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[justanotherquinnfan]

On The Devil of Dublin and Going "All In"

I doubt it has gone unnoticed by those in the Quinn community, but just in case this slipped under anyone's radar, The Devil of Dublin is now fully revealed (I mean his identity, pervs) and has made the announcement that he is going "all in" at the same time. That was something like 2 (3?) months ago, and watching his journey is SO fascinating.

So TDOD, or Eric Nolan, made a huge announcement some while back when he revealed not only what he looks like, but his name and daytime career. To say this is fairly unprecedented might be an understatement. To my knowledge, I haven't seen a major Quinn or erotica VA come out of their anonymity and certainly not like this. Not to mention the fact that Eric has been one of the most popular voices on the app.

I mentioned in the past that I was concerned that this move might have been due to pressure brought on by fans (something I assumed given the exodus of several anonymous VAs from social media). I was also concerned because of some discourse I had read from people worrying that if they saw what some of these actors looked like, how disappointed they would be if they didn't find them physically attractive.

To the first point, obviously I just wasn't giving Eric enough credit as a grown man who knows his mind. That's on me any my own unconscious bias that I am currently working towards.

To the second point, well. Eric honestly wasn't worried about that, nor should he have been, as he painted the image of himself to be as accurate as I'm sure his fans had hoped. But the poster on Reddit, where I read that baseless fear, still sticks in my mind and I feel the need to address it in a separate post. But for now, let's just say that if anyone was nervous that Eric wouldn't, er, live up to the hype, let's say, then I'm hoping it's been put to rest because honestly, have you seen him?

Since the reveal, I can't help but notice his posts, both on Quinn and social media, to be more filled with abandon. At the risk of a BDSM joke, it's like he'd been somewhat shackled down and now he is freed. He can incorporate more of himself into his work. I know he does a lot of collaboration with BB Easton (which is brilliant, she's a fantastic writer), but it's been cool to see him explore.

And explore he has! I think the first thing that really took me, hmm. Not off guard, but rather maybe by pleasant surprise? Was his Rest Day Ramble.

Now, I know I'm not the only one out there who can say they love a ramble, but I REALLY love rambles. There is something so much more vulnerable about them. If they are truly spontaneous and unscripted, there is a sense of reciprocation that might not exist in the fantasy scenarios. Which, I love those as well, but there can be at times (for me) a sense of loneliness in them. Like this is just for my benefit. And I do know that many creators get a real charge simply of the act of coming up and figuring out these fun stories, who enjoy the total process from start to finish. So I know it's not entirely one-sided. But, there is still something to be said about the feedback loop that comes from someone allowing themselves pleasure for the sake of another's pleasure.

I do want to be clear here, that I am still fully recognizing the parasocial nature of this exchange and I am both cognizant and respectful of the boundaries. But if a VA wants to adjust those boundaries and let us in just a little bit, I am grateful for the opportunity to share in the energetic exchange as I personally find it fulfilling.

I say so many words to just say that the Rest Day Ramble was so very hot. Just. So hot. Part of it is, in fact, that vulnerability. Eric speaks to the listener directly. He gently teases us for playing along and maybe responding to questions out loud. He gives us a window into his process, how it can physically affect him to do these audios. I will say, whether this is true or not, the idea that he finishes one of his saucy, extra spicy Devil stories feeling excited and bereft, took my breath away. I mean. What an image! And of course he knew exactly what he was doing by painting it for us.

I won't go much further into discussing this particular audio because I feel like it's worth it to go have a listen for yourself if you haven't. But it pretty much descends into the kind of sweaty miasma you tend to expect from a licentious 6ft-something tall Irishman. It's glorious and should definitely be in queue if it's not already.

From there we see a rise in some of the most delicious collabs I've ever seen. From his Devil's Pact series, in which we see Mairsyy as our knight in shining honor (poor guy....) to Tom York in the London Calling series (when will there be a part 3???P) to John York giving us some needed aftercare in Virtual VA and then Zach Cowman in Freaky, which is honestly just perfection. The next collab on the docket, it would seem, is Cavern Livingston, and I won't lie, I'm excited!

In between those we also see more audios that I feel offer even more of a wink-wink-nudge vibe. The Brat Test was a genius way to get fans to interact (hmm, that might be one bit of phrasing too far). His even more recent offering of "I Know, I Know..." addresses his reputation for the infidelity tag (one in which I am not personally super comfortable with, but to each their own) and he finishes the audio by saying something to the effect of, "He can have the best of you, I will happily take the worst of you." For those of us who struggle with listening to Quinn while in a relationship? That is a line that will do about 3 weeks worth of therapeutic healing and I thank him so much for it.

