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hostess-of-horror · 2 years

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For He Who Snatches

A Cult Leader!Snatcher x Reader Fanfic

Author's Note: This is incredibly inspired by Cult of the Lamb and Priest!Saltbaker by @surinnitthesecond on top of the handsome prince/shadow noodle that is Snatcher. I literally just thought up of this at the end of my shift at work, so I am not wasting any time and just going for it! Also, the reader will be referred to as “you/your/you're” - no gender identity is specified.

@tiramegtoons @lulu-baked-beans @medys-space @hotpinkboots @darkmedolie @lemonbaloni and everyone else who wants to read it!

Content Includes: Religious Cults (duh), Body Horror, “Satanic” Rituals (demonic but fictional, not based on real beliefs), Suggestiveness, Manipulation, and Reader Death

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Your leader was badly injured, more so than you've ever seen before.

The entire community rushed to his aid. The ones who specialized in medicine wasted no time in patching up his wounds. You followed the healers in the hopes that he would recover without any trouble. As a loyal Subconite, you loved your leader. You trusted him with your life, and how could you not? He was the one who saved you from a meaningless existence, after all. You watched expectantly – worriedly – as he was laid across the makeshift mattress, wincing from the bruises and bloodstained cuts all over his body. To think, your leader journeyed his way through the Subcon Forest, slaying heretics and naysayers, all for you and your brethren.

If only there was something you could do to show him your unconditional gratitude.

You went over to a nearby table pour water into a clay cup. Surely, he must have been thirsty after all of that purging. As you were bringing the cup to your leader, you could not help but notice that he was watching you. It was as if King Midas himself touched his eyes, for they were shining gold. They gleamed underneath ragged, darkened bangs – a deep purple, almost ebony in color. You knew the sermons well: the leader was one of shadow. A mortal vessel brought back to life to spread the word of He Who Snatches. With this immense power, he guides his people into brotherhood, into glory, into salvation. Your leader was blessed. You hoped one day you will be blessed too.

“Thank you...” your leader spoke, his voice strained from pain. Delicately, you helped him raise the cup to his lips. He swallows the water greedily, gasping with every gulp. His thirst quenched, he laid back down. “Thank you...” he said again, breathing heavily, “These wounds... they will heal, but not as much as before. In fact... it is time...” You looked at him with anticipation; what exactly did he mean? “It is time to perform a sacred ritual. One that shall further our cause. Please, my kind friend... Tell the others. We shall gather within the temple at midnight.” You immediately obliged, leaving the shack to alert the community. Soon, everyone was in a frenzied commotion. Cries of the spiritual and devoted filled the air like birds chirping in the wind. Their daily chores became social activities where Subconites joyfully congregated. This lasted for the rest of the waning hours of daytime. Before you knew it, it was time.

You were the first to enter the temple with the rest following behind. There before the rows of benches and behind the skull-adorned podium was the leader. He held himself up by the podium – his injuries were still causing him pain. But his expression showed no weakness, only strength. Strength for his Subconites and for He Who Snatches. As everyone went to their seats, you awaited his latest sermon and his announcement of this ritual. Thoughts flooded your mind. You had no clue as to what ritual, or which ritual, your leader was speaking about earlier ago. But whatever it may be, in the end, you trusted him. You trusted him with your whole life. With a wave of his hands, raising them high above his head, he began his holy speech:

“My dear friends, Subconites of the Forest! It is with great pleasure to tell you all that the heretics – the fools who honor The Witch of Fire and Ice – are no more! Once again we are victorious, and soon we will rise against Her in the name of He Who Snatches! However, the path to triumph is no easy task. As you can all see, I am... physically weakened. I am powerful still, but not for long. In order to continue our fight against The Witch of Fire and Ice, we must commence a sacred ritual. A ritual to appease He Who Snatches and offer the ultimate trade. For my strength as His divine vessel... a soul must be snatched. One of you will be sacrificed, but this is a sacrifice of highest honor. For some of you all, I understand your trepidation – after all, death is mostly permanent. But with death comes a much greater purpose! More so than dedicating our lives and community in worship! Your soul will be one of many that is to come. In fact, this is not a time of mourning! This is a celebratory moment! We should be joyous of whoever shall be the sacrifice! Our souls are what pleases His Holiness; through me, we will all become one with Him. Through me, we are all His Strength.”

With slight struggle, the passionate leader went from his podium to walk among his followers. Everyone patiently watched as he approached them all, exuding an air of kindness. One by one, each Subconite was acknowledged, reassured by his empathetic presence. Some graciously bowed, some kissed his hand in appreciation. Your leader then walked up to you with those beautiful golden eyes. Immediately as you gazed upon his eyes, they shone with interest. A look as if he had found the answer to all his problems. Your heart skipped a beat. Warmth began to rise within your cheeks. With a dramatic flip of his cape, your leader pointed at you with a smile you knew all too well. “You! You, my friend, will be His soul to take!” he exclaimed with feverish rapture, “Come! Come! Let us all gather within the center of the temple! Let the ritual begin!”

You could not believe it. You of all Subconites! Chosen by His vessel as his sacrifice! Oh, what a night – what a joyous night! Your heart raced with such vigor, you thought you were about to faint in your leader's arms. But you did not; no, you didn't! You were awake still. You were not dreaming. You were holding hands with your beloved leader and everyone cheered for you! They cheered for your sacrifice! Instead of death, your mind was filled with thoughts of him. Only him.

And you were going to spend the rest of your life with him.

The candles were lit. The circle was drawn in blood. Hooded Subconites gathered around you and your leader. Strange, alien words echoed throughout the darkened temple, chanting to the beat of a small drum. Your hand still holding his, you marveled at this ritual. You could not be any more happier. “My friend...” your leader whispered to you, “Thank you for offering me water earlier ago. I appreciate it. In fact... Thank you for everything. For being here with me. I promise that your kindness will never be forgotten.” You smiled, tears flowing from your eyes. The chanting continued as your leader raised an ornate dagger from his holster, a sacrificial tool of fine steel and gold. He gently pulls you towards him, making you turn his back towards him. He presses himself against you. You could feel his rising and falling of his chest against your back. You jolt in surprise as he wrapped an arm around your waist, caressing your hip and stomach with a tenderness you never felt before. This closeness between you two was electrifying! Then the cold, steel blade touched your neck, ready for the kill. Subconsciously, as if by nature, you tilted your head back, letting out a comforted sigh. Soon, you and your leader's hearts and breathing were in sync with each other.

“Oh, Great Snatcher! We call to thee!

This soul is yours; soon it will be me!

Come to us and hear our plea!

Come to us and set us free!”

