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I'm always getting info from people who stumble across the LJ or the book and have something to say about Abbey or Amy. A lot of the time the stories are confirmations about something already known, but recently I've had two folks check in with new stuff.
Without further ado, here's something from The Past:
I've just found your LJ documenting the whole debacle surrounding this person. Oh my... truly amazing...
All I can say is... I Knew Her When...
'When' being before the advent of LJ, back when she was involved in the Due South fandom as Voyagerbabe. Back when she was cutting her teeth in the area of 'fantastic stories' with just enough detail to be plausible.
Due South was a television program that was filmed in Toronto and for 2 seasons aired on ABC (I think). However we all hooked up when it was showing in reruns on TNT. I'm thinking this was all about 1998 to 2000 based on where I was living at the time. We talked a lot about Due South stories and we started working on a couple of stories together. She did write a whole gushing report of meeting Paul Gross up in Stratford when they ran some workshops for young actors up there. I believe that this was true, but again, who knows?
Okay, here's the whole sordid thing... I'm not sure that I'm the only one she told this story to. I suspect not, but it was so horrific that oddly enough for an on-line community, it was simply never discussed. I don't know who knows this particular story.
Her 'parents' are really only her foster or adoptive parents. Her real mother sold her into child prostitution at a very early age. I don't remember if she gave me an actual age, but I do know that she was 'on the street' so to speak at about 6 or so. She basically serviced God knows how many men over the years, getting shuttled around from brothel to brothel. She claimed that there were entire stables of boys and girls being pimped out. According to her there is a whole conspiracy of wealthy, powerful men who control the industry.
We didn't discuss a lot of the gory details. Regardless of whether the story was true, I didn't particularly want to know them. And on the off-chance it was true, I didn't want to further traumatize her. It just gave me the creeps in general. But she wanted to talk on the phone and I figured that it might help this young girl if she had someone to talk to who wouldn't judge her.
Anyway, I think she said that they managed to keep her past puberty because she could 'pass' for someone younger for quite a while. I think she said they basically kicked her out when she was something like 15 or 16 years old. It's been quite a few years and when someone's telling you this kind of tale, it all sort of runs together. Someone, I can't remember whether it was male or female basically managed to rescue her off the street and get her into a foster care situation. Which essentially brought us up to date. She attended high school and finished. She claimed it was due to her superior intelligence that she could simply drop into high school after all those years of no schooling. That, and she and the other brothel kids tried to teach one another stuff other than how to turn tricks.
*Turi comment: Isn't that sweet? It's like Oliver Twist.*
She mentioned to me several times that she wanted to write a book about her experiences and we talked about the logistics of doing something like that.
By the way, at that time she claimed her 'real' name was Ciyarra (pronounced like Sierra). However, there *was* someone, who I believe was called Amy involved in that fandom. This Amy was supposedly underage (but had somehow convinced the mods to let her on the list anyway) and went by the pen name 'Starwriter' or something very close to that. Ciyarra talked about Starwritr quite a bit, who was supposedly her 16 year old friend with the religious conservative parents. But that girl's name was... Amy Player, so obviously she was merely an alter ego of VBs. And coincidently, her parents cut off her Internet access at about the same time VB lost hers. Actually, I never realized that they were one and the same person until now. Though I did wonder at the time why such conservative parents would allow their 16 year old daughter to hang out with a former child prostitute. Then again, I reasoned that they might have felt they were doing their best to foster VB and not punish her personally for her past.
Anyway, according to VB, both she and Amy worked at Colonial Williamsburg during the summers. Which would explain where some of her acting skills might have come from. 'Amy', meaning the 16 year-old alter ego, was homeschooled, though Ciyarra told me she went to high school.
Oddly enough, most of the drama in that fandom surrounded someone else,referred to as "MLG." She's closer to my age and deeply paranoid, seemingly needing to control everything within the Due South fandom. She also befriended VB, though I have no idea what story VB might have fed MLG. She lives in Florida, but I have a couple of friends who met with her when she was in Maryland supposedly for 'medical tests'. That's a whole other drama. MLG was *very* well versed in medical things and made no bones about it. So she could have learned the art of doing your research well from her.
