#now i know in messiah this will probably be different

[demon-of-the-ancient-world]

One reason I think the book-film change for Chani's character works so well is actually because she doesn't have much to do in the books.

As someone who affects the overall plot, there isn't much to her -- the only piece she really affects is Paul, and subsequently their relationship. So having her go from someone who's real only purpose is one half of an interpersonal relationship to someone who has a bit more agency works, and makes things all the more tragic, because she is really unable to affect the plot.

I have no idea how it'll be handled in Messiah (though I've got ideas aplenty), but at least in part 2...Chani being against the prophecy and Paul's rise really didn't change the overall story, only her relationship with Paul and therefore the lens through which the story was told.

Denis taking a character who in the books ultimately doesn't do anything with major repercussions in regards to the wider story of Dune (at least until Messiah, and then the only action of hers which majorly affects things is having Leto II) and giving that character an opposing viewpoint to her book counterpart makes things more tragic because the rest of the story essentially goes on in the same way in spite of her views. The story and outcome is the same, one character just feels a whole lot different about it -- and can do nothing to stop it from happening. Flipping Chani's beliefs around doesn't drastically alter the events of the story (so far at least), it just makes them harder to watch because you've now got someone stuck inside screaming that it's wrong, and can't do anything about it.

[fuckyeahisawthat]

Controversial opinion among Dune book fans maybe, but I loved the changes they made to Chani's character. Making her a fedaykin who is already an experienced fighter before Paul arrives was a brilliant choice. Dune Part Two is a war movie, and this puts her at the center of the action, side by side with Paul, and gives her a much more active role than she has in the book.

We got a hint of where things were going in the beginning of Dune Part One. The first thing we ever know about movie Chani is that she's a fighter. She serves as a voice for the Fremen, telling us the story of their struggle from her point of view. I wrote here about the difference this change makes compared to other adaptations of Dune, what a perspective shift it is to have the world of Arrakis introduced not by an outsider, describing it as a dangerous but valuable colonial prize, but by one of its native inhabitants, who tells us before all else that it's beautiful, her home that she's fighting to liberate. I am so, so glad that the second movie followed up on this characterization.

I never found Chani and Paul's love story in the book particularly convincing, because why would this woman, who already has a prominent and respected place in Fremen society, even give the time of day to her deposed would-be colonizer, let alone fall in love and have children with him? Without a compelling reason for Chani to love Paul, she ends up feeling like a prize to be won, and "indigenous culture personified as a woman to be wooed (or conquered) by the colonizing man" is a trope we've seen and don't need to repeat.

But as soon as you tell me it's a barricade romance I get it. Cool cool cool, I know exactly what this relationship is now and it makes sense. Movie Chani doesn't respect or even particularly like Paul when she first meets him, and she doesn't think he's the fulfillment of any prophecy. She comes to respect him, and eventually love him, through his actions. He's brave--sometimes recklessly so. He fights well. He's willing to stick his neck out on the front lines with the other Fremen fighters. He can (after a little help) hack surviving in the harsh desert environment. He's not too proud to learn from others. He seems to genuinely want to be her equal in a common political struggle. All these qualities make sense as things she values.

Fighting side by side as equals is just about the only way I can see movie Chani falling for Paul. And it fits perfectly with the film's pattern of reversals that Paul's capacity for violence would initially be one of the things Chani likes about him, only for her to be repelled later when she sees what he becomes.

And as for Paul, well, he's had people deferring to him his entire life. Someone who doesn't take any shit from him is probably refreshing. He seems to like people (Duncan, Gurney) who challenge him and engage in a little friendly teasing--and aren't afraid to go a few rounds in the sparring ring.

It's easy to speedrun a romance when you're spending all your time together in mortal danger fighting for a shared political cause. Especially if you then start winning in a war your people have been fighting for decades. Are you kidding me? That is the perfect environment for intense battle camaraderie to turn into romantic love, and lust.

It makes sense that this version of Chani never believes Paul is any kind of messiah. Of course a character like movie Chani wouldn't believe in or trust some outside savior to liberate them. She's been working to liberate her own people for years. The more Paul invokes the messianic myth, the more he starts sounding once again like someone who plans to rule over them, and the more uncomfortable Chani becomes. In this way she becomes a foil to Jessica, the two of them representing the choices Paul is pulled between. It's a great way of externalizing the political and philosophical debates that often happen within characters' heads in the book.

And of course this version of Chani would leave Paul at the end of the film. It's not just the personal, emotional betrayal--although that stings. What common cause does she have with someone who just declared himself emperor and is sending her own people off in a war of conquest against others? Given the important role she plays in Dune Messiah, I am super curious to see how they get her back into the story, but girl was so valid for being willing to just gtfo. Given that she has the last shot of the whole movie, I'm sure she'll be back somehow, and I can't wait to see what they do with her character in any future installments.

[fruttymoment]

Do you think only Rue is a robot or is Cedric secretly a robot too in that one theory?

When Niko asks the question, Cedric answers too!

Unsure if this is a theory at this point; but it is HEAVILY suggested that both Rue and Cedric are robots as well, just like Proto. Pretty sure it's also confirmed by Nightmargin herself, in somewhere! I just forgor

I do, however, have another theory. Based in this interaction :

Since the entire world is just a simulation, is EVERYONE there technically is a robot?

Are Proto, Cedric and Rue specifically robots because they are The Author's children?

It's hard to say a certain thing because first of all we have no idea what exactly makes a robot, well, 'robot', in the universe of OneShot.

A robot is an entity with computing power, specifically designed to do a certain task. We see nurse robots, rowbots, guardian robots etc. in the game. All of them surely are robots, but they have different missions and are built for different tasks.

However, just like other people, robots are NPCs. NPCs in OneShot are basically simulated people, and are not real. Well, they WERE real in the Old World. Now it's not really them but their digital version of themselves, built by complex coding from The Author that 'lives' inside of The World Machine's simulation.

Imagine the Earth we know today is about to be destroyed tomorrow. In horror, scientists somehow figure out how to turn you into a code to simulate yourself in a computer. Forever, perhaps. It's still you with your emotions, habits, thoughts and stuff! It's just that you are not real anymore, but just powered by electricity inside of a computer. You just dont know it.

This of course creates something.. rather interesting.

What is real? What isn't?

WELL WE HAVE NO IDEA BOUT THAT IRL. In the universe of OneShot though; anyone that is living in this simulated environment is an NPC. NPCs don't remember anything when you reset the game for Solstice run, because they are a part of the simulation. They ARE the simulation. And when you reset the game, so the simulation is formatted. No one remembers Niko and anything.

Niko is the messiah because they are a real person. They do not belong this simulation, they have their own world and life. They came to this simulated environment from somewhere else; they never belonged here and they were never a part of the Old World.

This is the difference between real people and NPCs in OneShot, basically. I hope??

Now, one has to ask. The Author has left the world in his 'own terms'. He is probably alive though. But, what about their children? Why are they.. seperated?

