The issue isn’t that there was one offensive post. It’s that this person has repeatedly shown real hostility toward people who ship Elucien and Gwynriel and has made racists comments before. They can’t openly fantasize about violence toward real people, so Lucien and Gwyn become stand-ins. The jokes, violent imagery, animal abuse jokes, and innuendos may technically target fictional characters, but the intended target is obvious: the people behind those ships. And no one in their circle seems to put a stop to it. Quite the opposite, people engage, encourage, laugh along, and normalize it.
And to be clear, this isn’t about all Elriels. I’ve actually spoken to Elriels who are exhausted by the toxic side of the fandom because they feel it’s ruined their reputation. I feel the same about some Gwynriels and Eluciens—there are people from both groups who have pissed me off, and I’ve kept them blocked.
I understand people can lie and manipulate others. Katie is a perfect example of someone who took advantage of people’s trust, and I have no doubt some toxic people have done the same to some Elriels. Sometimes you genuinely don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes. But eventually, you have to draw the fucking line. This isn’t about what fictional couple someone ships. If you know someone is racist and still choose to associate with them, that says everything about you.
