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redskull199987 · 2 months

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Concubine

Paul Atreides x fem!reader Part II

Word Count:1.6k

Warnings:!SPOILERS! for Dune II, canon typical violence

Summary:"This princess will carry his name and yet, she will be less than a Concubine. She will never spend a moment of tenderness with the man she is tied to. But we who are called concubines - in the eyes of history we will be wives…"

Part I / Masterlist

She was pretty. You had to give her that. Your gaze closely followed each and every move that the Princess made. You knew that her head must have been chaotic at the moment, going through every possible scenario, how this situation could end. And you also knew that her first and last goal of this day would be to save her father’s life and secure the continuous reign of her bloodline.

But from the way she looked at you, you knew that Princess Irulan was aware of the fact that if she did marry Paul, she’d never get to share a bed with him. Would never bear his heirs or even receive an ounce of warmth from him.

She knew that even though you'd officially be Paul’s concubine, his loyalty would lie with you. And only you.

Chani’s hand on your shoulder pulled you out of your thoughts. It reminded you that before it ever came to that, Paul would have to beat the Na-Baron Feyd-Rautha.

You took a deep breath in, as you glanced over to the Harkonnen. You had heard stories of him back on Caladan. Stories of his thirst for blood and his enjoyment of Pain. His reputation preceded him, but his appearance clearly matched it. He looked almost eerily as he stepped forward, proposing to fight for the Emperor and defined his honor.

A small frown appeared on your face, when Paul accepted the proposal. Too fast for your liking. You heard Chani sigh next to you. You looked over to the Fremen. The Woman who had become like a sister to you, who had taught you the ways of her people. You remembered it as clear as day, when she had first told you, that you’d earned her trust.

It was the day you had joined the Fedaykin among their ranks, The day you became one of them.

You were high on adrenaline. You didn’t know how else you could’ve explained it. You didn’t know how else you would’ve pulled it off. Your eyes wandered over the many Corpses of the Harkonnen Warriors, that were supposed to protect their Harvester. Almost like in slow motion, you raised your hand, your fingertips wandering over the specks of blood that littered your face. You knew it wasn’t your own blood, but the thrill that the situation itself brought you, was indescribable.

You needed a few moments to fully return to the present. The Spice in the Air was clouding your senses, making it feel like you witnessed everything merely from the eyes of a spectator and not as one of the Fremen who ever so fiercely attacked a Spice Harvester of the Harkonnen.

The Explosion pulled you out of your Trance.

You spun around, spotting Chani and Paul. They were fighting off a few Harkonnen warriors. But you quickly realized that Paul wouldn’t be able to defeat them all alone. You’ve never felt slower than in this moment, when you started running towards him. It felt like the Sand was pulling you down, seeking to swallow you whole.

But you didn’t let it. A scream left your lips, as you dashed forward, deeply burying your Crysknife in the back of a Harkonnen Warrior that was about to attack Chani from behind. You sank to the ground together with his Corpse, as Chani spun around, her eyes widening as she realized what had happened.

Only seconds passed, as you looked up to her, Anger and Determination all, that was on your mind. Chani gave you a small nod before Paul finally reached the two of you again.

“Re-load!”, Chani yelled at him and he quickly did as told, pulling out another round of Ammo, reloading Chanis Missile Launcher.

You glanced past the Mainstay that the three of you were hiding behind. When you spotted the Ornithopter in the air, you gulped harshly.

“The shields only lower when he’s shooting!”, You shouted towards your companions. When you locked eyes with Paul, you immediately realized that the two of you had the same Plan.“We’ll distract him!”, Paul explained to Chani who gave him a court nod as she understood.

“Wait for our sign!”, You yelled, as you got ready to sprint over to the next Mainstay to distract the Sniper.

“Ready?”, Paul asked as he got into position next to you.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”, You grinned, despite the Seriousness of the Situation.

You took in one last deep breath, knowing very well that it could be your last one, before you felt Paul tap your shoulder, signaling you to start running.

Almost immediately, your instincts kicked in and it felt like you were a spectator again, watching how your feet carried you through the hot sand. You saw and heard the shots that rang in the Air as you sprinted through the Desert.

“Shit!”, You heard Paul yell next to you and you quickly realized what he meant, when you saw the Mainstay in front of you start to move further away from you.

“Run!!”, You shouted, as if it wasn’t obvious.

You knew that from that moment and the point where you reached your destination, only seconds passed but it felt like hours as you ran through the sand. Mere moments before you reached the safety of the Mainstay, you heard Paul yell at Chani to launch the Missile.

You were knocked over by the Force of the Explosion as the Ornithopter burst apart into the air, signaling to the Fremen that were hidden on the cliffs nearby that they could launch their attack on the Harvester, destroying it entirely.

“Hurry!”, Paul yelled, as he pulled you to your feet and back over to Chani who was already making her way towards the nearby Dune. You had to disappear in the Desert again, before more Harkonnen would come and attack you.

That night you sat with the other Fedaykin, drank and laughed with them as Paul and you joined their ranks as respectable Warriors of the Desert. You received your Fremen name and you realized that your Heart, your soul and your entire being was with them now. You would fight for them as long as you breathed, would even go to death for them.

And Chani seemed to realize it too.

The young woman had always acted cold towards you, but when you saved her life on that day, risking your own for hers, she realized just how much of a loyal friend and fighter lay in you. From that day on, You knew that you could always count on each other.

“He will survive…He will win.”, Chani whispered into your ear and squeezed your shoulder as you watched how Paul and Feyd-Rautha got ready for their Fight. As the Gaze of the Na-Baron crossed yours, you sucked in a deep breath. What you saw in those eyes scared you.

It was a thirst for Blood and Power that you had only seen in Paul as he drank the Water of life.

