#Gurney is like ‘my Duke; is everything—‘

[foxilayde]

Sucking off Leto Atreides under the table during a war council meeting if you even care

[lowtaperfeyd]

lady Jessica x fem reader fluff pleeeease preferably before arrakis but idc

Moments

Lady Jessica x reader

author's note: I did combine two requests together due to their similarities. Bare with me when it comes down to writing fluff tho...

warnings: normal dune things.

wc: 996

It wasn’t a surprise to the residents of Castle Caladan to see Lady Jessica and her lady-in-waiting, (Y/N), walking around the luscious gardens of the castle late in the afternoon. Them arm in arm strolling past yellow, red, and orange flowers blooming in the cool air of Caladan, talking incoherently. 

“Do you really think Paul is the Kwisatz Haderach?” (Y/N) questioned, knowing the plot that the sisterhood had been planning, “It’s a generation too early.”

“I do.” Lady Jessica responded, “He’s shown the signs. The reverend mother Mohiam is visiting later before we leave. She’s skeptical as well.” She added, poking a bit of fun at her partner. 

“And if he fails the test?” (Y/N) asked, “Not saying he will or not.”

“Then I would be wrong.” Lady Jessica utter quietly. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you doubt yourself about this.” (Y/N) chuckled, “and you using ‘wrong’ and ‘I’ in the same sentence. But if you are right about him, which you most definitely are, then he’ll be fine.” “That’s easier said than done.” she chortled 

“You’ve taught him everything he needs to know.” 

“That’s very kind of you to say.” Jessica said as she looked at (Y/N). 

“You’re welcome.” (Y/N) added while turning her head to look at the woman beside her. 

As they continued to walk around the garden, they spoke about what needed to be done on Arrakis, what needed to be brought, and what needed to be gotten rid of. It was rather domestic they way they mentally sorted through silverware and bits and pieces of furniture like an old married couple. Their lighthearted arguments of whether or not the ornate chess table needed to come along. 

“You cannot just leave a gift behind on a planet we’ll never go to again.” Lady Jessica declared. 

“A gift that was given almost a hundred years ago, my lady.” (Y/N) retorted, “and besides when have you or anyone here last used it?” 

  “The point still stands, maybe even more so.” 

As well as soft affection to each other too. 

Other people in the castle also noticed these interactions as well. Gurney Halleck once spotted Lady Jessica with her head on (Y/N)’s shoulder as they were furiously arguing about whether or not Paul should learn universal history or mathematics first. Lady Jessica’s augment won with the fact that Paul would one day be duke. And dukes need to know what caused several wars which spanned centuries. Duncan Idaho was privy to see them argue with each other too. He saw them in the expansive library debating Bene Gesserit tactics and plans, while their knees ever so slightly tapped each other, more than once and in while. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everything changed once they got to Arrakis though. There were no afternoon walks because of the scorching sun, there were no more arguments on what should stay or go because there was nothing to leave, and there were no more soft moments spent that lingered because they didn’t have that time anymore. Only after the battle at the Arrakeen, traversing the desert to find safety, and finally meeting the Fremen would provide some form of sanctuary. 

In Sietch Tabr, (Y/N) and Jessica were in a tiny bedroom they were given. Both of them had their hair messy and tangled, eyes set back into their faces with new purple eye bags now making their appearance. (Y/N) was walking pacing around their room, back and forth like a fish in a pond back home. Lady Jessica sat on the bed with her hands gently tucked onto her lap and one leg over the other. 

“You’re tired, aren’t you?” Lady Jessica asked. 

“We all are,” (Y/N) remarked, “my tiredness doesn’t sum to the tiredness of the people and group.” As she continued pacing. 

Lady Jessica moved back onto the bed so she was sitting in the middle of it. She crossed her legs over each other. 

“Come here.” She said, “rest, even if it’s only for a minute.” 

(Y/N) stopped in her tracks. She looked over to where the red headed woman was sitting. Her features lit up by the soft, golden light that seeped through thin cracks in the rocks. Her beauty was a thing that would always be captured in (Y/N)’s mind. 

“Alright,” The woman whispered as she walked over to the bed. She sat on the bed and slid back until she could comfortably lay her head on Lady Jessica’s lap. (Y/N) took her hands and laid them on her stomach as the red head started to smooth her hand over (Y/N)’s head. 

“What do you make of some of the Fremen calling Paul the ‘Lisan Al-Gaib’?” (Y/N) commented. 

“I think it gives us an opportunity to give the people what they want and have been waiting for.” Jessica shared, “They, also, need a new reverend mother.” “Does this mean you’ll drink the water of life?” 

“I’m not sure yet,” she swallowed, “I haven’t given it much thought yet.” 

“You’ll need to go to the south, Paul will need to go too if you do decide to drink it.” (Y/N) whispered, “You’ll need to go either way after becoming reverend mother.” 

“I know.” Jessica sighed out as she continued to brush her hand over her head, “But all that can wait for tomorrow, rest.” 

(Y/N)’s eyes would soon begin to fall as they got more and more heavy. The soothing nature of Jessica touching her head made her feel calmer than she had felt in days. Her muscles slowly began to relax and her head didn’t feel as tight and weighted as before. It didn’t take long before her eyes were fully closed and she was asleep, asking in the presence of Jessica and the love that was between the two. But the last thing she felt was Jessica pressing a tiny kiss to her forehead.

[animesmolbean]

Guardian of Light

(Female)

Story inspiration here

Hope you enjoy the chapter! ♥️

〰️

Chapter 6: Visions and Promises

〰️

Paul walked out of the Ornithopter at a fast pace once they landed back home, holding (Your Name) up and helping her walk.

The Duke jumped out of the thropter pilot seat, eyes widening slightly seeing (Your Name) looking exhausted and about to collapse. “What happened? Is she alright?” He asked, worried about the girl.

Paul looked at his father, unshed tears in his eyes, then looked down to the (Hair Color) haired girl, “I hope so…” He muttered in a hoarse voice.

(Your Name) groaned softly and moved her head off of Paul's shoulder. “I'm… I'm alright.” She muttered.

The Duke sighed heavily, “You cannot take such risks, Paul.”

“Yes, sir.” Paul responded, head casted downwards as he looked over at his childhood best friend who was slowly trying to regain her strength.

“You both have responsibilities.” Duke gestured to the pair.

“I… I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again.” Paul rambled.

“Go now. Get yourself checked out. I have to talk to (Your Name).”

Paul was hesitant to leave his best friend but listened to his father's words and jogged off.

Now, it was just (Your Name) standing before the Duke. As she regained herself, she realized her mistake and she looked down.

“I'm so sorry, Sir. I failed to keep Paul safe and it could've cost his life. I'm sorry, I- I'm so sorry-” She rambled.

The Duke cut her off. “Hey, calm down. Things have smoothed themselves out.” His voice was gentle as he comforted the panicked girl. He placed his hands on her shoulders.

“You managed to get to him in time, along with Gurney. You did good.” He praised.

(Your Name) sniffled, nodding her head.

“But I need to know. What happened out there?”

The girl sighed. “I honestly don't know. One moment Paul and I were together then a sandstorm struck and we were separated. Then, the area turned dark… this orb appeared in the sky and…. those shadow demons appeared.”

The Duke's eyes widened at the news. “You saw the shadow demons?” The girl nodded. “What did they look like? Did they hurt you?”

(Your Name) described the demons, telling him they are called Heartless and she was able to fight them. When the Duke asked how, she told him everything.

“Then… the voice said… Haris Aldaw’. That I'm a new… keyblade wielder.”

Leto couldn't believe this. This girl was the Haris Aldaw’. Guardian of Light. A keyblade wielder.

The girl looked down, seemingly still upset about what happened. The Duke looked at her, an empathic look on his face.

“Everything will be alright. I can promise you that. But I need you to be strong. Protect my son from danger. I can't lose him…” He paused and gave her a gentle smile. “Or my future daughter-in-law.”

(Your Name) gasped softly. She smiled widely at the Duke, and wrapped her arms around the man.

The Duke chuckled softly and hugged her back, patting her back.

“Now, go on and get checked out.”

The girl nodded and jogged off to where Paul last went. Duke Leto watched, a gentle smile on his face.

〰️

(Your Name) looked around, trying to find her childhood best friend. She looked in every possible room.

She eventually got to her and Paul's shared room and she entered slowly. There she saw Paul, with Lady Jessica and Dr. Yueh. Everyone looked at her. The girl looked at Paul in worry.

“Is he alright?” She asked.

“He's fine, Lady (Your Name). Just an allergic reaction to the spice.” Dr. Yueh told the girl.

She sighed in relief. “Thank goodness.” She muttered to herself. “Thank you.” She added in a louder voice, addressing the doctor.

Dr. Yueh left the room. Once he was gone, (Your Name) went over to Paul, and kneeled in front of him, taking his hands in hers.

Paul’s hands gave hers a squeeze, seeing the panic and worry in her eyes. He disliked that look on her. Lady Jessica came over to the pair, kneeling next to (Your Name).

“That wasn't an allergic reaction. I had a vision. My eyes were wide open.” Paul spoke in a low voice, looking down, avoiding eye contact with Jessica and (Your Name), his brows furrowed.

"What did you see?” Jessica asked.

Paul slowly looked up at the two, his hazel green eyes instantly meeting (Your Name)’s concerned deep blue eyes. His heart was thumping hard in his chest, remembering the vision.

Inside the vision, (Your Name) was leading Paul down into a mountain, both of them wearing stillsuits.

They pause in a small, clear area surrounded by the rocky walls. The two faced each other. With a gentle smile on her face, (Your Name) got closer to his face and reached up to place a gloved hand on his cheek, caressing it gently.

She rubbed her thumb over the area, the pair getting even closer to each other. They were so close that they could feel each other's breaths against their faces. (Your Name) placed her other hand on Paul's cheek, now cupping his face. Meanwhile, Paul moved his hands to his friend's waist. Their eyes met, their foreheads touched, and they mirrored each other's expression. An expression full of love and admiration.

Paul nudged his nose against hers making the girl giggle softly. He tilted his head a little to get a better angle and started to close the gap between them. His lips parted a little and his lips caressed (Your Name)’s.

Though, before the childhood pair could actually kiss, someone came up behind Paul and stabbed him. It was the same girl he saw in his dream with (Your Name).

Paul fell against (Your Name) lifting his hand up seeing blood on it. His blood. (Your Name) watching Paul bleed, no emotion present on her face.

“It's confusing. I thought I saw my death, only it wasn't. I know a knife is important, somehow. Someone will hand me a blade, but I don't know who, or when, or where. Some things, though, are crystal clear. I can feel it.” Paul explained to the two, then glanced at his mother. “I know you're pregnant.” The male smiled softly at his mother.

(Your Name) looked at Lady Jessica with surprise but it melted into a soft smile, mirroring Paul's.

“You can't know that. I barely know that. It's only been a few weeks.” Jessica breathed out in surprise, staring at her son like she saw a ghost.

〰️

Jessica left the room, leaving (Your Name) and Paul alone, an uncomfortable silence was now between the two best friends.

(Your Name) sighed to herself, giving Paul's hands a squeeze, like he did for her earlier. “There's something you're not telling me. What is it?” She whispered.

Paul's hazel green eyes looked at the girl. “In my vision…” He took a deep breath and released it shakily, his voice shaky like he was on the verge of crying, “When I got stabbed…. you didn't say anything… didn't react… you just stared… blank faced. I'm not sure why.” He sniffled, trying to keep himself from crying.

The girl frowned softly, squeezing his hands again then stood up and sat on his lap, her legs straddling his thighs. In response, Paul's warm hands gently held her hips, rubbing her hip bones with his thumbs. (Your Name) suppressed a shiver as she looked Paul in his eyes.

“That was just a vision Paul,” She spoke softly seeing his lips quiver, “You know how much I care about you. Whatever you saw in the vision, won't happen. I would never, ever, ever, hurt you.” She brushed some of his curly locks out of his face before she continued, “I won't let anything happen to you. Even in your dreams. I'll protect you. I'll be what the nightmares fear.”

When she mentioned dreams, she swore she felt a slight pain in her back. Like something was branding her back. But she ignored the pain, thinking it was nothing and wanting to focus more on comforting Paul.

Paul chuckled wetly at her proclamation before his body shuddered as he suppressed a small sob. His hands gripped her hips tighter. “I almost lost you today…” His voice was hoarse, then in a desperate whisper. “I can't lose you (Your Name)... I can't. I don't know what I'll do if you die. I don't know what I'll do.”

She shook her head, frowning a little. “Shhhh.. I'm alright… I'm right here…” She cooed. She used her left hand to move Paul's right hand off her hip and placed it on her chest, where her heart is. “See? Can you feel it? My heart beat. I'm right here.”

Paul sniffled a bit, feeling his nerves settle at the feeling of his friend's heartbeat.

The blue-eyed girl moved her right hand to Paul's cheek, cupping it in her palm and caressing it with her thumb. She watched Paul lean into the touch.

“We'll face whatever obstacles are thrown our way. We'll overcome the odds. I know we can.” She proclaimed, but she wasn't finished, “I won't let anything happen to you. And I won't let them take me away from you. I promise.” (Your Name) declared, sealing the promise with a kiss on Paul's forehead.

Paul closed his eyes, humming at the feeling of her lips on his forehead. He turned his head, pressing a kiss onto her palm. “I promise to protect you too. No one will have us… as long as we're together.” He whispered into her hand. He then gestured to (Your Name) with his head to come closer. She does and he places a kiss onto her forehead; just like she did for him.

