Comics Collection Melissa N. Collection [2024-06-18] [Melissa N.]

Alicia Mae

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Dec 13, 2023
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I hope James will be the cocky but lovable guy, the Han Solo... who ends up romancing his lady away from her surgically enhanced husband who is now posing as her aunt and in love with her uncle. I'd love a double wedding.

Fetishism, man. It gets complicated sometimes doesn't it?

What about Stefanos and Eva? Make it a triple wedding!

In all seriousness, I’m hoping Nikos and Elena have their own big fat Greek wedding, and Elena has her favorite niece as one of her bridesmaids. Maybe Elena will even toss her the bouquet!
 
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Stevedore100

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Here is part 21-7 of Aphrodites Mirror.



Interesting piece that leads to more questions. Marina obviously leaves out some part of the Crete experience - Marina apparently told him not to follow her to Athens, but it's not clear why he would do that in the first place, if all he did was help her get rid of bald guy. Did they do something or did he just become a pest to her in Crete and she told him to bug off?

And, we know seem to be right at the point where the whole Marina/James marriage comes into play - the two of them. Joel and Nikos all converge.
Dies James blurt out the married thing? Nikos would know that's BS, but Joel wouldn't, and if he is aligned with Seferi, might have already heard about what happened in Crete and think they are married. And the other two just go along with it, too scared to potentially expose the Andrew scam. Or is it Nikos, seeing an opportunity to create a wedge between Marina and Andrew? I dont think Marina would be the one to pursue the married idea.
 

Thalantyr

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Dec 1, 2023
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Here is part 21-7 of Aphrodites Mirror.



Interesting piece that leads to more questions. Marina obviously leaves out some part of the Crete experience - Marina apparently told him not to follow her to Athens, but it's not clear why he would do that in the first place, if all he did was help her get rid of bald guy. Did they do something or did he just become a pest to her in Crete and she told him to bug off?

And, we know seem to be right at the point where the whole Marina/James marriage comes into play - the two of them. Joel and Nikos all converge.
Dies James blurt out the married thing? Nikos would know that's BS, but Joel wouldn't, and if he is aligned with Seferi, might have already heard about what happened in Crete and think they are married. And the other two just go along with it, too scared to potentially expose the Andrew scam. Or is it Nikos, seeing an opportunity to create a wedge between Marina and Andrew? I dont think Marina would be the one to pursue the married idea.
Marina still seems to be acting way too guilty if nothing else happened between them on Crete. Why would she be so angry at him just for showing up to say goodbye? I still think she's hiding some degree of infidelity from Andrew.

And yeah that's definitely Joel on the right, and Nikos is the best bet for the left. I think he's the only man in Athens besides Andrew and James who knows Marina on a first name basis. So James will be incorporated into the cover story now to fool Joel, and it will be interesting to see who locks him into the scheme: Marina, Nikos, or James himself. Each one says something different about their motives.
 

rebirth095

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Marina still seems to be acting way too guilty if nothing else happened between them on Crete. Why would she be so angry at him just for showing up to say goodbye? I still think she's hiding some degree of infidelity from Andrew.

And yeah that's definitely Joel on the right, and Nikos is the best bet for the left. I think he's the only man in Athens besides Andrew and James who knows Marina on a first name basis. So James will be incorporated into the cover story now to fool Joel, and it will be interesting to see who locks him into the scheme: Marina, Nikos, or James himself. Each one says something different about their motives.
I could see her being angry. Pretty woman having to deal with a guy that won't back off? Having to deal with men weaseling a "just one last..." to try to incrementally get into her pants? Anger as a reaction doesn't seem too farfetched.

Especially with him publicly claiming to be her husband at the reception desk of the hospital she and Andrew are currently at! Even if she didn't cheat on Andrew, I could see her being upset that James pulling stunts like that would eventually result in Andrew overhearing and questioning her faithfulness (which is literally what ended up playing out, so a justifiable fear).

Also, isn't it a bit creepy (from Marina's POV) that James knows where Marina is at this random time of day? That's some super stalkerish behavior. So I don't think anger is out of character.
 

