King Baby - A Tale Of Narcissism (An AI collaborative fairytale)

 

Once upon a time, in a kingdom that had once been beautiful and thriving, there ruled a man known as King Baby. Though he was a grown man, the nickname suited him perfectly, for he ruled with the petulance and selfishness of a spoiled child. Ever since King Baby ascended to the throne, the kingdom had suffered under his tyranny.

The lands, once green and bountiful, were now withered and barren. Trees that used to bear fruit had begun to die. Flowers no longer bloomed, and the ground, which had once yielded rich harvests, barely provided enough to feed the people. The rivers ran shallow, and even the animals seemed to vanish. Worst of all, the joy and laughter of the people had disappeared, replaced by a heavy gloom that hung over the kingdom like a dark cloud.

But King Baby didn’t care. He sat upon his golden throne, growing fatter and more indulgent by the day, feasting on the best foods while his people starved. He ordered his servants to gather all the finest fruits, the choicest meats, and the freshest vegetables for his own table, leaving the rest of the kingdom with scraps. He hoarded the kingdom’s resources, draining it dry without a second thought.

The people, once vibrant and full of life, grew sad and weary. They no longer smiled at one another as they passed in the streets. Their eyes were dull, their backs bent from the weight of their burdens. Yet King Baby noticed none of this. All he saw was his overflowing plate and his expanding wealth.

For ten long years, King Baby’s greed and bloated ego drained the kingdom of life. And then, one day, a new threat emerged. A neighboring king, one who was known for his strength and wisdom, set his eyes on King Baby’s weakened kingdom. This new king had a mighty army, well-trained soldiers, and strong horses. His lands were fertile, and his people loyal. He knew it would take little effort to claim King Baby’s crumbling kingdom for himself.

When word of the threat reached King Baby’s ears, he flew into a panic. For the first time in years, he realized that his throne was in danger. He issued frantic edicts, demanding that every able-bodied man in the kingdom take up arms and defend the land. He held town hall meetings, ordered his soldiers to put up flyers, and spread the word that every man must join the fight to save the kingdom.

But the people were unmoved. After years of being neglected, robbed, and left to suffer, they no longer cared what happened to the kingdom—or to their king. When King Baby gathered the men of the kingdom at the palace to give them their marching orders, the men did something shocking.

They sat down.

King Baby, red-faced and sputtering, demanded to know why they weren’t preparing for battle. The men looked at one another and shrugged. They had no desire to fight for a king who had never fought for them. They had no reason to defend a kingdom that had brought them only misery.

King Baby threw the tantrum of all tantrums. He stomped his feet, punched the air, and screamed that they were ungrateful traitors. He threatened to throw them in the dungeon, to take away what little they had left. But no matter how much he raged, the men stayed seated, their arms crossed and their faces grim.

When the new king’s army finally arrived at the kingdom’s gates, the townspeople didn’t resist. In fact, they welcomed the invading forces. They parted ways, opening a clear path to the palace, allowing the new king to march straight to King Baby’s throne without a single drop of blood being shed.

King Baby, seeing that his own people had abandoned him, was furious. He called them all sorts of names—traitors, cowards, treacherous—but the people remained silent, indifferent to his rage.

In a last, desperate act of cowardice, King Baby fled the kingdom. He gathered what little he could carry, saddled a horse, and rode away into the night, leaving behind the ruins of a once-great land.

The new king, upon taking the throne, immediately set about restoring the kingdom. He planted new trees, tended to the crops, and gave the people hope once more. Slowly but surely, life returned to the land. Flowers bloomed, the rivers flowed strong, and the people began to smile again. They greeted each other in the streets, and the dark cloud that had hung over the kingdom for so long began to lift.

As for King Baby? He wandered the lands, aimless and alone, a shadow of his former self. He never found another throne, and no kingdom would ever let him rule again.

And so, the lesson of King Baby was learned: a ruler who cares only for himself will always lose the love of his people. But a king who rules with wisdom, fairness, and kindness will always be remembered, long after his reign is over.

