Larpercore

[[File:Failure_the_com_kid.png|thumb|165px|right|A Telegram user profile typical of the Larpercore aesthetic, featuring high-contrast "edgy" imagery and references to criminal networks.]]
[[File:Police_man_ganson.svg|thumb|165px|right|This cartoon of a police officer, originally from Wikimedia Commons, has become intrinsically associated with the UTTP and its affiliated 'Cartoon Police Groups'.]]
{{altrightnav}}
{{cquote|There is something horribly wrong with you [...] Horribly.|||Judge Jason Cashon, addressing 764 founder Bradley Cadenhead during his 2023 sentencing<ref>The Washington Post (September 9, 2024). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2024/09/09/social-media-bullied-teen-found-fame-among-child-predators-worldwide/ "On social media, a bullied teen found fame among child predators worldwide"]</ref>}}
'''Larpercore''' is a collective term for a decentralized, hyper-violent network of [[Discord]] and [[Telegram (software)|Telegram]] "clans" that emerged in the early 2020s.<ref name="Aesthetics">archived from the original on 6 June 2025: [https://web.archive.org/web/collections/20250501000000*/https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Larpercore Aesthetics Wiki: Larpercore]</ref> Despite the name, these individuals have nothing to do with traditional Live Action Role-Play. Instead, the term is a pejorative used by the groups themselves and external researchers to describe a subculture that treats systemic [[Cyber-bullying|cyberbullying]], extortion, and domestic [[terrorism]] as a competitive game.<ref name="MPRS">Ministério Público do Rio Grande do Sul (2025). [https://www.mprs.mp.br/media/areas/imprensa/arquivos/glossarionupve_2versao.pdf ''Glossário Analítico das Subculturas Violentas: 2ª Edição''], page 19. (pt)</ref> This "edgesphere" ecosystem serves as a bridge between petty fandom drama (e.g., UTTP, AFF) and actual criminal extremist organizations like 764, The Com, and The Foodists.<ref name="KAS">Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (January 8, 2026). "[https://www.kas.de/en/single-title/-/content/die-entwicklung-nihilistischer-gewalt The development of nihilistic violence]"</ref>

== History ==
The roots of the subculture lie in the foundational "Cartoon Police groups" of the early 2010s, such as the UTTP (UTubeTrollPolice) and VGCP (VideoGameCartoonPolice). Originally, these groups focused on raiding GoAnimate and ''Gacha Life'' communities under the guise of cleaning the internet of content they deemed cringey. However, during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, a massive influx of socially isolated teenagers accelerated this behavior. Petty trolling evolved into "Project Gachafall," a coordinated campaign that moved beyond spamming into social engineering and doxxing.<ref name="Aesthetics" /> By 2022, the term Larpercore was retrospectively adopted to describe the shift from "clanning" to hardcore extremism.<ref name="Wiktionary">"[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Larpercore Larpercore]," Wiktionary.</ref> The subculture fractured into distinct subsets including C-Grade militaristic clans like the UKK that adopt rigid hierarchies, and the Com network focused on financial gain through extortion.

== Ideology: the "anti-degenerate" shield ==
The central pillar of Larpercore is the anti-degenerate ideology (frequently abbreviated as "anti-degen"). Members claim to be moral crusaders fighting against the degeneracy of the [[Furry fandom|furry]], gacha, and [[LGBTQ|LGBTQ+]] communities. This is almost entirely a facade. In practice, anti-degeneracy is a recruitment tool used to provide a noble excuse for sadistic behavior.<ref name="Aesthetics" /> The groups often utilize mockgovs (Discord servers that simulate real-world governments) complete with ranks like Emperor or Warden. This structure provides a sense of belonging to young users before they are pressured into more extreme acts, such as toxxing, which involves mass-reporting accounts to get them banned, or pizzabombing, which is sending unwanted food to a victim's house as a precursor to [[SWATing|swatting]].<ref name="Tagesschau">Daniel Laufer (May 14, 2024). "[https://www.tagesschau.de/investigativ/kontraste/pizzabombing-cybermobbing-100.html Cybermobbing über Lieferando]," Tagesschau/Kontraste. (de)</ref>