The cut was quick and clean. Your throat, now severed, bled profusely, leaving behind a crimson puddle below. A hand grabbed onto your hair, pulling your head even further, splitting the wound further apart, leaving you gasping and choking. Not that you were going to protest. As your knees buckled, your leader held on to your dying body and clasped his lips against your throat. The pain – oh, the pain – it was exquisite! In life, this was the closest thing to a kiss. As the circle glowed with dark magic and immersed your brethren into a spiritual frenzy, your flesh began to shrink and decay as your leader, your friend, consumed your soul bit by bit.

#my writing #fanfiction #self shipping #cult of the lamb #cotl inspired #the snatcher x reader #the snatcher x self insert #the snatcher x self ship #ahit #ahit the snatcher #ahit subconites #a hat in time

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clanwarrior-tumbly · 2 years

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Kallamar x reader? Like instead of killing the Bishops, Lamb just made them all follower sized and indoctrinated them. So S/o is probably the only person in the cult(aside from his siblings ofc) that Kallamar will really talk to, because s/o often stand up for him against any asshats? Maybe one day, s/o is attacked by a couple dissenters and Kallamar, in an uncharacteristic show of bravery, show up and scares them off? Or maybe he just beats tf outta them, I'll leave that up to you.

remember: hydrate of diedrate :]

It was just another lovely day in the Cult of the Lamb, with you being tasked with harvesting the vegetables at the farming plot.

You hummed a tune as you put on your hat and started picking them, making sure they were neatly organized in the chest.

Your stomach was growling at the thought of having a delicious veggie stew, although you were quite eager to have fish thrown into the mix. Lamb went off to gather some at Pilgrim's Passage, so while they were out you worked hard to ensure they could make food as soon as they returned.

Unfortunately, not everyone in the cult was as obedient nor as chipper as you.

In fact, you were currently doing your best to tune out the dissenters shouting nonsense into the megaphones near the shrine.

As of late, Lamb has made..a number of questionable decisions. Among them being their decision to indoctrinate the Bishops of the Old Faith into the cult after defeating them.

Yes, the same bishops who slaughtered their kind and tormented innocent followers--now under their ruling as immortal, but not entirely invincible, vessels.

You weren’t sure what made them decide to do that. Though their actions still broke the chains that kept the One Who Waits Below locked up...so you didn’t question them much and instead welcomed them as you would any follower.

Kallamar was the most recent arrival, and his cowardice was on full display. He was among the most obedient--albeit out of fear of being abandoned or killed by the lamb who bested him in combat.

This made him a doormat, in a sense, by others. They’d make him do the work they were assigned to, tell Lamb lies about him stealing, or attempt to trick him into eating certain..undesirable dishes as “revenge” for making them sick.

Yet he would endure it all...until you stood up for him one day and became a close friend. Nowadays he only talked to you, Lamb, Leshy, and Heket, finding comfort especially in your presence.

After some encouragement from his siblings, he nervously confessed his romantic interest in you during a chat over dinner. He nearly sobbed when you accepted his feelings, promising him you’ll protect him so he didn’t feel like an outcast.

Sadly, you couldn’t be in two places at once when he was being harassed. And you even made a few enemies yourself as word spread of your relationship.

Such as the dissenters who noticed you were alone and decided to pay a visit.

As you closed the chest lid, you felt your farming hat being snatched away and turned around, frowning. “Excuse you. That was rude-”

“Why do you love that monster?”

“...guys, we’ve already been over this.” You sighed, realizing you’re gonna have this conversation for the hundredth time. It was irritating you. “But you know, it’s ironic how you’re calling him the monster when you two have been nothing but bullies ever since he arrived. Just give him a chance.”

“Why? You’re not the Leader.” One sneered, getting awfully close to you--enough to invade your personal space. “They’re not here. So we can do whatever we want!”

“I know I’m not the Leader. And I can’t stop you. But we can still preach their good word. They’ve taught us about forgiving our enemies-”

“Yeah, over petty things..not over inflicting a terrible plague unto us!” The other dissenter snarled, their red eyes glowing with hatred. “We suffered so much..I couldn’t keep food down for three. Whole. DAYS!! What if he does it again?! What he targets our elders?! Do you not care about them?!!”

“I care very much!” Your voice was starting to tremble, but you stood your ground. “J-Just leave me alone. The Lamb will not tolerate this--oof!!”

You were roughly shoved to the ground, the dissenter above you scowling.

“What do they care? We’re just disposable to them..things to throw away once we stop being useful! So what if something bad happens to you..or Kallamar?”

With wide eyes, you stared at the pair, before gritting your teeth. “You’re liars. Lamb approves of us, so why don’t you?!”

“Because falling in love with a bishop is taboo!! It should be considered heresy!” The dissenter who pushed you grabbed a rock. “He’s a heretic, and so are you...and heretics deserve to be stoned.”

Now you were utterly terrified as you tried shuffling away. “P-Please..don’t do this..”

“We show no mercy to heretics here-!”

“S-STOP THAT AT ONCE!!!”

Surprised, the pair looked to see a furious Kallamar standing there. His eyes were pitch black, save for his cross-shaped pupils that glowed bright.

Yet they only laughed and decided that he would be the first to get stoned, and they chucked the rock at him-

Only to see a black skeletal hand emerge from his robe and catch it, followed by another hand...and then two more. The stone was crushed into bits as he stalked towards the duo, before grabbing them both by the throats.

“I don’t care if you think of me as your enemy still. You can push me around all you desire..but if you dare a hand or stone on my beloved again, I’ll cast an illness upon you so horrible that you’ll BEG for death to come take you!! UNDERSTOOD?!!”

Realizing they completely underestimated his power, the dissenters nodded. Their eyes almost instantly turned back to normal as he dropped them, watching them run away in tears.

Kallamar smiled in triumph, though upon seeing you he gasped and ran over to help you up. “Are you okay? They didn’t touch you, did they?”

“No, I’m fine..thank you, Kall.” You smiled and kissed his cheek. “My heroic squid still has some of his powers, it seems.”

Bashful, he looked at his skeletal arms, turning them back into his normal ones as he laughed nervously. “Y-Yeah, haha..I wouldn’t call myself a “hero”. I was just..returning the favor after all those times you helped me.”

Only a few moments later, Lamb returned to the cult looking worried. They knew who dissented and arrived to resolve the problem, but they were just working twice as hard on their tasks.

Upon reading their minds, they learned what happened and went over to you and Kallamar. “Did you..stop them from dissenting through fear?”

“I-I did.” The ex-bishop admitted. “They were going to hurt [y/n] and..I-I stepped in. I didn’t mean to scare them that badly-”

“No, no..it’s okay, Kallamar. It’s honestly a headache trying to re-educate some of them. So sometimes fear will do the trick. Thank you.” With a light smile, they blessed him and went on their way.

“C’mon. I’m starving.” You tugged on his hand, while he nodded in agreement and followed Lamb to the cooking fire.

For once, he was glad he could protect you.