You quickly looked over to Paul, giving him a firm nod, signaling him that you were on his side. His eyes told you more than words ever could. It was a silent promise. A promise to come back to you, to survive this battle and to put his plan into action.

It was a Promise that he would become the Emperor.

“I must not fear”, You mumbled to yourself, as the fight began,”Fear is the Mindkiller.”

Your eyes followed every little move of Paul as well as Feyd-Rautha. The two men were equal fighters, both born to be the One. But only one of them would win, only one of them would come out alive.

“Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration.”, You whispered, as you watched Paul get knocked over the head, Blood trickling down his temple,”I will face my fear.”

“Is she your pet?”, Feyd-Rautha mocked as he gave Paul a moment to collect himself. The Na-Baron grinned wickedly and pointed his knife at you. You paid him no mind, as your eyes only rested on Paul, silently telling him not to let himself be provoked.

“I will permit it to pass over me and through me”, you mouthed as Paul got up and the Fight commenced anew.

Your breath hitched as Feyd-Rautha swiftly disarmed Paul, ramming the Crsyknife into his ribs. A guttural groan left Paul's lips as the two fighters stood close to each other. Wheezing breaths were the only noise to be heard in the room.

“And when it has gone past I will turn to the inner eye and see it’s Path”, You whispered desperately, the Mantra being the only thing that kept you from panicking.

All your senses were focused on the two men in front of you as you witnessed how Paul silently pulled the Crysknife out of his Body, getting ready to attack. Feyd-Rautha barely had time to react as the holy knife of Shai-Hulud pierced his armor and therefore ended his life by the hand of the new Emperor.

“Where the Fear has gone there will be nothing”, You mouthed as Paul got to his feet again. His steps seemed to carry the weight of the Universe as he walked over to the old Emperor, demanding him to kneel in front of his new Master.

Reluctantly the old man did as told, as he accepted his defeat. Princess Irulans gaze slowly wandered to you, as her father fell to his knees.

“Only I will remain.”

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nyrasproblm · 1 month

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Hey, hope you like! 🤍

Your Highness, the princess

Irulan Corrino x reader (servant, lady-in-waiting)

Word Count: 1K

Warning: none 🤍

You were a servant brought from Caladan to the court of the new Emperor Paul, the move was difficult as the climate of Caladan and Arrakis were completely different. But what comforted him was knowing that maybe the princess also felt that way, after all, Kaitain also had a different climate.

Your job was just to clean a few rooms, the emperor had many Fremen willing to help with whatever, so servants weren't really necessary, meaning you had some free time. In your free time, you liked to walk through the corridors less frequented by royalty, going unnoticed so you not get scolded, you liked to read and also... you liked to watch Princess Irulan.

Watching her from afar was your favorite pastime, watching the graceful way she moved, the way her pretty dresses moved as she walked, her short blonde hair almost always hidden by some headpiece. She was synonymous with royalty in every way, she was graceful and carried herself well, you had to hold back your soft sighs when you watched her.

But she was also observant and attentive, so you couldn't watch her for a long time. At the present moment, you were reading sitting on the floor, leaning against one of the walls in the back area of the Palace.

You heard footsteps but didn't pay attention, the servants and Fremen were there all the time. A presence rose near you.

— What are you reading? — a voice asked softly and you froze.

You looked up and saw Princess Irulan standing, slightly bent over, trying to see what you were reading. She had her arms crossed behind her back, wearing a flowing light blue dress, without any headwear. The catatonic moment passed and you quickly stood up, closing the book and bowing deeply to her.

— Your Highness, forgive my carelessness.

— I didn't want to interrupt your reading. What were you reading? — she asked again.

You swallowed hard and lifted the book, it was a guide to the Great Houses.

— This is great, where did you get it? — she took the book from your hand and started leafing through it.

— I brought it from Caladan, princess.

— I see you like reading, then. — she opened a small smile.

— Yes, princess, but it doesn't interfere with my duties, I promise! — you moved your fingers, restless.

She made a gesture with her hand, as if she wasn't paying attention to your duties.

— Do you like reading more than looking at me?

You lifted your head so fast you felt pain in your neck, your eyes wide.

— Princess, you must be mistaken-

Irulan closed your book and handed it to you.

— I always notice your presence, the Bene Gesserit sisters say this is a talent of mine, I can feel your presence even if I'm very far away. — she placed the book in your hands. — Why didn't you come to see me in the gardens today?

You looked down, embarrassed, scared.

— Have you been too busy with your duties? I wore a special dress today, I wish you had come to see it. — she gestures towards the flowing blue dress.

You looked up, paying attention to the dress, it was beautiful, but the fact that it was Irulan wearing it made it even more beautiful.

— It's very beautiful, princess... — you looked up shyly. — You are beautiful.

Your heart beat faster when Irulan opened a smile, she was born to be a princess.

A few weeks later you were taken by surprise when Irulan told you that you were now her lady-in-waiting. You could see, your eyes didn't lie, Irulan had no friends or allies at court, her father and sisters were in exile, plus the fact that Chani seemed to be more of Paul's wife than she was.

You were happy with the change of role, now you could be close to her and attend to all her requests. Irulan liked to be close to you physically, always holding your hand, touching her knees to yours, touching your waist when she guided you through the gardens. Gardens was a charitable word, they were just a few palm trees surrounded by the Palace wall, Arrakis didn't have exactly fertile soil.

One night, you heard one of the Fremen commenting in the kitchen that the emperor and Irulan had argued and you frowned, you respected Paul as your emperor, but you didn't like the way he treated Irulan at all. You walked down the halls to her quarters and waited until she gave you permission to enter.

