azurelunatic: Dragonfly and a runic sigil.  (dragonfly)
Azure Jane Lunatic (Azz) 🌺 ([personal profile] azurelunatic) wrote2011-08-09 05:15 am

A creepy pattern

I describe this creepy pattern not in an attempt to creep anyone reading out, but to point it out as a thing so maybe when it comes up at some point in the future, someone who has read this will recognize it and think "Hey, that sounds familiar and creepy." And maybe they'd have the motivation to ask some more questions and stop things from getting worse.

The creepy pattern as I saw it manifested between a woman and a man who was preying on her both times. The third party could be any gender, but when I observed it, I was the third party. The man was a rapist.


The man had become closer to the woman over a short amount of time, so that they were now at Best Friends Forever levels of attachment, and he had edged out her previous close friends, particularly her previous close woman friends, and claimed a hell of a lot of her spare time.

She seemed edgy, restless. Eventually she said, in a fairly quiet moment, that she had rather a lot of heavy things on her mind but she wasn't sure who she could or should talk to about them.

I made the (logical, to me) suggestion that her new friend this guy was around an awful lot and was very close to her. And maybe there was an element of jealousy in it, because she was spending time that used to be our time with him, and wasn't being as forthcoming as before.

A long pause. Then, "There's him," she said, but looked evasive and unhappy, and dropped the subject.


Later, I would find out that he had been systematically isolating her from her support networks, and raping her.


This happened not once, but twice. Two different women. Two different predators. Two times that I didn't recognize the pattern until afterward when it suddenly clicked. If somebody has heavy stuff to talk about but the new BFF doesn't seem to be the person they want to talk to about it ... it may not be just something awkward. It may be something dangerous. See if it's you they want to talk to, if you have time and energy, even if you're not as close as you were before.
0jack: Closeup of Boba Fett's helmet, angular orange stripe surrounding a narrow window on a greenish metallic field. (No no no no no no no.)

[personal profile] 0jack 2011-08-09 01:24 pm (UTC)(link)
That is strikingly creepy and a great observation. I will add in—something similar happened to me in first year university. He sucked up all my time and I didn't make any friends that I could trust.
automaticdoor: stephen colbert, text: nailed it (nailed it)

[personal profile] automaticdoor 2011-08-09 08:43 pm (UTC)(link)
I've been in that girl's shoes, and I wish I'd found the strength to even try to hint to someone that things were going on. Please, everyone, watch for changes in your friends if they suddenly go distant/have no time and there isn't an explanation like work or something. If someone had suggested to me, hey, is there anything wrong with you and [guy]? I might have cracked.
waketosleep: signboard saying 'I have seen the truth and it doesn't make sense' (Default)

[personal profile] waketosleep 2011-08-09 08:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Ohhhh that's terrible. Something to look out for in future. Clearly it is in fact A Pattern if you alone have seen it happen two different times. Modern tendencies to drift away from friends and acquaintances at that kind of speed for no reason probably enable this to a sad degree.
waketosleep: signboard saying 'I have seen the truth and it doesn't make sense' (Default)

[personal profile] waketosleep 2011-08-10 08:31 am (UTC)(link)
You didn't know. Now you know.

[identity profile] sithjawa.livejournal.com 2011-08-09 08:22 pm (UTC)(link)
It feels useful to add that there are things other than rape but also fairly awful that follow that pattern. So don't assume "but he's gay so he can't be raping her, so it must be okay" or something.

[identity profile] leora.livejournal.com 2011-08-09 08:24 pm (UTC)(link)
I will try to keep that in mind. I do not like realizing I missed clues for longer than maybe I could have.

[identity profile] rhea-windrider.livejournal.com 2011-08-11 03:52 am (UTC)(link)
I've also seen this pattern with a person who was a control freak, ie controlling the significant other. In other words, mental and emotional control and possible abuse

[identity profile] lady-angelina.livejournal.com 2011-08-11 04:31 am (UTC)(link)
*HUGS* Please don't feel bad about not catching the pattern back then. You now know about it, which is a lot more than a lot of caring friends know about, and even more importantly, you're able to pass on this valuable message to others, that they may benefit from it. <3

[identity profile] dolorous-ett.livejournal.com 2011-08-11 10:05 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you. I will take note of this though it my great hope that I never have to make use of the information.