Public Perception Law: Part 1

 It finally happened: the court of public opinion and the court of law are one and the fucking same.

It all started with Jason Lawrence.

Jason grew up in St. John’s, Newfoundland. He had two YouTube channels. One focused on police corruption; the other discussed men’s issues. Meanwhile, a serial killer was on the loose, targeting women. Kate Novack, another social media influencer, claimed she saw Jason walking near one of the murder scenes.

Jason was tried for the murders of ten women—but he was found not guilty.

“I’ve never seen such a miscarriage of justice in my life,” Judge Albright said in the courtroom. “Not only was there no evidence that Mr. Lawrence was anywhere near Janice Black’s home, but the prosecutor, Mr. Novack, actually believed he could use Mr. Lawrence’s YouTube channel as evidence. In addition to that, Dr. Duma claimed Mr. Lawrence ‘fits the profile’ of a serial killer. It’s incidents like this that explain why more men commit suicide than women. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, Mr. Novack, Dr. Duma (you don’t deserve to be called doctor), and the public at large owe you an apology. The court finds you not guilty. Case dismissed.”

Jason Lawrence’s trial was all over CBC News. This caused massive protests across Canada, which ultimately led to the creation of the Public Perception Law, or PP Law for short. To sum it up: under “special circumstances,” public perception can now be considered probable cause for arrest.

In other words: fuck due process.

A short while after the law came into effect, Kate Novack said the following on TikTok:

“I can’t believe Jason Lawrence was found not guilty. Thankfully, the law changed. Because Jason Lawrence followed me home. He also made a fake TikTok account, where he threatened me with a knife. There’s also police footage of Jason trespassing on my property, and it’s in police custody.  

Despite the change in the law, I don’t think it’s enough to protect women from the likes of Jason.”

The police arrested Jason for criminal harassment shortly afterward, but he was out on bail less than 24 hours later.

Jason Lawrence allowed me to interview him.  

My name is Michael Crane. I’m a journalist for Tranquil Heights Chronicles and lead writer for Titanium Wrestling.

“What evidence did the RNC have against you?” I asked.

“The only evidence the cops have is the fact that Kate was crying and shaking when she contacted them,” Jason said. “They spoke to several people, and all of them gave reasons why they *think* I stalked Kate Novack. There was no physical evidence. No eyewitnesses. No CCTV footage.”

“That doesn’t mean you didn’t do it.”

“It kind of does, actually. You’re innocent until proven guilty. I guess now you’re guilty until proven innocent?”

Under the Public Perception Law, people’s *feelings* about you are admissible as evidence in court.

“Jason Lawrence,” Judge Dumvaskey said. “I sentence you to 50 years in prison. You’ll be eligible for parole in 30 years.”

Because of the Public Perception Law, the criminal justice system has become a bigger failure than ever before.

Jack Simpson was on trial for sexually assaulting a woman. Despite the overwhelming evidence, he was found not guilty—due to his charm.

Nicole Briggs murdered her husband. She was found guilty, but the judge only gave her a year in prison because she expressed remorse. But as a writer who’s done research on various subjects, I can tell when remorse is genuine—and when it’s performative.

Several people have been investigated just because someone spread rumors about them on Facebook—especially in the group Skeets on the Streets.

And now?

I’ll be the next victim of this batshit crazy, motherfucking excuse for a law.

Kayfabe Stories: Chapter 5

"I'm starting to develop feelings for Michael," Allison said nervously. "I'm just afraid I'll hurt him again."

“Allison, you’ve got nothing to fear,” Shelly replied. “It’s 2026. It’s been twelve years since you cheated on him. You two aren’t the same people you were back then. Michael became your friend again because he forgave you. If you ask him how he feels, the worst he can do is say no. That would suck, sure, but it’s not the end of the world.”

“Yeah,” Allison said softly. “You’re right.”

“Let’s focus now. We’re main-eventing the biggest show of the year. No pressure.”

---

Final Showdown was underway.

Maria Garcia got injured during her match. Both men's and women's tag-team titles were vacated. Justin Raguel retained the World Championship in a brutal match. Now, it was time for the main event: Shelly Moody vs. Allison Cameron in a steel cage match.

What made this match so intense was the emotional complexity. There was no clear face or heel.

Kayfabe Stories: Chapter 4

"This is our last show before Final Showdown," John said during the pre-show meeting. "Which means it's our second-to-last show of the year."

Titanium Wrestling was one of the few promotions that took an offseason, usually from a few days before Christmas until early March.