== Tactics and terror ==
While C-Grade groups focus on digital territory, the Com and extremist cells like NLM (No Lives Matter) engage in life-threatening activities. Tactics include cutsigning, which is coercing victims into self-harming and carving group initials into their skin, and extortion through IP grabbers or token grabbing to blackmail victims for money.<ref name="KAS" /> A pervasive gore culture exists where members mock deceased individuals like Ronnie McNutt or [[George Floyd]], often creating fake gaming channels in their names to provoke grief-stricken families. Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and RCMP, have designated 764 as a tier one investigative priority.<ref name="FBI">Federal Bureau of Investigation (September 2023). [https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2023/PSA230912 "Violent Online Groups Extort Minors to Self-Harm and Produce Child Sexual Abuse Material."]</ref> In 2026, reports from the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung identified the subculture as a significant driver of nihilistic violence among youth, noting that the desensitization from watching gore edits on sites like Skibidi Farms often leads to real-world kinetic attacks.<ref name="KAS" />

== Notorious groups and clusters ==
=== UTubeTrollPolice (UTTP) ===
The UTTP represents the foundational tier of this decentralized community, functioning as a "cartoon police" group that has existed since the 2011-era GoAnimate fandom. While they often hide behind the thin veneer of "trolling," their activities frequently involve mass-spamming, harassment of fandoms, and the distribution of illegal content. The group is a prime example of the "[[internet tough guy]]" trope—users who adopt aggressive militaristic personas to compensate for a lack of real-world influence.

=== 764 and NLM (No Lives Matter) ===
These groups represent the most dangerous escalation of the Larpercore subculture, moving from digital annoyance to violent extremism and terrorism.

*'''764:''' Designated as a "tier one" investigative priority by the FBI, this network specializes in sextortion, child torture, and accelerationist violence. It is often critically analyzed as a "nihilistic cult" that uses edgy aesthetics to mask genuine sadism.
*'''NLM:''' A Swedish-based extremist cell that gained notoriety for real-world knife attacks and "kinetic" violence.

=== Foodists / Skibidi Farms / NoLimitsPedia ===

This cluster represents the "Edgesphere's" repository for shock value and harassment coordination.

*'''Foodists:''' Known for being an "elite" and more extreme splinter of anti-fandom groups, they focus on driving victims to self-harm and mocking the deceased.
*'''Skibidi Farms:''' Functioning as a "shock website" and "trophy room," it archives successful harassment campaigns and doxxing "lorebooks".
*'''Clay.Party:''' A defunct forum notorious for hosting doxxed personal information and graphic shock content.

=== C-grade: the "bureaucracy" of edgelords ===
While groups like 764 are associated with overt criminality, the '''C-Grade''' (Coalition-Grade) subset functions as the subculture's administrative wing. These groups are obsessed with militarism and clanning, often spending more time designing elaborate hierarchy charts than actually "raiding." C-Grade hubs are almost always structured as mockgovs: Discord servers that mimic real-world authoritarian regimes. Users compete for titles such as "Warden," "High Inquisitor," or "Emperor." This hierarchy is used to groom younger members into a state of total obedience before they are funneled into more extreme "Com" servers.

Instead of physical violence, C-Grade focuses on destroying enemies' social reputation. This includes tactics such as "'''toxxing'''": a portmanteau of "toxic" and "doxxing" (even though it actually means "false mass-reporting"). Attackers post illegal content (often CSAM or gore) into a target's server and then immediately use automated "tox-bots" to mass-report the server to Discord Trust & Safety, as well as '''nuking:''' the use of specialized "nuke-bots" to instantaneously delete all channels, ban all members, and rename a server to something offensive, effectively "killing" years of community history in seconds.