#also ty i do have a nice cold bottled water beside me #clanask #anonymous #cult of the lamb x reader #cotl x reader #bishop kallamar #cotl kallamar #bishop follower au

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starsfic · 2 years

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I updated the list of fandoms/ship I write and I know some people have issue finding it or reading it due to Tumblr so it’s laid out below:

Lego Monkie Kid and The Journey to the West- Spicynoodleshipping, Freenoodleshipping, Chimerashipping (with romantic Spicynoodles and Dragonfruit and platonic Jademonkie), TripSun, Peachtea, Silktea, MKsDadshipping, Lunartides/Darktides

The Owl House- Lumity, Camileda, Raeda, Eda x Camila x Raine, Goldric, Willuz, Willumity, Viniera, Edric x Jerbo, Huntlow

Gravity Falls- Mabifica

Undertale

Animaniacs

Invader Zim- ZADR, TAGR

Avatar the Last Airbender/Legend of Korra- Korrasami

A Hat in Time

Infinity Train

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts- Kipasher

Strange Magic- Butterfly Bog, Potionless

Disney/Epic Mickey- Any Disney couple

Five Nights at Freddy’s- Vanguard

Star Wars- Hanleia, Anidala

Adventure Time- Bubbline

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- Baronjitsu

Good Omens- Ineffiable Husbands

Among Us

The Amazing World of Gumball- Robpenball, Darwin x Carrie

Carmen Sandiego- Carulia

Mystery Skulls Animated- Lewvithur

Animal Crossing- Reddnook

Star vs the Forces of Evil- Startomco

Mystery Kids

Coraline- Coraline x Wybie

Bendy and the Ink Machine- Henry x Linda, Allison x Tom, Samsie, onesided Creatorship

Villainous- Paperhat

Amphibia- Sashannarcy, Sashanne, Marcanne

She Ra- Catradora, Scorfuma, Glimbow

Over the Garden Wall

Wander Over Yonder

Doki Doki Literature Club

Cuphead: Don’t Deal with the Devil

Hamilton- Hamilza

Hadestown- Hades x Persephone, Orpheus x Eurydice

Heathers

Little Nightmares

DC Superhero Girls

Resident Evil- Miathan, Wintersberg, Miathanberg

Centaurworld- Horse x Wammawink, the Woman x the Nowhere King

The Ghost and Molly McGee- Molibby

Dead End: Paranormal Park- Barry x Logs, Norma x Badyah

Cult of the Lamb: True Devotion

#blog

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passportclown · 3 years

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Blog/Ask Rules

Sometimes I'll just post random fics, maybe with OCs or with characters from media I like. I take requests but also post my own things.

I write canon x canon and canon x reader. Or you can just request or commission (my link to my kofi in the links tab) any fic.

Anything with canonical minors is strictly platonic, even if they're 17. Minor x Minor is okay as long as they're only 1-2 years apart in age. [Example: Muichiro[14] x Genya[16]

I WILL Write For:

Yandere

x Reader

Angst / Abusive Relationships

G/t

Mental illness / Physical disabilities (As long as it isn't romanticized! Example: Omg [Blank] is so hot BECAUSE they're a sociopath!

Polyamory

LGBTQIA+ Reader / Characters

I WON'T Write For:

Mpreg

Omegaverse (Just don't like it, personally.)

Smut (Suggestive is fine!)

Anything taboo: rape, pedophilia, incest, etc

Feel free to clarify appearance, age, and personality in asks!

5 characters max per ask please!

[FANDOMS]

A Hat In Time

Arcane

Baldurs Gate

Bungou Stray Dogs

Cookie Run

Cult Of The Lamb

Cuphead

Danganronpa

Dark Deception

Daniel Mullins Games (Pony Island, The Hex, Inscryption)

DC Comics [More Specifically Batman Media]

Demon Slayer

Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared

Don't Starve

DnD

Fear And Hunger

FNAF

Guilty Gear

Genshin Impact

Hazbin Hotel + Helluva Boss

Hatchetfield

Honkai Star Rail

I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream

Identity V

Invincible

Jujutsu Kaisen

Kaiju / Godzilla

Kingdom Hearts

LEGO Monkie Kid

Little Nightmares

Little Shop Of Horrors

Lord Of The Rings + The Hobbit

Madoka Magica

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Milgram

My Hero Academia

No Straight Roads

Obey Me!

Oddworld

Persona 5

Poppy Playtime

Precure (Specifically Smile Precure)

Sam and Max Freelance Police

Scott Pilgrim

SCP

Sonic

Stardew Valley

Star Wars

The Amazing Digital Circus

The Arcana

The Boys

The Dark Crystal

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K

The Dragon Prince

The Stanley Parable

The World Ends With You

Transformers

Undertale + Deltarune

Welcome Home

Your Turn To Die

[There's many more, so feel free to request a form of media and if I'm aware of it and you follow the rules then I'll write it.]

#blog rules #Tags I use:#Reblogs #audios #videos #gifs #passport speaks #passport writes #Important #Useful #writing #art #writing and art tag are for OTHERS writing and art - not my own

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meshinil · 8 months

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Sorry I’ve been really busy with school and soccer! A new good drawing should be coming out soon lol

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sparkyz-plug-writes · 1 year

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IM SO SORRY I DIDN'T SEE THIS EARLIER BUT ASKS ARE NOW OPEN!!! The ask was off bc I was a dumbass but tada!! :D

#the owl house x reader #gravity falls x reader #fallout 4 x reader #amphibia x reader #cookie run kingdom x reader #crk x reader #steven universe x reader #mscm x reader #cult of the lamb x reader #payday 2 x reader #murder drones x reader #a hat in time x reader #the Mandela catalogue x reader #writing requests #x male reader #x gn reader #x female reader #x nonbinary reader

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shower-racoon · 8 months

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I think I've worked out an arrangement for the Funky Little Guy™ Contest that works well enough. please tell me if it is not accurate, I know like half these characters. first idea for the organization under the cut.

left half of the bracket, listed from top to bottom:

Morpho Knight (Kirby) VS Dark Matter Blade (Kirby)

Marx (Kirby) VS Jevil (Deltarune)

The Impostor (Among Us) VS Shadow the Hedghehog (Sonic)

Koopa Troopa (Mario) VS Golden Baby Yoshi (Mario)

Impmon (Digimon) VS Toon Link (Legend of Zelda)

Mega Man/Rock Man (Mega Man) VS Anna (Fire Emblem)

Naruto (Naruto) VS Nanika (Hunter X Hunter)

Wayward Vagabond (Homestuck) VS Gollum (Lord of the Rings)

right half of the bracket, listed from top to bottom:

The Knight (player character from Hollow Knight) VS Rango (Rango)

Bella (@crowcorvo's cat) VS Puss in Boots (Shrek)

project bunny (honkai impact 3rd) VS Cunoesse (Disco Elysium)

