# Written Memorial for Red



## GamingGal (Aug 3, 2015)

So, I'm going to try my hand at writing a memorial for Red (I only mention Red because I've only heard talk of one wanted for her, but am willing to do one for Milo if desired). Bear with me and my writing skills; it's been a while. I've been informed that it should be hopefully finished fairly soon and a bit short so it can be ran while the story is current. With that in mind, I need details people.

Tell me about Tessa, the things you want featured in the memorial, the things that should stay out, the desired length, anything you might think is needed. I'll do my best to write something up by the end of this week if all goes well and then I'll post it and we can edit it from there.

Sorry if this is a bit all over the place. Tired me is tired.


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## Rassah (Aug 3, 2015)

For reference, the local town papers are The Stephenville Empire Tribune and The Flash Today. I'd like to have a short story written about Red, mainly to combat any negative image in her home town. So it would have to use male pronouns, referring to him as Ty Cody Rhine, because #SmallTownTXProblems. I'm thinking something like who was Ty, and talk about him as someone who grew up as a fun and silly kid who always brightened his friends' day, but then due to huge depression problems ended up descending into drugs and alcohol, and eventually overcame that habit, worked hard to put his life back together, and became a rising star in the community, loved by and an inspiration to people all over. A short, fluffy, feel good, human interest story about someone who had faults but managed to overcome them, but in a style like you'd hear in a newspaper that writes stories about how great their high school football team was. So nothing like a novel or anything.

The purpose is to stave off any possible fights in her town between Red's parents and the local police who may preemptively trash her in the media as a worthless druggie with an outstanding warrant for a speeding ticket or something.


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## Eggdodger (Aug 3, 2015)

It's hard for me to freely spew out information, honestly. I know things, of course, about Ty, but there are surely nuggets here and there I'll miss. If you have specific questions about him (hurts to misgender Red but if necessary), I can most likely answer in great detail. As far as describing her in a general sense, I'd miss too many details.


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## aeroxwolf (Aug 3, 2015)

Great idea. Let us know when it's finished.


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## Lucyfish (Aug 3, 2015)

Thank you for doing this, I can't wait to see what it's like. I'd like to contribute but I don't know how much paper-appropriate content I can give as a lot of it was fairly private. I mean, I can go on all day about how amazing she was and how much she meant to me and everyone else, but who can't?


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## Soul-Wolf (Aug 3, 2015)

Yeah, I'm in the same boat as Lucy. I saw a lot of parallels between my life and hers, and she was certainly a kindred spirit for the love of writing and freedom if for no other reason. The problem is I currently only have my own fuzzy and probably biased memories to go on. I'm not sure how much I could say that's objective, does it justice, doesn't misrepresent the place we had in each others lives. The one thing I remember she used to nag me about was getting off my arse to write and draw more. And the way we became friends is, at least the way I remembered seeing it at the time, really touching. I can't write bullshit, you know? It wouldn't be right for a writer to write bullshit about another writer if it was ever right to write bullshit about anyone.


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## Rassah (Aug 3, 2015)

Maybe the easiest way to start this off would be with an outline.

Ty was born on... and grew up in... He went to ... high school. At ... he started dealing with depression and moved out. It turned into a destructive lifestyle of drugs and alcohol. Through this time, Ty continued to write about his life and fiction stories. In ... he finally decided he had had enough. He faced his inner issues, changed his philosophy and outlook on life, realizing that the only person who can get him out of this is himself, and started putting his life back together. He restored his relationship with his family, got a job and a place to live, and even took in someone in need of help to live with him. As he rebuilt his life, he continued writing, helping people, and became an inspiration to many who were also struggling with depression, addiction, and personal issues. 

Then just expand it into a story, and fill in the details.


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## Eggdodger (Aug 3, 2015)

Ty was born on... and grew up in... He went to ... high school. At ... he started dealing with depression and moved out. It turned into a destructive lifestyle of drugs and alcohol. Through this time, Ty continued to write about his life and fiction stories. In ... he finally decided he had had enough. He faced his inner issues, changed his philosophy and outlook on life, realizing that the only person who can get him out of this is himself, and started putting his life back together. He restored his relationship with his family, got a job and a place to live, and even took in someone in need of help to live with him. As he rebuilt his life, he continued writing, helping people, and became an inspiration to many who were also struggling with depression, addiction, and personal issues.