The princess's quarters were dark when you entered, you looked around but it took a while to see that she was on the balcony, her back to you. You approached the doors that led to the balcony slowly, walked through them and entered the balcony, feeling the wind of Arrakis on your skin.

— Princess?

You called but she didn't make any move.

— Princess, I heard of your disagreement with the Emperor. — you took a few more steps closer. — Is that why you're like this?

She continued looking at the dunes.

— I'm sorry for disturbing you, your highness. — you bowed and turned to leave.

You took a few steps before her voice stopped you.

— Stay. — she turned and you turned to her, seeing the mark of tears spilling on her angelic face. — Stay and never betray me.

She approached you and with a delicate movement took your face in her hands. You took a deep breath, shuddering.

— Never leave me.

She lightly rubbed her lips across your face, then took your lips in a delicate kiss. You ran your hands down her arms, feeling her shiver too. She moved away from you and you looked at her confused, she took one of her hands and lowered the strap of her dress, exposing her shoulder.

You got closer, used one of your hands to hold her waist, brought your face closer to her exposed shoulder and placed light kisses on her collarbone, hearing her sigh.

— Never. — you whispered against her skin.

#princess irulan #irulan corrino #princess irulan corrino #dune fanfiction #dune part two #fem reader #writers on tumblr #writing #sapphic #princess irulan x reader #irulan x reader #irulan corrino x reader #wlw

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ragsforless · 1 month

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Dune crack!au (4)

Irulan: Hey, Feyd.

Feyd: Yes, princess?

Irulan: I’m bored.

Feyd: Do you want to play smash or pass again?

Irulan: Fremen Edition?

Feyd: Atreides.

Irulan: Fine. You go first.

Feyd: Duncan Idaho.

Irulan: Obviously, smash.

Feyd: Same. Now your turn.

Irulan: Lady Jessica? She’s

part of House Atreides, right?

Feyd: To be totally honest with you, she’s a closeted Harkonnen at heart but I’ll pass.

Irulan: Why? She’s very pretty.

Feyd: I don’t like space witches. They’re weird and very mean.

Irulan: Like mother, like son.

Feyd: She’s also my evil creepy uncle’s super secret daughter.

Irulan: *sighs* And our monster mother-in-law.😔

Feyd: Don’t remind me.

Irulan: Fine. Thufir Hawat.

Feyd: Pass. Mentats freak me out.

Irulan: Feyd, babe, I thought you like math?

Feyd: Of course I like meth. I even started selling a ton of meth to some of Chani’s fanatical Fremen friends for a very good price.

Irulan: Let me guess, Stilgar?

Feyd: He’s my business partner.

Irulan: Nevermind. Your turn.

Feyd: Doctor Yueh.

Irulan: Does he still counts as part of House Atreides?

Feyd: He tried to kill my creepy uncle and brother. So I guess, yes?

Irulan: Pass. He was married.

Feyd: Your turn.

Irulan: Duke Leto.

Feyd: NGL, I’ll marry, kiss, and smash that one.

Irulan: But isn’t he like your distant uncle or something?

Feyd: You do know that we’re all related to one another, right?

Irulan: Right. We’re all married to Paul. So let’s play another game.

Feyd: How about we annoy and ruin our husband’s very important, very crucial business meetings again?

Irulan: I wish we could, Feyd, but the last time we did that, Emperor “I’m so special, I’m the Lisan Al Gaib” Paul punished us severely-

Feyd: Severely?! He just forced us to water all of his “sacred” arrakis palm trees for 2 weeks!

Irulan: Well, he’s currently talking to that angry looking Gurney Halleck guy. So-

Feyd: All the better!

Irulan: Better? For you?

Feyd: Gurney Halleck hates me. So I want to ruin his day as well.

Irulan: To be fair, Feyd, Gurney only hates you because you’re a living breathing Harkonnen.

Feyd: No, he hates me because I’m obviously perfect and pretty.😌💅

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melintowriting · 15 days

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The first Empress- Chapter 1

Hello everyone! I finally finished writing the first chapter. Again, English is not my first language so I'm sorry if there are some mistakes. For the ones who don’t know the plot I'll create a master list so that everyone can read it. Hope you guys will like it!

Warnings: arranged marriage, mentions of blood and death

Word count: 2.319

ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE

Kaitain, 10191

It was a wonderful day on Kaitain: the sun was high in the sky, the gardens smelled of spring and the water that gushed from the fountains seemed almost to shine, as if it was full of many small diamonds.

Her eyes observed the surroundings in the shadow of a large secular tree, attentive and sharp. Nothing could escape her gaze.

She observed a dragonfly just resting on the arm of a statue, then a small insect intent on creeping between the stones that made up the outside wall of the garden, and only finally on the figure that was approaching her in the distance.

Her stomach was gripped by the deep hatred that had been poisoning her for a long time. It was Irulan.

"I thought I made it pretty clear this morning that I wanted to be left alone."

Her voice sounded calm and stoic, in contrast with the burning anger that was eating up her stomach. She had learned that imperturbable impassibility from her mother: it was fundamental to survive in that world. She had understood it at her expense.

Irulan remained silent until she was close enough to see her step sister sitting under the big tree.

She was ready, everyone was at the palace. Soon the Harkonnen would have arrived and the alliance would be created.

"You chose a beautiful dress, sister." commented the eldest, sitting next to Megan.

Megan gave her a brief glance sideways before returning to observe the garden: "Is it a compliment or a pretext to mock me? And do I need to remind you that we’re not sisters?"

Despite the hatred that had been running between them for months, something broke in the heart of Irulan when she heard the words of her half-sister. She was right, they weren’t sisters, but Irulan had grown up believing that her and Jeremy were actually her siblings.

"Don’t pretend my words hurt you. After the pain you have caused to me, to my brother and to my mother, I don’t care about your emotions anymore."