(Your Name) hummed, pressing her forehead to Paul's once he pulled his lips away, making Paul tremble a little.

Paul's lidded eyes stared at (Your Name) with their forehead still together. The blue-eyed girl could feel his breath against her cheeks when she stared back into his beautiful hazel green eyes. He gave her a half smile, one that was enough to make her heart beat faster.

Paul felt it, making his heart swell up with pride and love.

〰️

Jessica left the room and was now walking down the hallway, whimpering as she played with her hands. She paused as she started to cry softly.

She didn't know what to do.

Eventually, she made it back to her quarters, where she saw Leto, his back turned to her. She cautiously approached him.

“There's something you need to know about Paul and (Your Name).”

“No.” Leto spoke immediately as he put on a jacket. “Don't think I want to know. Ever since you brought them before your Reverend Mother, they have changed. Paul isn't the same. He's distracted. As for (Your Name)....” He let out a sigh as he looked at Jessica. “I know about her. You have told me yourself. Ever since she came to us. Now… she has told me herself.”

Jessica wasn't surprised by his reaction. But the thing that did surprise her a bit was the fact that (Your Name) told Leto herself of who she was.

Leto spoke again, “Jessica, you gave me a son. From the moment he was born, I never questioned you. And when you brought (Your Name) to me, and suggested we keep her, I agreed. Like with Paul, I never questioned you. I trusted you completely. Even when you walked in shadows.” The woman just stood there, blank faced as Leto spoke. “Now I'm asking you this one thing. If anything happens… will you protect our son? Will you protect our future daughter?”

“With my life.” Jessica replied, like it was obvious.

Her husband shook his head. “I'm not asking their mother. I'm asking the Bene Gesserit.”

With those words, Jessica didn't reply. She looked down. Leto stepped closer to her. “Will you protect Paul and (Your Name)?”

Jessica stepped closer to Leto and placed a hand on his chest. She sensed there was something wrong with him. “Why are you having these thoughts?” She whispered.

Leto didn't reply. He looked down, blinking nervously and shook his head. Jessica looked at him. “Leto, this is not you.”

The pair pressed their foreheads together for a few moments. Leto pulled away eventually.

“I thought we'd have more time.” Leto confessed in a whisper, a subtle, somber look on his face.

〰️

It was now nighttime and (Your Name) was in Paul's room with him, after she asked to stay with him. Paul immediately agreed. She saw him leant on a little table in his room, in deep thought. The girl decided not to disturb, especially after what had happened and what he told her.

The door to his room suddenly opened; it was Dr. Yueh. He walked in with a tint tray and placed it on a table; it contained medicine and water. “Have a good night Master Paul, Lady (Your Name).” He told the two.

“Good night, Dr. Yueh.” The pair spoke softly and in sync as the doctor left the room.

(Your Name) laid down on the bed, looking at her hand from the side. She wondered if she could summon the keyblade any time like the others before her could.

She sighed and turned onto her side, ready to just fall asleep. It had been a long day.

After a few moments, she heard rustling and assumed that Paul was just getting ready for bed. She closed her eyes and started to drift off. Then, she felt the bed dip behind her and a pair of arms wrapped around her waist.

The blue-eyed girl gasped softly at the touch. It was nothing new; Paul always did this but it still gives her butterflies every time he does so.

Then, she felt his face nuzzle into the crook of her neck, placing soft kisses on her skin. The action made her gasp softly again and shiver at the new feeling.

The boy hummed against (Your Name)’s neck as he kept going, his hands moving to her stomach, rubbing the area over her shirt.

“Paul… what are you doing?” She whispered, squirming a bit in his hold.

Paul mumbled something against her skin, but (Your Name) didn't hear it. She felt Paul turn her around so now they were facing each other. Before she could ask again, Paul continued his ministrations but his hands now rubbed her back.

The blue eyed girl let out a soft whine at the feeling of Paul's lips caressing her neck. She gripped the boy's shirt instinctively. The kisses got softer and the (Hair Color) haired girl sighed, enjoying the moment while it lasted.

The kisses on her neck soon stopped, making the girl look down to see that Paul was asleep now, his head moved down to her chest and he was now laying on it, where her heart was.

She smiled softly at this, leaning down and pressing a kiss onto his forehead, making the boy hum in his sleep.

She continued staring at Paul's beautiful sleeping form, her heart fluttering. She never felt this type of love before. She may need to learn more about love, but she knew how to share her heart with others. But this felt so different. This felt more powerful, more powerful than she felt with her mentors, her surrogate parents and sibling love. This one felt like… a love that she would share with only one person. It was a feeling she only felt around Paul.

After a little while of stroking Paul's curly hair, his arms wrapped around her waist, (Your Name) wrapped her arms around him. Their bodies were now tangled with each other's. The girl hummed softly before she fell into a peaceful sleep with Paul.

But unbeknownst to them, and almost everyone here, trouble was arriving on Arrakis; and would change their lives forever.

Taglist

@skeletonixsstuff

@babyqueen17

@bay7let

@bookloverfilmoholic

[tokoyamisstuff]

Breaking Bonds Ch. 8

Summary: Being underestemated by your own peers can be an advantage that could bring upon the downfall of even the strongest foes. Warnings: None. Not proofread. A/N: No Rabban/Reader interaction and a lot of exposition. Lame and short but necessary chapter tbh, sorry.

"Some people were never taught to speak the language of softness. They were only taught the language of blood and fire. Still, they love - and they express that love the only way they know how."

[Previous Chapter]

At the dead of night a small cargo-starship requested entrance through Caladan's shields.

Gurney, plaqued by sleeplessness as usual, was the first one to be informed - and he knew that type of engineering all too well.

"A Harkonnen ship." His voice was flat, yet not fully capable of hiding the thrill of an upcoming battle. "What kind of deceit do those vermin try now?"

The Warmaster had already equipped his weapon, always in a hand's reach, as well as the shield he had never discarded of. Fast and firm steps led him towards the spaceport, eager to quench the thirst for his dead enemie's blood...

...however when he arrived, only two humans stepped out into the moonlight - one of them a hooded woman.

"Search the ship" Gurney ordered, then turning to his second in command. "Any other ships in the atmosphere?"

"No, Sir, Mr. Halleck, Sir!"

Hard to tell if this was good news or simply a trap still in need of figuring out.

Irritated about this obscure situation, he quickly assessed that interrogating one of you would suffice, thus logically eliminating the greater threat.

You winced when the man swung his blade towards your companion - one of Rabban's most trusted - taking a clean hit towards his neck. The cut was not deep enough to be lethal immediately, and you couldn't help but wonder if a fighter so skilled chose this cruel method intentionally.

Not minding the surroundings you knelt next to the soldier, unable to do more than holding his hand as he bled out on the ground.

Not long ago you would've been delighted to see one of them fall, as distasteful as it may sound...

...but now, seeing life leave those reddish-brown eyes you couldn't help but see a piece of Rabban in them. Sobs escaped your trembling lips, imagining what could await if his plan was to fail - or worse, if it succeeds.

There was not much time to ponder however, since you felt cold steel already pressed against the back of your neck.

"Raise your head." Gurney's voice was boiling with a hatred you were not unfamiliar with, pressing the blade deeper against the fabric of your veil. "Show your face. And don't try anything, scum."

You breathed in the scent of the now bloodsoaked grass - not quite like the climate back home, but compared with Giedi Prime refreshing nonetheless - and looked up to your possible executioner, a forlorn smile curving your lips.

The Warmaster's face fell when you revealed yourself, utter shock at those unforeseeable events instantly raising his guard again.

"Why? You..."

"Gurney!" another voice called out for the man, his posture stiffening at the sound.

"My Duke" he proclaims with the utmost respect, only to be harshly scolded. "Why have I not been informed about this?"

"We've had everything under control, Sire. Nothing Mylord should be bothered with in the middle of the night." His former hostility had been replaced with an astonishing submission, making you even more anxious as you saw the Duke and his entourage approach.

One of them, a bearded man with rather long hair, you recognized from Rabban's stories: Duncan Idaho, whose parents were once slaves born on Giedi Prime...and murdered through his hands.

The other that almost cut off your head just the minute before must be Gurney Halleck, then - another person whom The Beast had caused uncomparable pain.

Ironic, how Rabban's cruelty had forged not only his greatest enemies, but also House Atreides' strongest warriors.

So basically, not only were you on a foreign planet, you were also surrounded by people who rightfully wished for your husband's demise...

...or, if given the opportunity, to make his loved ones suffer, just as theirs have?

"I'm sorry for my men's thoughtless violence" the Duke now adressed you directly, "Their remarkable passion for defending those lands exceeds rationality, much to my frustration."

Leto generously offered you a hand despite his men's protest, observing you professionally distant yet also with a calming courtesy. "May I ask what brings you to Caladan at a time like this, and on a Harkonnen ship at that?"

"I-I'm..." you were reluctant at first - but then again, may as well die proud of the hardships you've overcome. "My name is Y/N Rabban, rightful Countess of Lankiveil, and I have an important message to deliver."

Everyone present fell dead silent as your married name dropped from your lips, and you were sure to have brought upon your own doom...

...but the Duke was reacting foremost, a raised hand enough to sign his subordinates restraint.

"Bring her inside" he urged, and that said two guards aided you upwards and after the ruler of this planet. You tried to avoid it at all cost, yet still locked eyes with Gurney of all people - and the bottomless hatred you deciphered in them was frightening enough to make you shudder.

It was a miracle that none of them had attacked you right then and there - but in the end, what would be greater: Their loyalty to the Duke, or a wish for retaliation? The former, as it seems...for now.

You gulped harshly as you were led through secret hallways, far away from unwanted ears. Their architecture was not unlike the Harkonnen kind, you reminisced as you admired the dark stone building with only minimalistic decoration.

Hopefully his concubine would be excluded from this inquisition as well. A Bene Gesserit knows no allies or moral more important than the mission of the order, after all.

Most likely she already knows about the Empire's plan to eradicate House Atreides, and merely endures the pain of losing everything without even daring to oppose.

Walking unassisted was still a hard task after the previous events, but you managed until you arrived at the destination: A hidden room with a round table, meant for emergency sessions of the Duke's most trusted council members.

Asides from Gurney and Idaho, the only other person present was a mentat called Thufir Hawat. A man as dutiful as he was honorable, or so you've heard. And greeting you with a surprisingly kind, compassionate look on his face.

You were offered a seat opposite to your...host? Captor? Only time will show.

"I promise, unless it's necessary, no harm will come over you" the Duke reassured you, "Neither from me, nor from my people."

Not very convincing you thought, feeling the other men's eyes burning holes into your back, certain if you were to say anything they wouldn't like to hear, it was over for you.

"You can speak freely, Countess. Why did you seek me out?"

"A trade, put simply." Folding your hands in your lap, you fondled with your thumbs as you searched for proper words. "I'll disclose important information that could possibly save your entire House - in exchange for my protection."

"Sire, you cannot possibly trust her-"

"Gurney, stop it" the Duke harshly interrupted, focusing his attention on you again. He leaned forwards with a stern yet sympathetic expression, even from afar noticing both old scars and new blemishes scattered across your body.

"You've been through a lot on Giedi Prime, unsurprisingly. I can assure you even without valuable information, you are safe here." Instead of directly asking the important questions, he wondered "How did you manage to escape all by yourself? Convincing your escort must not have been easy."

You couldn't help but smile at his curiosity, clutching the necklace Rabban had once gifted you. "I didn't. My husband arranged this for me."

All men in the room simultaneously furrowed their brows at your unbelievable statement, reactions varying from pity over irritation to sheer disgust.

Of course it would make no sense to them - the Beast they knew was not the same man anymore.

"Over time the Count grew fond of me" you explained truthfully, no matter how insane it might sound to them. "Even after I outlived my value to the curt, he intended to keep me as a Concubine. But he was denied that wish, and in order to spare my life in those abstruse political ties, had no other choice than to send me away."

The Duke nodded along with the sound of your voice, his interest in your story being the only reason the others wouldn't use violence to keep you from talking any further.

"I have to admit I don't quite understand" he breathes out, mentally exhausted. "What is it your husband is trying to achieve? Because I'm afraid if the Bene Gesserit want you gone, there's no planet in the known universe where you'd possibly be safe for long."

"That's why my death has been feigned, to stall for time" you sighed, adding "Though I know it won't be long until the truth may be revealed, no matter where I hide. The Holy Mother simply sees too much."

"What my husband desires is a vendetta, I fear." You bit your lower lip, watching Gurney's hand tremble in anticipation on the grip of his weapon. Thufir and Idaho however seemed torn between confusion and intrigue. "He tries to achieve it through sheer impossible measurements...and by a possible alliance with others who will soon be forsaken by the empire."

Now it was your eyes who'd soften with concern, revealing the truth the Head of House Atreides had already seen coming: "You most likely expect the Harkonnen to try and take Arrakis back from you - but you're not aware of the true extend of this treason." The Emperor will no longer be a mere bystander in this everlasting quarrel. He was convinced by the Bene Gesserit that your growing influence proposes a threat, and they all conspired against your House. Sardaukar troops will support the Harkonnens, and a traitor from the inside would deactivate your shields one night. Soon after you step foot on Arrakis, there'll be carnage."

"Lies, nothing but lies" Gurney practically growled by now, having decided that he heard you sputter this nonsense for long enough. "She was sent by her husband to spread distrust between us, weaken us in fear so we are more prone to mistakes!"

