I was honestly going to take the easy route.
I was going to let this person win. I was going to step back, let them make me feel unwelcome in a space I built for myself, and pretend it was easier to walk away than keep dealing with the harassment.
But over the past twenty-four hours, after everything that has happened, I have had to sit with something important: I have put far too much work, love, time, and energy into these blogs, into my muses, into my graphics, into my themes, and into the whole ForTheDamned branding I created to let one person take that from me.
I was the one who spent hours endlessly customizing themes. I was the one making graphics, building layouts, shaping aesthetics, cultivating muses, organizing spaces, and turning these blogs into something that felt like mine. I put creativity, effort, care, and a ridiculous amount of stubborn little gremlin energy into being here.
So no. I am not letting someone who has been harassing me chase me out of something I created.
And especially not now that I know who it is.
I know who it is because they told on themselves. This happened overnight, when I could not sleep, through Skype. There was an event where I personally and physically met up with this person. We went to the movies, and something happened that only the two of us would know about. No one else would have had that information.
During the harassment, while trying to demean me and while using racial slurs, they made the mistake of letting that detail slip.
That is not a guess.
That is not confusion.
That is confirmation.
The moment I called them out on it, everything I knew to be connected to them started disappearing: their personal blog, their RP blog, and the other blogs tied to them. Their Discord has also been deactivated, and their phone number has been reported and blocked.
I am sincerely sorry for the confusion that has happened within the past twenty-four hours. I know this has been stressful, messy, and upsetting for people who had no part in it, and I never wanted that. I especially want to apologize to those of you I contacted while I was trying to figure out what was happening. I know that likely caused worry and confusion, and I am truly sorry for that.
But I will not apologize for protecting myself.
To those of you who supported me, checked on me, believed me, or simply showed kindness while this was happening: I am never going to forget it. Truly. When everything felt overwhelming and ugly, that support meant more than I can properly put into words.
And despite what I said earlier, despite what I thought I was going to do, I will not be moving blogs.
I let this person win once.
It is not happening again.
I am stronger than the hate being sent my way. I am stronger than the harassment. I am stronger than someone trying to use cruelty, intimidation, and slurs to make me feel small.
This person has already been reported. Everything else connected to them has been blocked. Because this has become a matter of personal harassment, I will also be taking the appropriate legal steps, including filing for a restraining order and reporting the harassment to the police.
I have worked too hard to let one person’s behavior decide what I get to keep. These blogs are mine. This space is mine. The branding, the muses, the writing, the work, all of it is mine.
And I am not handing it over just because someone thought they could wear me down.
ForTheDamned stays.
I stay.
And I am done letting someone else’s cruelty decide where I belong.