Meddlers of Dune


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Jodorowsky's Acolyte
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Meddlers of Dune

Post by Jodorowsky's Acolyte »

This is an idea for a fan written DUNE novel which attempts to satirize the meddlings that have been made to the DUNE universe. Unlike other satires, which would rely on mainly destroying KJA and BH for writing "pulp" quality DUNE sequels, I want to take the ideas that have caused the most controversy in the DUNE universe, incorportate compelling ideas that would would never be consistent with DUNE's world, try to adhere more to the original DUNE novels, and to create a novel within a novel. This may be confusing so far, but let me explain.

The book should begin in the deep future of American, where the heirs of Frank Herbert, Derek Herbert and Neville Anderson (who is genetically a Herbert, but assumes the Anderson name out of amusement), have inherited the task to write "continuations" for then centuries old DUNE. They are on the run from government and fundamentalist leaders, who are shocked at some of the "meddlings" they have made to the epic tale of DUNE. Among these changes would include ideas ranging from Rudolph Wurlitzer, the Dune Encyclopedia, Jodorowsky, and David Lynch. While they may not be all direct references to these famous meddlers, the changes to DUNE would be in a similar vein.

These meddlings would include:

A meeting between Princess Wensicia and a Fifth-Stage Guild Navigator, who was once one of the CET, and who warns her to kill Ghanima before its to late.

Ghanima becomes the God Empress, while Leto II take Sahib for a concubine.

Gurney Halleck is ghola-ed instead of Duncan by Ghanima, but only once.

There is an alternate reality where Arrakis is inhabited with Orange Catholic Mexican-like inhabitants, and the Spice has an offshoot drug which resembles and tastes like cayenne pepper, or cocoa powder.

Jessica commits a crime which the Bene Gesserit are too late to realize

The Honored Matres attempt to create their own Anti-Kwizatz Haderach

Daniel and Marty are representatives of an new evil house that specializes in creating killer vegetation: House Diana, or House Persephone.

Paul Atreides morphs with the Arrakian dunes, and becomes a deity of the planet's silica, or all of Arrakis. (Hence Paul's head in the sand dunes according to the cover of Dune Messiah).

In the Heretics/Chapterhouse Dune timeline, while all the carriers of the Jewish faith have all survived, only one carrier of Islam, without the additions of Zen Buddhism and other religions, has survived unscathed. He, or she, bears a great deal of knowledge of the history of Earth's monotheistic religions before the thinking machines and the Butlerian Jihad, and has a more accurate record as to what really happened during the rise of Paul Mua'dib. The last Muslim comes to the characters to warn them of a threat from Earth's old past, LONG before the machines.

Keep in mind that these are all supposed to be meddlings, and are in no way attempts to be accepted into the main DUNE canon at all.

At the same time, Neville and Derek travel through a world which parodies Frank Herbert's past depictions of the future.

This may be an imperfect idea for a satirical DUNE novel or story, especially considering that all the ideas are silly enough. What do you think, respectable cast outs of Shai-Hulude?
'...all those who took part in the rise and fall of the Dune project learned how to fall one and one thousand times with savage obstinacy until learning how to stand. I remember my old father who, while dying happy, said to me: "My son, in my life, I triumphed because I learned how to fail."' -Alejandro Jodorowsky
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merkin muffley
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Re: Meddlers of Dune

Post by merkin muffley »

Jodorowsky's Acolyte wrote: There is an alternate reality where Arrakis is inhabited with Orange Catholic Mexican-like inhabitants, and the Spice has an offshoot drug which resembles and tastes like cayenne pepper, or cocoa powder.
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Hunchback Jack
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Re: Meddlers of Dune

Post by Hunchback Jack »

Are you HarryCanyon?

HBJ
"The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars."
- Carl Sagan

I'm still very proud of The Quarry but … let's face it; in the end the real best way to sign off would have been with a great big rollicking Culture novel.
- Iain Banks
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SandRider
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Re: Meddlers of Dune

Post by SandRider »

here's my suggestions & advice:

when you (or anybody) has an idea like this, don't frame it in the form of a proposition,
and list the elements - just write the fucking thing .... it makes a better post and more
entertaining to read, which is the point here ...

f'instance, all of the story elements listed (and some are interesting, I like changing the taste
of the spice to cayenne pepper, and instead of Leto taking the sandtrout skin, he dissolves
into the dunes, thus becoming Arrakis) could be presented as Keith telling Brian the
outline for the new Dune-movie script they've decided to write themselves, since the Hollywood
writers can't get their shit together, and anyway, aren't they the biggest Dune-fans in the
world? and besides, if anybody wants to argue about it, they can always pull out the
"Yeah, but we got all of Frank's Secret Notes, so STFU" card ...


Keith: Yeah, yeah, so if the Spice tastes like cayenne pepper, then they be like, eating fish tacos in the Banquet Scene !

Brian: Ummm, well .... I, uh ....

Keith: It's fucking brilliant, don't you see that? The fish is like a, whatchamacallit, a metaphor for House Atreides, they got
all those fish emblems and water shit, right ?

