QAnon has a unique participatory nature that allows QвЂ™s вЂњdigital soldiersвЂќ to add whatever conspiracies they want to it as long as they fit within the framework that the masses are being lied to by sinister elites.

The conspiracy theoryвЂ™s followers, often referred to as вЂњQultistsвЂќ or вЂњAnonsвЂќ on forums, awaited the arrival of вЂњthe stormвЂќ-a martial order under which deep state agents like Hillary Clinton and Tom Hanks would be publicly executed.Д«ut that was just the starting point. The basic idea was that Donald Trump was leading a secret effort to overthrow a cabal of Satan-worshipping, blood-drinking, Democratic pedophiles-a cabal that, according to the mythos, includes powerful politicians, Hollywood moguls and journalists. The conspiracy could be traced back to 2017, when вЂњQ,вЂќ an elusive figure whose moniker is derived from the high-level security clearance he claims to possess, started dropping cryptic вЂњhintsвЂќ on the chat boards 4chan and later 8kun. Having a loved one involved in QAnon is an exhausting, sad, scary, demoralizing experience.вЂќДЄt the time, QAnon had already made its way out of the far-right chat rooms where it was born and begun to spread via mainstream social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. вЂњIt only seems to make me feel terrible and feeling like itвЂ™s my responsibility to try to lead her back to reality. The user barely talked to their mother anymore, but felt guilty about it. вЂњThe ignorance, bigotry, and refusal to question вЂthe planвЂ™ have only gotten worse over time,вЂќ Sqwakomodile wrote. The QAnonCasualties subreddit came to life on July 4, 2019, when user Sqwakomodile shared a story about their mother being consumed by QAnon. As she wrote in one post: вЂњThis crap means more to him than my life.вЂќ So Emily continues to avoid talking about politics and opts to do all of the house chores like groceries herself because she canвЂ™t trust Peter to be careful. Now he thinks the pandemic is a hoax and doesnвЂ™t wear a mask, putting Emily in danger. They are both in their early 40s, and over the two decades that theyвЂ™ve known each other Peter has always been protective of her fragile health. Peter has stopped treating the pandemic seriously, and Emily, who is in a high-risk group, canвЂ™t understand. One day she wrote: вЂњI would have never married this person, yet somehow, I am. She began to accept that she might have to leave her husband. Sometimes, they walk away entirely.ДЄfter Emily found the board in October, the tone of her posts quickly went from hopeful to defeated.

But more often the stories end with people giving up trying to reach their radicalized loved ones. There are occasional accounts of success. There are stories of marriages and friendships torn asunder, estranged siblings, parents and children severing ties.

In post after post on r/QAnonCasualties, fathers and daughters, wives and husbands, best friends and colleagues describe their inability to get through to the people they are closest to. And what their stories tell us is unsettling. Capitol-the country might learn a few things from the people who have to grapple with QAnon in their very homes, and who live with it every day. As American politics scrambles to deal with this fringe ideology and its followers-a set of people seemingly impervious to facts, some committed enough to assault the U.S.

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