Face dancers

[Dante]

A quick question. I've read the books but my memory is atrocious; what happens to a face dancer upon death? Do they retain their shape (which seems logical)? Or do they revert to a given image? Don't delay in answering please, the fate of a fanfic depends on it!   :)

[ordos45]

I think they revert.

[Caid Ivik]

What are they made of?

[Dante]

Flesh. They're biological.

[Caid Ivik]

Normal water/carbon based flesh? Then I think it won't return to usual shape (I would say then there is no usual shape), it will just fall to dust...

[Vanguard3000]

I would think they would "relax" back to their natural form.  I don't think they're shapeshifters in that they would have to check in the mirror from time to time, to see what form they're in.  I would imagine it would require considerable effort to take on and hold a certain form.  I mean, if you die whilst taking a massive dump, they're not gonna find you with a scrunched up face, although that'd be the least of your problems.

[Terror]

Well i don't know either. The only thing that tells something about this is a very unreliable source... Emperor battle for dune. There is that scene where the tleilaxu girl drinks her own poison and dies, changing back in the standard form.

[AeonGrey]

You have to be careful to remember that the face dancers are human.  I know it sounds simple, but it's easy to forget with how much they've modified themselves.  So...being human I would think that each one would have to born with some kind of "face" of their own.  They may not use it, but there has to be SOMETHING underlying that is "their" face.  I'm sure that this is what they revert to.  I dont know....read the end of Messiah again to see if it says anything about Scytale's death.

[Vanguard3000]

Aeon:  Absolutely right.  The 'natural' state of the Face Dancer is described in Heretics of Dune:  Short, short buzz-cut hair, pug-nose, pallid skin, and I think, beady black eyes.

[TMA_1]

yeah and I remember that there is a death of a face dancer in the prequels when hasimir killed one. It did actually describe the occurance that some of you said where a face dancer relaxes on death. At least that is what I remember. Of course even if it does say that it is hard to trust the prequels on everything, but I believe it there.

[Alexander_Ordos]

I believe face dancers are like some sort of serial product, each of them has the same basic features. But how does this shapeshifting ability work? I think they have an implanted ability to move each single muscle in their body, or even move flesh? In any case, I don't recall any sentences in the Dune books about the way how shapeshifting works. But I believe after their death, they can either die in their shfted form or relax to their basic original form. Just like humans close ro don't close their eyes before death.

[Terror]

I think in Dune Messiah it is described. I can't exactly quote it, but it was something about moving flesh.

[Alexander_Ordos]

Then the best visual example would be in the movie "Minority Report" where Tom Cruise used some kind of medicine, that shifted his face for a short period of time. Mystique from the "X-Men" could serve as an example too...

[nemafakei]

Well, depending on the alterations, the relaxation might be near-instant (muscular), or it might take some time (chemical alteration).

[bryorama]

Well i don't know either. The only thing that tells something about this is a very unreliable source... Emperor battle for dune. There is that scene where the tleilaxu girl drinks her own poison and dies, changing back in the standard form.

[Khan]

That isn't proof bryo, it's just a game, and one which goes against the novels as well.

[Alexander_Ordos]

There're shapeshifters in many other books though. Does anyone know one with some explanationts?

[Vanguard3000]

That would be quite futile.  Every example of "shapeshifter" is completely diffeernt.  You couldn't compare the Changelings (i.e. Odo) from Star Trek: Deep Space 9 from the shapeshifter from Star Trek 6, much less to the T-1000 from T2: Judgement Day, or the Face Dancers from Dune.

Also, keep in mind that the Face Dancers aren't shapeshifters in the traditional sense of the word, as they cannot change their entire form.  That is, a Face Dancer couldn't turn into a mouse, or a lamp, or a Q-Tip.

[Alexander_Ordos]

Was I dreaming or what  :O where are our posts about the Terminators? terminated?

[Terror]

"They'll be back"

[Vanguard3000]

Yes, they were 'terminated' in the name of keeping he thread on-topic.

[Super-ness]

Can't we bring them back??  >:(

[Dante]

No.

[Scott]

Also, keep in mind that the Face Dancers aren't shapeshifters in the traditional sense of the word, as they cannot change their entire form.

[The Spac]

I thought face dancers had some sort of microscopic things in them. I'm reading God Emporer again and there is alot of FD action in that.