[Dune Thread] Gundam Idaho

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Milkfred E. Moore: Aug 27, 2006; 'It's easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.'

Kyle Hyde posted:

So in my reread of book 1, I just got to the end of the dinner party. I can already see how dumb my question on the last page was. My assumptions were based mostly on the screen adaptations where a lot of revelations and intuitions were foisted on Paul's character to save time. In fact, I'm finding that a lot of events and characters and stuff that I know about the book is heavily colored by representations or discussions of those things in pop culture. That'll teach me to think I can remember the specifics of a book I read once 18 years ago.

That said I'm surprised at how sparse the book is on description, and yet so evocative.

Well, I think it's fair to say that in a lot of stuff people read, authors and readers confuse precise description with being vividly evocative. Herbert was really good at mentioning only what's important and eye-catching which, IMO, is all a writer should mention. Strangely enough, all longer descriptions do is make it harder on the reader to picture the scene.

I write and read web fiction and the amount of times I find myself urging someone to cut the meandering, florid detail about just how precisely the moonbeams go through the trees and so on is practically a constant.

# ? Apr 25, 2018 06:54

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# ? May 30, 2024 21:30

Saganlives: Jul 6, 2005

Milky Moor posted:

Well, I think it's fair to say that in a lot of stuff people read, authors and readers confuse precise description with being vividly evocative. Herbert was really good at mentioning only what's important and eye-catching which, IMO, is all a writer should mention. Strangely enough, all longer descriptions do is make it harder on the reader to picture the scene.

I write and read web fiction and the amount of times I find myself urging someone to cut the meandering, florid detail about just how precisely the moonbeams go through the trees and so on is practically a constant.

Maybe it's just how you phrased it, but I don't think there's anything to confuse. I think you're right though in that they are correlated. It's definitely an aspect of good writing I don't see a lot of, which is why it stood out to me. Just goes to show how delicate the balance of words need to be to allow the mind to take over.

# ? Apr 25, 2018 07:08

Milkfred E. Moore: Aug 27, 2006; 'It's easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.'

Yeah, that's my bad. I meant precise in the vein of describing something exactingly.

# ? Apr 25, 2018 07:31

Saganlives: Jul 6, 2005

Ah, I understand what you meant now. And I agree, for sure.

# ? Apr 25, 2018 07:38

THE BAR: Oct 20, 2011; You know what might look better on your nose?

Kazak posted:

Lynch's guild navigator makes me extremely uncomfortable and squeamish. the pitted, mottled, severely acne scarred testicle face is plain difficult to look at in a trypophobia sort of way

Ah, so that's what it's called! Aren't most people repulsed by that phenomenon?

# ? Apr 25, 2018 09:54

Serephina: Nov 8, 2005; 恐竜戦隊
ジュウレンジャー

THE BAR posted:

Ah, so that's what it's called! Aren't most people repulsed by that phenomenon?

Well, it seems like a silly phobia to me, I've never met a person outside of the internet who's mentioned being bothered by it, and googling it comes up with:

Trypophobia is a proposed phobia of irregular patterns or clusters of small holes or bumps. The condition is not officially recognized as a mental disorder, and is rarely referenced in scientific literature. Wikipedia

So no, probably not.

# ? Apr 25, 2018 13:40

Snow Cone Capone: Jul 31, 2003

It sounds like a term directly related to that old lotus pod disease photoshop

# ? Apr 25, 2018 13:47

THE BAR: Oct 20, 2011; You know what might look better on your nose?

Serephina posted:

Well, it seems like a silly phobia to me, I've never met a person outside of the internet who's mentioned being bothered by it, and googling it comes up with:

Trypophobia is a proposed phobia of irregular patterns or clusters of small holes or bumps. The condition is not officially recognized as a mental disorder, and is rarely referenced in scientific literature. Wikipedia

So no, probably not.

It just reminds me of those frogs who carry their offspring in little nodules on their backs, which I find abominable. Or any kind of really nasty disease, really.

# ? Apr 25, 2018 16:47

Kazak: Jan 10, 2012

I think it's just general squeamishness at the thought of ones pristine, uniform skin marred with gross ugly holes.

# ? Apr 25, 2018 16:56

phasmid: Jan 16, 2015; Booty Shaker
SILENT MAJORITY

Mein Kampf Enthusiast posted:

It sounds like a term directly related to that old lotus pod disease photoshop

Yep.

# ? Apr 25, 2018 17:43

THE BAR: Oct 20, 2011; You know what might look better on your nose?

Kazak posted:

I think it's just general squeamishness at the thought of ones pristine, uniform skin marred with gross ugly holes.