Thalantyr

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I could see her being angry. Pretty woman having to deal with a guy that won't back off? Having to deal with men weaseling a "just one last..." to try to incrementally get into her pants? Anger as a reaction doesn't seem too farfetched.

Especially with him publicly claiming to be her husband at the reception desk of the hospital she and Andrew are currently at! Even if she didn't cheat on Andrew, I could see her being upset that James pulling stunts like that would eventually result in Andrew overhearing and questioning her faithfulness (which is literally what ended up playing out, so a justifiable fear).
That's fair if you judge this scene by itself, but not when you combine it with the fact that she intentionally left James out of the story when she initially told Andrew about encountering Gjoka before the surgery, and how she seemed shocked and nervous when she found out that Andrew knew about James just before this current flashback.

Also, isn't it a bit creepy (from Marina's POV) that James knows where Marina is at this random time of day? That's some super stalkerish behavior. So I don't think anger is out of character.
He didn't. He went to her hotel, and the hotel reception called Marina on her cell phone at the doctor's office. She left the doctor's office to go back to the hotel. I'm assuming she told James where she was staying at some point.
 

Stevedore100

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Marina still seems to be acting way too guilty if nothing else happened between them on Crete. Why would she be so angry at him just for showing up to say goodbye? I still think she's hiding some degree of infidelity from Andrew.

And yeah that's definitely Joel on the right, and Nikos is the best bet for the left. I think he's the only man in Athens besides Andrew and James who knows Marina on a first name basis. So James will be incorporated into the cover story now to fool Joel, and it will be interesting to see who locks him into the scheme: Marina, Nikos, or James himself. Each one says something different about their motives.
I was wondering if Joel actually knows Marina at all up to this point. I suppose so, but she did leave Athens the day after the initial dinner and then Joel was off with Nikos somewhere.

You and I are on the same page in wondering who comes up with the marriage scheme - it could be any of them, all for different reasons.

Something I just thought of: Marina tells Andrew that she went to Crete to get help. I always assumed this was James and the whole fake marriage thing, but that is not the case- in her mind James was out of the picture after leaving Crete. So what WAS Marina up to in Crete?
 

Stevedore100

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Dec 4, 2023
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I could see her being angry. Pretty woman having to deal with a guy that won't back off? Having to deal with men weaseling a "just one last..." to try to incrementally get into her pants? Anger as a reaction doesn't seem too farfetched.

Especially with him publicly claiming to be her husband at the reception desk of the hospital she and Andrew are currently at! Even if she didn't cheat on Andrew, I could see her being upset that James pulling stunts like that would eventually result in Andrew overhearing and questioning her faithfulness (which is literally what ended up playing out, so a justifiable fear).

Also, isn't it a bit creepy (from Marina's POV) that James knows where Marina is at this random time of day? That's some super stalkerish behavior. So I don't think anger is out of character.
I think it's perfectly reasonable for her to be angry here, James behavior is a bit creepy here. That doesn't rule out some one night stand between them in Crete. It's fairly obvious Marina thought her time with James, whatever it involved, is over, and popping up uninvited is not a good thing to do.
 

Stevedore100

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That's fair if you judge this scene by itself, but not when you combine it with the fact that she intentionally left James out of the story when she initially told Andrew about encountering Gjoka before the surgery, and how she seemed shocked and nervous when she found out that Andrew knew about James just before this current flashback.


He didn't. He went to her hotel, and the hotel reception called Marina on her cell phone at the doctor's office. She left the doctor's office to go back to the hotel. I'm assuming she told James where she was staying at some point.
I think this is the first time we really see the hotel beyond the patio where the dinners are.
 

rebirth095

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That's fair if you judge this scene by itself, but not when you combine it with the fact that she intentionally left James out of the story when she initially told Andrew about encountering Gjoka before the surgery, and how she seemed shocked and nervous when she found out that Andrew knew about James just before this current flashback.


