#at least that how i imagine it would be for chani

[drowofbhaal]

If intimacy is a new concept for Astarion, can you imagine how it would be for Durge? For followers of Bhaal, affection equates to violence and murder; it would be hard to piece together what their version of intimacy would be beyond sexuality and pain.

They would learn about hugs, cuddles, nuzzles, kisses, and other cute forms of affection. They would also learn what pet names the other liked and what the other's love language was.

The two of them would be like teenagers all over again.

[ghostgirl101]

I just wanna say that I am SO excited for the part 2 to your Paul Destiny fic. I have so many questions and Im excited to see if they get answered. Like if Paul is pledging his love to the reader then is the romance plot with Chani still relevant? Is the reader still the princess here? Very interesting

Imagine if Paul Atreides claimed you as his destiny: PART Ⅱ of Ⅱ

|| Word Count: 1.7K || Fluff ||

A/N: Honestly, I didn't think this would blow up so much- 1k+ likes??! Thank you all, it's sick 🙃 in answer to your questions, I didn't really specify if the reader (you) are part of a Great House or the Emperor's daughter, or maybe someone else, that's kind of up to your imagination. And yeah, sorry Chani fans, I kind of kicked her to the curb lmao; This is all about you, and so enjoy the second and final part of this destiny trope before I work on some relationship headcanons for Paul and Feyd-Rautha... Requests are open for Dune 2, so don't be shy 📩

You can't escape fate.

It's as real as the Spice that threads through the grains of sand blanketing Arrakis in heavy, warm golden waves. It twists and turns in the air, in the tides of change, something beyond understanding roping together reality and its lives to bond, whether in love or hate.

At least, with the newly ascended young Emperor, you know which side you're on. Since the day of his declaration and claiming of you as his Empress, you've never once left his sight, unknowingly or not. The boy is almost ridiculously close and observant, as if testing the depths of the events unfolding around him, testing to see whether you'll try to run from them, from him. But you can't run from fate, either.

"You aren't resting."

Paul's soft, low voice slices through the silence of the dusk, the only words you hear before you feel his warm, firm arms slipping under your arms and around your middle, pulling you into his front in a smooth, protective motion. His chocolate brown locks tickle your neck and cheek as he gazes up at you from your shoulder; wandering, curious eyes study yours knowingly, his natural hues tainted blue with the Spice.

"What troubles you?"

You hesitate in your response, unsure of the right thing to say. There's no point in lying, not to him, to a boy who could easily use the power of his Voice to make you tell him everything and anything with just a few words. He's done it to the Bene Gesserit, to those who speak out of turn and challenge him cluelessly, but never to you. And something tells you that he never will.

"I'm sorry," is how you answer instead, in a small whisper, trying to read his expression before his reaction.

But all Paul does is give you one of his soft, amused smirks, a brow raising slightly, unconvinced.

"Don't apologise to anyone for anything," he murmurs, his fingers drifting to lock with yours, his hand hot and strong in yours. "We are to be wed, you and I, soon. So what troubles you?"

"It's not you," you tell him as earnestly as you can, his eyes capturing yours and holding them as you blink up at him. "I'm just... nervous."

"Nervous?" Paul repeats gently, his hands squeezing yours for a moment, his face an inch away from yours. "What have you to be nervous about?" He grins slightly, not attempting to hide his teasing amusement. "A wedding?"

You can't help but smile at his tone, savouring the unguarded moments of the new, young Emperor, his boyish traits lingering beneath the newfound power and promises passed down to him.

You were nervous, because you weren't so familiar with destiny and its quirks, and yet, Paul Atreides seemed to be its master. Nervous, because although there was a strange pull between you and him, a deeper part of you somehow knowing him, at an instinctive ease with him, you had never met him before these past few days, and now, you were going to be joined together for time indefinite by marriage. Nervous, because he didn't just want you to rule with him, but alongside him, as a partner, a second part of him. His second half who's with him in soul, not just spirit, physically, not just mentally. And he's relishing in it.

"I've never had one before," you shake your head with a light smile, "I don't know what to expect. Or what's expected of me."

Paul hums to himself at your reply, pausing for a while as he thinks over his words.

"It isn't just a wedding," he tells you quietly, "it's so much more. This... this a beginning. A new dawn."

"Beginning?" You echo in bemusement, looking up at him in wonder. "Of what?"

"Of a new era," Paul says thoughtfully, his hands moving from yours to run over and down your sides, tracing over your figure absentmindedly, a gesture that makes you hold your breath for a beat as you watch him, "the first of many. You are more than a mere future. You're the future. My future. And the future of my people."

The sincerity and conviction in his voice makes you stare back at him in slight awe, taken by his certainty of what he's seen in the deepest stretches of his mind, the flickering images of you, adorned in all your natural beauty and grace that he could find nothing short of perfect. You were a fantasy and a hope materialised. Someone he'd wished and dreamed for so much, that you came true, just as you should have.

"Anything that happens to you," Paul continues, looking you straight in the eye as he speaks, "happens to me. You have always been mine, and I was yours before then. Absolutely and completely."

And his words make a home in your head, everything he says so poetic and beautifully surreal, but so honest and unwaveringly confident. He didn't need to practise what he said before he whispered the sweet words in your ear, in a voice only you could catch, in the long, warm nights on Arrakis. There was no need for practice. He had been made for this, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

You let yourself relax slightly in his grips, giving him an earnest smile. "That sounds nice."

Paul smiles back at you, a bright, sweet smile that makes him seem so soft and normal, almost forgetting for a moment of his utter strength and glory over the planets, his dangerous darkness that he occasionally allowed to rule over his actions at the tensest of times, until those who stood up against him retreated in bewilderment and fascination and fear.

"It does," he agrees, his gaze dropping to look out at the dunes beyond you, "you can't imagine..."

You couldn't. But every part of you wanted to. And those parts won.

"Won't you tell me?"

Paul's attention shifts back to you after you speak, before you can stop yourself.

"Would it be kind to tell you?" He asks aloud, speaking half to himself as his eyes go to search yours again, studying every inch of you, almost unsettlingly intently.

"Do you dream?" Paul questions you softly, and you dither before shaking your head.

"Not like you do," you answer steadily.

"Like I do. Seeing your face amidst the streaks of sunbeams and every kind of ethereal power that could create wonders, planets, worlds. Waking up, and you're not here, though it felt so real," he goes on, his voice laced with longing, as if it pained him to remember the feeling. "Realer than I've ever felt anything before. Every sense in me was awakened, because with destiny, I saw hope. And I did not know that hope could be so.... beautifully... angelic."

Paul draws closer and closer with each word, pulled by invisible strings to rest his forehead against yours, closing his eyes for a long moment to breathe, breathe you in. The sight of it is almost dizzyingly hypnotic, staring at the little scattered freckles over his fair, lightly tanned skin, cheeks flushed golden. He moves his face to rub his cheek against yours, seeking out affection in an irresistible rare, vulnerable move. Your hand reaches up to brush your fingers against it, and he takes it in his immediately, pressing his lips against your fingertips as he speaks.

"I need you," Paul insists, his voice firm and pressing again as he stares at you with a spark of desperation. "I need only you. More than you can comprehend. By my side, always, where you belong."

"I'm right here," you reply a little giddily, looking away from his eyes slightly bashfully from the intensity and unbridled longing of his gaze. "I suppose I'm just not used to this."

"To what?" Paul questions, his fingers tilting your chin up softly to force your eyes back up to his, his face a little closer than before. "To being an Empress?"

Before you can respond, he's pushed himself closer over you, his warm, damp lips sliding and pressing against yours and parting to encourage you to deepen his affections. It sends hot shockwaves rushing straight through your blood, as Paul crouches over you, all patience and purpose forgotten in the moment where it's just the two of you in the calm, lingering desert night.

You fit together perfectly, too perfectly for his words to be untrue, and his head tilts keenly where your fingers skim his neck, his lips parting from yours as they tangle in his hair with a short gasp. He loses none of his confidence and persistence, his azure blue eyes a shade darker as he watches you with an open trace of adoration.

"A queen?"

"Paul," you start shakily, as he smirks at you fondly, his head ducking to trace his tongue briefly up the skin of your neck, with a faint chuckle.

"To being desired?"

You glare at him weakly, hanging onto his hands tight to find some sense of grounding. "You're just playing with me."

"I intend to do so much more than that," Paul grins at you, kissing your cheek before burying his face against your shoulder. "And so should you. Test the depths of our connection. Push it to its limits. Push me. Please."

You find yourself speechless again at his way with words, simple and truthful, but full of passion and unthought romance, a sensation he's been craving since the first shadows of your being in his hazy dreams and visions.

"Give into your destiny, sweet girl," he croons to you in a whisper, his lips brushing against yours and pressing down against your skin needily, hungrily. It takes almost inhumane strength not to crumble and shiver under his touch and desire radiating off him and his dark glare, the wanting over years of dreams and prophecies building up to its peak. "Give into me."

"I think I will," you whisper back in awe and giddiness, your arms having to hold tightly around his neck to stay upright. "I think I want to."

"That's good," he praises you with a soft smile, as his voice lowers. "And besides," Paul mutters in your ear, nuzzling against your cheek breathlessly, with that subtle, teasing look in his eyes, "I plan on taking you as mine well before the wedding."

══════════════⊹⊱≼ fin ≽⊰⊹══════════════

Taglist (lmk if you want to be added to this for my future Dune fanfics): @minaxcarter @milaeth @ennycutie @weird0o0 @aoi-targaryen @jindongdongie

[todomochi-uwu]

“Hey, you up?”  B.C

Pairing: Bang Chan x reader

Genre: Angst, Smut

Warnings: This content is for a mature audience

Synopsis: Don't wanna end this game Hope it goes for eternity Let's not go official, we can keep the "You & Me" Don't ask, "What are we?"

Author's notes: This is sad and steamy. It's been quite some time, sorry. Hope you like it.

Masterlist 

If you enjoy my work, please consider buying me a coffee ☕

“Hey, you up?”  

Nights like this always start the same. Same message, same reply, same outcome. Every. Single. Time. And every time you end up the same way. Tangled in your cold bed sheets, staring at ceiling, while he’s quick to look for his clothes and get out as quick as possible. A long time ago you had tried to get him to stay, but now you know it is a lost cause. Chan would never stay over, because staying over is for people in relationships, and he doesn’t do relationships.  

“I’ve never liked labels, if we are having fun, why spoilt it with technicalities?”, he said.  

Things started with you being naive enough to believe that sex would be enough for your fragile heart. Maybe you could get closer to him little by little, you thought, maybe he would grow feelings (well, at least you did) maybe, maybe, maybe...   

Sex with Chan is great, mind-blowing, you’d never had someone who was so focused on your body, on what you like and what sends you over the edge. It was like he had memorized every single nerve of your body, knowing where to touch, where to suck, like or bite. It was everything he did that made you almost addicted to him; the way his fingers would reach places yours could never even imagine; how his tongue and lips seemed to be able to go on forever, never once complaining; the way his hips and his cock would move and thrust sending you into heaven every single time. Chan was a giver in bed, always making sure to put you first while in bed, many orgasms, and blissful hours at a time, but as soon as you were done, he went back to being the same detached man you know.   

And while at first, you could somewhat stand this kind of relationship, it was slowly destroying you on the inside. So, now you lay there, staring at your phone screen, debating yourself. Would it be worth it? At least for a few hours, to be in his arms until your little bubble pops once he’s had his fill. Saving your soul and your mental peace would be a wise decision, but you are weak, weak and in love.  

“Fuck, Chris!” You pulled his hair, his head between your legs, while his lips are wrapped around your clit and his fingers piston in and out of your hole. His other hand keeps your legs open while you thrash them around, unable to keep them still.  

His fingers change into their angle, making you throw your head back, now his tongue kitten licks your small bundle of nerves, “Common, pretty girl. Cum one more time and I’ll fuck you the way you like.” His lips sucked harshly.  

“Oh fuck, oh fuck, please, please, please.” You didn't even know what you were begging for, “Don’t stop, Chan.” Tears threatened to come out, it was too much.   

“You are doing so good, such a good girl, my perfect little slut. Come on, baby cum.” His tongue thrusting itself into you, sending you over the edge. Your back arched and you let out such a sound you were sure the neighbours would complain in the morning, but you couldn't care less right now.  

Eyes closed and desperate for air, your legs numb and a tingly feeling between them, Chan kept lapping at your centre, slurping all your juices, overstimulating you. Your mind was in complete bliss, making you unaware of the producer’s next plans. He was quick to turn you around, grabbing your hips and putting you in four.  

“Fucking hell, you have no idea how much I love your ass.” He said as he spanked your cheeks a couple of times, leaving a dark imprint on both. You moaned and shoved your face into your pillows, you could feel your juices start to spill down your leg.  

“Please, please, fuck me, Chanie.” You wiggled your hips, trying to entice him.  

He grabbed his cock and rubbed your clit with it, “Yeah? You want my cock, baby?” He pressed it against your cunt, pushing a bit in, but it wasn’t enough, “Beg for it, love.”  

You whined, your skin was on fire, and your legs trembled with need, “please, daddy, I’ve been a good girl, please, please, I need your cock, plea...” You screamed.   

Chan shoved himself with a single thrust. Throwing his head back and grabbing your hips tightly, he didn’t give you any time to get used to. “Shit, you are so fucking tight.” His pelvis banged the tender skin of your ass, his balls slapping your clit, and his cock hitting against your cervix. His rhythm was too much, but you wouldn’t dare escape it.  

He leaned himself into you, put his hand right beside your head. He could see how red your face was, the way your mouth let out at sins and how tears ran down your face. And he was loving every single second of it. “Who is making you feel this good, baby?”  

You couldn't even answer, gibberish and moans came out of you, but that wasn’t enough for you. He changed the angle of his thrusts, hitting a sensitive spot inside you, making you scream, his hand went right to your clit, rubbing it in circles, “Answer me. Who?” You tried once again, but nothing clear came out.  

Tired of this, Chan straightens himself, taking you with him. Your back against his chest, his hand choking your neck while his thrust got even quicker, his mouth right next to your ear. “I know you are nothing but a dumb slut, but I’m talking to you, and I expect an answer. Now.” Thrust. “Tell me.” Thrust. “Who’s fucking you this good?”.  He bit you, marking you.  

