So there's this concept that came to mind today about a relationship dynamic.
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So the idea is that it's a cutesy, nice, well-liked popstar who's a huge asshole behind closed doors. Like they're all sweet to all of their fans but to their staff? Completely entitled and bratty, physically and verbally abusive. Every time this behavior has gotten called out publicly fans have either brushed it off or attacked the person who called the popstar out, they're that sort of fans.
Because of this most of their staff don't last for long at all, some only lasting a few weeks. There are only a few long-term enduring staff members who always work for the popstar. Unfortunately this doesn't change the popstar's attitude towards them, if anything it makes it worse.
One of these long-term enduring staff members actually turns out to be the popstar's main manager. Generally they take care of all the logistical stuff, from managing the other staff members to securing brand deals and venues. They're very busy but they've actually been around the longest, since the very beginning of the popstar's career.
One would think this may soften the popstar's attitude towards them but actually they're the worst to their manager; calling them in on their days off; making them [the manager] get them [the popstar] everything and anything; purposefully ruining things that the manager sets up; hitting and hurting the manager; verbally berating them; constant belittling and disrespect despite the manager being older than the popstar
But the popstar is actually insanely obsessed with the manager, to the point where they invade all of their manager's time off and personal life. They know that they're only harming the manager and believe that it's perfectly fine due to the fact that the manager has stayed for this long already.
In actuality the manager is very much a pushover with extremely low self esteem and has convinced themself that this is the only job they could get anyways. So they just grit their teeth and bear it all.
This only further excites the popstar as they constantly have someone to take everything out on. They vent to their manager, hit them, yell at them, make them [the manager] comfort them [the popstar], they treat the manager as essentially an emotional pin-cushion.
So throughout the years the popstar grows meaner and meaner to the manager and also more obsessed at the same time. To the point where they're pretty much getting off on bullying their manager.
Then, all of a sudden, the manager leaves. Just quits. They've had enough, or they've earned enough money to retire, or something happened like they found a better job prospect that reached out to them.
The popstar is obviously devastated, enraged. So, they do what they always do when things don't go their way. They make it public and tell their fans that their dear manager just has to come back or... or they don't think they can go on! They can't perform, they can be out in public, not without that specific manager.
So their fans immediately go and one way or another harass the manager into coming back, they are still a pushover with very low self esteem, after all.
When they come back, the popstar makes a huge show of being so excited to have their dear manager back by their side.
But behind closed doors they get suddenly a lot more controlling and abusive. They have to keep their manager from pulling a stunt like that again, after all.
Overall it's a very unhealthy relationship and the popstar is a little (a lot) insane while the manager is trapped emotionally and even, eventually, physically.
Forced to continue in this awkward manager/emotional crutch/maybe partner? position the manager gets even less emotionally secure, thanks to the popstar.
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Thought about it an unhealthy amount. I think they're very devious.
Of course the idea is that it's extremely unhealthy and eventually codependent. May explore this more, have been drawing my idea of the dynamic in use a bit, so may post those as well.
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