Hop Pop (Amphibia) VS The Lamb (Cult of the Lamb)

Bill Cipher (Gravity Falls) VS The Collector (The Owl House)

Hat Kid (A Hat in Time) VS Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Danny Devito (real life) VS Emdroid (Nightmare Time)

Neo (RWBY) VS Aura Bella Fiora (Overlord)

#funky little guy contest #please I had to struggle to justify to myself that shadow would fight the impostor let alone anyone else here #the only fights I'm confident in are the ones involving kirby characters. those fights make sense in my eyes #if there's a better way to lay out these characters please tell me

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frenzyartist-voe · 3 years

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Master list for shit-

Also rules

Heya I'm Voe and I do headcanons when I feel like it! But also sometimes mainly art

This the masterlist for shit I've made so you can easily find your favourites ^^ I used to write fanfics but not anymore rlly but I'll leave the links up for ppl who wanna find them

Mostly art blog now and it will contain some oc x canon things sometimes so if u dislike that pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee throw yourself out of my airlock because I'm here to be mentally ill and free or vibe here just filter out the oc x canon I'll do my best to tag

Anyways-

🍓 = wholesome shit

💀 = angst

Transformers shiiiiii:

Human Blitzwing design (TFA)

Rumble fan design

Biscuit walk/hj

Poly villains (red velvet x lico x dark choco)

Espresso adopts Strawberry crepe art

Twst junk lmao

Ocs: (goes by RL but full name is Luther Removial) -Based on Leroy from Lilo and stitch (Savannaclaw)

Jacaquez Meriones -based on Hamsterviel from Lilo and stitch (Scarabia)

Slurpee (unknown last name) ((ramshackle prefect)) - based on Oh from home

Normal art stuff for twst

Cult Of The Lamb

Leshy drawing 💀

Just darkwood related drawings

Cotl oc

Human rakshasa

Lego monkie kid

Porty!Syntax

Toxicinsanity Art

Syntax headcanons

Shadowpuppet ship art

Older brother wukong and macaque (separate) (headcanons)

Mayor drawing

Mayor sticker design

Macaque x reader drabble

Reborn Monkey king

Song inspired oneshot

Another x reader oneshot 🍓

Hidden strength x reader oneshot

Huggy wuggy

Human huggy design

Overall headcanons for him

Huggy drawing

Human Huggy drawing part 2

Huggy Thanksgiving headcanons

Kissy Missy

Overall headcanons

Headcanons for both of them

Huggy and kissy Vanity hcs

Sibling headcanons

Hat in time

Mario Sports Mix

Mario sports mix villains (poly couple)

Mario sports mix (villans overall)

Ninja overall headcanons

Black mage overall headcanons

Mario sports mix (other characters)

!Hazbin hotel!

Alastor headcanons

#masterlist #gender neutral y/n

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brave-clarice · 4 years

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“Clarice” Liveblog: Episode 2

Again, some extremely unfashionably late hot takes.

(Special thanks to @kathrynethegreat and @special-agent-pendragon for encouraging another liveblog!)

Clarice is working out! And eating junk food! I love it.

and cleaning her gun!

hey, Ardelia is drinking what I’m going to assume is her grandmother’s “smart people tea”.

Krendler disciplining Clarice already is infuriating but appropriate.

“I lost control.” Oh no, I don’t like that. Don’t make Clarice unstable. Her mental and emotional state never had anything to do with her failing career.

getting weird mixed signals from Ardelia. Last week, she obviously didn’t want Clarice to lie/stick to the script Krendler gave her, but now she’s telling Clarice she messed up by not doing so...?

“I better know you if you’re calling this early.” Amen, Ardelia.

I’m in love: this cinematography is straight out of the film (when she’s flying to WV with Crawford)!

“When’s the last time you went back to Appalachia?” “It’s been years.” What??? It has NOT been years--Clarice was JUST in West Virginia last week as well as in Silence, and she arguably attended college there as well. (UVA is at least nestled in the mountains, and you don’t have to drive far outside the Albemarle Valley to hit Appalachia proper.) After all the details about her character they’ve been nailing, they miss this glaring error?

I like the tiny details she’s noticing (like the guy biting his nails). Not only because she’s an investigator, but because it’s reminiscent of Hannibal’s influence (imo).

Clarice Is Short: The Saga continues

still not getting any creepy vibes off Krendler. He’s going to be much less effective as an antagonist if he isn’t lewd as well as a dick.

I really don’t care for the way the opening “credits” fade out from the death’s-head moth to Clarice’s face. There are MANY animals that represent her, or parts of her, in the books--lions, lambs, horses, and of course birds--so this choice feels empty and lazy to me.

also lazy: having a fellow agent straight-up tell her in episode 2 “you shouldn’t be in the Bureau.” Maybe in two or three years, after some further “Death Angel”-type incidents, I could see this blatant rudeness, but not yet.

“Reesey”? Thanks, I hate it.

this flashback must be of Clarice’s little brother. That answers one question I had last week. That said...Clarice’s brother doesn’t play the same role in her story that Mischa does in Hannibal’s--but this sure feels like a Mischa-esque flashback.

good: they’re finally getting to the source of Clarice’s actual trauma!

bad: this is NOT how Clarice found out about her father. In fact, that whole incident is laid out in detail in the novels, and there’s nothing overly literary/un-cinematic about it, so this feels unnecessary. “The police are here! Something happened to Daddy!” No, bad! Show, don’t tell!

she would’ve known better than to introduce herself to that kid as “Clarice Starling, FBI,” come on now.

were they regularly able to wire tap hair clips in 1993?

actually, nothing in this show looks very 90s to me so far. I’m sad about it.

so in eighteen months, Ruth Martin has gone from a junior Senator to the Attorney freakin’ General, and now she might run for governor?? At least let her get settled in one position of power first, why don’t you!

yet more Buffalo Bill flashbacks...alas.

are they trying to make this guy another surrogate Hannibal character? He’s commenting on Clarice’s accent and the dryness of her skin, asking about who she “left behind”...it all feels very Hannibal. (I know he’s a Charismatic Cult Leader trope, too--but when played off of Clarice...)

“Ew.” “I hate this guy.” I laughed.

I understand that Clarice probably feels conflicted re: her siblings in the book, but I’m really not digging the flashbacks of this Tim Burton character her brother.

@ the writers: Clarice already has the lamb backstory/symbolism, too. We don’t need this Little Brother stuff.

*shrieking* Mrs. Starling! At the sink washing the blood out of his hat!!!