*Turi comment: MLG sounds a lot like Abbey--moves in on the fandom and takes over, has to control everything, etc. Amy obviously is attracted to that.
And MLG was really, really high drama. When VB met a guy that she was interested in (who I strongly suspect is that Aussie guy who was dating her) MLG threw a giant drama fit on IRC, telling everyone that he was 'stalking' VB and wasn't safe, yadda.
It was about that time I'd had my fill of the whole load of crazies and left the list with a few very select friends. She quite persistantly continued to call me for a while, but I simply let the calls go to the answering machine. Her behavior was bordering on stalkerish. Tying me up for hours on the telephone late at night. Ugh. I just couldn't continue it. Not to mention that my phone bill was getting astromonical. Stuff like she thought she might be gay after looking at an attractive woman and feeling somewhat aroused. I just told her that she might or might not be, she'd just need some more life experience before she could really know for sure. I actually think it was her way of feeling me out to see if I was shocked or maybe even attracted about it, but since I basically gave her no personal reaction about it at all, I think she might have been disappointed. I also had a boyfriend at the time, so she was well aware that I was heterosexual.
I half expected her to crucify me on the mailing lists that we both were on, but that might have been about the time that she announced that her therapist and parents both felt that she was spending too much time on the internet and cut her off. She still checked in from time to time, but according to her, both her parents and therapist thought that she was getting too involved with fandom and the internet and I personally thought it was a good call. I took it as a sign that she was actually getting help and that her parents were actually trying to look out for her. If there was any truth in it, that is.
I'm just surprised that she hasn't actually accused her father/foster father of actual sexual abuse if for no other reason than to muddy the waters. At this point it would virtually be his word against hers. It would also explain why those closest to her defend her so fiercely. In fact, it would explain a whole lot. Why she now wants to live as a male, etc. It just fits so perfectly if they have all been vowed to silence about it. Again, something so horrific that no one's willing to talk about it.
While I never said anything to her, I took the whole story with an entire box of salt, but not before doing a fair amount of soul searching about it. Personally, I'm wondering if this story isn't so horrific and high profile that she's abandoned it as one that didn't work. And I do think it might have alienated people other than me. There's creating a story that evokes pity in someone, but something like this just made me think that the help this girl needed far exceeded anything I could have offered.
*Turi comment: Now comes the part that gets REALLY interesting.*
Now, I live in Colorado and am very well aware of the JonBonet Ramsey case. So, interestingly enough, a couple of years after my contact with VB/Ciyarra/Whoever ended, one of the television news programs (like 20/20, but I can't remember which one - wish I could so I could research it) did a segment on a young woman who claimed that the whole JonBonet Ramsey murder was part of the whole child prostitution conspiracy. According to her, the murder was revenge on her father for one thing or another and this woman's story details were virtually *identical to VB's*. I shit you not. She was only filmed in profile or with her face obscured for 'her protection'.
One of the details she gave me, long before the whole news thing, was that a certain kind of garrotte was sometimes used during sex, but the intent wasn't really to kill with it, just cause the kid to spasm in a parody of orgasm for the client. The woman on the news program gave that as one of the details. And while this isn't exactly a news flash, it was just one more of the wierd things they had in common. The whole life story thing was almost identical too.
I remember very little about the program. In fact, it wasn't until I was out shopping yesterday that I even vaugely remembered something about it. But as I'm trying to recall, I think the woman in question claimed to be much older and she'd been basically born into the business. For some reason, I decided that this wasn't actually Amy/VB, but I can't remember exactly why it was. I do remember it was pretty freaky how similar the stories were, though.
In light of your information about how good she is at digging up obscure details, I'm thinking that perhaps VB dug up this woman's details off the internet and adapted them to herself for me. I did a quick look on Google and didn't come up with anything. I wish I could remember even what channel the program was on, but I'm totally at a loss here. I checked out a couple of the more likely suspects, but didn't come up with the thing I saw yet.