He didn't. He went to her hotel, and the hotel reception called Marina on her cell phone at the doctor's office. She left the doctor's office to go back to the hotel. I'm assuming she told James where she was staying at some point.
I can chalk up her omitting talking about James because she's concerned Andrew would accuse her of infidelity (which is literally what happened). And her being shocked and nervous because there isn't any reason Andrew should know, and so it's discomforting for her "lie" being found out. We know that their relationship has had some difficulties previously, so I can understand her trying not to introduce questions of her faithfulness by not talking about "hey, funny story: I met a guy at a bar. I totally turned him down but after I got threatened, he pretend to be my husband" while her real husband looks like her aunt :ROFLMAO:.

Assuming we don't have an unreliable narrator, Marina's first reaction to being hit on was to turn James away. And in present time, she's trying to "reach" Andrew, so she's not part of the conspiracy. If she did find James a catch, I don't see why in the missing time period she wouldn't have just agreed with the conspiracy if she wanted to be with James instead.

You're right about the hotel calling (Page 473). I'd argue still creepy though as Marina seems genuinely surprised James is here, which suggests to me that she didn't share her hotel. I mean, if she was interested in hooking up again, it'd have been more straightforward to share her cell number (which she clearly didn't based on this scene). But I think that's a minor part of the overall "won't take no" behavior.

I think it's perfectly reasonable for her to be angry here, James behavior is a bit creepy here. That doesn't rule out some one night stand between them in Crete. It's fairly obvious Marina thought her time with James, whatever it involved, is over, and popping up uninvited is not a good thing to do.
Sure, nothing here has ruled out a possible one night stand. But thinking it through... honestly, what's actually important is that in present day, it seems like Marina is still on Andrew's "side" (or at least, isn't part of the plot to keep Andrew femininzed). And in the flashback, she's not joyful at seeing James. I'm guessing, this dream sequence will primarily answer "How did James end up being accepted as Marina's husband", and what's to come should be "What event caused Andrew to go into auto pilot to fully be Elena during the missing time?"

Since we're in Andrew's dream, unfortunately, this does mean we likely can't get answers to questions that would require first hand knowledge (for example, we probably can't find out James' true motivations because we can only get info that Andrew got access to).
 

Thalantyr

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Something I just thought of: Marina tells Andrew that she went to Crete to get help. I always assumed this was James and the whole fake marriage thing, but that is not the case- in her mind James was out of the picture after leaving Crete. So what WAS Marina up to in Crete?
To get help? I think you're remembering that wrong, or maybe I am. She told Eva that she went to Crete because she needed some time alone to calm down after getting into a fight with Andrew about him ruining their honeymoon:
ch09-0250.png

I don't recall her ever giving any other reason for going to Crete.
 

Thalantyr

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If she did find James a catch, I don't see why in the missing time period she wouldn't have just agreed with the conspiracy if she wanted to be with James instead.
Wha..? That's a huge leap. Given Andrew's actions, she's pretty justified in being disillusioned with their marriage, and it seems natural that she might become interested in someone else. That doesn't necessarily make her a bad person, and she clearly still cares for Andrew. Going along with the conspiracy to feminize him against his will and hand him over to her uncle just to get him out of the way would be downright evil. A more sane solution would be to help Andrew get out of danger first and then divorce him if she wants to be with James.
 

Stevedore100

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To get help? I think you're remembering that wrong, or maybe I am. She told Eva that she went to Crete because she needed some time alone to calm down after getting into a fight with Andrew about him ruining their honeymoon:
View attachment 3260641

I don't recall her ever giving any other reason for going to Crete.
Its here. She just half mentions it, then goes off on something else.
Screenshot_20240113-153735.png
 
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rebirth095

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Wha..? That's a huge leap. Given Andrew's actions, she's pretty justified in being disillusioned with their marriage, and it seems natural that she might become interested in someone else. That doesn't necessarily make her a bad person, and she clearly still cares for Andrew. Going along with the conspiracy to feminize him against his will and hand him over to her uncle just to get him out of the way would be downright evil. A more sane solution would be to help Andrew get out of danger first and then divorce him if she wants to be with James.
I mean, we still don't know what Andrew's past actions were. At best, we know that it's something that can be forgiven but the excuse was improbable. And again, Marina's first instinct was to reject James' advances.