"We're going to kick off tonight’s show with the confrontation between Allison and Shelly, which will lead to their cage match at Final Showdown. I want plenty of emotion in that segment. Aside from that, does anyone have anything to bring up?"

Nobody said a word.

"Alright then," John said. "Let’s put on a great show."

---

The lights dimmed. Music blasted. Pyros went off. The commentators welcomed viewers, and the show began with Allison storming into the ring, microphone in hand.

“Shelly!” she shouted. “I wanted to win the Women’s Tag-Team Championships, but not like this! You’ve got some explaining to do!”

Shelly’s theme song hit, and she walked down to the ring, grabbing a mic of her own.

“First off, I had nothing to do with what happened,” Shelly said. “As most of you may know, the referee for that match—Steve Moody—is my husband. He told me why he did what he did. I don’t condone it, but I understand.”

The crowd listened, silent and curious.

“We have two sons at home,” she continued. “It’s hard enough being a parent in this economy. Winning the championships means more money. More money means we can provide better for our kids.”

---

The promo continued for over 20 minutes. The segment ended with a rematch announcement: Shelly and Allison would defend the titles right then and there.

But just as the match began, something unexpected happened. Allison walked away from the ring.

Shelly stood stunned as the referee counted them out. The Women's Tag-Team Championships were stripped from them as a result.

---

Backstage, a camera caught Allison explaining her decision.

“We cheated to win the Women's Tag-Team Championships,” she said. “So I gave up the titles because it was the right thing to do.”

Shelly stormed in and attacked Allison. The two brawled furiously until security broke them up.

“I’ll see you at Final Showdown!” Shelly shouted.

“Let’s make it a cage match while we’re at it!” Allison yelled back.

Both of these segments were written by Shelly’s twin brother, Michael.

---

After the show, Shelly FaceTimed Michael.

“Michael, you are a fing genius!” she exclaimed. “Allison and I stole the fing show!”

“We did so well, our match is now the main event at Final Showdown!” Allison chimed in.

“That’s fantastic!” Michael said. “I just watched the show on YouTube. You two were brilliant. You’re meant for this.”

“We need to hit the showers,” Allison said. “Talk soon!” She blew Michael a kiss and hung up.

“What was that?” Shelly asked

Kayfabe Stories: Chapter 3

The next day was Saturday, which meant the six friends had the day to themselves.

Shelly went Christmas shopping, while Steve took their two sons—Josh (4) and Scott (3)—to see Santa Claus at the mall.

“Daddy, I gotta pee,” Scott said as they waited in line.

“We’re almost there, buddy,” Steve replied.

“I gotta pee too,” Josh added.

“We’re almost at Santa,” Steve insisted.

Unfortunately, a lot of things were triggering Scott’s need to go. He saw people drinking water bottles, and the song Rainy Christmas played over the loudspeakers. That was the final straw. Just before they got to Santa, Scott peed his pants.

“Sorry about that,” Steve said to the mall Santa.

“Wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened today,” the Santa replied calmly.

Steve immediately took the boys to the bathroom. On the way, he regretted not taking Scott earlier.

“It’s a good thing your mom packed an extra pair of pants in the backpack,” Steve said, changing Scott into dry clothes. “How about we see Santa another time? Let’s go to McDonald’s instead.”

“Yay!” Scott shouted.

“Yeah!” Josh echoed.

---

Meanwhile, Shelly’s shopping trip was uneventful. After buying Christmas gifts, she treated herself to a coffee and headed home.

Later that day, when the Moody family returned home, Josh and Scott bragged about going to McDonald’s.

“Why did you take them there?” Shelly asked Steve.

“Well, Scott peed himself just before we saw Santa. I felt bad, so I took them for a Happy Meal. Good thing you packed extra pants.”

“And Dr. Andrews still doesn’t know why Scott pees so much. We might have to put him back in pull-ups.”

“He’s not going to like that. We already struggle to get him to wear underwear.”

“Is it bad that sometimes I think Melody and Sarah are lucky they don’t have kids?”

“Yes,” Steve replied.

---

Meanwhile, Melody and Sarah were celebrating their anniversary.

Sarah surprised Melody by making her breakfast.

“Looks like we both had surprises planned,” Sarah said as Melody walked out of the bedroom.

“You made a cheese omelette? My favorite!”

Melody sat down and played “Angel” by Aerosmith on her phone.

“You know what? Let’s eat in a few minutes,” she said. “Let’s dance.”

This wasn’t the first time they’d danced to Angel. The first was at their high school prom in 2013 during a multi-decade theme dance. Three years later, it was also their wedding song.

They danced slowly, smiling and staring into each other’s eyes.

