#just speculating based on the hints i already have

[istherewifiinhell]

tips head.so far nothing moon and chime do has reached passed just kinda. adorable? to me. just a sort of mutual. aw this guys kinda pathetic i have to help him out. moons just like. damn. he doesnt know how to do anything. i have to help. i have to dunk him in the water. i have to give him nooggies (voice of a man who is NOT getting attached) and chimes like. FINALLY someones whose not weird about me. and he has to listen to all my infodumps cause hes like a newborn baby bird

that said. moon is hot when hes beating ppl up. so. u know. got that going.

[mv1simp]

Based on darling 🍑 🛒 anon’s request: max x inexperienced best friend!reader who hears him complaining about how hard it is to find a girl who’ll match his freak in bed 😼

Birthday Sex ♥️

Max Verstappen x Best Friend!Reader

don’t need candles or cake, just need your body to make (birthday sex, it’s the best day of the year, girl)

As Max’s best friend since childhood, you know him better than anyone. You’re determined to find the best birthday gift after he’s outdone you the past three years. Just when you’ve given up all hope of beating him you overhear him complaining that none of his recent girlfriends let him hit it just the way he likes. Bingo - you’ve just thought of the perfect gift!

Content includes: 18+ MDNI, smut, dom!max, inexperienced best friend!reader who gets railed lol, size kink, anal, creampie, sloppy drunk sex!!, WC 3.3k

You slump your head down on the table and groan, making your best friend Selena quirk as brow at you as she sips her strawberry iced matcha. Across the room, the elderly librarian scowls and points to the sign clearly labelled “University Library - Quiet Zone for Finals Study”. You roll your eyes and drag Selena away to some dusty bookshelf’s well away from the old crone. You still haven’t found a present for Max? Your friend muses as she noisily slurps her drink, eyeing the dubious titles on the ancient books. Shaking your head, you whine about how you’ve spent weeks thinking of what to gift the F1 driver. You and Max have been best friends since childhood, having grown up literally 2 doors down from one another. After getting over the initial boy/girl germs phase, you’d both connected over a like for video games which had turned into a loyal and supportive friendship into teens and adulthood. And of course, you both strongly believed in work hard, play hard, and frequently would be seen doing multiple shots together out in the Monaco clubs after a race weekend or post exam season.

Despite all the time you’d spend together, things had never crossed the line past friendship. It was always heavily speculated in the media, of course, as well as constant teasing from the other paddock members and your friends and family, but both you and Max dismissed it. He treated you like one of his guy friends, inviting you over to game or come onto his private jet with his other mates to fly out for a race weekend. And of course, being good friends with a millionaire driver meant being spoilt, especially on your birthday. Max always picked up on your hints and outdid himself every year. Last birthday you’d had not one but two custom made jewellery sets delivered from Cartier when you’d mentioned them in passing, and the year before that unlimited VIP box seats to your favourite soccer team and access to his private jet to get you there.

So that’s why you’re desperate to find Max the perfect present for his birthday this year. You want to spoil him just like he spoils you! But he’s been busy with his new girlfriend, a Spanish model he met in St Tropez, and you in the final semester of your English Lit degree and you haven’t had a chance to hear what’s he’s been interested in lately.

You’ve thought up countless ideas, but what do you get a man who literally can afford anything he wants? You’ve cycled through all of his likes, finding that he already owns everything you could possibly buy. Your friend Serena is useless as she watches you plead up at the ceiling (dramatic, sure, but desperate times call for desperate measures) asking for any Gods watching above to send you a sign of the right gift. You could always just get him a vibrator, she joked as she slurped her iced coffee. You know, like the one I got you? Have you been using it? Seriously, we need to end this dry spell and get you dicked down- At that point the old crone of a librarian had let out a scandalised gasp as she overheard and kicked the pair of you out.

You’ve almost given up completely and drop by his apartment a few days before his birthday, ready to just directly beg him to tell you what he wants and put you out of your misery. You let yourself in, already familiar with his spare key hiding location for years. And then you stumble across a conversation that’s not meant for your ears as Max’s deep voice carries around the corner. He’s on video chat with one of his mates playing an e-sim racing game, but they’re definitely not talking about racing strategy.

I don’t know mate, why is it so hard these days to find a chick who’ll let you hit it raw? one of his friends complain over the speakers. Your eyes widen, hand rushing up to stifle your gasp as you realise they’re talking about what they like in the bedroom. You and Max had never talked about something like this, and you’re about to turn and leave - when your best friend says something you’d never expected him to say. He snorts, murmuring that sure, getting to finish inside was good but the real challenge was convincing a girl to let you fuck her up the ass.

His friend laughs on the screen, wholeheartedly agreeing, saying Ah, I see even a F1 driver can’t find a girlfriend who’s into that freaky shit, huh? You miss Max’s reply because his cats, Sassy and Jimmy, have started to walk over to you curiously. You hightail it out of his apartment, desperate not to get caught eavesdropping with your blushing face and jumbled thoughts. You only let yourself calm down once you’re in the safety of your much smaller apartment, sinking into your sofa and recounting what you’d heard. You and Max had never ever talked about sex, even though he treated you like his guy friends, that was a line you’d just never crossed. You’d never have guessed he was into something so naughty like not using protection or…what had he said? Up the ass?

You’re not 100% sure on what he means, with your rather…limited sexual experiences. While Max regularly slept with multiple different flings and models, your hook ups could be counted on one hand. You’d lost your virginity, of course, to an awkward college boyfriend that Max had hated and eventually told you to break up with. But apart from a few sloppy handjobs or quick drunk blowjobs, you really hadn’t explored much else. You were jealous of how much more experienced Max was than you, having sometimes overheard him and his latest girlfriend celebrating a race win from a neighbouring hotel room. But it looked like despite all of the girls he’d been with, he wasn’t getting the satisfaction he wanted in bed. And apparently what satisfied the Dutch Lion was fucking girls who let him take the condom off or use their ass to his liking.

Determined to find out more about what exactly Max wanted, you open the private browser of your laptop and type in a porn site you’d looked at a couple times before. You navigate to the tags, scrolling until you see the category you wanted to research. As you wait for the top trending video in the #Anal section to load you bite your lip, suddenly nervous. Why did Max say he wanted that? It sounded dirty and painful and just wrong. Was there something you were missing?

Then the video started playing and within seconds you’d lost any inhibitions you had. Hypnotised, you watch the screen where a small, tan skinned girl is face down and ass up, with a much larger man running his tongue obscenely through her asscheeks. She’s moaning wantonly, clearly enjoying it, and then his sizeable dick is bouncing out against her bum, messily pounding her pussy first, and then - and then-

Your doe eyes widen, fixed on the laptop with a gasp as his tip slides past her pussy and into her other hole, the one you hadn’t even known could fit a guy’s dick inside it! You’re enraptured, not wanting to blink as you watch her asshole get completely ruined. Your lace thong is rapidly soaked by your wetness as you start panting, finding yourself turned on in a way you’d never ever been before. This is what your Maxie liked? It was so hot, you think sluttily, shamelessly slipping your tiny manicured fingers into your panties to finger yourself at the forbidden thought of you and Max acting out the activities in the video. You cum far too quickly, head tossed back in pleasure. Afterwards, you know you should feel embarrassed and guilty, but instead all you can think about is how badly you want to try having sex with your other tight hole.

And you know exactly what to gift your best friend. Max deserves to get exactly what he wants, after all.

Soon you’re watching dirty video after video every night, telling yourself you need to practise the positions and expressions yourself. But really you’re just addicted to the moaning of girls getting their asses abused by huge cocks, or having the coy smirks wiped off their faces and instead rolling their eyes back as their pussies are pumped full of cum. The bullet vibrator Serena had gifted you as a joke now finds itself making its way in between your dripping thighs, as you cum nightly to the fantasy of being able to provide Max with that pleasure. If his latest girlfriend of the month wasn’t willing to put out for him, you certainly had no problem helping your best friend out instead.

You make sure you’re ready by the time his birthday party rolls around, being celebrated in style aboard his yacht that’s docked in Ibiza tonight. You’ve chosen your outfit carefully, a tight red minidress that shows off your plump ass and tits, complete with strappy high heels. It highlights your ample curves, very different from his usual fling’s stick thin figures. And speaking off - you knew that he must have broken it off with his latest girlfriend judging by the fact that she wasn’t here tonight. Your suspicions are confirmed when a mutual friend tells you he dumped her just two days ago, citing a difference in personalities. More like a difference in kinky preferences, you thought deviously. You just needed to confirm that Max was willing to cross the line of no return in your friendship. Judging from the way his gaze had turned dark and hungry when he’d seen you step onto his boat, roaming over your figure, you were pretty confident that you’d be able to proceed in unveiling your gift.

As the party continues well into the night, you join everyone in dancing and drinking, using the tequila shots as an excuse to why you’re suddenly grinding your fat ass back into Max’s crotch amidst the crowded makeshift dancefloor. When you hear Max laugh in delight, strong hands possessively curling around your hips to keep you against him, you know he wanted you, too.

So when the last of the partygoers are heading off the yacht to join the others in the Ibiza clubs, you take Max’s hand in yours to tug him away, back onto the other side of the yacht where you’re well away from anyone’s eyes and facing the night ocean. He willingly goes, checking out your curvy ass from behind, his own face flushed from the drinks he’d had. You’re tipsily giggling that he had to open your present! as you gently push him onto the outdoor couch, plucking your cutely wrapped small gift box and offering it to him. As he opens it, you eagerly sit down by his side, pressing in close to his warm, toned chest with the excuse of its cold, Maxie.

You don’t miss how his gaze drops to your plush tits, which bounce with every movement and show off your hardened nipples as you’d chosen to only wear a skimpy lace bralette underneath. He easily plays along with your excuse, wrapping his thick arm around you to pull you onto his lap and settle against his broad figure. You giggle again when he finally opens the gift box, only to find it…empty? He looks up at you, laughing as he assumed you’d forgotten to pack your present in your drunk antics tonight.

But the plan in your mind is razor sharp as you breathily press kisses to his stubbled cheeks, making his lustful gaze flicker to your lips as the tension between you two grows. You whisper that you hadn’t forgotten, in fact, you’d gotten him the perfect gift, exactly what he’d been complaining to his gaming friends about not being able to find. The present was just inside you, was all!

Max is still adorably confused, not entirely sure what you were referring to as you slide off his lap after pressing a barely there kiss to his lips. He watches you curiously as you press your blushing cheeks into the sofa and stick your thick ass up in the air. Your already tiny minidress slides down your hips, exposing your soaked, lacey thong that barely covered the true surprise - a cute heart shaped butt plug. Max’s jaw drops and for a minute he thinks he must be dreaming, or had gotten super drunk, or this was some sick joke his friends had set him up for. Until you seductively jiggle your hips at him, fat ass bouncing, your sweet voice almost innocently asking if he likes his gift?

Oh, I fucking love it, sweetheart he assures you with a wicked grin, once he realises just what you were giving him. It’s so much better than anything I could have asked for. Your pleased giggle quickly turns into pleased moans as he plays with the toy, teasing you by slowly pulling it out a bit before sliding it back in. He pulls his raging erection out of his pants, telling you to come here and suck me off, getting his cock ready to fuck you. You obediently lick up and down his length, covering it with your messy drool and lip gloss, making sure it’s as wet as possible. His muscular neck is thrown back against the sofa as he moans above you, a strong hand tangled through your curls as he tries to control the pace but can't resist your talented mouth teasing his over sensitive tip. He almost cums from your enthusiasm, hips stuttering and he swears in dutch as he has to forcefully pull on your dark locks to move your plush lips off him. You cheekily grin up at him, winking, asking was that too much for him?

He tosses you around in half a second, making you giggle into the soft pillow as he raises your ass into the air, growling that he’d have done this a long time ago if he knew what a needy slut you secretly were. You shake your hips enticingly at him, ass bouncing, enjoying how his sexy voice got even deeper and accented when he was dirty talking. Swearing at your tempting display, he delivers a strong smack to your cheeks, and then a second one for good measure, before nudging his cockhead up against your dripping slit. He hushes your whines, telling you that he needed to get a taste of your pussy, the one he’d been dreaming about when you’d stay the night after a late movie and rub your ass into his erection in your sleep, edging him for hours. Did you even know how many times he had to go jerk off to the mental image of your ass in the shower?