I will very honestly say that, prior to all of this change, I hadn't quite yet jumped on the TDOD train. I get why he's so popular, but my own journey is so roundabout, that I just hadn't quite figured him out yet. I look for things that are not just sexy, but also are helping me do some major healing of my own. I just wasn't sure where to begin with his work.

But once he opened up, it was a whole different ballgame because I'm very much the kind of person that only wants to play if everyone wants to play. And Eric essentially threw off the mask and said, "LET'S PLAY" and I was just hooked.

But the thing that really got to me? Was actually his episode of The Audiobook Club with John York. In it he is asked if he ever thought about taking a break from Quinn. And this sweet man literally teared up at the thought. He then goes on to say that he knows what he brings to the lives of so many of his fans. And what if, when someone is having just such a shitty week, they go to Quinn for some comfort and he's not there? He would feel terrible, like he let people.

Ok, so look. The realist in me would just respond with the fact there there is genuinely hours upon hours of content, that missing a drop or two is not the end of the world. But the romantic, the empathetic, part of me? Just feels so much (platonic) love for someone who really see what he's doing as not just building fantasies, but offering help to those who need it. And for that, and that alone, he will always have a fan in me. Because you don't need to look at Quinn like that. But it is that for so many of us and he just really gets it, you know? You don't abandon someone like that.

So, to conclude, I say that I am all in on Eric going all in! I am so excited to see what he has next in store for the world of Quinn, the world of audiobooks, just the world in general. Because it can only be something saucy and fun and the perfect escape we're looking for.

For anyone interested in responding, what are you looking forward to in the future from The Devil of Dublin? I would LOVE to see more collabs, particularly a part 3 to the London Calling series (especially if it ends as a "Why choose?" scenario, though I may spontaneously combust at the idea of both Tom AND Eric). Or perhaps another Devil's Pact, featuring Milo? But I would love to see Golden Retriever Milo in that scenario.

What about you? Let me know, the future is looking so much fun!

[justanotherquinnfan]

A Case for Milo's The Epicurean Society

Have I mentioned how good Milo's (Bad Influence's) newsletter is? I'm sure I have. And I'll continue to say so while it continues to be true. Besides how flirty and fun it is, it's a good way for him to interact with his fans while maintaining a stronger boundary than on Instagram (see my post about not making it weird). And you get such a wonderful insight into what inspires him and his thought process surrounding his work.

Case in point, he talks about his latest audio, Happy Camper, a steamy story involving sexual compersion while out on a trip to the woods with friends. He explains that this is absolutely a kink for him (he even does a Kink 101 audio about it) and the original version of this audio, titled (maybe?) The Epicurean Society, became a monster in its own right. That eventually he had to scale it back to make it work as a regular Quinn audio. Here is what he has to say about it, though I will say, for the love of all that is holy, SUBSCRIBE TO HIS NEWSLETTER. It's so good!

Based off of Secret societies like The Life and Death Brigade, your partner who you met in college, belonged to a club called “The Epicurean Society”. Several of your mutual friends belonged to this well-known secret, but you were too busy to join back in the day. Ten years later, the epicurean society decides to have a reunion, and you are sharing a campground with the aforementioned mutual friends. Initially it seems like the wild days that leaned more towards debauchery are in the past… but you have been noticing the friends being a little more PDA, and some of them flirting with you. When your partner comes to check on you in the tent that evening, things start to get spicy and you decide you’d like to reignite an old tradition… opening the tent door and letting your friends watch. But If you think they end up only watching, you haven’t been listening to enough of my audios.

Now here's the thing: I get that maybe this is a bit too much story for a regular Quinn drop. It's not there isn't room for that, I mean look at Naudio's Celestial Bodies series as an example (which I'm excited to write about), but for a one-off drop? I know that he's up to the task, but it would be a challenge to make it work. But despite that, I would argue that this story should not be discarded, or simply replaced with Happy Camper, which, while hot AF, is not the same thing.