And the kingdom lived happily ever after.

The end 🕊️

The Spotlight on Narcissists

 

I’m loathe to talk about narcissists at any length. It’s probably my least favorite subject simply because they get enough attention as it is—or at least, they try. However, the spotlight is on them at this time, so much so that they themselves have begun to make their own YouTube channels, Instagram accounts, and websites, telling you how to spot them! They’re taking advantage of the situation, capitalizing on how interested we are in learning about them. Honestly, I don’t knock the hustle—it seems like everybody is out here trying to find their place in the sun.

I grew up with a parent and a stepparent who were very high in narcissistic traits. Everything fell into place after I started reading about narcissism and those diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). It started with a young woman on YouTube, who is no longer posting videos, but she was one of the rare ones willing to do the work—to look at her behavior and reflect. She mentioned her mother and how she felt that’s where she learned these narcissistic behaviors. It almost seemed to me that she was questioning whether she actually had the disorder or if she was just repeating what she had experienced through a parent. Both things could be true.

She was almost disturbingly honest about how she felt about other people, the things she would do when she felt jealous or irritated. I appreciated her honesty and her willingness to dig deep into her behavior. She wasn’t like some of these newer folks; she would take her daily walk and do a video journal. Now, this was years ago, so all of this creating thumbnails and hashtags wasn’t part of her deal. She would pull out her cell phone camera and just start recording as she processed what she was learning in therapy and reflected on her interactions with people. She freely admitted that she was jealous of most people and would often seek to undermine their efforts or spoil their good news. When the subject did not revolve around her, she felt left out and unseen, and would make every effort to turn everyone’s attention back to her. She admitted that it was ugly behavior.

This type of narcissistic behavior made sense to me. Growing up with authority figures who behaved in these exact ways helped me to look more deeply into what narcissism was. There are a lot of ideas about what narcissists do, how they do it, why they do it, and their motivations. Growing up so close to an abusive narcissist, and later, a narcissistic stepparent, gave me insight into a mindset that is quite mind-boggling. Because I didn’t understand what was happening, I ended up marrying an abusive covert narcissist.

I also turned to the DSM and started looking at official diagnostic criteria. I found some validation there as well. Most information about narcissism deals with the overt, grandiose narcissist. And although many of us have been exposed to them, I find the covert narcissist to be much more dangerous, simply because most people just looking in from the outside don’t see it. They don’t see the distress that you’re suffering under; as a matter of fact, they may join in the chorus of gaslighting, which makes the covert narcissist very happy and helps them feel validated. Few things turn a narcissist on more than seeing you in distress because of their behavior and convincing everyone that you’re the crazy one. It allows them to continue their abuse unobstructed, to the detriment of your mental and physical health.

Many of these narcissist channels and websites are set up by narcissists pretending to be empaths. If there’s one thing you need to know about a narcissist, it’s that they will do whatever it takes to get the spotlight on them. It’s built into their personality. Some of them are very good at making it seem like they’re the empath, that they are the victim. And if you look at how a narcissist operates, it makes perfect sense that they would accuse others of doing to them what they are doing to others. Projection is a hallmark of the narcissistic personality.

Many books, websites, and YouTube personalities tend to highlight the idea that narcissists are charming, always get their way, and feel superior to other people. This is probably the case for some narcissists. My experience has been varied. I have encountered those grandiose, charming types, but in my experience, narcissists tend to be very uninteresting people. They’re boring, and they’re quickly bored, which is why they like to stir up so much drama. They don’t like themselves; coupled with the fact that they don’t understand people on an emotional or empathetic level and have to mimic behavior in order to be considered “normal,” it’s easy to understand why they don’t particularly like people. They detest how much attention they have to pay to regular people, which is why they devote so much time to getting attention. The makeup of their personality dictates that they be centered in any and every situation; if they’re not, they become bored, agitated, frustrated, and often angry.