I don't think we have any official explanation. A thing I found is apparently Author, Cedric, Rue and Proto all lived in the Real World. So, they existed there. Pay attention to this because it will be... relevant.

Rue, Cedric and Proto are The Author's children. Altho, the wiki sometimes say 'creations' which I am very unsure. In any way, they lived together. They all do call him their "Father". It may not be the word 'father' we think, but maybe a creator too.

Now, this makes me wonder. The Author left, but why their children remains in the simulation? Maybe an accident happened?

Here is a very super weird fact.

Because technically they are bound to the simulation, all three siblings are considered as NPCs.

Wait um

Are they.. NPCs? If i remember correctly, Proto said that they themselves arent regular NPCs. He even knows what NPC is, and why they dont remember anything.

So...? Why three of them are special in this way? Maybe Author just made them so. Everyone else is from the Real World too, but the three siblings are somehow special in a matter.

So! The siblings are robots but arent just NPCs.

But. Then, what the fuck??

WERE THEY ALWAYS ROBOTS OR LIKE?? Why other people arent robots, but Cedric and Rue are?? They do NOT look like robots!

Did three of them fucking DIED irl and Author pulled a William Afton and made them robots??? WHAT

HOW DOES THAT WORK. SINCE THEY ARE CONSIDERED AS REAL AND NOT NPCS, THEY ARE NOT SIMULATED AT ALL. THEY JUST- THATS HOW THEY EXISTED IRL. HUH?? BUT-

Dont worry it gets worse :)

Remember just when i said Proto, Cedric and Rue arent NPCs but real people, riight?

Prepare to lose your shit because i am going to tell you somrthing.

"When Rue, Cedric, and Proto must be placed in the portal near the end of the Solstice run, Rue is the only one who doesn't have the "NPC" tag on her spritesheet."

- OneShot Wiki , a fact

Oh!

Rue

Rue, that fuckinf fox that i love completely destroys something we thought.

Rue :3

She fucking. Causes a HUGE problem.

According to the game files ITSELF, Rue is the ONLY ONE that does NOT have NPC tag.

This could mean two things. Lets see.

This is only a technical game thing. Rue does not have a NPC tag, because she is the only one that meets you before Solstice. She then remembers and knows you in Solstice. Proto and Cedric are not met before Solstice, thus they technically count as NPCs in not lore but technical game way. In short : Because Rue is the only one that remembers you afterwards, the devs themselves could removed the NPC tag to note themselves that Rue is different. Maybe thats how game code works too? Maybe if you give a NPC tag to a character, it means the character will be resetted after the save file gimmick is deleted. Rue not having an NPC tag could maaybe mean she is supposed to be not affected by a reset, and remembers, so has special interactions

Something malicious is brewing. Oh my fucking god

Tbh, both seem... weak? First of all I dont think the devs simply forgor the name tag for Rue. As a dev NAMING files and confirming everything, that doesnt seem normal. Maybe they really did forgot?? But it could easily be changed by an update or something afterwards?

Another thing is : its just a name in her spritesheets. A name of a spritesheet surely can change some stuff in game engine specifically, but um. I am very unsure.

Anyways. Lets see.

Screenshots from OneShot TWM Edition.

... well! She STILL has no NPC tag !!

THE DEVS KNOW.

THERE MUST BE A REASON. BUT WHICH ONE???

Is it somehow a technical thing???

Or. Something rather funny is going on.

Well um. We literally need direct answer from Nightmargin if its a lore thing; or perhaps GIR & Eliza if its a technical coding reason. Who knows??

I actually will ask this to Nightmargin in her Tumblr Q&A. Who knows, maybe she will answer!!!

If its a technical reason, then there isnt much stuff to discuss here. All three of them are possibly something else than just a simple NPC.

...if not, Rue is. Someone special perhaps. There may be a whole stuff we dont know about Rue and the siblings.

Rue always felt slightly different. Who knows.

Anyway TLDR ; Cedric is a robot too lol

[nataliesscatorccio]

this line in the description for Yellowjackets really gets to me. "25 years later, they discover that what began in the wild is far from over." time and time again im just struck by how effective this show is at saying exactly what it feels like to go through life as a woman. you still have this girl inside you who is wild and childish and scared. she doesn't know how to move her body she doesn't know how to ask for what she wants she's a freak she's an idol she's a mess she's a messiah she's a witch and a wicked little beast she's the best friend a girl could have. but it's time to be an Adult Woman now! congratulations, you're out of the woods! we know that was confusing and traumatic for you but rest assured thats all done. maybe you'll have a husband and a teenager of your own maybe you'll be a politician maybe you're going to run a mlm. it doesnt matter, just make sure you're unrecognizable from the wild animal you were. you're supposed to be unrecognizable. you're supposed to have it together, you're supposed to be boring. strawberry lube is for bisexuals and goths. and teenagers. Please be more boring. this Whole Thing this whole charade of adulthood doesn't work if you don't keep it together. grow up! so you do. for a while it sticks. your family is doing fine, your career is doing fine, your meds are working fine, maybe you've been to a few rehabs but this last one was going fine. and 25 years later you look around at the not-real life you're supposed to want to be a part of, the one you put together exactly as per the instructions, and you realize... it doesnt end. you aren't out of the woods you're just stranded in a different part of them. you probably have another 25 years to go, minimum. "I think shit is gonna get a lot worse out here." your life is far from over but you can't keep living it like this. numbing yourself with substances to make it tolerable, or going full speed ahead toward something you don't even really want just to prove you're Doing It you're Assimilating, or feeling insane for still being haunted by 'ancient' history that really didn't happen that long ago, or cooking a fucking meatloaf for the husband that doesn't get you and the daughter that doesn't want to. if you're going to survive the monotony of adulthood the way you survived the chaos of adolescence, you're going to have to get wild again. you're going to have to go back. because the wilderness can be terrifying with its harsh elements its cruel indifference its lurking predators and blah blah blah but do you want to know what's even scarier? that endless stretch in all directions of sameness. stump, tree, stream, moss. stump, tree, stream, moss. have we passed this way already, have we taken this route before? tree tree tree tree tree for miles and miles and miles. that is the wild, too. unending. repetitive. barren. where it ends, so do you. it lasts your whole life, and it's far from over. you've got to find a way to survive it. again.

[kiyomitakada]

This is not in Halle’s contract. Yes, she’s in the SPK to avenge her brother — not to make a quick buck — and yes, she’s more of an independent asset anyway, but nevertheless she is quite sure this is not in her contract.

“Well, you think I’m stupid,” Amane muses, poking at the glass of wine in front of her. “So you’d put the poison in my glass.”

“I would never think so lowly of you,” Takada says innocently, the corner of her mouth twitching upward. “You are a dear friend, Amane-san.”

“Riiight, and I’m not stupid, so I’d go for your glass instead. But,” and Amane leans forward to jab a finger in Takada’s face, “you told me that just so I would go for your glass, so you actually put the poison in your glass.”

