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#also 'the walking corpse'

chamerionwrites · 8 months

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Now and then I have a little giggle when I recall that JJ Abrams made Rey Palpatine's grandkid via some sort of nonsensical cloning plot. It's not the worst thing in the ST but I do think it's emblematic of why it's bad. Signifier without substance. Derivative *and* gutless. Tried to rip off ESB without understanding how the Vader reveal works as a narrative beat, gave Sheev spawn, and didn't even have enough courage of their convictions to admit that he fucks.

Like we all know Vader spent two decades pining gloomily after Padmé. But Palpatine? Sheev Palpatine? The guy whose two modes are smiling smug self-satisfied secret smiles to himself and crowing POWER, UNLIMITED POWER? The guy who cackles with maniacal relish anytime he gets to let his hair down and have a lightsaber fight? That guy is a hedonist. Tell me I'm wrong. That man is at all times enjoying the hell out of being irredeemably evil. He is a literal emperor, the vastly powerful and mostly unchallenged ruler of the galaxy, reveling in a victory he spent many years plotting and scheming for. And they had to invent some half-assed narrative afterthought of a cloning program rather than simply allowing us to assume that at some point in the two+ decades between ROTS and ROTJ, that man got laid? The cowardice. The incompetence. The sheer commitment to taking every conceivable L

#sheev probably fucked somebody on the THRONE #what else was he doing? lounging around the jedi temple and giggling to himself? subjecting vader to awful medical procedures for fun?#he has people to rule the galaxy with an iron fist dude is fully living his best life watching operas and doing lil sith research projects #i'm sorry i just find this SO funny. literally what is the point of the cloning shit except the creators nervously wringing their hands #and assuring us that we don't have to contemplate the evil toad man/walking corpse in bed #COMMIT TO THE BIT COWARDS #obvs i'm being a bit facetious but i'm also not #star wars #palpatine #my posts #also #on writing

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fincalinde · 5 months

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you’ve mentioned a few times in your meta that you view nmj as being hypocritical, and i’m inclined to agree with you! would you share some specific quotes from the text that you feel especially support this reading of his character? 👀

It is one of my favourite words to apply to him, isn’t it! I think that’s because a) it’s true, and b) NMJ’s reputation for righteousness (and his belief in his own righteousness) grant an in-universe illusion of consistency that often bleeds through to external readings of him. So I press the point, because it’s fundamental to his character and I usually see it elided or reduced to all-bark-and-no-bite-grumpy-bear-with-a-heart-of-gold fanon NMJ.

And oh yes, there’s an absolute wealth of quotes supporting this. As always, I use the EXR fan translation because I’m old school.

Christ, this got long. Click for more.

It’s all relative, man

First we need to establish what NMJ’s principles supposedly are.

[Nie Huaisang’s] brother, Nie Mingjue, was extremely resolute when carrying out orders, quite renowned in the cultivation world. […] Nie Mingjue had always taught his younger brother with extreme harshness, particularly caring for his studies. (Chapter 13)

[…] he took over the Nie Sect before he even reached twenty, doing everything in a direct, forceful fashion. (Chapter 21)

When he lived, Nie Mingjue was often exasperated by the fact that his brother didn’t meet expectations, so he disciplined him strictly. (Chapter 21)

In spite of Nie Mingjue being a junior to Jin Guangshan, he conducted himself in a strict manner and refused to tolerate Xue Yang no matter what. (Chapter 30)

Without any hesitation, Nie Mingjue scolded, “Drinking the water he brought you while speaking such spiteful words! Did you join my forces not to kill the Wen-dogs but to make idle talk?!” (Chapter 48)

“A proper man should carry himself with proud righteousness. There’s no need to care for the talk of those idlers.” (Chapter 48)

As we can see, NMJ is all about righteousness, but we don’t get too many details confirming what that righteousness entails. We’re expected to make assumptions based on context: that his values are in line with the ideal values of his society, and that he’s living his life according to those principles (and enforcing said principles on others).