Narcissists are miserable people. Despite any peacocking and other grandiose behavior, at their core, they never feel like they fit in. This personality type, instead of working on themselves, will employ manipulation tactics in order to work on others. Their entire existence depends on other people. They don’t know how to act, they don’t know what to do—they have no sense of self. They rely so heavily on people that they end up resenting them. They hate the fact that they need people, yet they crave an audience with the very people they dislike.

Anyone who has been in a relationship with a narcissist will understand that there is no good news, no happy ending; just confusion, gaslighting, and manipulation. The best we can do is arm ourselves with information about those who display high levels of narcissism. We need to understand how they operate so that we can steer clear of further involvement with them. There also needs to be an understanding that narcissists are only interested in people who can do something for them. They don’t pay much attention to basic, regular people. Narcissists want to be special, so they mimic those whom they see getting attention from others—people with natural charisma. Despite what information may be out there, they don’t stalk, harass, or hoover every person they’re involved with. The ones they do hoover, however, are the ones who feed them the best feelings. They tend to gravitate toward emotionally sensitive people because they can get a lot of reaction, a lot of emotional content from highly sensitive people. When a highly sensitive person finally recognizes that they’ve lost themselves in a relationship with a narcissist and tries to leave, it causes emotional damage to the narcissist. This period of their lives, when the significant other wants to break the relationship, is one of the most dangerous times for both people in the relationship.

The more you know, the better prepared you are. If you can recognize the red flags early in a relationship with a narcissist, you can avoid much of the drama that comes from being involved with them, though it’s no guarantee. There are narcissists who border on delusional and will see a connection with you that does not exist or never has existed. Take your time getting to know people, especially those who come on very strong, who want to be friends or in a relationship right away. True enough, there are times when we feel an immediate attraction to people, that they are part of our tribe. Abusive and narcissistic people will always give themselves away. And it doesn’t take long if you’re paying attention.

Pay attention 🚩🚩🚩

The Narcissist’s Flying Monkeys: Tools of Manipulation and Control

 

When a narcissist feels they aren’t able to get the reaction they want directly from you, they often employ proxies—commonly known as “flying monkeys”—to provoke and manipulate you. While the narcissist would prefer to upset you themselves, for various reasons, they may not be able to engage with you directly at that time. Although the supply they receive from your response to the flying monkeys is good, it’s not their ideal scenario.

Flying monkeys are useful idiots to the narcissist, willing to do the narcissist’s bidding for their own reasons. These proxies may be drawn to the narcissist due to their perceived power, influence, or social standing—whether the narcissist is a celebrity or simply a popular figure within their social circle. The narcissist often convinces these individuals that they possess some sort of power or influence, which may or may not be true. To the flying monkeys, being close to the narcissist provides a sense of prestige and importance.

Even though the narcissist views these flying monkeys merely as tools to achieve their goals—stalking, harassing, intimidating, and provoking their target—they are crucial to the narcissist’s schemes. Flying monkeys are also used to gather information about the target, which they relay back to the narcissist. They serve many purposes, especially as potential fall guys for the narcissist’s actions. This allows the narcissist to keep their hands clean and avoid direct involvement, while they pull the strings from a distance.

It’s important to note that despite the flying monkeys’ involvement in these schemes, the narcissist doesn’t truly care about them. They are merely pawns, sacrificial lambs sent out so the narcissist can remain uninvolved. However, flying monkeys often feel special because of the narcissist’s attention, willing to risk their reputations, jobs, or relationships to please this seemingly larger-than-life figure. But make no mistake: the narcissist is only interested in what the flying monkeys can do for them. Once a flying monkey is no longer useful, they are often discarded, a harsh reality for those who believed they had a special connection with the narcissist.

Narcissists are masters at studying people to learn how to behave and interact with the world. There’s a disconnect between individuals with high levels of narcissism and the rest of us, so they spend a lot of time observing and mimicking human behavior. They learn which types of people can provide them with what they need and how to manipulate those individuals to meet their own ends. Even those who aren’t particularly intelligent possess a kind of street smarts and intuition about people, having spent so much time studying human nature. Narcissists only value flying monkeys for their utility. No matter how entrenched the relationship becomes, it is always about how the relationship benefits the narcissist.