“You, Chan!” Your thighs burned and you were so close, your juices now ran down his balls, and you felt like passing out. He pushed you to the bed, pressing himself against your back.  

“This pussy is mine, you hear me? No one else can have it.” His thrusts were becoming quicker, shorter and desperate, he was also close. “Only I get to fuck it, you are my whore, no one else’s.” Thrust. “Don’t you dare forget that.”  

Nonsense and his name kept coming out of you like a prayer, everything building up, until the tight knot in your stomach finally snapped, juices squirting everywhere. He wasn’t there yet, so he kept going, overstimulating you, sending your nerves into overdrive.  

“Just a bit more, Babygirl, hold on, yes, you are such a good girl, goddamn how much I love fucking you. Oh god!” And like that, you felt his warmth filling you up, making you cum once again. Slowly, he pulls his cock out, his seed spilling out of you and into your sheets. Your legs finally give in, and you fall flat out into the mattress.   

Your brain is somewhere else, trying to come back down, and Chan is right next to you. His left arm is in his face, he licks his lips in dehydration, his chest falls up and down quickly and his right hand holds tightly onto your thigh, trying to ground himself.   

And just as fast as Chan comes, he goes. He straightens himself, sitting down at the edge of the bed, he’s quiet and distant, looking for his clothes. Not once does the turn to look at you. “Hey, are you okay?”   

“Yeah.” You whisper, laying on your side, facing away from him.  

“Good.” He pulls his pants up, and his shirt next.   

As he’s about to make his great escape, all reason flies out of your head.   

“Hey, Chris?”  

“Yes?”  

“What are we?”  

You wait a few seconds, but nothing comes of his mouth, you have an answer.   

“Yeah, I knew it. Goodbye, Chris.”  

He doesn’t dare anything else, so he leaves.  

Everything had changed in that second, and you both know it.  

_________________  

It had been weeks since that night. All messages had gone unanswered. You were no longer lying in bed wondering if you should do it, you didn't. It was now Chan who tried to reach out.  

“Hey, you up?”  

“Hey, you up?”  

“Hey, you up?”  

“Hey, umm I don’t know if you are busy, but call me when you can. Or text me.”  

“Hey, baby haven’t seen you in a while. Text me. Please.”  

“Hey, did you change your number, and I forgot to save it or...”   

“Hey, I went to that café you like so much, you are right, it’s really good, we should go once you are not so busy. Text me.”  

“Hey, did I do something? Are you mad at me? Cause if I did, please let’s talk it out.”  

“Hey, listen, I don’t want to lose you over something so stupid. Call me. Please.”  

You can’t lose something you never had; you think. Work and friends kept you busy enough so you didn’t think about him in the day, nights were much more complicated, and there were days you were tempted to go back, longing for him, for his touch and his warmth, but you knew it would only make you feel worse.   

Han was the best friend in the world, taking you out and making you break out of your shell little by little, some days it was a party, others it was just the two of you. Some days you felt like you were at the top of the world, whereas others you could only weep in his arms until you passed out from the pain.  

_________________ 

You looked at yourself in the mirror. Makeup and hair done, high heels and heavy earrings, and even though you were trying to erase that fact from your head, his favourite dress on. Han had chosen it for you, and you couldn’t tell him why you had avoided that specific piece of clothing.   

“You ready, sweetie?” He peeked into the room. You nodded, not sure of it.   

_________________ 

Music was blasting out and bright coloured lights covered the entire place. The drink in your hand had served its purpose, you were drunk. In the middle of the dance floor, Han has his hands on your waist, keeping you close while you dance. He whispers sweet things in your ear, while you giggle. It wasn’t something new, this scene had occurred on past occasions, even escalating, but Han and you never dug too deep into it, kisses and casual affairs had once been part of your friendship, and you both were comfortable with that.  

He turned you around, looking into your eyes, he placed a small kiss on your forehead, next on the tip of your nose, and your lips. A simple peck. You put your hands around his neck, swaying your hips, throwing your head back, enjoying the moment.  

“What you thinking about, pretty?” He whispered against your lips.  

“Nothing in particular.” You whisper back.  

He pulls you closer, your head against his neck, and his lips leave small kisses on yours. You feel at ease.  

Until you open your eyes.   

And there he is.  

A drink in his hand, he’s looking at you. His eyes burned holes into Jisung’s back. All air escapes your lungs.  

“Ji, he’s, he’s here.” You whisper-yelled, your pulse going up.  

“What? Chan? Are you sure?”  

“Jisung, he’s here.” Your tongue twists and your fists tighten around his clothes, “He’s here, I don’t know what to do, I, I, I’m not ready.”   

“Okay, calm down, I’m getting you out of here.” He grabs your hand, quick to push his way through the crowd. You make it out of the place, and the cold air hits you, helping regain your breath. “Okay, give me a second, I’m getting the car, wait here.” You try to protest, but he’s gone before you can.   

You stand there, shivering, praying he doesn’t find you, but you smell his cologne before you can even see him.  

 “I thought you and Jisung were only friends.” His tone is harsh, making you flinch, “Is he the reason you’ve been ignoring me?”  

“We are just friends.”  

“Friends don’t kiss like that.”  

“Yeah? Then what the hell were we doing, Chan? Because we sure as hell were not dating.” Your turned to him.   

“Why haven't you answered my texts?”  

“I’ve been busy.”  

“With him?” Venom spits out of his mouth, he’s way past furious. You know he’s jealous, but that throws you off.  

“No, Chan. I have a life out of our little flings, and you know it.”  

“So, you are too busy to answer me, but aren’t too busy to come here and throw yourself into Jisung?”  

Okay. You are done.  

“What do you want me to say, Chan? You have no right to come here and demand an answer. You are not my boyfriend. You and me, we are nothing.”  

“That’s a damn lie and you know it.”  

“Do I? What are we? Because you made it quite clear, you like me Chan, but you don’t love me.”  

“The fact that I don’t like labels, doesn’t...”  

“Oh, cry me a fucking river, Christopher. You don’t want me, but you also don’t want anyone else to have me. You are so fucking cruel.” You cried, tired of everything, of him, “I need to move on, I need it. Please, let me go.”  

Han's car horn ranged loudly, arriving just in time to save you. “I’ve gotta go. Goodbye, Chris.” Same words as that night, the night he lost you. They ran on Chan’s ears.   

He grabbed your hand, tightly, not wanting you to leave, “please, please let’s talk, I don’t want this to end.” Small droplets came out of his eyes, startling you, but you stood your ground.  

“Chan, let me go please.” You tugged.  

“I don’t want to.” He pulled.  

“Don’t make it even harder, please, my heart can’t take it anymore.” You whispered.  

“Give me a chance, please. I’m begging you.  

“No, Chan. I already know how this will end, and I can’t take it.”  

He shook his head, “please.”  

...  

“Can you promise you will be my boyfriend?” Plain and simple.  

“What?” His eyes widened.  

“Can you promise to give us a title? No more casual sex? Will you make it official?”   

You wait a few seconds, but nothing comes of his mouth, you have an answer.   

“Yeah, I knew it. Goodbye, Chris.”  

Everything had ended in that second, and you both know it. 

[the-writer-is-always-write]

Thoughts on Dune: Part Two

General Impression: I adored this movie from start to finish. Having just rewatched Part One a week ago, it felt like a seamless transition hopping back into the story. The score, the set design, the costumes, all of it was impeccable.

Chani: her character arc was obviously the biggest deviation from the book, and although I felt a lot of surprise watching it unfold, I think some reflection has left me alright with it. I've admittedly only read Dune and Dune: Messiah, but both books are clearly meant to illustrate the dangers of religious fanaticism and the ways that religion and prophecy can be manipulated and utilized as a tool for oppression. While these ideas can (hopefully) be discerned fairly clearly by the reader, I think it makes sense to have an audible voice of dissent in a film adaptation, particularly from someone among the Fremen. The only concern I have is wondering how Denis will handle Dune: Messiah, since the plot sort of hinges on Paul and Chani being together. But I guess that's a worry for later.

MY BOY MUAD'DIB: Timothee is just so utterly perfect for this role, I genuinely could not imagine anyone else doing it with such grace and gravitas. Seeing the gradual spiral of innocent teenager to reluctant leader to religious icon was heart-wrenching. Paul has honestly become one of my favorite fictional characters because his story is so complex and layered with tragedy. He's simultaneously a product of manipulation and coercion, and an angry young man seeking revenge against those who have hurt him. He lacks agency in many ways, yet he still makes decisions that lead to so much destruction. He tries so so hard to avoid the holy war, but it becomes an inevitability he can't escape. Reading Dune: Messiah for the first time a few weeks ago really helped me to understand how the prophecy controlled him as much as he used it to control others. I could literally give a ted talk on this, and how it's such a fascinating take on the messiah figure trope.

Jessica: I saw an article recently where I think Denis called Jessica "the puppetmaster," and I think that's very fitting for her depiction in this movie. I like how it openly shows the manipulation tactics of the Bene Gesserit, particularly how they prey upon the "vulnerable" Fremen first. Rebecca did a fantastic job giving the creep factor.

Feyd-Rautha: I still don't know why Denis had a vendetta against Harkonnen eyebrows, but I guess it was cool? I LOVED the black and white lighting on Giedi Prime, and the arena scene was SO. GOOD. Denis really went for it. Feyd's accent caught me off guard a few times, but overall I think the ruthless and brutal nature of the character really shined through. He's the antithesis to Paul, and I think Denis captured that theme well enough.

I thought all the other characters were well done too. Stilgar was maybe a touch too comic relief-y at times, but nothing catastrophic. Gurney was great, but I would have liked at least one more baliset scene :(

Things we missed: I'm a little bummed we didn't get Harah. I know the movie was already pretty stuffed, but I honestly thought they could have used the actress that played Chani's friend (I can't remember if they ever mention her name). Even if the idea of Paul "acquiring" her was a little icky, they could have done something else with her character at least. I was also sad they didn't do the full funeral scene with Jamis, but oh well. I think the greater omission was Thufir Hawat, but again I can see why they chose to cut him. I just think the dynamic between the Baron and Feyd-Rautha had a lot more friction in the book, mostly because of Thufir conspiring them both against each other.

I'm honestly not upset we didn't get to see freaky-toddler Alia. I was excited for Anya though!

Overall, I really loved this film. No adaptation can get every detail perfect, but I can see the ways that Denis and the actors adored this story and wanted to tell it in a powerful way. I thought the themes stayed true to the book, and I'm really hopeful we get Part Three!

AND THE WORMS. THE WORMS WERE GREAT. LONG LIVE THE WORMS.

[emiliosandozsequence]

okay i'm gonna be very frustrated and angry probably but none of this is directed at you guys i promise!!! i'm just!!!! upset!!!!!!!!!! (tagging you so you see this emily!! 💕 @thesparrow1996 )

let me start off by saying i am not a book purist by any means, but when visual media is being made from a book, i would like it to, at the very least, be telling the same story and that isn't what happened here. it wasn't even telling the same story as the first film in the series.

in the last film, it seemed pretty apparent that paul's visions were going to become a reality and then in this one they Sort Of did that, but Not Really but that isn't even my biggest gripe with it. my biggest gripe is that the last film was telling the story of the book and this film was telling a different story altogether.

my other issue is how chani's character was completely changed. and think is probably because i've been obsessed with her character and the lovestory between her and paul (which is CENTRAL TO THE PLOT OF THE WHOLE SERIES BTW) since i first discovered dune when i was in high school.

in the book, she's supporting paul. she agrees with everything he's doing. she and the fremen all support him because the fact that the bene gesserit are controlling things from the shadows is NOT!!!!! a well known thing!! in fact no one knows that except the bene gesserit!!! OF WHICH CHANI IS CANONICALLY ONE!!!!!! (and even then the bene gesserit are very much a 'knowledge divided' kind of people so no one knows everything about the society) she and irulan are literally narrative foils!!!! like the entire reason i made this web weave was because of how much i fucking LOVE chani's storyline, and because i really love how it shows even the most well meaning of people can fall into the trap of doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. but i suppose it makes less sense to anyone else who hasn't read the book because they also entirely erased the existence of paul's first son.

in the books, paul has a son before he has his twins and that son is murdered by the very last of the harkonnens in a last ditch effort to erase the atreides bloodline. before this, paul is refusing to take the water of life because he has a family and he doesn't want to jeopardize that!! after his son is murdered, he takes the water of life, so he can enact revenge on the harkonnens and start his holy war. by then, he his so distraught that he really doesn't care if his visions become a reality and, while they tried to do this with the destruction of sietch tabr in this film, it does not have anywhere NEAR the same emotional impact because of how it was done (without paul really ever spending any significant time among the people there).

also, as you can imagine, i've got an issue with how they leave this film especially since this isn't even really the full first book and chani and paul's lovestory seems to not be anywhere near as central to the main plot as it is in the books.

all of this is an issue if they want to make further films because they've literally wrecked the storyline with this film. as i said: paul and chani's lovestory is central to the plot. everything happens the way that it does because paul is in love with her and treasures her above everything and, without the existence of his son, without him really seeming to truly care about her, the rest of the story is just going to come across as cheap by comparison.

i wouldn't have had as much of a problem with this if they'd started out the last film by steering it in this direction, but they so very much did not do that. this film really feels like denis villenueve was writing his own fix-it fanfic and that's what i hate about it most.

as for things i did enjoy:

everything on geidi prime; the black sun was so fucking cool. i completely forgot that was a thing from the books. i also loved how the fireworks looked like ink blots

stilgar!!! he's not really like that in the books, but i didn't even care bc it was genuinely funny and i had a good time whenever he was onscreen.

the way chani refused to bow to paul because they're supposed to be equals (you deserve so much better, babygirl, i'm so so sorry for what they've done to your story)

florence pugh did exactly what i thought she would and made me like irulan a WHOLE lot more than i do in the books and the miniseries.

crazy paul and jessica and alia!!! deeply obsessed with their evil family slay

also all the weird family stuff in general, including when feyd and harkonnen made out in front of the whole population of geidi prime

the whole bit with paul learning to ride the sandworm!! that was so fucking good

the part where paul is walking toward rabban out of the fog of the sand on arrakis after he tells muad'dib to come face him. that literally was my fav scene and it was only a few seconds long.

[the-moon-lullaby]

hello! do you have any headcanons of Castiel reaction when Candy is in danger/injured?