This is worth keeping in mind. We know NMJ is ‘righteous’. We know, in a general sense, what societal standards for morality are in this setting and we see the tension between society’s theoretical standards, its actual standards, and the moral frameworks of characters such as WWX and LXC. And there’s tension between those standards and NMJ’s moral framework, too. But though WWX attempts (and fails) to opt out and LXC attempts (and fails) to find a better way through open conversation and consideration of context, their failures are not due to hypocrisy but instead larger forces at play. In other words, they go up against society and society wins.

NMJ has a problem with society too, but for him the problem is not with its rules and assumptions—it’s with the individuals who make it up. He has no problem with the system. To NMJ, the system is a good thing. If only the people in it would rigidly conform to the rules, everything would be fine. And an outlook like that can only ever lead to hypocrisy, not just because human beings and their actions don’t fit into rigid categories, but because by not attempting to navigate the system (LXC, JGY, JC) or even attempting to opt out (WWX, LWJ, XY), NMJ positions himself above society, as a moral arbiter.

This is why he feels entitled to upbraid JGS, who is a generation above him. It’s why he feels entitled to harass and attempt to murder JGY for not being loyal to NMJ over and above his filial duty to his father. These actions are after he’s reached the point of no return with the sabre spirit, yes, but they didn’t come out of nowhere. It’s just the nadir of a path he’s been on presumably his entire life.

All the information is on the task

NMJ is very good at bending his supposedly rigid principles when it’s convenient for him, while not offering any grace or understanding to others who do the same. And ‘others’, let’s be real, usually equates to JGY. The horror vortex of NMJ’s obsession with controlling JGY really cannot be escaped.

Let’s start with the biggie. JGY is naturally the one who calls NMJ out, because he’s the only one who can see the emperor has no clothes, and by clothes I mean leg to stand on.

“But, Brother, I have always wanted to ask you something—the lives under your hands are in any regard more than those under mine, so why is it that I only killed a few cultivators out of desperation and you keep on bringing it up, even until now?” (Chapter 48)

“Are you saying that all of the people you killed deserved their deaths? […] Then, may I ask, just how do you decide if someone deserves death? Are your standards absolutely correct? If I kill one but save hundreds, would the good outweigh the bad, or would I still deserve death? To do great things, sacrifices must happen.” (Chapter 48)

Chifeng-zun, my man, he has nailed you. The point is not to start drawing equivalences in quite the way JGY is doing—I would certainly argue that if you’re killing undeserving people for the greater good you’d better have one hell of a greater good to be aiming for, even in the crapsack world of MDZS. JGY’s argument is partly a numbers game, but I want to set that aside, because it’s a distraction from his core point, to which numbers are irrelevant: can NMJ truly justify every single murder he has ever committed? Because if he can’t, he’s condemned by his own supposed standards. Note JGY’s use of the word ‘absolute’. NMJ is a moral absolutist! Is he absolutely sure? And if he is sure, does it matter that he’s sure? Why is his certainty more important than anyone else’s?

NMJ never once grapples with these questions. If he did, he might be able to pull the teeth of his own hypocrisy by acknowledging it and engaging with it. But of course he’s not capable of that, certainly not by the time of this scene.

And speaking of NMJ’s hypocrisy re: who does and doesn’t deserve to die…

“Very well! I’ll kill myself after I kill you!” (Chapter 49)

But Roquen, you cry! NMJ says such an utterly mad thing because he’s battered and beaten and not thinking clearly, not to mention past the point of no return with the sabre spirit as he’s been cultivating with resentful energy intensely throughout the war! That’s why he walks it back after LXC intervenes!

To which I say: it is almost as though context matters!

And yes, I’m aware of the context. I’m aware that just before this bit of dialogue the narrative claims JGY pointing out ‘if I hadn’t killed them you’d be dead’ is a subtle way of saying ‘you can’t kill me because you owe me your life’ as though that’s purely manipulative rather than being, you know, true. ‘Even if you refuse to accept I acted for the best, please don’t kill me and I’m going to subtly remind you that you owe me to maximise my chances of getting you to not kill me (after I just risked my life to save yours when it would have been 100x better for me personally if you died)’ is hardly an outrageous position.