The parts I know:

Date of Birth: October 13th, 1991

Red grew up all over Texas: Stephenville, Sulfur Springs, Hart, El Campo, Thrall, Comfort, Boerne, and Comanche, where she last lived before she passed away.

She made considerable progress with her drug addiction about the same time she came out as transgender on FA: that is, May of last year. I remember that it was a pretty big deal. Back when Red was CC, he took a hiatus over two years ago. That would likely be about the time he started to question himself, but I wasn't a member back then, so not sure.

You might also want to add that he became a milk tanker.


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## Rassah (Aug 3, 2015)

A tank milker would have been so much more awesome...

Oh yeah, should add stuff like since fighting to get his life back on track, he has been dealing with poor people problems(tm), like cracking his tooth, which would have cost thousands to fix, and getting a speeding ticket at a location 6 hours away, which he was trying to scrape up money to pay, but couldn't drive 6 hours to the court room to discuss. Turn the things that would have been used against her into sympathy.


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## Rayzr (Aug 3, 2015)

Nice to see a project like this. I found this thread and thought I'd share it. https://forums.furaffinity.net/threads/1272108-SIXTEEN-GEARS-BABY-I-M-MOVIN-ON


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## Kosdu (Aug 3, 2015)

Later on I'll do my best to contribute.


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## SodaBubbles (Aug 3, 2015)

I don't have much of anything to contribute- I was literally barely getting to know Red when she was killed, but I am very glad to see this happening. Thank you guys so much.


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## Kosdu (Aug 3, 2015)

I think I've spoken all I can on Ley's memorial tumblr.

The best memorial would likely be a composite of all our stories.

I'm sorry.


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## Rassah (Aug 3, 2015)

This isn't a memorial, just a short newspaper story about her life. If no one steps up by tomorrow, I'll just write up something myself.


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## Ley (Aug 3, 2015)

Rassah said:


> This isn't a memorial, just a short newspaper story about her life. If no one steps up by tomorrow, I'll just write up something myself.



IT was gaming gals idea, so please let her do somthing for it.

Secondly, I have a lot of memorials on the tumblr located in my sig. I've been encouraging folks to post. This avenue lets folks get their thoughts out privately as to not bring attention to Ty's.. well, Tessa-ness to her folks in the town.


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## Rassah (Aug 3, 2015)

Thanks. I just don't want to drag this out, because it sounds like the pretrial stuff may be happening soon, and I'd rather have something to get to the newspapers before then as a preemptive strike, should it be needed.


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## GamingGal (Aug 3, 2015)

Ley -- It was Rassah's idea, so he can take over if needed.

That being said, I'll be getting off within the hour and will write something up before going to sleep. I'll stay up with you tonight to proof it as well. Do you have a word count you prefer?


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## Soul-Wolf (Aug 3, 2015)

Ley said:


> IT was gaming gals idea, so please let her do somthing for it.
> 
> Secondly, I have a lot of memorials on the tumblr located in my sig. I've been encouraging folks to post. This avenue lets folks get their thoughts out privately as to not bring attention to Ty's.. well, Tessa-ness to her folks in the town.



Well I'd like to contribute _something_ but I just need a bit of help filling in blanks information-wise and I guess just bouncing ideas off of because, as a writer, I'm a bit rusty. So if you can help me help you, certainly, I'd love to do something, whether on your blog or to write a defense-piece if need be.


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## GamingGal (Aug 4, 2015)

Here you go.

I apologize if the beginning is rough. Fact telling has never been my forte, especially when I don't know them all. I like to think that towards the middle I hit my stride, though. Any thoughts are welcome.


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## Lucyfish (Aug 4, 2015)

That was beautiful, GG. I'm no editor or critic or anything of the sort but it was still enough to make me cry. Thank you.


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## SodaBubbles (Aug 5, 2015)

THat is beautiful!


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## Rassah (Aug 6, 2015)

.


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## Rassah (Aug 6, 2015)

For whatever reason I just couldn't get myself into a writing mood. I felt kind of burned out and emotionless, and whatever I tried - listening to music or reading some of her stuff - I couldn't get the right mood to get into to edit this properly. But I got there, eventually somehow, and got this thing finished. At least about as good as I can get it. And THANK YOU SO MUCH GG for getting it started! You built the foundation, I just put on the decorations and little life details.