Castiel, Rayan & Nathaniel’s reactions to Candy being injured 

N/A : It wasn’t specified in the request in which season of MCL this was supposed to happen so I chose UL (and while I was writing it, I wanted to include Rayan and Nathaniel). I hope this is okay and that you like it anon !

𝙲𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚕 :

As we know, Castiel is often very busy in UL (which was a shame because it kept us from spending quality time with him in the game for most episodes)

Therefore, he doesn’t have much time to spend with Candy (as I just said lol)

His reaction could depend on whether him and Candy are dating at this point or not but in my opinion, it wouldn’t matter much 

It’s obvious that Castiel has a soft spot for Candy no matter what, right ? 

When he hears about Candy being injured, his brain just stop 

He’s a bit in shock as he didn’t expect this and he’d ask immediately what happened 

Then he’d rush to see her, wherever she is (if she’s in the hospital for instance, you can be sure that this boy basically jumped in his car)

He’d feel awful seeing Candy in pain and he’d feel even more awful because he knows he’s often not available for her

Really he’d be mad at himself because he realises that it needed for Candy to get injured for him to clear his schedule and go see her 

He’d promise her that from now on, he’d make more room for their relationship and for her in his life 

Starting by cancelling everything he had planned for the next few days so he could stay by her side 

At this point, he wouldn’t care much if his manager or even the members of the band are pissed at him because yes, his career is important to him but not as much as Candy is 

Also, he knows that if it was him who got injured, Candy wouldn’t have hesitated twice to do so, hence it’s the least he can do

Honestly, he’d take good care of her and would absolutely do anything she asks 

She needs a glass of water ? Give him two-seconds and he’s back with one. She wants to eat or get something but can’t do it herself ? My boy is already on his way

If she got injured because of a domestic accident or anything, he’d tease her a bit about how clumsy and careless she is (that would depend on the gravity of the injury of course)

If it is because she ended up getting involved in Nathaniel’s business while trying to help him, he’s mad af

He’d ask her to stop trying to help this bitch (his words not mine) and tell her to stay away from him (when I say « ask » it’s putting it mildly because the truth is that he basically forbid her to do so and he’d feel guilty about it later as he doesn’t want Candy to think he’s trying to control her. He’s just very worried and he knows that she doesn’t go half way when it comes to help a friend so he’s scared that it could go even worse)

But in the end, they both end up helping Nath somehow so that didn’t work so well, lol

However, he wouldn’t tell Candy about it but he definitely went looking for Nathaniel at some point (and it’s not a declaration of love he yelled at him, as you probably assumed)

𝚁𝚊𝚢𝚊𝚗 :

He would hear about it through Chani

Whether she came to him to justify Candy’s absence for the past classes or whether he asked her himself, that’s how he’d hear about the news

He’d try to keep his composure as Chani briefly explains him the situation and would try to act as any teacher would 

But we know that him and Candy share more than your average teacher-student relationship 

He’d try to wait for his classes to be over to reach out to Candy but he’ll end up cancelling them (and he’d get sermoned by Director Cullan once again but this is the least of his worries for now)

I mean understand him, this probably brought up to the surface some traumatic memories

He already lost in wife in a mall shooting, imagining something happening to Candy is unbearable to him 

He doesn’t want to go through this a second time and not knowing exactly  how she is has been eating him up all day 

Yes because he couldn’t really ask Chani for much details since it would have been suspicious (and he didn’t know that Chani already kinda guessed about their relationship but anyway)

If she’s in the hospital, he’d go see her (but he wouldn’t know what to tell to the receptionist. Like is he supposed to introduce himself as her boyfriend or ?)

But no matter what, he’ll make his way to Candy (even if it cost him to lie and say he was her father, which made the receptionist looked at him weirdly like « you look a bit young to have a grown-ass daughter ??? » but it doesn’t matter, she let him pass whatsoever)

He’d be relieved when seeing Candy and even more knowing that she’s going to be fine

He wouldn’t want to come across as too pushy, especially since she seemed to have been through a hard time (no shit Sherlock) but he’d still ask her to tell him what happened 

If it’s a domestic incident, it’d be alright, he’d take care of Candy as much as he can (let’s not forget that, officially, she’s just a student of his) and would make some arrangements for Candy to receive the classes she missed, and the ones she’s going to miss, online (he’d take care to warn the other teachers about her being incapable to attend their classes and it’d save Candy from having to spend countless email, lucky girl)

If it’s because of Nathaniel, she’d have to tell him the whole story and he’d insist for her to do so. Like if she was assaulted, he’d want her to press charges so that the police take care of it. But if she tells him that she can’t because it’d get one of her friends in trouble, he’d be like « excuse me what ? »

So she’d better tell him because he really don’t get it. How could one of her friends let her get in this situation ??

When he hears the whole story, he’d urge Candy not to get involved further and advise her to completing cut ties with Nathaniel 

But he wouldn’t impose it on her because he knows he has no right (and if she tells him that she can’t give up on her friend, you can be sure that this situation is going to worry him every single day from now on)

Give this man a break pls

𝙽𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚎𝚕 :

- If it happened because of his «  job » (and let’s say it is because I want the angst y’all), saying that he feels bad wouldn’t reflect even in the slightest how he actually feels

He’d be completely shocked and he probably never hated himself more than at this moment 

(And we know he’s already not big on self-love lol. Ok,  that’s sad, I shouldn’t laugh about that, my bad)

Bonus point if Candy got injured with him seeing it or not so far (ok let’s not do that, this would be actually way too sad omg)

But if he wasn’t there at the time, as soon as he hears about it, he’s running miles to go check on her

He’d have to make sure she’s ok or that at least, she’s going to be fine before being able to think of anything else

When he’d see her, he’d be completely silent and would be waiting for the moment where she tells him that she wants him to get tf out of her life 

He’d be so ready for it happen that he can feel some tears threatening to fall down (bbg no)

Imagine his shock when Candy’s actually glad or relieved to see him (if she’s at the hospital and according to what kind of injury she has, she’d probably on painkiller so girly would be happy about anything lol. If you have ever been hospitalised, you know what I am talking about)

If you thought this would make him feel better, you’re wrong. He’d feel even worse because now he’s like « I don’t deserve her » (and he probably felt this way even before the accident/assault/whatever because we know that his self-esteem isn’t at its highest during UL, but now it’s x2)

I’d like to say that he’d stay by her side no matter what but let’s be honest : Nathaniel’s defence and coping mechanism is running away from any issue and hardship he faces (luckily he grows out of it by the end of UL)

So Amber (or Kim ?) would end up being the intermediary between Nathaniel and Candy 

Because even if he’s not around, be sure that he’s constantly asking for news about her (and whether it’s Amber or Kim, they’d be tireddd because bffr Nath, just go yourself)

And he’d want to go himself but he wants to find a solution before (which is why I believe that he’d get involved with the police even quicker if something like that had happened)

You can be certain that this won’t happen again and he’d won’t let this slide either 

He’d finally go to Candy after making an arrangement with Eric to tell her that he’s going to fix everything and that he’ll become someone she deserves to be with 

Afterwards, he’d keep an eye on her anytime, everywhere 

(If you remember, in episode 2 of UL, if Candy refuses to let him walk her home, he follows her to make sure she’d make it safe and sound. Well, now every time he spots her in town, going back to the campus on her own , he’d do the same. He basically her hound dog)

I’d love to write some prompts with this scenario because y’all the potential for angst with this damn (there weren’t that much of it in the game somehow)

I hope you guys liked it !

I am struggling with some requests but some other are almost done so they should be posted very soon !

[sregan]

Thoughts on Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Two" (2024)

Following on from my recent viewing of the first part when it returned to cinemas, I've now been able to apply myself to view the second part also. Once again, in lieu of a proper essay I have merely recorded my impressions in roughly chronological order.

As a reminder I previously wrote about how I might adapt Dune, years before Villeneuve's latest effort, as well as creating some concept art (I am working on my take on Shaddam Corrino IV). I did not re-read the book ahead of my most recent viewing and therefore some of my critique might be inadvertently comparing it to my own ideas on adaptation rather than the source material.

I was amazed and a little aghast that after all the talk of not doing introspection and critiquing the 1984 version's clunky opening narration by Princess Irulan, Villeneuve's Part Two opens with ... a clunky opening narration by Irulan. Perhaps there was a desire to have the 'other woman' do the narration as the first film opened with Chani as our viewpoint character; here we start with the view from the Imperium, introducing the Emperor.

Irulan implies the Emperor loved Leto like a son and is torn up about ordering his death. Was this in the books? When she says 'And the Emperor says' - we are on the edge of our seats, waiting for Walken's dialogue - 'nothing'. I am unsure if this was a clever trick or not. Shaddam here is portrayed as an older man, perhaps infirm, manipulated by those around him and particularly women. This is part of the sexual politics Villeneuve presents to us specifically in Part Two which stood out to me as either peculiarly heterodox for a mainstream modern Hollywood production, or perhaps was intended to be progressive but poorly assembled and unable to overcome Herbert's own (but noticeably different) views - some might say hang-ups - on the sexes.

My sense is very little time has passed on Arrakis since the end of the first film, despite Irulan's narration creating the impression it is old news. The column is still carrying Jamis's body and on its way to the sietch.

This sits oddly with Stilgar's blithe dismissal that the Harkonnen are there for the two Atreides. Are you sure? In-universe that was no more than 72 hours ago (the first night in the desert and the second in Kynes' weather station, with the sun coming up during the Jamis fight). He doesn't know the Baron ordered Rabban to commit genocide against the Fremen, so the logical conclusion is they are still looking for Paul and Jessica.

The opening fight scene seemed interesting, even if I wasn't sure why Paul and Jessica were where they were or why they didn't seem to be armed. Villeneuve seems to have forgotten that at the very least Paul has his crysknife and the gun he used to threaten Stilgar just hours earlier in-universe. I didn't mind the pregnant Jessica clubbing the Harkonnen over the head to protect her son, even though I feel like if this film had been earmarked differently by the usual suspects on YouTube and Twitter it would have been viewed as ridiculous and 'woke' given criticism of the same in games like Wolfenstein II.

As a note: The Harkonnen in the opening scene are now using Sardaukar antigrav tech; I feel this works poorly because we've been conditioned from the first film to associate this with the Emperor's forces, even though they weren't involved. I wondered if they had just randomly changed up the Sardaukar uniforms (which they have, but more on that later).

Sietch Tabr felt interesting but not quite as I imagined; did I miss something or were we really not properly introduced to the terraforming effort? We see some bird nests and the precious underground water and Stilgar says when Lisan al-Gaib comes he will use the water to transform Arrakis, but we seem to have dropped any mention of the idea they were already working towards it. And indeed, Kynes won't appear in this film at all - my preference to kick off a two-parter would have been Kynes wandering in the desert, dying of dehydration while having his revelation about how the sandworm life-cycle works, re-introducing us to the setting and the worms.

I feel the need to mention Villeneuve's racial politics here, which, like his sexual politics, seem awkward in ways commentators don't seem to have entirely picked up on.

When the sietch receives Paul and Jessica with hostility, there is a noticeable shift in who the camera lingers on, to the extent that the Fremen seem abruptly almost entirely black or very dark-skinned, with the lighter Stilgar and Chani the only ones speaking up for the outsiders. I hope I shouldn't need to explain this; if it's calculated, it is calculated to induce a kind of gut-reaction fear in white audiences. I noticed this in the first film where Jamis was cast as black and presented as noticeably wilder and crazier than the other Fremen. One might be tempted to suggest this is establishing ethnic groups within the Fremen - after all, later we learn that Stilgar comes from the south, so perhaps the north is darker-skinned (which would sync with some of the black city-dwellers we see in Arrakeen). It would even make sense as the south is said to be covered with dust storms and thus not exposed to direct sun. Except, as soon as the sietch turns and becomes more welcoming, the camera begins favouring the lighter-skinned north Africa and Middle Eastern Fremen actors.

This leads quite neatly into the Fremen culture and language. David Peterson, the linguist who worked on Game of Thrones, was tapped to create languages for Dune based on the phrases in the book, and others have picked up on the strange decision to avoid using actual Arabic words wherever possible - explained in inverviews as Peterson feeling that thousands of years into the future languages would have evolved so far that any similarities are mere coincidence. This means that words that are too important to the franchise to change, such as 'Lisan al-Gaib' (which they use a *lot*, seemingly to avoid relying on real-world messianic titles like Mahdi), stay as-is but others are radically changed. "Ya Hya Chouhada", a real-world battlecry meaning 'long live the martyrs', is changed in Part Two to a fictional phrase (I didn't remember it and seemingly others I haven't either) in the Peterson conlang. This is disappointing and actually not true to life given how Latin survived for thousands of years as a holy language.

UPDATE: The new phrase based on Peterson's conlang is something like 'A t'la abisi a santar!'. I can vaguely see something like 'life' in 'santar', but it's from a Latinate root. 'Toward the fighters, life'? Maybe 'At'la savaşçı uzun ', incorporating the Turkish word for 'fighter' and '?

It also means that Villeneuve's Dune is oddly sanitised and stripped of the book's Islamic and Central Asian cultural touchpoints. Very little mention is made of God; characters pray but I think at one point Paul says that they prey to their dead relatives (?). 'Jihad' and any mention of the book's main religions (Zensunni and Orange Catholicism) are excised.

All this begs the question - where is the line between inclusion and Orientalism? Where is the line between diversity and caricature? Or between cultural sensitivity and the kind of flattening that insists on Western neoliberal values everywhere at all times, even in our fiction? In 1984, the Fremen were mostly cast as white (likely due to actor availability) - not necessarily an incorrect reading of the book, given Herbert's inspiration 'The Sabres of Paradise' was not about Arab but Caucasian mountain tribes. Change them to a mix of interchangeable 'non-white' actors and have them led by Timothee Chalamet and the accusations of 'white savior complex' gain weight. Selectively show darker extras when you want the audience to be afraid and lighter when you want them to feel sympathetic and, to be honest, you probably deserve a few thinkpieces which I haven't seen in the press.