It’s interesting, though, isn’t it, that NMJ never again mentions taking his own life as a matter of principle, despite the fact that he subsequently attempts to murder JGY again for the apparently unforgivable crime of … not being able to overrule his abusive father about XY, and then having the temerity to complain to LXC about NMJ’s attempt to murder him.

Obviously the Jin are a huge threat after the war, but these are all pretty feeble reasons for piling on JGY. Sure, maybe JGY would also have tried to protect XY if JGS weren’t around, but the fact is that JGS is around and he’s calling the shots. Besides, once JGS is out of the picture JGY has no issue disposing of XY (with Dr Evil levels of ineptness, apparently), so that’s a fairly decent indicator he’s not ride or die. As for the fact that JGY is making nice to NMJ’s face but complaining behind his back, well. Regardless of any genuine desire to vent to his only friend, I have no doubt he was indeed trying to drive a wedge between NMJ and LXC as a strategic move. But is it wrong of him to do so, considering NMJ is a genuine and present threat to his life and LXC is just not getting it? And does any of the above, including his struggle to maintain his position and all the other work he does for his father mean he deserves death—immediate, extrajudicial and violent death?

Let me put it this way. NMJ is making JGY responsible for his father’s actions and his father’s orders—the question of whether JGY is on board with his father’s instructions is academic, because he has no choice in the matter. JGY cannot opt out of his situation. The only opt out is death, and that is not a meaningful choice because no one else is getting vilified for having the audacity to fight for their place in their world rather than lie down and die. And even if JGY really were a cackling supervillain 100% on board with his father’s diabolical plans, NMJ’s focus on him to the exclusion of JGS is driven by emotion and not by a rational evaluation of the morality and logistics of the situation.

And when he’s insisting that JGY deserves death (and trying to mete it out to him) NMJ never again considers for a moment whether, if JGY really deserves to die, then maybe he does too.

As a third example, to make it a hat trick, we have this:

However, Jin Guangyao wasn’t his subordinate anymore. Only after they became sworn brothers would he have the status and the position to urge Jin Guangyao, like how he disciplined his younger brother, Nie Huaisang. (Chapter 49)

“Brother, it really was my father’s orders. I couldn’t refuse. Now. if you want me to take care of Xue Yang, what would I say to him?” (Chapter 49)

NMJ is perfectly aware that according to the rules of their society and the moral framework he himself subscribes to, JGY’s highest authority is his father. But NMJ can’t accept that. He thinks he should be the ultimate authority over JGY, and though he couches it in moral terms about wanting JGY to follow the correct path, what he really means is what he himself considers to be the correct path. As always, he doesn’t listen to JGY’s perfectly valid points about how it’s not possible for him to do the ‘right’ thing as he just doesn’t have that kind of authority and will only end up making his own life worse. I don’t have a quote demonstrating this, but considering everything we know about NMJ, I think we can infer he would not take kindly to JGY ordering NHS to do something futile and self-destructive in the name of the correct path, purely on the grounds that JGY is now his elder brother.

I’ll acknowledge again that JGY is absolutely an accomplice in his father’s schemes, and the originator of a fair few of them since he’s politically gifted. But it’s just not possible to untangle JGY’s complicity from his need (and his right!) to survive. NMJ is correct to be concerned about JGY as a risk, because he’s a huge asset to JGS. But once again, making JGY a target is not the moral or even the sensible thing to do. We know JGY enjoys aspects of what his father asks him to do. We also know that once his father is out of the picture he gets rid of XY, purges the Jin of corruption and pushes through the watchtower project. When he has agency as a clan leader he doesn’t follow his father’s political agenda to the letter, to say the least! So there is certainly a large dollop of truth in his claims that he has no choice and he’s unhappy and vulnerable.

And then a bonus, something not linked to JGY to demonstrate that NMJ’s hypocrisy extends beyond his personal vendetta.