Our skin's like 50% holes! :colbert:

# ? Apr 25, 2018 18:20

Arrhythmia: Jul 22, 2011

_{D U N E}

# ? Apr 25, 2018 19:43

SubponticatePoster: Aug 9, 2004; Every day takes figurin' out all over again how to fuckin' live.; Slippery Tilde

exmachina posted:

No, they see what Paul sees: so many confounding possibilities that their prescience hits a wall.

Edit: And prescience forms it's own future remember? That was the whole point of the Golden Path!

They actually do see that future. In that version the future goes completely dark because they can't see it any more without the spice. My book is packed away in a box somewhere so I don't have the exact quote, but Paul says something along the lines of, "Every Guild Navigator can look forward to that same future. They'll obey." Speaking in regards to Paul planting the Water of Death to blackmail the Guild into GTF off of Arrakis.

# ? Apr 25, 2018 20:31

Kazak: Jan 10, 2012

Arrhythmia posted:

_{D U N E}

thump

# ? Apr 25, 2018 20:54

The Bloop: Jul 5, 2004; by Fluffdaddy

Kazak posted:

thump

# ? Apr 25, 2018 21:09

FeculentWizardTits: Aug 31, 2001

I have ridden the mighty moon worm

it was ok

# ? Apr 27, 2018 11:08

spinderella: Jul 15, 2017; by FactsAreUseless

Kazak posted:

thump

This makes me very happy. :kingsley:

# ? Apr 27, 2018 12:00

Murray Mantoinette: Jun 11, 2005; ＴＨＥＰＯＳＴＳＭＵＳＴＦＬＯＷ; Clapping Larry

Remember when Alia was fighting a training killbot naked and managed to get to a higher level than even any swordmasters and Paul was worried it might kill her so he turned it off by hitting its millimeter-sized deactivation switch with a throwing knife from across the practice floor while it was wigging out at like a million miles an hour and the only reaction she had was �hm, must be Paul I don�t think anyone else could do that.�

# ? Apr 27, 2018 13:13

Murray Mantoinette: Jun 11, 2005; ＴＨＥＰＯＳＴＳＭＵＳＴＦＬＯＷ; Clapping Larry

Remember, I think, in Heretics when, I think, Odrade stumbled on some ancient underground complex of Leto�s that turned out to be a spice cache and she navigated the place in complete darkness by whistling and getting her bearings with echolocation like a loving bat?

# ? Apr 27, 2018 13:16

Murray Mantoinette: Jun 11, 2005; ＴＨＥＰＯＳＴＳＭＵＳＴＦＬＯＷ; Clapping Larry

Remember when Duncan and Murbella hosed each other so hard that they became smack addicts but for sex?

And then later Teg gets space-waterboarded so seriously that it turns him into Sonic the Hedgehog only instead of collecting rings he crushes peoples throats as he runs by and also has to eat as much as 7 Olympic athletes in one to keep up his metabolism?

# ? Apr 27, 2018 13:23

Murray Mantoinette: Jun 11, 2005; ＴＨＥＰＯＳＴＳＭＵＳＴＦＬＯＷ; Clapping Larry

Dune owns.

# ? Apr 27, 2018 13:24

spinderella: Jul 15, 2017; by FactsAreUseless

Murray Mantoinette posted:

Remember when Duncan and Murbella hosed each other so hard that they became smack addicts but for sex?

And then later Teg gets space-waterboarded so seriously that it turns him into Sonic the Hedgehog only instead of collecting rings he crushes peoples throats as he runs by and also has to eat as much as 7 Olympic athletes in one to keep up his metabolism?

Vaginal pulsing :buddy:

# ? Apr 27, 2018 13:39

Murray Mantoinette: Jun 11, 2005; ＴＨＥＰＯＳＴＳＭＵＳＴＦＬＯＷ; Clapping Larry

Just to make sure I wasn't crazy or drunk I'm drunk I went and looked up all those crazy stories I just mentioned for all of you because I love you all and I love this thread and guess what?! They're all real! Frank Herbert was an insane person.

Dune Messiah posted:

Six lights...seven...

Eight!

She had never before risked eight.

In a recess of her mind there grew a sense of urgency, a crying out against such wildness as this. The instrument of prisms and target could not think, feel caution or remorse. And it carried a real blade. To go against less defeated the purpose of such training. That attacking blade could maim and it could kill. But the finest swordsmen in the Imperium never went against more than seven lights.

Nine!

Alia experienced a sense of supreme exaltation. Attacking blade and target became blurs among blurs. She felt that the sword in her hand had come alive. She was an anti-target. She did not move the blade; it moved her.

Ten!

Eleven!

Something flashed past her shoulder, slowed at the shield aura around the target, slid through and tripped the deactivating stud. The lights darkened. Prisms and target twisted their way to stillness.