Stilgar threatens Jessica that he'll have her killed unless she agrees to become the new Reverend Mother. I felt this went back on his development in the first film, or even a couple of scenes ago where he fought their corner against the unsympathetic female elder. Jessica's flippant, almost Marvel-esque dialogue in the next scene where she references this annoyed me. Villeneuve has Jessica's experience with the water of life happen early in the movie and long before Paul's. This is somewhat true to the book and better than the 1984 version where Paul only takes the Water when his prophetic dreams randomly stop working, but my favoured method of compressing this for film has Jessica take the Water, fall into a coma, and Paul rescue her by taking the Water himself, entering into the same vision. This is when Jessica begins to suspect they are not merely using prophecies created by the Bene Gesserit, but Paul may in fact be the Kwisatz Haderach.

In Villeneuve's version, Chani is initially skeptical of the prophecy, saying only the southerners are superstitious (an invented distinction not found in the book). This is set up fairly competently as a romantic conflict; Paul wins Chani when he only wants to be one of the Fremen, but doing so means giving up on his revenge - however, the way it's resolved is frankly offensive and one of the things that I found most disrespectful about Villeneuve's Dune as an adaptation.

The first we see of wormriding in this film (Stilgar on a small worm) didn't entirely impress me; I feel it should have been much farther off to give a greater sense of the scale of the worms. However, Paul's own wormriding trial eliminated my doubts; again, no-one is doing cinematic scale like Villeneuve right now, where the audience is absorbed completely in *witnessing* a monumental event, without the need for quick cuts or snappy quips.

The 'naming' scene was also great and felt plausible as Paul being welcomed as one of the Fedaykin (interestingly Peterson didn't rename that one, despite being almost identical to 'Fedayeen').

The Harkonnen 'evil spice harvesters' bothered me - the harvesters we saw in the first film *WERE* Harkonnen harvesters! The Atreides literally just assumed control of the operation days earlier. The ornithopter mini-guns were pretty great but also felt un-Duney. The use of lasguns also felt good even if perhaps not book-accurate.

I actually really liked Rabban's failed reprisals, with the Harkonenn getting lost in the dust of their own carpet bombings and and the big guy losing his nerve when he sees Muad'dib's shadow. Bautista is surprisingly (?) one of the stand-out performances in the two movies.

We get some much-needed off-world politics, with Irulan talking to the Reverend Mother and deducing (I feel this wasn't in the book) that Muad'dib is Paul Atreides. There's clearly an effort made to present Irulan as a more hard-nosed politician in the making, with Shaddam even saying she will be a 'formidable Empress'. Mohiam introduces us to the idea of Feyd-Rautha being an alternative 'candidate' to Paul (did they actually say 'to be the Kwisatz Haderach'?? I don't think they did).

My feelings on Giedi Prime being an insane hellplanet are a matter of public record; it goes against a central theme of Dune, which is that a harsh environment breeds both discipline in the sense of espirit de corps and discipline in moral life. Whether you agree or disagree with the 'Fremen Mirage', this is Herbert's central idea. In the book, Giedi Prime is a neo-feudal world, with a cheerfully painted blue keep where 'fearful perfection' under military jackboot is the order of the day, but just off the main street you can see dilapidation and decay. It's a Potemkin village, feeding into the idea that Baron Harkonnen and his house are fundamentally about falsity and fakeness. He wears suspensors to convey the idea he is more physically able than he is. Feyd fights in a gladiatorial arena, but the combatants are drugged to make him look more competent. When a combatant isn't drugged, it's a plot to win over the crowd and he's not really in danger. Everywhere gets a fresh coat of paint and smiles at gunpoint when visitors arrive, but under the surface they don't genuinely care for the people.

In Villeneuve's Dune, Giedi Prime is an infrared nightmare under a 'black sun' (yes, the pasty skinhead Harkonnen live under a black sun, a seemingly deliberate allusion to fascist occultism trivia that made me raise an eyebrow). No diversity among the Harkonnen; it's just an anonymous tide of bobbing bald white heads. Again, I was unsure how to read this obvious Villeneuve innovation (in the original books the Harkonnen are mentioned as having dark hair). For what it's worth, Lynch did something very similar when he decided the Harkonnen were universally ginger. I also feel we've seen this archetype quite recently in 'Mad Max' with the white-painted radiation-sick Warboys.

This decision to make the Harkonnen interchangeable mooks does somewhat detract from Austin Butler's Feyd Rautha, who is just another chalky bald guy among many. Butler tries his best to infuse the role with random acts of violence against his own minions that put the 1984 version's heartplugs to shame. Couple it with Rabban's temper tantrum smashing the overseer against his monitor and you have to ask - why does anyone follow these psychopaths? At some point the bad guys end up killing more of their own than the enemy and it makes them feel incompetent and stupid.

In this version, the undrugged slave was a 'birthday present' from the Baron, who wanted to see who Feyd really was under pressure. In the book, Feyd contrives the assassination attempt with Thufir Hawat to increase his own standing with the people. There's no poison on Feyd's blades (he even licks one) but I think (the moment was super-fast) the Bene Gesserit watching mention that he uses an implanted word to stagger the slave momentarily. Odd to see that in this version the Harkonnen seem to worship their leaders ('the holy birthday of our beloved na-Baron'?).

It's an interesting reversal as in the book, Feyd tries to poison the Baron by having one of his sex slaves implanted with a needle (foreshadowing his own use of a similar hidden device in the final fight).

Margot Fenring appears here unaccompanied as a Bene Gesserit femme fatale, and her seduction of Feyd Rautha and their subsequent discussion of his levers was well done.

Around this time Villeneuve starts deciding that the Bene Gesserit are psychic, which is jarring and I don't believe foreshadowed (Jessica communicates using sign-language with her son but not in glances). I almost wondered if this scene - and the later one where the Bene Gesserit have an impromptu psychic discussion - were rewritten after filming.

Returning to Arrakis after the harsh black and white Giedi Prime seemed like a breath of fresh air and I think that was the intent. Villeneuve uncharacteristically doesn't linger long enough on the dunes for my tastes.

I should note here that in this version, Jessica emerges from the water of life trial changed, and while her motives are to protect Paul, she is subsequently framed in a very antagonistic role, always pushing for Paul to cynically embrace the prophecies and so, in this version, drive a wedge between him and Chani. This syncs up with my observations in Part One that Villeneuve almost presents her as a romantic interest for Paul; if so, here she is almost the 'other girl', and Paul has to choose between mother/prophecy and Chani/a simple life among the Fremen (this latter choice is highlighted by him removing the signet ring when he feels welcomed by the Fremen but keeping it in his stillsuit).

Gurney Halleck in this version is not leading a ragged band of Atreides guerillas like 1984's Patrick Stewart version. Rather he is now keeping a low profile and working as a spice miner, seemingly having given up hope that any remnants of House Atreides remain. The Fremen attack the harvester but Paul recognises him and tells them to stay their hand and presumably save the rest of the crew, though I don't think we see anyone else after this and he's more or less framed as the last remnant of Paul's old retinue in the final scenes. This *really* bothered me. Gurney says he managed to get offworld after the attack. OK; we know he has knowledge of the location of the Atreides atomics and hates the Harkonnen with every bone in his body; first for killing his family prior to the events of the first movie (as he reveals for I think the first time here); and then the loss of his new family with the death of Duke Leto. And so, Villeneuve imagines, he...

...goes back to Arrakis to work for the Harkonnen (the movie really seems to have forgotten who owns the original harvesters) and forgets about the atomics. What the absolute fuck? They do establish that the door is gene-coded so only a direct descendent of the Duke can open it (the line 'your genetic heritage only, m'lord' made me visibly cringe in the theatre), but in-universe, is there *any* reason he wouldn't go to, say, House Richese and say 'The Emperor was involved in the attack on Arrakis. I saw Sardaukar among the Harkonnen. I know where there are untraceable nukes on Arrakis; send in a covert mining team and you can tunnel down to get them. All I ask is you use some of them on Giedi Prime and the rest on Kaitan.'

For all that 1984 stretched plausibility that Gurney and his men could have survived in the desert without Fremen skills, it still feels more plausible than him getting off world then just coming back to work on a harvester.

(Note: in the book he joins a smuggler crew. Did they mention in an off-hand remark in the film that the crew he was with were not Harkonnen?)

The worm-drowning scene was well-done, even if I thought they should probably have set up the sandtrouts here if they have any hope of filming 'God-Emperor'.

Feyd Rautha's anti-grav ships bombard Sietch Tabr, causing heavy casualties. I almost feel like more attention should have been placed on this and how *this* is what changes Paul's mind; seeing his own new family injured and dead, rather than continuing for several scenes with will-he won't-he back and forth. Leave me here and go south - the people will only go if you go - there's an important meeting, they call the Lisan al-Gaib to appear, etc. The reunion between Paul and Chani *should* have been the conclusion of their romance arc here. I noticed the 'I will love you as long as you stay true to yourself' and anticipated the subsequent tension, but it felt clumsy.

Paul apparently just shows up and abruptly decides to drink the Stuff on a whim. This felt really bad and rushed. There was a jarring cut between him arriving and the guardian offering him the drink that I *think* was meant to represent Jessica's Voice command taking effect; she warns him 'leave or die' and then finds herself administering the Stuff.

(as a note: just how powerful is Villeneuve's Voice? It can apparently implant suggestions that take effect days or weeks later)

The female voice in Paul's visions has apparently (I think) been Alia? I am not sure about this as my assumption after the last movie was that it was future!Jessica. I didn't think the 'mind opening' was that well done in terms of mind-warping visuals, other than seeing an ocean in the desert. We caught of a glimpse of what I think were meant to be the face of his female ancestors, but a big point in the book is that the Kwisatz Haderach can access the memories of both his female and male ancestors (for all that this makes very little sense). This was crying out for a cameo from Duke Leto, instead of all people he sees Jamis (this may have been book-accurate, I can't remember at point of writing).

In the vision, he learns that Baron Harkonnen is his grandfather and 'we are Harkonnens'. So the pasty skin, black teeth and hairlessness of the Harkonnen is just environmental? Or even just fashion? This is interesting to see given the Harkonnen have been very deliberately racially 'Othered'.

In a reverse Sleeping Beauty scenario, Chani administers some more Water of Life, mingled with her tears, which wakes Paul up, because it vaguely fits the (fake, fabricated by the Bene Gesserit) prophecy? I am struggling to see how this works in-universe, for all that they clearly wanted some more action for her as female co-lead. Was it just a 'hair of the dog'?

The Fremen war council was spectacular, in a vast cavern (?) with lit podia (or was it just one with reflections on the walls?). Chani is again regrettably throughly modern, breaching her own society's rules by barging onto the podium to lecture to her leader. Her having to be restrained in accordance with Fremen decorum by Gurney Halleck *might* have been intended to be character development for him, but I think was just clumsy writing.

In general, Chalamet's acting was up to par, but something different was needed from him after his transformation into the Kwisatz Haderach and we didn't get it (for those saying he wasn't really changed; nonsense - he now has psychic powers that would make Kyle MacLachlan's version blush, actively reading minds when this is supposed to be impossible in-universe). What was called for here was a very elevated style of talking when he is consciously assuming the messianic role, reminiscent of holy text - not necessarily thees and thous but 'shall's and 'unto you's.

I cringed a little when, for example, he threatened the Emperor later in very unelevated, thuggish language. I can somewhat forgive the sections he is speaking Peterson's conlang-Fremen language it sounds quite rough; part of this is probably the difficulty getting the actors to sound fluent but it also had some echoes of rough and tumble military braggadochio in languages like Turkish.

The Emperor's reflective sphere-ship was certainly imposing; possibly too much so as it dwarfs Arakeen, something not immediately obvious from the ground shots so later when we see it just hovering over what just looks like a landing strip I wondered why it was suddenly out in the middle of nowhere before realising the shapes on the ground were the quarters of the entire planet's capital city!

I am always annoyed at the possibly royalties-motivated redesign of uniforms in sequels, and the Sardaukar here are a particularly offensive example. It's literally been less than nine months since the Battle of Arakeen; probably less given Jessica is not (I think) massively pregnant at the end. I did wonder if the redesign was to emphasise that 'the hunter has become the hunted'; now the Sardaukar are, like the Atreides, mostly bare-faced and their opponent is now the masked Fremen. On some level I feel this was deliberate, as when later the Sardaukar assume an Atreides-like sword line. I was also annoyed that we didn't hear any throat-singing as the Sardaukar form up outside the palace-ship. This would have immediately worked to remind us 'Oh yes, those guys', and differentiate them from the Harkonnen mooks who the Fremen have been killing all movie.

The attack on Arakeen was generally great - I would have liked to have seen the nuke scene handled differently and linger more on Paul silhouetted against the mushroom cloud.

The worm attack was also good; I did notice that suddenly the Harkonnen ornithopters become significantly less powerful than in the first movie, both rockets and miniguns seeming ineffective against worms and infantry Fremen alike. There wasn't really any sense that Shaddam's hubris led to him remaining on-planet (even the Dune 2000 game did this better, with the Truthsayer whispering 'Retreat, with victory in sight? Release the Sardaukar!"). I also felt like they sneakily tried to resolve a discrepancy between the visions of the first movie and this one by putting Chani in the role of infantry leader; she ends a shot in the exact same pose as Paul in the first movie when he has a vision of killing Sardaukar in a power suit (these don't appear in the second movie). In the second movie, he arrives on a worm instead. I guess this is a slight retcon and he is seeing himself in the place of whoever the vision is about. It seems a real waste though as presumably this sequence was shot - or was this implied to be during the galactic jihad?

One thing that stood out to me was the (redesigned) Sardaukar trying to regain formation after the blast takes down the mountain and the following storm. The first thing we see is one trooper trying to lift the Corrino banner and, as the wind overcomes him, another one helping to get it upright again. This felt *immensely* true to the book's universe.

Walken wasn't as bad as I feared; he mostly resisted the mugging I feared and wasn't given any lines containing 'walk without rhythm' or 'weapon of choice'. He plays Shaddam, again, as elderly, weary and manipulated, with the suggestion of fire re-emerging when he tells Paul 'your father was a weak man' ringing true. His throne room was appropriately Villeneuve-brutalist while still feeling Dune-y, and he thankfully replaces the Palpatine robe he wears at the beginning with an understated but still decently ornate tunic when holding court. No Burseg helmet as per the books, sadly. Should we read anything into the Emperor's throneroom being lit in a very obvious cross?

I understand why the plot was changed to give Paul a chance to meet the Baron and enact his revenge personally. Feyd wasn't in the first film and despite much more screen time compared to 1984 and even the mini-series doesn't feel satisfying as a final target for Paul's vendetta.