Brian: Uh, yeah, but ...

Keith: See, and the taco, that's the foreshadowing, right? The Foreshadowing of the smugglers Gurney falls in with with being
like Mexican Drug Lords ... yeah, yeah, shit yeah! Then, see, all that stuff will be taken as a ... uh ... whatchacallit ... a ... um ...
commentary, yeah, a like a social commentary on the current political uh ... political thing .... yeah ...

Brian: Well, but, Mr. Anderson, I ... uh ...

Keith: Didn't you tell me once that Frank liked fish tacos ?

Brian: Well, sure, but ....

Keith: There you go!




in this example, then, the relationship between Keith and Brian is exaggerated for emphasis, Keith "brainstorming" horrible ideas on the spot
and Brian meekly trying to disagree but being over-run, and shows Keith's perspective of the "canonicity" of Frank's work: nothing is
sacrosanct or too important that it can't be changed on whatever whim ....

for extra emphasis, in a scene like this, it would be very effective to mix in the actual changes made by the McDune in with the
outrageous ideas .... nothing is as effective a criticism of McDune than when some-one posts one of Keith's plot elements, and some
one who has not read the McDune asks "Is that for real, or did you make that up ?" ...
................ I exist only to amuse myself ................
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I personally feel that this message board, Jacurutu, is full of hateful folks who don't know
how to fully interact with people.
~ "Spice Grandson" (Bryon Merrit) 08 June 2008
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SandChigger
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Re: Meddlers of Dune

Post by SandChigger »

Fuck.

The desert's starting to look good again.
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merkin muffley
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Re: Meddlers of Dune

Post by merkin muffley »

I'm going back to West Virginia for a couple days...
"I must admit, you have an astonishingly good idea there, Doctor...."
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SandRider
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Re: Meddlers of Dune

Post by SandRider »

I'm leaving for Fort McKavett about dawn; they're doing a sesquicentennial event a little early,
re-enacting Ben McCullough's rangers riding into to the fort to take control after General
Twiggs surrendered all the federal forts to the "Army of Texas" - which right then and there
was really just Ben & his rangers, and the boys in the US army who quit and formed up militia
units, until the CS army got more organized - that's one of the things they're doing too,
about 2pm tomorrow afternoon the boys portraying the rangers will change into brown
jeancloth unirforms and there will be a ceremony organizing them into the CS army as
the First Texas Cavalry - historically then, the First Texas Cav was there at McKavett
until 1862 when then went with General Sibley to get their asses handed to them up
in northern New Mexico Territory ... the 7th Texas Cavalry & Frontier Guard then
occupied the fort until the end of the war, and it was used as a POW camp for
Union boys from late 1863 on ... that is the time period they want to really re-enact
bigtime next year, sometime before the Liendo Plantation event the week before
Thanksgiving ... so this is a minor event, and really sorta hardcore - the boys
that are being Ben's Rangers are tonight down on the banks of the San Saba River,
a few miles from the fort, sleeping on the rocks with nothing but a bedroll, if that -
most of 'em are probably just rolled up in their dusters ... and the (relative) cold front
came thru this afternoon - it's about 40 out right now, wind blowing colder and it's
damp, too ...

and the event is "early" in the sequence of events- South Carolina won't secede until December,
Texas will secede on February 2, and Twiggs will turn over the forts on Feb. 13 ...(there is a
yearly re-enactment of this in front of the alamo, of course, next year's will be much bigger) ...

but McKavett's annual "Muster" is in March, and has always been an "Indian War Period" event;
this fort is also one that was turned over from State Parks to the Texas Historical Commission (THC)
(yes, I know ...) and the Historical Commission wants all their sites to have two major events a year -
since the sesquicentennial of The War is just starting, and since McKavett had a very re-enactable
role during the War, they think they're going to have the regular Buffalo Soldier event in March and
a Civil War event in November for the next four years, and then figger something else out ....

I'm going to show up dressed as a civilian and loudly oppose secession and the jackasses that're trying
to drag us into this unnecessary war; I expect several altercations involving walking sticks and possibly
sabers, and I also expect to be shot dead in front of Officer's Quarters Number One by Ben McCullough hisself ...
................ I exist only to amuse myself ................
ImageImage

I personally feel that this message board, Jacurutu, is full of hateful folks who don't know
how to fully interact with people.
~ "Spice Grandson" (Bryon Merrit) 08 June 2008
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Aquila ka-Hecate
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Re: Meddlers of Dune

Post by Aquila ka-Hecate »

merkin muffley wrote: Image
"..I don't understand a word you're saying, so here's a bunny with a pancake on his head?"

Man, I haven't seen that for years. Good nostalgia, Merk.
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A Thing of Eternity
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Re: Meddlers of Dune

Post by A Thing of Eternity »

This is actually a pretty funny idea, but I agree, it would have been better to just post a short story or something rather than try to start a discussion about it. We're all too lazy and have too many pet projects going already!
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merkin muffley
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Re: Meddlers of Dune

Post by merkin muffley »

Yeah, better just to write the actual parody.
"I must admit, you have an astonishingly good idea there, Doctor...."
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