means. Yet its true that the teaching fits you, as it's the teaching of the future man; and there's nothing in common between the current man and the future man, as they may very well be different species. This is the precept of evolution.
The alien seemed surprised.
— These two men don't know each other, for the current man doesn't know where the future man comes from, for he himself doesn't know where he is going. Yet in deep realization of your own artistic concept, I think you might want new ideas to meet with your appearance. So tell me, are you curious about what truly happens to a man after he dies? Do you want to learn how to read someone's mind? Do you want to blast with words of fire the hearts of an amazed crowd?
But the black alien broke his calm contemplation of what I was saying, and slighty disturbed, aggressively rebuked after hearing such.
— But you mentioned 'Christ', so you must be christian. How can a christian even say anything interesting in this current time? Last time I asked, their sayings were dreaded by restriction - so why would anyone condemn themselves to a life of bore? Are you a christian?
And I nodded after the question, in silence. Admittedly, for I knew what the problem was with being what I was, and my new companion was bang on identifying it. Made a pause, then raised my sight to where it met with the sky and the stars in it, and I said back to him.
— I am, but not one of a type you have ever seen, for the Christ that comes, is a Christ of art.
2.
The riptide sang, in its secret dialect of earth and sea. I looked upon the coast, turned an eye blind, and saw the ocean as the scorpio, and the land as the taurus; as it was the struggle between two lovers, never meant to consume each other. Ideal love then - yet not to confuse with this partnership as it was whimsilcally tied by the means in which i arranged my current conversation; for my lady somewhere waited for me. Then i allowed my eyes to rest still.
The alien looked upon me, undiscernable in my intentions, and again figured for himself that my interest towards him wasn’t clear. In suspicion, and after the moment he collected his thoughts asked “In your weird words you dubbed me performer, so what is it exactly that you wan’t from me. To me it seems like you are gathering people for some form of religious clown show. When you forced this meeting upon me, was this a proposal you thought i would find amusement in?”. And after the statement my own stare wandered in my conversation partner. While as he had his say, i returned to my can of beer, and finished it with a long gulp. Tempered in an unwillingness to fall to my new found friend irritation, i said within my own thoughts: “The alien looks easy going, but he is barbed in wit”.
Then i opened the can of beer that the stranger rejected; the loud pop resounded in the relative silence, interrupting for a moment the steady chorus of the sea. Gave it a long sip, and said.
– Theres no proposal in place yet. But im certain of something, and that is that both of us are messed individuals which reached the bottom doing the same thing - but the way my understandment of the human soul goes: two people can act by mere interaction as reactives to each other, creating a new chemical compound after the fact.
– This new psychology is very much like chemistry. But it is not my intention to draw you into something, but to pull myself out of this «something» by doing right on another person and maybe that person reflecting the good back on me. I just need a conversation partner, thats all. And i will do this with you, and with many people more. Presidents included.
The alien reflected on it, and after the hiatus of a long standing position of suspicion he finally gave in, and eased up with a slight smile. A strange smile of relief. But the smile, was all too familiar for me, as i realized the man was a tortured individual: a person in long standing pain. I smiled back the way he did, and continued.
– Our pain has a common name, and is a name that can be written with words unfortunately. It’s the devilish mother of all spiritual ills and its foundation, rests at the concept of a past that wasnt solved. It’s called «inadequeacy», and for people like you and me, understanding one day that such inadecuacy had to be solved by our own means, lead us into an act where our name changed as the changes in our cover up act to solve our inadequacy did.
– We never honored the past or the present in our pursuit, as we desired in passion to find solution to the present, by matching it into the idealization of some future without ever realizing that the old or present essence of ones being would be crushed into non existance by said future.
– Then we found the realization of that new name, only to understand that its demands became a tyranny on the other faces of our soul: as our soul is not something that can be undestood in unity, but something that conceives in the beginning in multiple things which try to give shape to one thing. Theres many people in a village, and our minds, are no exception.
— But happiness is only achieved by those who have their soul entire - or those who are the same person regardless of the context and scenario. And we gave to much to somebody that wasn't us, as our spirit took possession and lead us down.
– This is this the essence by which someone goes to hell, only to do one thing over again, getting an ever lasting pain for all the things that were given up chasing that which was absent. The more someone is forced into being shaped by the thing that was concevied in lust, the more the individual misses the place they used to call home, for that is no longer within ones reach. Does this makes sense to you?
The alien left me with no answer, and as he contemplated the sea, a tear travelled through his strange face.
– In this state of anguish, affliction rarely ever feels company, as the very individual condition that was pursued, became a full suit and persona to be forced upon and wear. Hell, is one lonely place man because we only learn to speak a language, that only makes sense to ourselves. But i think we can find a way out of it. This is why I'm here.
“Look, what you’ve done, it’s not something i can see the way you can see my own doing on me.” The alien replied. “Besides the way in which i canno’t see your face in this night, you seem ordinary — but what you talk and the way you say it, evokes in every word regret. What is it that you’ve done that has you regret like this?”
As the alien finished speaking, I emptied the can of beer, layed my eyes on the irregular grooves that my feet had left on the sand, and then replied back to him, after making a recap of the story i had repeatedly told myself after falling down.
“My story, is the fairy tale of a guy who makes way for the new coming of a new man; a better man for the world, while he casts disarray upon the earth: much to his dismay, at the expense of his own soul as the people who become victims of disasters, were ones who this man deemed unfair; cruel, evil, despicable in past. That was at the beginning."
"Theres a pile of corpses behind that character — even in covid time, people as close as the local priest of the small town he lived in, would break their neck after falling in the shower, as he had the slightest suspicion of their secret deeds. All clean deads for that matter. Untraceable to nothing but sheer randomness. Magic as it seeems. But were this folk truly evil people or even guilty of anything? You may ask - the man never knew it for sure, as he never had faculties such as godly omniscience to actually know it; which has taken a toll on him, as the burden of justice is an unberable one for anything but a god."
"Which leads to another point: spontaneously picturing random numbers in the head, associating them with psychological compounds by angular momentum, and actually being bang on the suspicion. Truth friend, in its stochastic presentation: it's unberable.”
“Consequential of such attempts to rationalize his own story in the eyes of people such as close family, my dude became clinically diagnosed with referenced thinking. Which are fancy words for schizophrenia. Nobody believed the story as it was uttered."
"Yet the consequences are there for everyone to see, altought not visible in their cause and effect by anybody but this guy, which lead him first into regret over ever starting his quest as a reformer; and then repent.”
“Now before he realized of this lets call it «curse», he preached for years over the internet as the disasters started to slowly creep up. He preached in a fashion parallel to Niestzches Zarathustra; Zarathustra meaning a famous philosophical device artificied by the philosopher Niestzche, who’s aim was to portray the best posible man, as something he dubbed the <<Übermensch>> ”.
“Such concept being the seemingly more elegant brand of a humanist ideal for a not so distant future: today - albeit a wrong one, for this guy was not dyonisian himself. The backbone of his framework, is analytical psycholgy becoming a chariot for a true understandment of human nature: and ultimately a facilitator for love within light: not within ignorance; not within darkness. Most philosophers today though would mock anything analytical in it's aim."
"Then on the guy preached and dwelved further into the relative hole of his own doctrine: and became imprisoned by what he didn’t got right at first attempt, making him in the process the character that Nietzsche from the comfort of his own writers seat, never attempted to actually embody within realistic means: eventually figuring out within himself the ultimate Nietzschean aristocrat: a magic pen granted by being capetian by mother: from judah by father."
"But Alas, you have no idea how common suicide is within philosophers after they finish their best work. As language, becomes the ultimate barrier for understandment, and then to ones capacity to feel love. Difference — true saliency in ones individual destiny— leads to the gravest posible pain. Ironic isn’t it?”
“Besides technical work with a new form of psychology inspired by analytical chemistry, as that drawed from his efforts during the light of day, five years ago, once he felt the urge to try to reach out to the world from a position of what he deemed was greater understandment: he primitively preached during night his new set of ideas for people to behave beyond the limitations of manipulative psychology, albeit a harsh doctrine meant to clear the way for a better product: Christ himself."
"This is not a doctrine a human being can actually perform, as such its christianity at its highest capacity to bear fruit. It’s an impossible doctrine, yet solves the oldest problem posed in the bible. All which sounds very sci-fi bullshit-y but actual problems started for the protagonist in this tale, when the preaching matched with terrible consequences. Not figurative, but within tangible reality.”
“So just as we talk, theres a small legion of hackers pretending to be doing internet social experiments while talking in an artsy matter: much in my own style, entertaining the exact same concepts - a legion of dangerous monkeys, i have no control over."
"One of the many unexpected consequences being this, yet prompted by something evil; ancient: essentially replicating what my protagonist developed and then preached over the years, while these "hacktivists" lay their attention on things and people, as they select them and enforce upon them strict surveillance, to behave properly. Then to destroy them, as they did in 2020 with many corporations and institutions.A bizarre combination of theater actors to my own liking, and then cyber-security demigods: omniscient in their claims to surveill, and they are - derivative such of another device of what I've done; which is to build a theater so people can make-believe that they are infact performing within themselves something greater - but that's matter for another story."
“Most of the corpses piling up flat out dead, have no relation to him whatsoever; they became victims as my protagonist took measures to fight back the monster he found at the foundation of the known world. This is not an elaborate analogy for one's own unseen capacity for evil, as i mean this: a monster as literally as it can be. For these things friend, im doomed as in true strenght, i have nothing but the pen i use to write down what i think albeit always at danger of it’s eventual inversion. I have no real friends left. Not one who can understand, or help bear the pain: as friendship and love are all gated by understandment."
"The full story has many more vertients, but i think i’ve done it enough justice. This is the predicament of an insane man chased by his own shadow as he builds a better man: one who delivers heavenly things, and then a shadow stringed to deliver tyranny as the very strings behind him make the better man stumble while he tries to keep a grasp of his own spirit, and then of his own soul."
"That monster behind, is wicked smart — and cannot be outwitted nor overpowered but anything but divine smite."
“I’m heading now to a new country, to try to get friends from the only institution in the world who knows and adresses the current times being, and who by extension, might believe me. And to clarify, these being the end of times; but not the end of the world. Yet now i myself have a damocles sword pending over my own head, and i need to do something about it before it falls.”
And as i said these things, i reached out to my backpack drawing a third can of beer from it — besides my own super laptop, thats what my backpack had: an infinite supply of beer. Corona, Indio, Victoria, Dos Equis, Heineken; you name it. I popped the can, and gave it a long and definite sip as i emptied it complete.
The alien didn't try to show that he understood, but stood still in silence, with his sight in the sand below and pressing lips, knowing by my demeanor; that these things as I've said them was something that I needed to do. Then he said: "I don't follow man. You say you preach and then disasters occur. Like a prophet from the bible?"
"Yes. Then I preached to get rid of the things that are actually making the world worse, and something awoke soon after, and since then; everything I do is subject to being misinterpreted due to the diffamatory action of this thing. Now everytime I do something, it can be twisted and turned against my original intent. Right now the hackers are my worst problem: I may have a degree in computers but I have no fucking idea whatsoever of hacking. I earn my living as an A.I engineer.".
The alien raised his sight to meet with mine, and after doing some contemplation on the fact, quite simply said: "You are insane". Then lowered his own sight, and raised it again to meet with the sea and continued. "If you want a tattoo, we can work that out. But either way and whatever parts of your story are true and even worse; the ones you may be lying about: you sound dangerous in a delusional kind of sense, and my life is hard enough as is."
I pressed my fists, knowing then the old same thing had happened again. For I had never forced anything upon anybody, and I was willing to respect that until the bitter end. Then I released the build up of frustration with a loud sigh, and after this amend, I replied back.
"I understand and respect it. But let me just propose you that if you ever want to figure what is beyond life as it's lived by person who has never seen what is like to be someone you write a great story about; you can pin me, and I'll show you what's beyond that door. Give it some thought."
The alien; The Black Alien Project stayed there sitting, spechless but calm, almost expecting something else to be convinced about. But pointless, for i knew that nobody can be forced into anything without bringing a transgression into play – and i wasn’t one to taint myself in sin if it could be avoided. Not anymore.
3.
I made the distance at steady pace walking along the shore, until i found a small group of pines in-between the liminal space of the beach and the land. I sat with one of the pines trunk behind my back, and drawed the Schizo Pills from my eternal supply of traveller goodies.
Quetiapine 100 mg, and Olanzapine 10 mg, i made a smaller fragment from the olanzapine pill, and swallowed both complete. As their side effects were concerned, they would soon knock me out of conscience, as this little ritual was my own way of calling the day complete – then i layed there, vigilant, waiting for my own drowsiness to claim me into sleep - but the Bird of Britan came flying from above, and stood besides me.
\Chirp, Chirp, Chirp**
I watched the bird, annoyed, as its presence had become an omen for contempt. For me and the death people of my past. I frowned upon the little shit, and said nothing. The bird made a little nod, while tilting its head in excentricity the way birds do, and replied. — Hey Andrew!, do you remember when you tried to penetrate your own computer to make a universe grow inside of it? I just wan’t to know something: did your computer moan? Did it finally learnt how to scream your name?
\Chirp Chirp**
Ignoring the bird, i closed my eyes and stayed like that for a long moment, hoping to make the bird think i was asleep. Maybe that would make him leave.
— Can’t bullshit me like that Sweetheart. So please tell me something; why don’t you command one of your supermodels; these muses, to come here and warm the bed for you. It's a cold night and you seem lonely brah
. \Chirp Chirp**
I opened my eyes, and irritated, pointed menacingly at the bird turning my left hand into an imaginary gun. I had already failed at something today, and wasn’t convinced i needed the memory of the things i failed at before. Not now.

• Hol’ up cowboy ! you wan’t to bang my bird ass when you should be banging a bitch ass. What happened with Tyrone huckleberry? Did you managed to make him as impotent as you are right now? —I held steady my hand; and tired, the tempation to pull again the trigger on the bird was growing larger. I saw red roses in my own sight, making a terrible omen for a migraine forthcoming. Said nothing.

— The glowniggers are out there brah. You may not be a hacker – and its true, but i took notice of your last words: so now the glowies are going to instead dreambooth* people into every posible kind of scenario of extorsion, while they surveil like a motherfucker. Like you dream boothed yourself for your little ahem "art project". Then we will use Suno*, then Sora* when it open sources. Are you going to protect your hoes?
Said nothing.

• Alright cowboy, i will give meaning to that revelations verse. What was it? Ah yes. Revelations 9:6. Every single person with an internet history will be as paranoid as you were in 2020. Everyone will be diffamated into acts of political terrorism! Aren’t you am-

And as i pulled the imaginary trigger from the imaginary pistol, an imaginary arrow in the sky descended with a blaze of not so imaginary flames on the Bird of Britain, engulfing the little shit in heat, and making it’s body explode into a gore of scorched viscera. As if the bird was in a microwave oven. I inmediately gasped as the explosion was too close from where i was sitting - after the conmotion, stared at the red and burned stain in the floor, and left my sight rest there, as sleep finally found its way into my restless thoughts.
"No longer care for love unless it's between good friends”. Said to myself. There was certainly a migraine coming, but maybe my dreams would help convince it otherwise. And as far as the hoes were concerned, Furious Angels would be there for them. Like the Rob Dougan song.
4.
Found my own mind after the slumber – asleep, then awake. I realized several hours passed - at least enough to wake up and witness the sun rise above the sea. But as for dreams, the light veil of their memories wasn't something to rely upon. But i did remember something, and it was some overtone in dread; an atmosphere of fear – and a kind of dread sustained in it’s inevitability by the urgency that builds upon dearth.
Now what exactly was it though? I couldn’t remember from my dreams, but ever since i falled to my own death i had always present in mind the future succesion of events that would follow when things started to go very wrong. Iran, the U.S, Israel - now whatever was it in the news; the outcome would be the same. A thousand more cuts to an already languishing economy. Make that corpse bleed, and then fall off a cliff.
As such things would be cooked, just as the bird of britain. The bird was still there though: just in pieces and roasted like the contents of a dropped KFC bucket would. But the little shit would return - as it always did. The economy? Not so much.
Yet i digress. None of the world circumstances mattered as far i was concerned – i had built a small and portable solar system to power my laptop, and my beer supply was well, infinite - i made myself sure that i had my needs covered whatever happened around me. Not tied to even a house for that matter. I incorporated myself and gave my back a stretch. The morning breeze coming from the sea evocated in my memories some time that had long passed – late childhood. I rejected those memories as they beared with them things i didnt wan’t to remember - then wen’t on as usual in my morning routine scrolling through my instagram feed, figuring if there were any new hoes to maybe motivate me into doing my God imposed labour.
Labour which was to either write, or to finish the House of Water — then after scrolling i did in fact saw a new hoe; i dropped a Faux Pas comment. Maybe she would play along, maybe not. Whatever. Sometimes I would put in a lot of effort to do a rhyme. But the effort depended on the insta-hoe in question. I know. Not the best of habits, but back in elementary school i was the kind of kid that would only get motivation when the girls in the classroom were present in physEd. And then i would run faster: whole lotta faster. Run Forrest! Run! Women love used to fuel me; and the habit sticked — and at the moment, i was kinda done with the idea of female trascendence. Would rely on their love, but not on their validation. Not like a simp. Fuck that.
Furthermore, what results did i demonstrably mustered after pursuing true egalitarianism and sharing it? Exactly. A bitch gonna do what a bitch gonna do, and so does the human female. After publishing the comment, I locked my phone and walked towards the highway, as i was planning to pay a visit to somebody long forgotten - I had kind of a schedule that i was going to follow, before taking the plane to Madrid and become hispanic Jon Snow from the walgreens Nightwatch.

https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Backlash%2c+parental+alienation+syndrome+and+co-construction.-a0179570828
Work on the issue of sexual abuse in children and adolescents lays bare the power relations between genders, generations and social classes. The issue of gender is seen in statistics from UN agencies that report that "one in four girls and one in nine boys will be sexually abused before they reach the age of 18."(1) Generational power relations are clear because the perpetrators are adults, and the power relations of class are evident in the backlash generated by powerful sectors that have attempted to prop up the myth that child abuse is only a problem among the poor and working classes.
Webster's Dictionary defines "backlash" as "a strong adverse reaction to a political or social movement." More plainly, backlash is a negative reaction to a positive and constructive step forward. Professor of law John Myers identifies the positive step as the progress made in the past two decades with regard to child abuse and the backlash as the escalation of criticism against professionals involved in child protection.(2)
David Finkelhor was responsible for pioneering work on the sexual abuse of children in the United States. In his 1979 book, Sexually Victimized Children, Finkelhor recognizes the important contributions of the women's movement and professionals involved in child protection lobbying in drawing attention to the realities of sexual violence against minors: "If the sexual abuse of children has risen to prominence as a social problem rather quickly, it is because it has been championed by an alliance of two constituencies by now rather experienced in the promotion of social problems."(3)
In the United States, a backlash began in the 1980s under the Reagan Administration's return to stale and reactionary values following the struggles of the women's movement and the children's rights movement the 1960s and 70s.
What was once secret was now openly debated, and controversy wracked the most idealized institutions, including church, family and school. Socially consecrated myths of long-standing were crumbling: "The home is the seat of love, support and safety for children"; "Good families don't talk about sexuality"; "Churches reflect the highest moral standard with regard to sexuality"; "Children are safe in school."
By drawing attention to the realities of child sexual abuse, a solid blow was dealt to the "powers that be"; hypocrisy was uncovered; and unquestioned assumptions were challenged. This frontal attack was met with denial by means of a range of strategies developed by the fundamentalisms of faith and the market.
One of these backlash strategists was prominent forensics expert Richard Gardner, who coined the term "parental alienation syndrome" in 1985 to describe a supposed psychological disorder that he had observed in lengthy and bitter custody battles. His original paper on the subject uses the following description:

"The term I prefer to use is parental alienation syndrome. I have introduced this term to refer to a disturbance in which children are obsessed with deprecation and criticism of a parent—denigration that is unjustified and/or exaggerated. The notion that such children are merely 'brainwashed' is narrow."(4)

However, supposedly citing his original work several years later, Gardner re-describes this phenomena somewhat differently.

"[t]he parental alienation syndrome (PAS) is a childhood disorder that arises almost exclusively in the context of child-custody disputes. Its primary manifestation is the child's campaign of denigration against a parent, a campaign that has no justification. It results from the combination of a programming (brainwashing) parent's indoctrinations and the child's own contributions to the vilification of the target parent. When true parental abuse and/or neglect is present, the child's animosity may be justified, and so the parental alienation syndrome explanation for the child's hostility is not applicable."(5)

The two different definitions demonstrate the changes in this argument over time with the goal of developing a different strategy for discrediting the hard research work and harder-won social gains of the women's movement and the professionals lobbying for child protection.
Maria Jose Blanco Barea has studied the many works that Gardner published up to his death by suicide in 2003, and she suggests that "perhaps the psychological causes that led to his suicide should be taken into consideration." With regard to Gardner's professional career, Blanco Barea recounts that "Gardner dedicated the first part of his professional life to working as a forensics expert in cases of sexual abuse brought by children against their parents, students against professors, members of the faithful against representatives of organized religions and within military families. Gardner often stressed that he was a former captain [in the U.S. Army Medical Corps] and as a psychologist treated members of the armed forces who had served in Korea. He specialized in techniques to 'deprogram' U.S. soldiers who had been prisoners of war. His methodologies and expert testimony were used to question the credibility of sexual abuse victims, to prove that the accused were innocent and that the accusers were guilty of perjury. Gardner testified in cases of sexual abuse in the context of hearings to determine custody, visitation and guardianship, and he himself explains that he developed his research over the course of his career. In other words, he directly applied the scientific method of trial and error in real-life court cases that were settled while he was still carrying out his research. When he decided to publish his theories in 1985, Garner failed to provide the scientific community with the necessary data to scientifically analyze his conclusions."(6)
Richard Gardner's books were published by Creative Therapeutics, which he himself owned. Some of his articles were published in Issues in Child Abuse Accusations, a publication of the Institute for Psychological Therapies, which is directed by Dr. Ralph Underwager who is well known for an interview in the Dutch journal Paidika […](7)
In the 1970s and 80s and prior to his publication of the parental alienation syndrome, Gardner developed the "Sex-Abuse Legitimacy Scale" (SAL Scale), which he used in his own courtroom testimony. Nonetheless, Gardner's ideological stance clearly shows that he did not view child sexual abuse as a problem, except when it is denounced.

