:: screams into the void ::

[cupcake_goth]

(Man, I've been getting a lot of use out of that title.)

Yes, I've read the Vulture article about Neil Gaiman. I believe the victims. 100%
If you haven't read it, know that it should have ALL the content warnings, because it documents horrific things. Seriously, it's stomach-churning.

I have a LOT of things by him - books, comics, collectibles. I think they're all going to go live in boxes while I decide what to do with them.

I, like a lot of people who had varying degrees of "friendship" with him, am struggling with the specter of "I should have known. I should have seen through the mask". If you're someone struggling with similar feelings, know you're not alone.

(The Stroppy One read the article before me and gave me some serious warnings. He also said that, after reading the article, he realized that I was somehow very lucky in the mid 90s when I met Gaiman and hung out with him at conventions, because I was the sort he preyed on. There's a line in the article, from the reporter seeing the gathering of the women who came forward, describing them as "Dark haired, with delicate features, they could be sisters".)

I BELIEVE THE VICTIMS.

Comments

[jengalicious]

That crossed my mind too and I was thankful

[icprncs]

Yeah, that line about what the women looked like hit a heck of a spot, although my initial reaction to it was, "...they all look like Death."

My opinion: You are absolutely not in any way at fault for not seeing/knowing this, and you shouldn't need to struggle with that. Be righteously outraged that this disgusting asshole conned a whole bunch of people and caused so much harm.

[coffeetime]

This story seems so much more horrifying than a tale of a more obvious monster. I'm just surprised it took this long to come to light.

[full_metal_ox]

Don’t forget that the most successful abusers groom their character witnesses, too.

[cofax7]

I've been thinking about you. {{hugs}}

[musyc]

I think they're all going to go live in boxes while I decide what to do with them.

Whollllllllllle lot of people are wrestling with this now. I hope everyone makes the decision that is best for them, wherever their choice fits in the range of actions.

[kore]

"He also said that, after reading the article, he realized that I was somehow very lucky in the mid 90s when I met Gaiman and hung out with him at conventions, because I was the sort he preyed on"

Jeeesus.

I have more of his stuff than I thought I did. And WAY more books he wrote introductions to than I hoped I had. I really don't know what to do with those.

[gatheringrivers]

{{{HUGS}}}

That type seems to find people who are unsure of themselves, afraid, or lacking confidence to be easier targets. If you were supremely self-confident that might be why you escaped that.

[danabren]

He absolutely has a type 100%.

The word "disappointment" doesn't even come close to covering it.

[anagramofbrat]

I'm so sorry. I know a lot of people who are grieving right now because his work was formative or important to them, myself included. I did think of you specifically as I was reading, interestingly enough.

I read something just after I read the Vulture article about creating a "Shitbag Shelf" in one's library to place the books that remain important to you after the authors prove themselves horrible people. While I kind of love the concept, I did have to reckon with the fact that were I to actually shuffle my library around to do this, I'd need a dedicated Shitbag Bookcase. I think that speaks less to my taste in authors and more to the tendency of society to coddle, cover for, and protect monsters if they prove talented and/or profitable.

[carmenbeaudry]

I, too, would need a shitbag bookcase, and I think it's a good idea. One of the things I've done for other shitbag authors/musicians/artists is to not let their shittiness take something important away from me, if indeed their work was that important (looking at you, Marion Zimmer Bradley).

[djwudi]

I've created a "milkshake duck" virtual shelf for my StoryGraph (Goodreads alternative) profile to categorize these books/authors. Redoing the physical shelves would be too much of a project.

[sirriamnis]

If monsters were obvious, they'd have no victims.

You could not have known, especially when he was likely doing his best to present a good front to you.

I'm sorry you're grappling with this right now.

I love the idea of the "Shitbag Shelf."