There Is No Safe Word

[matsushima]

Content note: Graphic depictions of sexual violence, including sexual violence committed in the presence of a child; Graphic depictions of physical violence against a child; Suicidal ideation, including detailed plans; Emotional abuse and manipulation

They had been unaware of one another’s existence until they’d heard the podcast ["Master: The allegations against Neil Gaiman"]. Since then, they had formed a WhatsApp group and grown close. “It’s been like meeting survivors of the same cult,” [one survivor, Kendra] Stout tells me. “It’s impossible to understand unless you were there.”
-There Is No Safe Word by Lila Shapiro for Vulture

Comments

[inchoatewords]

I have a fairly strong stomach for this sort of thing, and even I found it a bit brutal to read. Oof.

I was a casual fan of his work but I have several friends who met him (and Palmer) in person; one couple I know got together because his books were a mutual interest that started them chatting.

So obviously, they're a bit devastated by this news. But to me, it's a cautionary tale about revering public figures, because so many of them turn out to be heinous.