For example, if the narcissist’s target has ended a relationship with them, the narcissist may quickly get involved with someone else to provoke jealousy or anger in the ex-partner. Narcissists are always intentional and calculating in their actions, knowing exactly what they want and how to get it. While this ruthless drive is something most people would not admire, it is one trait that others could learn from: the importance of knowing what you want, planning, strategizing, and pursuing your goals relentlessly.

After being discarded, flying monkeys often feel empty and lost. Their time with the narcissist was filled with drama, excitement, and a sense of purpose—however twisted that purpose may have been. Now, it’s all gone, possibly along with their jobs, families, or relationships. Anyone who has been in a relationship with a narcissist for any significant amount of time loses something. Narcissists are thieves on all levels—they may steal your possessions, your significant other, or your job—but what they truly desire is to steal your soul, the essence of who you are. Lacking their own genuine personality, narcissists craft their identities by observing and mimicking others. They craft personas based on what they believe others want, and their entire existence revolves around manipulating people. This makes them some of the most desperate, lonely, and uncreative people on earth, which is why they’re so dangerous—they have nothing of their own and, therefore, nothing to lose.

If you’ve realized that you’ve been a flying monkey to one of these narcissists, consider yourself lucky to have escaped any kind of relationship with them. Unlike the target, there’s little chance of the narcissist trying to reconcile with you. You won’t have to deal with the ongoing drama that the narcissist’s main target experiences. Unless there were significant repercussions from dealing with the narcissist, such as criminal charges, you have the opportunity to move forward and rebuild your life. However, it’s more likely that you’ll find it difficult to let go of the narcissist. You may have become addicted to the lies, drama, and validation from this seemingly important person. If that’s the case, moving on might be more challenging than you think. God help you.

Dominant vs. Domineering Masculine Energy

I've been noticing a growing focus in the media about women embracing traditional, submissive, and feminine roles. There are many different perspectives on this topic, and I'm not here to take sides. However, I do want to highlight an important distinction for women who identify as more traditional: the difference between positive, loving, dominant masculine energy and negative, domineering, controlling masculine energy.

As a traditional woman, there are certain qualities you naturally seek in a partner. You're likely drawn to someone confident with natural leadership abilities—a man who knows what he wants and takes decisive action to achieve it. You admire his strong will, drive, determination, and attention to detail.

Both the dominant man and the domineering man may exhibit these qualities, making it difficult to distinguish between them at first. Both types of men are self-assured and confident in their ability to get what they want. On the surface, they may even appear equally protective.

However, this is where the differences begin to emerge. While a positive, dominant man is protective and perhaps a bit territorial of his loved ones and property, a domineering man’s so-called protective nature manifests as controlling behavior. At first, the distinction may be subtle, but it’s significant: the dominant man seeks to protect; the domineering man seeks to control.

Similarly, the ambition we admire in a dominant man can become ruthlessness in a domineering man. The respect we naturally give to a dominant man can turn into fear in the presence of a domineering one. This is why, as traditional women, it’s essential to approach "Red Pill" content creators with caution. Trusting these men in a relationship can be dangerous because their views often skew towards controlling, possessive, and dismissive attitudes towards women’s naturally sensitive emotional nature.

For us to continue to be the loving, nurturing women we are, we must feel safe. Otherwise, we become emotionally unstable, hyper-vigilant, always on guard, and unable to be vulnerable. Many of these "Red Pill" advocates seem to aim to place women in a vulnerable state to take advantage of them.

Therefore, it's crucial for us, as women, to know what we’re looking for in a partner. If a man is constantly critical of women but then cracks a side smirk and says, "Oh sweetheart, you know I’m not talking about you," you've just seen your first red flag. Govern yourself accordingly.