A stab was that phrase, for the heart of the older sister; a stab that awakened in her an old, but not too old, guilt.

She was grateful to the guards who appeared in front of them for not giving Megan time to rage further: she knew she would have done so with immense pleasure.

"Princess Megan, the Harkonnen spacecraft has entered the atmosphere, it’s time to go," they announced.

Irulan was immensely surprised by her half-sister’s lack of hesitation in getting up and walking towards the palace, escorted by soldiers. Was she really not afraid?

Was she really not afraid of being betrothed to Feyd Rautha?

******

The Emperor was sitting on the throne, impatiently waiting.

The room was filled with an icy silence.

"Why is it taking so long?" he complained to Irulan, his beloved and only real daughter, standing by his side.

"I have no idea, Father." she admitted, "Maybe..."

She did not have time to finish: the huge door of the hall was opening and the Harkonnen guards were entering the palace.

The Baron floated towards the throne, kneeling before it.

Irulan paid little attention to the pleasantries between the Baron and her father, intrigued as she was by her sister’s betrothed.

Feyd Rautha towered behind his uncle, his face almost deformed by a small grin on his lips. Like a shark hunting for its prey, he watched with icy eyes the imperial family, in search of his future wife. There was no emotion in his eyes.

Everyone knew he was crazy.

For a moment she felt great sorrow for Megan.

"Baron, Na-Baron, this is my second daughter, Megan."

As soon as the bride-to-be of the Na-Baron entered the room, everyone’s eyes fell on her, like iron attracted by a magnet. She walked in with her head held high and a posture that emanated confidence.

Actually, Megan’s confidence was a distraction from her emotions. She could feel something moving in her stomach.

Fear, perhaps? No, it was not fear, it was impatience.

Everything was already written.

According to the Bene Gesserit plan she had been promised to Feyd since she was born, and Monique, her mother and member of the sisterhood, had made it happen.

Monique was the Emperor’s second wife. Upon the death of Irulan’s mother, Shaddam Corrino IV and Duke Leto Atreides' sister got married.

The Emperor, to ensure the continuity of the throne, wanted a son, a son that Monique, as Bene Gesserit, should have been obliged to give him. But she had met Silgasq, a Fremen imperial planetologist who was visiting the Emperor’s court to update him on new discoveries related to the Spice.

There had been numerous rumors about Megan and her twin brother Jeremy, about their hair and eyes being too dark, about their suspicious features and especially about the absolute lack of resemblance to the Emperor.

Silgasq stayed at the Corrino’s court for some years, officially to continue his studies, secretly to stay with the woman he had fallen in love with and with the children he had conceived with her. The twins had never been unaware of the truth, they had grown up knowing they were not Corrino, with the absolute prohibition of their mother to reveal the truth to a living soul. It was Irulan who ruined everything. She had loved the twins with her whole being, as if they had really been her siblings, but as soon as she learned the truth thanks to her Bene Gesserit training, hurt by acknowledging that she had always believed a lie, she did not hesitate to report everything to her father.

She had betrayed them. They had to watch as the Sardaukars killed their real father before their eyes. Only one thing was certain: they would have avenged him. With blood and fire they would have made justice for their father. They had sworn it to their mother.

The reason Megan was only waiting to get away from the Emperor was simple: she wanted to plot her revenge, away from prying eyes. She did not fear the idea of marrying Feyd Rautha; she had the necessary tools to deal with him, tools that her mother had provided her. She had taught her how to seduce, manipulate, attract. And then, the main and most powerful power, of which she was born already endowed: the Voice.

She stopped as soon as she came before the young Na-Baron Harkonnen, bowing slightly as per protocol. Feyd did the same, impatiently waiting for her to look up. The grin was still printed on his lips but no longer with the same intensity as before. It was just a distraction to keep the impatience that was eating him from getting out.

"It’s an honor to meet you, my betrothed."

The girl’s voice delighted Feyd’s ears.

"The pleasure is mine, princess."

Nothing genuine, spontaneous or natural: it was the protocol to which both had been meticulously trained. Yet there was something more.

Even Irulan, from the top of his father’s throne, was able to see him.

The way they looked at each other for the first time was definitely not protocol.

"Baron Vladimir Harkonnen." said the Emperor, standing up, "I offer to your nephew my daughter’s hand, thus sealing an alliance between our Houses."

The Baron tried not to grin with joy: now he really had the power in hand.

"My Emperor, I accept the great honor you are bestowing upon my House." answered the Baron promptly, bowing, "May the one between your daughter and my nephew be a strong and lasting union."

While all the attention of the room had shifted to the two powerful men intent on establishing the details of the wedding, only Irulan’s attentive eyes were still fixed on her step sister and Feyd.

She was the only one who noticed how they smiled slightly before looking down.

******

A few hours later

That night the celebrations were extraordinary.

The halls of the royal palace were filled with nobles from all over the empire, the fireworks had shone in the sky, the banquet had been sumptuous.

The Emperor was happy.

Happy to finally get rid of his illegitimate daughter, condemning her to marry a cruel man. She would have spent the rest of her life on Giedi Prime, away from the imperial court and from him, under the tyranny of Baron Harkonnen.

Megan’s wish was only one: to be able to take her twin Jeremy with her. The Emperor had agreed. It meant getting rid of both. Those twins were the result of adultery and brought only disgrace on House Corrino. He was delighted at the idea of snatching them away from Monique. She had dared to deceive him, betray him, and she was finally going to receive her punishment.

As soon as dinner was over Megan turned to her twin, sitting next to her, and whispered that she needed some fresh air. Jeremy knew right away why. He understood his sister better than anyone else: she felt overwhelmed by emotions and celebrations, she needed a moment to herself. He telepathically understood and nodded.