My memory is pretty hazy about that bit of it. And there are plenty of people obsessed with the whole Ramsey thing that I suppose it could have been coincidence of some kind... I just wish I remembered more about it.
Anyway, just thought I'd let you in on even further backstory for this psychopath. She's been around for quite a long time, I just never fathomed that her psychosis would get this huge! Sadly, I'm sure she's pretty much reveling in all the drama she's created. Because I really think that is the true driving force behind her - she just needs to be closely involved in high drama. And I do think she's seriously mentally ill. I don't think that she sees that she did anything wrong.
April 4 2005, 18:15:22 UTC 7 years ago
just...dooooood.
I'm glad the clean-up went well.
April 4 2005, 18:29:19 UTC 7 years ago
Just saw "Sin City" last night. I sure hope she has gotten over her Elijah Wood fixation. If not, I'd be warning folks in the LA area to be on the look out.
Deleted comment
April 4 2005, 21:50:59 UTC 7 years ago
April 5 2005, 00:03:59 UTC 7 years ago
and, uh, feeling stupid here, but what is a garrotte?
April 5 2005, 00:11:21 UTC 7 years ago
April 5 2005, 00:50:33 UTC 7 years ago
April 5 2005, 01:37:22 UTC 7 years ago
Also, have you seen this? http://www.angelfire.com/ex/seether
April 5 2005, 04:36:34 UTC 7 years ago
She also read and critiqued a hell of a lot of DS fanfic. She was pretty active on our IRC chats, too. She was very well aware of fanfic and fandom at least during the DS years and most likely before that, while in the Voyager fandom.
April 5 2005, 04:54:19 UTC 7 years ago
April 5 2005, 05:02:59 UTC 7 years ago
April 5 2005, 16:51:26 UTC 7 years ago
A note to the list: I apologize for any inaccuracies with the Sharpe books, as I fear I have not had the chance to read them. I live in a small rural part of America, and I have put in a request with our bookmobile lady to get me some of the books as soon as possible, but that will be several weeks at best. My knowledge of the Napoleonic period it adequate, but I know some of you on this list are veritable scholars, and, at 15 years of age, I have not yet had time to become so proficient. Please feel free to help me with historical errors or canon details from the series. I only know of Richard Sharpe and his adventures through the TV/movie series, which has been available from our satellite feed for a month or so now. I have seen them all, and I have fallen in love with Sharpe, Harper, the Chosen Men, and all the wonderful characters and history so delightfully portrayed by Sean Bean and his fellow actors in that series.
A note to Mr. Bernard Cornwell: When I first heard you were a member of this list, I must admit to nearly being ill with the multitude of emotions that swarmed over me. Mostly of the fear and embarrassment family. I feared that you might be offended by my use of your characters and backstories, though I assure you, sir, this is but an expression of my respect for your work. In no way to I attempt to take credit beyond this : The prose and this little adventure are the fruits of my humble imagination. . .Richard Sharpe, Patrick Harper, their associates and universe, are undeniably yours. I was also embarrassed that the man who created this phenomena would be seeing my work, and debated not releasing this part or any other. But your kind words were relayed to me, sir, and for that I thank you deeply. I am still testing my wings as a writer, and I thank you again for not clipping them.
Yours respectfully,
Amy Player
April 5 2005, 18:00:03 UTC 7 years ago
*falls over*
That's her all right.Oh, my.
"I am still testing my wings as a writer, and I thank you again for not clipping them."
That dude had a true opportunity and he blew it. That's what comes from being nice to people. Validates my misanthropic tendencies, that does.
April 12 2005, 03:58:11 UTC 7 years ago
She DID accuse him of forcing her to have sex with other people to attempt to cure her... Sue, you may remember that from the night she finally "admitted" everything in the circle in the living room in San Dimas. You know, at the same time she was forced to talk to her parents and then started crying afterwards "I cant lie to these people!"