You moan in pleasure as he fucks you sloppily, whispering about the time he hadn’t been able to resist and pulled your panties down in your sleep, wanting to jerk off to the real thing and leaving his cum all over your caramel skin. Th-that’s soo hot, Maxie you whine, already feeling fucked out of your mind. Go-go on, cum instead me, you say breathlessly. I started the pill just for your present tonight!

Groaning at your naughty confession, he pumps one last, deep thrust before he's tensing above you, a bruising grip on your hips as he holds you still to drain his load deep inside you. He's panting deeply as his head comes to rest on the back of your neck, the two of you enjoying your blissful comedown together for a few minutes. You can’t believe how heated things have gotten tonight after being friends for years. We could have been hooking up this whole time, it was so good Maxiee you whine against his lips as he presses his tongue into your pouting mouth.

Chuckling at your eagerness, he filthily whispers that you could start by giving him the next part of his birthday gift, hmm? You nod breathlessly, unable to say no to your precious Maxie. He palms your juicy asscheeks with his large palms, squeezing at your flesh greedily. Soon enough he’s fingering your tight, winking hole from above you, telling you to hold your asscheeks apart for him as he messily spits right over where he plans to fuck you. Just the tip, right, Maxie? You repeat again, feeling unsettled with not knowing what he was doing behind you, when he stopped to stare at your cute little hole for a few minutes. Your blushing face is still buried into the cushions as your nails dig into your bouncing ass and hold it apart for him. I've never had anything...inside there before, you say, cheeks warming. So you can't stretch it out, okay, I read that it-

Yeah, yeah baby Max says distractedly, hypnotised by your inviting tight hole that is filling him with a growing desire to ruin it every passing second. Whatever you say. Dousing himself in lube from the supply he keeps stashed in between the couch cushions, he approaches you from behind, his erect cock standing stiff as you jiggle your hips. His tip nudges against your back entrance, making you moan excitedly at foreign but tingly feeling. Then he’s thrusting his leaking cockhead in and out of your hole, and you’re babbling incoherently, your face turned to the side as you gasp mouthfuls of air. Oh, it feels sooo good, mmhhh, yes Maxie-

He growls approvingly at your desperate whining, smacking your red asscheeks again and again to make them bounce. Feels amazing, right baby? he hums into your ear, pressing his abs down against your back. The new position makes his cock accidentally slide in just a little more and you arch your back more when the tingly feeling gets stronger as he slips a large hand around to toy with your sensitive clit. You’ll let me put in just a little bit more, right baby? Max whispers huskily, his hungry eyes taking in your drooling, fucked out face. You were in so much bliss he doubts you’d be able to say no to anything he asked for. O-ok, a little bit more- Ohh! Oh fuck!

You cry out as he doesn’t hesitate to slip inside you even further. It’s a good thing you can’t see the filthy mess behind you because Max has bullied an easy third of his rigid, veiny shaft inside your gummy walls. He groans against the back of your neck, sending shivers down your spine as he praises how good you take his fat cock, better than any of his girlfriends. He knows just what to say to have you seeing stars as he continues to shove more and more of himself into your tight hole. Fuck schat, giving me the best birthday treat ever, I’m gonna be addicted.

You’re on Cloud 9-, pink tongue poking out of your mouth and drooling all over the cushion, pretty doe eyes rolled all the way back as Max pounds into your all too willing body. You can barely reply coherently when he croons that he’s just gonna slide a bit more in, that’s right, just like that, you can take it for him, right?

His whole cock is buried inside your ass now, beads of sweat running own his toned abs. And soon you’re screaming his name as he greedily fucks you, grunting with pleasure at each thrust. You can only cross your fingers and hope none of your friends come back from the club early.

—————————————————————————

A/N: back to my old FILTHY ways after writing a 9.5K mafia fic just to give u all whiplash will finally be posting part 2 of earned it v soon with dedicated hot husband max hehehe 😝

[melanchoire]

Been listening to I can see you by Taylor swift so I got an idea of wonyoung x idol! Reader where in front of cam they act so professional and elegant, fans even compare them on who's the real it girl and even see them as rivals but they don't know behind cam and close doors those two are freaky with each other

being part of a fourth generation group is a difficult job because you’re constantly facing harsh public and criticism from fans of other groups. sure, competition and rivalry between fans and companies was always present in the music world, but sometimes it was so exhausting even if you were already used to it!

rumors were the worst thing that could happen. you know, people assuming things based on theories or things they pulled out of their asses, the usual stuff! 🥰

it especially pissed you off when people outside the band would create rumours or assumptions about the relationships between your band and other artists. for example, the public said that there was some “enmity” between your group and IVE just because there was “evidence” that there was tension present and they assured that surely something that the public does not know happened behind the scenes.

a couple of times during your group’s promotion week and theirs coincided, which led to them recording a small video for tiktok or having a small interaction when one of the members of the opposing group was the MC and interviewed the group on the music show, and the interaction was completely lovely! your members were charming and the IVE girls were quite friendly and pretty 💞

but of course, people have to make sense of it! so what better than to talk about the “rivalry” between the two most popular members and with the most malicious rumors possible? 🥰

you and wonyoung were the exception. wonyoung had already said a long time ago that she didn’t have any idol friends in the industry, and you were content with just having your members and the occasional artist as close acquaintances, nut the public said that you two had a similar answer because it was probably a hint for the other, of course! 😍

and the interactions were a bit awkward… maybe when your group passed by wonyoung’s group, the IVE girls bowed as a greeting, but wonyoung is always accused of ignoring your group and pretending she didn’t see them. lr maybe you were the villain here, accused of giving a fake smile to girls and rolling your eyes as soon as you turned your back on them

but people didn’t know that secretly, you two were much more than close! it started with the news that you both would be attending paris fashion week, wonyoung representing miu miu and you representing the corresponding brand that you were an ambassador for. the fight over who would get most of the attention was to be expected, you two being the idols who always top the brand reputation were a threat to other idols, and you two would be even more so now that you were together!

and when the photo of you two sitting together was posted… the cherry on the cake! honestly, wonyoung had a big and genuine big smile unlike the subtle and soft smile she usually used in photos, and you looked so happy and comfortable next to her that it looked like a cute and adorable photo between two pretty girls 😭💕 snd of course, on the part of Internet users it was seen as a forced interaction to calm public speculation…

little did the others know that upon arriving at the hotel room, wonyoung practically ripped your clothes off and threw herself at you on the bed, fucking you like she always does every night 🥰

“do you think your fans would like to know that the same one they call a bad bitch is the one who fucks their beloved idol?” wonyoung would ask you in a teasing tone as her fingers sink deep into your pussy up to her knuckles and pump in and out of you in a way that takes your breath away completely 🥴

wonyoung doesn’t care about criticism at all! she finds it so funny that people compare her or criticize her to her dear “enemy” when every day she is the one who gets home and can kiss her and fuck her 💕 she loves to tease you about it, sometimes bringing up the rivalry when she is fucking you, saying that she would love to see the faces of fans when they see two supposed enemies secretly fucking every chance they get. sometimes taking photos when you’re under her with the thought in mind that if one day she gets fed up with the bad comments, maybe her way of silencing criticism is to post a photo of her fucking you on her instagram account, making sure everyone knows the great friendship you two have even though the public doesn’t see it possible 😉

[tealvenetianmask]

Blitz and social class rage- because I have no chill and like to write about uncomfortable things.

We've seen a lot of hints (reactions to how Stolas addresses him as "little," confrontation with Striker in Harvest Moon), but I think that we see that rage at its most intense here and here.

The symbolism in both of these scenes has been analyzed a ton by now, and I don't think the parallels in subject matter are accidental- both are essentially Blitz going into a terrified rage (are fear and anger linked for him?) at the idea- an untrue one based in real social class problems- that Stolas could never respect him.

There's imagery of Blitz as a servant in both scenes. Sillhouettes of Blitz fan Stolas in his drug trip in Truth Seekers. He adjusts his bow tie and claims that Stolas treats him like one of his butler imps during his rant in Full Moon.

But the anger Blitz feels about this ALSO came out, more subtly, in my most replayed couple of minutes in Oops (seriously- when I clicked on Oops to find screenshots, I was already paused here).

It's the scene where Blitz won't stop talking about how little Stolas cares about him, and Fizz gets fed up with him denying the obvious. It leads into a back and forth with Striker about social class and relationships with royals. It's one of those shippy moments that I watched on repeat to reassure myself that stolitz is mutual while we waited for Full Moon. Because it's clear in that clip that he CARES deeply about Stolas as much as he denies it.

But wait. When he calls Stolas a "fake privileged asshole . . ."

There's real resentment (and fear? hurt?) there. I mean the guy is fucking furious- it's also the side view with the sharp teeth and narrowed eyes again. This is not the face of a man who's just upset because the guy he likes doesn't like him back. This is deep hurt, and yes, anger. It hurts to see him feeling resentful toward Stolas because I love Stolas and love the potential they have together.

So what gives? Why is this anger/fear so intense that he can't see that potential? I saw a lot of speculation before Full Moon that Blitz might have another royal ex who we have yet to learn about, or that he was devastatingly wronged by one of Hell's higher ups in the past.

I don't think that's necessary personally. I think Blitz is angry about a lifetime of micro-aggressions and racial slurs, at living in a world where people are surprised that he's an imp who runs a business, etc., and that's enough. He's angry because he was taught from childhood that he was dispensable (not me taking a dig at Cash again just because). He's angry at himself for having feelings for Stolas, for feeling comfortable cuddled up next to him when he snapped that one picture on his phone, for wanting what seems impossible.

Blitz has anger issues beyond this- there's no doubt about that. And I think A LOT of it comes down to his self-hatred and inability to process the hurt and fear that simmer underneath. But yeah, there's legitimate anger about race and class issues there too, maybe misdirected at Stolas, but absolutely reflecting a reality in the hellaverse.

[kaciidubs]

Cameras and Sweatpants

❣ Summary: Photoshoots, the gift that keeps on giving, and you welcomed it with open arms - and mouth. ❣  ❣ Word Count: 1.5k ❣ Warnings: Smut, degradation/name calling [slut], slight public sex ❣  ❣ Female! Reader [No use of Y/N] | You/Your pronouns ❣  ❣ Additional Tags: 230526 Chris [pictured], Chan is referred to as Chris and Daddy, Reader is referred to as Baby, Pretty/Dirty Girl, Slut, mention of Jisung, lightly edited, this was written almost a year ago while I was sleep deprived and horny for this specific version of Chris ❣ Stray Kids Masterlist ❣ General Masterlist

“We have 30 minutes,” Chris whispered against the shell of your ear, his hand resting against the small of your back. 

You smirked, pace quickening ever so slightly as you walked past staff members and stylists alike - a glint of mischief shining through your lust fogged eyes. “I’ll be done in 15.”

Attending photoshoots with the boys was a rare occurrence, usually only happening when your oh-so-loving boyfriend figured a ‘little vacation’ was in order - and this was one of those times.

Even if you weren't well versed with Dispatch as a whole, you were more than aware of the speculation of idols’ private lives and, more present, promotional photoshoots and interviews.

Especially promotional photoshoots that had your boyfriend in the most relaxed yet revealing outfit you’d laid your eyes on; from the white, sleeveless shirt showing off well sculpted biceps that never failed to draw attention, to the baby blue sweatpants tied securely around his hips with holes that gave peeks into what you had the pleasure of seeing daily.

All of this, paired with the borderline bedroom eyes he was giving the camera, culminated into you tugging him off the couch the minute the director gave the call for a break to set up for the next room.

The second the changing room’s door shut and the lock clicked into place, you wasted no time in sinking to your knees in front of him - hardwood floors be damned. Your mouth watered at the prominent bulge beginning to tent the blue fabric; running your hand along the outline and earning a stifled grunt in return. 

“Baby, I’d rather not stain these pants,” Chris gritted out, trying to keep his anticipation at bay as you continued palming him, “we still have the second half to shoot.” 

You opened your mouth for a rebuttal, a tease of some sort, but the looming reminder of how much time you had made it close just as fast. 

Heeding his request, your hands slid up to the waistband of his sweats before tugging them past the swell of his ass and down the expanse of his thighs, just enough to expose his boxer-briefs.

“If we were home, this would be so much easier.” Your lips pulled into a playful pout, fingertips dipping past the branded waistband before pulling them down to meet the same fate as his sweats. “I wouldn’t have to worry about this many layers.”

He scoffed, leaning his back against the cool wooden door, “If you were patient you wouldn’t have this problem, now would you?” Cocking his head to the side, he ran his tongue across his bottom lip, “But you’re just so needy for my dick, aren’t you, baby?”