Megan snuck away, sure that no one had seen her. She was wrong.

Feyd’s sharp eyes had immediately intercepted her.

After their first meeting a few hours earlier they had not had a chance to speak again and properly.

Feyd seized the opportunity: he got up from the table and left the room without much explanation.

In front of him stood a long corridor that ended in a large balcony overlooking the countryside. Kaitain was a green, prosperous planet, completely different from Giedi Prime which was polluted, harsh and dark.

Feyd could see her even from so far away: Megan was facing the balcony, her long dark hair was falling down her back and her pretty dress was making her pleasant figure justice.

He followed the trail of perfume that the girl’s passage had left in the corridor and reached her.

His stride was almost impossible to hear, to the point that Megan only noticed his presence when he spoke to her.

"I saw you leaving the room, princess. Aren’t the celebrations for our union to your liking?"

His was not only a question but also a veiled provocation. How would she react? Was she going to apologize, mortified and embarrassed? Or she was going to avoid the question? He wanted to test her. Testing people was his favorite hobby of all time.

Megan almost winced. It was the voice of her betrothed, hoarse and deep. The girl reassembled herself before turning around.

"I’m not a party person. It has nothing to do with you or our union, my lord."

The princess’s tone seemed almost apologetic but also firm, as if she was apologizing without being really sorry.

Feyd slightly grinned. Her answer pleased him.

"Neither am I. I find parties stupid and useless. I prefer to spend my time differently."

Megan took the opportunity to observe him closely. His charm was undeniable. -If I must marry him, I am glad that he is at least aesthetically to my liking- the princess thought. She wondered if she would also have liked him as a person. She knew very well what people said about him: that he was psychotic, crazy, violent and cruel. But honestly, was he so different from others? The Emperor, for example, was reputed to be a righteous man, but instead he was a murderer and a coward. Her betrothed, at least, was himself without hiding.

"And how do you like to spend your time, Na-Baron?"

Feyd was just waiting for that question.

"Fighting in the arena. I really feel myself only when I’m holding a blade."

The young Na-Baron carefully studied the reaction of his future wife, looking for signs of fear, dismay. He was aware of what people said about him and he liked it. He loved when people feared him.

It wasn’t Megan’s case, though. To his great surprise the princess was not at all upset by his answer and even replied, "I’ve heard a lot about your great fighting skills. I look forward to see one of your fights in the arena."

Feyd tilted his head, not letting his astonishment leak out.

"People die in that arena." he reminded her with a smug grin. Talking about death excited him. A woman could have never borne the sight of the fights, he was sure.

The princess’s tone remained unabashed: "I know. I am not afraid of death."

-No longer after I saw my father being killed before my eyes- she would have liked to add, but she did not. She couldn’t jeopardize her position like that.

-She’s smart- Feyd thought without stopping smiling provocatively -and if she’s lying she’s doing it well. -

"My twin brother also loves to fight. I’m used to blood and wounds." she added, seeing him slightly amazed.

Feyd smiled even more as a strange light shone in his blue eyes.

Not only was he used to blood but he also loved it. The idea of a wife not easily impressionable generated in him dark and dirty desires. Having to wait irritated him: after that brief talk he wanted to make her his without hesitation.

"My uncle told me that your brother will come with you to Giedi Prime. I will gladly fight with him. Amicably, of course."

The grin on his lips was not very reassuring but Megan decided not to pay too much attention to it.

"I think we should go back, my lord." said the girl, looking at the hall door in the distance "They’ll all be wondering where we are."

Feyd nodded without taking his eyes off her.

"Let’s go, princess."

He held out his hand to escort her and finally added, "And call me Feyd."

Megan took the hand of her betrothed without hesitation, quietly considering his request.

"As you wish, Feyd."

Tag list

@mamawiggers1980 @avidreader73 @pomtherine

#feyd rautha #feyd rautha harkonnen #dune part 2 #dune #dune 2 #dune movie #house harkonnen #feyd rautha smut #feyd rautha imagine #fanfiction #fanfic #feyd rautha fanfic

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dying-suffering-french-stalkers · 2 months

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assorted dune 2 thoughts fresh out of the theater

like the direction this version is going with chani. hell yeah let her do something! let her have friends! let her be fucking pissed!!!

hate the stilgar character assassination; i feel like it would've been natural to show his book development from skeptic/pragmatist to follower/believer in tandem with that of the other fremen. i suppose at the end of the day runtime gotta runtime but >:(

related to runtime gotta runtime: booooo show the fremen spice orgy cowards but i do absolutely respect putting off the bulk of the alia situation until the next installment

liked austin butler as feyd-rautha way more than i expected; honestly might be my favorite performance of the movie

(timmy c's is my least favorite. he's not a bad actor so much as just a deeply boring one, imho.)

LOVED florence pugh as irulan; inspired casting

the emperor's eye of sauron-ass ship sent me almost as much as casting christopher walken as shaddam iv. sure. fuck it. why not. (still devastated that josé ferrer had so little screentime in the lynch version)

WORM WORM WORM WORM

would LOVE to hear from non-book fans re: how comprehensible and watchable this was for you

the b&w sequence fucked severely

“say the word villeneuve” “h-holy w-w-ar—” “guards!”

agree with other reviewers that it was a bit odd to (under)cut the influence of the spacing guild here given that i remember them being a pretty crucial faction in dune messiah (and presumably children of dune + the other books i admittedly never got to)

overall: very prettily shot, intrigued by but not wholly displeased with the changes made, still felt kinda emotionally hollow to me but at least less so than the first movie

i think paul as a character is just damnably hard to adapt to the screen as so much of his book characterization is accomplished via internal monologue. his actions are indeed very important, the most important, but you miss out on most of his internal/existential struggle, which renders him both more unlikeable and less compelling.

more to come as i remember things probably

#dune #dune part 2 spoilers #dune spoilers

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emiliosandozsequence · 2 months

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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.

