[Report This]Date: May 18 2023 5:01 AM Title: Return of the Living NEET
This chapter drew a couple of interesting (and maybe weird) parallels in my head.
First, that carrot and stick bit from Celia had some damn near biblical vibes, like some Jesus in the desert shit (an odd comparison to make regarding a fetish story, I know). I don't know, maybe it was how hollow what she was offering John truly was, maybe it was her desperation that comes through in that moment, or maybe it was something about that last line, "All these things I can give to you," but that's where my mind went as I read that part. In any case, Celia makes for a fantastic devil.
The other odd comparison I thought of was when John admitted he loved Barb and rejected Celia, as that "moment of calm clarity" reminded me a bit of the "rebirth" scene from V for Vendetta (both the book and the movie, as that was one of the few scenes that I thought they nailed in the movie adaptation). John yelling "YES!" when he knew what Celia would do to him was very much a "Thank you, but I'd rather die behind the chemical sheds" moment. He realized what was truly important to him, and he refused to let Celia take that last inch from him. It was a powerful moment.
Backtracking just a bit, I also really liked Celia's method for trying to break John's resistance. "Just ask me nicely, just ask me not to drop you ..." On the surface, it seems like it wouldn't be a big deal. But making him accept her help, even if she was the one threatening him at the same time, that's some hardcore psychological shit. It almost would have been better for John if she had made him call her goddess or something. Instead, he had to acknowledge that he needed her, even if it's just to protect him from herself. That's a fucking power play! It also set up the "sweeter" part of the pitch to John as well.
Oh, and throwing in that nickname, Johnny, in the middle of it just gave the whole thing a more personal, intimate feel.
Also, that whole thing made it pretty clear how much Celia needs someone to accept her and/or how little she thinks of most of the rest of the people in the mall. I mean, Cassie kind of did before Celia tried to kill her, and Peter pretending to do so seemed to placate the cheer captain, but it's almost like the blind obedience of everyone else doesn't matter to her. Maybe it's John's resistance against her or maybe it's her just trying to take what Barb had (Bullying 101), but she was really trying HARD to win John over.
Rhames showing off both his brawn and his brain was a nice touch, too. He kicked the shit out of John and killed a giant zombie, but it was his logic that broke John down. It was over as soon as John said everyone deserved to die, which he obviously didn't mean/ hadn't thought through. Rhames' reasoning for following someone like Celia was solid, too, and it also gave us a bit of insight into the darker side of how this world worked before the apocalypse.
And I wondered earlier in the story which side he would take when the shit hit the fan. I should have known from that start that Rhames plays for Rhames' side only.
I was wondering how Barb and Cassie were going to try to win over the cheer squad, and the radio bit was fun. Yeah, they lost the element of surprise by doing that, but I think the numbers game would have caught up with them pretty quickly otherwise. And Barb letting all of them know that she was willing to kill for John was intense, and, as I was talking about parallels above, that lined up with John being willing to die to stay loyal to her quite well.
I'm both excited and a little bummed that we're approaching the climax. Of course, if I get lost along the way, I can always ask Cassie for directions. She's been getting there for most of the story.
Author's Response:
The biblical allegory is very much intentional, the last temptation of John as it were lol. Celia, like the Devil with Jesus, is ultimately offering something very hollow, the kingdoms of the earth in all their glory, which I think ties into what George Romero himself was trying to say with the characters and the mall back in Dawn of the Dead. "What have we done to ourselves?" Fran asks. Similarly their makeshift family is ultimately destroyed fighting over material possessions neither they nor the bikers can use. "All these things I can give to you," and none of them are worth anything to a person who sees them for what they are, as John does, as any person who makes it that far in the zombie apocalypse does. I feel like thees themes of materialism and consumerism are inherent to any apocalypse story, zombies or not, and from the beginning I had an odd temptation of Christ scene in mind. Is this going too deep for a silly fetish story? Probably, but even with all the deep thoughts we're all having fun and that's what really counts here, right?
Celia's final sexual temptation was, as you said, meant to be a final rejection of sorts, it actually takes Celia's temptation to push John into the realization that he loves Barb.
Also like you said Celia needs someone to accept her as an absolute goddess, even with all the power and wealth she has in the apocalypse, even being queen of the world, it isn't enough. John is a very present and poignant reminder of something she can't just HAVE, and it drives her to near insanity.
Rhames is a different sort of foe, like you said he's the very soul of brutal pragmatism. In a different time, a different place, he'd be the hero of this story.
Barb's announcement on the radio, that she's willing to kill, is 100% meant to be a parallel to John's own journey, that he's willing to die for her.
Yes the ending is coming, but I think you'll enjoy it.