I enabled comments, so if you guys could read it over and let me know if there are any issues, that would help. And if everything is fine, I'll poke Red's Momma about doing something with it. 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BR2RrYW_gj5hqJEl8KsUgnBw2mcdUcPgiO2BZrjIjdY/edit?usp=sharing


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## Soul-Wolf (Aug 6, 2015)

Rassah said:


> For whatever reason I just couldn't get myself into a writing mood. I felt kind of burned out and emotionless, and whatever I tried - listening to music or reading some of her stuff - I couldn't get the right mood to get into to edit this properly. But I got there, eventually somehow, and got this thing finished. At least about as good as I can get it. And THANK YOU SO MUCH GG for getting it started! You built the foundation, I just put on the decorations and little life details.
> 
> I enabled comments, so if you guys could read it over and let me know if there are any issues, that would help. And if everything is fine, I'll poke Red's Momma about doing something with it.
> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BR2RrYW_gj5hqJEl8KsUgnBw2mcdUcPgiO2BZrjIjdY/edit?usp=sharing




Yeah, I could offer some suggestions. And I know you won't take a damn one of them. I think I'm going to write my own piece because I just don't think you're doing right by her. And more importantly, I don't think you really care all that much about doing right by her. Sorry, I'm just being real.


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## Amiir (Aug 6, 2015)

Soul-Wolf said:


> Yeah, I could offer some suggestions. And I know you won't take a damn one of them. I think I'm going to write my own piece because I just don't think you're doing right by her. And more importantly, I don't think you really care all that much about doing right by her. Sorry, I'm just being real.



Are you fucking serious? No. Just no. Rassah cared a hell of a lot about Red, going as far as covering medical expenses for her teeth. I can guarantee that he does care about doing right by her. If I were you I'd apologize right now

What's wrong with what Rassah wrote anyway? I read it and didn't see anything wrong with it. If you think you can do better that's fine, just don't be a dick about it man, come on that's really unnecessary. And inappropriate: in such a context you should stick together. The more minds the better chance to write something very nice, no?


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## Soul-Wolf (Aug 6, 2015)

Amiir said:


> Are you fucking serious? No. Just no. Rassah cared a hell of a lot about Red, going as far as covering medical expenses for her teeth. I can guarantee that he does care about doing right by her. If I were you I'd apologize right now
> 
> What's wrong with what Rassah wrote anyway? I read it and didn't see anything wrong with it. If you think you can do better that's fine, just don't be a dick about it man, come on that's really unnecessary. And inappropriate: in such a context you should stick together. The more minds the better chance to write something very nice, no?



For the record, _I tried_ reaching out to Rassah to give some input and he flat out ignored me. So that's just one reason I think he wants this to be more his article than Red's article. The other, more important reason is because I think the main point he wants to drive home actually contradicts a lot of the truths revealed in the same narrative. I never said he didn't care about Red, bear in mind. I just think he cares about _this_ more, and that his personal motives blind him. That seems to matter more than painting her in the best, most sympathetic but still realistic light.

If you want an alternate take, you're going to get one. Trust me.


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## Rassah (Aug 6, 2015)

Soul-Wolf said:


> Yeah, I could offer some suggestions. And I know you won't take a damn one of them. I think I'm going to write my own piece because I just don't think you're doing right by her. And more importantly, I don't think you really care all that much about doing right by her. Sorry, I'm just being real.



I welcome your suggestions. The document is in editable mode, so have at it. As stated in the beginning, I want this to be a group effort, not my own thing. GG provided the initial article, I added some details and changed the focus a bit more from her simply being being a nice self-motivated person to a good inspirational writer. And the question is, would someone who never knew Red the way we did care about what they read? I agree it can be more, but no one else has stepped up to help. *Not even you*. If you want to contribute and tweak it further, by all means do so. Just keep the hate out of it.



Soul-Wolf said:


> For the record, _I tried_ reaching out to Rassah to give some input and he flat out ignored me.



If I ignored you, it's because I didn't see it. When did you try to reach out? For the record, Cocobanana did reach out, and he was the one who helped me look at it critically from a 3rd person viewpoint and revise it appropriately. So big thanks to him too.

Edit: I read through your post history, and checked my private messages, but I didn't see you saying anything to me about this.