...aaand they had to ruin it with the brother’s painfully bad dialogue. Will still be good for gif-making, though.

are we supposed to interpret all these flashbacks as Clarice being incapable of controlling her emotions/state of mind? She keeps losing herself in memories and emerging all doe-eyed and panicky. I don’t like it.

not to be a broken record but...Clarice should be TOUGH. Again, Ardelia only saw her cry once in seven years. But she’s more worked up in this scene than Jodie was in Memphis!

when Mr. Cult Leader shouts “Agent Starling! Agent Starling!” he sounds exactly like Hannibal calling her back to his cell in the asylum. That has to be intentional.

damn, wish that I could look as good five minutes after I’ve been crying as Clarice does.

I LOVE that Ardelia gets to be the crucial behind-the-scenes book-smart partner to Clarice’s action heroine.

AG Martin’s just playing politics by turning a blind eye to the crooked sheriff. But when her own daughter was just kidnapped and almost killed, she looks like a real hypocrite.

gosh, Rebecca Breeds is great. I already hope she gets nominated for an Emmy.

so Krendler is...doing the right thing???

Clarice’s father was definitely not a sheriff. I hope she’s just exaggerating for dramatic effect. (Maybe this will be clarified later.)

she couldn’t just sit with a manipulative guy without getting emotional, but she’s cool as a cucumber while telling an extended story about her father? HmmMM.

sometimes her mannerisms and facial expressions are so much like Jodie’s that it’s uncanny, like here when she leans forward to confront the Cult Leader.

“She did it.” Damn straight!

another great callback to Silence. this show’s camera crew knows its stuff!

“He’s concerned I have some residual trauma from Bill.” I. Hate. This. Subplot--and all its OOC implications.

“Catherine was close to her father, too.” Ooh, a nice allusion to the novel! Clarice makes note of their “common wound,” the loss of a father, when she’s in Catherine’s apartment in Silence.

she is just SO pretty.

little Clarice looks a LOT like Rebecca Breeds. I hope we see some more of her.

The Good:

the continuing visual nods to the Silence film via cinematography

Mama Starling!!!

Clarice’s “The World Will Not Be This Way Within the Reach of my Arm” attitude, refusing to leave without helping the victims.

Ardelia Mapp coming in clutch!

Clarice being, generally, a badass

and using psychological tricks/mind games to pin the antagonist...that’s the woman who disarmed a monster with just a few words.

Rebecca Breed’s acting has been phenomenal so far.

I like Clarice’s haircut a lot better when worn down (though it’s not very practical for fieldwork, so we probably won’t see it much).

The Bad:

the continuing Buffalo Bill-related Trauma Subplot. Ugh.

all the flashbacks to Clarice’s brother (and the not-so-subtle suggestion that her brother is, symbolically, another lamb).

will the real Paul Krendler please come forward? this guy is so TAME.

the other agents’ hostility towards Clarice needs to be toned down slightly so that it can escalate. Otherwise, where’s the tension?

is this actually 1993? I’m not feeling it. Shouldn’t it have a little of that Season 1/2 X-Files aesthetic? Please give me more than once-an-episode references to pagers and fax machines!

that glaring Appalachia continuity error...it’s still bugging me.

I missed the overt Hannibal references, even though they’re not necessary to any part of this episode. A lady can dream!

Overall, I really liked this one despite my various issues with it. It started shakily but built to a great finish. The emphasis across both episodes on Clarice being in the FBI not just to “get out, get anywhere,” but out of a genuine desire to help victims has been wonderful. I just hope they don’t swerve too far into the “too traumatized and emotionally compromised to function” lane. It would be a disservice to Clarice’s character and to her journey (and would smack too much of “Hannibal really did prey on her weak mind/brainwash her”.

Things I’d still like to see: More of her personality. Her hobbies and interests. That she’s cleaning her gun is great! Now let’s see “Poison Oakley” practicing her sharpshooting skills. Or car shopping. Or clothes shopping to show off her “developing taste.” (Ardelia can come!) I’ll take literally anything. Give us more of Clarice’s sense of humor as well. She had some subtle funny moments in the pilot, and it’s nice to see Rebecca smile for a change.

And Krendler? Smear that man in grease! I appreciated a happy ending even though Clarice’s career is, as we know, already in a downward spiral--the last thing we want is for every episode to be a slog, especially when a good chunk of the audience hasn’t read the book and doesn’t know Clarice is doomed to fail in the Bureau.

However... Krendler’s not a “redemption arc” kind of character. Or even a “run-of-the-mill sexist asshole” character. This is a man who spent seven years systematically sabotaging a young woman’s career because a) he was jealous that she solved the Gumb case before him, and b) she wouldn’t fuck him. He was a Justice Department official working fist-in-glove with a serial child molester who was planning some of the heinous vigilante justice imaginable. THAT’S why his very gruesome end at Hannibal’s hands felt deserved--even Clarice thought so! In short, he needs to get nasty.

Anyway, thanks for coming to another long-overdue TedTalk. Fingers crossed that the next one will be more timely (aiming for Sunday night)!

#Clarice Starling #clarice #cbs clarice #rebecca breeds #once again I apologize for how late this is #and how long and somewhat ranty lol #please let me know if you want more ♥♥♥#media [cbs show]#char [clarice starling]

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stephspencer10 · 4 years

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Media on My Extended Family, Friends, and Fundamentalist Mormon Cults

This is a movie done some years ago about my infamous Uncle Ervil LeBaron, my mother’s brother. He is now known as “Evil Ervil,” and “The Mormon Manson.” I knew, respected, and loved him before he went off the deep end with his sociopathy and psychosis.

The film was very well done. I love how brilliantly Brian Dennehy played the part of my Uncle Ervil. But no film can possibly portray the depth of suffering and lunacy that went on in this man’s life that also affected the lives of all his brainwashed, true-believing followers and children.

You will have to get the film from wherever you get movies and find out the rest of the story for yourself; though I will be telling my experiences with my Uncle Ervil later on down the line in my memoir blogging.

https://thetrueprophetfilm.com/proposed-cast/

Proposed cast

THE TRUE PROPHET is an independent film written and directed by Scott Hillier and executive produced by…

THETRUEPROPHETFILM.COM

*NOTE: This movie was planning on its release in 2014. It was never released due to lack of funding. However, there is some interesting information on the site that you may find useful. For example, on this Website are some of Ervil’s writings and more. Must see.

*You may also read books written about him. I have listed here, below, some of these books. Wikipedia and other such sites relate a history of him also –– as well as a short history of the rest of the LeBaron family: His parents and siblings.

A Documentary about the LeBaron’s, especially Ervil LeBaron and his Cult

But hats off to him! Till I recently read his chronicle, I had no idea just how devious and wicked was the cult Uncle Ervil spawned; not to mention the people who followed him hook, line, and sinker/stinker!!

Rena’s story about Ervil LeBaron and his cult

This Memoir, written about thirty years ago, seems merely an immature, biased, apologist’s cold hearted revisionist tale written by the infamous Rena Chynoweth wherein she could brag about the part she played in the sad and dirty story of her husband’s bloody, violent, and psychotic cult. All is not fact-checked nor factual, much is omitted, and she writes more about her girlish romantic escapades and herself than anything.