A fresh heat washed over you from his words and you had to physically fight back the whine bubbling in the back of your throat - if he was already talking like this, then you knew you weren't the only needy one here.

Spitting into your hand, you wrapped it around his length and gave a few experimental pumps, relishing in the sharp hiss of air he took above you with each pass of your fist, before leaning forward to lick a line from the base of his dick to the tip.

His lips parted with a breathless, “Fuck…”, his head falling back against the door with a low thud as he watched you with lidded eyes.

You looked up at him, the smallest hints of a smirk on your lips before parting them to take the head into your mouth, lapping languidly at the bitter-sweet precum leaking from the slit. A soft moan hummed from your throat as you sunk further, eagerly welcoming the familiar weight of him on your tongue.

 It was always an effort to take him down your throat, long as he was thick, but you continued pressing on - eyelids fluttering shut as you focused on breathing and fighting your gag reflex.

“S-Shit, baby,” Chris gasped, his hand resting on the top of your head, “can’t- ah, can’t go two hours without having your mouth stuffed, yeah?”

Your left hand gripped his thigh, either as a muted response or moral support when you finally, finally, pressed your nose against the finely trimmed patch of pubes that decorated his pelvis. Swallowing around him, earning a delicious whimper that made your pussy flutter, you tapped his thigh twice with a soft hum.

He tensed, his brain short circuiting while his heart skipped a beat so hard he felt it in his throat, “Really? Y-You don’t- fuck, you really want me to…?”

Another two taps against his thigh, and you looked up at him as best as you could from your knelt position, feeling spit start to overflow past the corners of your lips.

“Fuck- You’re gonna be the death of me, baby.”

His hand shifted to the back of your head, locking you in place as he drew his hips back, a shiver running down his spine until half of his cock remained in your mouth before thrusting forward, sending himself down your throat once again.

You squeezed your eyes shut, one hand holding onto his half while the other balled into a fist on your thigh, helping you focus on keeping your gags at bay with practiced breaths.

Chris kept a few more slow, manageable thrusts before turning up the pace; his cock leaving your mouth a little more each time before sliding its way back into your throat, ragged pants tumbling from his lips as he fucked your mouth.

It was dizzying, the way your muscles constricted around his girth while your plump lips were slicked with bubbling saliva - it wasn’t anywhere close to how your cunt felt, but it was still bringing him to his end just the same. It also didn’t help that soft moans were interspersed between your muted gags; the thought of you getting off on him using your mouth like a fleshlight making his grip tighten and his balls swell.

“T-Taking me so well,” he gritted, breaking out into a small sweat, “so needy for me you can’t even suck me off by yourself - need me to help you, huh? Need me to- fuck- to use this throat of yours like the slut you are.”

Your nails dug into his calf and he chuckled, a short, husky sound that had your pussy clenching around nothing, your panties sticking like a self-imposed punishment.

“My little slut, yeah? All mine?” Sucking in a sharp breath, his hips stuttered, “A-All mine to use - daddy’s pretty, dirty girl.”

Blinking away the tears blurring your vision, you angled your head up just enough to gaze at him through your eyelashes, and the sight you were met with had you rocking your hips in the open air - desperation taking over your rational thoughts in hopes of an odd rotation to get something to grind against your aching cunt.

Pupils blown, the ends of his hair sticking to his forehead,the glow of sweat shining down the curve of his neck, pretty pink lips parted and shimmering from the gloss the makeup artists coated them in, and brows furrowed with a focus you’d seen time and time again - he looked delectable.

“S-Shit- I’m close, baby,” panting, Chris looked down at you with worry flashing in his eyes, “Wh- Mm- Where do you want it?”

Answering his question as best you could, you squeezed his calf once before pressing your tongue to the underside of his dick, running it against a vein that never failed to make his head spin.

The grip on your head tightened as he nodded frantically, “Y-Yeah, yeah, okay - t-take it all, princess, swallow every drop j-just f’me, yeah?” A shiver ran down his spine as his rhythm began to falter, breathless whimpers falling from his lips, “‘M coming- oh fuck, fuck, ‘m gonna come-”

His dick twitched, throbbing against your tongue, and with a handful of thrusts the tip pressed against the soft flesh of the back of your throat before a rush of cum filled your mouth.

Your throat tightened with each swallow you took, gag reflex working double time with the lack of air reaching your lungs until the last of his release settled onto your tongue.

As his hold on you relaxed, you slowly pulled yourself off of his length with a lewd slurp, taking whatever final remnants remained before swallowing - almost choking on the deep breath that immediately followed suit as your lungs gratefully welcomed the unhindered rush of air.

“I’m-” Chris huffed out a breath, fully leaning against the door to save him from falling to his knees, “I’m sorry, baby, are you okay? Did I go too hard?”

“Honestly?” Clearing the rasp from your voice, you laughed lightly, “If I passed out, it would’ve been worth it.”

“Oh my god, you absolute menace!”

Eyes narrowing with mirth, you smirked, “Menace? I thought I was daddy’s little slut?”

The blush tinting his ears and neck deepened, but before he could respond a series of knocks rapped against the door, followed by Jisung’s sheepish voice.

“Uh, if you guys are done in there, can I grab my phone?”

✧. ┊Tagged lovelies: @having-an-internal-crisis-rn, @midnightfrog625, @anyhow-everything, @bangchanbabygirlx, @sweetracha, @nightimescapes, @caitlyn98s, @ch4nn13luv, @ihrtlix, @jeonjungkookenthusiast1997, @maximumkillshot, @y-ur--i, @acker-night, @dreamescapeswriting, @specialstay, @s00buwu, @tinyelfperson, @jj-stay, @katsukis1wife, @inlovewithmusician, @keen-li, @armystay89, @main-character0, @vampcharxter, @ddyskz, @prettymiye0n, @bbgnyx, @ivyisnotokay, @bahng-chrizz, @milknhoneyracha, @hann1bee, @palindrome969, @newhope8, @softkissfelix, @luvyev, @luminouskalopsia, @kpopsstuffs, @luvyev, @starquokka, @wolfs-howling, @laylasbunbunny, @zaethefangirl, @chxnb97, @4-chan-inpadella

✧. ┊If your username is in bold italics that means tumblr won't let me tag you. If you’d like to be added to the taglist, fill out this form!

[menlove]

youve probably answered this before but what DO you think is the most realistic version of what went down?? like do you think paul misinterpreted john's hints or that john never made it clear enough to paul how he felt? i know theres no way to know but you have such a good grasp on their personalities and this seriously might haunt me forever lkadjf

i actually don't think i have ! i wrote a lil speculative Thing about what things would look like if paul were queer and closeted (which is what i think) and that interpretation but never specifically this question but...

this is long and rambly but have my thoughts lmfao

basically To Me i do think they had some sort of sexual relationship. to me it's honestly the most likely scenario given the..... everything. their interactions with each other, some of their songs about each other ("i used to hold you in my arms"), the way things blew up so spectacularly, etc. and my reasoning there is mostly that. we know already that they had really loose sexual boundaries with each other. they jerked off together, they fucked women in the same room together & allegedly together as well. and already just those two/three things constitute as a sexual relationship, but not smth they would've seen as one.

but i do think they did more than that. i mean, it doesn't really matter if they did more than that, the rest of what i'm gonna speculate stands even if all they ever did was jerk off together and fuck women together, but like... aside from the like Mountains of evidence that there was something there, i just think it makes sense w their personalities. john isn't the type of person to have self-restraint and i don't think paul, especially when he was younger, would've turned john down. i think if john was into men (which he was, we know this) and if he was into paul (incredibly likely) then he would've made a move. and i think if he made a move and got rejected he would have raised hell, and that never happened.

i think they probably started doing shit together (again, the extent of that is debatable) and they absolutely did Not think of it as being anything queer. i couldn't tell you the mental loops they tied themselves in there, but i have Some thoughts just based on who they are. i think john probably passed it off as like "a hand's a hand, a mouth's a mouth" type of thing (which is hilariously something yoko talks about him saying in her audio diary during the white album sessions). and i think paul probably saw it (& any other things he was doing with men, if he did) as something fun that feels good and isn't something he needs to like look into deeply. i think neither of them would've thought of themselves as queer, bc they probably thought of queerness as very binary- you're either gay or you're straight. and they both were into women (.....ostensibly) so they couldn't be gay. i think john like realized, on some level, that he was queer and Hated it about himself for a very long time and only started coming to grips with it towards the end of his life. i think paul eventually came around to it but by that time he was married to linda (& if rumors are to believed, possibly having threesomes with her and men lmfao) & i don't think he would Ever want to come out publicly even if he's out privately (which i do think he is).

so why didn't they get together? why is paul so insistent that john was straight and not in love with him? i think they just genuinely never talked about it. ever. like i don't think they had that conversation. if neither of them were gay and their sexual relationship was just john and paul things, there wasn't any need to talk about it. queerness was more acceptable for the young. not in an open sort of way, absolutely not, but in the way that they could tell themselves they'd grow out of it, they were just messing around, etc.

i think things got harder when brian died- he died queer, alone, and in a situation that a lot of people thought was suicide. and ofc, we know the band didn't think it was suicide, and i don't think it was either, but that's the kind of thing that sticks in the back of your mind. esp if you're like john who had a lot of mystical/magical thinking. i think it was a bit of a wake up call. time to grow up. i think they both thought they were each the Only one dealing with actual queer feelings & attraction to the other and were soooo sure the other one was just straight and fucking around. which probably hurt, quite a bit, but wasn't something they wanted to look at anyway.

and when john got with yoko and got serious with her, i think that was the bubble bursting. cynthia was different. they got together so young, he never made her a priority, he cheated on her constantly, belittled her, didn't have a place for her by his side bc he carved that space out exclusively for paul. and you can tell that just by the amount of quotes paul has about john marrying yoko being the catalyst, about it being time to grow up, etc which is insane considering he was already married and so were george and ringo. for years. so it was something deeper than that. and it's bc he was actually taking yoko seriously. paul's spot as john's primary partner got filled by a woman. who john was genuinely in love with, not like cynthia which was a marriage fueled by the age old tale of an unplanned pregnancy and comphet. and paul can't argue with that. like....... if he viewed what they were doing as messing around as kids, with john being straight and him being the one pining, he wouldn't want to fuck up john's chance at a Normal Straight Love. if he were a girl, he could, but he wasn't. what he Could do was match him and grow up too. cue the immediate pivot to get married and have children, eventually fulfilled in linda.

but i don't think he expected the band to implode just bc they stopped being so close in whatever manner. but it did. along with other reasons, obviously- there's a million reasons the band broke up, but i think they could've weathered it if they had kept the closeness they'd had at the beginning. or if they'd been single or even if they'd just kept viewing each other as their primary partner aside from their wives.

i think they both came to terms with what they actually meant to each other in the 70s, but they never actually... told each other. what we have from john is jealous guy, which paul was allegedly told was about him, and that demo version of real love that paul never even heard where he laments about him having a baby/farm and how he used to hold him. there's also (just like) starting over, but that one's easy to see as being for yoko too and paul wouldn't have thought twice about it. then you have now & then and real love, which were on that damn tape for paul :( like he literally didn't hear them until after john died and we know he likes the idea that now & then is about him but even then he doesn't sound totally convinced

for paul we have a lot. but a lot of his like more vulnerable songs were only released after john died. like here today, obviously, but there's also some pretty telling ones that john never would've heard (like best friend, which he played live, but wasn't on any album until 2018. or a more of a Stretch of one but i 100% think is about john, hey diddle, which was kept off ram and only released in 2001).

so like i think they very much both came to grips with the fact that they had been in love with each other, but they never really.... thought that could be returned. so ofc paul's going to say shit like how he likes the theory that john was in love with him or wrote now & then about him. but he doesn't believe it, because to him john was Genuinely straight and he was the weird one. and vice versa. i think i saw a more recent thing from him coming around more on the idea of john being bi, but honestly i think that's just hard for him to come to grips with bc what the hell are you supposed to do with that? like yeah, he was into men, possibly even romantically, on a genuine level, just not him? that's hurtful. i don't think he wants to think of that option. bc that's more likely to him than the idea that john was in love with him and hiding it the whole time. which is also heartbreaking. bc then it's just a tragedy of circumstances and missed chances- which is what i think it was. and neither of those routes are something i think he wants to consider, so john has to be straight in his mind.

but if he's coming around on that, he's probably coming around on one of those two options. i hope it's the latter bc the idea that he'd think even now that john never loved him is just so fucking sad. and considering his comments about now & then, as well as the lyrics video for now & then, i really do think the latter is more likely.

anywayyyyy tl;dr i think they fucked around sexually in Some Way, never said a single thing romantically, both came to terms w their feelings in the 70s but by then it was too late and they didn't think the other one would reciprocate anyway, and now paul's been trying to come to grips w the ambiguity of their relationship for the last 40+ years.

