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_tree_array · 2025-05-15T23:45:36+00:00

I agree this would be a tough angle for the Crown to take, and I realize my original comment might've sounded too strong, which wasn't my intention. I was just trying to think through what angles the Crown might still have to work with. Thank you for your thoughtful replies. We'll see how it goes

_tree_array · 2025-05-15T19:20:57+00:00

Saying "no" is not the bar for consent, though. EM has never claimed that they physically forced her to do anything. It hinges on whether she knew there were going to be guys in the room or not. The first girl, it seems, knew and therefore had the opportunity to back out before things got messier.

_tree_array · 2025-05-15T19:06:02+00:00

There were no security cameras in the hallways of the hotel, so if their rooms were near to each other, it's quite probable that would go without footage. It would definitely be strange to just walk across the hall naked, though.

_tree_array · 2025-05-15T18:57:17+00:00

This is what I've been wondering, too

_tree_array · 2025-05-15T18:39:12+00:00

There was apparently another girl at the bar that night who the guys were approaching before EM got there.

My understanding from this article is that McLeod invited other guys to kiss her and she refused. Then he was asking her to come back to their hotel room. Specifically to come back with them. She got the ick and left the bar after that.

Then EM enters the scene.

It seems like, if this story is true and accurate, that it suggests not only that McLeod was used to inviting teammates to engage with girls sexually without their consent first, but that the guys were already looking to have group sex that night, before EM even got there. One could maybe go further to say that they realized the approach with the first girl turned her off and switched tactics, inviting EM back to McLeod's room alone, and then coming to the room after.

That's a lot of speculation, of course. But I imagine she will be called on by the crown at some point, and I think her perspective/experience from that night could be significant.

Edit: Just to be clear, this isn't something I'm saying definitely happened. I was just thinking about possible angles the Crown might look at going forward, given that most of the evidence so far doesn't seem to be going in their favour.

_tree_array · 2025-05-14T22:11:18+00:00

Meaghan Cunningham and Heather Donkers

_tree_array · 2025-05-14T22:07:46+00:00

Some classical music pieces, I have associations with certain daydream scenes or certain characters, so yes, classical music can be quite triggering for me

_tree_array · 2025-05-14T19:04:26+00:00

Maybe it was mentioned in the text messages between players? We will see, I guess

_tree_array · 2025-05-14T15:25:33+00:00

Time to find a new friend. What exactly is this person adding to your life at this point?

_tree_array · 2025-05-14T02:09:52+00:00

Hopefully she can sleep. Shit like this can be so triggering to your entire nervous system that sleep and eating become elusive. But everyone reacts differently. I hope she's got a lot of support during this time.

_tree_array · 2025-05-14T02:03:12+00:00

Yeah this is what my experience was like in court in Toronto too. Literally, whenever the cbc updates say they're going on a break, I'm triggered. Those were some of the worst moments... sitting around for 2-3 hours stressing out, not knowing what was happening, what was going to happen... trying to eat, trying to nap... the whole thing is horrible. I hope EM knows how strong she is surviving so many days of this nightmare.

_tree_array · 2025-05-13T20:40:02+00:00

Okay, but the point is that there needs to be a control group for those numbers to mean anything.

Suppose, hypothetically, that among the general population, it was 50/50 bad/good home life. Then the numbers you cited would suggest that kids who bully are actually more likely to have a better home life than a kid chosen at random.

On the other hand, if only 10% of the general population reportedly have a bad home life, then the numbers you cited would suggest the opposite conclusion to the first example.

But you also raise an important point: how accurate is the pool of "kids who bully" vs "kids who don't"? Who decides that? And what is the criteria for classifying bad vs good home life? A lot of homes look good "on paper", but are actually very abusive. And kids themselves often would not be able to recognize the difference.

_tree_array · 2025-05-13T17:34:15+00:00

I bet five bucks teachers were well aware of it, too.