(As a note, the Baron throughout this movie now has a floating respirator with him that I am certain he didn't have in the first film. Is this supposed to be a lingering consequence of the gas attack?)

In this version, the duel between Paul and Feyd Rautha is explicitly a challenge to Shaddam for the throne, with Feyd serving as the Emperor's champion. This felt odd; has it been established that in this version the Padishah Emperor is a role you can have a knife-fight for, like the Klingons in Star Trek? I believe in both the book and 1984 version the coup was presented as a fait accompli with the duel a simple matter of honour and arguably an unnecessary risk by Paul; Shaddam's forces are shattered with only those immediately around him still loyal.

This is further reduced in the 2024 version as Paul has his Fremen kill the remaining Sardaukar and bring the Emperor to the visitor accommodation. This was a really missed opportunity as it deprives us of a huge and obvious shot; the victorious Paul sitting on the throne.

Feyd has no secret poison spikes in this version and, annoyingly, there's no tension in Paul choosing whether or not to use the Voice (Feyd Rautha reacts to Paul commanding the Reverend Mother to be 'Silent!' as if noting and remembering the ability, but we've already established he's vulnerable to it). This continues a trend of Villeneuve forgetting about the Voice in combat, where in the first film Jessica doesn't use it against Stilgar and Paul doesn't use it against Jamis, without even a one-off line like 'and no Bene Gesserit tricks'. Rather, he wins the first two clashes, even leaving a knife embedded in Paul's shoulder, before Paul kills him in a grapple that recalls his first on-screen spar with Gurney Halleck; Feyd is focused on the knife he is pushing further and further through Paul's seemingly exhausted grip, but he - and the viewer - can't see Paul's knife further down.

I *think* we were supposed to understand that as a possible Kwisatz Haderach Feyd is outside Paul's newly acquired precognition (this was sort of foreshadowed when he says he didn't foresee the attack on the sietch), together with the mention by Feyd that he dreamed about Lady Fenring, but wasn't spelled out.

A moment somewhat mocked on social media, but which I felt rang very true, was Bardem's frantic "Lisan al-Gaib!" when it is clear Paul has just barely survived the duel. This is *not* Stilgar the believer once again extolling his messiah's supernatural powers. This is Stilgar the politician and tribal leader realising that Paul looks very vulnerable and *un-supernatural* right now, and if he doesn't quickly get the watching Fremen on board with a chant of 'Lisan al-Gaib' the spell may be broken.

I liked how the Emperor was forced to plead for his life via the medium of his daughter, and the ambiguity of Paul's gesture; I initially thought he was commanding Irulan to step away from her father and take his hand in marriage (and this might be intentional), but instead, Shaddam is forced to go down to his knees and kiss Paul's ducal ring; a good use for the ring finding its way to Paul, which I complained about in the first movie (he also uses it in this movie to seal the ultimatum to the Emperor earlier).

The other Houses refuse Paul's ultimatum to accept him as Emperor (did he say this? I thought they only asked the other Houses to hear him out), leaving Paul to command his Fremen 'Lead them to heaven', ushering in the jihad. But we see their ships leaving seemingly without ill effect. This was crying out for first a few then intensifying rockets from the ground; perhaps even one of the ships burning and falling to emphasise that, yes, Paul just declared war on the entire universe and the ships are *fleeing*.

The final shot, incomprehensibly, is a grumpy Chani on her own, preparing to ride a worm. Perhaps Villeneuve has a plan for how Dune: Messiah will play out with her, maybe even taking some of the role of Alia, who obviously doesn't have the same interaction with the original cast here, being a psychic fetus the entire film-

(At this point I should violently interject; Villeneuve's politics, by God. What are we to make of the fetal personhood on show multiple times in this movie, at this time in American politics? She isn't even called an 'abomination'; that line is transferred to refer to Paul (who irritatingly doesn't even get to declare 'Look into that place you dare not look; you'll find me there' to justify it, just use the Voice, which the Bene Gesserit already know he can do!

Is the fact that it is most clearly championed by Jessica, who in this version has an antagonistic or at least 'bad influence' bent, intended to make it ambiguous? I feel this choice was probably intended to avoid the time-jump implied by a child actor; or perhaps to avoid the controversy of Alia of the Knife being a murderous toddler. But, as with his sexual and racial politics, what emerges is something that feels very odd, like he accidentally ended up throwing in a pro-life message.)

-All this should make us wonder. Villeneuve clearly likes the idea that Chani is the viewpoint character of Dune, beginning the first film with a voiceover from her and concluding with changing the story (no "history will call us wives" here) to leave her on her own but also seemingly abandoned in favour of the swanky princess; again, I feel like this last one wasn't intentional. There was probably an intent that 'Chani is her own woman and in this version she wouldn't want to marry Paul after he gives in and embraces the messianic role', but does it read as that? Or does it read as 'Chani missed her chance and Paul has married someone more suitable' (again, there's a racial reading here that can't be ignored; something not present in the 1984 version where Chani is played by Sean Young). Is this simply neo-Puritanism over the idea of the protagonist having multiple wives (I don't think any adaptation has thrown in the fact that Paul is honour-bound to marry Jamis's wife also)? Did someone say 'this feels a bit harem anime'?

The Guild are almost completely missing, and instead of using his knowledge of the worm lifecycle to threaten to use the stored water to create a chain reaction that will poison the worms, Paul just threatens to nuke the spice fields with his family atomics. When he does that, the Emperor says something like 'You've gone insane!', but no-one chips in to explain that, in fact, if he destroys the spice, the Guild can no longer navigate space, the Imperium will fall, and most of humanity dies due to the end of interstellar trade. This is the dilemma! The jihad claiming billions of lives vs. terraforming Dune claiming *literally all the lives*.

What was needed for the final shots of Dune was something like - of all things - the denouement of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. We should see the Fremen rampaging across the universe; ships burning; the shot from the vision of Paul looking out over Caladan, his again; Giedi Prime getting bombed into ashes - just to provoke us to think 'well, they liked violent gladiatorial games, but did they *really* deserve to die en masse because of what the Baron did?'. And then we cut to Paul on the Emperor's throne, looking shocked and hollow. He, like Dr Horrible, gets 'Everything (He) Ever Wanted', and it will haunt him forever. We grasp the cyclical nature of power - Paul Atreides, the exile turned revolutionary and mystic, is back on top - the very, very top, replacing the Sardaukar with his *own* brutal shock troops from a wasteland world. We needed to see that, and other than a few visions, we don't. Instead, we finish with what might, optimistically, be the message 'the traditional Fremen life will go on'? 'Sisters are doing it for themselves'? 'A woman needs a man like a fish needs a desert'? 'You can't please everyone all of the time'? In-pardon my language, fucking-scusable.

All of this means I think there's definitely room for a different Dune at an appropriate distance in time once Villeneuve's series - however long it runs, and God-Emperor is looking like a possibility - concludes. I have suggested an animated film or series as something very different from the existing adaptations, possibly leaning into precognition as the conceit, and after viewing Villeneuve's Part Two I think I've worked out how to do it.

The first scene in the book is someone - we don't see faces - being administered the Water of Life. We then cut to the dunes and the muad'dib mouse, and then it becomes clear we are watching it from the perspective of Paul and Chani.

They discuss the mouse on the moon and Paul decides that his name 'will be Muad'Dib'. Paul then awakens years earlier on Caladan. At about the two-thirds mark, Jessica takes the Water of Life but begins seizing. She sees herself drowning deep under an endless blue ocean. Paul says 'I can't reach where you are' and impulsively drinks the Water of Life himself; as Chani holds onto him he reaches out and holds his mother's hand and we see in the now shared vision that he swims down into the ocean, grabs her hand, and pulls her up. When they surface he experiences the rest of the vision, and then, awakening, says "I saw it all - I was back on Caladan; I saw us travel to Arrakis for the first time - but I also saw Baron Harkonnen; I saw him plotting with the Emperor - Shaddam! The Emperor is behind the downfall of our family". The entire first two-thirds of the movie *is* the Water of Life experience. Paul has watched the entire movie so far and for the rest of the film knows everything we, the audience, have seen, and more.

In general, Villeneuve's Dune is still probably one of the most striking and solid sci-fi films in recent decades. It is not as clearly stand-alone as I think reviewers have been prone to claim - much like the Lynch version which infamously issued a physical guide for cinema-goers to consult to understand the universe, Villeneuve's Dune does not clearly establish some of the book's most distinctive elements.

You might reasonably assume that the shields are why this universe relies so heavily on hand-to-hand combat - but why so few lasguns? (because in the book, hitting a shield with a lasgun obliterates both parties).

Why do the Harkonnen and Sardaukar feel so much weaker in the desert? Because shields act like a thumper and call worms.

(Note: This was in fact mentioned in the first film.)

Why do some people roll their eyes and do mental maths? They're mentats, human calculators. Why do they exist, and why are there no robots in this oddly run-down, primitive-feeling future? Because a thousand years ago a war called the Butlerian Jihad resulted in the absolute prohibition of thinking machines everywhere in the Imperium (it's bizarre this wasn't mentioned given AI is such a hot topic).

By the end of the second film you've also forgotten that the spice is vital for space travel (why? because it makes Navigators able to see the future, something Villeneuve has decided to emphasise only applies to Paul, and thus able to predict where a hyperspace jump will lead).

The Harkonnen were I think handled the worst of the characters, which isn't new. Skarsgard's Baron is overall acceptable and Rabban has decent menace, but he and Feyd Rautha suffer from the Lynchian 'kill your underlings' brain bug which no longer makes villains feel scary, and the random lurid elements Villeneuve has invented (gimp spiders, child slaves, cannibal prostitutes) feel just as over-the-top as the disfigured 1984 Baron pulling his servants' heart plugs for fun. The decision to make them all pasty bald troglodytes speaks to a fear to present villains as anything more than interchangeable cannon fodder lest, perhaps, the audience find them too compelling? The Fremen suffer from weird racial politics (a need to cast for diversity applied, we notice, most diligently to the desert-dwelling tribesmen, but coupled with the apparent desire to make them darker when you're meant to find them scary, which feels distinctly un-progressive) and the Corrinos from limited screen time. The Atreides in the first film felt most like a believable future society, while the glimpses we got at the Spacing Guild seemed intriguing, with their Daft Punk helmets, but were never followed through.

[synthetickitsune]

Hi can you please write #20 smut with chani sf9??

Hi, here goes! Thanks for requesting ♡

Chani (SF9) | Sexting smut | 0.8k

It’s been a long and hard day. He’d try to console himself with the fact that it’s only a day before the weekend but his job doesn’t have much regard for those. And he’s so busy the days all blur together at this point anyway so he’s sure he’ll miss the weekend even happening.

All the stress and burden Chani feels weighing down his shoulders has him a little more on edge than usual, not that the others are coping much better. Yet today’s long and hard in a literal sense and that’s not exactly helping with lifting his mood. At least the outfit stylists chose for him today makes hiding it easier.

His phone’s in his hands as soon as their manager announces that they’ll be taking a break after working out some minor details. He knows you usually respond as soon as he texts you, but right now he needs to make sure you’ll text him back immediately when he gets the chance for more conversation than a quick notice that he’d like to talk to you in a couple of minutes.

Not five minutes later they’re granted a break and he excuses himself to the bathroom before his friends can strike up a conversation with him. 

The moment he closes and locks the door behind him, he pulls out his phone again and is pleased to see you’ve been whining for an explanation since he’s texted you. In any other circumstance, he’d roll his eyes but right now he can’t help but think that your neediness is quite cute.

Seriously… You can’t build me up like that and leave me hanging…

His eyebrow twitches. Playing right into his hands, huh?

Don’t be a brat. You’ve never complained about it before.

He watches in amusement as the three dots keep appearing and disappearing. But honestly, he’s not sure if he has enough patience to wait for your response so he sends you another message and finally finds the slightest bit of relief in unzipping his pants and pulling them down just enough to take a photo of the outline of his straining cock and send it to you.

It takes you under a minute to send him a photo with obvious proof of your own desperation. Will you ever stop surprising him?

So needy. He teases, finally allowing himself to slip his hand into his underwear. He almost hisses at the sensation, but he can’t help but imagine it was your hand instead. His phone vibrates.

Says you… I bet you’d be coming so fast if I was there with you.

He’s not great at multitasking, it takes him longer to respond and before he can type out his answer with his free hand, you continue.

I mean we both know how much I love to suck you off

Maybe I’d be good and wouldn’t even touch myself

He groans as he starts stroking the cock in his hand. He lets you run your mouth, fingers, whatever. He doesn’t have that much time and he appreciates you’re not playing around.

Are you desperate?

Because I am

I want to lick all over your dick

You like it when I tease, right?

So you could grab me by my hair and force me to take you aaaaall the way down my throat

His hold gets tighter, a quiet grunt rumbling in his chest. He would love to do that. You’re asking for it but the image of you, so good on your knees with his cock enveloped in the tight heat of your mouth, has him jerking his hand faster. He wants you here. You’d feel so much better than his hand. He can barely focus on the onslaught of texts. 

I’d take you so well

Wouldn’t even use my hands

Just sit there all pretty and let you ruin me

Beg you to give me all your cum

Tears down my face because you’re so big

But I’d still swallow everything 

Every single drop

I’d clean you too 

I can’t get enough

I need you, Chani… Need you to cum for me…

What is it that pushes him over the edge? Is it the image of your tearstained face, ruined mascara and spit everywhere? Is it his little brat being so good and submissive for him? Or is it the memory of how your tongue feels wrapped around his length as you lick the leftover cum?

He all but throws his phone on the nearest surface and barely gets the paper tissues when his high hits and he paints them white. He tries to control his breathing, slowly coming to his senses and realizing where he is. He quickly checks and fixes his outfit before throwing the dirty tissues away and washing his hands.

Thank you, baby. I’ll make it up to you when I get home.

He promises, just in time to pocket his phone again and head back to continue the shoot. 

[lonita]

B roll - 2020 08 14

14 - This guy I knew used to ride a pink bike that everyone used to make fun of him for but he had a good reason for it. No one ever stole it. No one wanted a pink bike.

14 - I don't have a problem with it, but I do wonder why they changed the gender of Dr. Kynes in the upcoming Dune film and how that's going to impact the relationship with Chani. Will Dr. Kynes be mother instead of father? Burning questions from the Friday insomniac.