[lu-is-not-ok]

Nocturnal Sweeping Intervallo teaser frame-by-frame analysis

That's right, you didn't think I was going to leave this teaser without saying anything about it, did you? In fact, I have. Way too fucking much to say really.

Before anything though, I wanna give a shout out to @chorin342 for the translations of the hanzi that shows up during the trailer, which helped A Lot with figuring out what awaits us.

Now, onto the trailer itself.

After the several seconds long title screen of the Intervallo, we're given another view of the setting, this time with a sort of tv screen-esque overlay. The whole teaser seems to be somewhat structured to mimic a sort of action movie trailer, potentially hinting to this potentially being a more action-packed Intervallo.

The text (which in case it's hard to read on the screenshot says "We were greeted by a dark street upon disembarking from the bus, illuminated only by faints strands of light.") accompanying this CG seems to be a part of Dante's narration based on its contents. We're likely seeing a glimpse of just the intro part of the Intervallo.

After a few seconds, the following pops up on the screen with a booming sound effect:

This simply translates to "District 8", further confirming information that is about to be revealed.

Just as this text disappears, the narration continues, saying "It was immediately obvious that we had arrived in the Backstreets of H Corp."

Similarly to what I and many other speculated, we are going to H Corp's District, and the Intervallo specifically takes place within its Backstreets.

Then, we get the two following bits of text:

This translates to "Hongyuan/Hong garden Life Engineering Corporation". Or, as the second one illuminates, the full name of "H Corp".

In addition to the reveal of H Corp being a company that specializes in engineered life, the character for the "Hong" part of the name is the exact same as used in Hong Lu's own name. The connection is already clear and we're barely fifteen seconds into the teaser.

Then we're onto the Identity trailers, with the above literally just being that. "Identity".

Both the Outis and Ryoshu Identities belong to the Heishou Pack - Mao Branch. Heishou translating to Black Beast, and Mao translating to Rabbit in the context of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals, as well as Wood in the context of the five Chinese elements.

I'm not going to go over the Identity trailers in too much detail, but I will mention things that I think will be important to the plot of the Intervallo.

The Mao Branch of the Heishou Pack appear to be a group hired by whoever they call "lord". Notably, both Identities express that their loyalty lays with the one that holds that title, rather than a specific individual. They're shown to be ready to betray the one who formerly carried that title at a day's notice, and are aware of their nature enough to deem themselves inherently untrustworthy.

In both trailers the Identities face off against average-looking gangsters. Those are likely to be the enemies we face off during the intro part of the Intervallo, before we run into any Sweepers.

According to the Identities' other voice lines, the Mao Branch's job takes place primarily during the night, potentially "taking care" of whatever target they're given by their lord by killing them in the middle of the night and letting the Sweepers clean them up before anyone can find any evidence.

Ryoshu's Identity here also makes a very interesting comment, about how the Mao Branch has "the same roots" as R Corp's Rabbit Pack, but "have grazed on different grass" and thus comparing them to each other is deemed stupid. Considering the implication of H Corp being a "life engineering" company and R Corp's technology in cloning, this might imply that their respective technologies are in some way similar in nature, yet different enough that it'd be stupid to actually compare them.

I also want to make a small observation about the aesthetics of the group. Specifically their color palette of black and yellow. It honestly kind of reminds me of the Udjat and Arbiters, and considering both of those are essentially military forces (hired by a private individual and a governing body respectively) it might allude to the Heishou Pack's nature as being not that unlike them.

Alright, back to the rest of the trailer.

We get another CG of the Backstreets, alongside what appears to be actual dialogue. (In case it's too hard to read, it says "A-are you sure we're going the right way? I don't like the sound of that weird song...") The most likely candidate to be saying this is Sinclair due to his tendency to stutter and appear nervous when he speaks, but it could be someone else as well.

Either way, this line implies that someone is guiding the Sinners through the Backstreets, potentially into somewhere dangerous and definitely suspicious.

Another text appears:

This literally translates to "round medicine", but it also appears to be the same word as used in two of Xichun's passives, that being bolus. Bolus in this context likely refers to a type of medicine administration, where a dose is introduced to the body to take effect over a short period of time.

Considering H Corp's "life engineering" (perhaps even downright bioengineering) tech, they might have a notable interest in pharmaceuticals as well.

Next scene.

Another view of the Backstreets, this time giving us a clear view of the Mansion taking up the entire goddamn skybox.

The text here (reading "The main streets are most likely teeming with those seeking to bring harm to the young master. We must venture an alternative path.") appears to be a piece of dialogue from an unknown party.

What we can tell about this person is that for one, they're the one guiding the Sinners through the Backstreets, meaning that the Sinners are completely at the mercy of this unknown party. The second thing we can tell about them however is that they're clearly aware of Hong Lu's identity and his ties to the Jia Family.

Considering what we've seen in the Identity trailers, I'd like to suggest that the Heishou Pack aren't going to be our enemies, or at least not at the start. They're likely to be hired by the Jia Family, and thus would have interest in keeping Hong Lu "safe". However, just because they want to protect the young master from harm, doesn't mean they feel the same way about the rest of the Sinners... if you know what I mean.

Next hanzi show up here.

This one translates to "complex" in the context of a building. This could potentially refer to the Mansion in the background, calling it a complex and thus potentially a sort of conglomerate of multiple Mansions. Alternatively, it could be referring to the dwellings Sweepers use, calling those dens a complex of their own.

After this we get a quick glimpse of a black screen getting covered with red Sweeper eyes and a rising noise. Likely foreshadowing as to what awaits the Sinners if they are to follow their new guide.

The scene changes again.

Multiple things. While I didn't capture it in this screenshot, combat takes place in the background here. While it's hard to make out because of the big fuckass hanzi in the way, it appears as if the Heishou Pack is fighting alongside the Sinners rather than against them, further implying that they're the ones guiding them through the Backstreets.

The hanzi here translates to "life insurance". This honestly could refer to a lot of things. It could refer to the Heishou Pack's role as being there to insure Hong Lu preserves his life. It could refer to H Corp's interest in immortality and thus insuring their own life. It could even potentially imply that H Corp deals with more literal life insurance, perhaps being in the business of insuring people with "spare lives" not unlike the situation of Pamela and Pameli in Ruina.

Notably, the "life" in life insurance here uses different characters to the ones commonly used in the term. However, this could just be an instance of PM being a Korean speaking company and thus not knowing the "proper" spelling of the phrase. A mistake in similar nature to them flipping Linton's first and last name, or calling "Don" a surname rather than a title in the original Korean script.

The dialogue here (reading "Looks like everyone in the Backstreets has been getting pretty plucky while I was away. Back then, I could even catch a glimpse of their faces-") is pretty clearly coming from Hong Lu, and continues on (reading "-Because they'd all be on their hands and knees whenever we walked past... Ah, what a wonderful change!").

This bit of dialogue establishes multiple things. For one, the Jia Family is important enough to garner extreme amounts of veneration from District 8 citizens, even out in the Backstreets. However, and more interestingly, for whatever reason Hong Lu alone isn't eliciting the same reaction. Whether it's because as Hong Lu says and there his been a shift in the status quo in the Backstreets, or whether it's something else that is causing people to not recognize Hong Lu as part of the Family is currently unclear.

Then, Ricardo Announcer. You get nothing from me about that, I just find it really fucking funny.

Then, back to the mayhem.

Here the text translates to "east" as in the context of a region. Which, makes sense. We are in the East region of the City now, this is likely a reference to that.

The dialogue here (reading "Oi, up yours with that wonderful change! How much longer 'til we get there?!") very likely comes from Heathcliff judging by the wording. It further foreshadows the suspicious nature of the Sinners' guides and that they might not be leading them where they think they are.

And, in case that wasn't already being made clear, in the background a wave of Sweepers just fucking descends upon the Sinners before static takes over the screen and we're back to the core event illustration.

So.

Let's summarize what we can gather from this trailer.

Our current destination, H Corp's District, is run by Hongyuan Life Engineering Corporation, a Wing with an interest in life insurance and pharmaceuticals. The Jia Family appears to be highly regarded in this District, to the point of likely being the ones who hired the Mao Branch of the Heishou Pack, a group specializing in operations under the cover of the night who are loyal to those holding certain ranks rather than to specific individuals.

Upon their arrival, the Sinners would come in contact with this group, who would recognize Hong Lu as a young master of the Family that hired them, and would thus wish to ensure his safety and likely return him to his home. As such, they serve as guides and allies for the first part of the Intervallo's plot.

However, the path this Pack leads the Sinners down is suspicious and long, and eventually leads them towards the Sweepers. There is a high chance that this was the Pack's trap all along, whether their motives are to take Hong Lu out because of an order from one of his siblings or to retrieve him and take him back to the Mansion while leaving the rest of the Sinners to die is yet to be seen. Either way however one thing is clear - the Black Beasts are indeed not to be trusted.

[all-purpose-dish-soap]

Hey! I hope you’re doing well!! I read in one of your previous posts that things were a little hard right now. I hope they get better soon, if they haven’t already!

I wanted to ask about your TF141 mer au:

Do the shark mers like Soap, Price and Gaz go into tonic immobility if they get flipped upside down?

Cuz you mentioned they might beef with orcas from time to time, and that’s how orcas often kill great whites: they turn them upside down and hold them like that so they can’t fight back. This paper discusses the strategies used by killer whales to hunt great white sharks that have been observed in South Africa (TW: for pretty lengthy description of killer whales hunting sharks, as well as some slightly graphic descriptions of how the orcas ate the sharks). They also talk about strategies the sharks used to get away from the orcas being similar to how the sharks’ normal prey, seals and sea turtles, try to evade them! Which might mean the sharks are learning how to escape orcas based off how their prey escape them! And they hint in the conclusions that the hunting of sharks might even be a culturally transmitted thing from parent orcas to their calves! Which is insanely cool!! It’s a bit dry because it is a scientific paper, but definitely worth reading, if you’re interested!

But back to the point: If they do go into tonic immobility when flipped upside-down, how do they handle that in the case of dangerous creatures/divers doing that to them? I hope the guys are staying safe out there 😰

(Also, ps. Tonic immobility is theorized to be a sex thing, since sex underwater is hard. So I dunno if you wanna integrate that into your kinky headcannons about the shark mers :) )

yes, thank you!! wild. i have indeed been looking for ways to write in other types of mer, especially orcas. the problem is orcas are way, way overpowered in real life. even the ones that don't kill great whites for their livers are big enough to eviscerate anything that looks at them funny and smart enough to (as you mention) to develop these unique ways of hunting down prey. like… how do you introduce someone based on that without breaking the whole dang worldbuilding structure?

and the study, especially this bit--

In one case, a killer whale attempted to roll and invert a white shark into a position that would result in tonic immobility (Henningsen, 1994; Pyle et al., 1999) before biting into its abdomen just behind the pectoral fins.

so yeah. this particular group of orcas 1) noticed sharks are vulnerable to tonic immobility, and 2) weaponized that vulnerability to basically hypnotize, kill, and butcher them. and those orcas do so with this, like, insane technical precision. they know exactly where to tear into the great whites to reach their livers. iirc, they don't even eat the other parts of the shark--just the liver. all that murder just for a decadent lil treat <3

but yeah! tonic immobility. the idea of building that into a kink thing for the mer 141 is. hmm. phenomenal actually. people apparently speculate that tonic immobility puts a shark into a calm or rapturous/ecstatic (!) state of mind.

like…. cmon...... hypnosis kink.

imagine knowing how to drop any one of the 141 into subspace. you'd have a pod of horny monster men at your beck and call to bottom for you whenever you feel like it ;) shark sex isn't easy! there's teeth and claws and rutting and tail-winding and so much biting. if you knew how to turn any one of them into easygoing submissive mers instead of bitey aggressive doms, who would blame you for flipping that switch occasionally?? as long as you do with them what you want to do before that 15-minute window of tonic immobility trance time is up, of course, and they regain their senses. then all bets are off.

that would need to be a closely guarded secret indeed ( *︾▽︾)

(mer au tag)

[katerinaaqu]

So how old is Odysseus exactly?