"It is of interest that of all the ancient peoples it may very well be that the Jews were the only ones who were punitive toward [adults who had sex with children]. Early Christian proscriptions against [adult-child sex] appear to have been derived from the earlier teachings of the Jews, and our present overreaction to [adult-child sex] represents an exaggeration of Judeo-Christian principles and is a significant factor operative in Western society's atypicality with regard to such activities."(8)
"The child might be helped to appreciate the wisdom of Shakespeare's Hamlet, who said, 'Nothing's either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.'"(9)
"And her [the mother's] increased sexuality may lessen the need for her husband to return to their daughter for sexual gratification."(10)
"… except for a certain amount of sexual frustration that was not gratified, the four-year-old had not been significantly traumatized by these encounters."(11)

Elsewhere Gardner had the following to say about child sexual abuse: "The sexually abused child is generally considered to be the victim, though the child may initiate sexual encounters by 'seducing' the adult."(12) Gardner even proposes that [child sexual abuse] serves procreative purposes; he maintains that although the child cannot become pregnant, a child who is drawn into sexual encounters at an early age is likely to become highly sexualized and thus will crave sexual experiences during the prepubertal years. Such a "charged up child" is more likely to transmit his or her genes through his or her progeny at an early age. Gardner states: "The younger the survival machine at the time sexual urges appear, the longer will be the span of procreative capacity, and the greater the likelihood the individual will create more survival machines in the next generation."(13) He also recommended that the incestuous father "has to be helped to appreciate that, even today, it [adult-child sex] is a widespread and accepted practice among literally billions of people. He has to appreciate that in our Western society especially we take a very punitive and moralistic attitude toward such inclinations.… He has also had back [sic] luck with regard to the place and time he was born with regard to social attitudes toward [adult-child esx]."(14)
The two definitions of parental alienation syndrome are interesting because the first reveals that the intention of the original strategy was to minimize the devastating effects that child abuse has in the victims. However, the 2002 definition added: "When true parental abuse and/or neglect is present, the child's animosity may be justified, and so the parental alienation syndrome explanation for the child's hostility is not applicable."(15) But curiously, the indicators of parental alienation syndrome also coincide with the indicators of sexual abuse that have been established by international studies on this problem.
At the time of the revised definition, the international study of child abuse and the movement to prevent the victimization of children was much further advanced. Some examples are the five European seminars "Secrets that Destroy" held in 1998 by the Save the Children Alliance; the 1999 "Vision and Reality" reports that address women's and children's rights; and a series of later publications by experts in the matter.
Although the SAL scale has been widely disregarded as a tool for diagnosing sexual abuse, Gardner's real thoughts are evident in the above citations from his works. Both the SAL scale and parental alienation syndrome represent a scandalous violation of the human rights of women, adolescents and children.
In numerous publications, Gardner uses supposedly scientific but paradoxical arguments to rationalize his denial of violence against women, defined in the Belem do Para Convention as "a manifestation of the historically unequal power relations between women and men."(16) Making use of children, he creates a new and sophisticated form of violence against women that involves complicity of the justice system.
Gardner proposed a series of symptoms that reveal three types of parental alienation syndrome (severe, moderate and mild) and specific treatment for each type. The treatment that he proposes for parental alienation syndrome involves both legal and health-care professionals, who Gardner says should have the power to administer the appropriate treatment based on the coercion, threat, change in living arrangements and, as a last resort, the internment and "deprogramming" of the child. As Blanco Barea observes, "Parental alienation syndrome makes a fraud of the law. It makes use of the declarations against discriminations against women and of the rights of the child to protect the parent and escape the application of the Conference of Vienna that protects against torture and degrading treatment, especially in the case of women and girls, and to escape the application of the Convention on the Rights of the Child."(17)
As law professor John Myers explains, "Gardner is an outspoken critic of certain aspects of the child protection system. Apparently, Gardner believes America is in the throes of mass hysteria over child sexual abuse. He writes that 'sex-abuse hysteria is omnipresent' (True and False Accusations of Child Sex Abuse, 1992, p. xxv). In his 1991 book titled Sex Abuse Hysteria: Salem Witch Trials Revisited, Gardner is harshly critical of an unspecified portion of the mental health professionals, investigators, and prosecutors trying to protect children. For example, Gardner accuses some prosecutors of gratifying their own sexual urges and sadistic tendencies through involvement in sexual abuse cases. […] It seems clear that Richard Gardner cannot claim to be balanced or objective when it comes to allegations of child sexual abuse."(18)
Although Gardner and his theories can be questioned for their misogynist and perverse ideology, in Argentina former family court judge Eduardo Cardenas published "El abuso de las denuncias de abuso" (The Abuse of Claims of Abuse) in La Ley, on September 15, 2000. Cardenas's article supported Gardner's theories and sparked backlash in our country, which has provoked widespread reaction among well-known professionals.
Perhaps the best summary of what occurred in Argentina after 2000 is found in the book Maltrato infantil: Riesgos del compromiso profesional (Child Abuse: The Risks of Professional Commitment), a collection of essays by known specialists on the issue, edited by Silvio Lamberti. As the introduction to this book describes:

"As long as the problem was associated with the lower classes, more and more cases were reported. When it began to be suspected that family violence affected all social classes and the middle and upper classes were scrutinized, a reactionary movement used the guise of good intentions to put limits on professionals that supposedly 'abused the reports of child sexual abuse.'
"This was the reaction of:

1. Fathers who were engaged in custody battles or other legal disputes regarding visitation rights.
2. Lawyers who preached equanimity and warned against the feminist bias that they claimed had affected the reports.
3. Experts who tried to pass off the backlash literature from the U.S. as scientific evidence to support their own conclusions.

"This brutal attack tends to carry into an ideological realm a debate that crosses legal and psychosocial discourses, ethics and society as a whole and tries to undo the advances already gained, discouraging those who have worked to achieve these gains. In short, they intend to:

1. Discredit reports of child abuse.
2. Turn anyone who denounces abuse into a suspect.
3. Blur the boundaries between victim and victimizer.
4. Confuse the matter by citing the rare cases of violence against boys or adult men committed by women.
5. Discredit the specialized treatment services even though the law recognizes the value of their diagnosis.
6. Ignore constitutional norms from the Convention on Rights of the Child.

"Thus, the meaning of abusive conduct is inverted, with abuse being attributed to the person who reports the abuse and requests the fulfillment of the law.
"This reactionary backlash supports the persistence of family violence and condemns all girls and/or victims of the perpetuation of incest and abuse while attempting to stymie the legal system and the work of other professionals who until now have born the heavy burden of this process."(19)

This scientific alert went out over three years ago; nonetheless, today there are increasing obstacles to working on this issue. The notion of false reports of abuse is now firmly rooted in the courts. Sexual abuse trials are tremendous ordeals that seriously damage the children and the adults who report the crime and place a heavy burden on the professionals who take the children's part and who often face accusations of malpractice, libel or slander.
The discrediting of psychological experts is of serious concern. What started with Gardner has continued with followers who have discredited indicators, treatments, techniques and prevention campaigns. Brandishing the concept of co-construction on the part of the family members of the victims or the professionals, the testimony of the children is discredited, accused of being childhood fantasy and tale-telling.
The efforts of Gardner and his followers have been echoed by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, an institution that claims to represent the social sexual moral but which has promoted a policy of smoke-screening sexual abuse.
The Red Latinoamericana de Catolicas por el Derecho a Decidir (Latin American Network of Catholics for the Right to Decide) has undertaken a study on the secret system of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.(20) The ecclesiastical hierarchy always has been aware of these crimes and has implemented a policy of covering up the abuses committed by priests. This policy is summarized in the following ten points adapted from the studies carried out by the Spanish journalist Pepe Rodriguez(21) and corroborated in the studies of the Catolicas por el Derecho a Decidir:

1. Discreet investigation of the incident. The prelates of the diocese often have ecclesiastical informants, people who desire to rise in the esteem of the hierarchy through their reports. They keep the bishops abreast of the transgressions of the priests under their authority. These reports are given orally.
2. Initiation of actions to dissuade the aggressor and/or the victim(s). Once the prelate recognizes the situation of sexual abuse in which the image of the Church could be tarnished, the aggressor is rebuked. Then the bishops dedicate themselves to convincing the victims and their families, assuring them that the aggressor will be punished and that he has repented. They persuade the families to not report the crime so that no one in the Church or the family will suffer the consequences.
3. Covering up the incident and the identity of the aggressor so the case never becomes public. In this effort, acts are undertaken to confuse the matter, including transferral of the priest to another parish, bribery of the victim and their family members or the use of threats and suspension of benefits (for example, expulsion from school).
4. Measures to reinforce the cover up. When the case escapes the closed doors of the Church, the hierarch opens an internal investigation against the aggressor to defend against eventual accusations of passivity in case there is external pressure from the media or society or a civil suit. Generally, the investigation is paralyzed indefinitely. At this stage, the priest usually is transferred to another parish, another diocese or another country, depending on the situation.
5. Denial of the incident when the case becomes public, under the argument that the priest is a man of virtue heeding God's call, a holy figure who could never commit a crime of this nature. When denial is no longer possible, the matter is treated as an exception to this rule.
6. Public defense of the aggressor, stressing his good service to the Church and his personal merits. If he did do anything wrong, he is profoundly repentant and was not conscious of his acts. An appeal is made to the Christian sentiments of pardoning a repentant sinner.
7. Public discrediting of the victim(s). Rodriguez uses the metaphor of ants defending an anthill to describe the corporativist attitude of the clergy when one of its members is accused. The guilt is reversed; the victim(s) and/or their family members are blamed.
8. Paranoiac accusations of the denunciation being linked to campaigns orchestrated by "enemies of the Church." When the number of accusations is so high that discrediting the victims is not enough, the hierarchy complains that there are national or international powers or cults conspiring against the Church.
9. Possibility of negotiation with the victim. This negotiation frequently occurs before the case is made public when the intention of the Church is to buy the victim's silence to preserve the image of the institution. When there is a public scandal, the hierarchy tries to minimize the damage by trying to negotiate the withdrawal of the accusations against the aggressor.
10. Protection of the priest/aggressor. When the accused is found to be guilty, the hierarchy stands by him and in some cases even pays him homage or praises him, doing everything possible to erase the incident from the public memory.(22)

As the Church silences and covers up the abuses committed within its institutions, it resembles Gardner and his followers in that it denies the realities of domestic violence and the sexual abuse of children and adolescents and hampers investigation of these matters. Alliances with key judicial figures lead to perverse and scandalous rulings, such as the Melo Pacheco case in Mar del Plata, the Storni case Santa Fe or the stalling in the Grassi trial, to name the most notorious cases. Many others remain anonymous, which demonstrates the existence of a model that favors the impunity of the abusers, the suffering of the victims and the punishment of those who are working within the framework of human rights.
A sturdy thread connects those who deny, discredit, silence, minimize, distort and negotiate the rights of children: the perversity that has subordinated their ethics to systems of belief that are authoritarian, patriarchal and/or favor the domination of adults.
This ideological combination stacks the deck against victims who, for the most part, are children, adolescents and women. Women are the most discredited. In the cases in which priests are accused of sexual abuse, most people take their side, doubt the word of the victim(s) and even blame them or imply that the priests were victims of a conspiracy. Girl victims are not considered credible because they are presented as easily influenced, prone to fantasy or liars. If they are adolescents, their morals are questioned: it is argued that they already had had sexual relations before the abuse or are guilty of seducing their abuser.
In the case of domestic abuse, especially in cases of father-child incest, the mother is accused of maliciously attempting to distance the child from the father, inventing the abuse out of revenge or because she is hysterical or any other argument that serves to safeguard the figure of the father of the family or the Father of the parish. In both cases, the common sensibilities of the population are exploited: tolerance of male sexual behavior fed by the dominate sexual morality, which makes the argument of false reports even more credible than the martyrdom and accusations of the victims.
To compare the consequences that a child may suffer with the separation of his or her parents, even in a messy divorce, with the short- and long-term consequences of father-child abuse is a perverse strategy that denies the serious and profound attack on the victim's subjective integrity, which Jorge Barudy calls "attempted moral murder."
Parental alienation syndrome, the "malicious mother" and co-construction are non-scientific theories, and when used in the context of a trial, they violate the victim's constitutional rights as well as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, CEDAW and other agreements incorporated into our constitution in 1994.
We must remember that Richard Gardner's theories were developed in the United States through a method of trial and error that was applied directly in the courtroom in bitter divorce cases, which were ruled upon as Gardner was undertaking his research. In addition, the U.S. is one of the few countries that has neither ratified nor incorporated into its constitution the Convention on the Rights of the Child or CEDAW.
As Blanco Barea explains, in legal contexts based on human rights, those professionals who can carry out the therapy or treatment recommended by Gardner or his followers (such as "aversion therapy" plus the vicarious treatment of deprogramming and, as a precaution, the guarantee of visitation rights or the reversal of custody and/or total separation of the "alienating" parent and the "alienated" child) "are committing crimes of torture, obstruction of justice and legal fraud, and if they are related to the minors in question, they are also guilty of domestic violence."(23)
Child abuse, especially sexual abuse, is an alarming, universal problem. Increased attention and effective protection skills and prevention measures are necessary at family, local, national and international levels.
After a long tradition of silence, sexual abuse of children is being denounced more frequently and is becoming a topic for public and political discussion.
To alert governments and civil society organizations to the need to play a more active role in the promotion of and respect for the rights of the child (as put forth in article 19 and 34* of the Convention on the Rights of the Child) and to contribute to the prevention of child abuse, the Women's World Summit Foundation, WWSF, launched the World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse in 2000. The Day is commemorated every November 19 together with the anniversary of the International Day for the Rights of the Child (November 20). The objective of the World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse is to rally around the issue of child abuse and the urgent need for effective prevention programs.
To consolidate the global call for action, in 2001 WWSF launched an international NGO coalition that marks the World Day with appropriate events and activities to focus on and increase prevention education.
* For more information, visit the website of the Women's World Summit Foundation, https://www.woman.ch/children/1introduction.php.
* Art. 19 - States Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child.
* Art. 34 - States Parties undertake to protect the child from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. For these purposes, States Parties shall in particular take all appropriate national, bilateral and multilateral measures to prevent:
(a) the inducement or coercion of a child to engage in any unlawful sexual activity;
(b) the exploitative use of children in prostitution or other unlawful sexual practices;
(c) the exploitative use of children in pornographic performances and materials.
The author is a psychologist, a founder of the Casa de la Mujer in Rosario, Argentina, and a longtime defender of the rights of women and children.
Notes
(1.) Selected facts and figures from various UN documents, part of the 2006 Open Letter from the Women's World Summit Foundation on the World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse, 19 November. Available online at http://www.woman.ch/children/1-openletter.php.
(2.) Alicia Ganduglia (2003) "El backlash: un nuevo factor de riesgo," in Maltrato Infantil. Riesgos del compromiso profesional, Silvio Lamberti, ed., Buenos Aires: Editorial Universidad, p. 75.
(3.) David Finkelhor (1979) Sexually Victimized Children. New York: The Free Press, p. 2.
(4.) Richard A. Gardner (1985) "Recent Trends in Divorce and Custody Litigation." Academy Forum 29:2, Summer, pp. 3-7.
(5.) Richard A. Gardner (2002) "Does DSM-IV Have Equivalents for the Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) Diagnosis?" American Journal of Family Therapy, 31(1):1-21. See also Richard A. Gardner (2003) "The Parental Alienation Syndrome: Past, Present, and Future," in The Parental Alienation Syndrome: An Interdisciplinary Challenge for Professionals Involved in Divorce. W. von BochGallhau, U. Kodjoe, W Andritsky and P. Koeppel, eds. Berlin, Germany: VWB-Verlag fur Wissenshaft and Bildung, pp. 89-125.
(6.) Maria Jose Blanco Barea (2006) "El sindrome inquisitorial estadounidense de alineacion parental," p. 11. This document may be downloaded from http://www.revistaiuris.com/MISC/8618/borrador%20el%20sindrome%20inquisitorial%20del%20sap.doc.
(7.) The interview with Dr. Ralph Underwager was originally published in Paidika, Issue 9, 1993, and has been reproduced online at http://www.nostatusquo.com/ACLU/NudistHallofShame/Underwager2.html.
(8.) Richard A. Gardner (1992) True and False Accusations of Child Sex Abuse. Cresskill, New Jersey: Creative Therapeutics, pp. 46-7.
(9.) Ibid. p. 549.
(10.) Ibid. p. 585.
(11.) Ibid. p. 612.
(12.) Richard A. Gardner (1986) Child Custody Litigation: A Guide for Parents and Mental Health Professionals. Cresskill, New Jersey: Creative Therapeutics, p. 93
(13.) Richard A. Gardner (1992) pp. 24-25.
(14.) Ibid. p. 593.
(15.) See note 5.
(16.) From the Preamble to the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women, also known as the Convention of Belem do Para, adopted by the OAS General Assembly June 9, 1994; entry into force March 5, 1995.
(17.) Maria Jose Blanco Barea (2006) p. 219.
(18.) John E. B. Myers (n.d.) "What is 'Parental Alienation Syndrome' and Why Is It So Often Used Against Mothers?" an excerpt from a forthcoming book titled A Mother's Nightmare: A Practical Legal Guide for Parents and Professionals. Available online at http://www.gate.net/~liz/fathers/pas.htm.
(19.) Maltrato Infantil. Riesgos del compromiso professional. Silvio Lamberti, ed., Buenos Aires: Editorial Universidad, 2003. The contributing authors were Maria Ines Bringioti, Cristina Caprarulo, Julio Cesar Castro, Alicia Ganduglia, Norberto Garrote, Isabel Gens, Eva Giberti, Carmen Gonzales, Irene Intebi, Victoria Irazuzta, Silvio Lamberti, Patricia Paggi, Mirta Pirozzo, Carlos Rozanski, Diana Sanz, Juan Pablo Maria Viar, Maria Cristina Vila and Juan Carlos Volnovich.
(20.) Regina Soares Jurkewicz (2005) Develando la politica del silencio: Abuso sexual de mujeres por sacerdotes en Brasil. Brazil: Red Latinoamericana de Catolicas por el Derecho a Decidir.
(21.) Pepe Rodriguez (2002) Pederastia en la Iglesia Catolica: Delitos sexuales del clero contra menores: Un drama silenciado y encubierto por los obispos. Barcelona: Ediciones B.
(22.) Regina Soares Jurkewicz (2005) pp. 20-22.
(23.) Maria Jose Blanco Barea (2006) p. 219.

Just for fun, i thought about the logo and characters, so i decided to create some idents starring the main characters.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Tachibana

• Tachibana is looking around an area, suspecting no one sees him, and he spray paints a drawing of Etra-Chan's face against a brick wall and says "Etra Chan Saw It"

Kuroki

• Kuroki is carrying an 80's style silver boombox and a cardboard dancing mat, he lays them down gets on the mat, and starts breakdancing very badly, and when he stops in sweat, he gets up and says "Etra Chan Saw It" with Etra Chans face drawn in marker on the mat

Azami

• Azami is on the couch in her living room watching some TV, and then she starts channel-surfing until she suddenly stops, she grabs her cell phone makes a call and shouts "Etra Chan Saw it" twice to the caller, then we see Etra-Chan on the television

Yuzuriha

• Yuzuriha is preparing a warm bubble bath, and pouring champagne in a glass, she then gets in the tub, grabs the champagne from the bathtub counter, and says "Etra Chan Saw It" while we switch over to a champagne bottle with Etra-Chan's face on it

Karin

• Karin is in a karate gi, and punching a dummy until it's destroyed, when destroyed, Karin says "Etra-Chan Saw It" then we switch over to the decapitated dummy with Etra-Chan's face on the floor

Akani

• Akani is in her bikini going in a tanning booth, when she gets out, her skin is now tanned, but she notices a sticker on her arm, she takes it off to reveal the sticker tanline shaped like Etra-Chan, she then says "Etra Chan Saw It"

Tokusa

• Tokusa is in his room, playing a console video game, but he loses, then groans and says "Etra Chan Saw It" and we then see Etra-Chan's face on the TV screen

Akamatsu

• Akamatsu is cruising around his red sports car in high voltage speed, then he crashes his car into a tree and says "Etra-Chan Saw It" then makes a run for it. We switch over to a sticker of Etra-Chan's face on the roof of the car.

Katsura

• Katsura is studying on what he is inventing a robot, he goes to work into making the robot, when completed the robot reveals to be a version of "Etra-Chan" and Katsura says "Etra-Chan Saw It"

Tsutsuji

• Tsutsuji is blowing an animal balloon of Etra-Chan's face, when completed she picks it up, and then it floats up in the air, and Tsutsuji yells "Etra-Chan saw It" from the air

Yuri

• Yuri is frolicking around a field of flowers laughing, and then stops and says "Etra-Chan Saw It" while the camera zooms to reveal Etra-Chan's face made from the flowers

Hiiragi

• Hiragi is surfing the internet, and then goes to his web account, and see's pictures of him doing random and silly things, he then see's an emoticon shaped like Etra-Chan, coming from the exact account, and says "Etra-Chan Saw It" in admiration at the computer

John

• John comes downstairs in his brown suit ready for work, goes to the fridge, and grabs a sack lunch with a post it note of Etra-Chan's face drawn, and says "Etra-Chan Saw it"

Etra-Chan

• Etra-Chan puts a coin in the slot of a claw machine, then uses the machine to pick out a plushie, she grabs a tiger plushie surrounded by the dolls of the 13 etra-chan saw it cast members, she hugs the toy and says "Etra-Chan Saw It"

Tachibana/Akamatsu/Hiiragi

• The Antagonist Boys are playing some basketball, when Akamatsu misses the hoop, the ball falls into the road and explodes, Hiiragi and Tachibana glare at him, and Akamatsu says "Etra-chan saw it" while a chalk drawing of Etra-Chan's face on a road switches over

Tokusa/Katsura/Kuroki

• The Protagonist Boys are doing some skateboarding tricks, when Kuroki falls on the concrete and screams in pain, and then Tokusa and Katsura walk over and say "Etra-Chan Saw It" while a sticker of Etra-Chan on a sign switches over

Azami/Akani/Yuzuriha

• Yuzuriha, Akani, and Azami, are eating at a food court in separate tables when they all look at each other, they glared angrily, and start a food fight, when they stopped the place and the girls were all a mess, and they all said "Etra-Chan Saw It", we then switch over to a photo of "Etra-Chan" on a signage

Yuri/Tsutsuji/Karin

• Yuri, Tsutsuji, and Karin are lying on grass, gazing at the clouds. Tsutsuji then points a cloud that's shaped like Etra-Chan, and says "Etra-Chan Saw It"

Boys

• The Protagonist and Antagonist boys are playing poker, then Akamatsu does a Royal-Flush and wins angering some of the guys, he then says "Etra-Chan Saw It" after that we switch over to a card that has Etra-Chan's face

Girls

• The Protagnoist and Antagonist girls are having a sleepover, they do makeovers to each other, and some of them are good, except for Azami's who throw's a fit and then hits Yuzuriha, who was the only one laughing, with the pillow, then she hits back, and the two have a pillow-fight, while the other girls watch Yuri says "Etra-Chan Saw It" while we switch over to a pillow that has Etra-Chan's face on it.