#BUT IT'S WHATEVER!!!! IT'S WHATEVER!!!#I'VE ONLY WANTED THIS PART OF THE BOOK TO BE FILMED RIGHT SINCE I WAS 17 BUT IT'S WHATEVER #emilio.txt #dts

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fastlikealambo · 2 months

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so here is a review of dune with spoilers so if you haven't seen it yet *timothee voice* GO SOUTH

so I got to the movie late and couldn't get popcorn/soda so when it started I was like fuck how am I gonna get through this long ass movie without the good stuff?

I didn't even remember it

this is one of the most visually stunning films of 2024, every shot is a painting, a moveable feast if you're pretentious and say shit like that.

i wanna ride a sandworm

timothee is fantastic, his first act work is solid and even funny at times but that third act is monumental. i won't spoil it for you but when he hits this frame below, know that you are in for something phenomenal.

austin butler was a terrifying scrotum with a knife, he is a good actor and needs to move away from pretty boy roles. BE FREAKY MORE OFTEN AUSTIN

with what she was given, lea seydoux was great, every time the light hit her face and what her scene with Austin leads to is WHOA

rebecca ferguson (whomever screamed at her i'm in your walls btw) was so intricately evil and calculating just plotting and yapping with her hot topic fetus but her last line again WHOA

javier bardem was running that paul atredies stan account like the navy stilgar was one step away from handing out and trading muad'dib photoscards

my only real low point was unfortunately florence pugh, don't come for me, I love her, I get that irulan is supposed to be stoic but she was a bit monotone in all her line delivery and with such little screentime till the very end it just didn't knock out like she usually does and I know in dune messiah she'll be great with more to do

but that leads us to Zendaya. this is chani's story, not paul's and this is zendaya's film, not timothee's. what zendaya does with chani is heartbreaking and in three acts we see chani lose love and ascend herself all while trying to save her people. Chani is Dune and Zendaya's performance is the best acting of 2024 so far, this is for certain. when it gets to this frame below, you'll know.

#dune part two #dune 2 #dune spoilers #dune part two spoilers #chani

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fuckyeahisawthat · 24 hours

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Oh btw here's an interesting Dune Part 1 review by historian Bret Deveraux, specifically about how the movie handled imperialism. Hope he makes one for Part 2 at some point: acoup . blog/2021/11/05/miscellanea-reflections-on-the-sands-of-dune/

(I got both your asks and I'm answering them out of order; trust me it'll make sense.)

Oh this was such an excellent review; he picked up on a lot of things about the way the Atreides are presented that are there but easily missed if you go into it thinking they're the good guys. That scene where Stilgar comes to meet Leto is so so telling because you can see Leto believes he is being respectful and diplomatic (while still asserting his right to go anywhere on the planet) but all the Atreides characters are literally standing a step above Stilgar looking down at him (except Gurney, who's gotten closer because he considers Stilgar a threat).

Even Paul, who is symbolically standing a bit apart from his family here, and agrees with Stilgar that foreigners have done nothing but exploit Arrakis, comes off looking well-intentioned but a bit full of shit, inviting Stilgar to stay and be "honored" like he's a guest on his own fucking planet.

I think Devereaux really hits the nail on the head when he talks about how Denis Villeneuve is able to "create this post-colonial reading of Dune, not by preaching to us about the evils of imperialism but simply by turning the camera, as it were, and getting us to view the question from the Fremen point of view." Because yeah turning the camera around, from what is often the default POV--that of the privileged, the powerful, the colonizers--is exactly how I think of this type of shift in perspective. It happens metaphorically in the Villeneuve Dune, with things like using Chani instead of Irulan to frame the whole narrative, and it often also happens literally.

Every time I watch Part One, I always get smacked in the face by this moment:

...where we transition from a series of fairly objective wide shots of the harvesters descending to this shot, which is not objective at all. We are literally being introduced to this world from behind the barrel of a resistance fighter's gun; it is pretty hard to think of a stronger POV choice than that. This is less than two minutes into the movie by the way.

And Part Two goes so much further in terms of showing us the world from a Fremen point of view, as Paul's own perspective on the world shifts. I really hope this guy does a review of Part Two because I am super curious to see what he has to say.

#dune #dune 2021 #dune part two #house atreides #cinematography #pov #asks answered

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liesmyth · 9 days

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dunetwo thoughts: cinematographically stunning. it goes so fucking hard. plot-wise it's kind of weaker than i expected, though? i don't care for incest nephew but WOW i do care for irulan. i liked chani much better than in the book. i love the women unhinged potential.

in short: visually pretty. plot & themes make me think "i can FIX HER". perfect combination to activate my fandom brain

#everyone who said this could've handled the colonialism themes SO much better was of course right #also. WHERE IS THE SPICE for real!!#when paul near the end threatens to blow up the spice reserves. i went like: oh right that's a big deal #and i'd known that!! but after 2 and a half hours i think the script should've reminded us more #dune

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theicarusconstellation · 26 days

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TELL ME ABOUT DUNE ALIA ATREIDES DUNE just anything I just need to read more about it I'm brainhungry

OH MY GOD OKAY OKAY OKAY FJSJSKNDNF

THANK YOU FOR ASKING ME PLEASE ASK ME ABOUT DUNE ANY TIME THAT GOES FOR EVERYBODY

SO. ALIA.

my poor girl was doomed from the START from CONCEPTION😭😭😭😭once jessica drank the water of life, alia’s fate was pretty much sealed.