“I really don’t know where this misconception came from,” Takada says calmly. “I never said I poisoned either of our glasses.”

“You said you hoped I’d enjoy it!”

“An entirely benign thing to say—”

“No no no,” Amane says. “You said it like—” She lowers her voice to a purr. “‘I hope you… enjoy it, Amane-san.’”

Takada is now clearly fighting down a smile. “You’re imagining things.”

“‘Because it would be such a shame if this was your last meal, since the Kira activity has been ramping up so much lately’—”

“Is that really what I sound like to you?”

“Yes. And, and then: ‘it’s really rather fitting we have red wine, just as Judas did before he kissed the Messiah’—”

“I absolutely did not say that,” Takada says, amusement dancing in her eyes. Halle almost does a double take; she looks so different from the Kiyomi Takada who exits hotel rooms with the beginnings of sadness in the creases of her smile. “Where did you even get that from?”

“The goth look is researched, you know,” Amane huffs. “I don’t just slap crosses on and call it a day, the aesthetic has to make sense!”

“Unlike you,” Takada murmurs.

“Hey!” Amane leans even further forward, almost knocking her wine glass over, and pokes Takada in the shoulder. “I heard that.”

“I know,” Takada says, and slaps her hand over Amane’s, trapping it on her shoulder. Amane freezes. Halle expects her to pull back, but — no, they’re both just staring at each other now, Amane’s eyes wide and Takada’s narrowed. A stalemate.

Halle gives it ten seconds before she clears her throat.

“Ah—!” Takada lets go, leaning back. Amane collapses back into her seat, eyes still rounded. “Apologies, Lidner-san, I…”

“Hey,” Amane interjects, “I almost deduced your whole thing there! You distracted me. Which means the poison has to be in your glass!”

Halle internally revises her report to Near. This is not a catfight. This is something much weirder than that.

“Yes, congratulations,” Takada says dryly. “You’ve uncovered my evil plot.”

Amane reaches for her own glass, then pauses again. “But then… why are you letting me think that?”

A smirk is growing on Takada’s face. “Why indeed?”

“Alright, Kiyomi,” Amane declares, slamming both hands onto the table. “This battle of wits begins! Today!”

Honestly. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Halle had prepared the wine herself and therefore knew perfectly well that it was nontoxic, she’d probably be hoping both glasses were poisoned by now.

On the plus side, at least she’ll get to surprise Near with the knowledge that the suspected second Kira and Kira’s spokeswoman have started flirting. This is probably good for the strategy. Somehow.

“I accept your challenge,” Takada says coolly, but it’s all too easy to see the sparkle in her eyes.

Please for the love of god let this be good for the strategy.

[ @deathnotetober day 20: poison (with apologies to the princess bride) ]

[cheeseanonioncrisps]

One of my favourite things about Deep Space Nine is imagining how Sisko's superiors must have been reacting to his shenanigans behind the scenes.

I mean just imagine it.

You're an admiral or something in Starfleet. You belong to an organisation that spans half the galaxy, has access to unimaginable (to many civilisations) levels of technology, and contains numerous different cultures.

You are well aware that the power and technological advancement of the Federation makes you inherently dangerous to less technologically advanced peoples. Like the moment any group is introduced to you, the development of their species is basically going to be changed forever. A single individual fucking around can, if careless, negatively impact an entire world.

Avoiding this kind of thing is therefore one of the core values of your civilisation. Your Prime Directive. There are huge lists of rules and regulations over when it is an isn't appropriate to intervene. People have literally died rather than break them.

And then there's this one world, whose people have only just overthrown an oppressive regime and are looking to join your Federation. You and your colleagues vote to help them rebuild, while steering clear of interfering with any of their politics, of course, and send some of your guys over to help administrate.

One of those guys then goes and DECLARES HIMSELF A GOD.

Like, we, the audience, know that Sisko was chosen by the Worm-Hole Aliens to be their Emissary. We know that he struggled with accepting the role at first and that he had visions and eventually came around to whole-heartedly believing in the Bajoran religion.

But Starfleet doesn't know that! Starfleet isn't inside Sisko's head!

From Starfleet's perspective the most logical explanation for all this is that they sent some guy to the back of beyond, the local people got him involved in their religion and then he either went crazy or saw an opportunity to gain power, and now he can impact the entire planet's political decisions on a fucking whim and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

I mean, this has to be every higher-up's worst nightmare, right? This is the sort of extreme scenario they'd come up with in school textbooks to explain to children why the Prime Directive is necessary.

If the Dominion War hadn't happened, Sisko's main legacy in the Federation would have been "the reason why we have all these extra regulations about interfering with non-Federation worlds, and why all Starfleet Captains operating in the vicinity of such worlds have mandatory psych evaluations every couple of months."

And they can't even do anything about it! They can't remove him and replace him with another Officer, because the local people are 100% on board with this 'Sisko's the Messiah' thing and won't work with anyone else. You can't back away from the situation entirely and give them a few years to repair the damage because it's super critical for the war you're currently fighting.

You can't even really control Sisko, because although he makes a show of being The Good Starfleet Captain, in practice there's always a risk that if you say something he disagrees with too strongly he'll just go off piste and do something else entirely and justify it with: "the Prophets told me to".

Which, again, the audience knows is a very real thing that is actually happening to Sisko, but from Starfleet's perspective could be anything from "Sisko is hearing voices" to "Sisko is legit just pulling things from his ass and trusting that we won't risk pissing off the Bajorans by contradicting him."

Just saying, from the perspective of the Federation, Sisko is probably as well-known a cautionary tale as he is a hero.

[chaifootsteps]

*sighs* Hello, Chai, this is Metallica Anon with a bit of a lengthy post. 🤘

It's been a while since you last heard from me. Mainly because I've been busy with life, getting sick with the flu earlier this month, and often times coming onto your Tumblr when the ask box is locked.

Last time you heard from me, I told you I was going to see Metallica live that weekend. I did... twice. I'll make the Metallica gushing brief. Both shows were fantástica and they had different setlists with no repeated songs. They even played "Leper Messiah" on the Friday show... which segways into the main subject of this rant.

Yep, I'm ranting about Viv again. More specifically, I have this issue involving her... *ahem*

Why can't I move on from her and her shows?!

Why am I still thinking about vile woman and her shit-shows? Why am I still reading fanfics and viewing or even commissioning fanart of her shows? Why am I still even dreaming about her shows?! It's like my mind is forever clouded in a thick red smog. I honestly can't fathom how I let myself become a fan of this demon drivel for four years. Granted, I did manage to break away, but the damage has been done. Right now, I'm feeling like Pearl from Steven Universe.