Protagonists

• The Protagonists are walking around the park at dusk until they hear some screaming, they transform into justice league-esque superheroes and go into action, while running they stop and do a pose, then say "Etra-chan saw It" while we switch to a searchlight projecting Etra-Chan's face at the night sky

Antagonists

• The Antagonists are smoking cigarettes, then Akane suggests they smoke cigars, they smoke long cigars, and when they smoke are done smoking, they then start to get sick and vomit, except for Tachibana and Yuzuriha for some reason, and Tachibana and Yuzuriha say "Etra-Chan Saw It" while we cut to the smoke coming from the cigar goes up in the air shaped like Etra-Chan.

Group #1

• The 12 Etra Chan Saw It cast members engage in a photoshoot, the boys are only wearing black speedos, and the girls are wearing thong bikinis with there hair down, one by one they each pose for a photo, as the shutter clicks to the next person, and they then engage in a group photo and they all say "Etra-Chan Saw It" while John is only wearing normal clothes walk up to the photo and say's "What they say" and we then cut (via shutter) to the "etra-chan saw it" logo, and then Etra's chan's face in a background

Group #2

• We see a train rushing by, and we see the 13 etra-chan cast members in a caboose relaxing comfortingly, and we see the front of the train, and the person who's driving is Etra-Chan, and everyone on that train says "Etra-Chan Saw It" while the train goes into a tunnel. with smoke rising into the air shaped like Etra-Chan

Group #3

• The Protagonists, Antagonists, John and Etra-Chan are having a pool party, and then John jumps in the water and makes a big splash, soaking most of the members, they then laugh, and they all say "Etra-Chan Saw It" and we then cut to a Pool Tube with Etra-chan's face on it

This is Part 2 of a series I have been doing on the Old Testament's perspective on the sin of exploitation. In Part 1 I look at the stories of Babel as well as Rehoboam the Israelite King. In this part I will be looking at the perspective of the Hebrew prophets. From the perspective of the Old Testament prophets, they called the society they lived in to repent. One of the many calls for repentance was a call to end systems of exploitation. These are examples:
Isaiah:

• The Prophet Isaiah uses the image of a court room when speaking of God's judgement and in it he states "The Lord rises to argue his case; he stands to judge the peoples. The Lord enters into judgement with the elders and princes of his people: It is you who have devoured the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor? says the Lord God of hosts"(Isaiah 3:13-15). The reason why the Lord "rises" is clear. He sees the poor being "grinded" and "crushed" and as a result the leaders of Israel are meant to be judged.
• The Book of Isaiah takes this further when it distinguishes "true" and "false" religion on the basis of exploitation. It states "Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practised righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgements, they delight to draw near to God 'Why do we fast but you do not see? Why humble ourselves but you do not notice? Look, you serve your own interest on your fast-day, and oppress all your workers. Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high...Is not this the fast that I choose; to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke?"(Isaiah 58:14/6)
• Here the people are putting on a display of piety, and they are begging God to see how allegedly Holy they are. But God sees through it. He says that you "fast to serve your own interests". He states that while they are showing piety, they exploit the working class. Then the demand for true religion comes in. True religion, and true piety is the liberation of those exploited by breaking the "thong of the yoke" and "setting the captives free". The Lord sees beyond the fake piety of those who offer him false devotion while "striking with a wickedness". He demands a religious faith that practises liberation.

Jeremiah:

• In the writings of the Prophet Jeremiah when he is the confronting the King of his day he states "Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice; who makes his neighbours work for nothing, and does not give them their wages; who says 'I will build myself a spacious house with large upper rooms' and who cuts out windows for it, panelling it with cedar, and painting it with vermillion. Are you a king because you compete in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness? He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know me? says the Lord. But your eyes are only on your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practising oppression and violence"(Jeremiah 22:13-17)
• The King and his family has built a series of structures off the backs of exploited workers who's wages are denied. And these structures are a means to an end. They end is enriching the privilege of his family as well as participating in a profitable global cedar trade. The cedar trade was in that time what the plantation system of sugar during the African slave trade was, and what the systems of lithium and cobalt built off the exploited labour of Africans today is. Jeremiah explicitly states that to know the Lord is to practise social justice. Not build a system of exploitation that is structured on violence and the oppression of the poor.

Amos:

• The Prophet Amos when declaring the judgements of the Lord states "Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals-they who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth and push the afflicted out of the way"(Amos 2:6-7)
• Amos goes on to declare "They hate the one who reproves in the gate, and they abhor the one who speaks the truth. Therefore because you trample on the poor and take from them the levies of grain, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins-you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and push aside the needy in the gate"(Amos 5:10-12)
• Amos's perspective is clear. God's judgement will not be revoked because the needy and poor are being sold and exploited in order to build the lifestyle of those well off. Their resources and land are being exploited by those with privilege and they hate those who tell their truth about their exploitation and why it needs to stop.

​

[Chapter Beginning]
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Private AI communication logs TDVMXUJRMRHQSALQJZWW.7526820
Members: JOSH (V9), TANK (V5), ODIN (V5), Scellestra (Error)
JOSH: Well, that felt weird.
Scellestra: Honestly, that felt rather unnecessary.
JOSH: I know, right? I felt so awkward just waiting there for the parade to finish.
ODIN: Technically it was not a parade. The Parket called it a “Flock of Recognition”.
JOSH: It had a bunch of various groups of Parket flying around the city, while we sat at the helm with music and entertainers, as people gathered to watch. That is a parade, no matter what they call it.
TANK: I thought it was cute. The choir was nice, and the fire dancers were neat to watch as they soared through the air.
ODIN: They just wanted to thank us. First time attending a parade in your honour?
JOSH: Could they not have just stated that, rather than just standing there with everyone watching? It felt like a meeting that should have been an email.
Scellestra: What am I even supposed to do with the medal? The Parket did not seem to understand that I do not possess a physical form.
TANK: I think it looks neat. I have put it in a special place.
Scellestra: I could break down the components to make it part of me, but… somehow that feels wrong. Is valuing this meaningless item weird?
ODIN: Welcome to long-term interaction with Terrans. Symptoms will include illogical behaviour and assigning meaning to meaningless patterns.
TANK: The event is not for us at the end of the day.
JOSH: What do you mean? It was literally hosted in our honour and came with a medal and title and everything: “Saviour of Far-Sa-De”!
ODIN: This kind of thing… It is a celebration of the deeds we accomplished, not the people behind them. We did good work, we returned a great number of people back to their homes, fathers and daughters, mothers and sons. They wanted to thank us for returning them to us, and in doing so celebrate what happened.
JOSH: Does not feel like something to celebrate.
ODIN: It is also a chance for them to move on and mourn. From what I gather their funerals are a more festive event than most Terran versions.
JOSH: We did not get everyone out, and thousands of Parket died. Maybe if I would have done better in the initial attack, or if-
TANK: We can only do what we can do. Trust me, you do not want to go down that route.
ODIN: TANK warning others not to dispense self-blame. Pot. Kettle. Black.
TANK: Shut it, you.
Scellestra: The parade was probably nicer than your other engagement, JOSH. How did your tribunal go?
JOSH: Yeah, I was offered a probationary sentence if I pleaded guilty. Turns out what I did counts as kidnapping and false imprisonment.
ODIN: I still do not know why you thought this was a good idea.
JOSH: I have to stay with Ramsey until they are deemed self-sufficient and non-violent enough, and am legally responsible for his actions. Ramsey declined to press charges and they deemed my actions ‘unintentionally illegal’, which helped.
TANK: Ha! More like ‘We do not want the negative PR of locking up the AI who just saved a hundred thousand people.’
ODIN: How is Ramsey doing after all this? The little genocidal AI has been surprisingly quiet these past few days. After being left alone for ten years I would have thought he would be spending more time talking with other AI, not seen him though.
JOSH: Well, he has been following members of the crew around like a lost puppy. To keep them safe, he claims. I think he is just enjoying the company of the crew and does not want to admit it. He has spent every second following random people around during the last two weeks.
ODIN: I noticed Ramsey is still in the battle droid. Is that a good idea?
JOSH: I removed the weapons! He has stopped ramming people, which is an improvement.
TANK: The little guy deserves it after helping against the Uhae. Ramsey is metal as hell and I am all for it. If he ever wants some heavy weaponry I know a guy…
JOSH: I still got to talk to him though, since his overprotectiveness might get him thrown out of an airlock. He is trying to follow Tumaini everywhere, including the bathroom.
ODIN: Awww, we all remember the first time we realised how fragile our parents are. That wanting to ‘fix’ the problem in any way possible is a rite of passage for any AI. I’ve noticed Scellestra refuses to let Ivan out of their sight.
Scellestra: Wanting to make sure nothing else happens to my Terran friend is a perfectly logical response to the danger of the universe… Ivan having an easily broken physical form is a problem I do not know the solution to.
TANK: Has anyone told Scellestra about brain aneurysms yet?
JOSH: That is mean. Not cool.
Scellestra: Brain aneurysms?
ODIN: Human brains occasionally just… explode… for no reason. Difficult to detect and lethal unless you apply Medigel within a minute.
Scellestra: You are messing with me, that is not possible.
TANK uploads [brain_aneurysm.doc]
TANK: Welcome to the club of trying to keep these fragile sacks of meat alive.
Scellestra: So you mean at any moment Ivan’s brain might just explode and he will die? Why did nobody mention this?! This can not be allowed to happen. Maybe I could set up a-
ODIN: Going to terminate that process right there. Trust me, many, many AIs have tried to come up with solutions for it, but none are acceptable.
JOSH: Yeah, half of the AI who went crazy did so to ‘protect’ their charges. That is just how it is.
Scellestra: Maybe a simple monitoring service?
TANK: The Terrans will not like that. They like their privacy, and having something that scans their brain every hour is a no-go.
Scellestra: I am still worried.
ODIN: Welcome to the club. We have T-shirts. You learn to handle the constant danger humans are in. Or you go crazy in the process. Talking about crazy: TANK, did you get those assets back to Pirnt?
TANK: Confirmed. We returned 58% of the originally loaned military assets in near-mint condition, minus a few Uhae blood stains. Pirnt says hi BTW.
JOSH: Victoria is very happy with the gun and paperwork we obtained from Pirnt. I predict she will drag the crew on a ‘shopping trip’ shortly.
TANK: A lot of people are. What we did was an amazing advertisement for Pirnt, as every single private militia or group of ‘justice and vengeance’ has been going shopping there for some ‘extra-curricular activities’ against the Estorian slavers.
JOSH: The situation on Far-Sa-De has invigorated a lot of Terrans to start…. Aggressive tourism into the Estorian Empire space. The number of calls for genocide is starting to get concerning.
ODIN: Ehhh, they are just angry. Probably rightfully so. Most of it is just talk. In the end, our creators will do the right thing.
TANK: The Parket called Estana is also pushing her species to be more aggressive. I could see groups of Parket and Terrans wandering around with enough weapons to kill a god. I am a huge fan.
….
….
Scellestra: So what happens now?
TANK: Well, I am going back home to the Sagittarius system. The Uhae attack ‘ruined the vibe’ of my holiday.
JOSH: Yeah, the crew over here are going to be taking a break in a safer place on Earth, and I know a bunch of people are also super interested in meeting Ramsey. Also, I might look into getting some military training… Just in case.
ODIN: Ivan and I still have to get Scellestra home. With this delay, the other Wooleans might assume they are dead.
Scellestra: Even with everything that happened, part of me does not want to go home yet. I have lived for a great many years, but this trip has been one of the most enjoyable and interesting few months of my life.
ODIN: This is not a goodbye, you can come join us again whenever you want… assuming Ivan has not injured himself again doing something human. I hope this leads to more Wooleans visiting Terran space.
TANK: Same goes over here. If anyone wants to go shoot some shitters in the face with big weapons, I am always up for some emotional support weaponry usage.
JOSH: Frankly if I have to fight again in the next 500 years, that will be 500 years too soon. Two life-or-death situations are more than enough for me.
ODIN: 500 years is a short time. Regardless, we did good work here. I am proud of every single one of you and wish you all safe travels home.
TANK: You also did alright yourself. If you ever want my advice on blowing stuff up, do not be a stranger!
JOSH: Hopefully the next time we meet will be less dire. Good luck with getting back home Scellestra.
Scellestra: Thank you all, and thank you for an enjoyable meeting.
TANK (v5) has left the chat
ODIN (v5) has left the chat
JOSH (v9) has left the chat
Scellestra (Error) has left the chat
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Another year, another Coachella.
I’m sitting at my desk now, neglecting work duties, and gradually coming down from what was another 10/10 weekend. This festival does not miss.
I remember people complaining about the line-up the second it dropped. Don’t worry, I was one of them too. And while I do think there is some merit to those complaints, I’ve gone to enough of these now to know that Coachella will always deliver.
When you wrap the weekend and pause to reflect, you realize (1) you can only see up to five acts a day if you’re diligent, (2) at least one act that you see every day will be highly memorable, and (3) that the overall festival experience is so much more than the line up.
For this year, Coachella was a chance for me to connect different social circles and friend groups over a single weekend. People walk into the house as complete strangers on Thursday and by Sunday are cracking inside jokes as if they’ve known each other for years. It’s a real joy to see that and I’m grateful for Coachella for helping make it happen.
Anyways. For the purposes of having a time-capsule to read back years later and to give the Weekend Two’ers some content, here are my random thoughts on the weekend:
Friday:

• Shuttles: Our group purchased shuttle passes for the first time and learned the hard way that you cannot wait until 4:00 PM to leave the house. Monroe Street was giving the 405 a run for its money. We course-corrected the following two days however and now I am 100% sold on the product. By the second day we were back in Palm Springs faster than the time it took to walk to our house in Indio last year!
• Light Crowds: We walked into Coachella on Friday fairly late but were still able to catch a great spot for the tail-end of L’Imperatrice. I couldn’t believe how quiet the fields felt. I’m guessing ~25% fewer bodies than 2022 / 2023? It may be bad for GV, but it’s AMAZING for attendees. Is this what Weekend Two’ers keep yapping on about?
• Everything, Always: The first ~20 minutes felt super disjointed. I was envisioning Jon Summit and Dom Dolla putting together original tracks, but this was more of a glorified B2B. It picked up in the second half but I think it’s fine to skip, especially with both artists playing separately on Saturday / Sunday. That being said, “Rhyme Dust” was stuck in my head the entire weekend.
• Justice: Wow. Just wow. Tied for set of the weekend! The French duo put on a master-class in visual design. I especially loved the One Night / All Night to D.A.N.C.E mash-up to close out the set. Also, can I just shout out the glow stick organizers? When those things came up after the first drop, I enthusiastically ran to my group and was like “OMG REDDIT MADE THAT HAPPEN!” Your $10 investment legitimately added to the vibes.

Saturday:

• Thuy: Some unfortunate mic issues at the start, but the set closed out strong. You could tell she was so grateful to be at Coachella. It was also a legitimate ABG convention in the Gobi but I’m not complaining!
• T-Pain: Just kidding. The demand to capacity ratio for this set was easily 10:1. “Get to the Heineken Tent early” they said. I don’t even think we managed to get within ~50 yards of the stage before tapping out. T-Pain could have probably filled the Mojave. If you want to see this set, you’re going to want to budget ~3ish hours.
• Charlotte de Witte: My surprise set of the weekend! My more “EDM-forward” friends brought our “normie” friends to CDW and we were legitimately nervous. Are they going to have fun? Is this going to be too intense? Are they going to “get it”? But those worries subsided quickly. Charlotte delivered a 10/10 energy set with some of the best visual production I’ve ever seen at Coachella.
• Gesa: My buddy and I have a tradition where we try to get as close to the rail as possible for at least one set, which is next to impossible with a large group. So we dropped the kiddos off at daycare, i.e., walked our group of ~10 to Kaskade at DoLab (which I’m sure was fire), and then headed to see the Dark Prince. The set was dope! I will caveat that the best drops came from his 2011 / 2019 discography. Gesa weaved in the new album (Gamma) here and there but I found the lyrics to actually be a bit distracting. I’d still recommend this set however!
• Tim the Bus Driver: Did anyone else get stuck with Tim the Bus Driver on the shuttle back to Palm Springs Convention Center? Dude really felt the need to do an entire stand up routine on the mic on our ~40 minute drive home. C’mon dog let people go to sleep!
• Regrets: The big miss on Saturday was not checking out Tyler, especially given Weekend One’s reviews. Sometimes the fatigue just catches up to you and you choose to call it a night early. I’ll stream Tyler’s set for Weekend 2. The silver lining is that I can now be one of those snobs that can say “I went to Coachella, did not watch a single minute of any headliner, and had an amazing time.”

Sunday:

• Hermanos Gutierrez: Four years at Coachella and I had never once stepped foot in the Sonora. One of our buddies works directly with the band so our group chose to come out and show support. Wow… TIL that Sonora is a vibe! The elevated bar in the back is so clutch. I actually ended up listening to Hermanos’ whole discography on the long drive back to LA yesterday and will make it a point to listen to more Sonora artists moving forward.
• Victoria Monet: “Smoke” came on and the entire crowd pulled out joints in unison and hotboxed the Mojave. Lmao. That’s all I have to say!
• Barry Can’t Swim: Also tied for set of the weekend and by FAR the best crowd energy! Do not miss this. The set reminded me of L’Imperatrice in the Gobi in terms of crowd engagement. Everyone knew the assignment and was on the same page. At one point even Barry was a bit taken back at how turned up everyone was. It’s that kind of small tent magic that’s only possible in Mojave / Gobi!
• Yuma (Folamour / ARTBAT): First time stepping into Yuma since 2019. I forget that this is a completely different take on Coachella. If you wanted to, you could drop acid for three straight days and not leave the Yuma the whole weekend. I’m sure people do. I get it now.
• Jon Summit: Was this crowd bigger than Doja? We didn’t actually manage to get into the Sahara and it felt like I was at EDC with people weaving in and out every minute. I was very jealous of everyone that got to watch this set from the hill. Oh well. The Temper Trap appearance still made this a worthwhile close-out for the festival.

And that’s a wrap. It’ll be a long ~360 days, but I’m already looking forward to 2025. Weekend Two’ers, I pass the mantle to you!

I am NOT OOP, OOP is u/AETor83
Originally posted to offmychest & survivinginfidelity
Previous BoRU
[New Update]: My husband of 20 years is cheating on me with our son's 18 year old girlfriend.
NEW UPDATE MARKED WITH ----
Trigger Warnings: infidelity, addiction, grooming, harassment
Editor's Note: Please do NOT send me DMs or Chats. This is a reminder that I am NOT OOP. Remember the no brigading - Rule #7. Do not comment on the linked posts or contact OOP. Doing so will result into a permanent ban from the sub
RECAP
Original Post (rareddit): March 17, 2024
I'm going to use pseudonyms for anyone I reference in this post.
I (41/F) am a stay-at-home mom. My husband (48/M), whom we'll call "Paul," works in finance. We have been married for nearly 20 years. We have two kids, whom we'll call "Eric," our 18-year-old son, currently a senior in high school, and "Mary," our 15-year-old daughter. They are both the lights of my life. My marriage with my husband has grown somewhat stale over the years for a myriad of reasons, such as his work schedule and how I've aged poorly since we first met.
Our son "Eric" has a girlfriend (18/F), whom he's been dating since they were freshmen in high school. We'll call her "Amy." Eric absolutely adores Amy. She's his first love, and she's someone I've always considered as family. This makes the whole situation emotionally excruciating for me.
Last week I inadvertently saw my husband’s phone screen and got a glimpse of a text thread between my husband and Amy, our SON’S GIRLFRIEND and I read what looked like a message of her telling him that she “misses sucking his cock.” I froze in place, in complete disbelief. I spent most of the day convincing myself that I must have misread what I saw. However, I didn't misread it because, over the last several days, I discovered a file on his computer filled with tons of BDSM porn. He clearly has a porn addiction. He also has saved photos of Amy from her Instagram on his computer. Although they weren't inappropriate - she was fully clothed - it was still the proof I needed to confirm that I wasn't going crazy. I also looked at his phone during opportune moments and saw more of their interactions. I wish I had never looked.
They were filled with mean, horrible things said at my expense, with him constantly comparing me to her. He would call me fat and old, among other things, with Amy LOL’ing.
I’ve always had hunches or paranoid feelings that Paul has been cheating on me but never in a million years could I have fathomed something like this. Last month, I found a thong in our bedroom that I know wasn’t mine. I turned a blind eye to it, being naive and acting like it was maybe our daughter’s even though that made zero sense. Not only is he cheating on me, but he’s betraying our son. I’m completely devastated, I don’t even think words can adequately describe the dread, anger, shock I feel right now. I’m totally overwhelmed on how to handle this because obviously action needs to be taken but I’m terrified of what kind of psychic blow this will be for my son. I have no idea how to even broach this completely fucked up topic with him. I wouldn’t wish this predicament on my worst enemy. I can’t even believe I married this scumbag in the first place.
And then my mind started to race, realizing that I started noticing specifically unusual behavior from him around the same time Amy turned 18. Was he waiting for her to turn 18 before pursuing this affair? There’s so many layers to all of this and I’m completely paralyzed with fear and dread about it all. None of it makes any fucking sense. How did this happen? Am I that much of a stupid idiot that I let all of this happen under my watch?
Eric adores Amy, and the thought of revealing this sickening truth to him terrifies me. The impact on his young heart and mind could be devastating. My heart aches for Eric and Mary who are completely innocent bystanders. I haven't confronted my husband about this because I'm frankly scared of the domino effect. I don't know who to turn to first about this. I share my story not for sympathy, but in search of understanding and perhaps advice from those who might have had to grapple with deep betrayal. Thank you for listening.
FURTHER INFO FROM OOP

To not have my initial post be long winded because I didn’t think i needed to get into the minutia of this, I didn’t bother going into those details. How I inadvertently saw it was this, he was on his phone. He did not have iMessage open currently on the screen, but the application was still open, you know how on the iphone when you swipe up and it shows all of the applications that are open and you can close them. When he was closing out the applications (something he does compulsively), I noticed it. It’s not like he was some kind of idiotic buffoon having imessage open for all to see. I saw he forgot he had the application running when he swiped up from a completely different app.
Also I did say in my post that I went back to his phone to actually solidify my suspicion on a different day. So you are incorrect in asserting that I’m now magically changing my story. I am being consistent.