Nie Mingjue spoke coldly. “If she responded with only silence and not opposition when the Wen Sect was causing mayhem, it’s the same as indifference. She shouldn’t have been so disillusioned as to hope that she could be treated with respect when the Wen Sect was doing evil and be unwilling to suffer the consequences and pay the price when the Wen Sect was wiped out.” (Chapter 73)

Charming. Funny how NMJ says this after spending the war fighting on the same side as the guy who invented demonic cultivation and controls an army of desecrated corpses, violating every possible social and cultural principle they have. But the Sunshot Campaign would have failed without WWX’s contributions, so I suppose NMJ thought that compromise was acceptable. It’s all right for him to stay silent and not oppose WWX, since WWX has been useful to his own agenda. What’s not acceptable is staying silent when the consequence is your own violent death and literally no good whatsoever being achieved thereby.

Aside from being a hypocrite, NMJ is also pathologically incapable of self-reflection.

Finish him!

At the end of the day, NMJ’s principles are inherently contradictory because he’s living in morally relative world where the narrative expects us to take context into account and root for a protagonist who brutally tortures his enemies to death and a romantic lead who find+replaces his ethical framework with ‘Wei Ying’.

It is simply not possible for NMJ to be both righteous and rigid, so when he chooses to be rigid he foregoes being righteous. Even in his moments of flexibility, he continues to apply harsh standards to others that he refuses to apply to himself. That’s what makes him a hypocrite. He isn’t a bastion of absolute morality in a sea of corruption. He’s in denial about the nuanced reality he’s living in, and placing himself on high as a moral authority with no actual mandate. Hypocrisy inevitably results, and the consequences are hugely damaging to everyone around him.

#ask #thatswhatsushesaid #roquen meta #like i said he is FASCINATING #but in a horrifying kind of way #i should also sling in the tags a clarification #that i literally do not care that wwx has an army of desecrated corpses #i'm just pointing out that like you know #it's relevant #if i applied my actual real life moral standards to this text #i wouldn't be able to engage with it all #bc everyone is a walking war crime

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merge-conflict · 6 months

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I was embarrassingly cringe fist-pumping and laughing with superiority to hear these lines, even though they aren't exactly rocket science concepts that I reverse-engineered here, y'know?

It’s how it’s supposed to go. Some gonk kid dies in Nicaragua and Johnny Silverhand wakes up in NUSA. Built– just like the tower. An entire fucking spectacle, for the world to see. For the world to wake up.

Just... it's good to confirm that that's how Johnny sees it too. The person he used to be died, and then he became someone else. But then he died again, so I wonder sometimes... how does he see himself now? How many resurrections is he going to live through?

#cyberpunk 2077 #phantom liberty spoilers #phantom liberty #johnny silverhand #just all the talk about walking corpses. ghosts. dead men. the hauntings. the importance of name and identity. painful rebirth #sometimes I feel like I'm going insane you know?#absolutely feral #sorry if this has been analyzed before I'm still playing through so I'm still being cautious about spoiler tags and going thru folks backlo #also offtopic but he looks so good in this sunbeam. grimy catboy

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unknownarmageddon · 8 months

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Who in the hell are you

Dust belongs to Ask-Dusttale Horror belongs to Sour-Apple-Studios

Death’s Doorstep (this band au) belongs to me

When he was a teenager, roughly seventeen, Horror joined an underground fighting ring to get money to feed his brother, and himself. In hindsight it definitely wasn’t the smartest of decisions, but it paid well if, and he was god at it. And he was desperate.

He went about his business for months. Maybe a year or two. He didn’t keep track.

Then one of his opponents decided to fight dirty. In the ring they pulled a pipe on him they had found god knows where. Weapons of any kind were contraband.

Before he could really even think they had bashed Horror over the head with it, effectively caving in a part of his skull and knocking him unconscious. When he came to he was surrounded by utter anarchy as his attacker was being restrained, though far from willingly. A mob of people swarmed around him in a panic. There was shouting, god there was so much shouting. Horror could barely see or think through the blood pouring out of his head.

He, somehow, managed to pull himself to his feet. He burst through the commotion and out of the building. He eventually found himself stumbling aimlessly through a sudden downpour past houses with covered windows. He wondered to himself how he wasn’t dead. Though he wouldn’t have be surprised if he dropped to the concrete right then. He stopped at the first house he saw with any sign of activity; its garage was open. There, he met eyes with another skeleton with a broken guitar in his hand.

