Comics Collection Melissa N. Collection [2024-07-25] [Melissa N.]

[Sstpa]

In regards to the new 'Aphrodite's Mirror' teaser, I think we're getting a flash back to explain this exchange between Elena/Andrew and Marina.

It has to be this or another dream in my opinion.

 

[Stevedore100]

In regards to the new 'Aphrodite's Mirror' teaser, I think we're getting a flash back to explain this exchange between Elena/Andrew and Marina.

It has to be this or another dream in my opinion.

I would guess a flashback. And my guess that the other person in the teaser is _not_ Marina. More likely that Marina may have discovered Andrew in that situation and didn't think his story about how he came to be in it was very good.

It is an interesting teaser

 

[Alicia Mae]

Is there a link to the teaser somewhere in this thread? I can’t seem to find it if so.

 

[Marschall1]

Can anyone share A Sweet Change 2?

 

[Thalantyr]

Is there a link to the teaser somewhere in this thread? I can’t seem to find it if so.

The teasers get posted in Melissa's discord, which is free for anyone to join:

You must be registered to see the links

Teaser in question:


Appears to be pre-transformation Andrew in some sort of bondage sex dungeon. I can imagine why Marina might have a problem with that, especially if his excuse was just that he got drunk and somehow ended up naked and chained to a wall by a dominatrix without any memory of how he got there.

 

[rebirth095]

The teasers get posted in Melissa's discord, which is free for anyone to join:

You must be registered to see the links

Teaser in question:
View attachment 3863270

Appears to be pre-transformation Andrew in some sort of bondage sex dungeon. I can imagine why Marina might have a problem with that, especially if his excuse was just that he got drunk and somehow ended up naked and chained to a wall by a dominatrix without any memory of how he got there.

Huh, is that Andrew chained up or Andrew in the heels ? (Just kidding. It's already well established that Andrew hasn't crossdressed before, and the idea of Andrew crossdresssing hasn't crossed Marina's mind before)

Although, if Andrew really did get locked in a sex dungeon during a haze, it begs the question how/why Marina was there to stumble upon him. Seems like the most reasonable answer is that he got lucid, got free, and had to sheepishly call Marina to pick him up (and bring clothes), leading to a very awkward conversation.

If it's not a flashback, then it could be a dream sequence. "Elena" is going to be dominating "Andrew".

 

[Thalantyr]

Although, if Andrew really did get locked in a sex dungeon during a haze, it begs the question how/why Marina was there to stumble upon him. Seems like the most reasonable answer is that he got lucid, got free, and had to sheepishly call Marina to pick him up (and bring clothes), leading to a very awkward conversation.

I'd say that's the most likely scenario. Or perhaps someone sent blackmail photos to Marina. That could tie in to the as yet still largely unexplained mafia/Seferi subplot.

 

[Elaine.]

the latest part is now posted by Melissa but it doesnt as usual say very much until the last two pages when Andrew confesses to Marina he's lost their money. The earlier frames show Andrew in strict bondage with a whip wielding dominatrix

 

[MyraTSF]

the latest part is now posted by Melissa but it doesnt as usual say very much until the last two pages when Andrew confesses to Marina he's lost their money. The earlier frames show Andrew in strict bondage with a whip wielding dominatrix

The dominatrix looks like Elena to me and the image has enhanced blur like a dream sequence, so maybe it's more symbolic like the Mount Olympus dream sequence.

 

[Thalantyr]

The dominatrix looks like Elena to me and the image has enhanced blur like a dream sequence, so maybe it's more symbolic like the Mount Olympus dream sequence.

Yeah, that was my interpretation as well, though I believe the real-world flashbacks have the same blur as the Aphrodite dreams so it's hard to tell them apart on that basis alone. Either way this one has more of a Hades vibe, contrasting with the earlier Mount Olympus dream.

 

[misseva88]

The latest update is in the OP and can be downloaded

You must be registered to see the links

.

I agree the woman in that dream looks like a young Elena. That just means she's been in Andrews mind a lot longer than before he and Marina went to Crete. What did Andrew have to submit to in that dream? Is it being a woman? Or could it be related to how he lost their money?