A small Odysseus age analysis based on a description in the Iliad

Many make speculations of his age, me included. Interestingly we have several hints in both art and the scripts but is hard to pinpoint. In general Odysseus is considered old or one of the oldest generations among the poems.

In art he is always depicted bearded which is something only men in maturity have in ancient greek art (somewhere between the late 20s early 30s) and his beard is full indicating that he is at least in his 30s. Most art of his, ranges from the events of the Trojan war till his journey and the murder of the suitors. In all cases we see him having a full beard. So it is pretty hard to determine his age but we know he was at least 30 in the war making him at his final 40s or early 50s when he comes back home depending on interpretation.

In the Iliad in the 23rd rhapsody/book we have an interesting description by Antilochus

"And this one (Odysseus) is of an earlier/previous generation of earlier men; we call him "omogeronda" (early-old man, green old age); yet he is really hard to be competed against in speed (lit: his feet are troublesome to compete) by the Achaeans, except from Achilles"

For starters he clearly states that he is "one generation older" (προτέρης γενεής) but he also calls him with the interesting word "ωμογέρων" which means "raw old man" literally aka "not ripe old age". The word has two possible interpretations; one that he is a "green old man" aka he just began to grow older or to pass to old age and two "a vigorous and lively old man" 😉

Now it could be a tender nickname that they call him "old" but I think the first interpretation fits better to the description. So we know that Odysseus was already mature man when he entered the war (bearded=somewhere in his early 30s and above) and he spent 10 years in the war. We know that he is "one generation older".

The age of marriage differs in ancient greece (for example in 5th century BC Athens, 300 years after Homer's time and almost 1000 years after the time Trojan war took place, the age of marriage for men ideally was 30 years old when they had served their dues although it is unclear how often it was being done this way) but we are to expect that a man in his middle 20s was expected to have at least considered marriage if not already have a spouse and kids. So if Odysseus is "one generation older" on average he is around 20 years older than younger individuals (anywhere between 15-20 years could be closer) such as Diomedes or Antilochus here or Aias. Nestor who was considered an old man was in his 60s. He was still active on the field just not the same way as characters like Odysseus were.

Given the characterization "ωμογέρων" in the Odyssey and the description of him being a generation older than many young heroes I should calculate Odysseus is in the same age group as people like Agamemnon, making him older than other characters like Patroclus who was also generally older (closer to his early or even middle 30s if we assume that Achilles who was repeatedly said to be very young he was in his middle to final 20s during the war). That would make Odysseus a middle aged man and therefore closer in his 40s at the final year of the Trojan war.

My rough estimation is that he is in his early or mid-40s when this conversation takes place. He is middle-aged and yet he is vigorous, sportive and fast (so much so that only Achilles is said to be easily competing against him while most achaeans have hard time to), he is also strong given the many times his strength in spear, sword or bow were praised but at the same time he is obviously past the age of youth. That would make him in his early 50s at least when he arrives in Ithaca.

But what do you guys think? Agree or disagree let me know to the comments below! ^_^

[neragufetta]

That is a code, your honor

I stayed away from Link Click in order to avoid any spoiler, to the point I only discovered today that episode 1 of the Yingdu chapter was released last friday.

There is a long frame by frame rewatch already waiting for me but, at this moment, I only want to focus on this frame in the opening:

I don't know if anyone has already done it but I've cracked the code and I wish to share it with you.

Yes, that is a proper code and is fully decipherable, if you want to solve it yourself I'll share some hints on how to do it, otherwise you can just skip to the actual message section down below.

Have fun!

HOW TO DECIPHER THE CODE, step by step

The message is in English, lucky for us non-Chinese viewers;

2. the code uses a substitution cipher, which means every symbol corresponds to a specific letter and that letter only.

With these two clues alone I think you can already approach the message, but if you wish for more hints, here they are:

3. I could think of two different ways to decipher the code, one takes longer but it requires only one cipher; the other one is easier but there is a twist to keep in mind.

4. The longer method consists of classical substitution cipher solving approach: symbols, or set of symbols, that occurs more often in the message can be correlated with letters (E, T, ...) or words (THE, AND, ...) that occurs more often in the english language.

5. The easier way is to recognise that the symbols belong to a well known cipher: the pigpin cipher! You can google it, see the pic below

or just check my solution:

-XLI LIEVX SJ XLI JSVIWX E WYHHIr- -MG WTVIEH EQSRK XLI ERMQEPW JSB- -VIGXMRK IPITLERX XS HSYWY XLI JPEQI- -MJXPC WTVIEHMRK QIWWEKIW SJ YVK- -SAIZIV SRPC GEVIH EFSYX JPIIMRK- -XLI JSVIWX WYGGYQFIH XS XLI JMVIW-

HIXIVQMRIH XS TVIZIRX WYGL XVEKIH- LMVIH E HIXIGXMZI XS YRGSZIV XLI- HMWGSZIVIH AEW FICSRH XLIMV AM- MQEKMREXMSRW

LI FIPMIZIH XLEX XLI OIC XS- XS IPMQMREXI EPP TSXIRXMEP- MKRMXI XVSYFPI

Wait what?! That is not a solution! True, and that is the twist: pigpen alone doesn't solve the code, you need one more step, another substitution cipher.

6. This is a Caesar Cipher with key 4!

from: E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D

to --: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

THE ACTUAL MESSAGE

-(t)he heart of the forest a sudde(n)- -ic spread among the animals fox- -recting elephant to dousu the flame- -iftly spreading messages of urg- -(h)owever only cared about fleeing- -the forest succumbed to the fires

Determined to prevent such traged(y)- hired a detective to uncover the- discovered was beyond their wi- imaginations

He believed that the key to- to eliminate all potential- ignite trouble

THE BLABBERING

Already many interesting things everywhere!

This message implies the existence of 5+ people: the writer of the message; the target of the message; the hired detective; the "He" mentioned in the third paragraph; the "all potential" trouble igniters (at least 2, I'd say) that should be eliminated. The blond woman seems to be the target, since the message is under her cup of tea; Liu Xiao could be the detective but I bet he is the "He"; the trouble igniters are definitely Lu Guang, Cheng Xiaoshi and the whole gang. The other two characters are way less obvious, we can only assume their identity based on which one is missing; I can only speculate that Vein could be the detective, but he could also be your basic assassin; Finally, Xia Fei could be the writer of the message, if we accept the idea that he and the woman might be somehow blood related.

Then, we have the proper content of the message: a burning forest is mentioned and we know from S2 that a forest appears in Lu Guang's memory of CXS dying (and in the opening as well). Why so much emphasys is placed on the forest?

The next sentence "determined to prevent such traged(y)" might be the most revealing: what is the tragedy? The forest on fire or something else? If it's the former, how can the fire be prevented it it has already happened? Either, they dive back in the past and change it, which we know is no-go option, or the forest on fire was a vision from the future and there is someone (Liu Xiao?) with the ability to either foresee or actually dive in the future, completing the past, present and future pattern.

And this is all coming from just one frame. One Frame.

Welcome back to the delightfully hellish Link Click.

Edit: Guys, I'm so silly, a few second later the cup is removed and the code becomes visible almost entirely...a part 2 is required.

[danieyells]

So i've said before that Haku was probably the "dear friend" that left Jin's side. This is because Haku was our only known ex-Frostheimer at the time.

However we know now that Yuri implicitly used to heavily associate with Frostheim and no longer wishes to have any kind of connection to them, even professional.

I don't have a screenshot for this yet, but if you suggest Jin go to Mortkranken when he's sick in his Affinity 8 character story, he asks if you have a death wish, meaning he similarly doesn't want to associate with Mortkranken.

But why? Well, Jin suggests that somebody 'sold him out' at some point. Somebody told somebody about his stigma not working.

The faculty know Jin and Yuri have beef. . .but Dante suggests they aren't supposed to talk about it. Perhaps Yuri told them that Jin's stigma doesn't work, and the faculty are keeping it quiet for Jin's sake.

However the Frostheimers know Yuri disgraced himself somehow. Jin lashed out in an unusual way, and Tohma helped Yuri transfer to Mortkranken.

Haku, a second year, wouldn't need help transferring, as you can change houses after you hit second year, but you're stuck in your assigned house as a first year. However Tohma, well trusted by Darkwick, could surely convince them to bend the rules a little for a first year--especially if said first year's wellbeing may be in danger. And if the Frostheimers feel he disgraced himself then if nothing else he's going to have a hard time if he had to stay, to say nothing of Jin possibly wanting to cut his head off. It's better if he change houses--but somebody has to be there for Jin. . .so Tohma took his place.

(Perhaps Tohma resents Haku for being right there already but not being there for Jin? And then he goes and makes himself cozy in another house. . . .)

Jin and Yuri being friends also makes sense. Same music tastes, same attitude of "you're not important enough to speak to me, lesser being", a mutual distaste for Darkwick and the Institute's staff, they both love their mothers--

It makes sense that he might tell his close friend who happens to be a doctor about his family medical history too, I would say.

Jin knows Yuri likes a certain song and is a little irritated when you mention that he likes it.

It just. . .it adds up. They have interests and tastes in common and similar attitudes, they both now want nothing to do with each other or the other's house, and the other Frostheim ghouls close to Jin know Yuri doesn't associate with Frostheim, and even Jiro knows Yuri doesn't associate with Frostheim.

To the point that Yuri doesn't want Jiro going over there and is stressed out at the thought that he may have actually gone to Frostheim despite his orders and is openly relieved when you have proof that Jiro was actually somewhere else. And Tohma believed that Jiro had gone to Frostheim on Yuri's orders, perhaps because he already believed Yuri had told Yumiko about Jin's mother. However I don't believe Yuri would intentionally do something like that--he hates Jin but that doesn't mean he'd want to take part in a scheme to take him down, especially a scheme from a Frostheimer.

But! That does still leave an opening for Haku to have revealed the information. . .or Kaito, who can read lips and thus doesn't need to have heard an exchange to get the information from it, just seen it. Kaito is also a second year Frostheimer after all.

BUT. Until we know more this is all speculation. It's turning out like I was wrong about the previous observations after all. While these make more sense, I could still be totally off base and this could be totally unrelated beef. But it makes more sense than Haku to me. I'm glad we got such a good hint/reveal!

[siggiedraws]

Hello! In one of your recent posts, you've mentioned that

There are little hints here and there that point towards the symbolism of his origins, like his folded boots being inspired by Santa Claus, which is why they're red and white with a buckle! I find that such a cool detail.

and it stood out to me because "the symbolism of his origins" is very fascinating. Could you elaborate? What other hints like this are there? Thank you in advance! ^^

Of course!

What I meant by what I said is that, despite us not knowing of Sonic's past, what very little we do know about it also happens to tie into the concept of Christmas/Santa Claus, that being his red and white boots that he's been wearing since the beginning and his birthplace literally being Christmas Island.

To understand where I want to go with this, I need to get into the important context behind the presence of Christmas in the Sonic series, which is that Naoto Ohshima loves the holiday. To the extent that he would dress up as Santa Claus in public and give gifts to people.

(SOURCE)

The reason behind Ohshima's passion for the character of Santa is that he was inspired by Santa and wanted to be like him. He's always wanted to create things for children to enjoy, or things that would delight people, much like how Santa spreads joy around the world by delivering gifts.

(SOURCE)

(SOURCE)

What I meant by the "symbolism of [Sonic's] origins" is that they are literally symbolic. Sonic was the gift Ohshima created for children all over the world.

I will say that this can come off as an especially Doylist perspective on the matter, because surely Sonic's past must exist within the fictional context of the Sonic universe, and we just don't know about it. I agree with this! Looking at it within the fictional universe, it's fun to speculate on what his birthplace could be like based on what limited information we have. If he got his boots from there, it might be a Christmas-themed island where it snows a lot. Alternatively, it might bear a striking resemblance to the real Christmas Island, since the Sonic universe already has many places that are analogous to real life, like Dragon Road being inspired by the Great Wall of China.

Sonic as he was originally conceived plays with the concept of blurring the lines between fiction and reality, so I would argue a more Doylist perspective is valid when we're discussing the symbolism behind Sonic's origins. If you're aware of the Marie Granette stories, that's a great example. There's a metafictional story about how Sonic, the fictional character from a fairytale, comes to life within reality (another fictional universe in our reality, but is meant to represent reality all the same), and saves a woman from a fire. Then, he's gone again, like he was never there.

