#kinda just needed to get this out of my system

[pacofprunes]

let me help ya’ relax.

thanos / player 230 x reader (squid game)

warnings — noncon, public (voyeurism), tears, kissing, use of the word bitch, use of the word rape, pussy kissing, choking, slight / barely but manhandling,

by clicking read more you consent to reading this content and you are 18+

“hey beautiful.”

“the hell?”

standing right in front of you, or rather over you, player 230. it was night and everyone was asleep or sitting in a corner somewhere. you didn’t know this guy beside seeing him the first two games and seeing him act like a fucking lunatic. you sit up and gather yourself.

“what do you want?”

“oh you know, just wanted to talk to a pretty girl.”

he does a cheeky smile. you stare. what do you even say to that. thank you i guess…?

“uh—”

“no need to thank me, it’s what i do. just such a great fucking guy right?”

he picks at the cross on his neck before pulling a pill out and holds it out to you.

“you use?”

“what?”

“drugs. do you do drugs? or have you done them before?”

how the fuck did he manage to bring his shit in here for one, and for two; why the hell is he more worried about doing drugs rather than living. that’d be the last thing you’d be thinking about.

“no. i dont do them and i dont have any interest in that.”

he does a fake pouty face.

“come on babe, loosen up ya’know? don’t wanna stress your pretty little face out.”

he pops the pill in his own mouth. where was this guy going with this? he clearly wants to stay here, hence the big blue ‘O’ on his jacket. so if he’s bored he should go talk to the people on his side. how the hell could you relax watching people you’ve gotten close to or even have just spoke to once die? meanwhile this dudes been jumping around having the time of his life while he’s been here. if this game ended tomorrow, he’d join it again a million times over. or maybe he wouldn’t but the drugs in his system sure as hell would.

“yeah, no… i appreciate your kindness but i don’t even know you and i think i’m just gonna lay back down.”

he grabs your hand and starts shaking it aggressively.

“my names thanos, it’s great to meet you! now you know who i am.”

he smiles again. you just stare. that’s not how it works at all. you could tell he was waiting for you to introduce yourself but you just brush it off and tell him again you’re going to lay back down. before you get to turn over and lay though, he grabs your face with both of his hands and presses your lips together into a deep kiss. he holds you there for a good while, and it felt like you were suffocating.

“what the fucks wrong with you?”

“baby, you could be my new drug! change that ‘X’ into an ‘O’, we’d be absolutely unstoppable!”

“this is real life you idiot, not some fucking video game!”

you slap his hand away from you and try telling him to get lost, but he just grabs your wrist and pushes you back onto your bed. you yell at him to get the fuck off of you but he just presses a finger up to your mouth hushing you.

“sex is a great way to relieve stress. just let me make you feel good. don’t be too loud though, unless you want the others to see us. but by all means, do it. it’s only making me harder.”

he laughed and winked at you. you suck the air through your teeth and he still holds onto your left wrist with one of his hands while letting the other one push at his chest. you’re more cautious with your voice level now and in a whisper you try again to get him to go.

“i don’t want to have sex with you, can you just go? go jack off in the corner or mess with literally any other girl here!”

he ignores you for the time being and goes to push your pants down, but with your free hand you grab his hand to stop him.

“gee babe, how sweet of you to wanna hold my hand! but uh, i kinda need it to get to the fun part.”

he ignores your hand continuing to grab at his, not proving to be much of use at all besides annoying him. he pushes your pants down, and then your panties to your ankles; acting as sort of some form of restraint. it would prove to be somewhat more difficult to kick at him now as your footing would get caught in the pant legs. he sits up off of your chest finally and starts to pull his pants and boxers off. you wanted to scream at him so badly to get off of you, to scream for some help, but you knew nobody would and all they’d do was watch. it wasn’t anybody’s problem and they weren’t going to make it theirs.

he cups your sex and starts rubbing circles at your tiny little hole to get you all soaked and ready for him. he leans down and he kisses it. he was literally about to start making out with your fucking pussy.

you squeezed your eyes shut and a couple tears come sliding down. god, first you’re in this game that seems normal, then people around you start getting shot, nobody wants to go home, and now you’re getting rapped by some crazy ass drug addict that calls himself fucking thanos. thanos! you’re pulled out of your thoughts when you feel his thumb on your face and him wiping your tears. you slightly open your eyes and he kisses you again. this time with your free hand you push as hard as you can at his face. he moves back and he makes an ‘ow’ face and rubs his forehead. he grabs your used to be free wrist and just pushes it to your side and holds it there.