“These have been the best ten years of my life,” Sarah whispered.

“Here’s to ten more,” Melody replied

Kayfabe Stories: Chapter 2

 

“Does that mean Allison and I will be the last women’s tag team champions?” Shelly asked.

“Yes,” John replied.

“Are the women quitting because of a wage gap?”

“No. A lot of the men are quitting too. In fact, we’ll have to drop our secondary titles altogether. Anyway, I have a story idea: Shelly and Allison win the women’s tag team championships because Steve counted fast. It’ll then be revealed that Steve and Shelly are married. This leads to Shelly and Allison splitting up and vacating the tag titles. Shelly and Allison will feud, and Steve will be fired as a referee. Of course, we’ll keep under wraps that he’ll actually be working in the marketing department.”

“Congratulations, Steve,” Shelly said.

“Thanks,” Steve replied. “More money, less work.”

“Hey! I just had an idea!” Allison said excitedly. “If I feud with Shelly, let’s end the storyline with a cage match.”

“How does that make sense?” Shelly asked.

“We’re both martial artists—fighting in a cage makes sense.”

“So, you want us to imitate the UFC?” John asked.

“I guess,” Allison said. “Anyway, people love a good cage match. Let’s make it escape-only.”

“We’ll have to come up with a story reason to justify it,” John said.

The meeting continued for several more minutes. After work, Melody came home just as Sarah was leaving for her part-time gig.

“Love you,” Sarah said.

“Love you,” Melody replied.

Sarah was doing makeup for that night’s wrestling show.

---

Backstage, just before the show:

“Hey, Sarah,” Justin Raguel said. He was the current Titanium Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion—and a heel.

“Hey, Justin,” Sarah replied. “Let’s get your makeup done.”

As part of his character, Justin always had tired-looking eyes and a slightly pale complexion.

“Great job as always,” Justin said when she was finished.

“Thanks.”

Next up was Shelly.

“Hey, Shelly,” Sarah said. “You okay?”

“No,” Shelly sighed. “Allison and I are going to win the tag titles, just to have them taken away in a storyline.”

“That sounds like a strong narrative arc.”

Sarah started applying concealer.

“We could at least lose them in an epic match,” Shelly muttered.

“Please don’t talk while I’m doing your face.”

“Hey, Shelly!” Maria said as she sat beside her. “Your brother is a genius. I love the storyline!”

Shelly gave Maria a thumbs-up.

“Finished with the concealer,” Sarah said, then reached for the eyeliner.

“What’s worse is that we’re going to win the titles by cheating,” Shelly continued.

“It’s all part of the story,” Maria said. “It’s a good one.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“This will raise both your and Allison’s profiles.”

“That’s true. I just enjoy having Allison as my tag team partner.”

“So do I,” Allison chimed in as she entered the makeup area. “But I think I’ll enjoy being your on-screen rival too. Either way, we’re working together.”

“True. And we’re the main event tonight.”

---

The show began an hour later.

They called the warehouse the Titanium Stadium, despite the fact it wasn’t a stadium, and certainly not made of titanium.

The show opened with World Champion Justin Raguel in the ring, flanked by Jacob’s Ladder Champion Rampage, and Heritage Champion Tyson X. They announced a title unification match for the company’s biggest event of the year: Final Showdown. Throughout the night, all three men competed in matches, each trying to outdo the others.

Next, Maria Garcia was "injured" during her match with Regina Guerrera and was carried out on a stretcher as part of a storyline.

Finally, it was main event time:
Liv Voorhees and Lilith Myers defended their women’s tag team championships against Shelly Moody and Allison Cameron.

The match was a back-and-forth battle. It ended when Shelly hit Liv with a backbreaker, and Steve delivered a suspiciously fast three-count. As soon as Steve’s hand hit the mat for the third time, he bolted backstage.

“Here are your winners,” the ring announcer said, “and the new Titanium Wrestling Women’s Tag Team Champions: Shelly Moody and Allison Cameron!”

“It looks like both Shelly and Allison are just as confused as we are,” said John Chafe from the commentary table.

“What the hell is going on?” Allison yelled.

“I don’t know!” Shelly responded. “I wanted to win, but not like this!”

The show ended on that note.

---

Post-show huddle:

“Great show, everyone,” John said. “I’ve already scheduled a meeting with Maria and the writing team to work on her new character’s social media arc. As for the main event, it was brilliant. My only criticism is that Maria and Regina’s match could’ve been a bit longer. That’s all I’ve got. Anyone else?”

No one spoke.

“All right, see you next week.”