 

[Thalantyr]

The latest update is in the OP and can be downloaded

You must be registered to see the links

.

I agree the woman in that dream looks like a young Elena. That just means she's been in Andrews mind a lot longer than before he and Marina went to Crete. What did Andrew have to submit to in that dream? Is it being a woman? Or could it be related to how he lost their money?

I think the "young" look is just a result of the blur and lighting, and perhaps the tight pulled-back hair. But you can still see hints of her nasolabial folds (which is a term I had to look up just now ) in page 1384 and she still has the gargantuan tits so I think this Elena/Aphrodite is intended to be the same age as we've seen elsewhere in the comic.

 

[misseva88]

I think the "young" look is just a result of the blur and lighting, and perhaps the tight pulled-back hair. But you can still see hints of her nasolabial folds (which is a term I had to look up just now ) in page 1384 and she still has the gargantuan tits so I think this Elena/Aphrodite is intended to be the same age as we've seen elsewhere in the comic.

On page 177 Andrew also has those nasalabial folds (I also had to look them up) before the injections to age his skin. But maybe you're right. I just don't get the aging up while having her undergo surgery and injections to look young again.

 

[rebirth095]

I think the "young" look is just a result of the blur and lighting, and perhaps the tight pulled-back hair. But you can still see hints of her nasolabial folds (which is a term I had to look up just now ) in page 1384 and she still has the gargantuan tits so I think this Elena/Aphrodite is intended to be the same age as we've seen elsewhere in the comic.

Yeah, I don't think the dream sequence is a dream that happened "in the past". I think Elena is having a dream that she's Andrew again being punished by "Aphrodite in the form of Elena", which triggers a memory.

So a flashback within a dream sequence. Like last time.

Something to note is that in the flashback, Andrew has woken up and is apparently well aware that he lost all their money. In previous pages, whenever they brought up the bad thing Andrew did in the past, the implication was that something bad happened, and Andrew's excuse was something along the lines of him not being aware of it and it not really being his fault.

This flashback seems to show that he's very much aware. Also, him being woken up by a call from Marina is interesting. Either she's on travel, or they're engaged but they don't live together. I suppose she could have gotten up before he did, left, and then found out they're broke and is now calling Andrew... But if Andrew knows he got scammed, then that's a crappy way of telling the person you love. I'm sure this will be spelled out for us, but for the sake of speculation, I'm interpreting this limited scene as:

Andrew lost all their money. Somehow Marina forgives him for this later, so he must have a hell of an excuse.

Andrew is aware all their money was taken. For him to be aware but also have a reasonable excuse would imply to me that he got scammed/robbed. And either it happened directly to him (someone forced him directly, so he's immediately aware), or he was phished for info over time, got told last night that this was all a scam last night (was somehow able to go to sleep), and that's why he knows this morning.

Lastly, apparently the excuse is similar to what's happening now.



I guess this depends on how you interpret these words. In the middle panel, Marina asks "What would she have to gain from it? To me, this whole situation sounds a lot like that issue we had a few months ago".

When I read that sentence back when the panel first dropped, I interpreted the part that "sounds a lot like that issue we had a few months ago" to mean that whatever Andrew's claim was, it also involved someone that had motives that didn't quite make sense. The fact that the "whole situation" seemed familiar said to me that a lot of the story seemed to be repeating. Memory loss, questionable motives, etc.

Now that we know that "issue" was apparently losing all their money (which... sounds a lot more than just an "issue", let's be frank)... Seems like it's pretty obvious what the perpetrator had to gain: a lot of money! So... rethinking my interpretation, I guess the "whole situation sounds a lot like..." part of the dialogue is actually not talking about the whole situation. It was just saying, "this is the second time you've royally fucked up and are claiming it wasn't actually your fault". Even though the fuck ups are completely unalike.

 

[Thalantyr]

Something to note is that in the flashback, Andrew has woken up and is apparently well aware that he lost all their money. In previous pages, whenever they brought up the bad thing Andrew did in the past, the implication was that something bad happened, and Andrew's excuse was something along the lines of him not being aware of it and it not really being his fault.