“it’s always the prettiest bitches that play fucking hard to get.”

he lines up his cock with your somewhat wet hole. he maybe would’ve spent a little more time prepping you but you just ticked him off and he wasn’t going to help you anymore than he already has.

“it’s alright, i’ll have screaming my name and this whole place will know it by the time we’re done baby!”

oh god you were gonna be sick. you feel the sudden intrusion and you immediately tense. biting your lip back from screaming and shaking your head, tears flying left and right. you try to bend and claw your fingers at his hands that are holding yours down but it proves to be futile. you yell at him, while still keeping your voice down to stop and that he’s gotten enough and that he should go.

“agh—please—”

“please? you—fuck’—you want me to please keep going? well you don’t have to tell me that, i was already going to!”

he keeps a fast pace going, and the bed might as well of slid off of the shitty bars it was being held up on. everybody sleeping above you could definitely feel the whole thing moving. you try to fish your legs out of your pants legs to at least have some sort of way of pushing him away but it proves to be slightly harder than you thought.

“fuck babe—you feel so—fuck- so fucking good.”

he sucks the air through his teeth breathing heavy, while you’re doing the opposite and holding your breath.

“god you’re so tight, and you’re so — m’- so hot. i wish i could feel every inch of your — agh - you’re body but you’re too much of a fucking bitch, so i gotta keep ya’ still.”

he stops at an in thrust and moves his face down to yours, causing his cock to go deeper in you and causing you to bite back a moan and squeeze your eyes shut. he press his forehead to yours, your sweat causing them to almost stick together. he whispers to you while keeping perfect eye contact.

“but your my fucking bitch right? you’ll be my dumbed out little whore, baby. should get a tattoo on ya’ that says thanos’s bitch.”

he laughs moves down to your neck, starting to kiss all over it. leaving sweet marks all over as he starts thrusting into you again. you just feel his heavy hot breath against your neck and you just stare up at the bars above you and hold in the choked up sob threatening to come out. you feel his cock tense in you, threatening to shoot his load out and your eyes widen. he starts thrusting harder. he lets go of both your wrists and before you can even breathe out, relieved from the slightest bit of less pressure, he wraps both his hands around your throat and looks you in the eyes the whole entire time.

“come on bab — fuckk’- babe. look at me pleas- come on, watch how good you — you make me feel.”

you start to scratch at his his hands and his arms. he’d most definitely be marked up all over by the morning. finding it increasingly more difficult to breathe. you finally decide to look him in the eyes, sending him a pleading look to stop and to quit choking you, your face slowly starting to turn a shade of blue. upon your eyes looking at him, seeing those teary orbs and pleading face, it sends him over the edge. he sends a curse your way before he surprisingly pulls out his load going all over the bed. he lets go of your neck and pulls up his boxers, falling on top of you. his weight making it hard for you to completely catch your breath. you start to choke and hiccup on your own tears before he looks up at you and strokes his hand across your face, catching a few tears in his hand.

“i told you it wouldn’t be bad at all. don’t you feel a little more at ease now? are you prepared for the games tomorrow?”

not at all. was he fucking delusional? he lays his head back on your chest, looking up at you like a child, and rubs his hands up your sides.

“tomorrow when we vote, you better change to an ‘O’. wouldn’t want my pretty girl to betray me after all.”

he does a fake pout at the end of that. you go to sit up to pull your pants back up but he stops you.

“uhm, allow me. wouldn’t want you to do any hard labor! i’ll take care of it all for ya.’”

he pulls your panties and your pants up and sits up off of you, getting his own pants situated. he grabs your hand and presses a kiss to the top of it, looking at you in your eyes with a smile, your eyes still watering. and you send a glare his way.

“ouch babe! you hurt me here.”

he smacks his chest a couple times where his heart was.