it’s so fucking tragic to think about her relationship to jessica and paul. jessica loved her kids, truly, she did, and we see it in how she cares for paul and alia throughout the first book, even after paul thinks, my mother has become my enemy. and yet. even before paul was born, jessica has been motivated by selfishness. she defied the bene gesserit and bore a son instead of a daughter to make leto (and herself) happy, thus damning paul to the fate of the kwisatz haderach. she drank the water of life and took on the role of the fremen reverend mother while pregnant to help implement the bg’s plans (and her own plans) even though she knew what it would do to her unborn daughter. from that point on, alia was sentient. she had the memories of billions within her fighting to gain control.

for the first few years of her life, she had a very distinct sense of self. she and paul, despite their age difference, loved each other SO MUCH😭😭😭😭there’s this one quote from dune messiah where reverend mother mohaim says, “who could understand but the sister?” in reference to paul’s struggles, and yeah. they understood one another in a way no one else could.

she had a sweet family dynamic with harah, jamis’ wife and paul’s eventual servant. their moment together in the first book is honestly the most open declaration of familial love we ever see in the books (“i love you, harah.” FUCKING RUINS ME), and right after that, alia snuggles up to jessica and takes comfort in her mother (she was so young she just wanted her MOM😭). like yeah she has many different memories within her that are not the memories of a child, but she, alia atreides, was still a child. and i know brian herbert and kevin j. anderson’s books are…certainly something😐but there’s a moment between alia and irulan in paul of dune where irulan tells alia, “you deserve to have a childhood too” and that just BREAKS ME because she never got one. since birth, she was treated like a freak and knew it. she literally said, “i know i’m a freak.” (she was like TWO when she said this MY BABY😭). when paul’s jihad was going on, she was running arrakis in his place as a CHILD. she had so much wisdom and knowledge and did an amazing job, but underneath that, you do see that she was a literal baby.

once she hit about four years old, jessica left her on arrakis. jessica went back to caladan and reverted back to her old bene gesserit ways, living in fear and disgust of the children she created. the children she once loved so. much. are now her biggest regrets, and we see this when she visits alia in children of dune and literally hesitates to call her “daughter.” once she admits it, there’s an understanding between alia and jessica that they are still family, but the “…daughter” DOESNT HURT ANY LESS.

then dune messiah comes around. she’s ≈ sixteen and already regarded as a demigoddess by the people of arrakis and has a little mini-cult surrounding her. she is paul’s closest confidante (some may argue that it’s chani, but i say again, “who could understand but the sister?”). she’s “saint alia of the knife” for a reason too. her fremen upbringing + her genetics make her incredibly skilled, so much so that breaking records is second-nature to her. however, as paul’s state declines, so does hers.

(WHO. COULD. UNDERSTAND. BUT. THE. SISTER.)

she starts slipping into spice trance, letting ancestors converse with her for longer periods of time. she’s argumentative and so, so lost. when duncan idaho’s ghola is given to paul, this 35+ year-old zombie man sees this 16 year-old and is like “yeah i’m gonna get up on that,” so he and alia get into a “relationship” that my poor girl didn’t know any better than to accept.

i think the start of her breaking point came when paul lost his sight. up until then, they had understood one another as easily as breathing, like those saplings that grow next to each other and end up twisting around one another (or turning into one tree). but when paul comes back blind yet still able to see, he knows she’s scared of him, and an irreparable rift develops right then and there (i pretend this doesn’t happen for my mental health).

once paul wandered into the desert, alia was gone. her sense of self and grasp on reality went right with him. he was the only one who didn’t live in fear of her, the only one who she ever felt truly loved by, who didn’t put her on a divine pedestal she didn’t want, who she could TRUST😭

this fucking monologue from messiah guts me inside:

“i wish i could burn this thing out of me…but i’m sister to an emperor who is worshipped as a god. people fear me. i never wanted to be feared. i don’t want to be part of history; i just want to be loved. and love.”

WHO!! COULD!! UNDERSTAND!! BUT!! THE!! SISTER!!!!!!!!!!!

the (almost) last things we hear her say in messiah are literally, “duncan, duncan, he’s [paul’s] gone! i need you duncan, love me!”

then, children of dune occurs. it’s nine years after paul wandered into the desert, AND ALIA STILL WEARS YELLOW, THE FREMEN COLOR OF MOURNING. she hates him and loves him and hates him and loves him and can’t stay out of a possessed trance for more than five minutes. rather than help her as the people around her notice her falling victim to the voices inside her, they ice her out, even her former lover, and call her abomination, trying to send her to her death and looking upon her with disgust. leto ii and ghanima, who she raised since birth, have no sympathy for her.

the only person we really see her close with is irulan tbh. which like. oh i love their dynamic. they went from being curt and uncaring with one another in messiah to being one another’s only comfort in children (for irulan loved paul too). still, irulan distances herself the more wrapped up in her own head alia becomes. when jessica returns to arrakis, she does nothing but stand by (and encourage alia’s execution) as she watches her daughter slip away as a result of her selfish choices!!

after alia finds out paul is alive, god there is so much conflict going on within her. the last time she saw him, they loved one another with a love that was more than love, but now, he’s preaching that everything they’ve built is a blasphemy and alia should be overthrown. she wants him dead but she wants him alive but she wants him dead but she wants him alive and she wants to see him but she hopes it isn’t him but she wants to see him. her big brother.

when she finally does see him, he looks her in the eyes and calls her a blasphemy.

then, paul is stabbed. alia watches him die, and to me, that is when the last string within her finally snaps. she turns to jessica and shouts, “that was paul they just killed!”

so many voices fight to overtake her, including her grandfather, baron harkonnen, who had been possessing her up until this point, but she is just so, so tired and so hurt and so unloved that she can’t do it anymore. she doesn’t even bother to fight. she jumps to her death and does not scream on the way down.

