Well to be fair we can still enjoy reading a story and be aware it is a grooming and be against it. The two are not dissociated. Like reading the "Silence of the Lamb" or watching "Hannibal". We all know cannibalism is bad, and reading the story doesn't mean we approve it, even if we find it enjoyable and empathy sometimes with Lecter, despite him being a criminal.
It is the wonder and great part about fiction.
The novel "Lolita" is a perfect example of that. Though it is obviously wrong what is going on, the novel is made to make us discuss of how twisted the mind of a groomer and pedophile is to justify their action. It isn't written so that we agree with them, but to realize how their reality is shaped in their mind. And it is a fucked up story, but I still enjoy it to death, especially because it gives a realistic portrait of such situations and allow us to deconstruct how grooming work form the perpetrator point of view.
It is good that the story make us uncomfortable. It means we are aware of what is going on. As long as we have a healthy conversation about it afterward.
Personally, I found it cute on the first page of the first chapter, until arrived the grooming part. After that it was more or less the generic cliché story, with questionable behavior and not much plot twist. But I am still happy I had read it. So I can compare it with other work and also with human behavior. It wasn't a great story, nothing to break a leg over.
Being offended isn't bad, and liking it isn't bad either, as long as we all understand why we like it or not. (づ ̄ ³ ̄)づ
bruhhhhhhhhh what’s not clicking here??? This guy is in high school, and he met a man in his thirties, a full grown adult, who validated him and gave him attention when he wanted it. Of course when he confesses he’s going to be flattered and accept. It doesn’t matter that the Google definition of grooming says they have to be “sexually or financially abusive” for it to be grooming. This kid was feeling lonely and this mans took advantage of it and now they’re in a relationship. There might not be anything explicitly wrong rn but that doesn’t mean the start of their relationship isn’t sketchy. Y’all are all like oh what’s the problem. What type of man in his thirties casually hangs out with a high schooler? He’s literally a stranger TOO
So you admit it's sketchy but not enough to be classified as grooming? Ok legal adulthood age in most countries is 18 so "kid" can make his own choices. He wasn't forced to do anything, was not isolated from others, wasn't manipulated to work for seme, wasn't forced to perform sexual acts, and waited until he graduated. Just because you don't agree on the flow how a relationship between two adults starts, doesn't mean you can simply throw out terms and "call out" others. But sure we are the problematic ones.
Seeing y’all justifying grooming in the comments is really just...