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ladyblacklavender · 10 months

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Rest in Peace Melanie Ravenswood you would’ve loved Ethel Cain.

Finally back on my BS after having loved Phantom Manor since I was 8. Definitely think this story has the potential to be something incredibly captivating if done well (dark and gritty and taking no prisoners when it comes to its themes of murder, Victorian class hierarchy etc.… if Disney+ weren’t such wusses).

Also welcome my theory of “are the ghosts and the phantom really there or are they all figments of Melanie’s imagination?”

#wanted to also interpret the southern gothic nicole dollanganger ethel cain aesthetic to her #flies dirty dress wilting flowers the lot #cos let’s be real #if she was really wondering around that house for all those years that getup is going to STINK #walking corpse-esque #my art #melanie ravenswood #phantom manor #phantom manor fan art #haunted mansion #disneyland lore #disneyland Paris

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sasukimimochi · 1 year

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Part 1 (you are here). Part 2 Part 3 (in progress) ...

Rated Teen Characters: Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, Wen Yuan/Lan Yuan

Overall Warnings (will be updated if i notice one that i didn't list along the way): -WWX is a corpse which means corpse-like things will probably be described at times. I'm not sure if i will, but i'm putting this here for a warning. -Less of a warning more of a statement: There will not be any corpse "spice." (aka🔞) so don't expect any. Corpses/Fierce corpses canonically cause corpse poisoning and he's not in the condition for it. mainly tho, i personally don't want to add it here. -Graphic depictions of injury (and maybe scars in the future, not sure yet).

Art/more info for this fic can be found in my masterpost. (including the art in the tdkw banner but the full thing)

Alright let's call it there and get into part 1!

Part 1

· ✦ Too Late ✦ ·

Lan Wangji stumbled through the streets of Yiling, leaning heavily on his sword as he did. Wei Wuxian couldn’t be dead. There was just no way. He was strong, he was the Yiling Laozu, Wei Ying…!

He collapsed unexpectedly to his knees on the empty streets and grimaced, and only then did he take a moment to endure a moment’s rest. He was so, so tired…thankful at least that he wouldn’t be bothered as long as his brother didn’t find out he’d slipped away from Gusu or someone didn’t leave their home at the wrong time. Leaving at night was a bane and a boon all at the same time.

The cold, sticky feeling of blood rubbed against his back as he breathed, the bandages now itchy and uncomfortable from the repeated motions and tearing of his wounds.

The sound of low, raspy humming in a familiar tune took his attention away, lifting his head to gaze into the nearby forest. “Wei Ying?”

Following his siren song, Lan Wangji shook as he brought himself to his feet. He grimaced in pain, taking a few shallow breaths but never able to breathe too deeply lest a fresh wave of pain wrack up his spine. The ache in his back forced him to stop routinely, but he couldn’t give up now… The melody was so close.

He pushed forward, stumbling into dense foliage and pushing it aside with more effort than was usually necessary. “Wei Ying…?” His body froze, pupils shrinking in shock.

Sitting upright against a tree in the distance was a corpse holding a young child, and not just any corpse and child. It was Wei Wuxian with Wen Yuan. Calmly drifting around the corpse was a thick resentment, moving like a living thing protecting its young, twirling and drifting languidly to the melody. The moment the two were stumbled upon though, the humming came to an abrupt halt and the resentment curled around the two protectively.

Despite Wei Wuxian not turning his head nearly as quickly as he usually would to figure out who had stumbled upon them, the resentment reared itself almost like a feral animal in defense, giving the two a wide berth from the Lan as he stumbled back a couple steps and grimaced painfully.

“...Wei Ying…A-Yuan?” Lan Wangji managed, his heart throbbing painfully at the sight.

He was too late.

A calm seemed to come to the resentment, but Lan Wangji didn’t notice. He fell to his knees and held a hand to his face, body shaking as he no longer felt the determination to support his weight.

The quiet sound of shuffling robes and uneven footsteps passed the jade’s ears unheard, that is until he heard the thud of a body falling in front of him. He lifted his head, blurry vision meeting the dark figure before him. Wei Wuxian had approached and fell to his knees before him, his face uncharacteristically expressionless and eyes a ghostly white, but…something soft was there. Worried. It was like…

“Lan…Zhan…”

Lan Wangji stiffened, eyes wide as the corpse of his friend lifted his hand to wipe away the tears on his face in very slow movements. Despite having little to no motor control, Wei Wuxian was conscious.