and this is what gets me too. we know it was her decision, the last decision she ever got to make of her own volition, and it was one of self-destruction. the baron was screaming at her not to do it — everyone else watched as it happened — but she did it anyway, and honestly, she found more peace in death than she ever did in life.

god i could talk about her for hours i love her so much she’s my girl my love i need to wrap her (and paul) up in little blankets and hold them so close.

also there is just…something about jessica watching both her children die in front of her. and the comparison she made in the first book when alia walks into her room and she thinks, “she reminds me of paul at that age” with both their big, curious eyes and quiet mannerisms and OH😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

#god i spent forever typing this out #this is definitely more than you asked for but #oh i just love her #alia atreides #st alia of the knife #alia ):#my girl my girl my GIRL #astra’s asks #dune

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pretty-unglad-you-were-born · 2 months

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3 stars is very generous coming from you🤨😂 Did you like it?? I have to wait until Sunday

here's some thoughts but keep in mind idk much about dune, didn't like the first one too much and only went to see this for z

without spoilers:

- 😢chani bunny😔 is truly the heart(break) of the movie, z's performance is the best part of it all and she steals the final scenes

- same for timothée nothing too crazy at first but he shines at the end where he completely transforms into another character and austin was fun to watch, i wasn't expecting him to be so present, i think he appears just as much or a little less than chani?

- the first hour is good, rebecca gives the best performance here

- the second hour is where i zoned out a little bit and was bored by the end of it. i was struggling to follow some of the storylines at times especially when they moved away from arrakis but this has more to do with me not being into the other characters rather than the movie itself

- the last 40 minutes are my favorite and save it all, it felt like a different movie and the ending is really interesting and leaves you wanting to see the next one

- i don't know if people who didn't like the first one will like this one, there's a lot more things that happen but it's still 90% fights and action sequences/10% calmer and more human moments but regardless i still enjoyed it and didn't feel like it was too long despite the 3 hours

- if you're wondering about z's screentime she's pretty present at the beginning, disappears in the middle but she comes back to eat the last part of the movie like if you don't come out of it thinking about her and her only you're a lying liar

all in all amazing performances (especially z's), visuals and sounds but i couldn't get myself to care too much about the stories that weren't chani's

with spoilers:

- it ends with a powerful scene of chani alone in the desert to remind you once again that she is the star of the movie

- there's no paul/chani baby but they do make sure to show her putting her blue scarf around her arm at some point towards the end which i don't know if it's supposed to mean anything

- i liked the betrayal parts of paulchani's story way more than their happy moments which i thought were weak and most of it was already shown in the trailers/bonuses

- i feel like irulan was not portrayed as a bad person at least not as bad as some of the other characters but her introduction to paul's life and their agreement was way too rushed

- if you walk out of this thinking paulchani is "a beautiful love story" you have issues or you blanked out in the middle of the movie and started daydreaming about your dinner like me

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ellestra · 2 months

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Traditional names

I've seen so many people surprised why would someone living thousands of years from now has such an ordinary names like Paul or Jessica. Like we didn't call our kids now Adam or Jason. Like they forgot Diana and Brigid where goddesses. Not everyone needs to be named Irulan or Feyd-Rautha. It's not unusual for names to be passed through history and generations. And this mix of familiar and strange seems pretty true how this always worked.

#dune #dune movie #dune 2024 #dune 2021 #paul atreides #jessica atreides #dune part two #dune part one

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andmaybegayer · 1 month

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Saw Dune 2, it's amazing that you can cut a solid 60% of Dune and still get pretty much all of Dune in there.

I do get the feeling that in part one someone was like "we can cut Feyd right we don't need Feyd" and then they came around on part two like "Goddamit we're going to need Feyd."

Extremely evil Jessica is great! I love how much scheming she does, it really sells the whole "I would do anything to protect Paul" vibe including giving him the Terrible Purpose. It's a shame that we don't get Alia yet. They delay Paul understanding Terrible Purpose until pretty late and also don't explain the Terrible Purpose at all which is a bold choice. To be fair the books also don't explain Terrible Purpose in detail until Messiah, and only really gets into it with Children.

I don't see a better way you could have tweaked Chani's relationship with Paul here without just doing what the book does. Which like. Okay I am something of a defender of the whole concubine thing on the principle of bizarre space politics. But I do get why they did this.

Pretty much all the changes fall into the "yeah I get why they did this" camp. I'm glad they got Lady Fenring in here but absolutely devastated that they couldn't get her weird little husband in. Count Fenring my beloved you're so unimportant to everything. They did get rid of Paul winning a coffee service, two children, and a concubine from killing Jamis. Once again, yeah I get why they did this. Didn't need to further complicate the deadly space feudalism political marriage triangle into a perplexing desert tetrahedron with stepchildren. Cutting Leto II's existence was a little odd, I feel like they could have done this but I guess if they had they would have had to put Alia in.

They don't do the Sietch Orgy! In general the Water of Life is very rushed. It's a huge slow build up in the books, like, you hear about it from really early on and it looms over Paul a lot more.

They didn't do enough spectacularly weird outfits but they did go hard with the outfits. Big fan of everything Irulan wears in the back half, especially the weird wraparound head pieces. Some good background characters orbiting around Jessica and the other Reverend Mother.

Christopher Walken is such a good choice for the emperor. He looks so tired. Just an absolutely done old man. Jumpscared by Future!Alia being Anya Taylor-Joy. We need more slightly unsettling Hollywood actresses, her schedule must be so busy.

It was interesting seeing this with Czech subtitles because I had to rapidly switch from ignoring the subtitles for English speech to trying to understand Czech with my very limited vocabulary whenever it went into one of the like seven other languages at play in this story.

#dune

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