14 - I once dated a Libertarian who ran for election while we were seeing each other. He voted NDP.

14 - The word, or letter grouping, "moin" exists both in German (moin like coin) and French (moin like, jeebus, that sound doesn't exist in English). In German it means "hello", in French it means "less".

14 - You can change the rules and make a different reality that actually serves everyone better, even you. But by all means keep clutching the pearls of your status quo. I'll go eat more peaches.

14 - I have always hated this - taking advantage of foreign workers for profit, for greed. It's disgusting.

14 - I appreciate personal responsibility. I also appreciate how difficult it is to live and work within this system that is by no means equitable when you have things stacked against you that are difficult, at the very least, to surmount.

14 - A good chunk of my life was affected by something I had no control over but which I surmounted to the best of my ability, which is why I have an education, two jobs, and hobbies I enjoy.

14 - Part of the problem of fixing a problem is having to get through the wall of people who don't want to admit there's a problem.

14 - Conservatives currently hold control of the government of Ontario. GST pays four times a year, and not a lot. Trillium might be monthly, but the most I've ever received is around $60. Not all subsidies are available to all people.

14 - Here's a number: $1169. That's what ODSP pays. Pay rent, utilities, groceries, and other necessities on that. Imagine the diet that could be managed on such funds. Food banks provide only a small amount of food per person per month, and the quality of that food is generally poor.

14 - A short list of things I long for:

a basket of Winona peaches

never to have insomnia again

laundry that does itself

14 - Why is it, do you suppose, that some folks seem patently incapable of understanding that not everyone measures life success by how much money they have?

14 - The idea of making things hard for others because things were hard for you has always struck me as mean at the very least, definitely selfish, and sadistic at its worst.

14 - I was reminded of this a bit ago, which is something to bear in mind during the current debate over UBIs, automation, disappearing industries, corporate tax cuts, and increasing wealth gaps.

14 - My favourite letter is Eszett - ß. I'm not kidding. I've been a bit in love with it since university.

14 - There's always going to be scammers no matter what system we have in place. It's unfair to assume that they're the only stick to measure by though.

14 - You need to stop thinking that everyone collecting on a socialised program is a dead beat or a scammer. That's not the case.

14 - I don't much care for workfare, but I think there's an adaptable way to do something along those lines that would support but not infringe.

14 - It costs money to move. You lose money by taking time off to move. Often, people are working so much they don't have time to look for alternatives. You can't assume that finding possibilities is simple. It really isn't.

14 - Let's say, for example, I can't find work or am unable to do any of the jobs in my area, so I'm collecting a UBI or CERB or whatever it is. But then I'm out volunteering, or helping a friend, or doing something like that. That is value. That is contributing.

14 - Innovation also comes from the freedom to explore ideas, to experiment. That doesn't happen if you're trapped in a dead-end job just to pay bills, or so exhausted from working multiple jobs that you have nothing else to give.

14 - We have to get out of thinking that we have to make things harder for the ones coming up just because it was hard for us.

14 - I always think I'm going to really dig the coffee ice cream. But whenever I have it I inevitably wish I'd gotten the chocolate instead. (I like coffee ice cream, but my eyes like it more than my mouth does.)

14 - I think it's a throwback, or extension perhaps, of the Protestant work ethic that assumes that anything not directly pragmatic has no value, and you also have no value if you're not labouring. Which is a pretty nasty way of thinking when you consider the disabled who can't work.

14 - Explain to me why shareholders in a company should profit more than the people actually making the product.

14 - Basic income also allows people to transition to work or education that better suits them, rather than being trapped in a job they hate and doesn't serve them.

14 - The grace of this art never fails to impact me. I miss being in the dojo so much. My hands itch and ache to hold my sword, but there's nowhere for me to practice where I live.

14 - My sword has drawn blood, but it's always my own.

[humanoidtyphoons]

thinking about dune part 3

part of me still thinks that chani is going to be the preacher and kill paul

but doing that would drastically alter children of dune and godemperor of dune

it doesn’t make sense to me that irulan would bear leto ii and ghanima tbh. as much as irulan wants to carry paul’s children… i cannot see paul sleeping with her. he married her out of necessity but… even if chani is not his concubine/with him… i still feel like he’d consider being intimate with irulan a betrayal

i don’t think chani is pregnant as of part 2, but maybe paul and chani sleep together during part 3 anyway… so leto ii and ghamina are both existing at least

the thing is. i want sandworm leto ii. i want to see it so bad!!!!

(and another director can helm leto/sheena’s story. could you make children of dune and godemperor of dune a trilogy or would a quartet be better?)

but i cannot rearrange the story enough to make it work. i can’t imagine how villeneuve is going to rearrange the story enough. excited to see how he makes it work tho!

like as much as i want paul walking off into the desert blinded ending

if dune part 3 gives me emotional devastation… even if that means paul dies in part 3 (and not 4???) i hope i’ll be satisfied by it

[the-writer-is-always-write]

some things i loved about Dune

- the relationship between Duncan and Paul was such a nice touch, and from their first scene together I knew that Duncan’s death was going to hit HARD (and it did). the way that Paul couldn’t make sense of his visions and did everything to try and stop them, and how he was so relieved every time he saw Duncan again, and then the panic he showed when he realizes it’s finally happening and there’s nothing he can do to stop it. exquisite. 

- i LOVED seeing the desert mouse as a repeated image throughout the film. it really drove home how much Paul was trying to hold onto his innocence and how terrified he was of the future and the violence he knew was in store for him. it still just breaks me that he CHOSE the name Muad’dib for himself (at least in the book, unsure of how that will play out in the film (i thought i heard chani call him muad’dib??)). he resisted his destiny because he never wanted to kill anyone, but the inevitability of it all just weighed so heavily on him, and you can see that in the tent scene and the duel scene with Jamis. 

- the death of Liet-Kynes was so raw and dramatic and i loved it. the movie did such a great job illustrating how connected the Fremen are with the ecology of Arrakis. 

- the voice was SO WELL DONE i was wondering what effects they would use and seeing/hearing it in imax was 100% worth the $20 price of admission. seriously go see this movie in imax if at all possible. 

- really appreciated that they didn’t try to cater this movie to the normal entertainment-seeking movie-going crowd. it wasn’t overloaded with quips or anything, and i never felt like they had cut something for the sake of crowd-pleasing or avoiding controversy. i was in a pretty packed theater and i think the audience only laughed like once. it was such a different experience from what i’m used to with marvel and star wars movies, and it was SO REFRESHING. this story is an EPIC and they embraced that. this movie is what a blockbuster should be, not fast and furious #31239.

- the set design?? literally all of the architecture looked exactly like i imagined it. and i was almost squealing over the ornithopters they looked SO. GOOD. 

- hans my man you really put it all out there for this score and we love you for it. the score was the definition of pulse-pounding, especially during the invasion sequence. 

- i was honestly worried they would do away with the whole jihad thing because of all the post 9/11 islamophobia, but even if they didn’t explicitly say jihad, the idea and threat of it were still VERY present in Paul’s visions (still pissed they said crusade in the first trailer but it’s whatever, that line didn’t end up in the movie anyway). really excited to see how they expand on that in the second part. 

- “i should have married you” OSCAR YOU CAN’T JUST SAY THINGS LIKE THAT

[fuckyeahisawthat]

What I mean is: before he does it, I do think Paul sees drinking the Water of Life as an act of self-sacrifice that he is willing to undertake to help the Fremen, not as something that will benefit him personally. It's not a coincidence that he makes the decision right after the attack on Sietch Tabr. I didn't see it coming, he says, and you know he is thinking that maybe if he had seen it, they could have done something, they could have been there to defend their home somehow or at least warn people.

He's afraid, because he knows it will change him, because he's seen that happen to his mother. He knows it's a step onto the path that he has been trying to avoid this whole time. But he's willing to do what must be done it if it will help them win the war and stop more people from dying.

But, once he does drink the Water of Life, it immediately becomes I know better than you. I'm pointing the way, and I don't have to respect your customs while I'm doing it because I know you'll follow me anyway. I've already seen it happen. I am placing myself above and outside any existing power structures (like tribe leadership, which comes with responsibilities and expectations) which is very convenient for avoiding accountability. I can supersede all that because I know better than you.

I'm pointing the way. I see possible futures all at once, and I've chosen the road we're going down. (Does the oracle see the future or make the future?) I chose for you, because I know better. Trust me when I say this is the best it could have been. I'm doing this for all of us.

There's a thread in Dune Messiah I think it's highly likely they'll pull on, which is the idea that Paul chose the future where Chani lived the longest. And I'm thinking particularly about how that intersects with this Chani, who is a freedom fighter.

Because you cannot tell me that out of every possible future, there were none in which the Fremen won their liberation. But maybe in every one of those possible futures, Chani died getting them there. She would be on the front lines, wouldn't she? So that path is unacceptable. And all the other options are Arrakis being conquered by one imperialist or another. So Paul chooses the future where he's in control, because if he's the imperialist in question then maybe he can at least keep the narrow circle of people he loves alive.

(God can you imagine. Chani would NEVER forgive him if she knew he chose her life over her people's freedom. Because we know she would never make the same decision. We know because she's already decided by becoming a resistance fighter.)

You can see how easily prescience can turn into this kind of creepy, controlling paternalism. I'll protect you from the consequences of your choices before you even know you're going to make them. Even if that means taking away political agency from the people you said you were doing this for, or personal agency from the person you said you loved.

hmm something something Paul drinking the Water of Life as a metaphor for the white man’s burden in this essay I will—

[sandwichrin]

A Little into You (Junkyu x Reader) (Ch. 23)

Chapter 23 - Pure Drama

Word count: 4.1k words

Genre: Fanfiction, PG13, Comedy, Romance.

A/N: Surprise! Here’s the next chapter! And uhh, like the title of the chapter itself-- this chapter is literally pure drama :’)

Treasure and Y/n’s Apartment Block (Lobby)

“Y/n! Heyyyy it’s been a while!” the familiar cheerful voice said, making you turn around.

“Ah, Hyunsuk! Hi!” You greeted him back with a smile. “Getting your mail?” You asked him.

Hyunsuk shook his head, “Nope. I’m going to the office to retrieve my parcel from them.”

“I see. I’m heading there too, actually. An old friend of mine sent me some snacks from our hometown,”

“Nice! Let’s head there together!” Hyunsuk said happily, making you grin from his excited behaviour.

The both of you walked side by side, making small talk with each other.

Once you’ve both arrived in the building’s office which was located right beside the main entrance of the building itself, Hyunsuk hurried in front of you to help open the door for you.

You giggled at him, “Wow, I didn’t know you’re this much of a gentleman,”

“But of course.” Hyunsuk grinned.

You entered the office first, Hyunsuk following behind you now. The moment you approached the counter located in the office; you informed the staff on duty that you wanted to take your parcel.

“I’m here to pick up my parcel? I think it arrived yesterday. The name’s (insert y/n’s full name).” you glanced over at Hyunsuk who was standing beside you before adding, “Oh, and another one is under the name of Choi Hyunsuk.”

Hyunsuk smiles at you and pats your head. “Thanks.”

“No problem,”

The both of you waited for a minute or two before finally receiving both your parcels. After collecting the parcels, the both of you thanked the staff and left the office together.

“Your parcel seems kind of big, y/n. You sure you can carry it?”

“Yeah, I’m good. It’s big but it’s not heavy. They’re all just snacks anyways,” you assured him.

Hyunsuk nodded at you, holding his medium-sized box in one hand. He helped press the elevator button for the both of you.

Entering the elevator doors, Hyunsuk helped press the buttons to both your floors as well.

“Thanks Hyunsuk. You’re a lot of help,” you complimented him.

“Yeah, sure. No biggie.”

While waiting for the elevator to reach your floor, Hyunsuk suddenly had an idea.

“Hey, y/n,”

“Yup?”

“Have you had lunch?”

“Well…I’m ordering some takeout later. Why?” You turned to face him now.

“Ah, it’s just.” Hyunsuk paused. “The boys and I are all having lunch at my dorm.”

“Ahh I see. Sounds fun!” You smiled at him.

“Well I was wondering…if you’d like to join us?”

“Oh? Is that really okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be okay?” Hyunsuk snickered at your question. “It’s been a while since we all hung out together, I’m sure the boys would be happy to have you join us,”

“Hmm.” You thought to yourself for a while.

Ding! The elevator reached your floor.

“Oh, it’s my floor.”

Hyunsuk pressed on the button to keep the doors open for you.

“Thanks,” you said to him. “I uh…I’d love to join you guys,” you added.

“Yay!”

“Ah, but can we stop over at my place for a bit?” You said, giving him an apologetic smile.

 *

 Treasure’s Dorm #1 (Main Entrance/Living Room)

“Just wait til the boys see you, they’d be so happy,” Hyunsuk said to you as he closed the door behind the both of you, his cute smile beaming at you.

You nodded back at him as you took your shoes off at the entrance.

“I’m back! Where is everyone??” Hyunsuk called out as he entered the living room.

“I’m in the kitchen, hyung!” you both heard Doyoung answer from the kitchen.

You followed Hyunsuk into the living room and there you saw Asahi, Haruto and Junghwan sitting around chatting with each other.

“Heyy, where’s Yoshi?” Hyunsuk asked the maknaes with you still following close behind him.

“Yoshi-hyung went to help clean Jeongwoo and Jaehyuk because they kept making snow in the kitchen using flour,” Asahi answered him.

“Ahh, that seems like something they’d do,” Hyunsuk snickered.

Junghwan stopped looking at his phone to look at Hyunsuk, and that’s when he noticed you.

“Noona!” Junghwan immediately got up from the floor, rushing towards you.

You lift a finger to your mouth, signalling him not to be too loud since you were planning to surprise the rest who hasn’t known you’re here.

Junghwan nodded and pointed at the paper bag in your hand. “What’s that?” he whispered.

“It’s Junkyu’s shirt that I used last time,” you replied.

Junghwan was about to talk to you further but then Hyunsuk had already excitedly pulled you with him towards the kitchen.

The moment the both of you had approached the kitchen’s doorframe, you could already see your other friends’ faces and you were happy to see them since you haven’t seen them for days. Well, most of them.

You smiled at them but then none of them returned your smile, making you wonder what they were so immersed with.

