re-reblogging because that reddit post is HORRIFYING. there's a lengthy update edited in above the original text, so ctrl+F "throwaway" if you want to read from the beginning. if you do read the update first, useful context is that the harassed classmate had been baited into an unsuccessful suicide attempt, and reddit OP's daughter had been groomed by a self-proclaimed "safe adult" into both the harassment campaign and a bunch of highly inappropriate personal conversations in a cultlike private Discord server.
the whole thing is complete outsider POV on the backdrop of terminally-online drama; reddit OP previously knew nothing about fandom subcultures, let alone "shipping" or "antishipping." here, IMO, is the money quote:
[The FBI] told us there's been case that don't involve the fandom stuff they've delt with where groomers will try to be the only "safe adult" and will send minors things to "report" while they themselves are already sex offenders. The grooming tactic of trying to convince a child everyone around them is a groomer for a very arbitrary reason and they are safe is becoming incredibly common now a days. And I urge parents: if you have a small age gap with your spouse, to please be wary of your child starts acting strange about it. If you're an artist and they act very off about certain things you create that are child friendly, be concerned. If you're child calls anything that is normal "creepy" or "predatory" despite it being normal, take their phone. My child showed no warning signs but I can't imagine how parents think their kids are just going through a phase and care about something weird or just dismiss it as a "Gen Z thing" but I am not the only one who's been through this.
blakekathryn
theartofmadeline
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