To break it down: we've got a mystery going as to who we/Andrew can trust, and since the audience is privy to some details the character isn't, we're trying to figure out motivations to determine how trustworthy they are. At this point, it is my opinion that these flash backs are to try to help answer those questions as to who is on who's side. These flash backs seem to directly answer and rule out a lot of the theories that had been posted that Marina had a secret husband, or that she was unfaithful, or questioning what her goals are. Part of why I'm advocating that I don't think Marina has been unfaithful is that it doesn't add anything except further adds questions of "is she really on Andrew's side?"

And depending on what Andrew's past action was, I'm not saying she wouldn't be justified pursuing a different relationship. I'm not trying to "maintain her purity" or "slut-shame" or such nonsense. But from a narrative standpoint, what would her having a one night stand with James add to the story at this point?

Granted, it's a porn comic. The easiest answer can be to have an excuse to illustrate a James Marina sex scene. And it's not gonna upset me if that ends up being what happened, other than I'd much rather have other character's motivations be answered. The biggest piece we're missing is why did Andrew lose time, and why did everyone (particularly Nikos) start acting like Andrew never existed.
 

rebirth095

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Theory #1
James just showed off his international detective skills, so I'm doubling down on my undercover agent theory from my previous post.

Theory #2 - Everyone is going to hate this one. :devilish:
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Theory 2:

:ROFLMAO:

I'll be honest, while I'd think it's very unsatisfying from a narrative standpoint, so I'd dock those points, I would actually give some credit back to Melissa (if this was intentional) in terms of foreshadowing. But honestly, I think it's more likely this is just Melissa's writing limitations causing her to reuse certain types of dialogue. Less fun, but I think probably more likely, lol.

I think Theory 1 is reasonable. And if in play, it wouldn't surprise me if James told Marina, and she's cooperating with his investigation to try to help Andrew (or maybe, that's why "Elena" was needing a password as she was on the inside?).
 
Feb 8, 2022
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Theory 2:

:ROFLMAO:

I'll be honest, while I'd think it's very unsatisfying from a narrative standpoint, so I'd dock those points, I would actually give some credit back to Melissa (if this was intentional) in terms of foreshadowing. But honestly, I think it's more likely this is just Melissa's writing limitations causing her to reuse certain types of dialogue. Less fun, but I think probably more likely, lol.

I think Theory 1 is reasonable. And if in play, it wouldn't surprise me if James told Marina, and she's cooperating with his investigation to try to help Andrew (or maybe, that's why "Elena" was needing a password as she was on the inside?).
I agree James is in on this, but on motivations or orders are to direct her away and give up on Elena.
 
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Thalantyr

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I mean, we still don't know what Andrew's past actions were.
I was mostly referring to Andrew's actions that we've witnessed in the comic. i.e., getting drunk at dinner, agreeing to spend the next several months as Elena (and thus effectively cancelling their honeymoon), and then seemingly spending the night with Nikos (the first time, on D+4). When you combine this with the mysterious incident from a few months ago and the fact that Aphrodite (aka Andrew's subconscious) stated that he's in an unhappy marriage, it's easy to sympathize with Marina straying from him (if she did).

But from a narrative standpoint, what would her having a one night stand with James add to the story at this point?
If she started falling for someone else, it would lessen the blow when she inevitably loses Andrew. She seems to be a good person who doesn't deserve this, so readers are going to want a happy ending for her. Or at least I do. And it doesn't necessarily have to be a one night stand- I'm just seeing evidence of Marina feeling disillusioned with her marriage while on Crete and then acting guilty in front of Andrew after returning from Crete. Maybe it was a kiss, or just flirting. But something happened.

Theory #1
James just showed off his international detective skills, so I'm doubling down on my undercover agent theory from my previous post.

Theory #2 - Everyone is going to hate this one. :devilish:
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I think you're an avatar of Aphrodite.
 
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