Led by figures like YurianHyperGG, the UKK (United Kingnites of the Krown) is considered the quintessential C-Grade clan. They are best known for their distinctive ⟅UӜ⟆ tag and their rigid, almost bureaucratic devotion to "anti-degeneracy."

== Slang and tactics of the edgesphere ==
=== Larpercore as an "aesthetic" ===
A defining visual characteristic of Larpercore is the use of '''clan tags''', which are unique Unicode identifiers or initials added to a username to signify affiliation with a specific group. These tags, such as ⟅UӜ⟆ for the United Kingnites of the Krown, ཌ∆ØŜད for Angel of Spades, or ཎĦΔན for Hells Angels, function as digital "colors," allowing members to rep (represent) their clan across different servers and platforms. These identifiers create an aesthetically coded language that distinguishes "clanners" from outsiders and reinforces a militaristic in-group identity.

Similar to Fashwave, Larpercore has sometimes been described as an "internet aesthetic," though it must be differentiated from the benign visual indulgence of cottagecore or dark academia. While a typical teenager might adopt a "core" aesthetic for harmless self-expression, Larpercore utilizes its style specifically for the recruitment of minors and the psychological intimidation of targets. This calculated use of transgressive imagery is a key component of the subculture's confrontational behavior, intended to shock or provoke outsiders while signaling a total rejection of traditional morality.

Participants frequently misuse Cyrillic and Greek alphabets or rare Unicode fonts to reinforce in-group identity and make their communication less accessible to outsiders. Profile pictures within the edgesphere often lean heavily on shock value, incorporating high contrast color palettes, glitch effects, weapons, skulls, and references to violent media or imperialist roleplay. In gaming environments like Roblox, these users may "ironically" adopt avatars resembling mass shooters, historical dictators, or hate groups like the KKK to elicit reactions. This appropriation extends to symbols of fascism, neo-Nazism, Satanism, and Islamic terrorism, which are often utilized for their perceived "coolness" or shock value regardless of the user's genuine ideological adherence. Group identity is further cemented through the creation of custom flags, often featuring a black-white-red color palette reminiscent of Nazi Germany, which are frequently shared as GIFs on platforms like Tenor.

The subculture's obsession with bureaucracy is evidenced by the use of formal organizational charts, such as those used by the UKK to rank members from "Krowned Head" down to "5th Captain" across various "Korps" and "Brigades." The most harmful evolution of this visual culture is the "doxxing edit," a fast-paced video synchronized to music that combines anime characters or occult symbols, such as the Black Sun, with a target's leaked personal information. These edits are designed to humiliate and endanger victims, showing that the Larpercore aesthetic is less about art and more about facilitating real-world harm. Even the "Cartoon Police Groups" contribute to this aesthetic lineage by using the "Police_man_ganson.svg" clip art as an identifier of their raiding history. Ultimately, the entire edgesphere serves as a "moralist paradox," where users claim an "anti-degenerate" identity to justify their immersion in the very shock content and transgressive imagery they pretend to oppose.