This story depicts Sonic as a character who brings joy to people, as Meg (the woman who Sonic saves) recognizes him on a flight jacket as the character from her childhood that brought her so much joy over the years. When she wears the jacket, it makes her feel safe and comforted. No one would believe her if she said she saw him. Similar to a certain jolly fellow, donned in red and white.

Perhaps Sonic was never born; not through conventional means, that is. Maybe someone needed him, and he appeared. Maybe the rest was history.

Thanks for your ask!

[chronologicalerrors]

Why Crowley Was an Archangel, And Why it Matters: A Fan Theory

Neil Gaiman has said that Season 2 is a bridging season, setting up what is to come in Season 3, which will be based on a story he and Pratchett outlined many years ago. This season is therefore moving characters into place and establishing facts and mechanics of the Good Omens universe that we need as an audience in order to understand what comes next. It moved Aziraphale back to Heaven, and removed Gabriel and Beelzebub. This season has also been heavy on the references to Crowley’s past as an angel.

Season 2 of Good Omens has been practically inviting us to speculate on who Crowley used to be. If we’d just been given that one glimpse of him in the first scene I wouldn’t make so much of it, but we also saw him return to heaven in disguise and reject an offer of being returned to full angelic status. We have to conclude that there’s been so many sustained hints at this because it will be important next season!

Some of this has already been suggested by others, but GO2 has taken over my brain and I need to write this all out. So, let’s have a look at what we already know about Crowley’s angelic past in-universe, and what else we might be able to guess at from that. 

What’s special about Crowley’s powers?

Crowley is the only demon or angel who is shown being able to stop time. When asked about this Pre-S2, Neil Gaiman said the following:

We first see him do this in Paris in 1793, and the second time to speak to Adam to avert the apocalypse at the end of S1. The first time was something he did casually, while the second required a huge burst of power – it needed to hold off Satan, after all - and happened at Aziraphale’s urging.

A: Come up with something or… or I'll never talk to you again.

(GIF from fyeahgoodomens. There’s a collection of gifs of Crowley stopping time through S1 here.)

When we see him stop time this season, in Edinburgh in 1827, it’s also directly at Aziraphale’s request:

This bit is absolutely key to me, as this establishes that stopping time is something Crowley can do that Aziraphale cannot.

This also seems tied to the crank handle of his Bentley. When Crowley has stopped time to hold off Satan, he is gripping the handle in the same way Aziraphale carried his flaming sword, and spins in when he comes to restart time.

C: I'm going to start time. You won't have long to do whatever you're going to do.

By itself, this doesn’t mean anything. Until we see the same handle at the start of Season 2, in the hands of Angel Crowley. He uses this to start up his nebula, as a tool for setting time into motion.

Is this the same handle? It certainly appears this way. Like Aziraphale’s flaming sword, was this a gift from God that he’s managed to hang on to for thousands of years (And it just miraculously happens to fit his Bentley)? It certainly seems that the Bentley crankshaft handle is more than it seems, and that Crowley can use it as a conduit for power – as he needed to when stopping time to hold off the ruler of Hell himself.

The link between this object, a relic from his time in heaven, and his rather unique ability to stop time, suggests that Crowley was once an angel of great power.

What rank did he hold?

We saw Crowley return to Heaven, in disguise, in S2 E6, with events hinting that he was once a very high-ranking angel:

So, we know for a fact he was above the level of Thrones and Dominions. So where does this place him on Heaven’s organisational chart? My analysis here is metatextual – I don’t think looking at external hierarchies of angels is that helpful to understanding the Good Omens universe, so I will only focus on what Neil Gaiman has confirmed when asked, or has been demonstrated within the world of the show itself.

Good Omens has its own Hierarchy of Heaven, but Neil Gaiman has clarified that the Archangels we see are amongst the most senior personnel in Heaven. This runs counter to many hierarchies of angels (which are often contradictory in and of themselves) but is consistent with the depiction in John Milton’s Paradise Lost as well as Jewish tradition, where the highest ranking Archangels are given the title of “princes” of heaven. “Prince of Heaven” is also a term that Metatron applies to Gabriel in S2 E6.

Of the heavenly entities mentioned in the show, we can infer the following angelic hierarchy:

God

Metatron (NG confirms here)

Supreme Archangel (Gabriel, now Aziraphale)

Other Archangels (Michael, Uriel, Sandalphon, in that order – See NG here)

Cherubim (Aziraphale at the Garden of Eden, when he was the Angel of the Eastern Gate –NG Confirms here)

Thrones & Dominions

Principalities(?) (Aziraphale after the Garden of Eden – NG doesn’t state if this is a promotion or demotion, but it feels very demotion-y)

Other lower-ranking angels (As a Principality, Aziraphale was supposed to lead a platoon of angels into battle in S1 – so there must be many levels below him – see NG here)

Scrivners (Muriel and the level Gabriel would have been demoted to. Appears to be the lowest rank in Heaven, suggested by NG here)

There are likely many other levels in-between these that have not yet been mentioned onscreen. Saraqael, for example, seems lower down than an Archangel (addressing Michel and Uriel as “your beatitudes” before approaching them in Episode 1), but above Aziraphale. You’ll notice Seraphim aren’t in this list, because they’ve not been mentioned on screen – but I suspect they do exist in this universe and are a class below Archangels but above Cherubim.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that Crowley was an Archangel, but confirms pretty explicitly that he was once near the top.

So who was he?

Neil Gaiman has stated that his name when he was an angel was not Crowley/Crawley, and the first scene of Season 2 sees a bit of redirection when Aziraphale tries to get angel-Crowley’s name:

This is quite deliberate, and sets up his name as something important to be revealed later. However, I can’t see why his name would matter to the narrative, unless it’s something recognisable from biblical canon – or, that it’s not necessarily his name, but his rank as an angel that was important.

There are numerous pointed references throughout Season 2 to Archangels, in such a way that feels like the show is setting up for this to be revealed in the future. The misdirection about Angel-Crowley’s name may have been because Aziraphale was likely to have recognised the name of an Archangel.

More than this, I personally do think, that before his fall Crowley wasn’t just any old Archangel, but the Supreme Archangel. This is based on the following 7 points (you know God likes sevens):

The very deliberate way the camera pans to Crowley’s impassive face after Gabriel says “I’m the only first-order Archangel in the room or, you know, the universe.”

2. Metatron’s statement, “For one Prince of Heaven to be cast into the outer darkness makes a good story. For it to happen twice, makes it look like there is some kind of institutional problem.”

While it’s quite clear that we’re supposed to associate this line with Lucifer himself (and yes, I know NG confirms that's who this was alluding to!), it’s interesting that ‘Prince of Heaven’ is a title associated with Archangels in Jewish tradition and very specifically with Gabriel on screen in the universe of the series. That Jimbriel also repeats this line to Crowley in the bookshop specifically feels significant...

3. Crowley also recognises Metatron in the bookshop, where no other Archangel does. Metatron deliberately avoids using his name in this scene, calling him ‘demon’. Which is not inaccurate, but may suggest the Metatron remembers Crowley’s angelic name. It may also explain Metatron’s very dark look at Crowley as he exited the shop – the two of them have some history.

4. It’s never stated explicitly that Gabriel hasn’t always been the Supreme Archangel since the beginning, but there’s enough vagueness in the text to guess at this. When Michael and Uriel are discussing what to do in Gabriel’s absence, Michael and Uriel have this exchange:

M:There is, of course, no question of replacing the supreme archangel. I am the Archangel Michael, you are the Archangel Uriel. U: We aren't in charge. Right now, as of this moment, Heaven does not have a supreme archangel. M: There is always a supreme archangel.

“There is always a Supreme Archangel!” not “Gabriel has always been the Supreme Archangel!” According to some traditions, the Supreme Archangel was the first angel ever created, which would support Michael’s statement: There is always, and there always has been, a Supreme Archangel, since the time of creation. It’s possible that someone else held this role pre-Fall, and Gabriel was appointed as successor after the War in Heaven.

5. The way the other Archangels behave around him. There’s a wariness, but also a strange deference. On being discovered by Saraqael in heaven, they don’t immediately throw him out, but let him watch Gabriel’s trial – even ordering Muriel to show him it. Michael and Uriel then follow him back to Earth without much fuss, giving him quite a look, while Crowley seems to be enjoying himself:

(This also feeds into why I think Crowley looked so different during the Job segment. He knew he might encounter a few Archangels he’s not seen for a thousand years or so, and so appears in disguise.) 6. The lightening! I’ve seen someone point out that Crowley’s electric temper tantrum in S2E1 mirrors the lightening used by Gabriel to travel to Earth in S1E6. This could be a coincidence of VFX, or it could be a Clue.

7. That last conversation between Aziraphale and Crowley:

A: I don't think you understand what I'm offering you. C: I understand. I think I understand a whole lot better than you do.

That’s such a weighted statement, and could be interpreted in so many ways. But, viewed in this light, it sounds like a warning from a former angel who used to be very high up in Heaven indeed – and has absolutely no desire to return there.  

Why does any of this matter?

Obviously just theorising here…

The story is setting us up for a reveal here – Crowley’s status as an angel, and who he was before the Fall is clearly going to factor into Season 3 in some way. Why tease us with it so much and so often if it’s not important?

In terms of the narrative, a powerful revelation would be that Crowley used to have Aziraphale’s new job. That it led him to asking questions about the Almighty’s plan and then, ultimately, falling. And that the Supreme Archangel, for one reason for another, eventually turns against Heaven – it happened to Crowley, to Gabriel (after a few thousand years), and then will have to happen to Aziraphale too.

I could be way off here, but at some point the show needs to explain why Crowley is so different from other demons and has powers that no other demon or angel seems to possess. A reveal that he was once very, very senior in the organisation of Heaven, before asking too many questions and being cast out, would serve as a explanation and be a meaningful development to the narrative of Season 3.

I don’t think we’ll necessarily get a name (because we don’t need one) – but I do think we will get a rank or some idea about who he used to be, and that’s what’s going to be significant. TLDR: Supreme Archangel Crowley!?

[a-doubleh-x]

Buttonblossom Analysis in TADC Episode 2

(Background rainbows: hint, hint)

Ragatha was so sweet to Pomni in episode 2 🥺💖 Most people caught onto the obvious fact that Raggs is being codependant and leans onto toxic positivity on the way she tries to cheer up Pomni, but I still think for the most part her heart is in the right place.

I liked their dynamic in episode 1, but I liked it so much in 2 I decided to write a little analysis on it (plus the ship fuel 👀) in preparation for the romance fic I'm writing about them.

Without further ado, let's go!

Looking back at Ragatha, on the good side, she made some very strong, active efforts to help her during her transition into the digital realm. She checked first thing in the morning if she was okay, she tried to make her feel included in the adventure at the beginning and showed care for her safety overall.

My favorite scene, though, is when the circus gang falls into the fudge river and after checking in on them, the first thing she says is: "Poor Pomni!" 😭 Girlie is so empathetic she even manages to care for someone who's not even there, while she's in a terrible situation herself!

I think this proves how much of a good person Raggs is. She doesn't just help people to feel good or superior, she does it because she geniuenly cares for other people's wellbeing and I find that very noble 😊

On the negative side, she seems to have some very particular communication issues with Pomni, even though she seems to be the circus memeber she cares the most about at the moment.

For starters, her attitude comes off as a little condescending very often. She hardly asks questions to Pomni and tends to assume for her. She hardly acknowledges some of her struggles and tries to downplay them, like when she degrades their experience as "larping". Also, she makes Pomni feel like a child when she tries to "hype her up" in her own words.

If we take Pomni's nightmare into consideration, it seems she believes Ragatha thinks Pomni is not "cut out for it", which might be a result of her condescending behavior I just mentioned.

This makes sense to me and also sheds a little bit of light on how Pomni sees herself as: small and insignificant. It's unclear at the moment how she was before on the physical world, but I speculate based on this evidence she probably didn't think she had much agency in her life (just how she feels in the circus).

At the end, however, thanks to her experience with Gummigoo and looking at the crew grief over Kaufmo's abstraction, Pomni opens herself more to the crew, which is a very good sign.

I think her current dynamic with Ragatha is wicked cool! ✨️ There's a lot of room for growth, which is good in my opinion. Ragatha clearly cares a lot about Pomni and I think with time she could grow to reciprocate her as well.

Despite her cowardness in episode 1, I always had the feeling that Pomz was deep down a caring individual as well, which was solidly proven in 2 with her interactions with Gummi.

