The Shannara Chronicles premiered on MTV on January 5, 2016.
It’s hard to describe to anyone who hasn’t seen it - and a lot of people who have - why I love The Shannara Chronicles.
The obvious answer is what drew me to it to begin with….Manu Bennett.
I first heard of Manu when he was cast as Azog the Defiler in the sacrilegious movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. I first saw him as Slade Wilson / Deathstroke in the tv series Arrow. And I first realized that I was not at all prepared to watch adult tv when I closed my eyes through many of his scenes as Crixus in Spartacus. What I respect most about Manu is the respect he has for his co-stars. And that respect never fades. Casting for The Shannara Chronicles was announced in Dec 2014, and the cast of the show started doing the comic con circuit in 2015 in preparation for the premiere in Jan 2016. In almost every interview, Manu praised Andy Whitfield just as much as he had done when Andy died in 2010.
He heaped that same praise on Austin. Manu buried him in love because he knew that Austin was suffering having just lost his mother. Manu wouldn’t let him hide from it. He made sure that everyone knew what Austin was sacrificing for the role of Wil Omsford. And if you watch videos from those interviews, you can see it in Austin. He’s going through the motions, and he’s letting Manu carry the burden for him. Manu does it, because that’s who Manu is.
That shy kid that Austin talks about all the time…he’s present in those interviews. You can tell Austin doesn’t understand how popular he’s become. It makes no sense to him because he just wants to act. Why would anyone want to know his hair care routine? Because they find you attractive Aaron Jakubenko tells him. How do you not fall in love with that young man?
Wil Omsford was Austin in a lot of ways. He started out as a bumbling, naive kid with no knowledge of the world outside his town (no, I’m not saying that part’s Austin). He always believed that people were inherently good, even when they’d done things that weren’t. He had a sense of justice and fairness, and his only desire was to heal people. He didn’t believe that he was the Son of Shannara, and he certainly didn’t want any part in Allanon’s idea of his destiny.
His journey changes him, because that’s what journeys do. And the WIl we meet in season 2 is a darker Wil. One who’s more mature. He still doesn’t want to believe in his destiny, but he’s trying to come to terms with the pain and losses of his past as he moves toward a future that’s different from the one he wanted.
Austin’s physically changed in season 2 as well. Not only has he cut his hair, you can see his body becoming smaller. We now know that he was also struggling with trying to come to terms with a future that was different than the one he imagined.
Shannara is not perfect…the plotholes are deep, the special effects are not great, Amberle Elessedil made me almost stop watching the show….but if we only seek perfection, then we’re going to miss out on the possibility of joy.
There’s so many clips that I wanted to share on this post, but most of them are gone from the internet, and I’m not a video editor. So in addition to the opening credits and the introductions to WIl and Allanon, I’ll share two clips. One is full clip that everyone uses to imagine Austin is having an orgasm (oh yeah, I said it), and the other is Wil being tortured cause I like my WIl in pain. It also shows how well Manu and Austin played off of each other. They were good together, and I miss them.
This is my second DDof AB about Shannara. You can find the kinder, more loving post here.
TW for blood / gore below the cut.
'How Did This Guy Ever Save The World?' Ep. 201 Official Clip | The Shannara Chronicles (Season 2)
@dailydoseofaustinbutler
'Destiny Is Stronger Than The Wishes Of One Man' Ep. 203 | The Shannara Chronicles (Season 2)
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Shannara Chronicles (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Allanon/Ander Elessedil
Characters: Allanon (Shannara), Ander Elessedil
Additional Tags: Established Relationship, mild dirty talk
Series: Part 9 of Kinktober Shorts
Summary:
Allanon proves very distracting at a political gathering that Ander can’t afford to ditch.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Shannara Chronicles (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Allanon/Ander Elessedil
Characters: Allanon (Shannara), Ander Elessedil
Additional Tags: Established Relationship, mild dirty talk
Series: Part 9 of Kinktober Shorts
Summary:
Allanon proves very distracting at a political gathering that Ander can’t afford to ditch.
Fic prompt for Play with Fire (Shannara Chronicles)!!!
“My King,” Allanon's voice is all but a deep growl, breathed into Ander's ear. He keeps a safe distance, mindful of everyone around them. Still, Ander dares to lean back ever so slightly, Allanon warm at his back even though they don't quite touch.
“My love,” he returns, the playful endearment second nature by now, and as unwelcome by Allanon as him calling Ander by his title. It is a game they play, both claiming annoyance yet neither making any efforts to change.
“How long will your presence be required at this function?”
Ander presses his lips together to fight a burgeoning grin. “Why?” He asks with as neutral a voice as he can, “Is my presence required elsewhere?”
He knows Allanon is schooling his own expression into a mask of polite attendance, as to be expected from the king's personal advisor. His tone however is anything but. “Your presence, my King,” his voice is low, his words pointed and slow, “is much anticipated, in a more private setting.”
The prompt/theme is dirty talk but I'm struggling with the transition so I haven't gone much further than this.
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