“i’d stay here and sleep with you, but my friends will want a piece of you too if they find out that’s what i did tonight.”

you shudder at the thought of that.

“but dont worry. i’ll see you tomorrow. i’ll see ya at breakfast, yeah?”

he pulls you in for one long kiss and you push him away and he almost falls into the next bed over. he grabs at his heart again dramatically.

“ugh, i don’t wanna leave you. we’ll talk tomorrow though, kay? maybe have some more fun too.”

he winks at you again before turning over his shoulder and literally skipping away, running with his arms in the air and his hands in fists. you just hug your knees, crying into them, and now more than ever you wanted to go home. god this was so fucked. you just wanted to go to the bathroom and wash all over yourself but you knew they wouldn’t let you in. you just keep a tight grip around your knees, trying to find some sort of solace while you’re stuck here.

[tidalblazex]

Medical doctor, licensed practitioner, who gets to use Dr. And m.d. officially, having spent countless years working to obtain their medical license: so I think this medication would be best according to my countless years of knowledge and experience. Here's the information like side effects and drug interactions to look over, make sure you're OK with all that

Patient, after reading through everything: yeah that looks good, I think that all sounds good

MD: Excellent, I'll get that prescription up and then we can get you on your way to recovery

Patient: Cool, thanks doc

Insurance, bursting through the door, breathlessly: OBJECTION!!!

Patient: Wh who is this guy

MD, sighing and shaking their head: this is insurance. He has to approve all the medication I prescribe, otherwise it costs a bajillion dollars

Patient: Huh why

Ins: My client does not NEED that medicine, and as such we will not pay for it!

Patient: what yeah I do. I need that. I cannot currently function

Ins: nuh uh

Patient: FYM NUH UH

Ins: toodles

MD, looking at patient exhaustedly: So it will cost eight hundred thousand dollars per bottle

Patient: okay so is that insurance guy. Is he like your boss or something

MD, philosophically: in a big-picture kinda way, yeah

Patient: well like. OK so he has a lot more experience with this than you

MD: Actually, he has none.

Patient: but he has a huge library of knowledge on the subject

MD: I don't think he knows what this medication does.

Patient: OK so he's messenger carrying out stuff from his higher ups, and THEY have experience and knowledge RIGHT

MD: actually i think the further into their management you go the less they know about the medical field

Patient: ok so WHY does HE get to MAKE THE DECISIONS when it is MY BODY that is being fixed by AN EXPERIENCED MEDICAL DOCTOR

--- MUCH EARLIER ---

Government: Hey insurance is fucked up. We should draft a bill to like fix that system up. *murmur of agreement*

Insurance CEO, walking in: Hey guys, just wanted to remind you that your check of ten million each is coming in tomorrow. Thanks for keeping insurance policies the exact same as they are right now

Govt, all looking around at each other until Ins CEO leaves: so we're not drafting anything right *murmur of greed agreement*

Coolest guy in the world: OH FUCK that. That CEO is gonna get it

[marmarydoods]

so um. i lied. HAHSHAJSHSJHF ik i said i wouldn't be back buttt ^_^""" inspiration wave hit me and i Had to get this out of my system

with my very basic knowledge of the plot basically i wanted to draw them kinda reuniting after death cos I've been needing to cope about the tragedy of it all. Ig this is some metaphysical astral plane of sorts, not quite the afterlife, but, i have no idea what that would look like so, this is up to interpretation. Just wanted to draw something pretty and let them hold eachother. Very self indulgent

and a close up

is it too late for an apology?

[vivid-white-prism]

Kinda wishing people could do ship wars without putting down the other ship, especially if it involves drawing the opposing ship in unfortunate situations because it hurts me to see both of my comfort ships getting thrown into violent depictions in an attempt to glorify the other ;w; Please I just want to love both ships don't hurt them fffffffffffff

[kirabasai]

buckle in for some rambles! i still haven't reread svsss so apologies if i recall some canon events wrong also forewarning i have Not slept

the system tries to play it off as intentional but nobody's rlly buying it. system dubs the new,,, situation as co-op mode. since they share Everything, they need to cooperate or otherwise face the Consequences (this is usual stuff but make it all conveyed more wet cat like because the svsss system is kinda pathetic loser core in a cute way)!!