♪ It's over, isn't it? Why can't I move on? ♪

I mentioned this to you before when S1 ended (which I still refuse to watch), but the one thing that Viv did that really detonated the H-bomb inside me was the twist of Vaggie being a former exterminator. I endured a lot of her shit, but somehow this was the final straw for me with Viv. Why? Was it because of its plot-hole laden ridiculousness? Was it because I perceived it as Viv sucking the fandom's dick by implementing fan theories into her show? Was it because it made me foolish that I didn't see this twist coming? I think the answer is all three, though mostly the fandom dick sucking part.

What's sadder is that I've had a similar experience with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Hell, it was late 2019 that I officially sent MLP:FIM to the glue factory while checking into the Hazbin Hotel. I guess history really does repeat itself. 😔

I know I've thanked you a lot, Chai, but I still feel the need to thank you for all you do. Frankly, you're the only person I feel comfortable talking to about my issues with Viv, despite the fact that we're likely thousands of miles apart. I'm actually terrified of mentioning anything Hellaverse related to my family or friends. Mainly because they would most likely not understand what I'm talking about, or I might inadvertently turn them into fans. 😬

Wowie-Kazowie, that was a load off of me being hard on myself. It's probably longest ask I ever sent you. Now I shall close this rant with a Metallica reference...

Viv, I dub thee unforgiven. 🖕

Hey, I get it, especially the dreaming part! It's annoying as hell, but you can't just switch off something that meant a lot to you...not when the quality dips or when the creator turns out to be an asshole, not even when it hurts you. The love stays with you forever, like HPV.

That's awesome that you got to see Metallica twice, though! At least the universe threw you that bone to make up for it.

[ultimate-marysue]

I feel like Chani choosing to save Paul through the prophecy would make their reconciliation so much easier. I really dislike Jessica's use of the voice in general but especially at this moment.

It would have been such a great moment of tension with herself, completely devastated by the loss of her Usul. And then she remembers... the tears of the desert spring, a stupid prophecy. She isn't sure that's how it works. The desert spring is supposed to be a metaphor for the ecological change, right? But it is her name and she does feel like crying. She isn't convinced it will work because it's a silly prophecy, but she just has to try.

She springs into action she grabs the water of life and Jessica tries to stop her, probably thinking she's trying to join Paul. But Stilgar, who knows Chani's, name stops her. And Jessica sees her mix the tears with the water of life, she know another drop of it might either kill Paul or bring him back so she let's it happen, hoping for the best. We get some much needed nuance with her character, clearly worried about her son and asking Alia "what have we done?".

Chani, who doesn't believe in religious prophecies nor Bene Gesserit bullshit holds the two drops to Paul's mouth. A part of her simply wants to show everyone how stupid this is, how there's no prophecy, and how they're fanaticism has killed a great man. But then Paul wakes up.

The relief, the horror, the completely upending of her entire belief system... chef's kiss. She isn't sure if this is some Bene Gesserit thing, if Paul was pretending so he could get her to fulfill the prophecy. And then she hears Stilgar's voice "Tears of the desert spring".

Everyone around them drops to worship the Lisan Al-Gaib. Jessica is relieved, Stilgar is overjoyed and she's just confused. Paul tries to hold her, tk kiss her to thank her but she isn't ready. She feels tricked. She has spent her entire life believing one thing and now nothing makes sense.

So she keeps her distance, she tries to resist the prophecy that Paul himself called bullshit but she's confused. She isn't going to abandon her conviction that their savior must be Fremen. She remembers Paul asking in the tent if he's not Fremen enough after passing every test and she doubts.

She fights for the Fremen at the battle for Arrakeen, she does her part and she wonders if she had any choice at all. And then the thing with the princess happens, and she's distraught. Paul reassures her that he will love her as long as he breathes and it comforts her. At least until she remembers how he stopped breathing after the water of life. What's worst, he declares himself an emperor, forcing the old man to kiss his hand like a petulant child. And he threatens to destroy the spice if people don't accept him as their new ruler ...is too much.

She made a promise too, to love him as long as he remained himself. He changed and the most frightening thing is that she still loves him. She needs space, she needs the desert.

This would offer the possibility of Paul finding her and saying "You are angry at me for participating in the prophecy to save this planet but you used it to save me when you thought I was dying". He could try to convince her with that whole "when everything and everyone you love is at stake you'll take whatever chance you get" which is kinda how he locks himself in that specific future in the books.

I don't know they could have a conversation on how things would be different if he had died in Siege Tabur or after the water of life. He would explain to her (and the audience) the narrow golden path, and how the alternatives are so much worse.

I think it would be interesting if Chani comes to the conclusion that she has to end Paul's tyranny out of love, because her Usul would rather die than become a monster. But she pretends to accept Paul's argument (the audience unsure if she does buy it or not). That would set the stage for Dune Messiah much better and have a very interesting dynamic between the two (specially for that ending).

Jessica forcing her doesn't accomplish anything it only confirms for Chani that the Profe y is some Bene Gesserit bullshit (Jessica calls for her and forces her to do it). The reconciliation is going to be so much more difficult after that. Also, for a guy that wants to tell "a bene Gesserit story" the director is misusing Jessica. If they let her be more manipulative (talking to Alia about how the drop from the water of life will trigger the reaction for him to wake up) we could see how the prophecy is planted while allowing the Fremen to believe something magical happened. It would open Chani to her manipulation...but no, she had to scream.

I feel like, for all that they show us Jessica manipulating the religious people, that scene left a lot of people confused. I saw the people at the theater saying "wait so the prophecy is real" which is the last thing you want to do in a Dune adaptation.

What I described would only take two more minutes (and a lot of acting) but I think it would make the themes clearer and make Chani and Jessica a bit more interesting. I liked the movie but this is one of those moments I simply can't understand, specially from a fan of the Bene Gesserit.

[lvxybby]

Little Witch part 1:pinky power

Kai Anderson X Witch reader!

(AN: this idea has been in my mind since I've started writing. I really hope you like it!)

WARNING: THIS CONTAINS CUSSING AND MENTIONS OF SEX (no actual sex until different parts) Lmk if I missed anything😛❤

.

.

The blue haired man sat across from you, his pinky wrapped around yours.

He began asking you questions.

"What scares you the most?" He asked.

"The thought of losing you." You answered honestly to your boyfriend.

"Hm." He hummed.

"Do you love me?" He asked.

"Of course." You replied. His brown eyes bore into yours. His plain expression sending chills down your spine

"Do you believe in me?" He asked.

"Yes. I do. I'll support you no matter what" you answered confidently.

He finally asked the last question.

"Will you be the mother of our Messiah?"

You froze.

You and Kai have had sex multiple times but, a Messiah?

"I... I don't think I'm ready for that yet.." You answered, now breaking eye contact.

"Hm..." He let go of your pinky and stood up.

He made his way in front of you and crouched down.

"Why not"

"I... Don't know I wanna wait a bit longer" you said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

His hands moved to your thighs.

"C'mon.. With your powers and my smartness... We can do this baby.." He said as his hands moved up and down.