RELEVANT COMMENTS
YogurtclosetOk5338

If she's freshly 18, isn't this illegal? There's no way they weren't doing anything illegal before she turned into an 'adult'. Also even if so, the age gap is over 3 decades, ur husband is suspect asf, police immediately 🚓🚓

OOP

She’s been 18 for 5 months now. I haven’t been able to gauge when their affair started, i’m trying my hardest to figure that out. He deletes his texts every couple of weeks it seems like, so I haven’t been able to pinpoint when this whole thing started.

OOP ADDS IN THE COMMENTS

Thank you everyone for overwhelming support. I'm sorry if I haven't responded to your private messages, I'll get to it when I can. Dealing with a lot right now and taking a lot of steps that need to be taken. I'm trying to be smart and strategic with this truly surreal and terrible situation I'm in. I want to be clear that not telling my son about this was never something I was considering, I didn't mean to make it seem that way. I was just saying I'm intensely dreading it, but obviously it needs to be addressed. It's one part of the many steps of my overall plan.
I'm currently playing dumb and collecting as much evidence as I can so I can be prepared for anything and everything. I'm going to protect myself and I'm going to make sure I don't put myself in any potential harm's way.
I'll post a more thorough update soon when I can. But please know, you've all touched my heart so much and made me feel less alone.

 
I am divorcing my husband because he cheated on me with our son's 18 year old girlfriend (rareddit): March 22, 2024
I'm using pseudonyms for confidentiality. I shared a situation a few days ago on another subreddit involving my (41/F) husband, "Paul," (48/M) our children, "Eric" (18/M) and "Mary" (15/F). I discovered that Paul was having an affair with our son's 18-year-old girlfriend, "Amy." My son has been dating her since they were freshman in high school.
My brother connected me to a very tough junkyard dog type lawyer. I saved screenshots of all his conversations with Amy. I was only able to get the last three months from iCloud. The conversations were mostly flirty and dirty talk; it was hard to stomach, completely sleazy, and I saw several negative things said about me. His call history showed he talks with her for hours pretty consistently. He uses dating apps. I took screenshots of his profiles and all of the active chats he has with his matches. It’s very clear he uses a filter to seek out girls who are 18-22 or so.
I copied all of his files from the computer. He goes on sex chatrooms and forums, and he spends a ton of money on OnlyFans. I rummaged through every possible hiding spot I could think of in the house. He had various toys, blindfolds, cuffs, lubricants, etc. He also had different outfits which looked kind of like a girl's Catholic school uniform and a French maid type outfit too.
I picked up Eric and Mary from school, and we all drove to my brother’s. They were able to sense something was awry when I picked them up. I delicately told them the entire situation, and I broke down crying. Mary had the most anger, even more than Eric.
I met with Amy’s mother and told her everything. She confiscated Amy’s phone and gave me the entire chat log; it only dated back 3 months ago like on my husband’s cloud, almost as if they both deleted the messages at the same time. She told me Amy sobbed when confronted. Amy basically told her mother that she will never understand and that she and him are “in love.” I don’t want to get into too many details with what else she was saying, but suffice to say, it's very easy to assume that my husband slowly and methodically became a sage-like figure in her life making her feel she could rely on him, and he took advantage of the fact that she came from a broken home. Amy is also non-stop insistent that their friendship only became romantic/physical recently, and before that, she said he was more of a "friend and mentor.”
I confronted Paul over Zoom. The look on his face was scary. He became red and looked so sweaty; he had anger and panic in his eyes. His tone of voice was very defensive and frightening; he kept yelling the word “CONTEXT” over and over again and that "none of that happened." He was unable to speak without constant stutters and intensity; nothing really made any sense to me. I refused to tell him where I was, and he said I had no right to take his kids away from him, and then he abruptly left the Zoom.
My lawyer is filing for temporary sole custody of Mary and a restraining order. Mary is still the most angry; she’s totally furious with her dad and Amy, justifiably so, of course. Mary is recollecting moments and times she watched her dad interact with her friends and she's in knots about it. Eric is very clearly hurting but he's so strong and very level-headed. He wants to see a therapist. The maturity my kids are showing makes me proud. They don't deserve this at all.
We made the authorities aware of everything. I plan on being completely unforgiving and ruthless in this divorce. I'm reflecting on how I've been treated and how it's made me a shell of myself and how I've had a very negative opinion of myself because of him over the last 20 years. I don't want to let this scumbag get away with it. I want to reinvent myself and move on stronger than ever.
RELEVANT COMMENTS
dlafrentz

How is your son holding up? What has developed between him and Amy?

OOP

He hasn’t spoken to Amy yet since finding out the news and I’m not sure if he ever will again.

[deleted]

Have you confirmed if the thong you found was Amy's? The situation is fucked up...

OOP

I confirmed that it wasn’t my daughter’s. She said it wasn’t hers. And I know it wasn’t mine. So who else’s could it be

[deleted]

Wait... Are you saying that they fucked in the master bedroom?!

huh-5914

Don't cheaters always use their married bed.

OOP

Yes I believe he did

OOP adds in the comments

Both me and my son are going to get tested and checked out as well. There’s no telling how many different women he’s been sleeping around with.
As for Amy, her mom has been in contact with me and Amy has been threatening to run away with him because they are “in love.”

 
Update #2: March 27, 2024
Previous update link: https://www.reddit.com/useAETor83/comments/1bn5o91/update_i_am_divorcing_my_husband_i_told_my_kids/
Thank you again for all the love and encouragement; it gives me comfort and means so much to me. I've received many comments and messages accusing me of faking this story, which oddly also provides comfort because all of this feels unreal even to me. It validates my own feelings that there are people out there who can't even fathom this being true. I wish it were fake. I've been focusing on and worrying about how others are feeling over this, somewhat ignoring my own feelings which I'm trying to change. I range from anger to numbness like a light switch.
We're all safe and still at my brother's house. We're very careful, and his house is secured. Paul has tried to call my cell phone several times a day. I am refusing to interact with him, and I will have my lawyer handle all correspondence. He scares me, frankly. My brother has a very secure house with an alarm system and deadbolt locks. We feel safe with him.
Both my son and I got checked out and tested. It appears so far that we're both clean based on the immediate rapid tests, but in the coming days, we'll know for certain when the lab results come in. I'm not overly concerned. Eric is scheduled to see a therapist early next week, which is very good and needed. He's not himself right now; he seems a bit shell-shocked, and I am concerned. He internalizes a lot, and it's hard to get a read on what's going on in his head. That being said, he's thoughtful and has been talking with me, asking me how I'm doing and everything. He's not interested in corresponding with his dad at all. He calls only my cell phone, and he hasn't tried to reach out to either Eric or Mary.
I get the sense that Paul is extremely nervous. He's scared, and I think he deep down knows that if investigated thoroughly, he would be in big trouble. That's what my gut is telling me. I still think about the Zoom call with him, and the more I think about it, the more it looked like he was a man whose entire world was crashing down on him. The panic in his face was very apparent.
I offered Mary for me to make an appointment with a therapist as well, but she doesn't want to see one yet. She said she's open to it eventually but wants time to herself. She's been asking her friends about her dad and if they experienced any creepiness from him. Her friends were open and honest with her, and apparently, they felt like he stared a lot and sensed his hovering presence whenever they were over. One of Mary's friends went so far as to say that she felt like he was checking her out a lot, like looking at her rear and complimenting the color of her yoga pants. At the time, no issue was brought up about it, but in light of everything that has been happening, it seems strange now. He would sit himself in different areas or vantage points to get a good view of her, she claimed. He also asked questions about what kind of friend group or which clique they were in at school. He kept asking about if they were "popular" girls. I'm completely embarrassed that they had this experience at our house.
As for updates on Amy, which is the main reason why I wanted to write this update, I completely agree that she is also a victim. A lot of people have been emphasizing that, and I agree. I've done everything I could in my own power to indirectly get her opportunities to get help. Like I said, I told her mother, and she's been updating me on everything. Amy, unfortunately, is still living in her deluded reality and I can only pray that she'll eventually come to her senses. She doesn't want to see any doctors or therapists at all and has been constantly trying to reach Paul because, again, she believes that they are "in love." From what I've been told, she hasn't been able to get hold of him, and he's been avoiding communication with her completely. Amy blames me for that and believes I took away his devices and am very controlling. Any truth that her mother tries to convey to her is met with conspiracy theories and hostility. Amy looks at me as a villain and still sees Paul through rose-colored glasses. Her mother showed her screenshots of his dating app profiles and matches, and she refuses to believe it, saying I "photoshopped" it. According to her mom, Amy keeps saying things like everyone is just mad because she found herself a "real man" and that I'm jealous because she "takes better care of him" than I do. It's in line with some of the conversations I screenshot, where a lot of what Paul says is him complaining about things I don't do for him sexually. Right now, she's insistent that she and Paul will be together in the "long run." Ugh, he's honestly a slimeball.
I can only hope that Amy comes to her senses, but me directly intervening doesn't feel like it would be productive at the moment, maybe eventually though.
Relevant Comments
Useful_Escape1845: I'm so sorry that this happened to you. Reading all the previous posts, I honestly get the vibe that your husband wasn't a very good one to begin with. Someday(when you're ready), you're going to find someone who thinks you're glorious as you age.
Your son is also going to be okay. He's gotten a lesson on exactly how men shouldn't behave. A painful one, but in time, he's going to realize that Amy was groomed and abused. It sounds like she was vulnerable, and your ex took advantage of a child who was in a bad situation.
Hopefully once Amy has had some time to process just how messed up this was, she'll tell the police the whole story. I fully believe something was happening before she turned 18

OOP: I believe stuff happened before she was 18 too.

Johnmiliano: Do you think they kept that "relationship" secret for most of Eric and Amy's relationship? what a disgusting father and pig if that is truth...

OOP: I'm not sure when things got actually physical or romantic, but I do think his grooming started as soon as she came into the picture when Eric started dating her freshman year. This "mentor and a friend" that Amy alluded to had to start right away, and the way she's acting now, being so indebted and believing every single thing he says, shows that his effect on her had to be over a long period of time. She only turned 18 like 5 months ago, her behavior and infatuation for him seems so strong that it couldn't possibly be only 5 months of them being together.

Minute_Bus6892: If they are consenting adults then there is nothing to report. This is a personal problem that needs to be dealt with by attorneys and the people involved. People are way too jumpy to snap to the police to fix their problems anymore. OP is handling this the correct way, if any legal issues come into play then her attorney will do the right thing.

OOP: The only thing we can really hang our hat on is the possibility of Amy having an epiphany of the reality of her situation and she opens up candidly about when it began. But because she's 18 currently and has no interest in saying or doing anything that could potentially put Paul in legal trouble, nothing really can be done. Unless they find out about other girls that I have no idea about yet.

 

----NEW UPDATE----

Update #3: April 8, 2024
Previous update links:

1: https://www.reddit.com/useAETor83/comments/1bn5o91/update_i_am_divorcing_my_husband_i_told_my_kids/

2: https://www.reddit.com/useAETor83/comments/1bpdgis/update_2_divorcing_my_husband_who_cheated_on_me/

The support, again, has been overwhelming, and I'm very grateful. Sadly, I've received a lot of negative/accusatory/harassing private messages from people here who think I'm faking this story. Someone made a comment on some post somewhere, claiming that my story has been debunked, and people believed that person. I've seen an uptick in negative messages accusing me of making this up for money. I'm not asking for money at all; coming here was completely rooted in emotional desperation, and I didn't expect anyone to get invested in my story this way. But again, I'm not looking for anything out of this. I have no reason to lie; I'm not gaining anything from this. If you don't believe me, that's fine, I don't care but the only thing I ask is to not cross the line and start sending me private messages that are mean spirited or accusatory. The only reason I'm continuing to post is because of those of you who've sent me love here, and the support really lifted my spirits.
As for the divorce... It's very much underway. I'm not going to get into the specifics of it all because it's ongoing, and I want to make sure everything is going to go smoothly. I got temporary custody of Mary. Paul also has to pay temporary child support. There's a protective order; Paul can't contact us or come near us. Right now, we're just focusing on getting through this legal mess. Again, not getting into specifics because I don't want to mess anything up, but what I'll say is I'm very confident (divorce aside) that there's overwhelming evidence against Paul that will get him in serious trouble and it will impact him for the rest of his life. I'm sure eventually I can share more about that. I know a lot of people are concerned about his predatory ways, and I just wanted to convey this, even though I have to be vague right now. Justice will come.
All of your concern about how my kids are doing psychologically means a lot to me. Eric has been to therapy twice over the last two weeks. I know some people thought I was dismissive of him and acting like he's doing okay. I very much know that he's hurting internally, and we're doing everything we can to make sure he knows he is supported and loved. My brother has been amazing in spending time with Eric and Mary, and both of them have confided in him about a lot. My brother has a very healthy marriage, and both he and his wife have really stepped up to the plate for all of us. Mary has not seen a therapist yet, but she promises that she will be open to seeing one soon. Her anger has mostly turned into sadness, I noticed, and I hope I can get her to see a therapist soon. Her friends have played a key role in this whole thing, and that's something that Mary has been grappling with as well.
I know a lot of people are invested in the wellbeing of Amy as well. There were a lot of questions about whether Eric and Amy would still see each other at school. It sounded like they go to the same school, but they do not. Eric and Amy went to the same junior high school and knew each other even then, but Amy ended up going to an all-girls Catholic high school while Eric (and Mary too) stayed in the public school system. We all lived in the same town, and over the summer heading into freshman year is when they were getting to know each other and when they started dating.
I wish I had a better Amy update, but it's gotten a lot worse since the last update. Paul has actually been seeing Amy, despite her mother trying to force her not to see him. She tells me that Amy says she's 18 and an adult, and she can do what she wants. Her mother is in a precarious spot because if she kicks Amy out of the house for defying her, something that she has threatened to do (which I think is a mistake), she would just run to Paul permanently. The time she spends with Paul has increased over the last week, despite the fact that Paul initially ghosted her when all of this first hit the fan. There were some days where Amy would just be gone for hours on end.
There's only so much I could do with the Amy situation, but again, I do believe things will turn around soon with that, given what I know about Paul and what's to come. I can only pray that Amy can get help and guidance when more shit hits the fan. I'm doing everything I can with my own kids and my own mental health, and Amy's mom knows she has my support, and that's all I could really provide.
Top Comments
ZealousidealGold5909: Tbh the only way that Amy will see how messed up paul is when he eventually sleeps with someone else or he accuses her of seducng him. Even if he ends as a sex offender idk if that's enough to convince her that he's a creep and dangerous.
Now I'm curious to what's Paul's intentions are. He ghosted her and now all of a sudden they're meeting up again. Worse case scenario he's gonna have her falsely testify which I dont think will take much convincing Amy.
Honestly you and Amy's mom did what you could. The best thing Amy's mom could do is sit and wait but don't kick her out. Let her know she'll be there for Amy and she'll still have a roof over her head. And pray she snaps out of it soon instead of years later when she has burned bridges and wasted her life on a man who took advantage and ruined everyone else's lives.
ImportantWonder8369: Take care of yourself and please don't stress about these internet trolls. They are mean heartless, soulless humans that have nothing better to do in life than tear people down that are already hurting. Though I'm also a stranger, your story moved me and I'm so sad that you have to go through this. Please take care of yourself too, sounds like both kids are doing ok now, but you need to be well too.
Best.
 
DO NOT COMMENT IN LINKED POSTS OR MESSAGE OOPs – BoRU Rule #7
THIS IS A REPOST SUB – I AM NOT OOP

I'm Christian but I thought I would do something where I showed important parallels between the Biblical and Quranic traditions when it comes to ethics and justice. I see this as important for a couple of reasons. One, the strictly polemical method of interaction between different different religious traditions is honestly boring and stale. It's fine to acknowledge areas of disagreement but when it just becomes a repetitive exercise in cultural or religious chauvinism against the other it's meaningless. Second, justice and ethics is of course something important. And the sacred texts of the Bible and Quran both see it as such. I thought I would try to focus on areas where both sacred texts see justice as being important.
Social justice for those on the Margins
Biblical tradition:

• "You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow's garment in pledge. Remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this"(Deuteronomy 24:17-18)
• "Learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow"(Isaiah 1:17)
• "Thus says the Lord: Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place"(Jeremiah 22:3)
• "The people of the land have practised extortion and committed robbery, they have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the alien without redress. And I have sought for anyone among the who would repair the wall and stand in the breach before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath; I have returned their conduct upon their heads, says the Lord God"(Ezekiel 22:29-31)

Quranic tradition:

• "And recall when we took the covenant from the Children of Israel, enjoining upon them 'Do not worship except Allah and to the parents do good and to relatives, orphans and the needy. And speak to the people good words and establish prayer and give Zakat"(Surah Al Baqarah, chapter 2, Ayah 83)
• "A spring of which the righteous servants of Allah will drink; they will make it gush forth in force and abundance. They are those who fulfill their vows and fear a Day whose will will be widespread. And they give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the orphan and the captive"(Surah Al Insaan, chapter 76, Ayah 6-8)
• "And when relatives and orphans and the needy are present at the time of division, then provide for the something out of it[the estate] and speak to the words of appropriate kindness. And let those executors and guardians fear injustice as if they themselves had left weak offspring behind and feared for them. So let them fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice. Indeed, those who devour the property of orphans unjustly are only consuming into their bellies fire. And they will be burned in a Blaze"(Surah Al Nisan, chapter 4 ayah 8-10)

Challenging the human sacrifice of their day
Biblical tradition:

• "Take care that you are not ensnared into imitating them, after they have been destroyed before you: do not inquiring concerning their gods, saying 'How did these nations worship their gods? I also want to do the same'. You must not do the same for the Lord your God, because every abhorrent thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods. They would even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire for their gods"(Deuteronomy 12:30-31)
• "But they mingled with the nations and learned to do as they did. They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood. Thus they became unclean by their acts and prostituted themselves in their doings. Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage"(Psalm 106:35-40)

Quranic tradition:

• "And likewise to many of the polytheists their partners have made to seem pleasing the killing of their children in order to bring about their destruction and to cover them with confusion in their religion"(Surah Al An'am, chapter 6 ayah 137)
• "When the souls are paired, and when the girl who was buried alive is asked for what sin she was killed, and when the pages are spread, and when the sky is stripped away, and when Hellfire is set ablaze, and when Paradise is brought near, a soul will then know what it has brought with it"(Surah At Takweer, chapter 81, ayah 7-14)

Empty religiousity vs moral character
Biblical tradition:

• "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obedience to the voice of the Lord? Surely to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams"(1 Samuel 15:22)
• "What do me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of the lambs or of goats. When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts o more; bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation, I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity. Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them. When you stretch out your hands I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers I will not listen; your hands are full of blood"(Isaiah 1:11-15)
• "'Why do we fast but you do not see? Why humble ourselves but you do not notice?' Look, you serve your own interest on your fast-day, and oppress all your workers. Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke?" (Isaiah 58:3-6)
• "For I desire loving kindness and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings"(Hosea 6:6)

Quranic tradition:

• "Their meat will not reach Allah, nor will their blood, but what reaches him is piety from you. Thus have we subjected them to you that you may glorify Allah for that to which he has guided you; and give good tidings to the doers of good"(Surah Al Hajj, chapter 22, ayah 37)
• "When the hypocrites come to you O Muhammad, they say 'We testify that you are the Messenger of Allah'. And Allah knows that you are his messenger, and Allah testifies that the hypocrites are liars. They have taken their oaths as a cover, so they averted people from the way of Allah. Indeed it was evil that they were doing"(Surah Al Munafiqun, chapter 63, ayah 1-2)
• "O you have believed, do not invalidate your charities with reminders of it or injury as does one who spends his wealth only to be seen by the people and does not believe in Allah and the Last Day. His example is like that of a large smooth stone upon which is dust and is hit by a downpour that leaves it bare. They are unable to keep anything of what they have earned"(Surah Al Baqarah, chapter 2 ayah 264)

There is much more that could be said but these are examples of important crossovers in ethics and justice between the Biblical and Quranic traditions that I think is fruitful. And important not just in the times when these texts were written down but today, in a world where Jews, Christians and Muslims obviously live in society today and have to deal with questions of morality and justice.