Much to your surprise it was Duncan Idaho who went between you and Gurney, whose blade was already pointed right at your face. "Let her finish." You could hear the same amount of bottled up rage and aversion in his voice, and yet he was in perfect control of those emotions for the greater good. "We can check her assertions without having a seed of doubt planted in our midst."

"...the spy is Dr. Wellington Yueh" you spoke almost mockingly as you slowly pressed the blade away from your line of sight. "You may think I'm delusional because Suk Doctors are conditioned unable to harm others. But in order to deactivate the shields, cut your communication and drug your most important men, he wouldn't have to."

The Duke was frozen, if shock or thought no one could tell. You admired his strenght to stay this collected after everything you had just revealed to him - knowledge that could make life as he know it collapse.

That's the strenght of a leader, you guess.

"Please do not be too harsh with him" you plead for the stranger, "The Baron held his wife hostage and did horrendrous things to her. He does not know yet that she is already long since dead. A salvation, if you ask me. I'm sorry."

"Duncan, make sure she is assessed and receives medical treatment" the Duke decided, his eyes absent and looking right through you.

"...and then throw her into the dungeon. I'm sorry as well."

______

At the same time, an incomprehensible distance away, your husband was waiting for a sign - which one he wasn't sure of.

On Giedi Prime, while also being belittled, at least his violent nature was embraced and even encouraged. But now, after your love had caused what one could call a metamorphosis, he did not belong here anymore either.

Nothing compared to the brief yet blissful time he had spent dwelling in your presence - and now all that was left of it were the haunting nightmares of what they had made him do to the only good thing that ever happened to his life of evil.

Circumstance left him with no other choice than to send his beloved wife far away from him, and into the unknown fate or his enemies at that.

Yet it was the only chance to at least prolong your life, no matter how insignificantly low success may seem. He had to try or die in his attempts, for your sake at last.

Those past weeks, Rabban had been thinking about the possibility to pull through with a coup d'état, but came to the conclusion that even if he may succeed to get rid of his uncle and brother, the people of Giedi Prime would never willingly follow his reign. Not to mention, both the Emperor and the Bene Gesserit wouldn't be fond of him as a new Baron, let alone one to overthrow their whole society as they knew it.

So for for the first time in the many decades of his life, he wouldn't giving in to erratic rage, exercising his patience. No matter how hard it was to play his part and act like the man he was before you stepped into his life, he would bear with it...

...and then, one day, a package is delivered to his residence on Lankiveil, where he ought to be distracted from the hardships that come with having developed a conscience.

Rabban immediately recognized the ribbon it was tied with - part of the gown you had worn on your wedding night - and in his excitement almost tears it apart.

There's quite a few random items, along with receipts and other paperwork to not make it too obvious to others. For a moment he internally cursed his obtuseness, but then he finally found it: A hunting knife, the steel forged in Lankiveilan custom - which means it changes color when in contact with water.

Looking around, he takes the next best liquid - a bottle of alcohol, of course - and pours it over the black metal. As soon as it's touching each other, letters appear on the surface.

Written as mixture of Harkonnen and Lankiveilan words, a small riddle to decipher - yet it's instructions clear:

"During the next of Caladan's full moons. Come alone. X"

Your husband clutched the blade, his frightening grin merely an expression of pure rapture in thought of your reunion.

Soon he'd be able to hold you into his arms - and not even death itself he would allow to separate you again.

[fruityyamenrunner]

@tanninivver​ asked me how I would film Dune. Here’s how I answered:

I think Dune is unfilmable, so I accept whatever I do will be a failure, but the approach I see working is making it extremely dreamlike.

How dreamlike? Literally dreamlike - I want there to be a sort of framing narrative where the dreamer is the teenage son of an American oilman living in some farang-compound in the Gulf. These scenes are filmed in black and white, and appear whenever Paul is having a plot-relevant vision.

It also replaces the initial loredump -- we begin the film with a slice of life establishing scene of Paul!real interacting with his father (Duke Leto), his father’s araboid boss (Emperor Shaddam), his daughter (Irulan), some creepy ginger sexpat pig who works for the company (Vlad) etc.

(This way I can also hire my oil farang cousins to be consultants)

There’s going to be a lot of multiple roles. As well as the doubled casting in the Gulf scenes, I see, fpr instance, Gurney, Duncan and mb Thufir being played by the same character (a charismatic chief of engineering guy in the Gulf company) in fantastic costumes. No established actors, all new talent.

The religious symbolism is very very heavy -- I want to represent that “all the mysteries are revealed”. We see characters making du’a, women outside the house wear veils, Paul is wearing not military dress but a sünnet type costume during the Gom-Jabbar scene, people are carrying around Orange Catholic Bibles, crossing themselves, ikons everywhere and so forth.

The Bene Gesserit and the Guild are the exception. The Bene Gesserit are *not* space nuns. They’re dressed like cynical businesswomen, suits even. I want the materialist viewer to be able to project onto them. The guildsmen also wear business suits and are Epic Science Lovers. They are, in fact, slightly dreamier versions of the suits the characters wear in the “Gulf” scenes.

I am not sure if the “Gulf” scenes are set in the 70s or contemporary -- both sound good.

I want the Heighliner, full of little ships, to evoke Reddit, a place where people of all creeds some together. Updoot arrows, It’s gotta look like a webbed sight.

The CHOAM reps wear fedoras and look fishoid. They look like this, in fact:

All the Harkonnens are played by the same actor, which means fat suits will be involved because the same guy has to play twinky Feyd-Rautha and Vlad. Because it’s Paul’s dream, the pederastic sexual threat is played up -- Gulf!Paul is terrified of the sexpat, and that’s gonna come over in the dream -- this Vlad definitely wants to rape Paul. But generally, all the Harkonnens are Vlad narcissistically diddling himself.

Except for Piter, who is obviously Dutch. He even speaks Dutch and dresses Dutch and eats bitterbollen.

I also want to show the drug addicts as drug addicts. I hate especially how every film does blue laser eyes-of-ibad. They should look *diseased* -- sclera stained dark indigo, all mucous membranes too. You should be able to tell their blood is full of it -- they bleed black, and thick, and oily.

The dream conceit should remind you of the Wizard of Oz. What should remind you even more is that the overwhelming colour of the sietches is indigo blue, Emerald City style. The fremen make everything from spice, spice metabolites get everywhere, Everything should be blue.

The spice itself is dark blue -- outside of the sietches, the nobility should treat it exactly like cocaine. There’s gonna be a weird arrakis water-presevation toilet scene where someone snorts a bump.

Another theme I want to express is a duality of the spice. Most of the time we see it, it’s being abused, dirty, dark stuff, but it’s full of potential. It should glow when it’s in storage.

You have maybe seen pictures of Muhammad dressed like this:

face veil, moses-style, and fire on his head. As the Jihad picks up, and Paul becomes the messiah, the Fremen should be transfigured from filthy Third World junkies to this -- blue/white fireheads.

The worms are giant veined penises. The maker hooks go into the foreskin at the front. They are dentate -- penis dentatus finally given the treatment it deserves.

The sietches, contrarily, are vulvas in the sand. This explains why the Harkonnens do not know about them, because Vlad is obsessed only with the worms. Paul, on the other hand, is bisexual.

[gggoldfinch]

Please tell us about your dune fic

WEEEEE YIPPEEEEE THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR GIVING PLATFORM TO MY DERANGEMENT !!!!!! Frank Herbert would skin me alive for the things I'm about to say (not really bc i'm adhering to canon madness)

Here's a shitty outline (light tw for abuse, drugs, questionably legitimate incest lite™):

oc is named Minerva and is the shamed bastard child of a Bene Gesserit and a Mentat, her situation only worsened by the fact she is deemed a Fluke and is physiologically incapable of performing the Voice. She's an utter disgrace and instead of being reared on Wallach IX like the rest of her Bene Gesserit "sisters" she's locked away on a Guild Ship with a cruel ward until her early twenties, never setting foot on a real planet

She has distant blood ties to House Corrino on her mother's side (third cousin once-removed) which often spares her from worse punishment (aka a quiet execution)

She's presented as a tertiary gift to placate House Harkonnen around the time the Reverend Mother demands Paul and Jessica's safety under her Order. Her fate is up in the air—stick her in a pleasure house, kill her, etc—and because she isn't a proper Sister the Baron isn't threatened by her. She's intelligent and disciplined, though, a Bene Gesserit with no bite, and Piter takes an interest.

To placate the vulpine Mentat, Baron allows him to take Minerva as a pet/assistant. For months he treats her like a toy and gets her addicted to spice melange for his own sick enjoyment but she grows inexplicably attached to him in a weird psycho-sexual relationship. (stockholm syndrome? maybe. but he also seems to value her more than anyone else has). She accompanies him to Salusa Secundus and afterwards to Arrakis for the invasion

She herself narrowly escapes the Duke's assassination scheme but finds herself inexplicably saddened by the Mentat's absence. They'd become practically inseparable in the long months since her arrival on Geidi Prime.

Rabban drags Minerva back to Geidi Prime and since she does have some value (as previously stated) she's spared once more. She finally encounters the Baron's younger nephew and Feyd-Rautha immediately takes an interest in her. She doesn't like him at first, mostly because he does everything in his power to try to scare her and always plays tricks on her. She is generally never receptive to it, high for a while on the leftovers of Piter's private stash of spice.

He eventually tasks her with personally tending his wounds after brawls with his brother or fights in the arena. She doesn't know why, because they have fine healers. After a while he begins to grow on her tho, and she eventually can see past his hard facade to the charming, cunning young man beneath the carnage and rage.

Aiming to take the Golden Lion Throne, their budding relationship stays in secret (although nothing escapes the notice of the Baron), and eventually Minerva becomes pregnant with an illegitimate child.

She accompanies the Harkonnen and Corrino entourage to Arrakis where Feyd is slain in kanly and she too is nearly killed by Gurney Halleck for throwing herself over the body and making a scene. She's only spared because Reverend Mother Mohaim realizes she's pregnant with a Harkonnen heir, and Irulan demands her cousin be taken into her care as a part of the marriage agreement

Twelve years later, after the rise of the jihad and Paul's ascendency, Minerva conspires with Irulan, Scytale, Edric, and Mohaim against Paul. Over the years she grows strangely infatuated with Irulan, perhaps again because she's one of the only people who has ever apparently cared for her.

As for the finale of Minerva story, I've only gotten so far as Alia stabbing her to death ❤️

[avatar-of-procrastination]

Hi! Could I request headcanons/imagine abt Paul Atreides and best friend reader trying to bake/cook some dish that they're making for the first time and later going to watch some movies (if that's possible in Dune) or suggesting Lady Jessica or Duke Letos to try some of the cooking? Thank you in advance!

FIRES

So sorry i took so long to answer this! Life was a bitch and my health decreased a bit. But now i'm doing better so yay!

I loved this req but changed it up a bit. I hope you dont mind ~~

As always, please pardon my grammar mistakes. Eng is not my first language.

Warnings : mentions of fire, flame and burning (not gore)

(Gifs not mine)

Being the best of friends with the heir of House Atreides meant you had access to pretty much everything Paul had.

Books, clothes, powerful people, training, you name it.

You and Paul were basically like siblings and were allowed to do anything and everything.

Except step foot in the kitchen.

Not because you guys were too high-above-the-cooks. God no. It was because neither of you could be left unsupervised near fire.

The two of you always managed to either hurt yourselves or innocent by-standers everytime you used fire for one of your shenanigans.

You even managed to singe off Duncan's beard once.

While The Duke and Gurney found it hilarious to see a half bearded Duncan show up for the meeting, Lady Jessica practically banned you two from using anything tath could possibly start a fire.

So obviously, you guys made it your mission to do stuff with fire.

Which is how you found yourself hunching over a pot of brown mush, which was supposed to be a rice dish.

"You think we added too much water?"

You guys heard footsteps coming towards the kitchen and decided to get rid of any evidence that you were ever in the kitchen.

Paul picked up the pot and dumped the slime into the garbage and turned to put it in the sink when he bumped into you and you fell, your hand somehow landing a cloth into the open flame.

Paul tried to put the flame out by turning off the stove but the cloth was still on fire. You grabbed a bottle of clear liquid and pourded it over the flame.

Turns out it was the vodka you guys were drinking before deciding to cook.

Safe to say that it was a miracle the cooks were able to put out the flame before it became bigger.

The both of you were banned from the kitchen and Jessica made sure that you guys got an earful from Duke Leto.

The next day Paul managed to sneak a lighter away from Gurney and the two of you were upto no good once again.

[supernovafeather]

Public Privacy (18+)

Leto Atreides x F!Reader

Smut, nudity, exhibitionism, hidden recording device, friends to lovers, oral sex (both man to woman and woman to man), slight "there's only one bed" trope, fake couple, fluff, slight angst.

Imaginary location, non-existent characters, spoiler-free, not taking place in any Dune books. Just thirsty thots.

Once again, Leto will have to pretend, as commanded by his duty. In times of need and despite his power, acting is an important part of his life. His celibacy isn't something he is ashamed of. Why would he ? His heart is not taken, that is all. Nowadays people think too much in interest, not in sincerity. And as Duke of Caladan, he has the privilege of having a choice. Many women attempt - everyday - to get his favors. Time got him used to their soft gazes, to their pleasant fragrance, to their delicate touch. They are all fake. Nothing natural.

"Let's admit I find someone who will accept to play this game," Leto mumbles in a tired voice as Gurney keeps staring at him with this stern face, "what would be the point ? The protocol wouldn't be so much different if I go there alone."