If Milo were to ever read this, though I doubt he will, I would argue that The Epicurean Society would make for either a fantastic audio series, or an even more fantastic novel. I already know that Milo is a fantastic storyteller. His voice, both literal (I mean, I am a fan) and figurative are equally beautiful. It's now just how he says things, it's what he actually says. At times, Milo will say a sentence that pulls me out of the reverie so sweetly with how earnest or lovely it is. Or sometimes by just how dirty it is because really, it can be a little shocking and I listen to smut on the daily. And I can only imagine the pleasure of having that voice in my head (figuratively, unless he makes an audiobook) while I read let's say 150 pages of tension, release, and yearning? There is just SO much he can do with this story. With the number of potential combinations and characters, this could be a whole series.

I know that he is currently working on a historical erotic novel and trust me, I will be first in line to buy it when it's done and I'm sure he's noodling on this idea for something in the future, otherwise why share it? But if it's encouragement, or validation that is needed to push this project out, let me be the one to help. Because I read this and got excited. Not like that. Well...not just like that. It's the excitement I feel when I see an artist who is REALLY onto something. I feel like if there is anyone who can handle this particular subject with the kind of deftness required to balance spicy, sexy scenes with an almost painful honesty and sweetness...it's Milo St. James, Bad Influence, Your Sound Sidepiece or whatever else he wants to call himself.

I'll be curious where this authorship journey takes him regardless, but if there is even a chance it could lead him, and by extension the rest of us, to what happens behind closed doors with The Epicurean Society? Sign me the ABSOLUTE FUCK UP.

[justanotherquinnfan]

Watching Adventuring Academy and seeing Brennan freaking out over the almonds and Sam Reich playing the coquette takes on new meaning now that we know Sam is queer. This is his way of serving cunt and Brennan is just leaning into it calling him Betty Boop. I love this journey for him SO much

[justanotherquinnfan]

So this beauty of an audio came out only a few days ago, but has already caught the Quinnisphere (is that a word? meh) by storm. Now, to be clear, when I thought about writing this post, I wanted to make sure that I am being as careful as possible with my language. Mostly because Quinn is so deeply personal for many, if not all, of the creators as well as the listeners. In no situation will I be yucking ANYONE'S yum and while I get one person's kink is another person's squick, this is not what it's about. Like what you like, it's stuff like this that is what's getting most of us through the day.

That all being said, I can't begin to describe the actual full-on joy this audio gave me. I often feel that the more produced audios don't get the same love as the more stripped down (hah, puns) stories that are more like the general friends-to-lovers, enemies-to-lovers, spouse experience ones. And while there is definitely a niche for those, the part of me that joined Quinn and immediately binged all of the originals feels sadness for the ones that actually have some real universe added to them that don't get as much love.

Which is why I absolutely LOVE that drRapture and Adrian's collab [It's Alive!] has gotten as much traction as it has. I took the screenshot above LAST NIGHT and you can see it has almost 1600 plays and nearly 500 favorites (one of them being mine, but of course). I think the main draw for many is the fact that it's a collab and a surprising one at that. Or maybe just surprising to me, even though it honestly shouldn't have been. drRapture is a phenomenal voice in this industry, bringing so much color to his audios, really working hard to make you feel like you're in the room with him. He is dynamic and natural and at no point is your suspension of disbelief broken around him. He is SO much fun to listen to and his curve appreciation audios are...hard to beat? Difficult to top? Hmm. Some compliment that doesn't IMMEDIATELY sound like a double entendre, I'll let you decide on one.

Adrian is also an incredibly unique voice as well. I will admit that at the time of writing this post I have not listened to many of his audios. A big part of that is that I am in the process of finding an entry point to his work. This has happened to me with a few other creators and it's just part of my journey especially when I find a voice so different from what I'm used to. If I could describe Adrian it would be, "Intense, SO INTENSE OMG" and I just need to ease into that. But despite my lack of experience with Adrian, what I HAVE encountered has fully cemented him as a fantastic and talented actor on this app.

So, to have them both in one was intriguing, to say the least. And as it dropped, to IMMEDIATELY make the Rocky Horror Picture Show connection, I went from somewhat interested to laser focused.

Now, normally, I like to give a first listen to these audios while commuting to work. Sometimes, it's the only thing that gets me actually moving to the office. But I decided to give this one the space and quiet of just listening at home and I'm glad I did. The production values on this particular audio are amazing. If I didn't already know that this was done in-house by the creators themselves, I would have thought this was an Audible-scale production. Though, honestly, just because some people call him Daddy Bezos, Amazon could never.

I am going to put the rest of this post under a cut, in case people haven't listened to it yet (WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR) and want to not be spoiled. But read on if you have!

We find ourselves in a waiting room talking to Nurse Joy, a character whom I adore both for the fact that her name fits in so well at drRapture's lab, but also for the potential Pokemon reference.