"Kai, please I'm not ready. I still don't know how to fully control anything. And trying to teach a kid things I don't know... It's hard" you said cupping his cheek.

"Can we please just wait? " you asked.

He sighed.

"... 'Kay" he mumbled.

"Kai... Please don't be like that. I want this as much as you do but-"

"You clearly don't." He said getting up

"Kai... Please stop." You said sternly.

"Your so fucking selfish." He said, making his way up the stairs.

"Kai!" You shouted.

You stood up and were about to make your way up the stairs when you realized it was probably best to leave him be.

.

.

(Sorry it's short! There will be more parts!)

[eternallyblight]

Highlights from the Talk is Jericho Podcast w/Brendon Small and Gene Hoglan

Listen to the podcast here

Hatredcopter was the first song that Gene and Brendon ever worked together, recorded, and completed in an entire day.

How Brendon came up with Pickles and Nathan - What is the least metal name I can think of?

Toki Wartooth - Tommy or Brendon's name frome Viking name generator. Toki is like a child. Infantilized. (yes Brendon literally said this.) rhythm guitarist, but he's the darkest character.

Skwisgaar's had so much sex he doesn't like sexual things and looks for non-sexual things to get horny from.

Nathan is the guy who can never find the right girl. He's always going for the wrong thing.

Murderface is probably an incel.

Pickles has been around the block. This is his second band. He has a whole history of being in bands.

Part of producing the show is to mind the budget. They charge you by the frame. It would take 4-5 months and done domestically for 15 minute shows. Sometimes they turn it in on Friday, a couple days before the episode airs.

Gene will always be part of this no matter what. Gene is under a lot of pressure. Gene is literally a superhuman. He has to play in time with the animation and looks for the count from his peripheral vision. He takes a month beforehand to bear down on the live show. He will rehearse to the click track.

Gene loves working with Brendon and Ulrich (the producer). He's never seen Brendon stress. He's really reliable.

All the members live in Brendon's head and annoy him in different ways. But he's been close to Nathan a lot this year.

He doesn't know what is his favorite song to play. But he thinks its really fun to play Thunderhorse.

Gene's favorite member is Pickles because of his quote, "Couldn't do it, too damn drunk." and definitely not just because he's the drummer.

Gene's favorite song to play: The Gears, Dethsupport because they're challenging.

Gene and Brendon talk about the fact that Laser Cannon Deth Sentence was so hard to record they decided to never play it live but now Gene says he wants to try.

Questions and answers about the movie under the cut in case you don't want spoilers.

Brendon wanted to up the ante when making Army of the Doomstar. This is the conclusion of the Metalocalypse story, the one that began in the first episode.

The movie is mainly about the ego. It's a dipshit messiah story. Comedy that turns into an action movie. Go from the corporate world of Dethklok to the religious world of music.

This is the end of that story. It's about the search of the song of salvation.

On why Brendon decided to end Metalocalypse:

It's really important to end a story and not let it linger forever. Finishing a project is really important. A project that goes on forever diminishes the story.

Is there a possibility that Dethklok will do something beyond this? There is. I don't know. I think that Dethklok will live forever. This is the end of the Metalocalypse story.

[anarcheamor]

So... About Erzebet...

I'm pretty sure most people agree that there is something a tad underwhelming about Erzebet and a few have waxed poetic about why but I want to add a couple of things.

For one, to get the distaste out of my mouth, there's something about a European woman being the incarnation of an Egyptian goddess and being serviced by a dark-skinned priestess that rubs me weird. It's... Fine, given that she herself isn't a goddess proper, just knows powerful magic and the association with a goddess seems to be closer to being a matter of delusion of grandeur rather than an actual truth about her. It really just comes down to the fact that none of the big powerful vampires in the first show needed any association with deities to be at all threatening. Big Daddy Drax and The Spice Girls were just outright badasses on their own and we're met with immediate displays of their power and not even in combat. Dracula had a huge fucking castle built with machines and magic that he ran on his own with no help at all and Carmilla pops into the scene literally silencing an entire room with her mere presence. Miss SekhySekhySniperwolf needed a whole two episodes for us to finally see how powerful she is and this is after we've all grown tired of different characters sucking her whole ThunderCats-looking puss-puss (that probably meows) while one of them has us praying on her downfall cuz there's no way the writers thought having an indigenous person acting against her was gonna have us still somehow intimidated by her when he was told to bow and he still only did it half-assed at best.

But, for me, and this is the second thing that bothers me, there's this thing about messianic characters being super powerful entities that ruins the point of the whole thing. There's a reason why it fails when it pops in superhero media and that's because the whole point of a (Christian, have to specify because Jewish messianicism doesn't follow the same standards and sure as hell isn't being represented in mainstream media) Messiah is that they are weak and powerless. Literally, Jesus. Just look at Jesus. Home slice wasn't out here boxing with legionnaires and straight up said if he did get slapped, he would turn the other cheek. Plus there's the whole revolutionary aspect that's conveniently forgotten about. Jesus wasn't a Messiah because his morals were just that great and he had god-given superpowers, he was given that title because he was challenging the powers that be at the time. The Vampires in Castlevania are the fucking elite! They don't need a damn messiah, they're just throwing a tantrum because they can't eat din-din at the time they want to. So whole thing just feels shallow when a vampire messiah would be a great source of atory-telling. Imagine if Erzebet wasn't some grandiose vampire queen but a humble lady who is somehow working a now vampire underclass back into the fold of the world because they've been hunted down to such dwindling numbers that humans have went beyond the realms of resisting being food but now have just settled back into their own oppressive ways. Sure that would get rid of the ever-so-satisfying trope of "vampires = upper society" but I would rather trade that for a more compelling villainness who isn't some less- compelling redo of Dracula or The Sisters.

[fuckyeahisawthat]

There are so many places in the Villeneuve Dune adaptations where he just...takes all the narrative pieces that Frank Herbert laid out and subtly rearranges them into something that tells the story better--that creates dramatic tension where you need it, communicates the themes and message of the book more clearly, or corrects something in the text that contradicts or undermines what Herbert said he was trying to say.

The fedaykin are probably my favorite example of this. I just re-read a little part of the book and got smacked in the face with how different they are.

(under the cut for book spoilers and length)

The fedaykin in the book are Paul's personal followers, sort of his personal guard. They show up after his legend has already started growing (the word doesn't appear in the book until chapter 40) and they are people who have specifically dedicated themselves to fighting for him, and right from the moment they're introduced there is a kind of implied fanaticism to their militancy that's a bit uncomfortable to read. They're the most ardent believers in Paul's messianic status and willing to die for him. (They are also, as far as you can tell from the text, all men.)