=== Glossary ===
*'''764:''' An international sextortion and extremist network designated as a terrorist group by Canada.<ref name="RCMP">canada.ca (December 10, 2025). [https://www.canada.ca/en/public-safety-canada/news/2025/12/government-of-canada-lists-four-new-terrorist-entities0.html "Government of Canada lists four new terrorist entities."]</ref>
*'''Anti-[Blank]:''' A foundational identity marker where a group bases its entire existence on hating a specific demographic, most commonly "Anti-Furry" or "Anti-Gacha".
*'''Bait Servers:''' Discord servers that use controversial topics or fake resources to lure in unsuspecting members for the purpose of harassment or recruitment.
*'''Colony:''' A Discord server that has been forcibly taken over, raided, or transferred to the control of a Larpercore clan.
*'''The Com:''' The transactional and criminal wing of the subculture, involved in sextortion, "Violence as a Service" (VaaS), and the distribution of illicit materials.
*'''Cutshow / Cut sign:''' The most extreme form of "Com" activity, involving the coercion of victims into performing self-harm live on camera or carving initials into their skin as a form of branding.
*'''Degen:''' Short for "[[degenerate]]"; a catch-all slur used to label anyone outside the subculture or those in targeted fandoms.
*'''Edgesphere:''' A synonym for the broader Larpercore ecosystem, describing the digital area "where edgelords reside," including gore boards and extremist Discord cells.<ref name="KAS" />
*'''Fansigning:''' Coercing a victim into taking a humiliating photo with a sign featuring a group's name; considered the "lighter" counterpart to cutsigning.
*'''Fed / [[Glowie]]:''' Terms for suspected law enforcement or journalists infiltrating these communities. A server that is "glowing" is one believed to be a law enforcement trap.
*'''Gachafall:''' The 2020 harassment campaign against the ''Gacha Life'' fandom that served as a blueprint for coordinated Larpercore raids.
*'''Lorebook:''' A Telegram channel dedicated to archiving and "dumping" the doxxed personal information, photos, and private details of a specific target.
*'''Mockgov:''' A Discord server structured to mimic a real-world government (often with fascist or imperialist themes), used to organize clan hierarchies.
*'''Nuke/Nuking:''' Destroying a Discord server with a "nuke bot"; this often involves the rapid mass-pinging of members, deleting existing channels, and changing the server's icon or name, as well as spamming racial slurs or other inflamatory content.
*'''Otax:''' A non-existent exploit used as a "scare tactic" to trick victims into believing their IP address was stolen through a simple friend request.<ref name="Aesthetics" />
*'''Pizzabombing:''' A precursor to swatting, involving sending multiple unwanted food deliveries to a victim's home to confirm their address and cause immediate distress.
*'''Purging:''' The practice of mass-deleting messages or entire channels in a Discord server to destroy evidence before it can be reported to "the feds".
*'''Roro Chan Challenge:''' A harmful trend mocking the suicide of a Japanese streamer, used by Larpercore members to encourage self-harm or create "ragebait" videos.
*'''Skibidi Farms:''' A notorious shock site and "trophy room" used to archive successful raids, doxxing data, and graphic content.
*'''Tox / Toxxing:''' Malicious mass-reporting of a user or server to trigger automated bans. In extreme cases, attackers "tox" a server by first injecting illegal or graphic content and then immediately reporting it to ensure a permanent "social kill".

== See also ==
* [[Cyber-bullying|Cyberbullying]]
* [[Doxxing]]
* [[SWATing|Swatting]]
{{otherlang|pagelang=en|es=Larpercore (español)}}
==External links==
*{{wpa|764 (organization)}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20250606013649/https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Larpercore "Larpercore"], Aesthetics Wiki (archived)
*[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Larpercore "Larpercore"], Wiktionary
*{{wpa|The Com}}
*{{wpa|CVLT}}
*{{wpa|No Lives Matter}}
*[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/UTTP "UTTP"], Wiktionary

== Notes ==
# Despite the "anti-degenerate" branding, multiple leaders of these groups, including 764 founder Bradley Cadenhead, have been sentenced to decades in prison for the very crimes they claimed to oppose.
# The "Alphabet Soup" nature of these groups is intentional, designed to make tracking by jannies (moderators) and law enforcement as difficult as possible.

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Crime]]
[[Category:Doxers]]
[[Category:Homophobia]]
[[Category:Neo-Nazism]]
[[Category:Paedophilia]]
[[Category:Propaganda]]
[[Category:Racism]]
[[Category:Sexism]]
[[Category:Terrorists]]
[[Category:Trolls]]
[[Category:White supremacy]]

Categories: Crime, Doxers, Homophobia, Neo-Nazism, Paedophilia, Propaganda, Racism, Sexism, Terrorists, Trolls, White supremacy