Anatomy of an Andy Blake Timeline
Hello all. Since Andy appears to be repeating a lot of his previously seen behaviors while simultaneously denying he is, I thought it would be good to put up a rough timeline of a typical Andy Blake cycle. This is by no means perfect and I openly welcome any insight you might offer.
Andy moves to a new fandom. This may involve the adoption of a new pseudonym, possibly after the ‘death’ of a previous identity.
Andy begins producing content that will lure new followers to him. It may take the form of meta/fanfiction/fanart and he will invoke celebrities frequently. Andy will also begin setting himself up as an authority on a subject, such as domestic abuse or mental illness, that will illicit sympathy from followers.
Andy will form a cult with his new narcissistic supply. This will invariably take the form of a larger group that knows and follows Andy mostly for his fandom content, and an inner circle with a special title. This inner circle will be privy to intimate details of Andy’s life, details which are actually heavily embroidered versions of the truth. These members will form Andy’s primary defense and will field most if not all questions about his past, especially if they are questions concerning former cons where any answers he might give would potentially damn him.
The cult bloats. Andy is using his narcissistic supply freely, safe within the walls of popularity he has made. Any reports of abuse are likely to be minimized or suppressed. Accounts of his former deeds surface at this stage, but they are often ignored as dissenters do not have a strong enough foothold yet. Andy will induct the inner circle into his private life in a highly ritualistic manner, both insuring they will not betray him and that they are primed to disseminate his version of events. This ritualism may include but is not restricted to: special names, evaluations of their psyches/mental state, and actual rituals taking the form of a fandom-themed gathering.
The truth comes out. Andy is exposed before his peers and will plead that he has changed. He may claim to be suffering from a serious illness to draw attention away from the truth. His inner circle will close ranks around him, often personally attacking bloggers trying to disseminate the truth. Andy’s frequent hiatus from fandom will draw sympathy from fans, leaving them less likely to be open to outside perspectives.
The truth starts kicking. Former victims of Andy speak up. Since these are firsthand accounts and not merely rumors, as he has dismissed past attempts to warn people, these are not so easily swept aside. Andy will begin a campaign of silencing these sources through any means necessary. This may include faux-legal jargon, psychological intimidation, attempts to discredit the sources, and plain ol’ anonymous attacks. The narcissistic supply will begin to fragment: the members who have not been subject to any strenuous induction may drift away at this phase. A few diehards will pledge loyalty to Andy despite the very clear signs of abuse.
Drama. Andy will plan a large-scale fandom event that will inevitably crumble. He will blame this failure on external sources, not his complete inability to plan any large-scale event. He may concoct a life-threatening condition, or alternatively appropriate a real-life source of sorrow, such as a fandom member’s death. This deflection tactic will serve to pull the inner circle even closer, but it will not stem the flow of dissent.
The drama explodes. Andy may ‘kill’ an alter, adopting a new name. He will cut his narcissistic supply down to the inner circle, and begin migrating to a new fandom.
Of course there are variations within each cycle, and to keep this brief I tried to summarize things as best I could. Like I said, it isn’t perfect by a longshot and I welcome any insight.