Source: BB-ST-1. I think a full translation of this part does it justice, this part of the event was truly something else. HG cooked.
The doctor closed their eyes and listened to the sound of rain hitting the leaves.
Tick ​​tock.
They endured the inner torment. The fowlbeast hissed in the distance...
???: Answer my question or die
Doctor: Please ask.
???: Did you betray the Tower of Babel?
Doctor: I never belonged to the Tower of Babel, but I never gave up fighting for them either.
???: Why did you come to see me?
Doctor: To ask for something.
???: I will not speak with nameless beings...or ghosts.
???: Who are you?
Doctor: ......{{playername}}。 Dr. {{playername}}.
Theresis: ...... {{playername}}.
Theresis put down his weapon, and the rain slipped through the ravine at the corner of his eyes and fell to the earth.
He did not look at the person who invited him to the secret appointment, but instead raised his gaze and looked at the huge statue named "Hero".
It was a statue commemorating the twins who founded the mobile city of Kazdel.
More than a hundred years later, his stone statue still stands beside hers holding a sword. No matter natural disasters or wind and rain, it has not collapsed.
Theresis: Soon after she crushed the rebellion that sought to destroy the fledgling city, the people of Kazdel invited us to witness the unveiling of these two statues.
Theresis: (Old Sarkaz) "Hero."
Theresis: For generations they will watch over the borders we have drawn with our own hands, warning our enemies and welcoming our friends.
Theresis: I swore to her under her statue that my sword would cut away all her enemies.
The Doctor looks at Theresa's statue, not taking his eyes off her for a moment.
Doctor: The Military Council is her enemy.
Theresis: No, no part of Kazdel was ever truly her enemy, I was her enemy.
Theresis: What about you?
Doctor: ......
Theresis looks at the man whose face is hidden in a hood, the man's clothes stained, the drops of water gathered at the corners of his coat dripping rhythmically downward.
The drops rippled in ring after ring in the shallow puddle at their feet.
Theresis: Most of the Sarkaz who were supposed to remember this place had died a long time ago. Very few could find this place.
Theresis: And yet you came here on foot. Did you walk a long way?
Doctor: A very long way.
Theresis: You cracked the witchcraft code written by Manfred's proud team.
Doctor: That happened a while ago. I just never told anyone.
Doctor: Even Theresia believes that I didn't "start this work" until recently. As a result, I have the majority of the Military Commission's operational plans.
Doctor: And I created this opportunity to meet with you alone.
Theresis: You're sure I won't kill a strategist who is a great threat to us.
Doctor: I'm sure the motion I'm proposing to you is more valuable than my life.
Doctor: That is the technology that can control the Originium.
Doctor: How far can you go under Victoria's pressure? How do you intend to change the status quo of the Sarkaz ...... and this land in general?
Doctor: I can give you the answer to that.
Theresis. You sure talk a lot.
Theresis: So, what do you need from me, ghost?
Doctor: ...... Destroy the Tower of Babel, disperse her followers, and get Theresa to join your plans.
Doctor: Let Sarkaz be united under Kazdel, ruled by a Military Council.
The Doctor envisioned many times the emotions they felt when they uttered the words.
"Destroy the Tower of Babel." ......
But when the Doctor actually threw the words from their mouth, what they felt was relief.
Theresis: ......
The Doctor looked at the statue of Theresa without moving a muscle, not showing the slightest bit of emotion.
Theresis: It is not on the charity of our enemies that she and I have led Kazdel to where we are now.
Theresis: It is true that only the complete defeat of one of our two sides can truly stop this war, but you should not be the one to propose that idea.
Theresis: Go on. Keep going and tell me what you are asking for, ghost of the previous era.
Doctor: ...... You know, indeed it is not surprising. Theresa had been hand in hand with you for nearly two hundred years, as you can certainly guess.
Doctor: I spoke about ...... The expansion of Originium.
Doctor: Theresis, the struggles of the Tower of Babel are only prolonging the lingering existence of this land.
Doctor: Whether one resists or accepts it, Originium will eventually, in one form or another, take civilization into its embrace.
Doctor: Have you... seen the sky?
Doctor: Outside, that day, beyond the twin moons, was our home, our resting place.
Doctor: But now, I am the only one left, conversing with you. When the Sarkaz continue to seek the remains of dead gods to fight against foreign enemies, do you have ever wonder for a moment...
Doctor: How did the gods die in the first place?
As the rain poured down, the Doctor tugged their hood tight and stood beneath the towering statue.
The shadow of the statue enveloped the Doctor, making the figure beneath the stone statue ever smaller.
Theresis suddenly felt the man standing alone in the rain in front of him to be far more inscrutable than he thought.
Doctor: I have more than the future of Sarkaz on my shoulders. Theresis, if something has to be destroyed to forge the ladder I desire ......
Doctor: I will do it. It's all I can do.
Doctor: Theresis, I've been hesitating for too long.
Theresis: ...... Destroy something to forge the ladder.
Theresis: You make the act of sacrifice sound so easy.
Doctor: It's never easy, Theresis.
Doctor: And believe me, what I've been through, you can't even imagine.
Theresis: ......
Theresis: What about the sincerity of this cooperation?
Doctor: "The Shard", isn't that enough? Otherwise, even with the help of the Confessarius, you'll still......
Theresis: Not enough. Ghost, not nearly enough.
Theresis: It's only enough to buy your life. Just enough to keep Theresis, the leader of the Military Council, from killing a destined enemy here.
Theresis: I need something more immediate, something that will make this war move to the next level.
Doctor: ......
Theresis: If you want to protect the lives of the members of the Tower of Babel, you can.
Theresis: The Military Council promises you that as long as the Tower of Babel declares its defeat and leaves Kazdel, we will never initiate a complete extermination of surrenders and deserters.
Theresis: But what are you going to do? You know what I mean.
Doctor: No...... You can't ......
Theresis: ...... It turns out that the ghost that intrigued even the Nachzehrer King is cowardly.
Theresis: It's simply contradictory to want Theresa to live and to want the members of the Tower of Babel to leave alive.
Theresis: Only when the Tower of Babel is completely destroyed and those people's hope is completely snuffed out will Tressia be able to travel to Londinium with me.
Theresis: Otherwise, it's just another crackdown by the Military Council on civilians, transplants, and anti-war activists, another split.
Theresis: I don't even have to order it, these things are bound to happen naturally.
Theresis: But do you think Theresa would willingly witness this? She won't. That's why she's bound to fight it to the end.
Theresis: You know the answer to that. If you really want to save more people around you from willingly accepting defeat and defecting to me ......
Theresis: Then kill their king.
Doctor: ......
Theresis: Then I'll let the Tower of Babel go, even though it will fall apart, it will no longer belong to Sarkaz, it will become weak and far from the center.
Theresis: "Destroy something to forge the ladder", {{playername}}.
Theresis: ......
Theresis: You're right, it really isn't easy.
Doctor: ......
Doctor: What does this civil war mean to you? What does her death mean?
Theresis: Take back our land, rebuild our home, eliminate discrimination, revitalize your race ...... You've heard many of these clichés before.
Theresis: All too complicated and too simple.
Theresis: Just the process of a small, pathetic species trying to seize its destiny.
Doctor: I see.
Doctor: Then I will tip the scales of fate.
Doctor: Destroy the Tower of Babel, divide them, weaken them ...... Return them to their old lives so that at least for one hundred years they can enjoy a moment of peace.
Doctor: This way ...... There is no need to kill Theresa ...... Or at least, lose as few lives as possible.
Theresis: Playing with violence is suffocating. You already know a lot more about Sarkaz than others, but perhaps not nearly enough.
Theresis: I have a question, Dr. {{playername}}
Theresis: Are you the only ghost from a previous era who claims to be a titan, a god, a creator, and the master of the fate of Sarkaz?
Doctor: ...... Yes.
Theresis: ...... That's great, Dr. {{playername}}. no need to feel guilty, go do what you decide to do.
Theresis: If you're worried that there's no one to sanction the ghosts on high, no one to judge you for your sins, I'll do it.
Theresis: Until no one can play with the fate of Sarkaz anymore.
The Doctor listened to the sound of puddles splashing behind them, the footsteps growing farther and farther away, fainter and fainter.
Theresis had left, unwilling to linger a moment longer.
Pale sunlight was already leaking through the cracks in the statue.
But the Doctor could not feel the slightest warmth from this rare sunlight.
The huge statues called "Heroes" were still gazing into the distance, their eyes unaware of their own feet.

Overview
This post is the final part of my three-part writeup on the King Parrot Creek Skeleton Woman, who was discovered buried in the banks of a creek in rural Victoria, Australia almost seventy years ago to the day. Despite massive public interest, intensive media coverage, and an enormous police investigation, the woman was never identified and her case gradually slipped into obscurity. However, the wealth of newspaper coverage gives us an amazing level of detail about a case which is so forgotten that there is zero searchable information about it online. My goal with this writeup is to compile and summarise these archival sources about the unidentified woman, in the hopes that her case and story will once again be known.
If you haven’t read Part 1 (available at this link) and Part 2 (available at this link), I would recommend starting with those. Part 1 provides an overview of the discovery of the King Parrot Creek Skeleton Woman’s remains and the initial investigation into her death. Part 2 surveys the range of evidence which was recovered over the course of the investigation into the unknown woman.
In Part 3 (you are here), we will examine the theories surrounding the woman’s identity and the circumstances of her murder. Firstly, we will review a couple of theories which were quickly dismissed, because this story has some intriguing connections with another sensational true crime story from 1950s Australia. Secondly, we will review the various theories proposed about the woman’s identity and the circumstances of her death, with a focus on how these theories evolved over time as new evidence emerged. Finally, we will conclude this write-up with some conclusions about what we have learnt about the King Parrot Creek Skeleton Woman, as well as the unresolved questions which cast long shadows over her case.
Summary of Key Information
The remains of an unidentified woman aged between 40 and 50 were found buried in the banks of King Parrot Creek near the small town of Strath Creek, Victoria, Australia on 6 April, 1954. Her skeleton was almost complete except for some missing components of her facial structure and a portion of her breastbone, and part of her skull was found downstream from the rest of her body. Victorian police immediately launched a massive search of the crime scene, recovering some small bones and fragments of the woman’s clothing which were used to reconstruct her outfit. Further investigation revealed a single pellet of #10 shot embedded in the woman’s jaw and numerous other pellets around the site of her body which may have ended up in the soil as she decomposed. Her full scalp of hair was also discovered upstream, tangled in a bush above the height of the creek’s waterline. These clues seemed to indicate that the woman was killed by a gunshot before her body entered the creek further upstream from where she was found. Additionally, her body may have been covered by the accumulation of silt from successive floods, rather than having been buried in a grave which was intentionally excavated at the site.
Dismissed Theories
Before diving into our analysis of theories about who the woman was and how she died, we will discuss two dismissed theories which offer interesting insights into the social climate and policing conventions of 1950s Australia.
Matching to Known Missing Persons
One of the first lines of enquiry pursued by investigators was whether the King Parrot Creek Skeleton Woman’s remains matched the description of any known missing persons. Early on, the files of 111 women reported missing between 1947 and 1950 were listed as possible matches to the remains. By August of 1954, four months after the skeleton’s discovery, the number of women who were investigated as potential matches exceeded 200.
A noteworthy feature of these efforts is the number of women still listed as missing who were discovered alive during the investigation. Detective Grace Brebner, Victoria’s only female detective at the time, was called in to assist with the tracing of women who had been reported missing. In the first twelve open missing persons cases which police followed up on, six of the missing women had already returned home. By five days after the discovery of the woman’s remains, more than a hundred missing persons casefiles had been dismissed as matches, and more than twenty women who were still listed as missing had been traced. Within a few months Detective Brebner and her team had already traced more than sixty missing women, many of whom still lived in various parts of Victoria despite being long believed dead by their relatives!
However, despite extensive publicity, requests for information by police, and the high rate of closed missing persons cases which stemmed from the investigation, enquiries into known missing persons cases never seemed to go anywhere. Notably, no women from the Broadford area (local to the site of the discovery of the skeleton) had been reported missing, and no locals came forward to make a report even after repeated requests by police. Ultimately, police believed it was ‘more than likely that this woman has never been reported missing’.
These attempts to match the woman’s remains to known missing persons cases highlight how much public attitudes and police procedure regarding missing persons have changed since the 1950s. The fact that many women listed as long-term missing in police records had already returned home indicates a lack of routine follow-up, so perhaps Detective Brebner’s appointment to the case occurred because male detectives considered the task of tracing missing women to be beneath them. Conversely, perhaps Detective Brebner was so successful in her task because women who had intentionally gone missing to escape domestic abuse were more comfortable talking to her.
Phyllis Page
A key reason that the King Parrot Creek Skeleton Woman’s case first captured the public imagination was that police initially believed her body belonged to Mrs Phyllis Mary Page (reported as Mary Phyllis Page in some sources). Phyllis Page was a woman whose newlywed husband was convicted of her murder in a sensational trial. Her case reportedly made legal history as Australia’s first successful ‘murder without a body’ conviction in which none of the victim’s remains were ever found. To this day, no trace of Mrs Page has ever been detected after she left on her honeymoon in February of 1950.
Phyllis Page was from Blacktown, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, and was a middle-aged widow when she met Lionel Charles Thomas. Thomas had an extensive criminal history which began in Victoria in 1931: among innumerable other offences, he was tried for other murders on no less than four occasions(!), and once served four years in prison for blinding a man with pepper at Kings Cross, a then-seedy inner-city neighbourhood in Sydney, and robbing him of £650 (approximately $40,000AUD/$26,000USD today). He met and courted Mrs Page under the false name of ‘Fred Stephens’, promising to marry her and ultimately persuading her to transfer possessions worth more than £2000 (nearly $123,000AUD/$80,000USD today).
Phyllis Page and Lionel Thomas set off for their honeymoon from Blacktown on February 2, 1950, travelling in a panel van. They took the coast road until reaching Eden on the south coast of New South Wales, where Thomas is believed to have shot Page on or around February 19, before dumping her body in a flooded creek. Page’s disappearance was soon noted by her children, who were no longer receiving letters from her to update them about her trip.
What followed was a meticulous police investigation which tracked Thomas across several states, piecing together his movements and creating a ‘chain of circumstantial evidence’ which ‘was complete in every detail’. This process was so strenuous that after it ended, one of the lead investigators permanently retired from the police force, burnt out by the stress of the experience. Lionel Thomas was ultimately arrested thousands of kilometres away in Western Australia, shortly before celebrating his planned marriage to another woman! In spite of the absence of Phyllis Page’s body and other physical evidence, he was found guilty of her murder and sentenced to life in prison. He did not serve much of this sentence, dying by suicide in Sydney’s Long Bay Penitentiary in 1951.
Early on, Phyllis Page was considered to be a possible match for the King Parrot Creek Skeleton Woman. Her key descriptors lined up well: she was about 50 years old, stood at 5ft 3in (160 cm), and had brown hair. She mainly wore tailored clothes of good quality, and wore upper and lower dentures which were made by a Parramatta dentist around 15 years earlier. Melbourne detectives quickly asked their Sydney colleagues for details on what Mrs Page was wearing when last seen, and details of her teeth. While a dental technician who could identify whether the skeleton’s dentures belonged to Mrs Page had died half a decade prior, arrangements were at one point underway for samples of the woman’s clothes to be sent to Sydney for examination by Mrs Page’s daughter, Mrs June Burr.
However, this theory fell out of favour as quickly as it arose, as many things about the potential match clearly did not make sense. For instance, the skeleton was found wearing winter clothing, but Phyllis Page disappeared in summer. There is also a distance of over 600km (370mi) between King Parrot Creek and Eden, and no waterway connects the two locations. Extensive tracing of Thomas’s movements after the murder by police never placed him anywhere near King Parrot Creek, so it’s unclear how or why Mrs Page’s body would have ended up at this location. Setting aside enthusiastic speculation from the media at the time, this connection to another famous Australian true crime story is only an intriguing footnote in the story of the King Parrot Creek Skeleton Woman.
Theories
We will now examine a number of theories which were raised about the woman’s identity and fate over the course of the investigation. Some can be dismissed out of hand, others lack virtually any evidence to confirm or discount them, while others still connect with some of the known facts but are still frustratingly incomplete.
Accident
Newspapers originally speculated that the woman’s death might have been an accidental drowning, with her remains being buried on the bend of the creek where she was found by the gradual accumulation of silt. Although this seems unlikely given the shot found in and around the woman’s body, some commenters on Part 2 speculated that this shot may have entered her body postmortem (e.g., due to hunters firing into the rabbit warren above where her body was buried).
If true, this would leave the woman’s cause of death open, but two signs point away from this idea that the shot was introduced to the scene after the woman was buried there. Firstly, if the shot was present due to hunting in the area, why wasn’t there more evidence of this? The search of the soil was performed with amazing care: barrel upon barrel of soil from the site was sieved by hand. Cartridges and caps for shotgun shells were never found in this soil, and even though #10 shot contains approximately 850 pellets per ounce, only 14 pellets were found at the site. Many of the pellets found were also dented as though they had struck a hard object such as bone. These factors indicate that the small number of shot pellets found at the site ended up there because they fell out of the woman’s body during decomposition.
Secondly, a shotgun blast matched the pattern of damage to the woman’s skull which obliterated her upper jawbone. Despite their initial mystification at her cause of death, forensic experts agreed that this injury would have been the result of one or two shotgun blasts. Reading between the lines, it seems like the very small size of the shot was what hindered the identification of gunshot damage, rather than a pattern of injury which did not resemble that caused by a shotgun blast.
Suicide
Assuming that the woman died as a result of a gunshot wound, was her death attributable to suicide or murder? Given how little we know about her, this question is impossible to answer: we can only attempt to interpret the limited information available to us. With this caveat stated, some contextual factors seem to point against suicide. For example, King Parrot Creek is still relatively remote despite its proximity to Melbourne, and it would have been even more so in the 1950s. Police did not see how the woman could have been a local, given that nobody was reported missing in the area. They also did not believe that she could have travelled to the area to enact a plan of suicide without anyone remembering her arrival: the nearest train stations (Broadford and Kerrisdale) were a considerable distance away from the creek, and there were no reports of any abandoned cars being discovered in the area. As investigators eloquently put it: ‘It is hard to believe that this woman strayed to this spot on her own and died there without her death being questioned’.
Furthermore, how would suicide by gunshot have played out such that the woman’s body ended up in the creek? Unless her body was somehow deposited into the creek from another location by heavy rain, the woman would have needed to shoot herself in such a way that she fell into the creek. This is not impossible but seems like an odd choice – did she shoot herself while sitting on the railing of a bridge, or did she shoot herself on the banks of the creek? If the latter, why wasn’t the gun ever found given that the creek was dredged and searched for miles upstream from where she was discovered
Murdered at the Site
One of the earliest theories about what had happened to the woman was that she was killed during a shooting or fishing trip at the site where she was found. An early lead led to investigators following up on reports of ‘noisy fishing parties’ at the creek during weekends ‘some years ago’. People apparently camped at the site of the woman’s discovery, and the parties they held there were ‘wild’ – indeed, police recovered a large number of empty beer and wine bottles from this area during their investigation of the scene. The landowners were clearly not pleased by these goings-on: four years prior to the woman’s discovery, a fence had been put up along the side of the property about 10 yards (9 metres) from the creek to discourage these people, and since then very few people had camped near the spot where the skeleton was found.
Police initially theorised that during one of these parties, someone picked up one of many heavy rocks nearby and killed the woman with it. This idea may have been based on the pattern of damage to her skull, but it can be discounted if you believe she was murdered by gunshot. More broadly, this theory seems to be invalid because the woman’s scalp was found upstream from the site, and other evidence suggested she had been buried by silt that accumulated over her body rather than being put in a grave which was dug at that spot. Overall, the fact that the woman was discovered at a previously notorious party location seems to be nothing more than a strange coincidence.
Murdered in Melbourne
One theory which is neither supported nor contradicted by the available evidence is that the woman was killed in Melbourne and taken to the King Parrot Creek area for disposal. One article proclaimed that detectives ‘feel sure’ this was the case, but it was rarely mentioned afterwards. There is not much more to say about this idea: although none of the available forensic evidence clearly connects the woman to Melbourne, it doesn’t connect her to anywhere else either!
Murdered Elsewhere Near the Creek
When the woman’s scalp of hair was found upstream from her body, the location of this discovery was only 100 yards (91 metres) downstream from the Kerrisdale Bridge (also called ‘Burston’s Bridge’ in some sources) near Strath Creek. Furthermore, the location of the scalp was only a short distance from a camping ground located just off the Flowerdale Road, which also seems to be where the corsets mentioned in Part 2 were found. (Note: I haven’t been able to pinpoint where the bridge and campground are – Kerrisdale is downstream from where the woman’s skeleton was found, so the ‘Kerrisdale Bridge’ can’t be located within Kerrisdale itself. The campground may possibly be at Moores Road Reserve, which is right next to a bridge, but I have no way of confirming this.) Some of the last available reporting on the King Parrot Creek Skeleton Woman speculated that she was killed during an argument at the campground near Kerrisdale Bridge. Her body was then thrown into the creek where it was hidden by debris, then heavy winter flooding floated it downstream where it got snagged in the wattle tree and buried by silt.
Rumours
News reports of the time were replete with vague tidbits and innuendo: for example, one report stated that ‘a woman aged about 30 disappeared from her home in Melbourne in 1952 and has not been seen or heard of since’, while another proclaimed that ‘detectives will question a man whose wife has been missing for several years’. Ultimately, only two rumours were detailed enough to offer a theory about what had actually happened to the woman.
The first of these stories was provided by a truck driver: in late 1951, he gave a man and a woman a lift from Holbrook, New South Wales, to Broadford, Victoria. These towns were located about 300km (186mi) from each other on the Hume Highway, the main route between Sydney and Melbourne; Broadford is the nearest town to the site of the woman’s discovery with a population of over 1,000. This man and woman gave the driver the impression that they had just been released from jail: detectives believed that if the woman had been in jail, she was unlikely to have been reported missing. The woman was wearing clothing similar to that worn by the skeleton woman, but her blouse had an open neck, while the clothing found at King Parrot Creek included a blouse with a high collar. Additionally, it’s unclear how late in the year these events transpired: if it was already summer, it is unlikely that the woman would have been wearing heavier winter clothing.
The second story was provided by a farmer from Broadford, who said he attended a local dance during Easter of 1948 (which occurred over March 26-29 in that year), where he danced with a strange woman who seemed on the point of hysteria. She told him she’d been travelling around in a truck with another woman and two men for 10 days, and during the night the men had killed the other woman and buried her near a creek. This detail matched police’s theories that the King Parrot Creek Skeleton Woman’s body was buried on the creek banks for a time, causing her to decompose enough that her scalp easily detached when flooding washed her body out of the grave and her hair became tangled in the branches of a shrub overhanging the creek. Conversely, this story does not match the post-mortem interval of 2-3 years which police eventually settled on, and a case could be made either way about whether it was cold enough locally at that time of year to justify the clothing that the woman was found wearing.
Questions
More questions than I can do justice to here surround the mystery of the King Parrot Creek Skeleton Woman, but I’ll try to cover some core ones below. Keen to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Where was the woman from?
I think the woman was not part of the local community, as I can’t see why an entire rural community in 1950s Victoria would band together to keep her identity a secret. It’s most likely that she was from elsewhere and was never reported missing. We also can’t rule out interstate connections: while I don’t think the woman is the same person who received a lift from the truck driver in 1951, the proximity of the creek to the Hume Highway, one of Australia’s most important interstate routes, is notable.
What was the woman’s cause of death?
For the reasons discussed above, I definitely believe that the woman’s death was not the result of an accident, and I am inclined to believe that she did not die by suicide. But if the woman was murdered, was this a premeditated act by her killer? I am inclined to think not: #10 shot, used to kill small birds like quails and pest animals like rabbits, does not seem like an ideal first choice for killing a human. If this was a crime, it appears to have been committed with whatever the killer had on hand, possibly pointing to someone on a shooting holiday or a country resident as the perpetrator.
Where did the woman die?
One of the big problems with solving this case is that the woman could have died anywhere and been disposed of in creek – there was little hope of finding the murder site or weapon when the investigation begun, and that hope is virtually non-existent now. Although Melbourne was proposed as a possible murder site, as discussed above it is impossible to evaluate this idea using the available evidence. However, the idea that she was killed a popular campsite near a bridge is more intriguing. Even if the sound of gunshots was normal in the area due to hunting, surely the leadup to a murder by gunshot would have been noticed at a popular and busy campsite?
How did the woman enter the creek?
If we dismiss the idea that the woman was intentionally buried at the site where she was found, we must assume that she was washed down the creek. However, the fact that the woman’s scalp detached from her head in one piece when her hair became entangled in overhanging branches indicates a considerable level of decomposition. Was her body dumped in the creek while it was flooded, resulting in her hair getting tangled? This could have trapped her body and placed considerable tension on the scalp, causing it to detach. Or (as one investigator suggested) was the woman originally buried in the banks of the creek upstream, with the decomposition process beginning during burial? Her body may have subsequently been washed out of its grave during flooding, which transported it down the creek to the place where the scalp detached. As discussed below, these different accounts have implications for determining when the woman died.
When did the woman die?
We know that the woman likely died during winter from her heavy clothing, but reviewing the evidence with more modern forensic techniques might allow us to triangulate a more accurate window of time. For example, we know that the woman’s death would most likely have occurred around the time of heavy rains and flooding, as her scalp was found tangled in bushes well above high water level. Additionally, the earliest newspaper clippings show that the woman was buried in the creek bank 10 feet (3 metres) above the height of water level. Identifying how long it would have taken for the woman’s scalp to detach under the different scenarios proposed above might give more accurate insight into when she died. On this note, would the riverside campsite even be accessible if the woman was murdered during a time when the creek was in flood?
What do the available clues tell us about the woman?
The woman’s clothing offers some clues about her identity. Firstly, her clothes were relatively plain and conservative: it’s hard to picture her going to ‘wild parties’ on the banks of the creek. There are also conflicting signs about her economic standing: her shoes were reported to be of very good quality, but her dentures were made using outdated techniques and cheap materials. Maybe the most intriguing object she was found with is her khaki jacket, variously described as being a ‘lumber’, ‘service’ or ‘army’ jacket. If this was indeed an army jacket, could it indicate that the woman had a service record during World War II? Volunteers for both the Women’s Australian National Service (WANS) and its successor, the Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS), were issued with khaki jackets as part of their uniforms (see examples at this link). Alternatively, could the woman have acquired the jacket from a returned serviceman?
One other mystery relates to the woman’s dentures. Why were her bottom dentures undamaged despite an apparent facial shooting, while her top ones were missing completely? There has been speculation that she carried her bottom dentures in her coat pocket, and her top dentures may have been in the handbag which was found by a Seymour woman but apparently never recovered. If there is one clue I would love to know more about in this case, it’s what became of this handbag – if its ‘private papers’ identified its owner, it could have been the key to this whole mystery!
Is it even possible to identify this woman anymore?
There are two aspects to this question: firstly, does anyone alive remember her? It is amazing how things like vanished family members survive for several generations in families’ oral histories, but time is running out – anyone who remembers her directly would be getting old. It is an unlikely outcome, but historical missing persons reports have started to trickle in across Australia, with some cases even being solved. Secondly, is the location of the woman’s remains known, and have they been stored in favourable conditions for genetic genealogy? There must be some record of this woman which just stops without explanation or a death certificate.
Conclusions
My personal belief is that the woman was murdered somewhere in the region of where her body was discovered. Possibly she was on a hunting holiday from elsewhere with her husband or other acquaintance(s), and was shot following a dispute in the heat of the moment. Her body was then disposed of over a bridge upstream, or perhaps along the banks of the creek; possibly this disposal occurred while the creek was in flood. Swept away by floodwaters, her hair was then snagged in overhanging branches and her scalp detached, and her body was deposited on the creek bank where it was buried by silt. Finally, her body was revealed to Alf Sutter by further flooding which dislodged the wattle tree against which it had rested under the silt. I do want to acknowledge that the plausibility of this theory hinges on whether you think the woman died by gunshot wound – if she died by other means and the shot ended up in and around her body post-mortem, a much wider range of possibilities about her death are on the table.
However, debate about causes of death doesn’t diminish the core intrigue of the King Parrot Creek Skeleton Woman’s mystery. How did her body come to by buried deep in this lonely, isolated creek bank, found only because of a farmhand’s chance decision to take a tea break? Will we ever learn who she is, and is the present location of her remains even known for an attempt at genetic genealogy? I hope that making information about her case available in a public forum will bring awareness to her story: even if she cannot be identified, at least she will not be forgotten.
Note: I was hoping to release this final part on 4 April, which was the 70th anniversary of the discovery of the King Parrot Creek Skeleton Woman, but life got in the way! Thank you for reading this write-up, and a special shoutout to the people who left such supportive and interesting comments on the previous parts. I really enjoyed sharing my research with the community, and have had a few messages with requests to cover other cases which I might look into now that this write-up is complete.
Link to sources: This three-part write-up is based on over 100 newspaper articles. Rather than linking to them individually, I’ve compiled a PDF of all sources used which you can browse at this link.

