Faith McClosky

"Faith McClosky"
"Ace Kaller"
Occupation Author
BattleTech forum handle FaithBomb
Homepage https://acekaller.blogspot.com
(fomerly: https://faithmccarron.blogspot.com, now defunct)


"Faith McClosky" is not a real person but rather an adopted persona, although this was not made obvious until it was announced on 25 December 2022 that the persona, which had apparently existed for around a decade by then, was retired and replaced with another one, "Ace Kaller".[1] A blog for "Faith McClosky" existed since 2015 where the author identified themselves as a lesbian nurse. All "Faith McClosky" social media presence including namely said blog was moved to the "Ace Kaller" persona.

The persona or rather, the person behind it is a BattleTech fan and registered with the handle "FaithBomb" on the BattleTech forums on 19 December 2018. One BattleTech short story (Roadblock, published in in the fourth issue of Shrapnel magazine on 15 March 2021) is credited to Faith McClosky as author.

Conflict with Blaine Lee Pardoe[edit]

McClosky was noted as a particularly fierce critic of BattleTech author Blaine Lee Pardoe regarding both his writing as such, and his political leanings and activities in forum posts and other online activities.

On 8 July 2021 Pardoe posted in his blog that "Faith McClosky" was a false identity used by an "activist" to harass and threaten him. Specifically, he wrote that the persona was created by a "middle-aged man" identified as "J" who lives with his grandfather, "pleaded guilty to issuing Terroristic Threats with intent to terrorize another, and Harassment in a Pennsylvania court in 2020" and is "banned at his former place of employment", as a matter of public record. Pardoe wrote that he involved law enforcement, who eventually found out the person's identity, after being threatened personally by "Faith McClosky" and hired a legal team who "secured a temporary PPO, Virginia’s equivalent of a restraining order" and sent the person a cease & desist letter.[2]

When CGL announced just over a year later that they had suspended publishing new works by Pardoe due primarily to his "online activities which do not align with Catalyst’s publishing vision",[3] Pardoe stated that he had been "canceled" and that they would thus be siding with an activist who had allegedly threatened his life.[4] (There is no indication that CGL's decision was in any way influenced by McClosky's grievances.)

The Faith McClosky blog for their part challenged many of Pardoe's stated facts and allegations, outright calling him a liar and denying to have threatened him; regarding the protection order they said it was granted based on an agreement between the parties by which he would drop accusations of defamation (maintaining it was still baseless because there had been to threats).[5]

According to the Faith McClosky blog, CGL would cease to communicate afterwards and further Shrapnel submissions were rejected with no comment.

See Also[edit]

For published BattleTech works credited to "Faith McClosky", see Category:Works by Faith McClosky.

References[edit]