Kayfabe Stories: Chapter 1

Six friends grew up in the small town of Tranquil Heights, Newfoundland and Labrador. They started a news magazine called Tranquil Heights Chronicles. For various reasons, the magazine shut down. However, they were all offered jobs with the wrestling organization "Titanium Wrestling."

Michael Crane was one of the writers. Steve Moody was a referee. Steve's wife, Shelly, was one of the wrestlers, alongside Allison Cameron. Both incorporated their martial arts backgrounds into their wrestling characters. Sarah River-Song worked in the makeup department, while her wife, Melody River-Song, was the Chief Financial Officer.

“So, Michael, you came up with a new gimmick idea?” asked John Chafe, the president and head writer of the company.

“My character is called Dreaded Dragon. She's a heel character who’s a complete narcissist. She spends all her spare time on social media. I wrote a story where she makes false accusations.”

“I think that topic is too sensitive for our show,” said Gail Pepperman, another writer.

“I agree,” Michael replied. “How about she just makes stuff up to boost her ego? Like claiming she’s won 100 women's championships in various other wrestling promotions—but it’s not true.”

“Will Dreaded Dragon be a luchadora?” John asked.

“Sure,” Michael said. “The name certainly sounds like one. But since she’s a narcissist, she won’t wear a mask. In the ring, her goal is to end her opponents’ careers.”

“I like it,” John said. “Who should take on the gimmick?”

“Maria Garcia, since she’s our only female luchadora.”

“But she’s already established as the woman who came to Canada because her parents enrolled in MUN,” said Rob Smith.

Maria’s backstory was based on her real life. Born in Mexico City, Maria moved to Canada with her family on student visas. Her mother studied to become a doctor and her father, a civil engineer. Maria enrolled in the College of the North Atlantic to become a cook, all while training to be a wrestler.

“We can do a storyline where Maria gets injured,” Michael suggested. “During recovery, she spends time on social media to slowly build her new persona.”

“We’ll need to make sure she’s okay with it,” John said. “We want our wrestlers to have creative freedom.”

Later that day, John met with Melody.

“So, Melody,” John began, “you wanted to talk about concerns with the budget?”

“Buying that abandoned warehouse in Mt. Pearl and converting it into a small arena was a double-edged sword,” Melody said. “It'll save us money in the long run by hosting weekly shows, but it’s blown a hole in our bank account.”

“We could book other events in the arena to cover costs.”

“For what? We already have the Mary Brown’s Centre and Holy Heart Theatre for concerts and live shows.”

“We can still try hosting flea markets weekly.”

“It might not bring in much, but it’s worth a shot. The second issue is our weekly shows aren’t generating nearly the revenue we expected.”

“Could we afford to do two shows a week?”

“No. Too many wrestlers have quit because we’re not paying enough.” She handed John a paper. “Here’s a list of who’s quit.”

John’s eyes widened. “We don’t even have enough wrestlers to maintain our women’s tag division or secondary titles. How did you raise funds for your magazine?”

“We put money in a high-yield savings account and lived off the interest—but that’s unrealistic for this company.”

“Well, at least with wrestlers quitting, we don’t have to lay anyone off.”

“Not yet. I think we should do multiple flea markets a week and hire ring crew from a staffing agency.”

“I like the way you think. Get on it. Thanks.”

Later, Steve met with John.

“So, Steve, what’s up?”

“I’d like to move into the marketing department. I handled marketing for Tranquil Heights Chronicles, and I used to flip cars as a side hustle, which took a lot of marketing.”

“The issue is, we only have four referees left. And we’re not letting anyone go.”

“With fewer wrestlers, don’t we need fewer referees?”

“Fair point. But why the shift?”

“I have more experience in marketing.”

“Any ideas off the top of your head?”

“A cross-promotion. We hold a tournament against another wrestling promotion. The company that wins 10 matches wins the whole thing.”

“Right now, we still need you as a ref. But come to a creative meeting tomorrow with Shelly and Allison.”

That night, Melody and Sarah ate dinner together at work.

“How was your day?” Melody asked.

“Well, I only work once a week now, so I’m looking for ways to supplement my income,” Sarah said. “I applied to get my old job back in the cosmetics department at Small Mart, but I haven’t heard back.”

“Have you considered selling makeup on the side?”

“Like an MLM? No thanks. They’re just legalized pyramid schemes.”

“Okay, fair. But since John’s planning flea markets, maybe you could sell makeup there?”

“That’s actually not a bad idea. So, how was your day?”

“John and I talked. So many wrestlers quit, we may have to merge the writing and marketing teams into one creative department.”