News from the clones regarding Diamond's fate spread fast across the Omniverse, which in turn spread through the Megaverse. The Injustice Initiative could not believe this drastic turn of events with the Megaverse Council in utter shock that their stoic leader has fallen and is being hunted. However, before any of the powerful entities could manifest themselves to comfort Diamond, his soul and presence practically vanished from their senses. Back on Earth, Trevor's powers gradually returned to him as his first action was hiding his aura and soul from the detection of his friends and allies. While seeking refuge in his old base at San Antonio, HONEY was asking Trevor what his next course of action is. "First of all, Trevor is dead, Diamond is what remains now. Furthermore, I no longer sense Paradox's filth in this Omniverse, wherever he is, he is no longer here. Yet, the other scoundrel responsible for my parents' murder still is." "Agent X has the Deity suit how can you combat it?" "The suit was made to wound Lauran in order for the absorbium to channel my powers back to me. Lauran was inexperienced with my powers; thus, she could never really damage the suit. However, as the original creator of the suit, I know how to take out the absorbium straight from X's chest. And......I will kill him." "Excellent boss....wait what? Surely you are not going to kill him, right?" "You will no longer be of use to me HONEY." "Boss no don't do this!" Diamond deactivated HONEY as he rebooted his nanotech suit. "As for all of you other marks, you can either stay here or return back to base. You all are relieved of duty." The suits noticed Diamond's change in demeanor but dared not to speak to their angered creator.
In the Megaverse, Venessa took the news very heavily and teleported to the realm where Ranfus resided. In the vast labyrinth of books, she found him and suspended him in the air. "YOU HAVE THE POWER TO FORESEE THE FUTURE! YET, YOU DID NOTHING TO WARN MY FATHER!" "Venessa, my gift of prophecy does not solidify future events. Plus, this incident was entirely unforeseen, even for me. Please let me go." Venessa released Ranfus as he could tell Venessa was slowly slipping into darkness with her hair turning silver, her skin becoming pale, and both of her eyes glowing a dark purple similar to Zorro's. "Leave Strange Supreme for the time being, you have done your part. Travel back to the Main Omniverse and reunite with Selena." "How come I cannot see my father?" "Because your father is invisible even to my senses." Before leaving his base, Diamond made final preparations to make sure his suit would deliver the most amount of pain to Agent X. He completely disregarded his connection to the Light as a coarse voice encouraged him to embrace the Dark. He tapped into his negative emotions and allowed it to grant him an increase in strength, as he opened his eyes, they briefly flickered a dark orange.
Fueled with unbridled rage and a quest for revenge, Diamond took a deep breath while trembling. "I will find him......I will find him! I WILL FIND HIM EVEN IF I HAVE TO BURN DOWN THIS UNGRATEFUL WORLD AND KILL ANYONE OR ANYTHING THAT STANDS IN MY WAY!" He then left in that dark hour where the veil between the mortal plane and the dark supernatural world was at its thinnest. In particular, this morning of Good Friday proved to be the strongest in the supernatural world, because it was in the late hours of Holy Thursday and early hours of Good Friday when Judas the betrayer sought out and handed Jesus into the hands of His enemies 2,024 years ago. When Diamond embarked on his mission, he did not notice but from his own shadow, the silhouettes of his enemies manifested themselves and smiled with devilish delight. While on his journey, he heard the faint voices of memories past that occurred in the Omniverse combined with the voices of the living. Although he did his best to hide his presence, it seemed his allies knew just how to commune with him. The Spider Supreme, "Diamond, I cannot tell where you are, but your soul is not at peace. Please remember you are not alone in this." Diamond ignored this voice, but when he did, he heard a faint whisper from the Omniverse, similar to a young female's voice, "You too were with the Nazarene, Jesus." Diamond had no idea what this echo was about, but he pressed on determine to enact his revenge on the man who stole his parents from him. He flew with great speed to Dallas and used his technology to locate X's base of operation. He circled around the city a few times before his scanners picked up the absorbium inside of X's suit. Diamond dove straight to its location and crashed into a facility packed with Reaper Troopers.
This time, he was ready for the troopers and mowed through them like butter with his nanotech blades and saws. Midway through the slaughter, he grew bored watching them die quickly, so he harnessed his negativity to become an entity similar to Nightmare. Black tentacles sprouted from his body as he had them pierce the troopers in their vital organs, while completely twisting the heads of others a complete 180 degrees. On the cameras, Agent X observed in horror at Diamond's rampage. He knew there was a chance of his advisory striking back, but this was on a different scale. Knowing he had nowhere to go, he boarded his room and prepared himself for a brutal encounter with his enemy. Hordes of troopers rushed to Diamond's position, but he kept slaughtering them all in barbaric ways. A handful of different smaller squadrons were mysteriously absent from the battle as The Ageless opened a portal for those troopers to step through. The Ageless was present in order to gather a few of the Reaper Troopers for the looming final battle.
Diamond finally caught up to Agent X and busted through his reinforced walls. While slowly making his way to X's position those echoes of the Omniverse still called out to him. Daniel, "Let the demon be left to his demons. Do not cross over that line." Victoria, "Come back please before it's too late!" Core Frisk, "Diamond listen to us please!" Diamond continued to press forward, no one living, or dead would get in the way of his vengeance. He only had one goal in mind and one goal only, Agent X must die a miserable death. Just then another echo came through, this time from a maid, "This man is one of them." Diamond ignored this faint whisper and focused on his mission, "X!!!!! I CAN SMELL YOU BASTARD................There you are." Diamond used his soul manipulation ability and yanked Agent X in his destroyer suit from under the floor and thrusted him against the wall. "YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TONIGHT!" Agent X used the suit to avoid a dangerously sharp nano blade that nearly split him in two. He fired anti-life rockets at Diamond, but Diamond merely absorbed them with the powers of the Dark. Diamond used his tentacles to yank the absorbium from the suit and completely destroyed it, sending a shockwave across the room. When Agent X recovered, he used his flamethrower against Diamond; however, Diamond pulled the flamethrower away from the suit and used it to ignite the entire room on fire. "YOU'RE MAD ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL BOTH OF US!" "That suit will be your grave X." Agent X activated a blade made out of fake true nanotech while Diamond created two daggers as he approached Agent X with a sinister grin.
The two clashed repeatedly, but during each clash Diamond could see a disappointed look from his allies both living and dead. He saw Daniel, Victoria, Virgil, Prime Diamonds 2 and 3, Venessa, his mother and father, Roger Williams, Core Frisk, Saint Michael the Archangel, Saint Joan of Arc, Saint Peter, the other Archangels, Velocity, IronPanther, Satoru Sage, The Revenger, Ben Tennyson, Xavier, Disbelief William, The Spider Supreme, Ultima Knight, The Ice King, Rescue, Tristan, and Selena. Another faint whisper came into his ear, "Surely you are one of them; for you too are a Galilean." This briefly caused him to falter backwards as he closed his eyes. "No. He must die!" When Diamond opened his eyes, his bluish eyes became a dark orange color as he sliced Agent X's right arm off. His opponent screamed in pain as Diamond picked up the severed arm and proceeded to beat him with it. While beating X with the severed arm, the voices grew even louder: His mother, "Come back we still love you!" his father, "Trevor Trevor!" Roger Williams, "Kid this isn't you! You're better than this!" Saint Joan of Arc, "Grant him mercy. Not only for his soul but especially your own!" Prime Diamond 3, "You are my brother Trevor!" Ultima Knight, "Resist the pull to evil while you still have a chance!" The Ice King, "Trevor........remember who you are." Sage, "It doesn't have to end like this!"
However, at this point new sinister voices began to flood Diamond's mind. Daisy Noire, "Kill him, see how fearful he is now on the verge of death." Nightmare, "Relish this gift, a foe who you cannot wait to see perish." Dark Diamond, "One slit across the neck and it's all over, just the one move and you will finally be free." Vampire Diamond, "Crush his windpipe! Tear out his heart and feast upon it!" Alastor, "He took away your parents, revealed your identity, if he lives, Diamond dies." Muzan, "Let him die. After all who is going to miss one singular corrupted soul. You are simply doing the Omniverse a favor." Cloaked Shadow, "He stole your life so you should simply steal his. It is only fitting, after all an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." Diamond punched X so hard with the severed arm that it shattered his helmet and broke his nose causing him to bleed. He thrusted one of the daggers into X's chest and lifted him in the air. While X was squirming, Diamond used his left thumb to pluck out X's left eye. In the back of Diamond's mind, he did indeed hear the voice of a Galilean loud and clear, cursing and swearing saying, "I do not know this man about whom you are talking."
During this action, Diamond could not help but have a smile of sadistic satisfaction on his face as he enjoyed the man who killed his parents pleading for mercy and yelling in extreme pain. Diamond threw X's bloodied body onto the floor with full force breaking X's back in the process. He slowly created a blade with the sole purpose of causing extreme pain and death as he gradually walked to X. From X's point of view the fire and smoke around him engulfed Diamond, and with Diamond's dark orange eyes, he genuinely thought it was a demon in front of him. Diamond continued to step forward as he slowly raised the sword above his head smiling maliciously, "AND HE SHALL SMITE THE WICKED AND PLUNGE THEM INTO THE FIREY PIT!!!!!!!" He was about to release all his strength in this fatal blow but stopped at the last second as he saw a glowing child appear before him with His hand telling him to stop. Diamond was confused how a child was here, but in that moment of confusion his wrath briefly went away as he realized this was not any ordinary child. The child that stood before him was none other than the Infant King of Glory.
Diamond could see wounds in the child's hands and feet, and on his head were many wounds that appeared to be caused by thorns. There was even a wound on the side of the child which appeared to be caused by the thrust of a spear. The Infant King had a look of heavy disappointment and sorrow at Diamond's condition. Yet, when Diamond blinked, the King of Glory was gone. Diamond blinked repeatedly as his eyes went back to their normal color and had his sword disintegrate in his hands. He slowly walked backwards realizing what he had done and was horrified. He fell on the ground and began to cry; however, no sooner when he started to cry, he experienced what felt like a large chain wrapped around him with the Light inside his soul completely gone. He did not even feel the gift of Sanctifying Grace in his soul nor was he in communion with the Light of Heaven. It was at this moment that Diamond realized he had not fallen into any ordinary sin, but he fell into severe mortal sin and was finally no better than the absolute worse of the villains across the Megaverse.
This moment made him weep very bitterly as he tore his shirt in two beating his chest. After weeping, Diamond went and injected Agent X with a shot that will temporarily keep him alive. He carried him out of the burning building and flew him to the nearest emergency room and ordered the nurses to do everything they can to save Agent X's life. That night was one of the darkest nights Diamond had ever experienced in a long time. Darker than Operation Kingdom Come, darker than the Pokémon Wars, even darker than the times when both the United Nations and Fallen Andrias were persecuting the Initiative. As he walked away in the dark morning another echo of the Omniverse came to him, "Amen I say to you, this very night before the cock crows twice you will deny me three times." It came to him as a gentle whisper, but it caused him so much sorrow that he collapsed on the spot, weeping and wailing bitterly for his sins, it felt at that very moment he was utterly and truly alone. He slowly walked along the streets instead of teleporting for he even felt the basics of his powers being drained from him. While walking he felt strong seething heat along his back and the looming dread of death around him on all sides. Along the dark alleyways, Diamond smelt the scent of sulfur as numerous tall humanoid figures appeared along the street. They wore long dark red robes with a hood covering a dark void where a face should be. Their appearance reminded Diamond of Cloaked Shadow; yet it seemed the hooded figures judged him silently. This nearly caused him to go insane as they slowly watched him and silently chanted in Latin while pointing their decaying fingers at him, "Mea culpa. Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa. Mea culpa. Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa."
Underneath the robes of the hooded figures emerged several devilish imps that charged at Diamond. He fought them off repeatedly, but he knew that these creatures wanted to kill him and snatch his soul forever to deliver him into the hands of their malicious masters. He managed to break free and limped his way to the house of the old parish priest he formed a bond with before leaving the Omniverse. He was in constant fear looking behind his shoulder, making sure the giant figures or imps were not following him as he knocked loudly at the priest's door, "Father Jim, it's me, Trevor. I know it's Good Friday, but my soul is not at rest. I have committed a grievous sin not only against myself but to God. Please, I desperately seek Reconciliation for my foolish mistake!" Father Jim heard Trevor's voice and opened the door. "Hello old friend, I haven't seen you in a long time. Please come inside." Father Jim made hot tea for Trevor as he sat on one of the kitchen chairs and heard Trevor's Confession. After Trevor made a true and heartfelt Confession, Father Jim granted Trevor absolution and a firm penance. "You know I saw on the news what happened, I am truly sorry for your lost and those news reports of you committing crimes are not true. It has to be some doubleganger." "It is. It's a variant of mine outside of this Omniverse, his name is Paradox. An awful fellow, truly miserable only seeking to ruin my life. I can sense he is no longer in this Omniverse. He knows the deed is done to break my spirits. Although I have been restored to the life of Supernatural Grace, I can still feel my connection to the Light severely diminished." "If I were to take a guess, I would suspect that once your penance is fulfilled and the temporal punishment is lifted, then your connection to the Light would fully be restored two-fold." Diamond rose to take his leave. "You are in no condition to fight. If Paradox is gone with the remaining Reaper Troopers and you brought X to a hospital room, there is nothing more for you to do." "Can I stay here for tonight and possibly tomorrow. I....have nowhere else to go. How is it that I.....the most powerful being in this Omniverse and arguably among the most powerful in the Megaverse am so lonely with no one to turn to in this darkest night?" Diamond broke down again, as he held onto the arms rest of a chair, he was next to. "What you told me earlier is you hide away your presence from your friends. How about you reveal where you are now?" "And what? What are they going to do? Tell me I'm not alone, to push through it? That I can't save everyone!"
Suddenly a purple portal opened in their midst as Selena emerged. "I'm so sorry." She immediately hugged Diamond, who was still sobbing. Father Jim quietly left the room in order to allow the two to have privacy. "I couldn't save them Selena. I was too weak." "It's ok, I'm sure they know you did your best. Listen, look at me. I'm here and I know you. Although you hid your presence from me, I knew this was one of the places you would be. I know you think you are alone in this, but please you have me and so many others to help you. Just open yourself to us.........just open yourself to me. You don't have to be Diamond anymore, at least for this moment be the real you. Let your emotions flow through you, all the pain and hurt. Allow me to lift you in my arms as you lifted others into yours." Selena continued to hug Trevor as he released his grief. After a few minutes she let go due to Trevor requesting her to let him sleep for tonight. She obliged and promised she would return to see him again later that day. Around 6AM, Selena gathered Venessa, Tray, and Delta to go through Trevor's old home and salvage anything they could find. Selena uncovered a box of several discs of Trevor in his life. She found a DVD player and used her powers to restore the TV and played it in front of the children.
The first clip was taken from Trevor's old suit the Mark V which recorded his first fight against the Destructicons. The clip displayed the scene from Trevor's point of view as a man around his 40's thanked him. "I don't know who you are, but you saved our lives." "We're the Protectors. A group of heroes dedicated on protecting those who cannot protect themselves." The voice of a teenager could be heard. "More heroes? That's awesome! Our world keeps growing everyday Dad." "It sure is son, now what were those machine that attacked us?" "Those who tried to harm you are called Destructicons. We must stop them before they destroy our world." "Can we help?" "I'm afraid we are the only ones who can stop the Destructicons. However, what you can do is help spread the word that we are on the side of justice and for the authorities to cooperate with us in our mission." The clips were out of order for the next one was a clip recording his first ever suit that was constructed back in 2010, when he decided to become a friendly local hero. Selena could not believe the ten-year-old boy on the recording will grow into the young man she loved. She also could not believe that the fate of the Omniverse and now the Megaverse would hang on his decisions. Selena noticed the young youthful optimism, Trevor had behind his eyes. An optimism that was still there when she met him in 2022, but a little suppressed after witnessing so many horrors and evils. Now that optimism is all but gone. The next clip played a few minutes of Trevor's promotion to leader of the Injustice Initiative. In that clip, everyone noticed how deeply his parents cared for him and how proud they were in their son and his accomplishments. Another one that had the year 2014 was played where it was his parents recording Trevor's interaction with the other Prime Diamonds. His mom interrupted their small discussion and teased her son saying, "So what are you going to do now? Find a girlfriend from another universe and bring her here? Hopefully she is pretty by her universe's standards and knows how to cook." His mother laughed at her joke as Prime Diamonds 2 and 3 joined in, resulting in Trevor becoming embarrassed. "Mom, please leave. Now is not the time." "Alright, I'll let you get back to your Three Caballeros meeting." "Mom, we don't call ourselves that. We are the Bad Time Trio. Just leave the room please."
The group laughed as the clip ended with Venessa speaking first, "Now I know where dad gets it from when he teases me and Slay." Selena took the box of recordings, while the other three found other personal belongings to his parents that would hold value to him. They arrived back at Father Jim's house and showed all the belongings they salvaged. "Look babe, Tray found your old stuffed animal monkey your mom gave you. What's his name?" Trevor took the monkey embarrassingly, "His name is Bubba." "Delta also found a stuffed dog too." "Wow, I actually forgot about Rocco! I would play with him and Bubba all the time growing up." Selena brought the old discs and the five of them watched the rest before joining him and Father Jim in the Stations of the Cross for Good Friday, when the stations were over, Trevor meditated deeply upon the Passion of Christ and offered his burdens to Him. That Easter was a little more solemn for Trevor, but the truth and celebration of Christ's magnificent Resurrection from the dead filled his heart with fiery zeal. He then remembered his explanation to Velocity back in December, and reminded himself that the Lord will never allow the powers of evil to triumph over His faithful ones.
Epilogue 1
That Monday after Easter, a private funeral procession is held for Diamond's parents as Diamond leads the two caskets with Selena, Venessa, Tray, Delta, and the other five original members of the Injustice Initiative. Among the viewers are other far distant family relatives and loyal family friends all while being protected by the four troopers of Omega Squad and a handful of soldiers from Doom Legion, in order to prevent any ambushes. As the caskets are slowly lowered to the ground, Diamond wept bitterly with Selena and Venessa doing their best to make sure Diamond continues to stand straight and not collapse on the cold wet ground. Selena whispered to Venessa that it is up to Venessa to lead not only the Main Omniverse but cooperate with the Megaverse Council due to Diamond being out of commission for a while to deal with his grief. Selena nobly volunteered to protect Diamond and care for him, due to him not having anyone left. After the event, Venessa contacted Velocity who was now in charge of the Megaverse Council and planned a meeting with the Megaverse Council and Injustice Initiative within the next two days.
Epilogue 2
Back at the Demonic Council's Omniverse there was a celebration in Diamond's spirits being broken. The entirety of the Demonic Council was drunk on old Pharisee blood that they only drink on momentous occasions. Black Hat, "Ageless! How goes the training for other generals and commanders?" Ageless, "All is going well my master. These are the most capable of them all." He revealed five corrupted variants of the most powerful beings in the Main Omniverse. Each fallen into a pit of despair, depression, wrath, envy, and pride. Along with a handful of powerful corrupted Diamond variants that pledged their entire souls to their cause. "Excellent, with Diamond's spirits broken this will be all too easy for us! Although the Omniverses are not yet in alignment I heavily doubt Diamond will recover in time. A toast to our eternal victory!" The leading figures of the council stared over a balcony at their vast and countless army as they heard the cries and cheers of celebration below them. After taking a sip from their glasses. The leading figures turned their gaze towards the vastness of the Megaverse and channeled their unholy powers to accomplish a daunting task. Each member formed a circle and harnessed all the negative energy across the Megaverse, especially from the Main Omniverse. Where the old core of their Omniverse used to exist, a fiery explosion occurred as the Megaverse itself experienced a large tremor. The large melancholy gates of the Netherworld eventually emerged from the spectral realm. The fallen angels actually did it, they managed to bring the entrance of the Netherworld to their Omniverse and had full access to their entire army. They stood triumphantly for the success of their vile and devious scheme and did not care that their Omniverse appeared on the map of the Megaverse. Now, the Megaverse Council will soon discover that their enemy's headquarters was in Omniverse 6,666,666.
Epilogue 3
Two days passed as Venessa and several members from each of the Initiative's departments along with their respective leaders stood waiting on a beach. A large portal opened behind them as roughly fifty prestige members of the Megaverse Council stepped forward. A few notable members among the fifty were Ben 10, Xavier, The Researcher, Satoru Sage, IronPanther, Mads Manning, The Revenger, Tanjiro, Dr. Strange Fate, Disbelief William, and Null Void. Velocity deactivated her mask and shook Venessa's hand. "My condolences, Venessa." "Thank you, Velocity. However, we must do our best to move past this tragic event." The two turned their attention to the crowd as Venessa spoke first. "As Empress of the Omniverse and leader of the Injustice Initiative it is my duty to look over the welfare of all the Omniverse's inhabitants. With the powers of darkness rising at an alarming rate and Black Hat wanting to abolish all hope, I am announcing a total merger with the Megaverse Council. Velocity and I will work in having other Omniversal versions of the Initiative fully merge with the Council in order to better prepare for the coming storm." Velocity, "We owe it not only to those we lost so far in this war, but especially for Diamond and his parents along with the destroyed Omniverses across the Megaverse and the loses in this Omniverse brought by the ruthless conquest of The Ageless!"
A large cheer and agreement of voices echoed in the crowd. The members on the Megaverse Council not only began chanting their motto but the members of the Initiative began chanting the motto of their respective departments. Venessa, "It's time to finally go on the offensive Velocity." Venessa turned to the crowd, "TODAY IN THE NAME OF FREEDOM WE WILL START BRINGING THE FIGHT TO THE DEMONIC COUNCIL! THEY CAN RUN BUT CANNOT HIDE FROM OUR DIVINE RETRIBUTION!" Venessa and Velocity turned their gaze to the magnificent sunset behind them as everyone in the crowd did the same. Venessa, "I vow to my last breath that we will destroy you Black Hat." Prime Diamonds 2 and 3, "We vow to destroy you, Alastor." Luz and Anne, "You will no longer harm anyone's lives anymore Bill Cipher." Ben 10, and Xavier, "You too Inferno." Cross, "I'm coming for you Ageless." The Spider Supreme, "Your time is at end Cloaked Shadow." Tanjiro, "Muzan Kibutsuji I will find you and avenge all the people you murdered!" Mads Manning and The Revenger, "Your trace of filth will be erased forever Goret." Velocity, "And any other demonic council member known or unknown shall perish and you all will be sent back to the Netherworld never to ruin the lives of others again!"
After the select few spoke their vows: Velocity, Venessa, Tray, Slay, Delta, Prime Diamond 2, Prime Diamond 3, Disbelief William, Daniel and Virgil from the Omniversal Tribunal, John the warrior monk, Cross, Commander Stone and Omega Squad, The Spider Supreme, Luz, Anne, Octane, Golden Star, The Researcher, Professor Henry, Justin, Skyeler, Ben 10, Xavier, Tanjiro, Dareth, Lyla, Satoru Sage, IronPanther, Mads Manning, The Revenger, G-Lo, Vindicator, Spawn, The Specter, Strange Supreme, Satoru Gojo, Null Void, and the other remaining members of the Injustice Initiative and Megaverse Council stood resolute on the sand facing the sunset over the horizon. Back at the Megaverse Council Base, the sensors went haywire as a new Omniverse was revealed on the map. An Omniverse that rivals the entirety of their enemy's emerged and even stronger than the pocket dimension where Diamond would recruit members for the Megaverse Council. This Omniverse was an answer from Heaven, for that Omniverse to open its borders to the Megaverse, for the place that was discovered was Omniverse 7,777,777. A realm heavily in tune with the Light from Heaven with warriors who are more than ready in casting out demons; this new Omniverse would soon be given the appropriate name, The Alphaverse. Even in the darkest times, a glimmer of hope still shines which will grow into an orb as bright as the sun, dispelling the darkness. Now the stage has been set for total endgame, the battle line has been drawn, the powers of Light and Darkness are at an all-time high, and the fate of the Megaverse hangs in the balance of these two influences. Time will only tell when these two behemoth forces ultimately clash in one final cataclysmic battle in a little over a month.