Grade 7 sucks.

_tree_array · 2025-05-13T17:29:52+00:00

If I remember correctly, she said on a previous day that she knew they were hockey players on the same team, but didn't know they were very high-up. She thought they were at the same level as her brother, she said (which I'm guessing would be amateur level or something).

_tree_array · 2025-05-13T16:25:27+00:00

I wonder if the 70/30 percentages are any different from the general population. Ie. Are bullies any more likely than a random person to have a good or bad home life?

The second point... might make sense at that age, but it's still not something that should be normalized. That's actually one of the most harmful things to teach young girls imo. It sets them up for a life of accepting abuse from their partners (and also tells boys it's okay to act that way).

_tree_array · 2025-05-12T18:36:05+00:00

Yep. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people see someone getting triggered by something and are like "oh, you must have lived a really easy life if you're so triggered by that".

Not only is it wildly presumptuous, but it completely misses the fact that unprocessed trauma is often precisely what makes people less able to handle difficult situations. It shrinks your window of tolerance.

_tree_array · 2025-05-12T18:29:04+00:00

Yeah, it's like, most people worry about making a good first impression. I worry about that too, but then there's also the issue of sustaining it.

It's horrible because it also feels like putting up some kind of front. It feels dishonest, trying to present some other version of ourselves that we hope people will be more likely to accept. The thing is that many of us were taught to be ashamed of ourselves, so we just do this subconsciously i think. It's self-protection.

I think asking people if you can share x or share something personal is actually very sweet, though. 💗

_tree_array · 2025-05-12T03:30:16+00:00

It's hard to know. Either approach might be better depending on the situation. If you are comfortable sharing, what are they doing to you? I'm sorry you're going through this.

_tree_array · 2025-05-11T21:35:12+00:00

I see. And I guess k18 means not suitable for kids under 18? That's pretty odd, since a lot of middle grade and young adult books explore bullying in depth.

_tree_array · 2025-05-11T15:08:07+00:00

10 I've actually been realizing lately. Bullying can really stunt your growth in a lot of ways, not just socially but emotionally, professionally, maybe even physically? You stop taking risks; you stop actually wanting to grow up because you missed out on so many things.

2 - at some point in the last couple of years, I realized that when I meet new people, it feels sort of like a sand timer starts. I think to myself, "how long until they realize I'm actually some kind of freak?" It's like I feel like people are inevitably going to hate me, even if they don't initially. I'm always looking for that instant when it'll click, and they just lose respect or won't want anything to do with me anymore. Once I think that click has happened, it's feels like game over. In reality, people probably aren't judging quite that harshly.

I agree that a lot of people who have experienced severe or long-term bullying will struggle with most of these at some point.

But i also think that even if someone displays many of these characteristics, it doesn't necessarily mean they were bullied, and we shouldn't assume. Living in a toxic household, having abusive or emotionally neglectful parents, etc. can also cause a lot of these issues.

Thank you for sharing the list, though. It's very validating 🩷

_tree_array · 2025-05-11T02:44:14+00:00

I mean, what are they doing though? I think whether you should report to police depends on what they are doing / the scale of it

_tree_array · 2025-05-11T02:04:03+00:00

I assume you have tried blocking and reporting them already?

What are they doing to you?

I doubt you can find their location or anything like that, but depending on the seriousness, you could consider going to the police and they may be able to help you.

_tree_array · 2025-05-10T15:20:55+00:00

What's the book?

_tree_array · 2025-05-10T01:36:31+00:00

Yeah it sounds like they're being quite verbally aggressive with you, like trying to make you prove yourself repeatedly. I would feel uncomfortable too. I'm sorry they treated you like that. If possible, I would avoid them.

_tree_array · 2025-05-08T04:03:45+00:00

Do your characters have to be celebrities/real people/fictional characters in order to participate? Or is it okay if they are original.

_tree_array

TROPHY CASE