You recognised the person that was speaking in front of you, the guy that you had sort of missed these couple of days—especially since that weird incident that happened between him and Chani which had resulted in you rarely seeing him around you anymore.

Your grip on the paper bag in your hand tightened, you felt hopeful now that you’re finally seeing him again.

Now, of course you didn’t know the whole dispute that begun in the kitchen at the time—where Junkyu was being all bitter about Chani leeching on to you but instead of lashing out about Chani, he had made the mistake of venting his feeling of annoyance towards you.

And so, the timing when you entered the kitchen was when Junkyu was already saying this:

“…doesn’t care anything about us. We’re always looking out for her, but what do we get in return??”

You tilt your head, wondering who he was talking about. Hyunsuk, who was beside you also seemed confuse as to why everyone looked so tense in the kitchen.

You were about to step further into the kitchen when suddenly, Junkyu said—

“Y/n is annoying,”

You immediately stopped your foot from advancing. Your eyes lift up to see Yedam, Jihoon, Doyoung and Mashiho all staring at you, fear clearly showing on their faces because this time, they all realised you were directly behind Junkyu. Which meant…you clearly heard what he had said.

Suddenly, you saw Jihoon bursting out in laughter. “HAHAHAHAA very funny Junkyu! Look at you! What a horrible joke to make!” he laughed.

You took a deep breath, thinking maybe they were pulling a prank on you.

You opened your mouth to say something, but before you could say anything, Junkyu had already spoken up again—

“No, I wasn’t kidding! Y/n really is annoying. She’s a bother—”

“HYUNG STOP!” Yedam yelled, noticing how your expression changed drastically the moment you heard Junkyu’s words this time.

Hyunsuk immediately placed his hand on your shoulder, feeling shocked. But right now, he was more worried about you because you heard it all.

The air felt heavy in the kitchen…everyone going silent for a few seconds.

And then slowly, Junkyu turned around, his eyes meeting yours.

“Y-y/n…” he said, his voice slightly shaking now.

You stood there quietly, your fingers fiddling with the paper bag in your hand.

You blinked a couple times, your gaze slowly avoiding his. What is this feeling you’re having right now? Why does your chest hurt so bad?

Junkyu could hear his own heartbeat sounds ringing in his ears. He felt bad. He felt really bad. He saw how you slowly looked away from him, making him feel even worst.

Junkyu couldn’t handle the heavy tension going on in the kitchen so he immediately dashes out of the kitchen, leaving everyone else behind him.

You felt his presence leave you, as he passes by you. You bit your lower lip, holding in the tears that were forming in your eyes now.

Everyone else exchanged glances with one another, wondering what they should do now.

Mashiho switched off the stove, knowing that he should at least save their meals from getting burnt since he had a feeling that what had happened would take up some time to be solved.

Yedam lets out a heavy sigh, deciding to approach you since you wouldn’t stop staring at the paper bag in your hands now.

“Damn,” Jihoon muttered to himself as he tossed the knife that he had been holding since just now. He shook his head as he made his way to leave the kitchen.

As he passed by Hyunsuk, his hyung raised a hand, implying him to stop.

“What is it, hyung?” Jihoon said in an exasperated tone.

“Go easy on him,” Hyunsuk adviced, knowing that Jihoon would definitely go to console his best friend.

“Hm.” Jihoon hummed as he nods. He leaves the kitchen, not sparing a glance at you.

 *

 Treasure Dorm #1 (Junkyu’s Room)

Junkyu closed the door behind him. He started breathing raggedly, his breaths uncontrollable by now. Is he having a panic attack right now?

He tried to walk towards his bed, but instead, his legs failed him. He ended up kneeling on the floor instead, trying to catch his breath.

He kept imagining the pained look you gave him earlier. He knew, he had hurt you. He had hurt you bad. He messed up badly this time.

Junkyu clenched his fists, his chest hurting, his head throbbing. He felt pain all over. Why? Why did he have to utter all those nonsense about you? He didn’t mean all of it. He really didn’t. He cares about you.

Junkyu lets out a soft sob, unable to hold his tears this time. He felt his tears streaming down his cheeks by now.

“Junkyu!” He heard Jihoon’s voice calling his name.

Jihoon hurriedly closed the door behind him, quickly approaching his best friend who was close to collapsing onto the floor.

Jihoon wrapped his arms around Junkyu, pulling his best friend up to his feet, dragging him over towards the bed.

Once he had made sure Junkyu was already sitting comfortably on the bed, Jihoon sat down on the floor, facing Junkyu.

Junkyu covered his face with his hands, softly sobbing into them.

“Junkyu…”

“Stop. Please, stop. I know. I know,” he said, his sobs getting louder.

Jihoon placed his hand onto Junkyu’s knee, patting it gently. He couldn’t bear watching Junkyu cry like this. It’s rare enough to see Junkyu cry about something but right now, seeing him as a sobbing mess, Jihoon couldn’t help but sympathise him.

“I hurt her, hyung. I hurt her. I’m a horrible person!” Junkyu tried to speak up this time, his sobs a little under control now.

Jihoon shook his head. “No, no Junkyu. You’re not a bad person. You slipped, that’s all. Okay? You didn’t mean what you said, did you?”

Junkyu wiped the tear streaks on his face with the back of his hand. He shook his head furiously, “No way! I don’t! I really don’t. I just—I was just upset when Yedam said Chani and y/n looked like a couple…I…I don’t want to have to picture them being together, hyung!”

“I know, I know…” Jihoon answered softly, his hand still patting Junkyu’s knee gently.

“Hyung….how do I fix this…? Y/n must hate me right now,”

“No…she wouldn’t, okay? Y/n is a nice person, she wouldn’t hate you in one day,” Jihoon assured his best friend.

Junkyu shook his head again. “No! She would, she deserves to hate me!”

Junkyu took a deep breath, trying to control his own ragged breathing.

Pushing his hair to the back with one hand, Junkyu continued, “I told you…I told you, didn’t I? That liking her would bring us something like this,”

“Junkyu, there’s nothing wrong with you liking y/n, okay?”

“No, hyung! You know this. You can see it too, right?”

Junkyu lets out another heavy sigh.

“Yah…Kim Junkyu…it’s all gonna be alright, get it?”

Junkyu kept quiet for a while, sniffling once or twice. He contemplated for a while before asking his hyung another question.

“You said last time that you had a feeling that someone would like y/n among us, and you said that you knew who it was going to be, right??”

Jihoon nodded, remembering the talk they had after you all had that first lunch-meet with y/n.

“That person…who was it?” Junkyu’s eyes were now staring into Jihoon’s.

“I—” Jihoon lets out a sigh. “What are you talking about? Of course it’s you! Why do you think I keep pushing you to talk to her? Why do I keep teasing you about y/n? I even made sure y/n sits opposite you most of the time whenever we eat together, just so you both could stare at each other’s faces,”

Junkyu wiped his tear-stained eyes again. “W-what?” he sniffled.

“Duh! The moment we first met y/n, I had a feeling you both were attracted to each other. You both just needed a little push, that’s all.” Jihoon was no longer patting his best friend’s knee now, seeing that he had stopped crying.

“Hyung…”

“Aigoo! Look at you, crying like this. Yah, how are you going to face y/n later?” Jihoon chuckled softly, teasing Junkyu.

“Y-yah. I’m still handsome,”

“Pfft, yeah sure. Tell that to your red nose and puffy eyes,”

Junkyu swallowed the invisible lump in his throat, a small smile creeping on his lips as he succumbed to Jihoon’s teasing.

Jihoon lets out a sigh.

“Hyung…can I ask you a question?”

“Hm? What is it?”

“You see it too, right?

“See what?”

Junkyu clicked his tongue. “Tsk, you know, hyung. I know, you know.”

“Junkyu I don’t have time for your out-of-the-world curiosity,” Jihoon said as he shook his head.

“Aw come on hyung. You know. You know…that I’m not the only one who likes y/n, right?”

“Duhh, of course! It’s you and that Chani kid,”

Junkyu shook his head again. “No. Someone else. Someone else in our group.”

Jihoon’s eyes widened. “W-what?”

And as if on cue, Junkyu’s bedroom door opened.

Both of them turned to see—Hyunsuk entering, closing the door right after.

“Hyunsuk-hyung.” Both Junkyu and Jihoon said at the same time.

 *

 Treasure Dorm #1 (Kitchen)

When Jihoon left the kitchen to go console Junkyu who had stormed off, Yedam and Hyunsuk stayed by your side to make sure you were okay.

You were still staring at the paper bag in your hand.

You had planned to return Junkyu’s shirt today, and maybe talk to him. It’s funny how you sort of miss him, when in reality, the both of you usually only made small talk with each other.

“Y/n, I…” Yedam tried to speak, but then he stopped. He shook his head. He wouldn’t know how to fix this right now. All that he knew was that you must have felt sad after hearing what his hyung said earlier.

Hyunsuk pulled you closer to him, wrapping one arm around you, causing you to lean your head against his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry y/n” he whispered to you.

Yedam stood still beside the both of you, his face still showing concern over you. He should have stopped Junkyu much earlier, he thought.

Doyoung and Mashiho, who were still near the kitchen stove too, watched over you, not continuing their cooking.

You tried your best to not feel sad, you didn’t want your friends to worry over you too much. But how? You still felt the sharp pain in your chest, and you know it’s not a heart attack that you’re having right now.

You let yourself lean comfortably in Hyunsuk’s arm that was wrapped around you, and without realising, a tear flowed down your cheek.

“Y/n,” Yedam said in a sad tone when he noticed you crying.

Hyunsuk immediately wrapped both his arms around you, hugging you close to him. “Shh, shh, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry y/n,”

You closed your eyes and you felt your tears wetting your cheeks even more now. Crap. You’re crying now.

Yedam looked around the room, noticing that both Doyoung and Mashiho were looking super sad as they watched you silently crying in Hyunsuk’s arms.

“I…I just…” You said softly.

“Hm? What is it, y/n?” Hyunsuk leaned close to you, wanting to hear what you were saying clearly.

“I just…” you stopped to swallow a silent sob before continuing, “I just wanted to see him…I just wanted to return his shirt, that’s all. I didn’t know…that all these while I was annoying him,” your voice straining as you said the final words that pained you.

Hyunsuk and Yedam exchanged glances with each other.

After a few minutes of silently sobbing, you slowly lifted your head from Hyunsuk’s embrace, making him releasing his arms from you gently.

You wiped your tears and took a deep breath. “Hyunsuk,”

“Yes?”

“Could you help me return this to him?” you asked, as you pushed the paper bag in your hand to his.

“N-now?”

“Anytime works. I…I don’t think I should see him for now. He’s…clearly annoyed with me being here,” you said half-jokingly. You tried to giggle when you said this, but it only made you sound even sadder than you look right now.

Hyunsuk held onto the bag that you gave him. “Sure. I’ll give it to him. Don’t worry, he’s not annoyed with you, I’m sure of that,” he said, trying to assure you.

You chuckled softly. “Clearly he is, but it’s okay.”

You took a deep breath and pushed your hair behind your ears. Forcing yourself to smile at your friends, you tried your best to sound okay when you said, “So, you both making lunch today?” You asked Doyoung and Mashiho that had been staring at you.

“Uhh, ah yeah. We’re making kimchi jjigae…” Doyoung answered you.

“Smells good,”

“Thanks,” Doyoung said as he nodded slightly towards you.

Mashiho turned towards the stove again, “We’ll resume cooking, alright? And then we’ll all eat together.” Mashiho turned to look at you, flashing his warm smile at you.

You smiled a small smile and nodded.

“Yedamie, you take y/n to the living room, okay? Let her rest up there. I’m gonna go check on Junkyu for a bit,” Hyunsuk said to Yedam.

“Okay, hyung.”

Hyunsuk leaned down close to you, his face levelling with yours. He stroked your cheek with one hand and said to you gently, “I’m gonna go first, okay? Don’t cry no more. It’s gonna be okay.”

You stared into his eyes for a couple seconds before nodding slowly.

And with that, Hyunsuk left the kitchen, your paper bag consisting of Junkyu’s shirt in his hand.

Yedam linked his arm around yours, “Come on y/n. Let’s rest up in the living room, okay?”

 *

Treasure Dorm #1 (Living Room)

Now, bringing you to the living room isn’t really the best idea as of the moment—

Why?

Well, you see, the moment Yedam and you approached the rest of the kids who were in the living room, they were all shocked to see your tear-stained face and flushed complexion.

Unlike the rest who were busy gaping over what they were seeing, Junghwan immediately got up on his feet and rushed over to you.

“Noona! What happened? Why…? Did you cry earlier??”

“Shh, let y/n sit first,” Yedam said softly to the maknae.

Haruto got up from his seat on the sofa and pointed towards the seat, telling you to sit there.

You were still in a daze after your crying earlier so you simply complied with whatever they told you to do.

Finally sitting down, you leaned back against the cushion behind you.

Yoshi, who was sitting closely beside Jeongwoo and Jaehyuk after helping them clean up earlier, decided to go to the kitchen to get you some water since you looked restless at the moment.

Asahi, who was seated beside you right now, turned to look at you—his usual expressionless face showing.

“So…what exactly happened…” Jeongwoo said slowly.

Yedam sat down on the floor, close to the boy asking the question and lets out a sigh.

“Something…happened in the kitchen.”

“Like…?”

“Just…something.” Yedam answered simply.

“That’s not very helpful Yedam,” Jaehyuk said this time. “How are we supposed to know what happened if you don’t tell us,”

You bit your lower lip as you felt it quivering again. It’s all happening again. You could still hear Junkyu’s voice in the back of your head, even when you’re shutting your eyes right now.

“Y/n is annoying.”

Your chest felt tight once again. You opened your eyes and sat up straight, surprising the rest who were still prodding Yedam to tell them what happened.

You stood up from the sofa and looked around you. The faces of your friends showing a mixture of concern and confusion.

You shook your head. “I…I think I’ll leave now,”

You were about to leave but then Yedam quickly grabs your hand. “Y/n? Aren’t you joining us for lunch?”

You shook your head slowly. “Maybe next time, okay?” you said, your voice shaking now. You looked at Yedam, your eyes glossy with tears that you were trying to hold back.

“Y/n…”

“It’s okay! I’m okay!” You said as you faked a laugh.