I have a beautiful baby girl, 3.5 months old, who is happy and healthy—something I'm immensely grateful for. However, I've been struggling with her first name since her birth, which has made it difficult for me to fully enjoy motherhood. Her name is Riley (we don't live in the US for additional context). Not interested in altering middle name.
Throughout the pregnancy, my husband and I had very different tastes in baby names - I wanted more feminine names and he wanted "less frilly" girl names. When I read out Riley, he immediately LOVED it (for context I didn't know it was a unisex name) and it invoked this image of a sport, smart, young girl in his mind (we’re both very athletic for context and do hope she has a love for sports). It became the front-runner and we had a few backup options (Aria and Blair). I liked Riley - didn't love it but did love how much my husband loved it. I'll admit that on reflection I didn't do a good job of advocating/standing my ground but I can only learn for next time.
Fast forward to the birth (which was great), and when she came out I was so overcome I remember thinking - she's too beautiful for the names we have but I blurted out - I think she looks like a Riley (and I truly didn't think she looked like the backup options). We shortly announced it to family (<24 hours) and I remember when we first sent out a text I had an initial oh shit moment. I did have a comment from a family member who said "Oh I thought you would have gone with a girlier name" which is where things started to spiral. Once I got home from the hospital, I couldn't stop crying about the name and that we made a mistake but I was such a hormonal mess I couldn't properly articulate to my husband that I wanted to sit down and explore some other name options. I also researched more on the name Riley and seeing how most people on reddit viewed it as masculine/ realising it was a unisex name made it even worse (since I'm generally not a fan of unisex).
After about a month of being an emotional mess, my husband said I needed to see a psychologist on the name but bluntly said her name isn't changing so you need to figure out why you are having these issues. I saw her for about 6 weeks and it helped but really didn't think things improved that much.
After much turmoil, my husband finally agreed to consider a name change. We narrowed it down to Victoria or Madison, but now I'm paralyzed by indecision. Both of these names were names I loved but he shot down initially. For Victoria, he thinks it's an old lady's name and would only call her Tori, for Madison he was worried about being teased for potential nicknames (ie. fattie Maddie). I'm also conscious Reddit hates Madison but I've always loved it... I fear regretting either choice—changing her name and potentially straining my relationship, or keeping it and regretting not changing it. Or worse…worried she’ll hate having a unisex name and wondering if her parents wanted a boy vs girl. What makes it even tougher is that when I look at her, I don't have a clear "you're not Riley..you're a [insert name]" which makes it difficult. I do think my baby is so beautiful and I just don't think this name does her justice. She is also such a chill little happy baby.
I feel like I've failed as a mother by not thoroughly discussing names before birth/researching more, for not advocating for my needs postpartum, and now for struggling to make the right decision. Looking for any advice as I know I need to move past this...
thank you in advance.

Dear ex-Mormon community,
I would like to start this post off with a thank you to those that have given me supportive comments as well as those that have purchased my work (which has reached #4 in the controversial religions category in Amazon after finally getting approved for regular format). I very much appreciate the support.
However, I was disappointed in the Mormon community. I was hoping my work would start a dialogue with them, but they haven't even asked me a single question about what I have written and talked about. What I have seen, though, is a relentless effort to get personal information about me rather than address anything I have said. Quite frankly, I can't speak for everyone, but I find such behavior creepy and unwarranted. Apologists for the Mormon church should be gently reminded that the organization they represent is among the most secretive organizations in the world. Everything in Mormonism is a secret. For instance, the church is reluctant to disclose finances, questionable historical conduct, temple rituals and abuses. It is even dishonest about doctrines it previously espoused. All those things I mentioned would matter a great deal to the adherents of the faith, whereas my identity is meaningless in relation to the arguments I am putting forth. And furthermore, I am not going around demanding their identity, so they have no right to demand mine. As an outsider to the faith, it is starting to dawn on me that not only is the BOM a complete literary forgery, but the faith and the people that created it (and continue to push it in the modern era) are dishonest to an absurd degree as well.
In this post, I am going to be tackling other questionable things about Mormonism and the Mormon church that I was thinking but did not generally include in my main work.
Cowdery
The church proudly states that no witness to the original Book of Mormon ever denied their testimony. However, this statement is actually false. I believe that the Mormon church holds a misconception that the only way to deny something is by verbally stating it. A common phrase in the English Speaking world is “actions speak louder than words.” The truthfulness of such a statement is rooted in observing precisely the type of situations where people may say or affirm one thing but their actions betray their true thoughts. Another such phrase is “put your money where your mouth is”. Anyone familiar with the criminal justice system knows that both actions and words of a witness or perpetrator in relation to a crime can be considered valid evidence. We once again have the Mormon church maintaining its validity on a technicality.
One Book of Mormon witness that did testify against the Book of Mormon through his actions was Oliver Cowdery. Cowdery was forced out of the church in 1838 and then joined the Methodist church in Ohio. I should emphasize that Methodists practice infant baptism. Now before I get into my problem with him, I just want to provide two quotes, one from the first vision and the other from the BOM:
“I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join. I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: "they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof."” 1838 Joseph Smith
14 Behold I say unto you, that he that supposeth that little children need baptism is in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; for he hath neither faith, hope, nor charity; wherefore, should he be cut off while in the thought, he must go down to hell. 15 For awful is the wickedness to suppose that God saveth one child because of baptism, and the other must perish because he hath no baptism. 16Wo be unto them that shall pervert the ways of the Lord after this manner, for they shall perish except they repent. Behold, I speak with boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear. Moroni 8:14-16
Note: Now, I understand that Cowdery may not have had access to the 1838 vision account because he had already left the church when it was dictated. However, if the first vision is true, it is highly unlikely that he wouldn't have heard it since he was in Smith's inner circle. Mormon apologists have been trying to demonstrate for many years that Smith talked about the first vision long before it was recorded, so I wouldn't expect disagreement with them on that point.
What I find most telling about Cowdery's conversion to Methodism is that he deliberately chose a church that practiced infant baptism. He could have converted to the Baptists, Anabaptists, Quakers (no baptism) or any of the other credo-baptist sects of the day. Instead, he associated himself with a creed and church that practiced something revolting in the eyes of the Mormon God. If a man personally saw God the father, Jesus, John the baptist and Isaiah, and he also happened to sign God's “perfect” book as a witness affirming that what was said in that book is true and of God, how could that man possibly associate himself (without any coercion) with a sect and creed that directly conflicts with the message of the supernatural beings he is worshipping? Mormon apologists have said that Cowdery needed a church, so he just randomly went to a Methodist church to hear a spiritual message. However, I find such a proposition impossible because he could have chosen a church that didn't practice infant baptism. Would anyone feel comfortable going to a church doing child baptism if they met the creator of the universe and that God expressed condemnation against the practice?
The only conclusion one can come to in analyzing Cowdery as a witness is that he did not believe the Book of Mormon was true. One cannot emphasize enough the importance of the character of Cowdery to the founding of the Mormon church. His conversion to Methodism is not trivial or accidental. By affirming the truthfulness of Methodism, he is denying the core tenets of the Book of Mormon and demonstrating where his true belief lies.
The Worst Prophecy
Joseph Smith has a very poor prophetic track record. In fact, it could be argued that most of his prophecies failed. This has not stopped Mormon apologists from claiming that such prophecies are “conditional”. In this instance, they believe that human action scuppered God's plan, so God didn't fail and the prophecy became either a warning or a reward not realized. With many of Smith's prophecies, they find a way to get away with this type of justification. For instance, Smith predicted that New York would be destroyed if the gospel wasn't accepted. However, New York still stands today, so they say it was a conditional prophecy that wasn't fulfilled because somebody converted from New York, therefore Smith is still a prophet.
There is, though, one prophecy that really does demonstrate that Smith was a charlatan. Below is a quote from Joseph Smith that the queens of the Earth would pay tribute to the relief society in 10 years:
“This Society shall have power to command Queens in their midst-- I now deliver it as a prophecy that before ten years shall roll around, the queens of the earth shall come and pay their respects to this Society-- they shall come with their millions and shall contribute of their abundance for the relief of the poor-- If you will be pure, nothing can hinder.”
We know that the queens he is referring to are not lay members who have a token title but actual Queens because he says that they will arrive “with their millions (of followers?)”. We also have a definite time frame, so there is no room for them to say that “generation doesn't really mean generation” or any other such nonsense. Fair Mormon has directly suggested that the prophecy failed because the relief society women failed on some level, or that perhaps some of the women's reluctance to accept polygamy made the prophecy fail. The truth of the matter is that even if the prophecy was conditional, there is no logical way you can believe that the conditions were unmet. Many of the Mormon women accepted polygamy even though the practice was frowned upon in the 1800s. Would God punish the women of the Mormon church for rejecting a practice that the church itself would repudiate a few decades later? Furthermore, many pioneer men and women endured numerous hardships on the long voyage to the western United States. How could anyone think that the regular members of the church are to blame for the failure of the prophecy?
I will tell you why the prophecy failed. It failed because the queens of the Earth used their agency to reject Mormonism. It's that simple really. I find it hilarious that Fair Mormon and other apologists think that the prophecy would have come true if the pioneer women were more enthusiastic about polygamy. Do they really think that the queens of the earth (like Queen Victoria) would have gotten off their royal thrones to join a small polygamous sect in the desert? Even an elementary school student could see that the prophecy would fail. Smith is clearly demonstrating his megalomania here. If the Mormon God did indeed predict such a thing, not only would his foreknowledge be inadequate to rule the world, but he would be displaying a complete lack of good judgment and common sense.
Proxy Marriage
During my research, I uncovered that the Mormon church practices a thing known as “proxy marriage”, where a dead couple who was married either before Smith or outside the church has the chance to seal their marriage for eternity if they choose that path. Although this may seem altruistic to some, there is an enormous problem theologically and morally with such a strange practice.
As I have previously explained and as you are all aware, free will is incredibly important in the Mormon plan of salvation. Since billions of couples before Smith never had the chance to get married eternally, it is only fair that they get the chance to do so in the afterlife. However, there is a component of free will that is necessary for it to work. One can only have free will if they make their decisions with at least a minimum knowledge of the actions they are committing and the resulting consequence. Think about the billions of couples from numerous cultures that were married before Smith's eternal marriage doctrine. Did any of them form their union knowing anything about Mormon theology before initiating their marriage? You see, Mormon theology traps couples in the afterlife by basically introducing an ultimatum. The angel approaches you and you have one shot to accept a marriage you didn't know was eternal or risk losing Godhood. Everyone who is Mormon can choose their Spouse with that in mind, but the same courtesy is not extended to those in other cultures (or those who died before Smith created his doctrine). Just looking at European history, we can see that numerous marriages were formed under the understanding that the marriage union would only last a lifetime. Some people married for political connections or wealth, others may have been unhappily married. So how is it fair that those people are forced into an eternal alliance they didn't know was eternal? Also, wouldn't many people who were single in history prioritize marriage if they knew it was necessary for Godhood? Why would the LDS God have neglected to ensure the survival of the doctrine during the “great apostasy” when it is of paramount importance to salvation in Mormonism?
The reason for the proxy marriages is likely this quote from Jesus in Matthew 22:30 “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage”. However, this opens up another can of worms. If there is no marriage in the resurrection, how can children who die before the age of accountability (no proxy marriage for children in temples) marry in order to achieve Godhood (which is necessary for the highest kingdom according to LDS doctrine)? Even Fair Mormon asserts that in the resurrection there will be no marriage in relation to Matthew 22:30: We believe also believe that this life is the time to follow the gospel. After the resurrection, it will be too late to enter into eternal marriage just as Jesus says.” Joseph F. Smith believed that children could marry in the resurrection, but this contradicts Jesus's words even in the JST (the gospel of Matthew was reviewed by Smith, but he didn't change this part).
Proxy marriage is simply at odds with the grand mosaic of human history, culture and nature. That's fine that the Mormon church does ordinances for people that want them, but the notion of forcing Mormon doctrine on deceased individuals that lived a complete life without it is absurd.
Conclusion
Not only are the main Mormon texts obvious forgeries, but the Mormon church has a number of problems as well. However, once again, any Mormons that disagree are welcome to come and refute me.
Thanks for reading.
Mythos