"My Duke Lord, please keep in mind they are really sensitive to what attachment means. They are much more... explicit in everything linked to feelings. Being celibate - and showing it - is considered as a vow of egoistical life."

Leto sighs as he pinches the bridge of his nose. As a busy man he can't waste his time with such stupid things. What was meant to be a diplomatic journey to get new major contracts is turning into an inner debacle.

"Everyone knows I don't share my life with anyone. Wouldn't it be seen as hypocrisy to go to their festival with an unknown lady ?"

"From what I've understood they don't mind this kind of behavior. As long as you don't come unaccompanied, it is something positive. However I don't get their logic fully. And according to our contact, they will be ready to let you show a monogamous relationship even though this is contrary to their vision of things. They acknowledged we are the ones having exotic customs."

How fortunate, thinks Leto sarcastically. Finding one lady who would play the role of his partner in life for a whole week will be tough. One that ideally would be convincing enough in public, and respect his boundaries in private. No way he risks some political disaster due to a lady thinking she has all the rights to spread their words.

"My Lord. What about that spy ?"

The Duke knows exactly who Gurney is talking about. To be fair he already thought of you several times. It would remove a few spines to this tangled mess that is his situation to have you by his side for a whole week. A trusted friend to him, despite long months without seeing each other.

"She is loyal and clever. But am I willing to show my most talented spy to everyone ? It would be like going to a tauromachy, dancing around the bull while showing it the spear that was supposed to kill it. Nothing would prevent that animal to pierce my body with his horns, or to trampling my bloodied corpse during this little danse."

"She is the kind of spy morphing into any situation, my Lord. She may be cheerful. Or shy. Or trembling in fear. Or crying. Loving life or hating it. A warrior, a maid, a diplomat, a janitor. She can be everything."

"Give me one day. I know we are almost out of time. I'll give my decision tomorrow."

The following day, embarrassment fuels his veins as he explains the urgent matter to you. There is no doubt you are a professional, remaining expressionless as he asks you to be his temporary concubine for a fertility festival on another planet. As still as a statue, standing there in your grey dress, hands clasped before you in his chambers. You look like unmovable, deeply rooted to this ground yet relaxed. This invisible strength gave his goosebumps the first time he encountered you so many years ago.

"As you wish my Lord. Please give me more details on this mission."

These are your words. But he didn't plan anything. His main goal is to get rid off this ridiculous predicament and get this new market available to renew his ancestors' planet weaponry.

"We would be in a monogamous relationship." He starts in a stern voice to mask his uneasiness in front of Gurney listening to this unusual briefing. "As you could get exposed by some of their own spies, we would keep you out of reach, maybe a bit in retreat."

"Should I be more of a docile and silent concubine ?"

"In a way. But as it is a festival I expect them to ask you to get involved in one way or another."

You hum pensively.

"I'll need more details. We need to build an artificial relationship. Create some landmarks."

"Landmarks ?"

"Couples always have things in common. Some habits. Routines. And I need your help on these ones. I may play my part, but I can't play yours."

This makes him smirk to hear this answer. You'll never change. Always straight to the point, never hiding your opinion from him. He loves efficiency even if it means getting some cold reminder from you.

The moment his ship lands on the icy planet, Leto sighs as he tightens the layers of clothes around him in anticipation of this polar climate. A week ahead, full of unknown. Was it a good decision, to throw you in the mouth of this monster you've tried to parasite from the inside for months now ?

"Calm down my Lord." You whisper as you come closer to him by his left, your hands behind your back. "I do this all the time. Just be natural."

The man eyes you up and down, quick to notice a few things triggering his anxiety. Military stance. Confident glare. Just a few seconds before stepping to your guests palace amd you are still acting like this. Until confusion erupts on his face as he witmesses this sudden change in you. A soft gaze hiding behind a grey veil to mask your face just in case. Your soft hands gently wrapping his in a loving gesture. Your whole body relaxing.

"Please my Lord, ease your mind. There is nothing to be afraid of." You remind him with a voice wrapped in the softest silk of this galaxy. "Please guide me."

This voice does things to him. Despite knowing well how brutally you are when you twist a knife blade inside your enemies heart, his instinct pushes him to want to protect you. An urge to cup your face under this veil as he whispers bck at you.

"I will guide you till my last breath, my Lady."

You sound satisfied with his performance as your natural chuckle comes out from behind the greyish fabrics, eyes shining mischievously. You are a predator waiting in the shadows for your prey to lower its guard. And after months of playing with them, you are hungry.

The ambiance here is... different. The outside may be a frozen desert only disrupted by white cities built in giant tours between mountains, but the inside are colorful. Much more than on Caladan, so much that the Duke had to blink to get accustomed to the change of brightness. People are much more expressive as well.

"What a wonderful concubine my Duke Lord." Says the Baroness welcoming you, dress in her long yellow dress and her wild smile. "But why hiding her behind this sad veil ? You look sad like this. Unless this is some kind of custom I never heard of ? In this case I am so sorry."

"No no, it is just a part of her clothing." Leto justifies politely with a comprehensive smirk. "Is it something considered as disrespectful here ?"

"We prefer to see people's face clearly. Their smiles as well. Joy is vital here on this harsh planet. But please do not get me wrong."

After this encounter, the Duke and you folloe this Lady. The man sends you side glances several times, watching you carefully, knowing that something is wrong as he witnesses the thin line of your lips where your veil stops. This situation is bothering you. Without saying anything as you keep walking, Leto looks down at your hand sliding on his arm to lock it in a gentle embrace as you walk by people wearing their colored clothes, whispering and smiling to no end.

Then comes the moment you have to uncover your face in this Great Hall, the moment the spy has to reveal her features. Fortunately none of them seems to notice your function. They even sigh in adoration as they clasp their hands together as you finally let a natural smile appear on your lips. However, his anxiety reaches new high when the Baroness takes your hands in hers.

"What a wonderful creature my Lord, really my Lady, you truly are exquisite ! It's a shame you feel obligated to hide your face !"

There is a comical aspect at witnessing such a well-trained and disciplined spy trying to find an opportunity to formulate a few words politely between the Baroness intense monologue. But soon it turns into a speech making him sick. Only compliments, dozens if not hundreds of compliments flooding his ears between her followers' nods and whispers of approval, words rolling naturally yet so artificially. This hypocrisy over truth and sincerity leaves a sour taste in his throat. "The Sincere Companionship" as it is called here is just the proof that words lost their meaning. They may be as polite and welcoming as they wish with you, it sounds fake. Those words are repeated so many times to everyone and anyone that they are meaningless, as well as their synonyms.

They can't be trusted. To them, admiration, respect and comprehension are empty. They are just tools. Even between them. They don't leave any weight on their heart. No emotion.

"I need a break." Leto sighs as you are left alone in your bedroom at night. "I'm not used to people talking so much."

Before he can add anything else, he tenses up at the pair of arms embracing his form from the front. He doesn't question it, after all he trusts you more than anyone else in the world, and he mirrors your gesture with a raised eyebrow. You truly are beautiful with this charmed smile, he has to admit it. No wonder why you got so successful at infiltrating some powerful Houses as well as brothels.

"My dear Lord. You know how shy I can be. May I ask you to leave me for a few minutes ? Just the time I get accustomed to our room."

Questions flood his mind as he notices this slightly insisting gaze staring deep into his soul. It is a command. You are still on guard and soon he understands your suspicion as he nods and kisses your forehead.

"As you wish my Lady. I will be back soon."

He could get accustomed to this pleased smile and to the way you caress his bearded cheek with the back of your fingers. After such a long celibacy, playing this role pinches his heart. At least it boosts his ego. He should strengthen his acting in public. For now your couple appears like a timid one, not used to the way it is in the city so there is no reason to fear their reaction. But from tomorrow, you will need to be more demonstrative.

He let you more time alone, fifteen minutes approximately. And as you welcome him with this fake loving behavior, hands rubbing his chest up and down, he knows this week will be really long.

"A mic behind the bed. One above the closet." You whisper at his ear like you would while telling some dirty secrets to a forbidden lover. "Possibly a camera next to the window. I didn't check for mics under the desk. I suspect a camera directed to the shower in on the mirror left side."

His inner voice swears in a deeply displeased mumble as he kisses your soft lips. No secrecy. For a week. Him who loves being and feeling alone...

Luckily enough he doesn't have a reason to feel embarrassed with nudity. He even takes his time under the shower, appreciating the hot shower rolling down his muscles tired after this long journey. Someone is certainly watching him right now. Now that he thinks about it he would have noticed the presence of this bar next to the ceiling, but the absence of this curtain it is supposed to hold to hide the shower.

Still warm from his shower, he walks around the room, a towel wrapped around his hips before atopping by the window, watching the outside world reduced to a whitish mist dressing the polar land. It is beautiful at night with the few lights in the ground to guide the ships flying over this city.

"Are you avoiding me my beloved Lord Duke ?"

Maybe it is your taunting voice causing this twitch betwen his legs. But there is nothing to be expected from this night so he turns around, ready to talk back to you playfully like the caring concubine he is expected to be. But he didn't know you were as comfortable with your own nudity that he was with his own. The only thing possible for him is to watch your bare back and asscheeks as you take your time to put your silk nightgown on, facing the place you suspect a camera to be. You are having fun. You are having fun with this whole situation, showing your body to people you don't know. It does things to him.

"I am not avoiding you. Just taking some time for myself." He answers as you walk towards him with that same respectful smile you worked on to keep under any circumstances. "Enjoying the view as well."

"I do hope you are enjoying it. We only have a week. It would be such a shame not to watch."

Was this one directed to him ? To the spies ? To both ? He is going to get paranoid after these few days.

The first night is quiet. He got to get used to feeling someone in his arms again. No words exchanged. Just this feeling of being observed as you sleep peacefully against him. The day is boring and a new headache harasses him. Everyone is loud and wearing colorful clothes, high-pitched laughs erupting from time to time. Your couple got more expressive. Especially you, as the perfect little concubine taking care of her tired husband. He got taken aback when you started to massage his temples and scalp during a conversation with the Baroness in her office. But she hummed approvingly, her sharp eyes never leaving your peaceful face. Apparently this was not considered as abnormal here. And he likes it a lot.

The second night is... confusing. Leto swallows hard as he stares at the ceiling, lying on his mattress. After so many years he feels this need coming back. A libido rush coming back out of nowhere as you talk to him in a low voice. The three pale blueish moons are the only things illuminating your chamber.

"Leto, are you feeling good ?" You ask worriedly.

He nods, the lump in his throat too painful to say anything out loud. His heartbeat gets stronger as you come closer in this bed, you palm pressing against his forehead.

"Are you feeling ill ?"

"A bit feverish." He admits.

Under the blanket, he spreads his hips a bit to leave some room for his hardness trapped in his underpants. For a man ruling over a planet, he does have difficulties to breath properly. It's like years of self-taught discipline are getting wiped off by his animalistic instincts. If only he could isolate himself in the bathroom to take care of it. But ehat eould they think of a Duke fleeing his concubine to masturbate like a teenage boy hiding a shameful secret ?

Then the moment he crosses your anxious gaze he feels this warmth spreading to his heart too. Then it goes back to the bottom of his body as he notices your nipples perked due to the room freshness under your other nightgown. He is eager to taste them. Even more when you press against his side, whispering in your natural voice.

"Leto. This is an actual question. Would you be ready to... you know to show them ?"

There is no mistake in your intentions and he gladly tosses the blanket to the side of the bed with a few kicks of his foot under your surprised gaze. The Duke smiles as you eye his needy length up and down.

"All yours my sweet. You know it."

He forgot how good it felt to have someone wrapping his cock so tightly in such warmth. Even a bed creaking under his movements got lost in some part of his mind. Pleasured moans are a treat he regrets not having the opportunity to hear sooner. It drives him crazy as he takes you from behind, both of you kneeled on this mattress, his arms around you with one hand grabbing your breast bouncing. He can feel you clenching hard as you let this moan turning into a shaky scream, your front body fully exposed to the hidden camera. And you are the one who turned herself face to it. Knowingly. On purpose. He may be feeling dirty for not controlling his pulsions, but you, you are something else.

The third day, it is obvious that yes, the high ranked officials know. He feels protective of you as he notices the eyes longing on your silhouette now hidden under your long dress. He wraps an arm around you, keeping you close. Sometimes he feels a smirk erupting on his own lips as the Baroness herself eyes him up and down, her long and thin cigarette trapped between her teeth. A few hours later, he hopes she appreciated the way he ate you out once back in your chambers.

The fourth day ? He is even more into this game as you come back from another dinner. It's late. You drank some strong wine. You chuckle. Before he knows what is happening he gets pushed against the wall next to the door, his favorite person in this galaxy sending him this hot gaze he starts to get addicted to.

"Please stop being so hot my Lord Duke, I can't focus properly on what I have to do." You chuckle as you rub his crotch through his ceremonial pants getting too narrow for him already. "For an Atreides you sure are an impatient man."

"Stop saying such nonsense my sweet." He warns with a deadly glare he knows arouses you more than anything else. "We may be concubines but you owe respect to your Lord."

His belt falls to the ground, and his pants slide to his ankles as this time you take a sad expression.

"I'm sorry my Duke Lord." You say almost sobbing to the point he feels a bit guilty. "Please let me present you all the respect I have for you. All loyal servant shall kneel, not taunt."

You kneel respectfully in front of your ruler, and he realizes that he also forgot how good a mouth wrapping his cock feels. Despite his confused brain, he senses that eager action of yours. This urge to please him as you suck on his sensitive skin. The two times he tries to make you stop to fuck you on this bed you don't let him do it. You keep sucking and sucking, soon having him weakened as you look up at him with this sorry gaze. You look like apologizing genuinely to him for your taunting behavior and he can't hold back any longer.