In the book, as far as I can remember (I could be forgetting some small detail but I don't think so) there is no mention of armed resistance to colonialism on Arrakis before Paul shows up. As far as we know, he created it. ETA: Okay I actually went back and checked on this and while we hear about the Fremen being "a thorn in the side" of the Harkonnens and we know that they are good fighters, we don't see anything other than possibly one bit of industrial sabotage. The book is very clear that the organized military force we see in the second half was armed and trained by Paul. This is exacerbated by the two-year time jump in the book, which means we never see how Paul goes from being a newly deposed ex-colonial overlord running for his life to someone who has his own private militia of people ready to give their lives for him.

The movie completely flips all these dynamics on their head in ways that add up to a radical change in meaning.

The fedaykin in the movie are an already-existing guerrilla resistance movement on Arrakis that formed long before Paul showed up. Literally the first thing we learn about the Fremen, less that two minutes into the first movie, is that they are fighting back against the colonization and exploitation of their home and have been for decades.

The movie fedaykin also start out being the most skeptical of the prophecy about Paul, which is a great choice from both a political and a character standpoint. Of course they're skeptical. If you're part of a small guerrilla force repeatedly going up against a much bigger and stronger imperial army...you have to believe in your own agency. You have to believe that it is possible to win, and that this tiny little chip in the armor of a giant terrifying military machine that you are making right now will make a difference in the end. These are the people who are directly on the front lines of resisting oppression. They are doing it with their own sweat, blood and ingenuity, and they are not about to wait around for some messiah who may never come.

From a character standpoint, this is really the best possible environment you could put Paul Atreides in if you want to keep him humble. He doesn't get any automatic respect handed to him due to title or birthright or religious belief. He has to prove himself--not as any kind of savior but as a good fighter and a reliable member of a collective political project. And he does. This is an environment that really draws out his best qualities. He's a skilled fighter; he's brave (sometimes recklessly so); he's intensely loyal to and protective of people he cares about. He is not too proud to learn from others and work hard in an egalitarian environment where he gets no special treatment or extra glory. The longer he spends with the fedaykin the more his allegiance shifts from Atreides to Fremen, and the more skeptical he himself becomes about the prophecy. This sets up the conflict with Jessica, which comes to a head before she leaves for the south. And his political sincerity--that he genuinely comes to believe that these people deserve liberation from all colonial forces and his only role should be to help where he can--is what makes the tragedy work. Because in the end we know he will betray all these values and become the exact thing he said he didn't want to be.

There's another layer of meaning to all this that I don't know if the filmmakers were even aware of. ETA: rescinding my doubt cause based on some of Villeneuve's other projects I'm pretty sure he could work it out. Given the time period (1960s) and Herbert's propensity for using Arabic or Arabic-inspired words for aspects of Fremen culture, it seems very likely that the made-up word fedaykin was taken from fedayeen, a real Arabic word that was frequently used untranslated in American news media at the time, usually to refer to Palestinian armed resistance groups.

Fedayeen is usually translated into English as fighter, guerrilla, militant or something similar. The translation of fedaykin that Herbert provides in Dune is "death commando"...which is a whole bucket of yikes in my opinion, but it's not entirely absurd if we're assuming that this fake word and the real word fedayeen function in the same way. A more literal translation of fedayeen is "self-sacrificer," as in willing, intentional self-sacrifice for a political cause, up to and including sacrificing your life.

If you apply this logic to Dune, it means that Villeneuve has actually shifted the meaning of this word in-universe, from fighters who are willing to sacrifice themselves for Paul to fighters who are willing to sacrifice themselves for their people. And the fedaykin are no longer a group created for Paul but a group that Paul counts himself as part of, one member among equals. Which is just WILDLY different from what's in the book. And so much better in my opinion.

[vacantgodling]

affinities and sopiros are the super glue to my wips!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🤪🤪🤪

i’m just gonna copy and paste a word vomit i went on and maybe clean it up to make more sense. but tldr affinities and sopiros are the main driving forces behind the wips in this shared “same continent” universe. because the continent doesn’t have a name (yet?) i’ll just list the current wips in it:

paramour (the fall of galeré series) // alizath // ph // teardrops of the gods // cult of the pale moon messiah // red death & the oracle’s favor

but that’s not in chronological order—because these wips don’t take place at the same time; sometimes hundreds of years removed from one another. the VERY TENTATIVE order i have currently (the middle is fuzzy but) is:

ph -> red death -> teardrops / pale moon messiah (i can see them happening around similar times tbh) -> alizath -> paramour (tfog)

but now that that’s kind of (barely cough) explained—here is my rant:

a lot of the way things have changed is in terms of how magic and the “supernatural” have evolved.

there’s no true origin of where mystical things have fully come from in this world but (i) will tell you that it’s main origin is actually up north in tsokhizhe’s country’s mountains (PH)—which is inhabited by the northern bands actually. their concept of magic is much more… vague.

to them essentially spirits/god/magic are all kinda rolled up into a thing they know as “affinities” they’re forces of nature as they are actual deities as they are spirits like. they’re everything supernatural all at once p much. in the northern bands, how they view it; these affinities are able to siphon off and grant a peak or a small mastery into certain aspects of their magic, which is actually how northern band clans derive individual names. gin’s name, for instance, is an offshoot of dark affinity, meaning specifically the magic associated with “the stillness of the dark” — meanwhile his father is demon-geke, which is “the brightness of the morning rays”, or a light affinity. there’s many more BUT basically people like these two, and zhonyi (an animal affinity; zhonyi means “bird”) are what the southern bands know as sopiros or, heretics. but for us, we would describe it as “witch”.

then a few hundred years later, we get alizath and how their witches (which are offshoots and descendants of sopiros) work. witches in alizath are interesting because they have only (1) ability (for the most part) but there is a COST to using it.

for example, the st. jora’s witch is a woman named mistral and she has telepathy (which is a far cry from the mostly nature related magic that sopiros had in the past); however, she is not able to speak her own thoughts—so her magic has literally made her mute. they get around this with a in house signed language that she can use to communicate with others, but YEAH. the reason for why witches have this restriction is a bit… unknown. tbh. meaning i have yet to find a reason PFF.

if i haaaad to think of one it’s probably because as humans began to study magic as a practice in its own, they came upon limitations because it had begun to deviate from the original affinities’s powers. telepathy, premonition, etc, none of those are based in “nature” tho can be achieved through study (since it’s possible to achieve through study, a different character, greye will become a witch in this way). but a born witch is different. and (spoilers ig) kirsi, a half witch (or half sopiro) is different. for sopiros, like zhonyi, the magic is inherent to them and in their veins—there is no “limitation” to its power but the only people like that known about in alizath so removed from tsokhizhe’s country, are half-witches. which are Explicitly banned SO—

EITHER WAY THO, if i take you to red’s story in red death & the oracle’s favor; red and hel are similar to the witches of alizath where their powers have limitations, but unlike the witches of alizath they are much stronger due to being born that way. it’s sort of a transition period from ph’s country as magic seeps into the populous of certain areas and diversifies.

this wip also brings up affinities coming to dwell on the continent

the entire chamber from paramour, the “vampire” in cult of the pale moon messiah, and even the auspicious and mysterious sea glass from teardrops of the gods i’d pretty much say are all affinities that have taken on more physical forms to dwell on earth. they are VASTLY different than one another because affinities cannot be contained by the limits of the human mind and understanding. sea glass is “technically” an inanimate object that grants those who use it vast powers with adverse side effects; the wolf queen is similar to the chamber where she also represents a “concept” that feeds but also has a more animalistic edge as an older affinity.

tbh i could go on but this ramble is a mess and not fully thought out yet because the plots of some of these wips are very up in the air. BUT. it was a good word vomit i wanted to share :)

[that-left-turn]

Saw your post about advertising revenue going down. Subscriptions to AMC for Q1 went up while TOWL was airing. What are your hopes for TBOC drawing in new audiences for AMC? Do you think Caryl is a big enough draw and if not in its current state what needs to change?