On the fanon side, I saw a lot of fans foaming at the mouth (myself included) over the fact that Ragatha was such a tryhard with Pomni (which was anticipated to be the contrary). Some fans have interpreted their potential dynamics as both being shy, which I really, really like.

I believe I will definitely include that in my future fanfic. Another idea I wanted to explore is Pomni talking to Ragatha about her overbearing issues, while still appreciating her good qualities at the same time.

I think it's going to be great ☺️❤ I already look forward to what the end result is going to be. I love mutual pining and I love sweet lesbians caring for each other (even when they're silly girlfails). I'm planning to start by submitting chapter 1 by next Friday and submit a new one every following one, as I've done before.

Get ready for digital lesbian shenanigans 🎪💙🎀 See ya!

[thesnazzysharky]

Trying to learn more about the protagonist and what their past could potentially be (THEORY)

So, our mute history enthusiast that is the protagonist of Spooky's Jumpscare Mansion.

This is going to be a theory that I've been interested in making for awhile. I think there's more to the protagonist than some think and they're quite the tragic fellow under this theory. Some have already made some theories and speculation on them, such as their traumatic past and generally mentally unhealthy state being hinted at with Specimen 5 and 7, but I want to dive a bit deeper than that.

First, I'll talk about what little we already know about them. After that, I'll be analyzing Specimen 7, since they play a big role in learning more about our player character. Finally, I'll start to explain how I think the protagonists connections with those specimens, specifically 5 and 7, go a bit deeper and can give us insight into what their past and trauma could potentially be. In any case, let's relax, maybe grab a snack, and get right to it. Probably going to be awhile.

What do we know about them?

Looking at the image shown in the bad ending, which is basically the only time where we can get a decent look at them, they appear to be either a young adult in their 20's or a late teenager. They also sport some short hair that can make them come across as either male or female as their gender is supposed to be ambiguous.

Aside from that, it's also implied that they have red irises. There's the bad ending of course, but there's also Specimen 2's death screen where we can see some red eyes that could potentially belong to the player character as they become one with Specimen 2.

And there's Specimen 6's death screen where we can see their eye being forced open.

Of course, we also know that the motivation behind our character going to the mansion is that they're a history enthusiast wanting to discover the mystery behind it. The fact they're stated to be a history enthusiast rather than a historian could imply that they're an amateur who wants to become a historian. This is another thing that possibly hints at their young age.

Gameplay wise? Our protagonist (who from now I'll just be referring to as MC) shows some impressive feats. They're able to outrun a good handful of the creatures that we see throughout the base game and DLC's. They also must be pretty strong if they can carry a whole entire axe while walking or sprinting through a big chunk of the game. In terms of dealing with all these creatures and the horrors around them, they're pretty determined to push through it all and keep moving forward, this is probably how they were able to make it all the way to 1,000 rooms in the first place.

Not much else is known about our character besides that. So let's dive a bit deeper.

How can we learn more about them?

Throughout the base game you mostly run through the whole entire thing. Maybe you'll look at some notes or look behind you to see what Specimen is chasing you, but simply running and keeping a consistent and constant pace is what most players do at a certain point. That is until you reach room 406 and the game suddenly slows you down with this...

You suddenly hear the loud ticking and tocking of an old clock and you see something written on the checkerboard floor in front of you that states "threshold of consciousness". By stepping over the threshold, the wall in front of you crumbles and you're met with not only a giant clock in the distance, but also this cat that is simply known as the White Cat according to the credits (although they're more of a pinkish color).

She states that this strange place can help us, but also warns us that trying to receive help from this place will come at the cost at making us greatly disturbed or confused, and oh boy does it show once we go through a couple more rooms and are met with this.

We enter into a room that is split between two colors, pink and yellow, while in the center is a compass with an eye on it. Red worms wiggle around on the flood, repeatedly going back and forth between the opposite ends of the room. The cat is also here once again and she states "Two sides of the same coin. Knowing your projections can help you achieve freedom." A statement that sounds cryptic and vague for the sake of being cryptic and vague, but there is meaning to it along with the other cryptic statements that this cat will state later on.

The White Cat is basically MC's therapist. To be more specific, the method of therapy that the cat is trying to use here is Jungian therapy.

Jungian therapy is a form of psychodynamic/psychoanalysis therapy. The aim of Jungian therapy being to explore unpleasant or painful thoughts and experiences so the true problem can be pinned down and be resolved. This is done by bringing together the conscious and unconscious parts of the mind and thus making the person receiving the therapy feel balanced and whole. By stepping over the threshold of consciousness, we have entered our personal unconscious. Diving into subliminal, repressed, and forgotten memories.

With that info, we can decipher what's going on here. As stated before, the room is split into two halves. Pink and yellow. Both pink and yellow have positive and negative symbolism to them. Pink can symbolize compassion, comfort, warmth, calmness, and kindness. But it can also symbolize timidness, immaturity, impulsiveness, unconfidence, and being overly emotional. Yellow can symbolize happiness, energy, optimism, enlightenment, and hope. But it can also symbolize cowardice, envy, deception, mental illness, and betrayal. There's a handful of other meanings for both colors, but that's just to name a few.

As for the worms on the ground, worms can symbolize death and decay along with renewal and regeneration. Meanwhile the compass in the middle of the room can symbolize a few things. It could symbolize MC's independence and being willing to push themselves out of their comfort zone. It could symbolize them always finding a way to their home or destination. It could symbolize their motivation and inspiration, the values in their life, or the need to find balance. Or it could symbolize a literal moral compass and that the MC is free to choose whatever path they want.

So what does this room mean and what is the cat trying to say? The "Two sides of the same coin" line refers to how pink and yellow both have positive and negative aspects to them. By recognizing and becoming self aware of our positives and negatives ("Knowing your projections"), we open the path that can lead us to being free from our trauma. The worms represent that the protagonist has the potential of renewal and regeneration while the compass is supposed to represent that despite all of this, we have the choice to choose whatever path we want, even if one path is greatly worse than the other.

The next room we go in is an office building with some windows, some desks, and a single computer. The cat is also here of course.

This time she states "The mask you wear serves its purpose well, but be careful not to lose yourself in it." This is another part of Jungian therapy. The mask, which is also known as the persona, is basically what it sounds like. The persona is how you present yourself to others. Often times, this persona that we put on for others isn't who we actually are. It's our way of conforming to society as a whole and this can lead to not being able to show others who you truly are or manipulating others to your will and needs. Going to the computer in the room, it states quotes such as "Be part of something", "Put on your mask", "Follow the group", "You are not you", and "Become more than yourself". Basically the cat is warning MC to not become detached from who they truly are and that their violent and aggressive persona can have consequences. In other words, she's warning us about the bad ending.

An office of all things being the setting is interesting. Working at an office job can lead to pretty terrible consequences for your mental or even physical health. Consequences such as anxiety, stress, pain in the neck, shoulders, and back, eyestrain, metabolic syndrome, feeling overwhelmed, and of course, depression. Perhaps MC wants to be a historian, but is stuck at a terrible office job. Assuming that they already had mental issues before getting the job, working at an office most likely made their condition all the more worse, especially with having to put on a "mask" for others.

The next room has us alone with the cat in this outer space-like area. The ambience that we can hear in the background is calm and soothing, yet there's still a bit of eeriness to it. The cat here states "Balance is the key to keeping your mind free and sane." Basically stating what the whole point of Jungian therapy is and that if we want our mind to be mentally sane and feel free, we must seek balance within our mind, piecing together the conscious and unconscious. This is yet another warning to the protagonist about how indulging in their twisted and violent desires can lead to the bad ending.

As for the space-like area, outer space can symbolize many things. Perhaps the desire for freedom, expansion, and exploration while also wanting personal growth, self discovery, and being free of limitations. Perhaps thirst for knowledge and curiosity about our world and universe. Perhaps one's emptiness, loneliness, and detachment from others, reflecting a need for emotional connection and intimacy. It could also represent one's untapped potential, hidden desires, and unexplored aspects of themselves. Seems like we're learning more and more about MC the further we go.

After leaving the outer space room, instead of entering the area with the giant clock in the middle and making your way towards the wooden door like always, you enter into a short hallway. At the end of the hallway is a metal door and blood splattered on the floor and walls. Going through the door you enter into... nothing. There's nothing here except for you, the cat, and the wooden door illuminated in front of you. There's not even any ambience except for the ticking of the clock, creating an unnerving atmosphere.

Talking to the cat one final time, she states "Knowing your shadow can greatly help you, but be ready to see what you'd rather not be." Jungian therapy strikes again. The shadow reflects deeper, darker elements of our psyche. Our repressed ideas, instincts, weaknesses, shortcomings and desires. Our primal side that we often like to keep locked up and hidden. She's saying that being aware of these things can help us, but what we'll soon see that represents that dark mirror of ourselves, aka the Wall of Flesh, won't be pleasant.

With that, we go through the wooden door. We enter some odd and fleshy looking hallway. When we reach the end of it, we come across, not a door, but what looks to be some kind of portal. Going through it, the chase can finally begin.

The rooms are filled with a red mist and it's a bit difficult to navigate and see where you're going. The chase involves having to run through this little maze, while the walls flash these strange and bizarre images. Assuming these images are connected to MC like everything else has been, let's decipher them.

This freaky, fleshy, red eyed, and evil face could represent MC's dark and violent thoughts. A little piece representing our shadow.

There are two runes shown in the game. One red and one black. They don't bear resemblance to any real world runes that we know of and can decipher, at least from what I searched, but they can still hold meaning. Since the word rune literally means "secret" or "mysterium", the runes could represent MC's unknown thoughts and desires.

Hidden away at the back of their mind and kept secret, as shown in the form of runes. Using color symbolism once again, the black runes could represent MC's fear, depression, hopelessness, and overall mystery. Meanwhile the red runes could represent MC's rage, impulsiveness, aggression, and overall violence.

The legs we see on the wall could represent the phrase "have legs" as in if an idea, plan, or activity has legs, it is likely to continue to succeed or show the potential to succeed. Either that or it could represent the slang version of the word legs, as in longevity or staying power, enduring and being successful. The protagonist has the potential to succeed, to leave this strange and trippy place and the mansion as a whole, but they will need to have endurance and determination if they want to reach that success.

Aside from that, it seems like we're just running through empty halls with no threats in sight. What's chasing us? Well, if you look behind you for a couple seconds...

There it is. The Wall of Flesh. The wall of screaming corpses and skeletons. The wall of the protagonist's trauma, pain, agony, suffering, depression, rage, violent urges, loneliness, hopelessness, and mystery all molded into one being. This is your shadow. This is Specimen 7.

Now, despite the atmosphere and the overall unnerving appearance of Specimen 7, this chase isn't one without a sense of hope. Taking a quick listen to the soundtrack that plays while you're being chased, you'll notice that it sounds... oddly cheery. That unnerving feeling and sense of danger while listening to the track is certainly there, but it feels lessened compared to other tracks. I think the way some people have described this track is pretty spot on.

The calm, soothing, music box melody is supposed to represent the White Cat and everything she has taught you so far. The tense and more dangerous bitcrushed sounding percussion represents the wall itself. If you have headphones, you can even hear this bitcrushed groaning, almost hissing sound, that is presumably coming from the wall itself, at the beginning of the track. The whole entire soundtrack sounds like it's at conflict with itself, with one side trying to overtake the other.

Despite everything the protagonist is currently going through at this moment, there's a strong sense of hope when it comes to this chase them. It helps the player be able to calm themselves down and stay focused despite being chased and it makes sense. The wall isn't very fast. In fact, it's very slow. The only way you would be able to die from it is if you're slow at escaping or you give up and just stand there. Thematically speaking, I think it's perfect.

After all, that's what trauma kinda is. It's not this big monster that tries to rush you down within an instant. Rather, it's this mass of many factors and things that slowly and steadily creeps up on you. Affecting your mental state for the worst more and more as time passes. And when you're at your lowest? When you're too late? When you stand there and give in to the pain? That is when it finally catches you and you become another brick in the wall as a result.

That is what this is all about. Overcoming trauma and pain. Specimen 7 is a whole entire therapy session for MC. Why is a grandfather clock the first thing that they hear when stepping into room 406? Because there's only so much time they have. Whether that be with life in general or when they can seek the help they need before becoming a broken shell of themself. In the end, MC completes their therapy session and overcomes their trauma. Specimen 7 never chases you again. You only encounter it once, even in endless mode. They have done it.