shen yuan is kinda panicked initially abt the entire thing (this wasn't supposed to happen wtf system!!!) but he's pretending not to be because like, even though lqg knows he isn't shen qingqiu shen qingqiu, he also kinda is shen qingqiu. i'm of the opinion shen yuan had a similar personality to shen jiu, if a bit more.... gentle? or well, more willing to be gentle. maybe sociable is the better word, actually. shen yuan doesn't have shen jiu's trauma, so he doesn't have the same defense mechanisms that shen jiu did. they have the same scathing tongue, a similar critical outlook on things, etc. shen yuan was able to adapt to the playing the role of shen qingqiu because shen jiu was also playing a role in shen qingqiu, but he couldn't have done so as accurately if they weren't at least a bit similar.

in my mind, shen yuan is like.... if you stripped shen jiu of his traumatic pidw backstory and dropped him into the modern day. the spice/flavor is still there, but it isn't as strong.

liu qingge probably has to take some time to adjust and accept everything, but in my head it's shorter than what most ppl expect. he seems like the type to adjust to changes relatively quickly but also like. in canon he saved sqq immediately after leaving the lingxi caves, and iirc he seemed pretty well adjusted to sqq acting like... not as usual? like sure he was still skeptical but he didn't hesitate to save him. u could argue that's cause they're martial brothers and/or cause sqq saved his life earlier but ehhh while those're def factors i'm p sure most ppl would still take a moment to think, esp if the person is someone they've hated for years. in canon he likely reconsidered sqq's character after being saved in the lingxi caves, and even though he was still skeptical of the change that was enough to make him not hesitate. that, and there probably would be a good amt of time between how long it took him to reconsider sqq's character and him saving sqq, because a conclusion that stays the way it has for months is less likely to waver aka non hesitation factor, if that makes sense. also i can't rlly picture liu qingge, at least at this point, dedicate a lot of time to thinking abt his shixiong acting diff because he has better things to do.

kinda went on a ramble there but like, if that's how lqq acted w minimal information, and how long it reached for him to reach a conclusion, then well. give him a way wider view of the picture and enough time to adjust to the info, which he has mpre than enough of because he is in seclusion, then i could see him adjusting fast enough. even if he wouldn't though tthis is my sandbox so i do what i want

im also thinking/considering of a potential "proximity chat." one that's either

a) immediately turned on after co-op mode is established, but they either eventually or already have the ability to turn it on and off

b) unlocked after liu qingge & shen yuan start to cooperate

or c) after the system establishes co-op mode and things get.. not very cooperative or communicative, the system is like ENABLE THIS FEATURE TO ENSURE NOBODY CAN EAVESDROP ON THIS SENSITIVE CO-OP TEAM COMMUNICATION or something like that. it wouldn't be in caps or worded like that i just needed to put emphasis on it.

c has comedy potential because shen yuan is lowkey panicking and he doesn't want anyone else finding out abt the system and whatnot so he says fuckit fine!! yes!! and the system is like omg yayyy great!! btw u can't turn this off lol xoxo and shen yuan is cursing the system in his head and liu qingge stares at him like oh my god this really isn't og!sqq. and that's how they eventually discover that the proximity chat is actually just automatic and unfiltered telepathy between each other when they're within a certain range of the other. or something like that. i still need to reread svsss oops lol

it might b kinda tropey but it could be funny and i think the "proximity chat" could broaden their early paths from here a bit. and also contribute to the "wtf is going on factor" and the issue of trust. one or both of them may not trust the other, but the proximity chat forces them to trust the other regardless, trust them beyond the co-op mode. they're hearing each other's every thought after all; hiding things could be immensely difficult when they're in the co-op system's proximity chat range

lol the system maybe filtering out specific thoughts or words (such as negative impressions of the other) like an automod, or deliberately & slightly increasing the proximity chat range for a brief moment so a positive thought is sent over. they need to get along for the sake of the new co-op mode!!!!

