SPOD

SPOILER WARNING! This article contains spoilers from the novel

This article is about Secretive Plotter and Oldest Dream. You may be looking for the ship between Yoo Joonghyuk (1864th Regression) and Kim Dokja.

SPOD
Art by Seine_POPO on Twitter
GENERAL
Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint
Character	Secretive Plotter
Character	Oldest Dream
Canonical?	Fanon
Status of Relationship	Note:this ship can be viewed as romantic or familial depending on the reader's interpretation Former antagonism on Secretive Plotter's side; living together alongside the 999th Gang in another worldline
IN FANDOM
Type (?)	Slash
Also Known As	그분걔, SPMAD, Joongdok, ODSP

1

❝

[Constellation 'Secretive Plotter's' ▪️▪️ is 'Most Ancient Dream'.]

—Chapter 515: The Most Ancient Dream (4).

SPOD is the slash ship between Secretive Plotter and Oldest Dream from the Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint fandom.

Canon

Both characters are depicted as gods, with Secretive Plotter being an outer god and Oldest Dream as the most powerful entity in the entire story. Their pasts are not extensively detailed in the novel, which is a common characteristic they both possess.

During his journey, Secretive Plotter learns about Oldest Dream—the existence he believed was acting as his sponsor—was also the reason that the <Star Stream> and the scenarios existed in the first place. Upon getting this knowledgement that his sponsor was the main cause of his extended suffering caused him to become furious and he vowed to end their existence. In his last round (1863th Regression), however, upon making it to the Dokkaebi King and losing all of his comrades in the process, he learned from the King that he wouldn't be able to cross the Last Wall and reach the Oldest Dream.

There were times when Oldest Dream was mentioned indirectly by Secretive Plotter by referring to Yoo Joonghyuk from 1864th regression as their "puppet". Although, his identity wasn't revealed till later when KimCom were searching for the Oldest Dream with the intent of stopping his dreams (which meant they had to kill them). However, they fail due to Oldest Dream's rejection of their existence and the impregnatable barrier the boy erected around himself, making KimCom's back away due to his power. Right at that moment, Secretive Plotter emerges from Yoo Joonghyuk's body. The reason that he wasn't affected to Oldest Dream's barrier was due to OD's subconscious belief that nothing would stop the protagonist from the story (Secretive Plotter is actually Yoo Joonghyuk, who is also the protagonist from Ways of Survival). He stopped his mantra of "I am Yoo Joonghyuk" by declaring that he was the true Yoo Joonghyuk and then cut away Oldest Dream's Fables of suffering which kept Oldest Dream entrapped.

The 999th Gang, in turn, appear from Secretive Plotter's shadow, and saw Oldest Dream's Fables, which made them understand that the tragedies that occurred were just a boy's [Oldest Dream] coping mechanism of him imagining a world where he could be happy. They decided to put it to an end by embracing and giving him the companionship and love that drove him to the daydreams and left the subway together, Secretive Plotter included. Later on, the Gang made one last appearance to help 1864th Regression Yoo Joonghyuk escape from the Hounds while bickering about who gets to go to Kim Dokja's school on parent's day, which implies that Oldest Dream now lives the life of a normal and well-loved child.

Fanon

The relationship between Oldest Dream and Secretive Plotter is controversial due to a possible age gap, with Oldest Dream potentially being older than Secretive Plotter as implied in the story. However, the main reason for the ship being disliked by a portion of the fandom is due to Oldest Dream's resemblance, both physically and mentally, to the 15-year-old Kim Dokja. This has led fans to prefer the interpretation of the relationship as more of a father-son dynamic, with the inclusion of the 999th Gang, forming a familial bond for Oldest Dream. In a fan art depiction, all characters, including Secretive Plotter and Oldest Dream, are shown at Oldest Dream's school on parent's day, an event that is canon in the novel. For those not familiar with the novel, there is a tendency to confuse this ship with Joongdok due to similar appearances, although novel fans clarify the differences while striving to avoid spoilers.

While there are instances of romantic shipping between the characters, it is often based on the concept of Secretive Plotter/Oldest Dream being a divine pairing version of Joongdok, the most popular ship in the fandom. Additionally, the romantic interpretation is influenced by the revelation that Secretive Plotter is actually Yoo Joonghyuk after regressing 1863 times, and Oldest Dream is a younger Kim Dokja responsible for creating various world lines in the story. This dynamic made 'Ways of Survival' a fulfilled dream for Oldest Dream. The romantic interpretation is more prevalent in eastern media, particularly on platforms like Twitter. Moreover, due to the mental age difference, some fans are accepting of the romantic relationship between Oldest Dream and Secretive Plotter. As Secretive Plotter finally finds his ◼◼ (end/conclusion), and Oldest Dream finds love and care from the 999th Gang, they are often depicted together with the Outer Gods, although some fans prefer to portray them separately. In contrast to the SPOD ship, fans tend to ship Plotja, which involves Secretive Plotter and the original Kim Dokja, as the latter is not only older but also the reason for Plotter's regression. However, there are also fans who prefer the original Joongdok pairing. In certain fan arts, Secretive Plotter is depicted in his smaller form due to his ability to shrink his body to the size of a child, often leading to scenarios of them going out on play-dates.

The strong dislike for this particular ship is primarily attributed to fans on Twitter portraying it as romantic, often featuring fan art depicting minor-adult and family relationships as romantic, such as examples like GoYuu and ChosoIta from Jujutsu Kaisen. This portrayal is widespread, making it challenging for those who do not appreciate the ship to avoid such content on Twitter, leading to recommendations of avoiding the platform altogether, especially for those seeking to avoid potentially romantic interpretations of the ship. Despite the controversy, this ship remains incredibly popular within the fandom and is ranked as the 11th most written about on AO3, with 310+ works depicting it romantically and 108+ in a general context. Additionally, the name of the ship is also used in family and friendship contexts, not strictly romantic ones.

In fan fiction, SP's aspiration is to have Oldest Dream, despite realizing that he may not be worthy of it due to his character. However, this belief is challenged as Oldest Dream reciprocates the same feelings, and they eventually form a relationship.

Fandom

FAN FICTION

Most Ancient Dream/Secretive Plotter tag on AO3

Most Ancient Dream & Secretive plotter tag on AO3

TUMBLR

SPOD posts on Tumblr

Secretive Plotter/Most Ancient Dream posts on Tumblr

Secretive Plotter/Oldest Dream posts on Tumblr

TWITTER

SPOD hashtag on Twitter

그분걔 hashtag on Twitter

그분걔 posts on Twitter

SPOD (ORV) posts on Twitter

Trivia

• The ship name originates from their intials (SP & OD), forming "SPOD". Note that the characters' names are oftenly depicted by their intials on the fandom (example: Shin Yoosung = SYS).
• If both of their names are searched individually, one of the first results will be the pairing between them (not SPOD, but Most Ancient Dream x Secretive Plotter/Secretive Plotter x Oldest Dream).