In other words, it appears to be, largely, an attempt to be in the limelight and cash in on the notoriety of Ervil LeBaron, so as to make money and be a starlet — albeit a notorious one. We were lucky to get two paragraphs about her cold-blooded murder of Dr. Rulon Allred. And the best apology she could come up with, as to the “Lambs of God” atrocities and murders is, “This did not need to happen.”

But you may find her book worth a perusal just to see how a member of Ervil LeBaron’s murderous cult used to think. I say “used to think” because recently I had the opportunity to meet and visit with Gabriela LeBaron, a first cousin, and one of Uncle Ervil’s more than fifty children! She brought me up to date on how Ervil’s ex-cult is doing now — and that includes Rena!

Please see my Menu Bar to read about this important update and Info I have included in my full book review of Rena’s thirty-year-old Memoir “The Blood Covenant.”

If you want to get more of a chronicle of Ervil’s old mafioso cult, and its demise, read “The 4 O’clock Murders” by Scott Anderson, published in 1993. And “Prophet of Blood” by Ben Bradlee and Dale Van Atta, published in 1981.

These two documentaries are not always exactly right, in some of the history of this cult they wrote about, but hats off to them for doing as well as they did with a subject that was often hard to get “the truth” about.

*For much more information on anyone or anything I mention on this site, you may use your search engine to look up these people and topics. Also check YouTube, Wikipedia, and other sites.

youtube

Both Doris Hanson and Aunt Rebecca Kimbel are success stories of brilliant and determined women — who are also escapees from Mormon Fundamentalist cults!

They are each now Independent TV Producers who also host their own YouTube sites, among other things. Each of them interviews, among other outstanding leaders and people, escapees from dangerous Mormon cults.

youtube

My cousin, Donna LeBaron Goldberg (as seen below with her sister Barbara LeBaron on their website header) is interviewed a number of times by Producer Aunt Rebecca Kimbel on YouTube, for example. I hope you check out these YouTube interviews.

Doris Hansen and Rebecca Kimbel also each interviewed Authors Irene LeBaron Spencer (See: IreneSpencerbooks.com) and Susan Ray Schmidt (see her website). Both are my Aunts. And Aunt Irene is Donna LeBaron Goldberg’s and Barbara LeBaron’s mother, as seen in the photos above.

youtube

Aunt Rebecca Kimbel and Doris Hansen also interviewed, on their TV and YouTube sites, other relatives and friends of mine from my days in the cult — people such as my cousin, Carolyn Jessop, a memoirist who wrote the bestselling,”Escape,” and other books.

Also, check out Aunt Rebecca Kimbel’s excellent and adamant speech on YouTube’s TED-X Talks. (In around only 18 minutes, she did a genius presentation on all the main issues to do with Mormon cults, including White slavery.

See also (on Goodreads.com) her novel, “A Savage Wild,” published in 2013. I have yet to get and read it

See the film: “The Childbride of Short Creek.” It was on YouTube, among other places, the last time I checked. (To get Info for their Script, my sisters were interviewed by the writers of this film.)

“Banking on Heaven“ is a super Documentary my cousin Laurie Allen and her cohort, Dot Reidelbach, created. (It gives a good overview of life as a Mormon fundamentalist in Short Creek, Arizona, and Hilldale, Utah/ Colorado City, Arizona.

I went online a few years ago and ordered an updated 2006/2007 80 Min. copy of their DVD. (It’s far better than their first published DVD by the same name.) You can find it on Amazon.com, YouTube, the Internet. And her following website: Banking on Heaven

http://www.bankingonheaven.com/

Banking on Heaven is the inside story of the largest polygamous enclave in … Banking on Heavenexposes a culture that robs our welfare system, and uses mind control and fear to enslave thousands of Americans. … Click Here For Website. Banking on Heaven – Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banking_on_Heaven

Banking on Heaven is a documentary film which exposes the largest polygamous enclave in … Official site · review from Brigham Young University · review by The Dominion · Banking on Heavenon IMDb · Banking on Heaven at AllMovie …

Release date‎: ‎May 28, 2005 (Zaki Gordon Insti…

Some Recommended Books and Films Written Mostly by My Relatives and/or By Fellow Ex-Mormon Fundamentalists

(Many can be found in Public Libraries, on Amazon.com, etc., and on the Authors’ website. A number of them are in audiobook form also):

“Shattered Dreams” and “Cult Insanity” by Best-Selling Author Aunt Irene LeBaron Spencer, at IreneSpencerBooks.com. Her books are also in audiobook form. (Irene is my Aunt, through marriage, as is Rebecca Kimbel, Irene’s half-sister.)

*Note: I took the picture featured on Irene’s book cover,”Cult Insanity. (See it below in its original form :

“Uncle Ervil LeBaronis holding my eight-year-old daughter, Asenath Marie Tucker, the little girl in the yellow dress. I took this photograph before I had any idea that Uncle Ervil was a psychotic sociopath.

Uncle Ervil LeBaron, Brother-in-law Dan Jordan, & my daughter, Asenath Marie Tucker

youtube

One of my favorite books on the subject of my relatives and my past is the following book, written by a very talented writer, Aunt Susan Ray Schmidt. (I took care of her for five days when she was around nine years old (long before she married my Uncle Verlan LeBaron, of course, and thus became my aunt) while her parents were out of town, and we were still living in Colonia LeBaron, Chihuahua, Mexico).

“His Favorite Wife,” by Susan Ray Schmidt (Another Aunt of mine, her book reads like a novel. My family is mentioned in it.)

TWO EXCELLENT BOOKS: “PLYGS” and “PLYGS 2“ by Ed Kociela, available for sale on Amazon.com

*(He calls his book “Fiction,” to protect the innocent and himself, I suspect. It’s not fiction!

~ Also see Rebecca Kimbel’s YouTube interviews with this amazing journalist who spent many years writing news reports on the infamous polygamist town, Short Creek/AKA Colorado City.)

youtube

Another must read is Prophet’s Prey, by Sam Brower (also an audiobook).

A film came out September 2016: Prophet’s Prey. It is based on his book and was playing in theaters. I haven’t seen it yet.

Another “must read” is “God’s Brothel,“ by Andrea Moore-Emmett. (Also check out her super interviews with Rebecca Kimbel, and possibly also with Doris Hanson, on YouTube.)

No Man Knows My History, by the late UCLA researcher and professor, Fawn McKay Brodie (niece of David O. McKay, a former President and Prophet of the mainline Mormon church) This book is a well-researched history of the so-called “Prophet Joseph Smith” — a must read!)