“Damn. I can’t believe I’m working on our anniversary.”

“I know. But we’ll still celebrate Saturday. I’ve got a few surprises.”

“I love surprises.”

Police Officer Shoots Son

Disclaimer:This article is a work of fiction.

TRIGGER WARNING: This article deals with violence.

Constable Trevor Stacy of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has been charged with shooting his son, Mike, in the leg.

"My father always had a history of violence," Mike told Tranquil Heights Chronicles. "Ever since I was a child, my father told me he has the right to do to me whatever he wants. After he shot me in the leg, and emergency services arrived, my father downplayed it by saying, 'It's no big deal, get over it.'"

When Tranquil Heights asked Mike where his mother was, he replied, "My mother either justifies my father's actions or keeps her mouth shut."

Since Mike was 18 years old at the time of the incident, his mother, Carol, cannot be charged with failing to report child abuse. According to a police report, Carol never reported the domestic abuse out of fear of her husband.

Emily's Bully

 

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by MeetTheMoodys

Steve's First Job

 Steve had this job in high school. Steve and his friends graduated high school in 2013.

 MeetTheMoodys Mugs

Allison's Diary - What Am I Looking For?

I had a dream where I saw the moon goddess Selena. She was facing away from me, staring at the ocean on a beach in the middle of the night.

"What are you looking for?" Selena asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Kate Novack killed herself in jail," Selena said. "Her father is trying to resurrect her. Are you afraid Patrick Novack will succeed?"

"Resurrections don't exist," I replied.

"Then why are you suddenly interested in my religion?" Selena asked.

"Look, this is clearly a dream," I said. "So let me see your face."

I walked up toward Selena to see her face, but the dream ended before I had a chance.

I spent all morning thinking about this dream. Why was I so interested in The Way of Selena? If Kate Novack hadn't killed herself, I could have confronted her. Maybe Kate's suicide didn't give me the closure I was hoping for.

Now that I think about it, the only thing I can do is wait and see what happens.

UPDATE 12:51PM: Patrick Novack pleaded guilty for assaulting two police officers and did not want parole. I guess Patrick won't be resurrecting his daughter afterall. Not that I believe that stuff. I guess I just can't shit go due to trauma. I'm gonna have to try.

Check out the Aura of Mystery Art Shop

Allison's Diary - The Way of Selena Sermon

Kate Novak's father, Patrick Novack, wants to resurrect her. Pastor Stanley Wolfe reported on his congregation's website that resurrection was the topic of this week's sermon. I was curious about what Pastor Wolfe had to say. So, I went to one of his sermons.

"Excuse me," I said to a young blonde woman who was wearing a black face mask. "Do you know where I can find a copy of your scriptures?"

"Just ask Pastor Wolfe after the sermon," the young woman said. "He'll give you a copy."

"Thank you."

Pastor Wolfe took the stand. "Welcome all," Pastor Wolfe said. "Patrick Novack wants to resurrect his daughter. But what do our scriptures say about this topic?" Pastor Wolfe read from the scriptures, which were called The Way of Selena. This particular story was rather long, so here's a summary.

Sol and Selena were siblings who hated each other. One day, Sol and Selena got into a fight, which resulted in Sol killing Selena. As punishment, Tempus and Chaos (Sol and Selena's parents) turned Sol from a sun god to a god of death. That's when Sol changed his name to Morbus. Tempus and Chaos had another son, whom they named Sol, and he became the new sun god. Chaos brought Selena back to life, but her personality changed. Selena went from being a shy goddess to a vain goddess. Eventually, Chaos placed a curse on Selena as punishment. Anybody who sees Selena's face would go insane.

In The Way of Selena, it's up to the followers to interpret the point of these stories.

After the sermon, I approached Pastor Wolfe. "Excuse me," I said to Pastor Wolfe. "Hi, I'm Allison. I've been told I can get a copy of your scriptures from you."

"Absolutely," Pastor Wolfe said. The pastor gave me the book he read from the podium. "I have multiple copies."

"Thanks. Before I go, I have a question. Why did Selena's personality change when she was resurrected?"

"This is just my interpretation, but I think it's because being resurrected was traumatic for Selena. Trauma can change one's personality."

"That makes sense. Anyway, thanks for the book. Have a great night."

"Thanks. You too."

I interpret this story as an allegory about the consequences of one's actions, especially when it comes to nature. If Pastor Wolfe's and my interpretations of this story are correct, then I guess resurrection is looked down upon in The Way of Selena. So, how would Patrick Novack convince others to resurrect his daughter?