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## Soul-Wolf (Aug 6, 2015)

I guess you don't check your visitor messages or something. I was originally content to leave it in your hands because you seemed to really have your shit together and to be the most dedicated. I legit figured you could cover it. My doubts just accumulate as I notice certain things here and there. It's funny you tell me to keep the hate out of it when one of my main criticisms could boil down to it not being enough about love.


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## Rassah (Aug 6, 2015)

I usually don't, but all I saw from you was



> Hey, I know we seem to butt heads a bit but for what it's worth I don't really dislike you or anything. And actually I was thinking of you while reminiscing about Red a short while ago because you had a question you were trying to answer about her for yourself. I knew her a bit longer than you. I think I might be able to help answer that question. Sure you don't wanna hear my theory, just to entertain the thought?



I thought I replied, "I didn't think I had a question, or know what the question is, but I'm curious what the answer is. As long as it's not '42'" Maybe hitting submit failed on my crappy WiFi. Sorry if you didn't get it.

I'm not sure what you could say about love. I mean, I did. I said plenty, and lavished her with it. Look through the revision history if you don't believe me. But from a perspective of a stranger reading this in some paper, I'm not sure they would care. They don't know Red like we do, so just saying she had it, or even describing it, doesn't really project that feeling on the readers. So, I reluctantly pulled those parts out.

Honestly, for others to see how much love Red had, they'd have to read what she herself wrote.


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## Soul-Wolf (Aug 6, 2015)

Trust me dude, I have every intention of giving you a proper reply _and_ writing something I can probably base things to add off of. I'm a bit rusty with the whole formal writing thing myself so yeah, between those two goals I'm gonna be a tad scarce for a little bit.


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## Rassah (Aug 6, 2015)

.


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## Soul-Wolf (Aug 6, 2015)

See Rassah, once again you fail to miss the point. I don't know, maybe it's flying over your head because I'm not lowballing it enough for ya. Try this one on for size. I _don't_ have much of a boner at all for Red, I don't think. But even if I do, I'm more obsessed with her past and retrieving whatever's left of it for myself and whatever it could help me with on the writing side is secondary. You're writing about a future you have no idea would materialize, because it's what you would have wanted for her. And the fact is, she doesn't really need that to be defensible. The speeding ticket, what the hell is that? Oh, just another youthful mistake that she made once and would probably never made again. And she would have made many more mistakes along the way, no doubt. Her life is no less valuable because of what she came from and in fact I'd argue it probably _made her_ what she is.

The other part of the problem is exactly what you said. You're filtering the narrative through your own experiences and biases. Those are kinds of the things we need to be penetrating here.

I'm not sure if the emphasis on the word "dirt" is the best either but I dunno. That one you could do anything with and I'm sure it could be good. I think I gotta re-read what you did and maybe some more of her shit too.


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## GamingGal (Aug 6, 2015)

Both of you STOP IT.

Do you really think Red would care? Soul, you want it done one way. Rassah, you want it another. Obviously I would have done it another way considering my version was nothing but the mere framework of the final piece. Does it matter? No. We are doing our best to honor Red and her memory. She loved writing and I firmly believe that she would be over the moon knowing a group of people she considered friends were working on a piece just for her. Soul, you might think this piece isn't correct for her, but it isn't meant only for her. This article is meant to garner sympathy and good opinions of Red in the town where the police might try to drag her name through the mud. It's a firebreak of sorts. Of course it's not going to be as personal, gender her by her proper gender. The speeding ticket was mentioned as well as the tooth in an effort to show "Hey, this person was working hard but life kept pushing them down." Don't think it matters? It does. Every time I tell my life story to someone, from the dropping college to the car wrecks to the homelessness to the walking an hour to work and back to my family disowning me for two years, all that hardship makes someone look at you differently and admire what you were doing, even if it's nothing but treading water to keep your nose above the drowning line. Those things aren't mentioned in an effort to throw mud on her name, but in an effort to show others that she was determined to rise above her past, but that life was trying to pull her back down. You say her life is more valuable because of where she came from and I AGREE. That's why those things are in there.

Anything that tells the life of someone you KNEW is going to be put through the human filter of "this person was important to me and should be painted as such." It's natural, and I've combed through it in an effort to remove anything that is overly biased. I'll probably do so again in an hour or so once I've let it sort of ripen on my mind. I'm sure if you wrote someone it would still have that tinge. All biographies do.