“Wei Ying??” Lan Wangji brought his hands up to the other’s face, eyebrows furrowed by the lack of change. Wei Wuxian’s lip twitched and his eyes might have squinted slightly, but it was nothing like the bright face he’d once known. Something told Lan Wangji though that despite his condition, the other was still able to feel and see the things he used to at some level- just with a stiff, painless body.

“Mnh…it’s…Wei Ying.” His voice was crackly, deep, and slow. Kind of like he had to think about what he needed to say before it exited his mouth. He pulled away though when Wen Yuan shifted in his arms, leaning his head down to nuzzle against the nervous toddler. “Little…radish. protect…”

Lan Wangji nodded. “You…you did so well, Wei Ying. Really…” He strained not to cry again, but let out a shuddering breath instead. “We should take you somewhere safe…if someone sees either of you, you’ll be in danger…”

“I won’t…go to Gusu…” Wei Wuxian pulled the boy closer, his eyes managing to narrow some while his resentment swirled around him in agitation.

“I won’t make you…let’s go somewhere else, just anywhere out of sight…” Lan Wangji pursed his lips and furrowed his brow as he struggled to get up, trying to renew his vigor to move, however Wei Wuxian reached up slowly to hold onto the others clothes with a hand. The motion wasn’t forceful at all, not that Wei Wuxian could be forceful. It seemed most of his power laid in the resentment circling his body now.

“Rest first…” Wei Wuxian slowly let go of the other’s clothes as the man settled back down, face pale in his strain. “What…happened?”

“...” Lan Wangji frowned, averting his eyes slightly. “It’s not important. Your safety…we should prioritize.”

“I’m fine…” The corpse sat back on the ground with a thump, eyelashes lowering to the boy playing with his ribbon. He seemed to be processing something, but eventually dropped the thought, lifting his glazed eyes back up to the injured man. “Lan…Zhan. Should…go home.”

Lan Wangji shook his head. “I won’t go. Not until you’re somewhere safe.”

“Nowhere safe.” Wei Wuxian spoke in low tones, slowly adjusting his arms to hold Wen Yuan against his shoulder. “I'll… protect.”

Lan Wangji’s heart broke further if possible, pursing his lips in an attempt to stifle any more tears. “Let me help you. Please, Wei Ying…”

“You’re hurt.”

“…”

“I might…be dead,” Lan Wangji flinched subtly at the words the corpse utters. “But…not stupid.” The face Lan Wangji makes has Wei Wuxian amend his words slightly after some quiet thought. “...after we hide…you go…recover.”

Lan Wangji nodded slightly, though his head felt like lead.

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danidoesathing · 1 year

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in hindsight Buck Vernon is such a funny character. like his whole story starts off with his ass getting dumped but not even realizing it. he goes across the country searching for her and doesn't have any luck until he goes to a random fortune teller (who later admits to scamming him) and takes her vague bullshit to heart which leads him to get caught in the middle of a wild drug ring and he may have accidentally set off a war between said drug dealers and a gang of arsonists that was founded by an undead biker dude. he once bumped into said undead biker dude at a night club while running from the cops. he can see/talk to ghosts and it's never explained why and he doesnt even make a big deal of it. he ends up finding a corpse in the middle of the road and goes "well shit someone has to bury the guy". when said corpse gets up and asks for a smoke buck just. gives it to him and starts having a chat with him. he cant lie for shit and gets caught like every single time but still manages to get out of every situation alive. he once beat up a drug dealer in the back of an arcade. he got black brained which kills every other character it happened to and just. didnt die somehow?? he's killed at least two people and doesn't even blink. when he found his ex and got dumped a second time he just. got up and walked off with a bullet wound in his leg. he presumably lived and proceeds to write weird sad love songs for the rest of his life.

hes the most pathetic noir protagonist ive ever seen. there's something deeply wrong with him. i want to study him