My great-great-grandfather, Benjamin F. Johnson, was sealed to Joseph Smith as a son. Beginning at the tender age of eighteen, he became one of Joseph Smith’s Scribes. (I recently read, in a questionable place, that his son, Benjamin F. LeBaron, was also sealed to Joseph Smith as a son! But given the references for this claim, I’d say the jury is still out on this one!)

* This concludes my present most-recommended books and media on the subject to do with my Mormon fundamentalist past. However, there are plenty more books, films, and TV shows published on this subject of Mormon fundamentalism, polygamy, and cults.

Check libraries, bookstores, Youtube, your online search engine, and “Media” in the Menu of my own website for more material on these subjects. I own around one hundred books and also some films and TV productions about Mormonism, its past, and Mormon polygamist cults. Many of the books and scripts are written by former Mormon Fundamentalists who have left/escaped their cult.

I found all one hundred or more of my books worth reading, but have gleaned from them the ones I most recommend to start with. If I think of any other books or media, I will come back and add them later. But I’m sure this is more than enough to start with.

Again, you can always check the public libraries and online Book Stores like Amazon.com, also, if you want even more books and Media presently available on the subject.

I am open to questions or feedback on this material, should you wish to make comments on my site. Till then, happy reading, listening to, and watching films, YouTube interviews, and TV shows on this informative media.

As always, I look forward to hearing from you and to your following my site. Thank you in advance for your most appreciated feedback. It’s what we Authors thrive on.

September 26, 2016:

The following books and films, etc., I also recommend, if you are interested in learning more about my extended family, or/and other things to do with Mormon fundamentalism:

(*By the way, this Romney insert is not a book, but I thought it interesting. Also wanted to say, my mother (born 1921 in Colonia Pacheco, Mexico) grew up with Gov. Romney’s (George Romney, et Al) family, there in the Mormon colonies in Mexico.

Joseph Smith, Benjimen F. Johnson, Dayer LeBaron, and Joel LeBaron

My Uncle Joel LeBaron

Book cover created by Sigfried Widmar

“The LeBaron Story” is truly a “Vanity Book” — not only because my uncle Verlan LeBaron paid a publishing company in 1981 (back when self-publishing was far from the norm) to publish the book — but also because it is a revisionistic, apologetic, and biased history of some of my grandparents Maud and Dayer LeBaron’s rather grandiose offspring.

What’s more, my Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Verlan are largely NOT the authors of this book though they have taken all the credit for it. Truth is, Uncle Verlan was FAR too busy to write a book — even if he knew how — too busy working, traveling around from country to country visiting his ten wives and fifty-plus kids — and running from his brother Ervil who was out to kill him! And Aunt Charlotte was about this busy too!

Fact is, my mother/Verlan’s sister Esther LeBaron-McDonald de Spencer (with a BA in journalism) is the one whose idea it was to write “The LeBaron Story.” She wrote a large part of this book, then turned her manuscript over to Verlan, along with her journals and notes, telling him he could finish and publish her work — could even have all the proceeds from it!

It was Mother’s effort to help her brother Verlan “build up the kingdom of God” — her way of paying tithing and defending “God’s work” because Verlan had taken over for her brother Joel LeBaron, “The One Mighty and Strong,” after Joel was murdered by his brother Ervil!

The work of finishing and compiling Mother’s book was largely done by my Uncle Verlan’s first wife Charlotte who relied on Info from my mother’s journals and notes to help her.

About 2/3 of “The LeBaron Story,” therefore, came directly from my dear Mom’s manuscript as well as her journal entries. I remember when she was writing this history. She talked about it a lot at the time. I recognize her writing and input. It’s mixed throughout the text — makes up a large part of it.

You may want to note the two different writer’s voices used in the book! Anything with the more beautifully written structured writing, defined paragraphs, quotes, and sources listed at the back of the book, etc., is my mother Esther LeBaron Spencer’s writing voice — her contribution. Whereas Aunt Charlotte, Uncle Verlan, et Al’s writing voices are in the chapters where everything is run together and there aren’t structured paragraphs, footnotes, etc.

Although Uncle Verlan and Aunt Charlotte used large parts of what my Mother wrote, word for word — used her material exactly as she had written it — no editing at all — they gave Mother not one BIT of credit — not one speck of acknowledgment, let alone so much as a howdy-do-dee or thank-you. It’s tantamount to plagiarism — shameful how Charlotte and Verlan took all the credit for this book!

But getting to the body of the work, if you were to take the authors’ word for everything, for sure the Mexico LeBarons are/were “a saintly people with a Godly mission.” But I beg to differ: Wishing doesn’t make it so. In other words, wishful thinking, such as self-proclaiming oneself as “The One Mighty and Strong,” and claiming one comes from “A Godly people with a Messianic mission” doesn’t make it true.

Much of the book’s lore takes place in Chihuahua, Mexico. Unfortunately, the authors tell the story in the words of true-believing, fundamentalist-Mormon-LeBaron cult members. In other words, it’s a highly biased history with a Messianic purpose.

True to their fanatic religiosity, as I said above, the book was mainly written to proselytize and promote Uncle Joel LeBaron’s cult, “The Church of the First Born of the Fullness of Times.” This presupposes a revised and rewritten history, then — and a white-washing of the LeBarons … It’s myth in the making, to be sure.

Nonetheless, I was able to glean a bit of useful information from it. I’m glad the book was written, despite the biased viewpoint, because nobody else in the immediate Mexico LeBaron family has written any first-hand history about themselves.

But suffice it to say, the book could use a good Editor’s service, if nothing else — although, even as it is, it was a big endeavor and accomplishment for my aunts and uncle to pull off. For they were very busy people who had done little reading in comparison to Scholars and those Majoring in Journalism or such. Plus they were laboring under great pressures and disadvantages like raising huge families of small children while living in backward, primitive conditions. But book-buyer beware … be wary! That’s all I can say!

I was given a copy of this book many years ago when it first came out in 1981, fourteen years after I escaped the LeBaron cult in 1967. After reading the book, the preaching, plus the white-washing and grandiose fabrications throughout the chronicle of the LeBaron family got my gut so badly I was about to toss the book in the dumpster when two of my Uncle Verlan’s daughters dropped in. They still believed their father was a prophet, back then, so were very happy to be gifted with my book, “The LeBaron Story.” And I was very happy to get rid of it.

But thirty-six years later, for purposes of my own writing, understanding, and research, I had to re-buy the book on Kindle! Argh! It’s going for around $45.00 or so in hardback, no less, on Amazon.com. Wonders never cease to amaze me … so I wonder! Well, to each his own. Read on!

Elissa Wall was raised in the FLDS cult, the same cult that I was raised in for around eight years, as a child, before my parents left this fundamentalist group and joined another, the LeBaron group.

Anna LeBaron is my cousin, one of Uncle Ervil’s daughters.

Her above book, The Polygamist’s Daughter, is presently available in bookstores as of March 21, 2017. (See her website, AnnaLeBaron.com.)