The fifth day ? He wakes up with this kind of melancholy plaguing his heart and mind. Soon this will all be a part of the past. You are a spy. Him a Duke. The end. It doesn't stop him from smiling to your gentle kiss on his forehead, nor at the way you ask him to take a shower with you. Nothing sexual there, just each other's hands rubbing each other's body. You tried to get him hard again by insisting on his shaft, but unfortunately he had nothing else to give you so soon after what you did to him.

The sixth day begins with your head resting on his belly, eyes fully open and a beautiful smile directed to him.

"It's infuriating to witness such raw beauty and not having the chance to watch it as freely as desired." He confesses sadly as he rubs your cheek.

This sounds genuine, he knows it as your smile falls. But he doesn't care. Even under scrutiny he feels this need to be honest with you. Now is not about military or commercial agreements. It is about you and him. And your answer is silent. A remorseful smile, and a hug lasting for long seconds before you have to leave this room. This time you never leave his side, your arms wrapped around his tightly, his thumb grazing your hands, his eyes falling on you, sometimes a kiss on your temples. Strangely enough, in the heart of the planet's hypocrisy, he feels free. More than on Caladan. He wants you by his side. Here, you are his concubine defying his opponents shamelessly. Out there, you will be his spy and a friend.

At dawn of the last day, he takes his time with you, making sure he is in charge yet as tender as he can be. No boundaries remaining before jumping back into duty. At the end, this journey is a success. He endures the knowing and cheeky words from the Baroness who can't contain some teenager-like behavior for some reason.

"You two are lucky," she says with her hands clasped and shiny eyes, "we see this beautiful couple you are, how cute it is to see such a powerful man respecting his concubine ! You honor your House wonderfully ! You conquered our hearts ! We love to see such a thing !"

As if he needed the opinion of that bitch on his family he thinks sourly. But she is an all-mighty bitch in this part of the galaxy. Just her. Not even her House itsel. Better watch your mouth in her presence. Usually he would have sent a discrete warning to her due to those spying activities, but he can't risk to ruin these juicy agreements finally signed. He understands different cultures. But culture was a poor excuse to test and manipulate him. Amd the rest, the worst part ? It was espionage. Nothing else.

"Leto ?"

His name whispered so softly back in the ship gets his attention in thr rmpty hallway. Behind your grey veil, you look as unreachable as the first day. He got too used at your body in fill display to him. And to others but he prefers not too think about it.

"Yes ? What is it ?"

No word. Just an embrace tightening as he mirrors your gesture.

"I wanted to thank you for trusting me so much for this long." You say breathlessly. "I didn't think we would go this far."

"As you say." He sighs before letting you go, his eyebrows furrowing as he lifts your veil to cup your face. "Don't be sad."

"But I am sad Leto." You admit breathlessly, hurt eyes filling up with tears. "I felt something out there. And I'm certain you did too."

"I did. But after all...why should be the end ?"

Such a surprised face from you could have made him laugh in other circumstances.

"Leto... what are you implying ?"

"I am implying that... this was unexpected, but genuine and powerful. Never I would have thought that something like this would have happened to me at my age." He admits with a chuckle.

"You're not that old and me neither."

Relief floods his veins as he lets you kiss him softly, the slight pressure lightening his mood enough to make him smile as you stare at him questioningly.

"You are a talented woman. I would have never noticed their equipment without you. Now we know who they are and what they are capable of, even against powerful Houses."

You keep staring at him. You don't care much about what he just said. You are used to his compliments on your job after all.

"Leto. Just... whatever happens afterwards, just keep in mind that I fell in love with you this week. And I don't know what to do. I only insist on letting you know. I owe you honesty and loyalty."

This time he is the one kissing. Gently as he keeps you close to him.

"I fell in love too. Not with the spy."

"And not with the Duke."

Just like that your bond gets officialized, at least between each other. A desert hallway permitting intimacy is a much better place than an overcrowded and hostile palace spying on anyone's words and actions.

- - - - -

Please comment and reblog if you liked it ! 😊

@abelslittlebunny @ophelialoveshandsomemen @salome-c @anetteaneta @thedukeofcaladan @amneris21 @lady-targaryen @lavenderluna10 @one-hell-of-a-disappointment @dailyreverie @anaaaispunk @beepboopyoda

[spacepunksupreme]

Sorry that came off aggressive. I was super drunk when I sent that and i guess my excitement came across too strong. I do want to know what you liked about it because the things I talked about really put me off. I wanna know what I'm missing by hating it.

I feel a lot of sci-fi have great premises but the view of women in the stories makes them unreadable for me. Like I read Ringworld and couldn't get over how the only woman was a carefree clumsy dumb dumb while the other alien species talked down on the 'females' of their own species with one explicitly having a third reproductive sex that had no sentience. Or a Brave New World and how the product they produce are literally men. The women they grow are for the sexual pleasure of men to keep them complacent.

I have a really hard time seeing merit in these classics and the chance to talk to someone who has read Dune and can explain something I might have missed about the story is really exciting. So again, sorry for coming off so aggressively. I just really wanna know

Hey! No hard feelings! Sorry I saw agression where there wasn’t meant to be any, it’s hard to gage intentions in asks sometimes, so I apologize for that.

I will gladly let you know my thoughts under the cut :)

One of my favorite aspects of Dune is the fact that a lot of what occurs in it is arguably up for interpretation, or at least it’s mostly good for what you can make it out to be. Some of this is definitely intentional on the authors part and some of it is just, ya know, coping with aged writing as a modern reader. Obviously this is a major double edged sword though, not everyone enjoys having to read between the lines or do all the mental heavy-lifting themselves, especially when the book is already so long. 

To talk about some of the things you mentioned in the previous ask as things that you were put off by– Paul being treated as a savior and choosing not the marry Chain: these are definitely things you are meant to dislike! Dune presents itself as a hero’s journey in the beginning, but it is really not meant to be one by the end. The kind of abrupt ending of the last chapter, and the sad, but spoken optimistically, last line from Jessica are definitely meant to put you ill-at-ease and worrying for the future of the characters. Paul arguably “wins” in the end but his actions are definitely not ultimately for the greater good, he saves no one (especially not himself!) from the impending terrible future he sees. I like to describe it as “Paul wins, but we lose him.” He’s making selfishly bad decisions and has completely lost sight of himself. In choosing to marry for political gain he’s making the exact same mistake he knows his father deeply regretted by not marrying Jessica, and damning the Fremen to an eternity of fighting his senseless wars for him. There’s a particular line in the last chapter where Gurney Halleck disappointedly says that Paul has become less like his father and more like his paternal grandfather, who earlier in the book was described as a terrible man. 

As far as Paul being male-savior, earlier in the book it’s mentioned that Paul was supposed to be born a girl (but Jessica made herself have boy for the Duke’s sake in wanting a son), and really all the eventual disaster ultimately kind of stems from the fact that he’s a man and wasn’t meant to actually be the “chosen one” because of it. The savior role was never really real, and not meant for him even if it was, the power he has from Jessica’s teachings and the spice are too much for him and kind of ruin him. Which we can kind of assume wouldn’t have happened to an Atriedes daughter if things had gone according to plan. 

As for things I personally like, and to sort of go back to “it is what you make it”, Feyd-Rautha is my favorite character for the reason that everything that makes him who he is happens off-page. Like he’s really a character you have to construct on your own with the little the author gives of him and all the it implies he’s gone through before the story begins and when we don’t see him. Feyd’s foiled assassination attempt is one of my favorite chapters because it has a really good example of (what I believe) was intentional space for the reader to fill in their own interpretation. The Baron gives Feyd an ultimatum of murdering all his concubines at the cost of saving his own life, and there’s a line where Feyd just says “Uncle!” No dialogue tag to give you something like “said” vs “yelled”, no description of his demeanor or thoughts. How you think Feyd is handling this is based entirely on your feelings about him as a character and it drastically changes the ethos of this scene. This never occurred to me until a friend who is less of a Feyd fan casually told me they read this single word line as a snide, bratty comment. Like he’s just pouting at having his toys temporarily taken away. But I had always read this as Feyd horrified and essentially pleading for another option. The outcome is the same no matter what youre getting out of it, Feyd quickly decides just acquiescing to his uncle and hoping for revenge later is his best option, but the emotional part of it can go in so many directions all from just a lack of elaboration from the author. I think it’s brilliant. And Dune is riddled with stuff like this.

A similar interesting thing that subtly comes up a lot in the book is that even though it’s third person POV, the descriptions are often effected by the central character in them. We only ever get descriptions of the character Rabban when characters who hate him are the focus on the chapter, so we kind of only get biased versions of him and never really know what he’s actually like on his own. And a less drastic example is that the character Piter de Vries is described by the narrator as short when the Baron (taller than him) is in focus, but tall when Jessica (shorter than him) in the central character. Maybe it’s just the author forgetting what he’s said earlier lol, but to me it’s always seemed like an intentional choice to help make the reader think about the events of the book for themselves and question whether or not things are being skewed by someone else’s perspective. 

As for Frank Herbert’s women, they’re interesting in that they’re all progressively (for the 60s) very powerful and capable women, but absolutely still coming from a place of fear and fetishism. All the Bene Gesserit powers are just like fantastic versions of ancient misogynistic fears about women— that they have control over the gender of their children while pregnant, that they have these sixth senses that they can use to manipulate men ... sexually, that they’re all hormonally connected and therefore all in league with each other in some kind of hive mind cult, etc. lol. And unfortunately they all get treated like shit just to further the tragedy of the whole story. But they are cool and badass! But they’re treated terrible! It is a complicated book to enjoy, and I don’t blame you for not being able to get past things in it that bothered you. 

Anyway! Sorry this is a LOT, I hope some part of it gave you some of the new food for thought you were looking for though. I’m glad my misinterpretation of your first ask didn’t discourage you from reaching out again :)

[nitewrighter]

Hi, hello! I’ve only seen Dune adaptations and now planning to get into books and I find your write-ups so fascinating and informative💞 Anyway, could you talk a little about your thoughts on lady Jessica portrayal in 2021 movies? What exactly is the span of her abilities in the books? Is she an empath (she felt Paul’s pain and Leto dying)? Why couldn’t she show any emotion and tried to spell it away? Thanks in advance

I've seen some people complain that Lady Jessica wasn't doing enough but honestly in my experience reading the book, for the most part Jessica's whole thing for all the parts of the book that the movie covered, is fairly on-point. Like in the book there's this whole subplot where Leto intercepts this fake note from the Harkonnens meant to implicate Jessica but he loves her SOOOO much and trusts her 500% so he's like, "Okay, I can't say I know the note is fake now, I gotta use it as evidence, and I can also use this note to lure the Harkonnens into a trap," but he doesn't let Thufir, Gurney, and Duncan in on this, and they're all like, "Oh that fucking Witch! We're caught up in some traitorous Bene Gesserit shenanigans and we don't like that!!" and there's a whole scene where a drunken Duncan Idaho cusses her out and she's like "Oh my god, Duncan go to bed I can't deal with this right now." And she also uses the Voice on Thufir making him more suspicious of her, so... yes, kind of messy subplot that like... kind of gets bypassed in the movie because like, everything kind of goes out the window once Yueh deactivates the palace defenses.

I mean it's important later because Gurney's supposed to be suspicious of Jessica later in the book but mostly for this part of the book, Jessica's focus is on Paul and Jessica's kind of coming to grips with, "Ruh roh, now that we are on Dune and all the locals are shouting 'Mahdi! Mahdi!' I'm realizing I may have prematurely brought a space messiah into the world who will consume the universe with holy fire." And she's pregnant! She's got a lot on her plate! I personally thought the Thopter scene was great, and I loved the way the movie used Voice.

I feel like... the term "empath" kind of makes her Bene Gesserit training sound more 'magical' than it actually is. Like, yes, the Bene Gesserit are, in terms of fiction, a major inspiration for the Jedi, but they aren't necessarily fueled by space magic so much as selective breeding, insane training, and a shit-ton of drugs. I mean yes, their abilities are far beyond what normal humans can do, but also keep in mind that the first book of Dune is taking place in the year 10191 and we regularly make jokes on here about Mountain Dew Baja Blast being capable of killing a medieval serf--that was 800 years ago, this is 8 thousand years in the future. So think of like... human abilities being far beyond what we can imagine them today because they've been cultivated and refined over thousands of years--this is like, an arms race of developing human abilities because we got rid of all the damn computers in the Butlerian Jihad.

In that scene where Jessica's reciting the Litany Against Fear while Paul is undergoing the Gom Jabbar, I wouldn't say she's feeling Paul's pain so much as she knows literally exactly what he's going through because she went through it herself--and Bene Gesserit possess like... some crazy perfect memory abilities so that memory is very visceral to her. And as for the death of the Duke... I don't think it's about 'feeling' it so much as knowing the Harknonnens, knowing their own situation. As far as 'not showing emotion' goes, I honestly thought Rebecca Ferguson kind of hit it out of the park because the Bene Gesserit place a huge emphasis on full-body control-- and also Frank Herbert, as I have said multiple times before, is a fucking weirdo--so there is like, this intense value on stoicism, on being able to control one's reaction to a situation. Sure, she could scream and weep and rail while Paul was going through the Gom Jabbar, but what would that accomplish? At best, nothing, at worst, Paul might hear her, get distracted, pull his hand from the box and die.