im not rlly sure if im gonna do the proximity chat or not, but it is an interesting thought still for smaller, more lighthearted moments. lqg hearing sy's scathing internal commentary during peak lord meetings

speaking of liu qingge i think writing from his pov will be fun. he's waking up from his qi deviation in the lingxi caves confused on wtf is happening when an intangible floating blue screen appears in front of him like CONGRATULATIONS!!! you have unlocked permanent co-op mode with user 002!!!! or something like that and he's like what the fuck. and shen qingque is also there and HELPING him like what the Fuck. and shen qingque isn't actually shen qingque like What The Fuck!!!!

i think im probably also gonna remove the without a cure plotline. in svsss it accomplishes two things: sqq getting closer with lqg & lbh curing him in the final volume. here well, no bingqiu = no cure, and the co-op mode gets sqq closer to lqg. also shen yuan was already terminally ill in his past life, like he's peak physical condition before with-out-a-cure happens!! and then he's sick again. that just straight up HURTS. it's like you when you think you're finally cancer free but haha jokes on u, ur cancer came back, u already know there's no cure, xoxo (source: cancer genetically runs in my family). shen yuan alr has a lot to deal w in the svsss plotline, i can at least spare him this i think.

atp im committed to there being no endgame bingqiu so rip luo binghe u can kiss ming fan or sumn idfk. or go to therapy. actually lbh going to therapy should probably warrant a fic of it's own that guy has A Lot going on.

i keep flipflopping on this au's tone being super serious and angsty and intense or being crack treated seriously with no in between. then again someone could argue svsss is crack treated EXTREMELY seriously so Hm. smth to consider there. i still need to reread it oops.

i think how the system distincts sqq and lqg is like. sqq is Host Shen Yuan & User 002A; lqg is Character Liu Qingge & User 002B. like they share the account, so the user is the same, but since they're different the A and B comes into play. kinda like where stars are something alpha and something beta. except there's no way im using alpha and beta even though i know it's meant that way because sqq was chronically online. as for the system referring to lqg as a character, well. the system is the one that reinforces the view that every person in svsss is a character, and since lqg is native to svsss well, yeah. he can't be host as well even though he has the system, because the system isn't hosted on him, it's hosted on shen yuan. it isn't like online matchmaking where two ppl w the same game at different consoles or pcs are playing at the same time together. it's more like playing the old minecraft xbox edition where one person had the game on the console, and their friend with them in person can log into their xbox acct and play minecraft xbox edition with the split screen. except ofc here the co-op system is permanent.

i haven't thought very far ahead on anything else, haven't even thought of how the endless abyss thing goes, but if shen qingqiu still ends up self destructing/exploding then zwoop, system offline for liu qingge. ofc, when sqq wakes up in his new plant body it would also go back online. aka if that still happens lqg would b the first to know shen yuan is back. if it happens im also not planning on letting him keep the plant body that's just too much. i think sqq pre-without a cure is a good balance for anything on the power scale. like sure he probably won't ever be at his full potential qi wise because of what happened when shen jiu was young, but that doesn't mean he isn't weak. he's strong despite it all— it's a handicap yes but it's far from disabling (as opposed to how without-a-cure is). og!sqq worked to be strong because he isn't the type to give up like that, and shen yuan is similar. shen yuan aalso showed himself to be willing to work to improve his personal skills to be on the same level as the sqq before him, and improve the skills of sqq in general.

on that note of improving skills,, hm. would liu qingge try and get shen qingqiu up to snuff,,, even if he wouldn't i could see sqq seeking lqg out a lot pre-abyss, because that's before shen yuan knows that shang qinghua is airplane. aka system solidarity. either way in my head liu qingge would make sure shen qingqiu's skillls r good enough. except ofc it would be the bai zhan peak style of show up and beat em up. he needs to know if shen yuan is somebody that can handle himself if they're gonna be made to work together. sure, he's good taking the brunt of the action, but he's not some babysitter and he can't always be there. also sqq is literally a peak lord he isn't allowed to be weak. or smth like that. it's hard for me to describe what i feel like is going on inside lqg's head.

