Alright so here's the tea:

Yesterday an artist in the community had the unmitigated gall to suggest that Blackgryph0n now dating Claire Collet (Sweetie Bell's VA) is a bit creepy because at the time they first began to pal around with each other she was 13 and he was 23.

Oh, did you not know they were dating now? You'd be forgiven for not knowing about it...neither of them have actually talked about it much (y'know, because of the obvious implications)

There have been small hints though. And Claire's recent meltdown on twitter confirms it.

Claire was born in 1999 and Gabe was born in 1990. There's about a decade gap in there ages, which isn't really an issue. The issue comes when you look at their history together: Gabe pretty much shoehorned himself into the VAs lives a few years back when they were underage.

They collabed, did music together, etc. Gabe actually moved to Vancouver and became a part of the MLP crew thanks to his music back in the day. Coincidentally he also grew closer to the CMC's VAs and would routinely perform with them and do albums together. He became "Family".

Believe it or not, people thinking this was a bit unsettling is not new. Even back then some people questioned their relationship. (In gabe's defense he has responded to these criticisms)

Back in the day I even made a parody about the perceived relationship between Gabe and Michelle. He even left a comment on it (although its been deleted) about how he and Michelle thought it was hilarious.

After a while the heat on Gabe died down, and people pretty much forgot about the whole thing. That was until yesterday when the news broke that Gabe and Claire were now dating. In a curveball he had gone for Sweetie Bell instead of Applebloom like everyone had assumed!

A situation that, in any other instance would come off as extremely weird and more than a bit creepy has been defended and excused because you see Gabe can sing Real Good and he's super nice and popular! Why, even to discuss this means you're just a "clout chaser"

So what's the point of me bringing all this up? Well, I simply want to suggest that if you're in this kind of situation you need to be transparent and open about it. We shouldn't have learned about this relationship through someone making grooming allegations.

Gabe's been in defense mode, which would have never happened if the relationship had been more openly discussed. Yeah it sucks that you essentially don't get to have a private life in the industry but grooming is a MAJOR problem in this community. It has to be discussed openly.

As a figurehead in the community you have to lead by example. You may not have groomed her but your relationship can be used to excuse REAL cases of grooming if nobody ever questions you about it.

If you don't lead on this, others will. And it'll look bad for you.

No matter how you slice it, this entire thing seems shady. You're dating on the down-low without telling anybody, ostensibly because it might look bad. But trying to hide it looks even worse. Why did THIS have to be how people found out?

And to the Blackgryphon fans out there reading this thread:

Just because somebody makes content you enjoy doesn't mean they aren't capable of being bad people. Its usually the most squeaky clean faces in the community that end up being the worst abusers. That includes musicians.

And to those saying its unfair to Claire: Yeah it is. Its really fucking unfair. Its also unfair that untold numbers of kids in this fandom have been groomed in the exact same way that your boyfriend befriended and began to date you.

Again, you have to be transparent.

When were you planning on dropping this news on everyone? In a few months? Years down the line when the age difference was a bit less squicky? Never?

You lost the ability to spin this news in a positive light when you decided not to speak up on it openly.

Gabe has been defending himself but again I have to ask WHY did it have to come to this before you spoke up about your relationship? You KNOW the history you have with the fandom and these allegations. You could have prevented this by being open in the first place.

Also nice job using your connections with other VAs to come to your defense. This sends a message that as long as you're popular and make industry connections you can essentially get away with anything.

In this fandom you should NOT be afraid to question the things those with massive followings and popularity do. Always speak truth to power, even if it concerns someone you're a fan of.

Gabe, you can date who you want. Just be open about it and upfront with people.

Does the relationship still look creepy, incestuous, and the endgame of a years long descent into nepotism and grooming? Yeah. Will I joke about it? Yes.

The onus is on you to show the relationship is more than that.

And finally to those saying all of this is just me chasing a higher follower count: I lose followers everytime I speak out on shit like this. I actually lost a mutual I highly respect because of this entire situation. I talk about these things because they matter to me.

In conclusion: Gabe proved years of accusations about grooming Michelle Creber wrong by instead going for Claire! Congratulations on the relationship and I hope you grunt out the lyrics to "Are We There Yet" every time you do the horizontal tango!