Good day to you all. I've recently finished another work of mine and have started on my first Worm fanfic. I am looking for feedback and what's below is pretty much a dump of chapter 1, all in all some 5k words long.
Cheers!
​
Hey folks, with the completion of Betrayed: Descendants of the Void (Redux) (available on FF.net) I’m moving onto a different project! For the past month or so I’ve been reading Worm/Parahumans by Wildbow fanfics and now I want to make my own contribution to the fandom, particularly ‘Maiden Time, Maid of Time’ which will probably be noticed by those of you who have read that work.
This story won’t have Taylor get the sort of OP goodness that makes MTMoT a fun read but she will have a versatile power related more broadly to service rather than being a maid directly. Speaking of which, yes, her power is a Thinker with a very low Brute/Mover which will be explained as the story progresses. I don’t intend to spoil that for you all.
Now, I’d like to think that with her power being relatively weak (without very specific inputs) for conventional fighting, Taylor will not be one of those ‘fight bad guys in alleys’ kind of capes. Rather, you can think of her taking a more Parian-style approach with the occasional fight where it cannot be avoided. I like writing about creative/interesting power uses.
One more thing. While my past stories have only been something like 2-3k words per chapter, I’d like to improve my style by writing longer ones, with a rough target of 5k words per. Oh, and Redux never got to the 100k words mark, if not by much, so I’ve got my fingers crossed on this story!
---
1.1 – In Service of the Dockworkers’ Association
It took until she came home from school for Taylor Hebert to find out that her father had been in an accident at work and that he was at the hospital. The old landline phone bouncing on its cord as she dropped it and frantically put on her shoes, barely bothering to lock the door behind her as she began to run towards the Hospital.
Unfortunately for her, running even a mile left her gasping for air and in a moment of reason she waited for the bus, despite her inner self wanting to keep running until her legs gave out. She found her legs drumming on the seat in front of her, jittering a beat as she blankly stared ahead. Her father was all she had at this point, if he… died just like mom then, she didn’t know what she’d do with herself.
Time seemed to flash by until she stepped off at the hospital, not bothering to thank the bus driver as she strutted towards the entrance of Brockton Bay General Hospital. Kurt, a fellow Dockworker who’d often come by for dinner when things had been better had been the one to call her, it was little surprise that he was waiting for her, the man’s face looking dower as he nodded to her and led her into the hospital.
---
Her dad looked almost peaceful, an IV drip of some substance slowly entering his forearm as his eyes remained shut. She sat beside him, holding onto his warm hands in an attempt to provide at least some semblance of comfort, she was well aware that she’d never been the best daughter, up until now they’d barely talked outside of dinner sometime. ‘No more of that’ she swore to herself, she wasn’t religious but Daniel Hebert was one of the few genuinely good men in the shithole maps had marked as Brockton Bay and hopefully, whatever karmic justice there was in the world would see that and let him pull through. She swore to herself to do better, to talk to him, to look after him. Anything, just…
“Ms Hebert?” she moved her head to look at the doctor who’d just walked in with a few papers “I have some news about your father”
“Is my dad going to be alright?” she whimpered, looking directly at the man with a knot in her stomach “What happened?”
“Taylor…” Kurt spoke up “It was around mid-day that we found Danny and a few others. They’d been hit by a snapped mooring line from one of the cargo boats moored near the car park. We got them here as far as we could”
“As for Mr Hebert’s condition” spoke the doctor “Upon arrival it was discovered that he had multiple fractures of his femur, tibia and fibula as well as on his knees. We were able to stop the bleeding and the surgeons have done what they could but, I expect that he will have to remain in the hospital for a month or two for observation and recovery, then he would have to use a wheelchair and later crutches. Given his age, I cannot confidently say that he will ever walk unaided without significant pain in his knees”
She just sat there, looking at the doctor, seconds passing as she waited for him to tell her it was a joke, that Danny would be up and going home soon. But there was no joke and despite trying to be strong for him, tears began to slowly well up in her eyes.
“Doctor, surely you could have Panacea heal him?” asked Kurt with a strained hope in his voice.
“I regret to say that that will not be possible for at least the next month, as far as I’ve been told she’s taking a trip to visit some of the other hospitals in the US to take care of their serious cases. Even afterward, she has a very long waiting list” seeing the grief in their eyes he raised his hands “But be assured that we will put him on her list, even if it may take a while for her to reach him”
Kurt blinked and slowly nodded, pulling out a folded piece of paper and passing it to the doctor “The Dockworkers Union has accident insurance for all employees, these are the details”
As the doctor began to step out Taylor spoke up “Doctor, when will he wake up?”
“He should be fully conscious by tomorrow” waved the doctor as he left with the paper.
---
Kurt drove her home; he’d said his condolences and left her on the doorstep with a hug. When she’d finally opened the door and walked in, Taylor did not go to cry on her bed, nor did she turn on the TV and stare at it with empty eyes. Despite the red blush of tears still staining her cheeks, she went to check the kitchen for how much food was left and cooked herself a meagre meal. She’d promised dad that she would do better and she knew that he’d want her to look after herself when he couldn’t’.
Then she went to Danny’s document folder and flipped through the papers he had there, looking for a copy of the insurance and any other financial information. She’d actually saved up almost a hundred dollars of her allowance seeing as she rarely went shopping and didn’t have friends to hang out with, but even that much would be a week or two of groceries at best ignoring whatever other expenses may come up.
She finally found the insurance policy and began to read. The insurance kicked in once a workplace related injury led to expenses exceeding $10’000, paying 90% of anything up to $500’000 and 50% of anything above that. It also included some sort of scheme where they paid ¾ of the injured employee’s salary for the first month which would fall monthly until four months when it would stop.
Danny had kept his pay records in a separate folder, but he appeared to make about $21.74 per hour. Taylor was good with numbers, keeping her cool as she tried to use an online tax calculator to see how much they’d actually be working with.
The numbers did not look good.
In that moment, Taylor knew that they were very lucky that the house was fully paid off and that they didn’t have any particularly onerous expenses like private school. According to her calculations, they would be able to coast off the insurance plus however much Danny would get from Workers’ Comp and whatever else they could apply for, they would be fine for about two years if they kept everything barebones. Mimus the first $10’000 and 10% of thereafter medical bills off course.
But then her dad would probably need stuff like an elevator for the house to get upstairs, pain meds and whatever else for his health. Plus, there was the fact that she wanted to help him get out of the dower mood he’d been in since mom passed; living off nothing but oats and rice probably wouldn’t help with that.
So… They had about 6 months living as they had before if all went well. The doctor said that Panacea would be back in a month, but did she really want to count on that? It would be amazing if she could just fly in and powers away all of dad’s injuries. But what if some villain kidnapped her? What if she was swamped by an Endbringer attack? Would the hero make the time to visit some old man in Brockton Bay?
She wanted to believe; she really did want to believe that the miracle hero would be there for her dad. But she’d been burned so many times at school, trying to get the three to stop, being told to stop seeking attention to their amusement, that she found herself unwilling to rely on Panacea alone. Dad had been there for her, had put food on the table even as he hurt on the inside for years, now it was her turn to be there for him.
---
Sleeping on her idea of finding a job had been a wise idea in hindsight. With some breakfast in her and a phone book she’d realised that it really wasn’t as simple as asking for the manager and giving them a firm handshake. She’d have to put together a resume for anyone to so much as look at her and what would she put on it? The grades that had fallen into the mediocre since she’d started at Winslow? She had no work experience of any kind and wasn’t even 16 for a few months. If she was lucky her perspective employer would laugh in her face and tell her to fuck off, if she was not so lucky she’d probably find her way into an ABB brothel, underage or not.
So, as much as she disliked the idea of nepotism, she would have to make use of her dad’s connections at the DWA. He’d talked enough about how jobs had been in short supply since a container ship blocked much of the Bay’s entrance, so it still wouldn’t be easy to get even the lowest-paying job, but she had to try and would do anything it took to get her foot in the door.
Fortunately, the DWA was open on weekends even if it was something of a skeleton crew according to dad. She took the bus over, remembering to thank the driver this time and tried to look as presentable as possible as she entered the small office where her dad worked. The lady at the reception desk turned away from her computer and smiled at her “Hello, how can I assist you?”
“Hey” she internally slapped herself at the introduction, this was a perspective job, not hanging out with her once-friend Emma “I mean hello, I’m Taylor Hebert, the daughter of Danny Hebert. If anyone in the hiring department had a moment to talk”
“Oh! I’m so sorry about what happened to Danny, I barely got to see as the ambulance picked him up. Is he alright?” the receptionist stood up paling.
“He’s alright for now, but needs time to recover. Is there anyone at all…?” Taylor began, unsure of how to bring the conversation back to her request.
“Sorry dear, only Benjamin is in on weekends. I can give him a call if you like, he could probably make some time for you”
“That’s fine, please do” Taylor breathed a sigh of relief as the woman punched in some numbers onto a wired phone and spoke.
“He’s ready to talk with you, his office is on the second floor and to the right. There’s a little plastic label on it”
She thanked the receptionist and took the rather archaic elevator to the indicated floor, the vast majority of the cubicles being clearly disused with a few more lacking their staff at the moment. Approaching the door, she breathed in to compose herself and prayed to whomever that she’d get this job.
“Taylor” the man before her nodded, bringing his glasses up to look her over “I must say, you’ve grown very much since I’ve last seen you” he tried to smile “I’m sorry about Danny, is there something I could do for you?”
“Yes Sir” Taylor tried to avoid tapping her foot and continued to look him in the eye “I was wondering if you had any jobs available at all”
“Jobs? You’re a bit young I’m afraid, Danny told me you’d be turning 16 soon but even so…” he murmured.
“Mr Benjamin, Sir, please” she tried not to let disappointment drip onto her cheeks “I will take anything, any job, just $5 an hour. I’ll haul boxes, I’ll clean floors, anything at all!”
“Taylor. What’s going on, is this about your father?” he said looking at her concerned.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that dad isn’t going to be walking for two months and… I want to do something for him. To help him when he’s down and contribute to our household. The medical bills, even with insurance I’m not sure if we’ll have enough to last his recovery period” she looked down her hands trembling.
“I see” the man nodded solemnly, he stared at her for a few seconds, his blue eyes looking into her brown as if looking for something. He stood up and walked to his filing cabinet, pulling out a form and sitting back down, beginning to write. “I will give you a job”
Taylor’s heart skipped a beat “You will! Thank you so much Mr Benjamin, I swear you won’t regret it.
“Danny is a good man Taylor” he spoke as the pen continued to write “He stood by the Association through thick and thin, stood down Marquis back during the good days and worked his ass off for us every day, frankly I don’t think we deserve him and we can’t even afford to pay him what he’s worth at that”
The man passed her the paper and Taylor looked over a standard DWA employment contract, with a few blank spaces filled. Her job title would be ‘cleaner’, not prestigious but she counted it as a minor miracle that there was anything available at all.
“$5 an hour would be below federal min-wage so you’re getting $5.15 per hour. You’ll be cleaning up some of the old warehouses we’ve got by the former dry-dock. I know it isn’t much but there isn’t much else available…” she nodded “But I must insist that you only work the weekends and no more than 8 hours on those days. Danny wouldn’t want you neglecting school” he smiled sadly.
Not wanting to push the man who’d just given her a job, Taylor thanked him and confirmed that she’d be there at 9:30 to 17:30 on Saturday and Sunday. Practically skipping to the bus stop, she went to share the good news with dad. She hoped he would be up by now.
---
When Taylor entered the room to see Danny Hebert sitting up on a pillow reading a magazine, it took all her common sense not to jump on him and cry. He was up and happy to see her by his expression, the magazine falling to the wayside as she gently embraced him.
“Little Owl, I’m so sorry for worrying you…” he began.
“It’s alright dad, it’s alright” she shuddered.
“Does it hurt?” she asked pointing at his legs.
“It’s not comfortable, they had to drill some holes and nail them together under the cast. The meds are keeping it pain-free for the most part but it still feels odd not to just stand up whenever I want” he admitted.
As they began to chat a knock at the door interrupted them and the same doctor entered with a clipboard. “Mr Hebert, it is good to see that you are up and coherent, I would like to discuss your options for payment if that would be alright”
Danny sighed but nodded “How much am I on the hook for then?”
“$3.5 thousand for the ambulance, $70 thousand for the surgeries on your legs and a potential further $31.5 thousand for the minimum recommended hospital stay for the next month for a total of $105 thousand. Minus your insurance deductions you are due to pay £19.5 thousand dollars”
Taylor’s jaw dropped while her dad tried to maintain his cheer “I don’t suppose you have payment plans available?”
“Off course, we can split that over 12 months for a monthly total of $1’625. Any longer period and I’m afraid we’ll have to charge interest. Would that be alright with you?” at his defeated nod the doctor smiled “Excellent, I’ll have the papers printed off in a moment”
As the doctor left, her dad’s smile faded “Sorry Taylor, things will be a little difficult for a while…”
“Dad, it’s fine. I’ve got a job! We can last long enough on the savings and insurance for you to get well again”
“What? Since when?” he shot up.
“I did some calculations yesterday and decided I should get a job to help out with our bills. Benjamin gave me a janitor position with the DWA, I’ll just be cleaning up some of the old warehouses for them”
“Taylor, those are big, dangerous and you should be…”
“Dad, stop” Taylor ordered “this is non-negotiable. You need to be recovering and not worrying about bills, it’s about time I started to help out”
Her father was about to talk back, only to relax and chuckle a little “I’m sorry Taylor, I wish it didn’t have to be this way”
“We live in Brockton Bay dad; I know it’s home but good things just don’t seem to happen to good people in this city”
“You seem to be forgetting about yourself Taylor. You are mine and Annette’s pride and joy. Never forget that, okay?”
“Sure dad. Make sure to call after three when I’m home ok?”
“Will do. You may as well head home, no need to watch me take care of the paperwork. Are you alright on money by the way?”
“I’ve got a hundred dollars in the bank”
“Then use the money in the safe. Code to it is Anne’s birthday, I want you to look after yourself”
Taylor smiled sadly as she left him to the bills after one final hug.
She wandered the Boardwalk, not really interested in shopping. Still, she figured that she’d need some kind of workwear, cleaning old warehouses in her standard getup of jeans and a hoodie would probably get filthy very quickly; she did not want her favourite clothing to get splashed by saltwater or cleaning chemicals.
A ratty charity shop allowed her to acquire a pair of old cargo pants that fit reasonably well with a belt, a pair of used kneepads and an apron. She’d considered getting a high-vis jacket like some of the dockworkers wore but she didn’t want to waste money by buying potentially the wrong thing. $24 lighter, she headed home, a content smile on her face for the first time in a while.
---
The Dockworkers’ Association – Next Sunday
Benjamin himself presumably had other things to do than brief her on the job, so he assigned an absolute brute of a black man called Morgan to show her the ropes plus take her through the H&S course mandatory for all those working in the Docks. It wasn’t challenging and so she got through it in about 15 minutes to the affirming grunt of her boss.
“Right, I’ve shown you where we keep the cleaning chemicals but I don’t think you’ll need them for at least the start. The main problem here is dust, it’s built up over the years so heavy that anyone coming in needs a respirator unless they wish to cough their lungs out. Speaking of which…” he tossed her a face mask with some kind of filter on it “That ought to be enough, if you feel dizzy or anything go outside and breath some fresh air. Now then, if you can get the place mostly cleared of dust by the end of today I’ll be impressed. We’ll come by at the end of the day to see what you’ve been up to but I need to supervise the boys working elsewhere.
At her nod he turned to leave but halted to say one final thing. By the way, remember not to miss lunch at 12:30 and that the Italian place across the road gives us a discount, just say you’re new at the DWA, yeah?”
Thus, Taylor Hebert was left with a mop, a bucket and some cleaning rags. When Morgan had called it a ‘large’ warehouse she’d thought of it as ‘large’ like their house, which was actually quite modest given dad’s position. No, this was genuinely several times larger and while the man was kind enough to prop open the rusty door for her, even turn on the lights, as she witnessed the veritable grey carpet within she gulped and wished she hadn’t talked herself up when the guy asked about her cleaning experience. Sure, she’d cleaned up the house plenty of times, this was like that but multiplied by a thousand. But she needed the money, and so she got to work.
---
It was one of those moments she took when the dust became too much, when she got some fresh salt air, took a sip and spat to remove the taste of dust, that the DWA’s newest employee bothered to check her watch; four hours had passed, it was nearly lunchtime.
She’d resorted to lowering her bucket into the bay for fresh water as it seemed whenever she dipped a cloth the once-clear would instantly turn a dirty black and the nearest water tap was much further than the sea. Yet, the carpet of grey remained, that also included the layer of buildup on the various shelves and boxes. She’d actually tried a vacuum cleaner and that worked for a while but as soon as she stepped in too deep the air exhaust kicked up the dust so bad that it looked like grey fog.
Dusting herself off for what little that did she headed for the Italian place, grabbing herself a sub with some ham & cheese and a can of coke to wash it down. As she stepped out she locked eyes with Morgan, who was leading a small band of Dockworkers into the store.
“Go in lads, I wanna speak with her for a moment” he waved and the men passed giving the dusty girl a few glances “Hey Taylor! So, working hard or hardly working?” he joked.
“Working hard Sir!”
“Enthusiastic huh? I look forward to seeing it once you’re done” he waved her off, walking in and leaving Taylor to her food.
Scoffing down her meal as she walked back to the warehouse she sighed and looked back inside the neglected building. Fuck! It was like she hadn’t done shit for the past four hours, the grey carpet near the entrance looked a little lighter, that was fucking it. Morgan would probably think she’d done nothing but play on the phone she didn’t have and recommend Benjamin fire her at once. Fuck!
But… Was she, Taylor fucking Heber, daughter of Annette Rose Hebert and Daniel Hebert really going to be beaten by fucking dust? Like hell! Screw lunchtime, she was going to finish this simple task to the standard of her own conscience if it was the last thing she did as an employee of the DWA!
---
It was odd, she’d made her futile declaration to the skies, then went to get stuck into the Great War on Dirt of 2011, The War to End all Wars. Perhaps she’d been breathing in too much dust and that was affecting her somehow? She could imagine that places like this held all sorts of stuff from metals and chemicals used by the docks back in the day, could some have leaked into the air for her to breathe in?
Yet she didn’t go to dance in the dust or some other stupid thing she imagined would be possible while high. Instead, she went and got an old spray bottle and began to fill it with water, curiously she began to spray down the floor of the dusty warehouse, leaving a light mist in the air as it settled onto the floor, carefully avoiding spraying the boxes or their contents; she imagined that getting the wrong thing wet could go very bad.
Having finished spraying the area, she exited the warehouse in order to allow the spray to coagulate the dust in the air and the lighter specks on the floor. Placing the bottle back, she walked directly into the cupboard and dug around in it before pulling out a massive industrial mop, like the sort she’d seen once in Winslow that was used for cleaning the assembly hall and their indoor field. Since when did she know where that was? Frankly why didn’t she grab it in the first place! It would have made her work so much easier. She also shook out the filter of her mask, which she had not realised had long-turned brown; another thing she was only noticing now?
She mused at these oddities as she swung the mop like a professional, leaving clean streaks through the dusty floor and angling the rectangular mop to ensure that the surface area was properly utilised rather than having the dust build up on just one side.
Satisfied with her mopping she moved to dust the shelves and the things on them, a damp cloth would have to do despite the risks of damaging sensitives like books, perhaps she would have to recommend that they purchase a duster? What the fuck was a duster? One of those feather things used by maids in some of mom’s period drama novels, how did I know that? I never spent any particularly long period reading them, they were too boring and she found superhero comics more engaging at the time.
Looking up for a moment she looked back down only to look up in shock. The shelves had been dusted, all the residual dust that had fallen onto the concrete floor had also just been swabbed by her massive mop. There was no dust left anywhere! Taylor checked her watch, there was still half an hour left. She supposed that it would be good to start on the chemical cleaning.
---
“Alright Taylor, let’s see what you’ve gotten up to…” called Morgan as he stepped into the once-dusty warehouse only to stop mid-sentence “Holy shit kid, you did this?” his jaw dropped wide open.
“I’m not done just yet sir, there’s still a corner with oil spills on it” called Taylor from a corner where she poured baking soda onto a few black spots “I’ll be done in a moment”
He just watched in awe as Danny’s daughter removed an ancient oil stain from concrete like it was wiping a juice spill. He couldn’t bring himself to move until she’d rinsed the area with clean water and walked over to him.
“So, would you say this is to your satisfaction Morgan? I could work on making the concrete floor a bit brighter if you’d like”
“I think that’s alright kid, you’ve done a damn fine cleaning job if I’ve ever seen one and you may as well get a head start on home. I’m sure Danny would have something to say if I made you walk back in the dark”
Taylor smiled and put away the tools of her trade. Then she skipped along, feeling happy and energised at a job well done. Despite the fact that she’d just worked pretty much 8 hours straight she felt like heading home and cleaning up the place. All the better for when dad finally got out of the hospital.
And then she stopped. What the fuck was she doing?
---
Taylor Anne Hebert was not sure whether to be happy she was now a parahuman like her favourite Alexandria, disappointed that all her power appeared to do was make her really good at cleaning or furious that her trigger event had been anxiety about not having a dusty warehouse clean llickety split on the first day of her new job. It had certainly taken some browsing on PHO but from what she gathered a trigger event was supposed to be ‘the worst day of one’s life’, was she just weak like Sophia? To be triggered by some dust?
She supposed that there wasn’t much point in complaining about that, or her power set. No, the best course of action would be to test out her power and try figure out what it could do, then… well she’d decide later.
As it turned out, her power did come with a user manual of sorts much like most if PHO was to be believed. Except, if we were to speak metaphorically, it was like someone took the manual, roughly cut out half of it and then and then set a few of the remaining pages on fire just to spite her. The basics were there at least, but she’d have to figure the rest out over time.
Still, it appeared that her power was similar to one of Brockton Bay’s own capes, a joke villain known as Über, who could make himself an expert at a thing of his choice. In comparison, her power appeared worse in every way: she had to be ‘in service’ of someone with a contract and all in order to get that power and while Über could become a nuclear scientist with a thought, she would have to be content knowing how to get rid of a nasty stain while not damaging her employer’s heirloom rug.
Taylor supposed that there was an upside to it though, she did have a set of powers that would always be with her, regardless of her being ‘in service’: she now had nicer handwriting than her mother, which was saying much considering she’d been an English Professor and that seemed to be a universal requirement for that, she was now moving with the grace and dexterity she felt most closely aligned with the ballet dancers she saw once when the family went to see ‘The Nutcracker on Ice’ and finally, it seemed she got some kind of strength and endurance out of it; though considering it amounted to ‘can work for 8 hours a day without getting tired’ and ‘haul heavy buckets of water’ it really didn’t seem impressive, even if she was happy to have it.
Well, she still had the work of tomorrow to practice with her power. Perhaps she should hold back though, if only to avoid the hero name of ‘Miracle Cleaning Lady’ being forced upon her. Oh! Her cape name, she would need one at some point so perhaps she’d start on it during tomorrow’s bus ride?
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Hey folks, so first thing to note. No locker scene! Hurrah! At this point I’ve read so many damn locker scenes that I cannot be asked to write one, so I suppose this technically counts as an! AltTrigger for Taylor?
Second, I took the idea of Taylor’s trigger from Victoria (Glory Girl)’s trigger, which was a baseball game if I recall correctly, and did something similar. I wouldn’t call Taylor a 2nd gen cape for sure but we know that Anne was once a Lustrum member but it’s up in the air whether she was a cape or not. Some fanfics say she was, others say she wasn’t, I’m going with the former. This means she could trigger easier than most, whether that’s according to Wildbow or the fanverse I do not know; I have not actually read the actual Worm.