Latest Posts by feukt-42 - Page 3

Ok so for everyone here saying dune is a white savior story, i'm gonna need you to understand that paul doesn't save anyone here. He just takes the fremen from a forced opression into a willing one, by shackling them with his own made up religion.

He's still a tragic figure, because he doesn't really want this but he knows that this is the only path in which he still has some amount of control on the bloody space crusade led by his worshippers. Every other path has the same result but worse. So he tries to fight that "terrible purpose" every step of the way until he reaches the breaking point, his son (sir Not-appearing-in-this-film) dies and he just goes "fuck it, this is gonna happen anyways, might as well just commit to it" and ends up being responsible for the deaths of like 60 billion ppl. But he isnt a white savior here.

Spoilers for dune messiah :

In the sequel, its made pretty obvious that the space jihad sucked ass for everyone. No one in the galaxy likes the imperium, the fremen who came back are maimed, old cynical veterans who fucking hate paul for having sent them on a meaningless crusade across the universe, and paul himself has grown from a young idealist forced to bear the burden of prescience into a bitter, cynical and jaded old man who cant be bothered to give two shits about anything but his rapidly deteriorating interpersonal relationships with the ppl around him. Thats the tragedy part. Thats the part where you look at the full picture and you're like "well thats sad, he was such a nice little kid at first."

As for the "white savior", if the whole "everything has gone to shit" wasnt enough to convince you thats not the case, paul literally has a scene whe he just looks at the reader and says "i am literally worse than h*tler" and stilgar unironically responds "well yeah i mean his k/d ratio was kinda shit tbh my lord"

correct me if i’m wrong cos i don’t watch dune.. but i’ve seen people call paul a tragic character. except isn’t he a whole white coloniser tricking indigenous poc into believing he’s a prophet to serve his own interests? that’s inherently evil that cannot be a tragic character imo

so yes that is correct that is what happens. the tragedy is that he is a sixteen year old boy who gets a vision of this happening and he is TERRIFIED and absolutely does not want this to happen at all. He does not want the holy war he does not want to be the chosen one he initially very much wants to fight alongside the fremen as equals trying to liberate themselves from their current colonizer without becoming the messiah because they have common political cause.

And then the entire second half of the first book (and the second movie) are about the concessions he makes to himself bit by bit by bit (well it’s the only way to save his mom and sister. well it’s the only way to prevent nuclear war. well he does want his revenge. well maybe he IS special.) Until by the end he has lost 100% of his humanity, fully wants to be the messiah and is willing to manipulate people into thinking so, and has declared himself duke of arrakis in his father’s name and made a play for the imperial throne.

you’re right that it’s evil. the book and these movies agree with you. the tragedy is watching a child who desperately wanted to avoid this slowly completely lose himself to it anyways. i don’t think “tragic” and “evil” are inherently mutually exclusive.

An attempt at analysing the last scene from The End of Evangelion

Warning ! I will be spoiling both the movie The End of Evangelion, as i am talking about the last scene in the entire film, and the original series, since EoE is by necessity taking place after it.

If you're still here and don't remember exactly which scene i'm talking about, or just really want to read this post abt sth you haven't seen, i am specifically referencing the scene where Shinji attempts to strangle Asuka on the shore of the LCL sea. Without further ado, let's get into it.

Shinji is hurting himself here. He is strangling what might be the only other person left in this world, the only being that could give him the affection he craves.

He is strangling asuka, whose facade he interprets as a mirror of his inner self, an arrogant entitled asshole with no consideration for the feelings of others. He is attempting to better himself by physically assaulting a reflection of his past self.

Asuka is trying to help herself here. She is caressing what might be the only other person left in this world, the only being she could open herself to.

She is caressing shinji, whose facade she interprets as a mirror of her inner self, a lonely child who longs to be loved, but cannot open him/herself to affection. She is attempting to better herself by giving a reflection of her past self the affection it deserved.

Shinji drops his façade, and grows into someone who will take action for what he believes to be right.

He sees the both of them as unredeemable, as deserving of punishment.

Asuka drops her façade, and grows into someone who can provide affection and receive it.

She sees the both of them as two children failed by those who should have helped them, as deserving of love.

They see each other, without façades, without pretenses.

Shinji sees asuka, Asuka sees shinji.

They are forced to confront their diametrically opposed yet coexisting statements on themselves and humanity.

Both are right.

Shinji and Asuka were both selfish entitled pricks who consistently let their impulsive actions hurt the people around them.

Asuka and Shinji were both scared, lost children who were denied the love and support they should have been given.

They deserve retribution and love in equal measure.

This is contradictory.

This is true.

This is real.

This is impossible.

This is Adam and Eve, cast from the garden of Eden, grappling with the knowledge of the world they now possess.

This is human.

How disgusting.