And there wasn't really time to mourn the Duke either because she and Paul are on a planet that very much wants to kill them. Like, even in the little moment in the stilltent, they can't mourn the Duke because Paul's been exposed to more Spice Melange and is now having a prophetic-vision-induced breakdown over his 'TERRIBLE PURPOSE.' So like... so much is out of their control at that point, and for a Bene Gesserit, what little control you have in that situation, is controlling your own reaction. I mean... shell-shock is also a reaction, too. I thought Ferguson really pulled off that silent, stoic, distant-yet-brimming-with-emotions feel to Jessica excellently. Like, both that focus and that weariness.

But Jessica will get to do a lot more in Part 2, because in the book, that's when she trains the Fremen in the Weirding Way, becomes a Reverend Mother, and a major advisor to Paul, and they gotta track down Gurney. So that's gonna be fun!

[lowtaperfeyd]

Hi there!! I’m so excited to see that you have Dune requests open! 😊

Could I make a request for Gurney x fem!reader? I was thinking something angsty with her being either an Atreides or a member of the bene gesserit who is close to Jessica, and she’s forced into marriage with another. (probably more angst for Gurney if it’s to Feyd or another Harkonnen) angst to fluff or just angst, up to you!

Many thanks If you accept this! 😊

Sinking Ship, Abandon Ship

Gurney Halleck x Atreides!reader

author's note: I really hope you enjoy this one, because writing it was incredibly fun and entertaining!

(not beta read, we die like feyd-rautha)

warnings: mentions of death, a lot of angst, duke leto being an awful brother, house harkonnen.

wc: 978

The romance between Gurney Halleck and the Duke’s sister, (Y/N), developed slowly over time. The two who have been around each for decades, since before politics really mattered.

“You wanted to see me brother?” Questioned (Y/N) as she walked into Leto’s office on Caladan. 

“Yes I did (Y/N), take a seat.” He said anxiously, like he didn’t know what to say or expect.

“Is there something going on? You made this seem quite serious. You’re even pacing now.” She said, worried about her older brother, “this isn’t going to affect us going to Arrakis, right?”

“This isn’t going to affect us going to Arrakis.” Leto said slowly.

“Well that's a good thing, isn’t it? We leave in a few weeks and stay there to collect spice and try to converse with the Fremen.” 

The Duke interrupted her, “(Y/N) it affects you going.”

“Well tell me what's going on!” The sister retorted to her brother, annoyed that he wasn’t telling her things. 

“In order for us to have a certain amount of ‘safety’ on Arrakis, I have decided it is best if you marry the Baron’s eldest nephew. In order for this to happen, you need to leave tomorrow.” 

“Oh.” she whispered as a pinching feeling settled deep into her chest. 

“Oh!” he said, upset, “That's all you're going to say!”

“I mean what else is there to say!” She said as the tears began to fall down her face, “I’m leaving my family! my home!” The person I love! She thought afterwards. 

“I had no choice (Y/N)! It was this or the fact that Harkonnens may try to kill us on Arrakis!” He shouted

“So you’re going to have me die at the hands of them!” She yelled back at him, “I’m just a sacrifice for you!” 

“You’re not a sacrifice!”

“You’re right!” she hysterically shouted back, “I’m a lamb to the slaughter! A sacrifice would have more honor!” 

“(Y/N) listen to me!” Leto shouted to her. But it was too late, she had turned her back and started walking away. 

“Fuck off, Leto!”

(Y/N) began to walk the expansive halls of Castle Caladan. Walking past the paintings of her ancestors who once ruled the same planet she is leaving. The ancestors who had their own problems when they were alive. But those problems were solved by means of negotiation, not marrying off their younger sister. She continued to aimlessly plod around with tears running down her face. But, any guards who passed her didn’t say anything to her. Instead they went straight to Gurney Halleck.  

After about half an hour of wandering, (Y/N) was leaning against the balcony railing; that gave a spectacular view of the setting sun and its light that reflected off the dazzling ocean waves. The tears in her eyes had subsided and were now replaced with untimed sniffles. She thought about the days that were easier. How she would frolic with her brother when they were younger, along the rolling hills. Her and Gurney’s late night walks when they couldn’t sleep from plagues infecting their dreams. The walks which ended with small, sweet kisses and long hugs goodbye, before they returned to their own quarters. 

“The guards told me you were crying.” Gurney deadpanned, “if I am correct you just had a meeting with the Duke, is everything alright?” 

He began walking to where (Y/N) was standing near the railing. 

“Everything is fine, for everyone else,” said with a sad chuckle, “but for us, it’s a boat that's sinking and we can’t repair the hole.” 

He placed a hand on her back, “Why, what’s going on?” he said, concerned. 

“The Duke is sending me off to marry a count.” (Y/N) muttered.

“Which count?” Gurney said, trying to figure out a way to mend the situation. Thinking that if it was one he knew, he could make a compromise. 

“Count Glossu Rabban, of House Harkonnen.”

Gurney’s vision turned red. He could not believe the duke, the man who knew that the Harkonnens do not like the Atreides, would marry off his sister to a husband who would be cruel. 

“Why!” He said, before calming down so as to not yell at her, “Why is he doing this?” 

“Something to do with the safety of everyone else on Arrakis, I’m a form of collateral.” 

“So he's shipping you off to Harkonnen bastards!” He asserted, “Men who would kill you if you stepped out of line.” 

“I didn’t have a choice, Gurney…” She disclosed as more tears started to roll down her cheeks.

“Well I have something to say, (Y/N), I’m not letting them take you away from me.” He said with venom in his voice. Before shifting to a softer tone, “I’m not letting them take anything else from me…” 

“There’s nothing you can do, my dear.” (Y/N) commented, finally realizing what was going to happen to her. 

“Then, when do you leave?” Gurney responded as he turned around.

“Tomorrow morning.”

“Then I still have a night with you, we still have a couple of hours.” Gurney proposed, “You’re not gone yet.”

“No, I’m not.”

The final hours Gurney and (Y/N) had very little talking. Moving into her bedroom to cry more and reminisce about what they had. How they had taken their freedom for granted. 

“Years ago, If you asked me to marry you, then we wouldn’t be here right.” (Y/N) whispered as she laid on her bed with her head on Gurney’s chest. 

“Years ago, if I knew you wanted to get married, I would’ve bought a ring.” Gurney added. 

That would be the last thing they said to each other before (Y/N) had to leave. Both of them too hurt by the Duke’s actions to say anything else. And a mutual feeling of betrayal by him too.

[gaeilgeoirgay]

Day Seventeen

by his own hand

Duncan is sitting in a council meeting when they hear the scream. It’s a child’s scream, a boy’s. There’s only one person it could be. He exchanges a panicked glance with Leto and the two of them scramble out of their seats and sprint for Paul’s room, Gurney right behind them.

Paul’s chambers aren’t far from the council room and it doesn’t take them long to reach him. There’s two guards lying dead in front of the open doors and Duncan draws his sword as they enter. They’re just in time to see a dark-clad figure slide a blade between Paul’s ribs and rip it out, leaving the boy to collapse on the floor, blood pooling from his body.

Duncan roars and charges the assassin, sword coming down upon them like a man possessed. The assassin parries and jabs at Duncan’s thigh, aiming for an artery, but his shield deflects it. Duncan takes advantage of his opponents momentary distraction to drag his own sword up the assassin’s body, bisecting them neatly. The body falls to the floor in halves and Duncan turns, scanning for any other enemies.

Leto goes to his son while Duncan and Gurney search the room, ensuring no other intruders can reach the two nobles. Once they’ve completed their check, they return to Paul and Leto. Leto has Paul propped up against the wall, pressing down on the cloth keeping the boy’s blood where it belongs.

“Paul, please don’t move. You’re hurt badly, son, but Doctor Yueh is on his way, just keep still.” Leto says frantically, placing a free hand on Paul’s cheek to get his attention. Paul moans weakly, his young face lined with pain and anger bubbles up in Duncan. Paul is twelve, for Calodan’s sake! What kind of monster would order his assassination?

He knows that the world of nobility is a cutthroat one but the children shouldn’t be pawns in their games, especially not Paul. Duncan loves the boy so much, like a younger brother he can’t help but protect, and if Paul dies, Duncan doesn’t know what he would do with himself.

Doctor Yueh bursts into the room and goes straight to Paul, moving the cloth to see the wound. Paul shivers in pain but as Duncan watches on, he can see that the injury is no longer gushing blood and the flow has slowed to a trickle. It’s been years since Duncan took any courses more complicated than field medicine but he knows it’s a good sign, that Paul’s body is clotting the wound. It’ll still need stitches but at least he won’t lose too much more blood.

Doctor Yueh shoos Leto out of the way and he stands beside Duncan, watching closely as his son is treated. Duncan puts a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder as Yueh cleans away the blood and assess the gash left behind.

“Paul will be fine, my Lord. Doctor Yueh will look after him.” He says reassuringly though truth be told, he’s not sure if he believes his own words. Leto nods, eyes not leaving Paul’s prone form.

“I want every soldier that can be spared searching Calodan for the assassin’s co-conspirators. They couldn’t have done all of this alone. Then I want people looking into the assassin themselves. Who they are, who sent them, were they a mercenary or a fanatic. I want everything.” Leto orders and Duncan bows.

“It shall be done.” He says and leaves with Gurney to find Thufir to start their search. The Mentat will be an immense help in their efforts and it’ll make the process much quicker. There’s no way Duncan is letting the cowards who tried to kill Paul escape.

Three hours later, they return to the palace with a second threat in chains for the Duke. They throw her into the dungeons and Duncan goes to find Leto. Predictably, he is at Paul’s bedside with Lady Jessica. Paul is asleep still, though he’s regained some colour and no longer seems at death’s door.

“My lord, we found a second enemy. She’s in the dungeon now, and we are ready to begin her interrogation. How is Paul?” Duncan reports, unable to resist asking after his student. Leto nods in satisfaction and rises from his seat.

“Paul will be fine after some rest. I will lead the interrogation.” He says, striding out of the room. Duncan should probably protest his liege being in the same room as a confirmed threat but she’s chained and Leto is furious. Probably best to let him take the threat apart.

The woman is defiant when they begin questioning her. She refuses to answer anything and won’t give them her name. Duncan knows that the Duke is skilled in torture though and he has a feeling she’ll change her tune once weapons are involved.

He’s right. It takes some time and a truly astonishing amount of pain but she breaks and tells them everything. Her and her compatriot were hired by a minor noble family in Calodan that was distantly related to the Atreides. If Paul had died as he was meant to, their patriarch would have been the closest blood relative to Leto and would therefore have been able to lay claim to the ruling of House Atreides.

Leto is enraged, angrier than Duncan has ever seen him before. He orders the entire family to be brought to him and for a gathering to be held in Calodan’s main square in three days time. He spends the three days interrogating the nobles until he knows who had a part in the scheme. He keeps them in the dungeons and exiles the remaining members to the very edge of the Imperium, as far away from Calodan as they can get.

On the third day, the conspirators and the assassin are all brought, blindfolded, to the square and forced to their knees on a large platform. Leto stands behind them, Paul pale but upright beside his father. Duncan and Gurney stand guard, soldiers arranged around the square.

Leto announces the crimes of those before him and the crowd begin to get riled up. As Leto is fond of saying, Calodan has one of the best propaganda machines in the galaxy and the populace love Paul, their future Duke.

Then Leto begins the executions. With his own sword, by his own hand, he kills those who dared to harm his son. It’s a warning as much as it is revenge. If you so much as think of killing the Atreides heir, you will die. He doesn’t give them an easy death. A typical Calodan execution consists of a swift beheading but Leto simply runs them all through, in the same manner the assassin did to Paul.

It’s a stunning display and it sends shivers down Duncan’s spine. He trusts his lord absolutely, but he dearly hopes he is never on the man’s bad side. Then again, Paul adores Duncan. His death would upset the young heir so Duncan should be marginally safer than most. Never mind the Duke, Duncan needs to be on Paul’s good side. That won’t be hard- Duncan would die for him happily.

No, the Duke Atreides will never have to execute Duncan Idaho. His loyalty will never waver so long as Paul Atreides lives.

[new-sandrafilter]

Behold Dune: An Exclusive Look at Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, and More  

Timothée Chalamet remembers the darkness. It was the summer of 2019, and the cast and crew of Dune had ventured deep into the sandstone and granite canyons of southern Jordan, leaving in the middle of the night so they could catch the dawn on camera. The light spilling over the chasms gave the landscape an otherworldly feel. It was what they had come for.

“It was really surreal,” says Chalamet. “There are these Goliath landscapes, which you may imagine existing on planets in our universe, but not on Earth.”

They weren’t on Earth anymore, anyway. They were on a deadly, dust-dry battleground planet called Arrakis. In Frank Herbert’s epic 1965 sci-fi novel, Arrakis is the only known location of the galaxy’s most vital resource, the mind-altering, time-and-space-warping “spice.” In the new film adaptation, directed by Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, Chalamet stars as the young royal Paul Atreides, the proverbial stranger in a very strange land, who’s fighting to protect this hostile new home even as it threatens to destroy him. Humans are the aliens on Arrakis. The dominant species on that world are immense, voracious sandworms that burrow through the barren drifts like subterranean dragons.