Subscriptions going up while TOWL aired was good (for AMC). The question is if it's fans of that particular show dipping in and then dropping off? AMC can't appeal to the larger TWD fanbase for all the spinoffs. They've slimmed down, so they need to find ways to grow those individual audiences and they need to retain them for the longhaul.

The appeal of TBOC is in the lead characters and sadly, not the story. Zabel hasn't done his homework (which an incoming showrunner should do): he has either only watched the montage and final scene of the flagship show, or he's relying on what other EPs have told him about the characters and their arcs. That's why he thought Ezekiel was Daryl's friend, since he was there to see Daryl off in the series finale.

Contrary to what you'd believe from looking at the fandom and the loudest screaming individuals, Carol resonates with the general audience, so seeing her again will probably draw curious viewers, but will they stick around? It depends largely on how her character arc is handled and also, her relationship with Daryl. They have natural chemistry, which the show should capitalize on as it comes with a built-in audience.

Will it, though?

From what I know about TBOC, Carol and Daryl's individual arcs merge at the end of block 2/beginning of block 3, so 204-205-ish. That means half the season has them separated. That's not ideal for a show where the main appeal lies in the relationship between the leads (whether romantic or platonic). Their emotional drives appear uneven, from my limited view of the beats, which might also be a viewer deterrent.

I think AMC needs to go all-in on canon once the storylines intersect—especially as it looks like we're in for some heavy nunbaiting—to at least get some good word of mouth and maybe draw back parts of the audience who've given up on the show. There were people who stopped watching TWD in S7-8 who came back after the original Caryl spinoff was announced. Having a loyal core audience is vital, so the studio needs to insure that those viewers are invested and engaged.

The show also needs a story engine. The escort mission in S1 had little urgency, beyond Daryl looking for a radio, and the actual meat and potatoes of the external plot was nondescript. Laurent was said (prophesied, really, by a Buddhist monk) to be the new Messiah who will "save humanity." It's very fuzzy on the details and not in a way that implies mystery. It screams of hand waving. The show has to draw in horror fans with a season arc that services the genre.

Caryl fans would watch for a good emotional arc and the GA should be treated to a well-conceived external plot. If you can cater to both of those demographics, you can grow the audience (because people tell others when they like a show) but it hinges on tight storytelling. You have to have an actual detailed plan and not a vague idea of where you're going—pantsing might work for a novelist, but never for a screenwriter. There's an A story, a B story and you may have a couple of runners, for the season as well as individual episodes, so a TV show requires organization. (And I'm getting off-topic here, so I'll leave the logistics at that.)

I'm not confident in TBOC based on what I know of Zabel's writing in general, his management of S1, his statements to the media and what I know about TBOC. I think the show needs a redirect into a different subgenre and some fresh ideas that showcase McReedus playing off each other and Caryl being thrust into the unfamiliar (both to the characters and the audience)—we need to see something new while the characters stay in-character to tether them to the character development already done on the flagship show. (And now I've written 'character' so many times that the word has lost all meaning 🙈)

Zabel played loose and fast with Daryl's backstory in S1. Fans are invested in those details and if it's made it to screen, the showrunner can't ignore them to shoehorn the already well-established protagonist into a plot involving new characters. He shouldn't love his own original creations more than the actual main character. All of these things give me pause as to Zabel's suitability as a showrunner for a show that already has a preexisting ecosystem.

That said, it looks like the show is getting delayed to a fall premiere, promo seems to be on a hold and the season finale may still be in post, which could be signs of AMC fixing problems and/or changing direction.

Sorry the answer was neither short nor succinct, but I hope it gave some clarity regarding my thought process. Obviously, like everybody else, I have ideas of what I'd do to increase ratings, but I'm not the person in the hot seat 🙃 I'm waiting for the panel at Tribeca to see what I can decipher from the inevitable sell speak.

It may be a long summer for us.

[kuruna]

Something I keep thinking about with AZ and Xan is them remembering events from their past differently (since you know, memories are rarely if ever objective and are influenced by the emotions experienced at the time of their formation). I've mentioned before that Xan sorta idolized AZ to an unhealthy degree, and a lot of that idolization was caused by the simple fact that the AZ that existed in his head and the AZ that existed in his life were entirely different people! The AZ that existed in his head was a messiah, not an... intelligent but moody guy with anger issues 😭

I've talked about it a little bit, but a Very significant event in their childhood was an event in which AZ's leg was damaged while he was trying to save Xan from being harmed in a rockfall. They were playing somewhere they shouldn't have (Xan's idea 💔), and so Xan blamed himself for his injury. Xan was too little to do much of anything to help at the time. His feeling of helplessness and having to find someone who was Bigger and Stronger who could help shaped the way Xan interacted with AZ from that point on.

Xan was scared of getting his brother hurt again and so he took on the role of Protector... he was willing to sacrifice himself if it meant helping his brother. AZ loves and cares for his brother.... but he was also a young teen at the time, and an asocial one at that 😭 he kind of took advantage of this for awhile. It was only as he grew older he started to dislike Xan's clinginess/protectiveness.

And later during the war against Galar, AZ proved that he was in fact powerful and capable and more. it sorta made Xan spiral. His brother didn't need his protection! His brother didn't even want his protection. If Xan couldn't be there to keep him safe and watch over him, then what purpose did he serve?

Hmm... Xan's controlling behaviors when AZ was king... in addition to the dynamic between them at the time being the way it was, was probably due to Xan disliking when AZ did anything that clashed with the "messiah" image of him he'd formed. When AZ acted a bit too Human 😭 and also... AZ and Xan both had a terrible habit of really strongly attaching themselves to a singular person (Xan had more friends than just AZ, but AZ was the most important person to him), but... while Xan attached himself to AZ, AZ attached himself to Floette. He didn't share that same closeness with his brother.