like, if shen yuan is an overthinker, than liu qingge is a. not simpleminded but in my head he does think very simply/matter of fact. like, if a = b, then c is bla bla blah. he's not jumping mental loopholes or considering every possibility, it's very much direct. actually wait is this how neurotypical ppl's brains work?? point a to point b????? or is that just ppl who don't have anxiety. uhhh idk whatever moving on. liu qingge doesn't rlly dwell on past events or how he can change them imo, what he mostly focuses on is the present and what he can do in that moment. liu qingge didn't stop fighting luo binghe for sqq's body for five years because he didn't dwell on his losses, he focused on the present and what he needs to do. i think that aspect of him probably helped with adjusting to the change in sqq's personality in the lingxi caves, or here in my little au where he suddenly gets a system.

i keep getting into specimen analysis mode oopsies LMAO i was supposed to brainrot the start of the plot but ig my mind had other pplans. i'm gonna leave this here for now tho because it rlly is getting kinda long.

svsss au where there's a system glitch that happens as shen yuan saves liu qingge from his qi deviation, resulting in sy's system being linked to lqg as well. aka, they share a system account. they share quests and points and everything. this... Changes things. such as well, the implications and fallout of an early system/identity reveal to one person, someone that hated the original shen qingque. but also, lqg being forced to have to work together and cooperate with an "imposter"! like in my head i can see lqg being rlly conflicted abt everything that's going on at the start. sy will get over it somewhat quickly i think because sure, why not, fuck you system!! but also in pidw lqg isn't a major character so i can see him having less hangups abt working w him. like his experience w lqg is basically a blank slate. but lqg? he has history w sqq. he simultaneously is on a blank slate and a huge monolith of history/shared experiences/past. he needs to not only adapt to that but also his new situation of sharing sy's system.

i've been microwaving this idea in my head for the last day or so and mmmm yes.s i love lqg. i haven't read svsss in like 4 or 5 years maybe so my memory of certain things is kinda fuzzy but i Cannot get this au idea out of my head

[lily-on-the-fence]

oh to be a shivering little floret in my Mistress's vines~

all drugged out and soft on Class A's

suddenly my mistress chuckles "oh pet! We haven't given you your Class G's yet today have we?"

And she holds her flower just above my arm, just barely touching skin

"Do you want them, petal? Why don't you take them?"

and I try to lift my arm up so the needle breaks the skin but then my Mistress's writhe underneath me and I fall, useless and limp against them again.

She looks at me with so much love and asks "oh pet, what's the matter? I thought you liked your new body?"

All I can do is look up at her and whisper "please..." my whisper drawing out into a whine as my Mistress shudders and plunges herself into me, flower petals wrapped around my arm so I couldn't shake it even I wanted to, pumping me so full of girl juice.

"What a good little pet, begging so sweetly," she croons. "You're going to be such a good little girl for me~"

[viveela]

It must be weird to live so long that an integral part of himself is now accepted, he'll need more time to get there too

[moonpaw]

[champyisthere]

"Oh that's him?? Really?"

[epicfirestormer]

Guess who's playing Steamworld Heist 2 and isn't being normal about it

[taknyanz]

aaand some clay doggies. had no idea what to do for the background so we have the grey void

[daemon-in-my-head]

Yeah I have no excuse for this one.

Refs by @/uuuupooo_8162 on X and my bursting Screenshot folder (whoever created the 'heartthrob' fit/mod, I love you)

Reentering my fuck lineart era.

[sunlit-mess]

ARE YOU OKAY 🗣🧻🧻🧻🚑🚑🚑🩺🏥

🥰😍 NO ✨️🎉

[spookythesillyfella]

WHAATT ??? SPOOKY MAKING ACTUAL ART AGAIN ??? thiz iz insane

★ version without text + image based on under cut :

★ song : "Goodbye to This Meaningless Everyday" – Dobu no Awa

[overleftdown]

saltburn and consent; an investigative tangent

felix, venetia, and farleigh all consider sex to be transaction rather than emotional. you can see this in the casual way felix approaches sexual intimacy. you can see this in the way farleigh is described to use sex as a tool. you can see this in the way venetia uses sex to fulfill her need for validation. i'd like to explore how this sort of... complicates consent, within these on-screen dynamics.