Losing the money is just the result of whatever happened. It's entirely possible he could be aware of losing the money without any memory of it happening. For example: Andrew goes out to dinner and has a drink or two. Twelve hours later he wakes up at a poker table in some seedy back room and some guy is walking out the door saying "Okay, thanks for all your money! See ya never!" Then Andrew checks his bank account and puts two and two together.

I guess this depends on how you interpret these words. In the middle panel, Marina asks "What would she have to gain from it? To me, this whole situation sounds a lot like that issue we had a few months ago".

When I read that sentence back when the panel first dropped, I interpreted the part that "sounds a lot like that issue we had a few months ago" to mean that whatever Andrew's claim was, it also involved someone that had motives that didn't quite make sense. The fact that the "whole situation" seemed familiar said to me that a lot of the story seemed to be repeating. Memory loss, questionable motives, etc.

Now that we know that "issue" was apparently losing all their money (which... sounds a lot more than just an "issue", let's be frank)... Seems like it's pretty obvious what the perpetrator had to gain: a lot of money! So... rethinking my interpretation, I guess the "whole situation sounds a lot like..." part of the dialogue is actually not talking about the whole situation. It was just saying, "this is the second time you've royally fucked up and are claiming it wasn't actually your fault". Even though the fuck ups are completely unalike.

If we follow the example scenario I outlined above, Marina is saying Andrew was not drugged because Joanna would have nothing to gain from it, but instead he simply drank too much, blacked out, and made a series of extremely irresponsible decisions. That is why their current predicament seems a lot like the one from months ago.

 

[Stevedore100]

My take: the bondage thing with Elena/Aphrodite is a dream.
Andrew losing the money is either the big issue, or how he lost it is the issue. I have no idea which.

Rank speculation time:
Marina and Andrews trip to Greece is less than innocent. Whether on the part of Andrew or Marina, or both, I have no idea. I also speculate Nikos is in on it, and that would favor the money issue.

It is Nikos who proposes this whole insane scheme. It is Nikos who breaks Joel's glasses - later we find that Seferi and bald guy are looking for Andrew (money??), so Joel may have been able to recognize Andrew early on so Nikos breaks his glasses until he gets a better disguise. And police guy knows Nikos and seems to have somewhat adversarial relationship - was Nikos protecting Andrew from the police as well? I think the plan goes south at some point and Andrew unexpectedly becomes Elena, why, how are open questions.

 

[hobojoe22]

Aphrodite's Mirror (Chapter 23 part 6)

 

[hobojoe22]

A Sweet Change 2

 

[Thalantyr]

Rank speculation time:
Marina and Andrews trip to Greece is less than innocent. Whether on the part of Andrew or Marina, or both, I have no idea. I also speculate Nikos is in on it, and that would favor the money issue.

It is Nikos who proposes this whole insane scheme. It is Nikos who breaks Joel's glasses - later we find that Seferi and bald guy are looking for Andrew (money??), so Joel may have been able to recognize Andrew early on so Nikos breaks his glasses until he gets a better disguise. And police guy knows Nikos and seems to have somewhat adversarial relationship - was Nikos protecting Andrew from the police as well? I think the plan goes south at some point and Andrew unexpectedly becomes Elena, why, how are open questions.

I had the exact same thought: that Marina and/or Andrew are running some sort of con to recoup their lost money. But it doesn't make sense for Nikos to be in on it because their first dinner is just immediate family and no one brings up the con. So unless they're all concealing it from Eva and Sofia, Nikos isn't in on it either. So my initial thought was that Marina and Andrew were conning Nikos, and perhaps the deal from Toska is a scam. However, there are too many internal thought bubbles from both pre-memory loss Andrew and Marina that don't really make sense if they're running a con. So I think this theory is probably debunked already, unless there is some extremely specific aspect of it that makes the thought bubbles fit.

 

[Stevedore100]

I agree with you on most of this. Which is why I think it's possible that it is only one of Andrew or Marina involved. Then the initial meeting dinner makes sense. I'm betting on Andrew (Andrews attempt to learn Greek beforehand comes in mighty handy here)