As an elder millennial, I'm not mad at it.

While we wait for our appointment, the Doc himself appears and he is just as delightfully unhinged as I would have hoped for. One minute incredibly serious, while the next cackling with unabashed scientific glee, he leads us through the facility, wherein we hear about all manner of...sticky situations happening. And we are finally led to the room in which our new friend, Adrian, is waiting to be booted up and tested. It then becomes one of the best binaural experiences I have ever had. With Doc in one ear and Adrian "in front of us" (you know what I mean), what follows is tremendously sexy with Adrian SO ready to please and Doc Rapture barking orders in the background. My favorite moment was just hearing him go, "Be. Louder." Like, damn ok, sure, doctor's orders and all that.

Adrian himself undergoes an evolution as the audio goes on, going from near-grunts to full sentences, showing how he learns as he...works. The effect is subtle, but undeniable, it creates this sense of "you're learning how to teach him and he is learning how to fulfill his purpose." And then, by the end, he even has a naughty sense of humor that we don't see at the start. This really underscores how incredibly tight the acting is. And yes, I know, another pun, I have fully given up on trying to find other phrasing. But the acting is, indeed, tight and at no point do I ever get pulled out of the story itself, even if I were getting swept up in other feelings. His character is not as fully fleshed-out, being that he is a Rocky pastiche, but despite that, Adrian can take the tiniest amount of character development and really go the mile.

Throughout the encounter, you also hear what sounds like muffled moans from behind what we know to be the one-sided mirror in which Doc Rapture is behind, "observing." This further adds to the environment that is created and adds the wonderful sense of reality to the whole audio.

I think, whether you're into any of the tags associated with this audio or not, it's absolutely worth a listen. It's funny and sexy and such a loving homage to both The Rocky Horror Picture Show as well as scifi campiness in general. I never thought, when going into this audio, that I would enjoy being the Janet in this situation. Columbia was always my favorite. But this feeling of being somewhat wide-eyed (I mean as wide-eyed as one can be given that they ordered a man to be specially created for their pleasure) and just going along with the ride, so to speak, was just so much fun, in a way I don't see as often. Don't get me wrong, I love the more serious, more straightforward stories. I love the Regency romances and the sweet girl-next-door moments and the darker, rougher stuff. But who says you can't have a good laugh while having a good time?

Dammit, Janet, I just love this so goddamn much! And I can go on, but I won't at the risk of Tumblr enforcing a character limit. But I would love to know what anyone else thinks of this audio because it's just so fucking good.

[justanotherquinnfan]

On the subject of consent and/or anonymity

So, I've been noodling on this topic for a while now, both for this blog and also just in general. As a Quinnling, I see two different kinds of VAs: The ones who show their faces and the ones that don't. Some share their name (at least their first name) and others go by a stage name. Some are also screen actors and some are strictly voice actors. But regardless of gender identity, sexual proclivities, or chosen audience, these all fall into 2 general categories, the anonymous and the known.

Now, I feel that general parasocial rules apply across the board. And for those playing at home, here are they are:

Be kind

Be respectful

If you don't like something, that's cool, keep it to yourself though

Don't Make It Weird (this one feels difficult given the nature of Quinn, but there's a difference between cheeky and intense - you can be flirtatious and share your reactions, but ffs, Don't Make It Weird)

You are not entitled to their private life or anything more than is being given

I'm open to more rules being added to this, but this is how I tend to look at things. When it comes to the Anonymous VAs, I would also emphasize these rules, especially the latter two. Just because they are also hidden doesn't give you the right to be weird and gross and none of us are entitled to their identities.

Off the top of my head, there are a handful of creators that I feel get an inordinate amount of attention: Anonyfun, Naudio, The Devil of Dublin, and Bad Influence. There may be other extremely popular accounts and, if so, please feel free to share them, but these are the ones I hear the most about.

Now, from what I can gather, Anonyfun has taken a break from creating, Naudio has left social media, Bad Influence, or Milo, has left Instagram, but is trying out a weekly newsletter instead, and The Devil of Dublin is teasing a face reveal. All of this makes me deeply uncomfortable for various reasons. Of course, I have zero problems with people taking a step back or reinforcing their boundaries. It's less what they are doing and more why they are doing it. From what I can tell, they are either being harassed to the point of retreat or, in the case of Milo from what I read from his stories, nearly having their identity revealed because a bunch of fans decided to play creepy detective.