For the infinite seas of sand that give the story its title, the production moved to remote regions outside Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, where the temperatures rivaled the fiction in Herbert’s story. “I remember going out of my room at 2 a.m., and it being probably 100 degrees,” says Chalamet. During the shoot, he and the other actors were costumed in what the world of Dune calls “stillsuits”—thick, rubbery armor that preserves the body’s moisture, even gathering tiny bits from the breath exhaled through the nose. In the story, the suits are life-giving. In real life, they were agony. “The shooting temperature was sometimes 120 degrees,” says Chalamet. “They put a cap on it out there, if it gets too hot. I forget what the exact number is, but you can’t keep working.” The circumstances fed the story they were there to tell: “In a really grounded way, it was helpful to be in the stillsuits and to be at that level of exhaustion.”

It wouldn’t be Dune if it were easy. Herbert’s novel became a sci-fi touchstone in the 1960s, heralded for its world-building and ecological subtext, as well as its intricate (some say impenetrable) plot focusing on two families struggling for supremacy over Arrakis. The book created ripples that many see in everything from Star Wars to Alien to Game of Thrones. Still, for decades, the novel itself has defied adaptation. In the ’70s, the wild man experimental filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky mounted a quest to film it, but Hollywood considered the project too risky. David Lynch brought Dune to the big screen in a 1984 feature, but it was derided as an incomprehensible mess and a blight on his filmography. In 2000, a Dune miniseries on what’s now the SyFy channel became a hit for the cable network, but it is now only dimly remembered.

Villeneuve intends to create a Dune that has so far only existed in the imagination of readers. The key, he says, was to break the sprawling narrative in half. When Dune hits theaters on December 18, it will only be half the novel, with Warner Bros. agreeing to tell the story in two films, similar to the studio’s approach with Stephen King’s It and It Chapter Two. “I would not agree to make this adaptation of the book with one single movie,” says Villeneuve. “The world is too complex. It’s a world that takes its power in details.”

For Villeneuve, this 55-year-old story about a planet being mined to death was not merely a space adventure, but a prophecy. “No matter what you believe, Earth is changing, and we will have to adapt,” he says. “That’s why I think that Dune, this book, was written in the 20th century. It was a distant portrait of the reality of the oil and the capitalism and the exploitation—the overexploitation—of Earth. Today, things are just worse. It’s a coming-of-age story, but also a call for action for the youth.”

Chalamet’s character, Paul, thinks he’s just a boy struggling to find a place in the world, but he actually possesses the ability to change it. He has a supernatural gift to harness and unleash energy, lead others, and meld with the heart of his new home world. Think Greta Thunberg, only she’s a Jedi with a degree from Hogwarts. Paul comes from a powerful galactic family with a name that sounds like a constellation—the House Atreides. His father and mother, Duke Leto (played by Oscar Isaac) and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), take their son from their lush, Scandinavian-like home world to preside over spice extraction on Arrakis. What follows is a clash with the criminal, politically connected House Harkonnen, led by the monstrous Baron Vladimir (Stellan Skarsgård), a mammoth with merciless appetites. The baron, created with full-body prosthetics, is like a rhino in human form. This version of the character is less of a madman and more of a predator. “As much as I deeply love the book, I felt that the baron was flirting very often with caricature,” says Villeneuve. “And I tried to bring him a bit more dimension. That’s why I brought in Stellan. Stellan has something in the eyes. You feel that there’s someone thinking, thinking, thinking—that has tension and is calculating inside, deep in the eyes. I can testify, it can be quite frightening.”

The director has also expanded the role of Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica. She’s a member of the Bene Gesserit, a sect of women who can read minds, control people with their voice (again, a precursor to the Jedi mind trick), and manipulate the balance of power in the universe. In the script, which Villeneuve wrote with Eric Roth and Jon Spaihts, she is even more fearsome than before. The studio’s plot synopsis describes her as a “warrior priestess.” As Villeneuve jokes, “It’s better than ‘space nun.’ ”

Lady Jessica’s duty is to deliver a savior to the universe—and now she has a greater role in defending and training Paul too. “She’s a mother, she’s a concubine, she’s a soldier,” says Ferguson. “Denis was very respectful of Frank’s work in the book, [but] the quality of the arcs for much of the women have been brought up to a new level. There were some shifts he did, and they are beautifully portrayed now.”

In an intriguing change to the source material, Villeneuve has also updated Dr. Liet Kynes, the leading ecologist on Arrakis and an independent power broker amid the various warring factions. Although always depicted as a white man, the character is now played by Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Rogue One), a black woman. “What Denis had stated to me was there was a lack of female characters in his cast, and he had always been very feminist, pro-women, and wanted to write the role for a woman,” Duncan-Brewster says. “This human being manages to basically keep the peace amongst many people. Women are very good at that, so why can’t Kynes be a woman? Why shouldn’t Kynes be a woman?”

 As fans will know, there’s a vast menagerie of other characters populating Dune. There are humans called “mentats,” augmented with computerlike minds. Paul is mentored by two of them. There are also the bravado warriors Duncan Idaho and Gurney Halleck, played by Jason Momoa and Josh Brolin. Dave Bautista plays a sinister Harkonnen enforcer Glossu Rabban, and Charlotte Rampling has a key role as the Bene Gesserit reverend mother. The list goes on. In the seemingly unlivable wilds of Arrakis, Javier Bardem leads the Fremen tribe as Stilgar, and Zendaya costars as a mystery woman named Chani, who haunts Paul in his dreams as a vision with glowing blue eyes.

The breadth of Dune is what has made it so confounding for others to adapt. “It’s a book that tackles politics, religion, ecology, spirituality—and with a lot of characters,” says Villeneuve. “I think that’s why it’s so difficult. Honestly, it’s by far the most difficult thing I’ve done in my life.” After finishing this first movie, he’ll just have to do it all over again.

[animesmolbean]

Guardian of Light

(Male)

Story inspiration here

Hope you enjoy the chapter! ♥️

〰️

Chapter 6: Visions and Promises

〰️

Paul walked out of the Ornithopter at a fast pace once they landed back home, holding (Your Name) up and helping him walk.

The Duke jumped out of the thropter pilot seat, eyes widening slightly seeing (Your Name) looking exhausted and about to collapse. “What happened? Is he alright?” He asked, worried about the boy.

Paul looked at his father, unshed tears in his eyes, then looked down to the (Hair Color) haired boy, “I hope so…” He muttered in a hoarse voice.

(Your Name) groaned softly and moved his head off of Paul's shoulder. “I'm… I'm alright.” He muttered.

The Duke sighed heavily, “You cannot take such risks, Paul.”

“Yes, sir.” Paul responded, head casted downwards as he looked over at his childhood best friend who was slowly trying to regain his strength.

“You both have responsibilities.” Duke gestured to the pair.

“I… I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again.” Paul rambled.

“Go now. Get yourself checked out. I have to talk to (Your Name).”

Paul was hesitant to leave his best friend but listened to his father's words and jogged off.

Now, it was just (Your Name) standing before the Duke. As he regained himself, he realized his mistake, and he looked down.

“I'm so sorry, Sir. I failed to keep Paul safe, and it could've cost his life. I'm sorry, I- I'm so sorry-” He rambled.

The Duke cut him off. “Hey, calm down. Things have smoothed themselves out.” His voice was gentle as he comforted the panicked boy. He placed his hands on the boy's shoulders.

“You managed to get to him in time, along with Gurney. You did good.” He praised.

(Your Name) sniffled, nodding his head.

“But I need to know. What happened out there?”

The boy sighed. “I honestly don't know. One moment, Paul and I were together, then a sandstorm struck, and we were separated. Then, the area turned dark… this orb appeared in the sky and…. those shadow demons appeared.”

The Duke's eyes widened at the news. “You saw the shadow demons?” The boy nodded. “What did they look like? Did they hurt you?”

(Your Name) described the demons, telling him they are called Heartless, and he was able to fight them. When the Duke asked how, he told him everything.

“Then… the voice said… Haris Aldaw’. That I'm a new… keyblade wielder.”

Leto couldn't believe this. This boy was the Haris Aldaw’. Guardian of Light. A keyblade wielder.

The boy looked down, seemingly still upset about what happened. The Duke looked at him, an empathic look on his face.

“Everything will be alright. I can promise you that. But I need you to be strong. Protect my son from danger. I can't lose him…” He paused and gave her a gentle smile. “Or my future son-in-law.”

(Your Name) gasped softly. He smiled widely at the Duke and wrapped his arms around the man.

The Duke chuckled softly and hugged him back, patting him back.

“Now, go on and get checked out.”

The boy nodded and jogged off to where Paul last went. Duke Leto watched, a gentle smile on his face.

〰️

(Your Name) looked around, trying to find his childhood best friend. He looked in every possible room.

He eventually got to his and Paul's shared room, and he entered slowly. There, he saw Paul with Lady Jessica and Dr. Yueh. Everyone looked at him. The boy looked at Paul in worry.

“Is he alright?” He asked.

“He's fine, Master (Your Name). Just an allergic reaction to the spice.” Dr. Yueh told the boy.

He sighed in relief. “Thank goodness.” He muttered to herself. “Thank you.” He added in a louder voice, addressing the doctor.

Dr. Yueh left the room. Once he was gone, (Your Name) went over to Paul and kneeled in front of him, taking his hands in his.

Paul’s hands gave his a squeeze, seeing the panic and worry in his eyes. He disliked that look on him. Lady Jessica came over to the pair, kneeling next to (Your Name).

“That wasn't an allergic reaction. I had a vision. My eyes were wide open.” Paul spoke in a low voice, looking down, avoiding eye contact with Jessica and (Your Name), his brows furrowed.

"What did you see?” Jessica asked.

Paul slowly looked up at the two, his hazel green eyes instantly meeting (Your Name)’s concerned deep blue eyes. His heart was thumping hard in his chest, remembering the vision.

Inside the vision, (Your Name) was leading Paul down into a mountain, both of them wearing stillsuits.

They pause in a small, clear area surrounded by the rocky walls. The two faced each other. With a gentle smile on his face, (Your Name) got closer to his face and reached up to place a gloved hand on his cheek, caressing it gently.

He rubbed his thumb over the area, the pair getting even closer to each other. They were so close that they could feel each other's breaths against their faces. (Your Name) placed his other hand on Paul's cheek, now cupping his face. Meanwhile, Paul moved his hands to his friend's waist. Their eyes met, their foreheads touched, and they mirrored each other's expression. An expression full of love and admiration.

Paul nudged his nose against his, making the boy giggle softly. Paul tilted his head a little to get a better angle and started to close the gap between them. His lips parted a little, and his lips caressed (Your Name)’s.

Though, before the childhood pair could actually kiss, someone came up behind Paul and stabbed him. It was the same girl he saw in his dream with (Your Name).

Paul fell against (Your Name) lifting his hand up seeing blood on it. His blood. (Your Name) watching Paul bleed, no emotion present on his face.

“It's confusing. I thought I saw my death, only it wasn't. I know a knife is important, somehow. Someone will hand me a blade, but I don't know who, or when, or where. Some things, though, are crystal clear. I can feel it.” Paul explained to the two, then glanced at his mother. “I know you're pregnant.” The male smiled softly at his mother.

(Your Name) looked at Lady Jessica with surprise but it melted into a soft smile, mirroring Paul's.

“You can't know that. I barely know that. It's only been a few weeks.” Jessica breathed out in surprise, staring at her son like she saw a ghost.

〰️

Jessica left the room, leaving (Your Name) and Paul alone, an uncomfortable silence was now between the two best friends.

(Your Name) sighed to himself, giving Paul's hands a squeeze, like he did for him earlier. “There's something you're not telling me. What is it?” He whispered.

Paul's hazel green eyes looked at the boy. “In my vision…” He took a deep breath and released it shakily, his voice shaky like he was on the verge of crying, “When I got stabbed…. you didn't say anything… didn't react… you just stared… blank faced. I'm not sure why.” He sniffled, trying to keep himself from crying.

The boy frowned softly, squeezing Paul's hands again, then stood up and sat on his lap, his legs straddling his thighs. In response, Paul's warm hands gently held his hips, rubbing his hip bones with his thumbs. (Your Name) suppressed a shiver as he looked Paul in his eyes.

“That was just a vision, Paul,” He spoke softly, seeing Paul's lips quiver, “You know how much I care about you. Whatever you saw in the vision won't happen. I would never, ever, ever hurt you.” He brushed some of his curly locks out of his face before she continued, “I won't let anything happen to you. Even in your dreams. I'll protect you. I'll be what the nightmares fear.”

When he mentioned dreams, he swore he felt a slight pain in his back. Like something was branding his back. But he ignored the pain, thinking it was nothing and wanting to focus more on comforting Paul.

Paul chuckled wetly at (Your Name)'s proclamation before his body shuddered as he suppressed a small sob. His hands gripped his friend's hips tighter. “I almost lost you today…” His voice was hoarse, then in a desperate whisper. “I can't lose you (Your Name)... I can't. I don't know what I'll do if you die. I don't know what I'll do.”

(Your Name) shook his head, frowning a little. “Shhhh.. I'm alright… I'm right here…” He cooed. He used his left hand to move Paul's right hand off his hip and placed it on his chest, where her heart is. “See? Can you feel it? My heart beat. I'm right here.”

Paul sniffled a bit, feeling his nerves settle at the feeling of his friend's heartbeat.

The blue-eyed boy moved his right hand to Paul's cheek, cupping it in his palm and caressing it with his thumb. He watched Paul lean into the touch.

“We'll face whatever obstacles are thrown our way. We'll overcome the odds. I know we can.” He proclaimed, but he wasn't finished, “I won't let anything happen to you. And I won't let them take me away from you. I promise.” (Your Name) declared, sealing the promise with a kiss on Paul's forehead.