The is a wonderfully and intelligently written memoir by Flora Jessop (and Paul T. Brown), who was born and raised in the FLDS cult — there in Short Creek, Arizona (now called “Colorado City,” on the map) and Hilldale, Utah, where I lived for some time, as a child.

My sister, Leonora/Lenora Spencer (mentioned in the credits of this book) gave Jon Krakauer a lot of the good information included in his book about Short Creek/Colorado City, Hilldale, and Centennial Park, Utah.

In turn, he helped her a lot — with advice, etc., that aided her escape from the bonds of White slavery, polygamy, and Mormon fundamentalism.

My niece Vicky Rogers LeBaron filled Krakauer in on some of the details, also, that have made up part of the research that went into writing this documentary.

Memoirist and Author Ruth Wariner Ruth (LeBaron) Wariner Centofante, a daughter of my mother’s brother Uncle Joel LeBaron, published her memoirs Feb. 2016.

A best-seller, it’s in public libraries. Audiobook also available.

In 2016, I read “Maud’s Story,” a 2013 self-published book written by my Aunt Charlotte LeBaron (Uncle Verlan LeBaron’s first wife).

The book largely consists of a collection of some of my grandmother’s letters — and some vignettes Grandma wrote that are run together in often hard-to-decipher paragraphs.

More to be said on this later. I’ll say, for now, she’s done a revised version—a rewriting of the history of the “Joel LeBaron: Prophet” saga, turning it upside down and him into a martyred prophet. (She shows, though not intentionally, how religious myths are made.)

*Note: It’s now 2019: See my blog post by the same name for my updatd “Review of Aunt Charlotte’s Maud’s Story,” posted below:

Maud Lucinda LeBaron is my maternal grandmother, of whom I am “the spittin’ image,” I was always told growing up. In fact, the above photo of her looks so much like me at that age, I look at it and think it’s me. I can’t tell the difference!

Needless to say, Grandma Maud LeBaron was special to me. So when I saw, on Amazon.com, Aunt Charlotte had published her story, I spent $4.00 on it … and three hours reading it — such was its brevity. That includes the many times I had to re-read parts, attempting to understand what had been said, because Aunt Charlotte isn’t a natural author.

Suffice it to say, the book was no bargain: Its shortness left me wanting more. And it is supposed to be Grandmother LeBaron’s story but many of the tales Grandma used to entertain us with are not in the book.

Nevertheless, nobody else has published anything about her. So I’m grateful Aunt Charlotte wrote all she did. (“If you don’t like how the story was written, write it yourself,” they admonish.)

Still, I resent she used my grandmother Matriarch Maud Lucinda LeBaron’s story to draw in her progeny and relatives, as well as others, so as to promote her’s and Uncle Joel’s Church of the Firstborn doctrine — a la Charlotte LeBaron’s lore. So “Maud’s Story” really should be renamed: “Charlotte’s Story.”

But to give Aunt Charlotte a little credit (though I’m disappointed “Maud’s Story” wasn’t imbued with more of Grandmother’s colorful history—her growing up with Spencer W. Kimball as a pioneer in poverty and primitive conditions in Thatcher, Arizona, for example! (See: “The Story of Spencer W. Kimball : A Short Man, a Long Stride“) she includes in her booklet numerous short vignettes that are, she claims, direct “Quotes from Grandma’s Notes.

“Perhaps, to get a little more of Grandmother’s history, Charlotte expects us to read “The LeBaron Story,” which she also claims authorship for along with her husband, my Uncle Verlan LeBaron—though it was my mother who wrote a great deal of “The LeBaron Story.” See my review all of this book, another apologists’ chronicle largely written to preach the Church of the Firstborn religious doctrine.

Even so, other criticisms I have are that the book is biased and provincial—written with an attempt to whitewash and glorify the Alma Dayer and Maud Lucinda LeBaron family so as to make “The Mexico LeBarons” look like “a Godly family with a saintly mission.”

I find its covert preaching of the Church of the First Born dogma distasteful— especially the revising of its doctrine and history to make it more palatable than it was when my Uncles Ervil and Joel LeBaron first spawned this sect/cult in 1953—an offshoot from their brothers Ben and Ross Wesley LeBaron’s cults!

To be sure, Aunt Charlotte has rewritten history in “The LeBaron Story” and “Maud’s Story” so as to turn Uncle Joel into a Prophet, Saint, and Martyr — And his untimely murder into “A Modern-Day Cain and Abel story.” But there is much more to this whole dirty tale than she’s letting on. So “Charlotte’s Story” is myth in the making, if ever there was such!

My final thoughts on “Maud’s Story” are: Grandmother should have given a sermon or two in church, if she were truly as well-versed in the cult’s dogma as she appeared to be in Charlotte’s short biography — or were words put in Gramma’s mouth; i.e., Did someone else write at least part of those letters for Grandma—or at least coach her in the writing of them?!*

I’m especially referring to what Grandma supposedly said in those letters to her girlhood friend Spencer W. Kimball. I say “supposedly” because Aunt Charlotte wasn’t honest about the story of how my Uncle Joel became the self-proclaimed “One Mighty and Strong.” Therefore, I can’t trust anything else in the book.

Though I could say more, I’ll suffice it to say: Should she ever do a reprint of her book, please get a good editor to go over it beforehand. And do not run Grandmother’s notes ‘n’ quotes together as if they were one organized piece — because they’re not:

They are short vignettes and should be separated as such. That way, the reader isn’t hoping to find the rest of the tale in the next paragraph, only to be left hanging — for a whole new tale has taken up!

*Ghost writing was the name of the game when I was in the cult: One of the sect’s two leading Scriptorians (Ervil LeBaron and William Preston Tucker, my husband) would write the exposé, or such, then publish it with whatever name or signature they thought would most impress those receiving the literature — or letter.

This is an excellent memoir written by a nephew of Warren Jeffs, Brent Jeffs. It is a very informative and bravely written memoir of one of the unfortunate and abused (sexually, physically, emotionally, and mentally) boys raised in the FLDS/Mormon fundamentalist cult. He has been interviewed on TV a number of times.

You go, Brent! More people need to follow your example and bring to light what is really going on in Mormon fundamentalist cults in the name of religion.

This film is/was about my Uncle Ervil LeBaron. Did a Google search and found it was scheduled to be released in 2014, but was canceled for lack of funding. But am told a new film on Uncle Ervil is due to be released in 2017 or 2018.

Joanne Hanks Memoir is one of the best books written on what life in polygamy is like, and why she eventually fled it. See my book review on her memoir. It’s posted on my Website.

Media on My Extended Family, Friends, and Fundamentalist Mormon Cults Media on My Extended Family, Friends, and Fundamentalist Mormon Cults This is a movie done some years ago about my infamous Uncle Ervil LeBaron, my mother's brother.

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