Alia whirled, angered by the intrusion, but her reaction was thrown into tension by awareness of the supreme ability which had hurled that knife. It had been a throw timed to exquisite nicety -- just fast enough to get through the shield zone and not too fast to be deflected.

And it had touched a one-millimeter spot within an eleven-light target.

Alia found her own emotions and tensions running down in a manner not unlike that of the target dummy. She was not at all surprised to see who had thrown the knife.

Paul stood just inside the training room doorway, Stilgar three steps behind him. Her brother's eyes were squinted in anger.

Alia, growing conscious of her nudity, thought to cover herself, found the idea amusing. What the eyes had seen could not be erased. Slowly, she replaced the crysknife in its sheath at her neck.

"I might've known," she said.

Heretics of Dune posted:

Odrade did not respond. In the silence, she pursed her lips and gave a high-pitched whistle, listening for the echoes. Her ears told her they were in a large space with some sort of low obstruction behind them. She turned her back on the narrow fissure and gave another whistle.

The low barrier lay about a hundred meters away.

Heretics of Dune posted:

Mentat projection: I am moving with dangerous speed.

But now he is off the litter. Functionary is reaching a slow-slow hand toward a bulge in a side pocket. Teg's hand crushes the functionary's throat. Functionary will never again touch that little lasgun he always carries. Yar's outstretched hand is still not a third of the way to the probe console. There is definite surprise in his eyes, though. Teg doubts that the man even sees the hand that breaks his neck. Materly is moving a bit faster. Her left foot is coming toward where Teg had been just the flick of an instant previously. Still too slow! Materly's head is thrown back, the throat exposed for Teg's down-chopping hand.

How slowly they fall to the floor!

<then later>

Muzzafar spoke finally. "Must say I've never before seen anyone eat that much at one sitting. Can't see how you do it. Nor why.

Heretics of Dune posted:

She stared into Duncan's eyes, knowing now who this man must be. Man? He was only a youth. But he had done things . . . things . . . All of the Honored Matres had been warned. There was a ghola armed with forbidden knowledge by the Tleilaxu. That ghola must be killed!

A small burst of energy surged into her muscles. She raised herself on her elbows. Gasping for breath, she tried to roll away from him and fell back to the soft surface.

By the Holy Rock of Dur! This male could not be permitted to live! He was a ghola and he could do things permitted only to Honored Matres. She wanted to strike out at him and, at the same time, she wanted to pull him back onto her body. The ecstasy! She knew that whatever he asked of her at this moment she would do. She would do it for him.

Murray Mantoinette fucked around with this message at 13:57 on Apr 27, 2018

# ? Apr 27, 2018 13:54

Vavrek: Mar 2, 2013; I like your style hombre, but this is no laughing matter. Assault on a police officer. Theft of police property. Illegal possession of a firearm. FIVE counts of attempted murder. That comes to... 29 dollars and 40 cents. Cash, cheque, or credit card?

Murray Mantoinette posted:

Remember when

Yes. Yes I goddamned do.
:yayclod:

# ? Apr 27, 2018 15:50

Zeniel: Oct 18, 2013

Murray Mantoinette posted:

Remember when Duncan and Murbella hosed each other so hard that they became smack addicts but for sex?

And then later Teg gets space-waterboarded so seriously that it turns him into Sonic the Hedgehog only instead of collecting rings he crushes peoples throats as he runs by and also has to eat as much as 7 Olympic athletes in one to keep up his metabolism?

Miles "Teg" Prower.

# ? Apr 28, 2018 04:49

ToxicSlurpee: Nov 5, 2003; -=SEND HELP=-; Pillbug

Kazak posted:

thump

Usul has called a big one!

thump thump thump thump thump thump

# ? Apr 28, 2018 05:31

Murray Mantoinette: Jun 11, 2005; ＴＨＥＰＯＳＴＳＭＵＳＴＦＬＯＷ; Clapping Larry

Zeniel posted:

Miles "Teg" Prower.

Ghola go fast

# ? Apr 28, 2018 06:00

Kazak: Jan 10, 2012

ToxicSlurpee posted:

Usul has called a big one!

thump thump thump thump thump thump

🎸🎵

# ? Apr 28, 2018 06:02

Arrhythmia: Jul 22, 2011

dune

# ? Apr 28, 2018 06:07

phasmid: Jan 16, 2015; Booty Shaker
SILENT MAJORITY

One of my favorite parts of God Emperor is where Siona takes Duncan to a small sietch to see what happens when he meets family sired by his predecessor. It was especially moving that Siona felt badly afterward and Duncan forgave her. It would be pretty hard to get over some poo poo like that, you'd think.

I also like the part where he's arguing with Moneo in the mess hall and keeps acting like a fool to piss the old man off.

# ? Apr 28, 2018 06:22