Yedam hesitantly lets go of your hand. He didn’t want you to go. But he also didn’t want to force you.

You quickly walked towards the house entrance, not looking back and immediately grabbing your shoes in your hand, as you leave the front door.

Yedam lets out a heavy sigh once you were gone from their sight.

“Hyung, what happened…?” Haruto asked this time.

Yedam sighs again before saying, “I’ll tell you all about it in a bit. I need to go tell Hyunsuk-hyung that Y/n left,”

 *

 Treasure’s Dorm #1 (Front door)

The moment you stepped out of their dorm, the door shutting behind you, you walked as fast as you could, hoping that you’ll be far enough from them for now.

It was at least few metres away from their dorm’s door that you stopped to lean your side against the wall of the corridor to control your breathing.

You felt out of breath because you had been holding in your tears, and now…it’s just hurting you.

Slowly, your shoulder still resting against the wall, you slide down to your feet. By now you’re already kneeling on the floor with your palm holding onto the wall for support.

A loud sob escaped your lips. Ah crap. Now you’re starting to cry out the tears you’ve been holding in. And you’re doing it in public too.

But could you blame yourself for being this sad and dramatic?

“Y/n is annoying.”

You shook your head, trying to stop yourself from hearing to those words over again.

Is this your first time being called annoying? Maybe. But would you care if anyone called you annoying? No.

Then why was this hurting you too much?

Was it because you thought that Junkyu and you were finally becoming friends?

You thought the both of you were already clicking. You thought….that maybe, Junkyu had liked being friends with you. He was more open with you recently…then why? Why did he say that about you?

You thought…ah, that’s right.

You thought.

You kept thinking that everything was working out fine with you both. You’ve never clearly thought if Junkyu himself was enjoying being friends with you.

You swallowed your sob, wiping your tears with the back of your hand.

“Silly me. He’s clearly annoyed with me all this while. He’s just too nice to say it to my face,” you muttered to yourself.

You blinked and again you felt your tears wet your cheeks.

You’re starting to feel annoyed with yourself too by now, considering you wouldn’t stop crying.

Why are you this sad?? You shook your head softly. Could it be…that you have some feelings for him? Have you caught feelings for Junkyu and yet you never realised it?

You pushed your hair back and took a deep breath, trying to stop yourself from crying again.

Slowly, you got up on your feet and tried to stand up properly now.

You should just hurry and return to your apartment unit, you thought. Maybe make yourself a cup of warm drink and just calm yourself down.

And just as you stepped forward, you suddenly felt a pair of arms pulling you from behind.

The arms hugged your waist tightly, and you felt the back of your head resting against someone’s chest.

The familiar voice said to you softly, “You’re not annoying. You were never annoying. He’s stupid to think of you that way.”

You then felt yourself being hugged closer by the boy behind you. “You…you’re so nice to us. You don’t deserve to be told as annoying at all,” he added, sounding upset.

 To be continued…

[writingbeary]

Kingdom - Introduction Stage (pt.1)

Minyoung’s Outfit

Note: 

Texts placed inside brackets are Kingdom's show subtitles

Italicized texts are in English

Texts that are block quoted are interview cuts

────────── ♔ ──────────

“Minyoung-ah, are you nervous?” Yeosang asked the girl who was fidgeting beside him.

She let out a sigh, nodding “A bit? We’re going to meet senior groups and compete with them. But I’m also excited to hear their performances that I’m not sure what I’m actually feeling right now” She was nervous but also excited to finally be here.

Today was the first meeting of the groups that are participating in Kingdom. It was finally the day that they will show off what they’ve been working on for the past month or so. If you ask Minyoung, she’ll say that this stage might be more nerve wracking than when they made their debut. The groups they’re competing with are the same people who inspired them to be an idol.

Yeosang smiled and gave her hand a light squeeze “We’ll be alright.” It was such a simple gesture but it calmed her nerves a bit. She was reminded that she’s not facing this challenge alone, she’s with 8 other people to represent ATEEZ. Mingi might not have been able to participate with them but he made sure to send everyone a message of support and that he’ll be watching their broadcasts.

The distinct sound effect sounded signaling them to make their way inside the studio. ATEEZ logo for Kingdom was flashed and they made their way inside. Greeting the groups before them with Yunho in-front asking how far they have to go.

“Waah. So it looks like this. It looks bigger than what I imagined.” Minyoung looked around the studio following behind Yeosang. Hongjoong then led the members to stand in the center to introduce themselves. “We’ll introduce ourselves. 2, 3 . Hello, we’re ATEEZ. We’re looking forward to this.”

[During the pre-interview]

“I’m sure a lot of people won’t know who ATEEZ are, the kind of performances we put on, and our colors as musicians” Wooyoung answered when they were asked what they expect will happen on the show

San nodded adding “We want people to remember who ATEEZ is.” 

“How do you want the other singer to perceive your group?” The staff asked and San immediately answered “They will probably say, ‘They are ATEEZ?’. They probably heard about us, but I want to impress them once they see our performance.”

“I want them to acknowledge us and have someone say something like ‘They’re crazy’ or ‘How did they come up with this performance?’ or ‘As expected of ATEEZ.’. I think it’ll be a really meaningful experience if I could hear them say that at least once throughout the show. Afterall, we’re the youngest group participating.” Minyoung adding in her thought as the others smile agreeing with her

“Or it could be ‘Good job, our babies.’ We’d be open to that too.” Wooyoung added making the others laugh

[ATEEZ is a group that needs love and attention]

Once the greetings are over, Minyoung sat in-between Wooyoung and Hongjoong as discussed beforehand. She wanted to sit beside Jongho at first but since they might get interviewed during the show, it was best for her to sit beside Hongjoong to help her out if needed.

“It’s too quiet that it’s making me really nervous.” Minyoung mumbled taking deep breathes to calm down. Wooyoung noticed, taking her hands and patting it. 

“You know when you’re visiting a friend’s house for the first time? The atmosphere feels like that.” Minyoung laughed as she recalled the silence in the studio when they sat down in their booth. 

The awkward silence in the studio was broken when BTOB entered. They immediately started a conversation with the groups, upon noticing the heavy atmosphere. Eunkwang joked around with Chan making everyone in the studio laugh, easing the nerves of all the groups.

“Omo” Minyoung gasped, immediately bowing again as she met eyes with Minhyuk. She turned to Hongjoong and whispered with a mix of panic and shyness making the leader chuckle “I accidentally met Minhyuk-sunbaenim’s eyes.”

“Are you bringing out your fangirl mode?” Wooyoung grinned knowing how big of a Melody she is. Minyoung pouted however kept quiet as she knows she’ll probably forget they’re even filming and just enjoy the show.

When SF9 came, Minyoung was excitedly waving at her friend Chani, the latter showing a thumbs up. She giggled upon hearing Hongjoong’s comment on how the members of SF9 all look like models. “Oppa, we need to make sure never to stand near them. We’ll look really small beside them. That’s what happened when they visited the set when I was filming with Chani.”

“That’s how you wear a suit.” Seonghwa commented as he looked at the group

“Will we ever be able to wear suits until this show ends?” Hongjoong wondered as the other members immediately turned down the idea.

“I think we need to protect ATEEZ’ image and not have you wear suits until then. Let’s stick with what everyone looks good in.” Minyoung piped in teasingly

When iKON entered the studio, everyone thought of the same thing: they are different. It’s not that they are scary but they have a certain force that makes you pay attention even when they are just sitting down.

“I used to be a trainee under their company, so I have met them in passing and even then, they have this aura about them. iKON-sunbaenim also inspired many of our members to become idols. They’re really cool and being on the same room with them, it’s just...they’re really cool.” Minyoung nodded to herself smiling

ATEEZ went first as they were picked by iKON, which the group was thankful for as they felt like it would be a lot more pressure if they performed after the senior groups.

Minyoung didn’t have a particularly active role in this performance although she does need to do the ending pose with San holding up a torch, while she holds up a flag with their logo on it. During the rehearsals, she had a hard time getting to her place since she’s either getting caught in the camera shot or she’s a beat late in getting to where she needs to be.

“I was really nervous when we were sitting down but now that I’m wearing the mic, I’m just..I want to perform already. All I’m thinking about is that we have to do well and show them the stage ATEEZ prepared.” Minyoung laughed as the staff assisted her in putting her mic in. 

As soon as ATEEZ finished their performance and they were all backstage, Minyoung immediately rushed to Wooyoung apologizing. “Sorry oppa! Are you okay? I stepped a bit too hard.” she was panicking looking at him and checking if he got injured. 

Wooyoung shook his head, smiling “It’s okay, it didn’t really hurt. You didn’t hurt yourself right?”

Minyoung nodded, still a bit shaken “I’m okay. Are you sure? You didn’t get injured? Maybe we should it ice your shoulder just to be safe” making Wooyoung chuckle and pinch her cheek

“I’m fine. See?” he said as he moved his arms and rolled his shoulders to prove it “Stop worrying so much. We finished the performance well and that’s all we need to remember. Now, we can just sit back and enjoy the rest of the performances.”

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ATEEZ Minyoung Masterlist

Disclaimer: This is just a work of fiction. Any portrayal of real people is a combination based on what we could see on cameras and imagination of the author. This is purely fan fiction written for entertainment. Thank you for understanding.

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Writing Beary Corner

I cut this into two parts with this one probably being longer than the other. I originally didn’t want to go into details but as I was writing it...this happened lol I’m thinking if I should keep this format or have interviews be in bullets rather than the blocked quote. Tell me what you think :)

- Mimi

11

[that-kinky-photographer]

Wes sighed in content as he held Chance close, fingers idky playing with his hair as his love got lost in thought. Chance did that a lot, he noticed, but Wes was nothing if not patient. Especially since Chance had break through so much already. At the question of how they would seal their bond on his end Wes decided to be honest with him. "You and I would need to drink from each other, share blood and become one." He says "For vampires it's an extremely intimate act because it can invoke feelings of euphoria and somewhat of a... Well like the feeling you get after a sexual release. Some vampires even use it as a substitute for sex. As long as you don't die with my blood in your system you won't turn though. Blood sharing between mates seals their bond and shows complete trust and care." He says softly "We can do it when you're ready, jagi, but I would much rather be making love to you when we do it."

Wes rubbed Chance's arm as he talked of the warlock his father claimed to love. "But the warlock didn't love him back?" He sighs "I never want to show sympathy for a man who would rather kill his own son than love him, but I do understand unrequited love. In your father's case I can understand why it wasn't reciprocated. We aren't like them though, jagi. We are stronger than them."

Wes sighed at the question. "Rebekah and I met when the Mikaelson family spent a time in what is now Jeju Island in South Korea hiding from their father who started hunting them shortly after they were turned. They had been vampires about 100 years when they came across Chan and I. Rebekah took a liking to me and I was mesmerized by her, not knowing what she was at the time. I fell in love with her, or at least I thought I did. She had me under her spell and I was willing to do anything for her." He says with a sigh. "We had a secret affair, Rebekah was afraid Klaus would find out and kill me. She kept me compelled and fed me her blood most of our relationship but I didn't realize until after I was turned. But I was so devoted to her." He continued. "Her older brother Finn found us together, the little snitch, and told Klaus. He snapped my neck not knowing that Rebekah had been secretly feeding me blood. Imagine my surprise when I woke up like this. I convinced Chani to let me turn him so he wouldn't be left behind when the Mikaelsons had to flee. I honestlt don't know why I stayed after I was old enough to not need my maker, especially since Rebekah made it clear we were no more then a passing fling. Maybe it was Adam. We bonded and he was so lonely. I couldn't just adandon him." He says thinking of the older vampire in the next room over. "But I'm glad I did because it lead me to you, jagi." He says kissing his lips, projecting everything he felt for the young necromancer through their bond.

Wes let Chance sleep during their drive out of the city to the safe house deep in the woods about 20 miles north of the city. He felt better knowing that his blood was healing him and he knew his love needed the rest. The scenery zoomed past them as he took the back roads to the house which was warded from the start of the property at the road all the way back to the house and surrounding lake area so he wasn't too worried about being found once he turned down the dirt path that lead about half a mile into the woods.

Wes had gotten a call from Eric on the drive up who told him that he made sure the place was fully stocked for them before their arrival and to call if they needed anything. He was grateful for the warlock's help because if anyone found out Eric was helping he would have a target on his back as well. Though Wes had a feeling that he didn't really have to worry about Eric all that much, he oozed power out of his pores but kept it well hidden.

Wes carried Chance inside and into the room they would be sharing during their stay, taking his shoes off and getting him comfortable so he could rest before settling in beside him to watch over him. About an hour passed before his beautiful love stirred, reaching out for him. "I'm here, jagi. We are safe for now." Wes says, wrapping his arms around Chance and kissing his shoulder. "I love you, get as much rest as you need."

[fantasywritings]

mtl to be into someone younger

I think they all would prefer someone younger

but still

MOST

Yoo Taeyang

Inseong

Juho

Youngbin

Seokwoo

Jaeyoon

Hwiyoung

Chani

LEAST

MOST- Yoo Taeyang wants to be looked up to and wants to be called oppa. I can’t imagine him with an older s/o. He wants to be the person his s/o leans on to and comes for advice, basically an oppa figure.

Inseong is pretty much the same, despite being in his late 20s and probably not wanting to date someone who’s already in their 30s, he has a very fresh and young mindset and isn’t ready to settle down like most people in their 30s, therefore a younger s/o would be the choice. I actually think he isn’t looking for someone older and it’s a bit of a deal breaker to him because he thinks a lot about things and he knows people in their 30s have certain wishes that he can’t fulfil or follow as an idol star. Plus; he likes to be the wise oppa you can lean on.

Juho and Youngbin would just like to be called oppa^^ Youngbin has a slight preference for younger s/o because of similar reasons to Inseong, he’s not thinking of marriage just yet and he’d feel like dating someone in their 30s might make him feel pressured to settle down in order to not disappoint them.

I think for the rest it wouldn’t really mind, with hwiyoung and chani dating someone who’s a bit older for the sake of intellectual conversations and maturity. But it all really depends on how mature the person is. I think hwiyoung would like it if he were to date a “noona”, it’d be very cool to him, but at the same time he’d like to be called oppa so he really wouldn’t mind about the age of his s/o.

SEND IN MTLS, ANONS, CONFESSIONS, HEADCANONS~^^