Paul closed his eyes, humming at the feeling of (Your Name)'s lips on his forehead. He turned his head, pressing a kiss onto his palm. “I promise to protect you too. No one will have us… as long as we're together.” He whispered into his hand. He then gestured to (Your Name) with his head to come closer. He does, and he places a kiss onto his forehead; just like he did for him.

(Your Name) hummed, pressing his forehead to Paul's once he pulled his lips away, making Paul tremble a little.

Paul's lidded eyes stared at (Your Name) with their forehead still together. The blue-eyed boy could feel Paul's breath against his cheeks when he stared back into his beautiful hazel green eyes. He gave him a half smile, one that was enough to make his heart beat faster.

Paul felt it, making his heart swell up with pride and love.

〰️

Jessica left the room and was now walking down the hallway, whimpering as she played with her hands. She paused as she started to cry softly.

She didn't know what to do.

Eventually, she made it back to her quarters, where she saw Leto, his back turned to her. She cautiously approached him.

“There's something you need to know about Paul and (Your Name).”

“No.” Leto spoke immediately as he put on a jacket. “Don't think I want to know. Ever since you brought them before your Reverend Mother, they have changed. Paul isn't the same. He's distracted. As for (Your Name)....” He let out a sigh as he looked at Jessica. “I know about him. You have told me yourself. Ever since he came to us. Now… he has told me himself.”

Jessica wasn't surprised by his reaction. But the thing that did surprise her a bit was the fact that (Your Name) told Leto herself of who he was.

Leto spoke again, “Jessica, you gave me a son. From the moment he was born, I never questioned you. And when you brought (Your Name) to me and suggested we keep him, I agreed. Like with Paul, I never questioned you. I trusted you completely. Even when you walked in shadows.” The woman just stood there, blank faced as Leto spoke. “Now I'm asking you this one thing. If anything happens… will you protect our son and our future son-in-law?”

“With my life.” She replied, like it was obvious.

Her husband shook his head. “I'm not asking their mother. I'm asking the Bene Gesserit.”

With those words, Jessica didn't reply. She looked down. Leto stepped closer to her. “Will you protect Paul and (Your Name)?”

Jessica stepped closer to Leto and placed a hand on his chest. She sensed there was something wrong with him. “Why are you having these thoughts?” She whispered.

Leto didn't reply. He looked down, blinking nervously and shook his head. Jessica looked at him. “Leto, this is not you.”

The pair pressed their foreheads together for a few moments. Leto pulled away eventually.

“I thought we'd have more time.” Leto confessed in a whisper, a subtle, somber look on his face.

〰️

It was now nighttime, and (Your Name) was in Paul's room with him after he asked to stay with him. Paul immediately agreed. He saw him leant on a little table in his room, in deep thought. The boy decided not to disturb him, especially after what had happened and what he told him.

The door to his room suddenly opened; it was Dr. Yueh. He walked in with a tint tray and placed it on a table; it contained medicine and water. “Have a good night Master Paul, and (Your Name).” He told the two.

“Good night, Dr. Yueh.” The pair spoke softly and in sync as the doctor left the room.

(Your Name) laid down on the bed, looking at his hand from the side. He wondered if he could summon the keyblade any time like the others before him could.

He sighed and turned onto his side, ready to just fall asleep. It had been a long day.

After a few moments, he heard rustling and assumed that Paul was just getting ready for bed. He closed his eyes and started to drift off. Then, he felt the bed dip behind him and a pair of arms wrapped around his waist.

The blue-eyed boy gasped softly at the touch. It was nothing new; Paul always did this, but it still gives him butterflies every time he does so.

Then, he felt Paul's face nuzzle into the crook of his neck, placing soft kisses on his skin. The action made him gasp softly again and shiver at the new feeling.

The boy hummed against (Your Name)’s neck as he kept going, his hands moving to his stomach, rubbing the area over his shirt.

“Paul… what are you doing?” He whispered, squirming a bit in his hold.

Paul mumbled something against his skin, but (Your Name) didn't hear it. He felt Paul turn him around so now they were facing each other. Before he could ask again, Paul continued his ministrations, but his hands now rubbed his back.

The blue-eyed boy let out a soft whine at the feeling of Paul's lips caressing his neck. He gripped Paul's shirt instinctively. The kisses got softer, and the (Hair Color) haired boy sighed, enjoying the moment while it lasted.

The kisses on his neck soon stopped, making the boy look down to see that Paul was asleep now, his head moved down to his chest and he was now laying on it, where his heart was.

He smiled softly at this, leaning down and pressing a kiss onto his forehead, making the boy hum in his sleep.

He continued staring at Paul's beautiful sleeping form, his heart fluttering. He had never felt this type of love before. He may need to learn more about love, but he knows how to share his heart with others. But this felt so different. This felt more powerful, more powerful than he felt with his mentors, his surrogate parents, and sibling love. This one felt like… a love that he would share with only one person. It was a feeling he only felt around Paul.

After a little while of stroking Paul's curly hair, his arms wrapped around his waist, (Your Name) wrapped his arms around him. Their bodies were now tangled with each other's. The boy hummed softly before he fell into a peaceful sleep with Paul.

But unbeknownst to them, and almost everyone here, trouble was arriving on Arrakis; and would change their lives forever.

Taglist

@skeletonixsstuff

@babyqueen17

[alaynes-writings]

I'm the anon who asked what you like most about Paul. I love your opinions and how you view him. Thank you for sharing them! Mine are quite similar, if I'm honest. I haven't seen or read any of Dune before watching this new adaptation either. I just loved how, even though (or maybe because) he was the heir to House Atreides, he was still so respectful to others. And how willing he was to help on others as well, like when he asked if they should cut down the trees to save the water for the people, or when he went out to get the people on the ornithopters from the spice harvester. All of his interactions with Gurney and Duncan and Thufir and his parents were so wholesome, which I definitely didn't expect. When he ran up to Thufir when they arrived to Arrakis, I just thought "is that even allowed, is he going to get in trouble for this?" but then everyone was just so loving with each other. It was definitely surprising for me, but in a good, refreshing way. Anyways I'm rambling. I love that Paul is presented so soft and loving in the beginning. I think it will make future events even more shocking and as you said, tragic. Sorry about the long message. And thanks again, for taking your time to talk about Paul, I really love your interpretation of him

Don‘t apologize, I loved reading your thoughts! Thank you for sending them in, I can never talk enough about Paul. I also agree with everything you said! He was so respectful to the people around him, always trying to be considerate of everyones feelings. And if you really think about it he could have been an absolutely insufferable brat; he’s an only child, the son of a Duke, highly trained and then the whole “chosen one” things comes on top. But he isn’t. Instead he is a very kind young man who is just always trying to learn and do better.

The scene with the palm trees was so interesting because his first thought was to cut them down to save the water (which is the logical choice if water is such a precious resource) but when the man explained to him why they were important and why they are considered holy, he accepts that too, understanding how important they are as a symbol of hope.

That scene with Thufir – oh my god! I loved that! The whole scene was so serious and tense, the soldiers everywhere, the bagpipes in the background, Paul‘s father with this stern look on his face and then Paul – our precious Paul – just runs up to Thufir and hugs him, just happy to see him again. My poor heart! I love that he had such a loving family, that they were so wholesome together and that he had so many people he cared for and looked up to.

I’m really curious to see how they are gonna portray him in the next movie and how he will change.

By the way, fun fact: when I saw Dune for the first time I didn’t know that it was a part one, I thought the movie would cover the whole book and when I sat there in the cinema and these two words appeared on the screen I was like ????? WHAT DO YOU MEAN PART ONE?!?! Can’t believe we have to wait so long for the next part now… but until then I’ll be happy with the version of Paul we got so far.

[blue-mint-winter]

Dune trailer reaction/analysis

Paul’s vision

Paul’s whispering voiceover resembling Lynch’s Dune (also Leto II My skin is not my skin. Something’s changing in him, something’s happening.)

seeing Chani in casual outfit first, very nice. She’s a woman and she’s special to him. Though it is also total opposite of her book introduction in which when Paul first saw her in a stillsuit, he thought she was a young warrior.

kissing scene - looks tender and with chemistry + stillsuit is very prominent in it

the trailer promises an emphasis on their romance in the film which is good because this wasn’t done well before in previous adaptations (or the book itself lol because they just got together and that was it, no extra drama.)

the eyes of Ibad! and she calls him - his destiny calls

he wakes up in the dark, and the headboard of his bed is gorgeous!

also this is literally “The sleeper must awaken”

but the contrast between the dream full of light and waking in the dark bedroom, mmmm nice

“there’s a crusade coming” - Paul knows what’s up, the vision of him looking at war and devastation with Chani is very foreboding - AND it doesn’t say what’s this war about and who’s fighting which is a clever set up - if you don’t know the book, then you know all of it XD. But this gives the plot the sense of mystery and danger and stakes.

GOM JABBAR

I am gushing over the symmetry of that shot in the dark room, with Paul at the center and HIS LEGS. Look how he’s standing!

His face when she asks him about his dreams!

that Atreides sign on the collar! He looks so good!

“From director Denis Villeneuve” and the cut to above clouds and a lightning - a storm is coming. Also a shot VERY reminiscent of his work on Arrival and those clouds.

The most famous, iconic, first scene of the book is in the trailer - well, it makes sense to use it to get people interested.

I LOVE Gaius Helen Mohiam’s costume design in this. I think it might be the best ever. Also, her voice, her acting, it all fits. She’s mysterious, hides her face, she’s dangerous, she’s fast, sharp, dangerous, wise. It is her.

Caladan

Flying boxes - ships/drones/tech because this is still the future despite the feudal system

Paul on the shore on Caladan

I really LIKE the music here. Gives me PoP vibes :)

Anyway, the whole idea of making Caladan the total opposite of Arrakis by making it so dark - that’s different than what I’m used to. I always imagined it as a very green, fertile world, abundant with water, life and plants. Traditionally Giedi Prime is the dark planet. BUT I can see the logic behind making Caladan so sunless, cloudy, water and stone kind of planet - illustrates the stark military nature of Atreides rule just as well as Paul’s uniform-style clothing. They are war-like. And it is very opposite to the scorching sun of Arrakis and lack of water on the desert. And the similar austerity of both is thematically appealing. We get a sense from those surroundings and gom jabbar scene that Paul wasn’t just a duke’s spoiled son.

“You inherited too much power” - hmm, that does sound ominous, GHM wants him gone!

THAT training scene with Gurney!!!!!!

first of all, the actor looks just right, I think it’s Josh Brolin? I like that I didn’t immediately think Thanos when I saw him,  instead I recognized it’s Gurney!

They made the fight FAST!!! And it looks awesome! The issue is that in the book those fights are slow because they use the energy shields, but it would look stupid on film, so instead making it fast was a stroke of genius - visually great and also makes you think the characters are total badasses (which they are)

Is Paul looking at a sunrise or a sunset over the ocean? My guess is sunrise, but it’s pretty ambiguous, could be either and fit the theme of him leaving Caladan/beginning his journey towards destiny. And he looks so handsome in this shot.

Atreides Family

Paul needs to surpass his ancestors - and the shot on some ancient sculpture with Greek writing referring to the mythical Atreides he’s descended from. Awesome, really awesome since his powers as Kwisatz Haderach are based on the ancestors.

Oscar Isaac introduced as Duke Leto and the shot of the palace on Caladan - nice, looks very much like fortress, surrounded by sea and protective stone

Greek style pottery in the palace too

Jessica too! she looks worried

seems that Leto is putting a hand on her nape, an intimate gesture but also kind of... possessive?

Arrakis

They arrive, Paul smiles

more foreboding despite everything looking fine, they have an army, they look strong and prepared

freaking Jason Momoa as Duncan greeting Paul LOL - but this had a right, genuine emotion to it. Very nicely done.

Stilgar! Harkonnen troops! Rabban! Baron!

Doctor Yueh, at last

More foreboding and Duncan being Duncan, but Jason Momoa style - he’s kind of “if Ronon was cocky and loud”. Alright. I had concerns about him, but he might work out in this role. I just don’t see him as a heartthrob knight type honestly. Really wonder how he and Jessica would be done. And I don’t know about him and Alia or the ghola fuckery in later books. (They would have to get a different actor for Duncan in Heretics, there’s no way Momoa could work.)

Paul in stillsuit, ok.

Back to gom jabbar and Chani - he sees she’s real!

The chorus sounds good with the explosions

Ornithopters look like dragonflies, I like it.

Baron... in a bath??? Is it spice bath?

some other iconic scenes from the book only hinted but who knows, knows what they are :)

SHAI-HULUD!!!

Paul in full stillsuit gives me life. Cover up completely, because you gotta save all the water

Final thoughts

This is an amazing trailer. THE HYPE IS REAL. This movie might be the definitive Dune adaptation. I love the visuals, costumes, scenery, designs, cinematography, music. Actors seem to fit well in their roles. Especially Paul rocks.

The focus on Paul and his journey is good, but I am a little worried about Jessica, because she’s barely in the trailer and in the book she’s the character we start with. She’s a co-protagonist and I would hate for her to get sidelined like in Lynch’s film. I am hoping they’re saving her for the best.

Also, no sight of Alia? Is she going to be in the movie at all? She might not if this is adapting only the first half of the book.

Anyway, I am very excited. As far as trailers go, this was awesome. It gave enough info but didn’t try to explain everything about the world and the characters. We get the basic premise and some of the characters, but it left out most of the surprises. As an ad, this is solid and gives us a taste of what it’s going to be like to watch this movie. Good job, Denis Villeneuve. I knew you could do it.