i'm going to start this off with venetia. in venetia and oliver's first one-on-one interaction, you can see that oliver doesn't yet understand what to do with venetia. he plays his normal, unimposing, nervous, slightly awkward but well-intentioned character. venetia is the one to lean forward, pushing and testing oliver's boundaries. you can infer from later scenes that venetia enjoys testing the boys felix brings back to saltburn. part of this is venetia's own neglectful upbringing; she's starved of attention and therefore validation. she needs to be appealing, and she needs people to want her. this dynamic tangibly twists once oliver has been handed venetia's vulnerability by elspeth.

what is important to understand about this film is that sex is more so about emotion than physicality. this is portrayed in the way that emerald fennell avoids any nudity or exposure in her sex scenes. this is portrayed in the way that oliver exhibits no real confidence until he knows where others are vulnerable. he's unable to exude any strictly sexual dominance; he can only step into his dominance when he knows why these people hate themselves. so, when oliver is given insight into venetia's psyche, he is being given her vulnerability. to me, the sex was merely oliver's way of stripping a wire raw so that a current could effectively travel, so to speak. this is where consent gets tricky. oliver was non-consensually given any real power he had over venetia prior to the actual sex. if oliver had simply slept with venetia without knowing her insecurities or mentioning them, he wouldn't have had any power of her.

now, farleigh. what's interesting is how this dynamic of power, vulnerability, and sex shifts even more with "quickstart." farleigh didn't want oliver's pity, or sympathy. in fact, he recognized that this vulnerability was taken from him by oliver. he might've thought that felix confided in oliver about farleigh's troubles, or maybe he knew that oliver had eavesdropped. either way, oliver entered that conversation believing that farleigh would be just as insecure and starved for validation as venetia (i'm sure farleigh is, but we all react to our misfortune differently). i think the difference between farleigh and venetia in this area is quite interesting. both of them use sex as a way of gaining something. venetia is using sex to fulfill her need for validation, while she grows more and more bored by the material world. she's not afraid of losing anything, she desperately needs to gain something. farleigh does everything to maintain what is tangible, accessible, and real. he sees the material world as an extension of his security, using it as both insurance and escapism. farleigh is constantly terrified, constantly weighing the positives and negatives of his actions.

so, here is oliver, who has yanked the sheet off of farleigh. this is the exposure. instead of biting oliver's proverbial carrot, farleigh does the same to oliver, and in front of everyone. farleigh, just like oliver, understands the power of vulnerability. this is the sort of nightmare where you're suddenly butt naked in front of the whole school. later that night, oliver wills up the confidence to attempt to dominate farleigh, to tame him. again, this isn't just sexual domination. this is "if there's anything i can say to them... if i can help in any way, just ask." this is "we both know i could ruin everything you've worked so hard for. we both know i can help or hurt you." or, at least, that's how farleigh understood it. oliver was planning to ruin farleigh's life no matter what farleigh agreed to. "are you going to behave?" was never just a kinky line to throw around, it's meant to be a threat. what's funny is that oliver already planned to follow through, regardless of whether farleigh decided to "behave." coercive, and painfully hopeless for farleigh.

of course, that isn't to say farleigh wasn't aroused by whatever power play oliver was leaning into. the same goes for venetia. i'm mostly explaining why it's not healthy, or safe, or sane, or consensual. is that not the point of the movie? to question what we find attractive? to stare it in the face and talk about it?

moving on to felix. i'm not really sure where to go with this. i talked about saltburn and its depiction of privilege on an earlier post. to sum it up, farleigh and venetia both have some privilege over oliver, while oliver has some privilege over both farleigh and venetia. oliver has absolutely nothing over felix. both of them are white, both of them are men, and felix happens to be richer than oliver. this is why oliver is... so pathetically desperate for felix. he's obsessed with what he cannot have, control, or dominate. oliver is the vulnerable one, oliver is the one that is eventually laid bare in front of felix. a liar, a manipulator, and pathetically desperate for felix's love. so desperate for someone so powerful to love someone like him.

and, once felix knows this, oliver kills him for it. he fucks the dirt felix is buried under, just to feel like he's taking something after felix took his secrets. oliver understands the power of vulnerability. oliver understands that sex is easy once you've already stolen what really matters from someone. oliver saw the connectivity of human nature and used it, twisted it, just to pull himself closer to felix. oliver's northern star, who he never truly got to have.

[lemongogo]

need 2 find myself again in 2025 . tbhwu