Anyways 💔 I think AZ regrets enabling this sort of behavior even if he didn't even realize he was doing it at first 😭 And I keep thinking about whether or not Xan's idolation died with the use of the Ultimate Weapon... It's a question I have a hard time answering for myself! I think Yes, for the most part, but that there's also some part of it that remains because even now... perhaps now more than ever, actually... his brother is more akin to a god than a human. ...I started typing this up because I was thinking about how talking about the past probably leads to AZ being like !?!?!?!? because of how their memories differ from one another, and in turn having to reveal things that he's not proud of having done... AZ wonders if some things that happened later on could've been avoided if he'd simply been nicer to his brother to begin with 😭

[asha-mage]

WoT S2 Premier - The Good, the Interesting, and the Messy

Now that I've had a chance to sleep on it and become half way coherent again, I want to say that I really really liked what their doing so far in season 2. You can see the seems of course, the places where COVID era production and changes had to shift things around, but the show is continuing it's central ethos of adapting the heart of the series and characters, even while having to shift the details to suit their limitations and medium, and that to me is far far more important then one-to-one accurate book scenes.

I don't have anything bad to say about the show, so instead I am going to split up my more general thoughts into three broad categories: The Good (stuff I adored), The Interesting (Things I'm very very curious to see where they are headed), and the Messy (the places where some of their working within limitations has created complex problems for further down the road, or might inform certain things more directly).

The Good

Every actor so far has knocked it out of the fucking park. I have to give special shout outs to Rosamund Pike, Joshua Stradowski, Zoe Robins, Natasha O'Keeffe, and Ceara Coveney for really clearly managing to convey the nuances and complexities of their characters in ways that just blow me away. The show's writing continues to get these characters on a fundamental level and every actor is turning in a performance that conveys their heart so well.

The visual look of the show still rules, but channeling especially has taken a huge step forward in how it's depicted. I didn't mind the way it looked in season 1 the way some did, but I appreciate that they've decided to hew to something closer to what the Darkhorse Comics did, especially as we have so many characters now trying to figure out how to actually channel the One Power.

I also like that we're seeing sharp differences already in the different groups channel, just visually. The Aes Sedai use sweeping graceful gestures, the damne sharp, short gestures, with little wasted energy, all clearly rehearsed as if drilled into the military style.

In other ways the visuals of the show, especially in it's art direction, also rule. The way Cairhien has a mix of Versailles era France and Han Era China in architecture and fashion. The way the Seanchan feel alien, strange, and other, and yet how key parts of their Empire's culture come through even as their conquering and destroying.

The use of the Texan/American accents hits the PERFECT balance I was hoping for to add to that level of strangeness. It's not heavy enough to be a joke, but it's so stark in comparison to everyone crisp vaguely European accents. On that note- the sheer brutality of the village's subjugation, this tiny nowhere village probably somewhere on Almoth Plane, just one ant being smushed by the huge fingers of the Empire. Talk about effective introductions.

The Interesting

I was admittedly a little skeptical of the choice ot have Rand working a asylum but having seen the show I'm glad I reserved judgement because it fits in perfectly with hie Messiah vibe. Here is the savior of the world, and is he staying in palaces and toppling cities? No (well not yet). He's spending his time caring for the sick and the mad, doing menial back breaking work for those society rejects and wants to forget. And of course, it's more complicated then simple altruism: Rand is being driven by his own fear of going mad, his own desire to know what he's facing, and yet that compassion still shines through.

I also really like that, since Rand can't be Lan trained in the show, they decided to do something very Jordan: take a classic trope (cooky wise old master) give it a shine of realism (he's got dementia and PTSD from being a vetran soldier) and dig at the humanity underneath (Rand is letting the old man train him as much to help the man as to learn the sword).

Liandrin is a character I'm shocked by how much I am enjoying her in the show. The decision to explore her depths more, to dig into her anger, her arrogance, her desire for control and power, is fascinating, and her relationship with Nynaeve and Egwene even more so. Her scene with Nynaeve where she gets Nynaeve to channel (an adaption of Siuan scene from the books) especially kicks ass. It's got the same fundamental point as the book: Nynaeve is limiting herself, holding herself back, but the show lets it be starker, crueler, because it IS Laindrin, not Siuan.

The choice to have Perrin be solo with the Shienarans, even if was basically forced on the writers by Barney Harris's departure. They don't waste any of that time, using it to explore Perrin's growing sense of isolation, his grief at Lalia, his relationship to Loial, and his growing fear of the wolves. I've always felt that Perrin, who is very introspective and quite, was the hardest of the main heroes to adapt, and the ways their bringing his conflict out and literalsing continue to be very smart.

The Messy

Some of the merges have caught me off guard, even though I knew they where coming. Elays and Hurin makes a great deal of sense. I have a strong fondness for Hurin, but I can admit he's an easy cut. It does raise the question though of how they are going to incorporate the element of noblesse oblige, which is an important part of how the series explores it's themes of government, nobility, responsibility, and duty. Of course, even if they had kept Hurin the party splitting means he'd probably be no where near Rand right now, so this was almost certainly the right choice.

Nynaeve's Acceptatron Test. Having sat with it, I still like it a lot, and I understand the choices they've made. I wish it had been a little bit more clear that her decision to go back in the final arch was her decision, having a scene of her forcing the arch to appear with the Power, but overall I think they had a good job otherwise. The first test was always going to have to be different since they've cut Aginor and Balthamel from the show, and the important part was Nynaeve choosing to go back over her own anger and desire for revenge, which they kept. The second arch probably would have required half the run time of the episode if they wanted to do it in full, so I don't mind them condensing it down, and again the important thing is that Nynaeve choose to leave the role of Wisdom behind for good, to seek the power to truly make a difference in the lives of those she cares about. The third arch is the big one, and the point of that sequence was always Nynaeve rejecting paradise in order to go back and protect those she loves. She is offered everything she could possibly want, but it isn't enough because her friends, those in her charge, are still at risk, and nothing has changed. She has to go back to save them, because that is the essence of who she is. The show takes the plank of showing that paradise would be hollow anyways, doomed to fall apart because the world needs Nynaeve, she is called to duty, and she can not reject it. It's....actually moment very reminiscent of Rand's Portal Stone journey/his arc in TGH which makes sense since they've always been parallel characters, and the closest thing to a male and female lead the series has.

Verin being merged with Vandene. This is one that it will take far more for me to decide on. On a very practical level it makes a lot of sense, but it has long term implications for Verin's arc in the series that wont be apparent for a very very long time. How will Adeleas factor into Verin's scheme? Does she know? Is she in on the plan to bring down the Black Ajah? Is she ignorant and Verin has been carrying this off in secret while her own sister had no idea? A lot of how this merger goes hinges on how those questions swing. Also, there is Adeleas's murder to consider. It's likely to be kept, but the circumstances being different, and Verin being Verin, the vengeance she seeks will likely be a great deal more dramatic and direct then what Vandene could do.

Past that though I mostly just have gushing and nitpicks, and far more gushing then nitpicking all things considered. Overall....another banger start. I probably liked the opening to season 1 a little bit better, but I suspect season 2 is going to go to some Interesting Places that I am Ready For.