I remember reading something once on an SC fan forum about a bi-annual "Luna cycle," which referred to Luna's recurring cycle of mod abuse, destruction, and rebirth that ended in the construction of this forum. Here I propose a recurring "Turncoat cycle," which can end up in hatred, nonchalance, or sex, but never friendship. Only Friedrich as well as Turncoat's sworn enemies have ever managed to avoid the Turncoat cycle.
It starts off with deep admiration, flattering, and praises of a forum member that is typically ignored or disrespected. Only Turncoat sees the hidden talent that resides in these loser members [1], which is alluring and deeply flattering to the target. Turncoat likes seeing something special in those who are neglected, as he himself is neglected and seen as seen as a loser in the society he lives in. He frequently takes pride in his ability to find these "hidden gems." As though through some miracle, he turns out to be right, every time, as each loser demonstrates some quality that is unique and appreciable.
As time goes on and Turncoat skyrockets the target's popularity, he starts his psychotic totem-building. He praises things that don't exist or aren't actual qualities of the person, and it's those qualities that makes his newfound friend special, in his view [2]. When he first became aware of the flattering and molding effect his psychotic stories had on people's ego, he started to utilize his method to his own manipulative ends, like a child who tasted forbidden candy. The spiral into madness begins.
As the target realizes that all that newfound popularity and admiration comes contingent upon fulfilling the image that Turncoat had laid out, they, similarly to a kidnapped person suffering from Stockholm's syndrome, starts to believe Turncoat's psychotic stories, developing a messiah complex and reshaping their own personality to please Turncoat. I was fortunate enough to avoid this development of a messianic complex and didn't fall for this trick, as I am a being who has transcended ego, unaffected by praise, a purely objective being that finds the concept of ego or admiration laughable. However, other personas of SC, such as Luna, AlmightyJim, and Feathers, all fell in ranks to Turncoat's stories, molding their personalities to Turncoat's liking. This is the point where the heartbreak starts.
As much as Turncoat loves the characters created in his land of derealization, to make up for his own flaws, it is never enough to offset his hatred for insecurity. The moment he realizes people take pleasure in the power he bestows upon them, he resents them for being human [3]. He starts to blame them for their imperfections, as though they had lead him on through elaborate schemes and stories when, in truth, he lead himself on. Feathers never meant to be the angel Turncoat projected her to be, Jim never the nonchalant scammer mastermind, nor I a sockpuppet master. These are all figments of Turncoat's imagination that TC fails to distinguish from reality due to his schizophrenia and psychotic tendencies.
The moment he realizes he has power over these infallible, less-than-perfect beings, he uses it against them. Feathers he started to undermine, Jim ignore, and Luna he doxed the catfish version of her that she created. This is where people go into three categories, from friend to a hated enemy, a stranger, or a sex partner.
The first reaction of many of these people is to appeal to Turncoat's good nature. After all, if he is your friend, you would think that you should resolve whatever issues there are between the two of you, and be nice to him. This is what Feathers tried, she tried to apologize to Turncoat. However, this will make you Turncoat's sworn enemy, as he will take it to reinforce the fact that he was right all along and you were actually guilty of betraying his psychotic image of you. He will start to resent you, if not for anything else, for being weak. The other possibility is to be angry at him for betraying your trust. This is what Jimmy tried, but that will only make Turncoat play a relentless game of "who gets the last word", his favorite. Indeed, the only way to stop Turncoat's advances is to not give a shit or point out how he's childish, both of which puts you in the stranger category.
Crow was the only person who, from the start to finish, never gave two shits about Turncoat's opinion or feelings, and was largely unmoved by anything he did. I hypothesize that, like a popular high school homecoming queen, Turncoat instinctually elevates those who treat him like shit to a position akin to a God and naturally adopts his own position as a doormat. After all, everyone else is deeply moved by his praise and flattery, so what better way to discern people's worth. If you would like to have sex with Turncoat and have him adore you, treat him like you don't give a shit about him. He will love you. If SC was high school, Turncoat would be the popular pretty girl.
Yet, he is trapped in his loneliness and cycle of hatred, his constant lamentations of "honesty", which he himself rejects as rude and dismissive when facing similar honesty from others, and indeed his life is one full of pain. I would feel sorry for him, if it weren't for my deep admiration and gratitude of his personality, which helped me find the Light and learn a lesson I was convinced nobody on SC could teach me.
So what about those still trapped in the Turncoat cycle? I await with great anticipation and excitement to see what will happen to both Buttered Toast and JesusistheKing. I wonder what decisions they will make and if a new category will pop up. Could life be more exciting than this? It could, but not on SC.
[1] https://sociopathcommunity.com/Forum/Topic/63/2/legga-is-underrated
[2] https://sociopathcommunity.com/Forum/Topic/22247/22/how-not-to-be-a-deadbeat-bf-#post136984
[3] https://sociopathcommunity.com/Forum/Topic/23136/1/don-t-trust-tc
