The Friday High Five
The Chosen One, renewing old rivalries, and another opportunity to hear me babble
Every Friday I share 5 things I enjoyed this week. Also, high fives are inherently cool, and I think we can all agree Friday is the bestest day. Hence the Friday High Five. 🙏🏻My Favorite Thing
Dune: Part 2
There’s a lot to love about Dune: Part 2, but my favorite thing is how it (along with Part 1) sets up and pays off its chosen one prophecy.
I have a long post coming (possibly today!) about how Dune mastered the chosen one trope where so many other stories (Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Matrix, etc., etc.) failed. The post will be exclusive for paid supporters, but a) I included a free sample below; and, b) I’m currently offering 20% off annual plans, forever.
Dune's prophecy works because it's not a real prophecy.
The Bene Gesserit are an order of nigh superhuman women in nun mourning garb who ostensibly counsel the great houses but secretly conspire all things to their own unclear ends. They are sister wives to the Empire, playing the game of thrones with a stacked deck and the cold calculus of millennia-long equations.
Long ago, the Bene Gesserit implanted a lie into the fabric of Fremen society. This deceit foretold that one day a visitor from another world would lead them to paradise, or at least someplace they didn't need to drink their own bodily fluids. Little grows on Arrakis; perhaps because of this, the lie found fertile soil, in time becoming a prophecy with religious overtones and fanatical fervor. Meanwhile, the Bene Gesserit worked in the shadows, cultivating bloodlines to impart truth to the lie.
And then Paul Atreides arrives on Arrakis, and the prophecy is gradually revealed to be true. But is it? Can it even said to be a prophecy, truly?
Yes, and no.
There's actually no clear answer, which is what makes this prophecy work. The Fremen immediately recognize Paul as their messianic figure—I guess they don't get many spindly nouveau goth teens on Arrakis—even as Paul maintains he's not actually The One. (That the Fremen see his denials as a sign of great humility—a very chosen one trait—is both hilarious and an acknowledgement that people will see what they want to believe.)
It's not a true prophecy, but a lie that proves true due to Bene Gesserit manipulations, which makes it a prophecy retroactively. It's the "snake eating its tail" of prophesies. It's magnificent.
Other Things I Enjoyed
Arnold and Danny at the Oscars
I used to watch the Oscars religiously because I love movies, but 8 or 10 years ago I made a shocking discovery: The Oscars are super boring.
The best part is the opening monologue and it’s steeply downhill from there. There is a voyeuristic element to the whole thing that James Spader probably finds incredibly scintillating, and also the cheap thrill of watching rich and famous people be rich and famous. But I never feel fulfilled or even entertained when the Oscars conclude. It’s a thing that happened, and that’s the sum of it.
I discovered the highlights of this year’s ceremony via internet osmosis, which is how I find out almost everything these days. Of all the headlines, only one earned my click: A bit with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito talking about Batman. I could say more but that would ruin the surprise.
For a kid who grew up watching these movies, this was chef’s kiss.
Blood, Sweat, and Pixels
This book provides a behind-the-scenes look at how some of the most popular video games came to be, and all the drama their creation entailed. I started it sometime last week and am already halfway through it.
The creator in me deeply loves stories of building something and overcoming adversity in the process. Extra credit if the telling includes the formation of a business. I don't know exactly why I groove to that beat. It just is.
Several years ago, I received a book about the art and history of D&D, which includes a bunch of information about the creation of the game and the company that published it. I stopped reading the book after maybe 70 pages—even though it was quite good—because I felt inspired to do likewise. Which is the short version of how I co-founded my own game design studio and published a D&D book.
The chapters I’ve read so far cover: Pillars of Eternity, Uncharted 4, Stardew Valley, Diablo III, and Halo Wars. There’s even a chapter on Star Wars 1313, which is sure to make me cry.
Medium Pub Crawl 2024
This technically is going down next week, but I’m mentioning it now in case anyone wants to attend.
Medium is hosting a 24 hour ‘pub crawl’ during which participants can browse virtual booths, network with editors, and attend panels. It’s mainly intended for writers who are interested in working with publishers (like me!).
I’ll be part of a panel discussion from 11:30 - 12 PM (EST) on Tuesday the 19th. We’ll be talking about the ins and outs of running a publication, what we look for in writers, that sort of thing. If you’ve ever wanted to submit to a publication (on Medium or not) or just want to see how many Star Wars references I can work into the discussion, registration details are here.
Panel discussion and audience Q&A with the editors of Fanfare, The Unexpected Autistic Life, Coping with Capitalism, and Age of Empathy (plus The Memoirist.) This panel is hosted by Medium.
It’s sorta funny that the only thing these publications have in common is that they’re publications.
Tropic Thunder
I had the idea to write a piece about how Tropic Thunder is basically a D&D campaign. And then I rewatched the movie, and discovered that idea makes no sense. Such is my life.
There’s some overlap: Actors playing action-adventure heroes on a mission, 4th-wall breaking humor, shenanigans. But the idea didn’t pan out, so mostly I just enjoyed the movie for what it actually is.
I just now realized Robert Downey Jr. was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Tropic Thunder, which is legitimately shocking. Not just because of the blackface—which is weird, no matter how you cut it—but more so because Tropic Thunder is a deeply silly movie in which Downey Jr. advises Stiller’s character to “never go full retard.”
Funny coincidence: Downey Jr. won his first Oscar this past weekend. I’m pretty sure this is what Elton John meant when he sang about the circle of life.
Danny Devito cleans up nice!