So that's that right? Well... it still feels like we're missing something. We got the answers to what Specimen 7's deal is, but we also got more questions when it comes to our protagonist. We know that they clearly have mental issues and trauma. That's evident by CAT-DOS stating that Specimen 5 is extremely effective against victims with mental issues or weak wills and Specimen 7 specifically being stated to be only effective against victims with past trauma or psychological issues.

So they're mentally ill and are traumatized by something. Got it. But there also seems to be an emphasis on them being violent and dangerous?

There's Specimen 8 being stated to be extremely effective against violent victims, but there's also the whole deal with the bad ending where you don't heed the White Cat's advice and give in to your violent desires after obtaining the axe. Looking at this achievement here...

It's called "It Was Never A Mask". Meaning that the protagonist isn't putting on this violent and bloodthirsty persona or "mask". That's just who they are. Why are they so violent? What traumatized them? Why is their therapist a cat of all things? Why did they even go to the mansion in the first place? Was it really to "shed some light on this crumbling fortress of darkness"? Or was it something else?

This is where we can finally stop gushing about Specimen 7 and dive deeper.

What can we speculate?

Let's shift our attention towards Specimen 5. Aka Bab. Probably the most cryptic and confusing specimen in the base game, exceeding even Specimen 7.

What about her? Well, we know that there's some connection between her and the protagonist, considering she's effective against those with mental issues or weak wills, both of which are what our protagonist clearly suffers from. We already knew that, but here's something interesting.

One thing that I always found intriguing about Spooky's was this consistent theme and emphasis on parental figures or children. You have Specimen 4 with her whole child eating thing and her locale being a school. You have Specimen 6 and him referring to his puppets as his children. You have Specimen 8 referring to his violent deer as his children. And you have Specimen 11, who's meat is heavily implied to be made out of children, taking account of the "we will find you" on the fun rules poster, the skull in the shoes rack, and the room with the bloody chain that can be found in the play area. What's even more interesting is that all of these specimens are the ones you face when trying to close the Hellgate in the Dollhouse DLC, with Specimen 11 replacing Specimen 4 in HDR. So there's some consistency there.

Then there's Bab. Who probably emphasizes this theme the most. Firstly, she's referred to as "mother" by her cult members.

Secondly there's these... things... that you can see hiding and twitching under some of the grates in Bab's locale that kinda resemble small children.

And lastly, there's the whole entire room that takes place in a womb with what looks like a fetus in the middle, as we hear the crying and wailing of a baby in the background... you know...

That one...

My question is why though? What's the deal with these parental themes? What's the deal with these themes with Bab? What are we supposed to take away from this? Well, symbolism was a fantastic friend of ours while we were talking about Specimen 7. Why not use it again here? We know that MC was traumatized by something in the past and it has been dwelling on them since. We also know that MC is a violent person or at the very least has violent desires. Typically violence isn't something that comes out of nowhere. There can be a handful of factors behind the cause of it, but It's often a learned behavior, such as through abuse and neglect from childhood.

With all these parental themes with some of the specimens, along with Specimen 5 having an emphasis on being a motherly figure and also being connected to MC via the CAT-DOS entry, I think these themes and Specimen 5 specifically can be used as a clue to figuring out what MC could have went through that made them the way they are. Here's my theory.

Specimen 5 is supposed to be symbolic of the child abuse that our protagonist faced during childhood. From what we can gather from the notes, Bab seems to be very quick to anger. Having killed all of her cult members because they made 1 single mistake. Sacrificing someone who wasn't a virgin. What if MC's mother or whoever they were was similar? Getting angry and violent over minor things or mistakes, causing them to lash out and inflict pain on them? If we assume this, this could explain where MC's violent and dangerous acts and urges came from. They got them from the toxic and abusive family they were in.

Hell, we could take it a step further and say that the church that Bab originated from could also be a hint into how MC's family was. Maybe they were the religious type since, not always but sometimes, families of that type can be very toxic and awful in terms of the environment the children have to live in. As for other things like the weird womb room and the weird creatures hiding under the grates, they could have potential meaning too.

The fetus in the womb room and the baby crying in the background could represent how MC feels like they have been in a constant state of misery and pain since birth. While the little creatures under the grates could represent how they felt trapped in their home environment. Being unable to leave and escape their situation for years until they were able to grow up into an adult.

With this theory, Bab is basically MC's past coming back to haunt them. Which makes it all the more unnerving to see this faceless mannequin slowly stroll towards you. Similar to Specimen 7, dying to this thing is pretty hard considering its speed, which fits thematically. As I said before, trauma doesn't chase, it creeps. If the protagonist wants to survive Bab? They just have to make a run for it and not turn back. However, unlike running away from Specimen 7 where it was you trying to not let your trauma consume you, running away from Bab could be seen as running away from your past and problems, which can have its consequences. It makes sense and is fitting considering who our player character is.

Now I want to go back to talking about the White Cat for a second. Because I believe they also might play a role into MC's past trauma.

Another thing that I find interesting about Spooky's is that cats get brought up a handful of times. You have the two adorable cat posters, the "hang in there!" poster and the cat in a box poster, that you can sometimes see in the elevator. You have the machine that gives us info about the specimens that is named CAT-DOS. You have the White Cat of course. And finally you have the cat that was killed by Nurse Tanaka.

Which makes me curious. What exactly is the White Cat? You first see her in room 406 and after room room 421 she completely disappears. She's never mentioned or seen anywhere else in the game. Well, remember the threshold of consciousness? She doesn't appear until you step over that threshold. This is made more obvious in the original version of Spooky's where you can literally see her appear out of thin air the moment you step over the line. In other words, she isn't actually real.

By stepping over the threshold of consciousness, you enter your personal unconscious. Which is made up of forgotten and repressed memories as mentioned before. Which brings some questions. Why a cat as your therapist? Why was that the first thing that came to MC's personal unconscious? Are they a forgotten memory? What's the deal with cats in this game? Well, take account of what color the White Cat is... white.

The color white can symbolize perfection, cleanliness, purity, innocence, hope, clarity, openness, wisdom, and peacefulness. These fit the White Cat pretty well. The protagonist thought of a being that could bring them wisdom, peace, and most importantly, comfort while in their mind. This being took the form of a white cat the moment they stepped over the threshold. This could be because of what cats symbolize. Grace, independence, fortune, protection, patience, intuition, and mystery.

That could be it, but focusing on the forgotten memories thing, I think it's something more personal. Taking account of Tanaka's note about hitting a cat with their car and killing it as a result, I think that the White Cat is representing a dead pet that the protagonist once had. A repressed, forgotten, and painful memory taking form of something that can help them while they're stuck in their own mind. Not saying that the White Cat has to be the same cat Tanaka killed. Just that it could be a possible hint to the White Cat's origins. A friend of the protagonist that they would later loose.

Now that we got everything wrapped up, we can make a little timeline/story out of this.

Who is the protagonist?

In an unknown year, the protagonist would be born and thus enter into this world, but instead of entering into a world with love and care, it was instead a world filled with toxicity and abuse. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad at first, but overtime they would face physical, mental, and verbal abuse by their mother. Their father was either absent or they would inflict the same abuse on them. Overall, their life was a very bleak and depressing one. They did have some company though. Their cat. Despite the abuse they faced and how mentally drained and damaged they were from it, their cat always made them happy and feel love and warmth. The cat wasn't just a pet to them. It was their friend. Perhaps their only friend.

One day however, they would lose their friend, as the cat would be killed by being run over by a car. Now their warmth and comfort was gone. The one single thing that kept them going and made them feel somewhat sane was taken away from them. They felt alone and trapped in their abusive home. Nobody could bring them comfort now and they would suffer more because of it.

Not much is known about what happened after the cats death besides that, but eventually MC would leave their home behind once they grew into an adult. What came out the house was something twisted and broken however. Despite finally escaping their environment, they would continue to suffer from their very poor mental health. They were prone to becoming quickly angered or violent, which could have affected their relationships, work environment, or social status.

They were depressed and lonely. Talentless and limited. One thing that brought them some comfort was history. Getting to know more about the world they lived in intrigued them. So much so that maybe they would want to become an actual historian one day. But as of now, they were stuck in a boring and lifeless office job. Many thoughts and feelings would manifest as days, weeks, months, and eventually years passed. They wanted to do and become so much more, but they just couldn't. It felt impossible for them. That was until they saw an opportunity.

That old mansion. The many legends that they had heard about it. How anyone who enters into it will never return. They could go into that mansion and try to do something that nobody has ever done before. Learn about the history and origins behind the mansion and share it across the world. It was a risky and downright suicidal mission, but it's possible that due to the depression that they likely have, they wouldn't really care all that much. Either they could achieve their goal and finally be recognized for something or they would fail and die as a result. Either option was fine with them. So, they ventured into the mansion. Not knowing what strange horrors would await before them.

Conclusion

I think the protagonist of Spooky's Jumpscare Mansion is very interesting. I'm a fan of silent protagonists in general due to how open ended they usually are, leading to many fun theories and speculation about them. Our red eyed, axe crazy, history geek is no different. However, I was a bit disappointed in how they didn't seem to get talked about a lot in the Spooky's fandom after searching around for awhile. There's your theories about Specimen 7 and how they're connected to the protagonist obviously, but I hadn't seen anyone try to dive into what could've been their past trauma and why they're so violent in the first place.

I wanted this theory to focus on trying to figure out some potential backstory to our player character to the best of my ability, and although the theory may seem a bit out there in some areas, I think I did a decent job. This took awhile to make and going to all these websites to learn about Jungian therapy or color symbolism or what have you was pretty fun.

At the end of the day, it's evident that just by analyzing Specimen 7 alone, our protagonist is a sad, depressed, traumatized, and mentally ill one. No matter what you believe their backstory is, I think we can all agree on one thing.

This dude/gal/nonbinary pal desperately needs a hug. A tight one. A big ol bear hug.

Thank you for reading and have a good day.

[myechoecho]

When the Phone Rings, ep 5

I genuinely loved this episode.

Sa Eon is slowly piecing together the reasons behind Hee Joo's mutism and knowing that mom had something to do with it. We finally get to see some of Hee Joo's relationship with her sister. Hee Joo was basically kept as a slave to interpret for In A in the accident. In A, apparently, did not learn bother to learn sign language. Based on what little we've seen of In A in the present, I am nearly positive that she is not deaf. She may have been at one point but I don't think she is now. It would be properly soapy if she went away to have some operation to regain her hearing.

Back to Sa Eon, while he wants her to talk, he's also not pressuring her all that much. He keeps encouraging her and he's already figured out that there must a massive secret that she is terrified to reveal. Even with all his power she does not feel safe enough to talk. Plus he clearly has his own secrets that he is not ready to reveal.

What will get Hee joo to talk? Screaming Sa Eon's name and pushing him out of the way of a moving car. Yes, we love to see this. And we love to see his coat on her and him taking care of her. Once he comes to his senses more, he remembers that she screamed his name. But he just says that he wants to hear it again and that she should let her voice be heard. It's not entirely unlike what he told her when they were kids and he saved her from the dog.

I love how both of their minds break when she accidentally sends the smiling heart eyes emoji. She's mostly panicking about what to do. He literally cannot process it. The man has to take off his glasses to look at it. The little heart emojis swirling around his head was unexpected for this type of drama but I liked it.

The best think is Sa Eon is actively trying with Hee Joo. I get the sense that one of the reasons he never tried before is because he didn't think she would want him to since was the replacement bride. But the phone calls have changed that and he is really trying. He asks for outside advise and is following it. He's learning sign language. He recognizes that she underestimates herself and wants her to stop.

I will say that I liked the blue dress far more than the black and white one. I don't even think it was all that flashy? It's a light blue and somewhat form fitting, but the only somewhat flashy part of it are the sleeves. The dress is nearly full length and has no open back or glitter or jewels.

As for Sa Eon learning that Hee Joo is the one on the phone, I think he knows there is more to it. Where would Hee Joo even get that technology?

I also have a good idea of who the blackmailer is but it is based off one of the only spoilers I've seen of the web novel so I'll put it behind a read more since at this point in the show it's only hinted at:

So a couple episodes ago Sa Eon said that his parents were the type of people to replace their children and I speculated that he was a replacement for a brother. Turns out Sa Eon IS a replacement but was some random kid and not related to him at all. The real Sa Eon is probably that psycho kid Sang Woo saw . Real Sa Eon wanting to slice up a cat is probably why he was replaced. And is now back as the blackmailer to get revenge. Our Sa Eon is likely one of the missing kids that Sang Woo is talking about.

Random, but Yu Ri seems kinda pointless. I don't hate here but have no clue why she is there.