Hearing all of this was super disheartening, mostly because it shows a lack of gratitude for what we were being given. Whether it's Quinn audios or tiny pieces of what goes on behind the curtain, every interaction is a gift and to be greedy smacks of selfishness in the worst way.

As for The Devil of Dublin, I will not even try to suss out what he's thinking with the face reveal. For all I know he is super excited to reveal himself, that is more than possible! But I worry that pressure is the catalyst here and, moreso, I worry that it could backfire.

Recently, I saw a post on Reddit where someone was bemoaning the fact that they don't know what their favorite VAs look like, how they longed to put a face to the fantasies. There were some responses shutting that thought process down, but there were one or two that were concerning. Primarily, someone worrying over the possibility that if they did see their favorite actor's face, they wouldn't find them attractive. I actually did see this happen with some Twitch streamer, who finally gave into pressure and did a reveal, only to receive backlash. Over. His. LOOKS. Like FFS are you KIDDING ME? How shallow and cruel. And I know nothing of TDOD besides what he shares, but I do know there is a possibility of backlash and I would hate to see another fantastic creator retreat in the face of it. Or in the face of the opposite reaction, which is terrifyingly rabid approval.

Either way, I feel like there has been a recent shift towards throwing out the old consent playbook out the window and that needs to be examined and repaired. Not just for these wonderful people who are just trying to do a job, but because it ruins the fun for everyone. Besides the fact that it scares away such talent, it sort of kills the fantasy.

Milo mentions in one of his unplugged audios about the liminal space in which he and The Listener get to meet. Let me tell you how excited I was when he said it because I had been pondering this concept with the exact same phrasing! It's nice to be part of that hive mind, you know? And honestly, every single VA inhabits this space when you put your headphones in. But there is something about when you don't know what the other person looks like.

Because in this space, the space between your ears where The Voice of Your Choice reaches, he/she/they can be whoever you want. They can look like your greatest desire. And on top of that, you can be whoever YOU want. You can be the sexiest, brattiest, most confident version of yourself. This is fantasy, this is play, and there is so much you can do with just a whisper and your imagination.

So why ruin it with reality? No offense to the gorgeous faces we DO get to see because that is also VERY fun, but being able to create the entire interaction from scratch, up to and including everyone's appearance? How can you not feel powerful?

I guess this incredibly long post is just here to act as reminder. That this is fun, this isn't real, and anything real WE DO get should be treated like the precious gift that it is. Because it takes a special person to want to fulfill a fantasy and be vulnerable at the same time.

This is meant to be fun, let's live in the moment, in the liminal space, and let the rest of the obsession go. Natural curiosity is to be expected, goodness knows I'm guilty of it, but there is no reason to take it any further.

And all of THAT being said, I highly suggest subscribing to Milo's newsletter. I read the first one and he gives some interesting BTS info on the technical side of recording, as well as giving his own reviews and being his general cheeky self.

[justanotherquinnfan]

Me when I listen to Tom York

i want to FLUSTER that man. i want to make him BLUSH. i want to make him feel VULNERABLE AROUND ME. i want to make him WEAK IN THE KNEES. i want to kiss him

[justanotherquinnfan]

[justanotherquinnfan]

Not sure if I'll make this public

Honestly, I just wanted to get some of my thoughts on here about Quinn audios. I listen to Comments on Quinn on Youtube and QuinnYourThirst on IG and it just got me thinking about wanting to write about my own journey with this app.

I got started on Quinn a few months earlier, mostly because one of my favorite Tiktokers (shout out to Zach aka Cowman) joined up and I got kind of curious. When I finally was able to afford it, I signed up and, well. ADHD is a helluva thing. I honestly get so hyperfixated and it's been part of my daily rotation ever since.

Not to sound like a walking billboard, but besides being so sexy, it has been so incredibly healing. I can't speak for anyone's intentions on this app, but I feel like there is something so wonderful having someone not only speak to your desires for sensuality and sexuality, but also to the desire to be seen and honored for just...being. In a world where so many women and nb folk and men who don't fit the stereotype get glossed over and shoved aside, having a voice whisper in your ear that you're perfect and special just as you are while trying to emotionally and physically take you apart? Not to be crass, but Quinn found a such a gaping hole in the market for this kind of thing and is gamely trying to fill it.

Yeah, that still sounded crass. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

ANYWAY, I look forward to figuring out this journey. Writing about my favorite creators and seeing where, if anywhere, it takes me.