As for the emphasis on dirt, if you read at the quote in the beginning it makes sense. She was pushing through the dirt of life, all the hardships and addiction and shit, in an effort to rise above it and show the world what she had to offer. Yes, what she went through helped her become who she was, but without the dirt a flower can't grow. It goes hand in hand.

I will say the random mention of the far off entrepreneur was odd. It was kind of thrown in there and left me thinking "Um, okay....?" 

If both of you can't stop this bickering, which is really awful to see over something in memory of Red, I just might bow out of this. It's giving it a scummy feel.


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## Rassah (Aug 6, 2015)

If I failed to miss the point, then I'm right on target. :V

Now that that's out of the way

* The reason I write about her future is to show that she is still important, even after death, AND because no one likes reading sob stories with sad endings. It's an American thing. I had to come up with something (not that having her stories possibly being published isn't true, because it's not what I "would have" wanted for her, but what I and her mom DO want for her).

* The speeding ticket is specifically what may (or may have been) used against her in the court of public opinion and the trial that will take place in her name. I suspect they may want to use that outstanding ticket (and possible suspended license at the time, though I'm not sure if it was suspended), against her to show that she was an irresponsible person who shouldn't have been on the road anyway. I wanted to get that put there as a preemptive PR strike, which would make it impossible for them to use against her later. Sorry if you were not in the loop about this.

* I thought I was writing specifically about how her life made her what she is, and that she is still struggling on the way up, with minor "relatable poor people problems" here and there, but that she was doing it with gusto. Sorry if I failed to portray that. Please fix.

* Yes, I have personal biases. I asked for help. GG wrote something, but she admitted to knowing even less, so, after a day or two of no one else bothering, I stepped in to fill the blanks. Why T F is it that the people taking up to write about this are NOT the ones who spent years knowing her?!

* The "dirt" was GG's idea. I thought a flower has to grow through dirt to bloom was poetic and appropriate, so I left it in.


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## Soul-Wolf (Aug 6, 2015)

Calm down GG, this isn't "bickering". We both do sorta want the same thing and just have a different emphasis and approach. I blame his half of it on him being a panther but that's because it's cool. I'm not racist I own a black kitty. I'm ironically racist against cats. Blame Jashwa.

I actually started typing out a response and then realized he's probably trying to stall me so yeah, forget that.


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## Rassah (Aug 6, 2015)

Sorry for my dickishness. Btw, you're not the first person to mention being racist against cats. Not sure why, since my fursona has never defined me. I only picked a panther decades ago cause I wanted something sleek and sexy. Anyway, carry on.


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## Lucyfish (Aug 6, 2015)

Every time I sit down to try to write something I just can't seem to get my thoughts out. It's like emotions keep me from writing down what I feel because I feel like I can never do it enough justice with words. Either that or it's the absolute worst case of writer's block I ever encountered. I feel like I'm letting her down.


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## Rassah (Aug 6, 2015)

I had that same issue all day yesterday until I just forced myself to sit down and start writing. Doesn't matter what our how good, it can be fixed later. Just had to put words down on paper.
What are you writing btw? The letter Red's mom asked to be sent in?


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## Soul-Wolf (Aug 6, 2015)

Lucyfish said:


> Every time I sit down to try to write something I just can't seem to get my thoughts out. It's like emotions keep me from writing down what I feel because I feel like I can never do it enough justice with words. Either that or it's the absolute worst case of writer's block I ever encountered. I feel like I'm letting her down.



Maybe we'll collaborate on something together Lucy. I'm a bit stuck too. Maybe if we put our heads together. I know Red would love that. She'd also love to see me and Rassah try to be on the same page as much as possible too because we're very different personalities and she appreciated how I at least _wanted_ to not let that get in the way of a worthy, common cause. We all want to do her image and "spirit" justice. We also want to defend her from criticism that it's realistically hard as hell to anticipate. We may have to write more than one piece in more than one place. I'm just saying, we should try to be prepared for virtually anything.


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## GamingGal (Aug 6, 2015)

Soul-Wolf said:


> Calm down GG, this isn't "bickering". We both do sorta want the same thing and just have a different emphasis and approach. I blame his half of it on him being a panther but that's because it's cool. I'm not racist I own a black kitty. I'm ironically racist against cats. Blame Jashwa.
> 
> I actually started typing out a response and then realized he's probably trying to stall me so yeah, forget that.



I guess(?) apologies. Writing is just important to me and seeing people fuss over what is better for the memory of someone bothers me.


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