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writing-cins · 2 years ago

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𝐃𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢è𝐫𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐞

Pairings: Obi-Wan x (opera singer) reader Warnings/Tags: song fic, romance, affection, deep conversation, both characters kiss Summary: You are an opera singer and Obi-Wan accompanies you to your home planet to protect you from the bounty hunters pursuing you. When you both visit a place that not only brings back beautiful memories in you, but also has a special influence on you, you both find yourself captured in an enchanting melancholy that feeds the secret affection you hold for each other. In the embrace of the atmosphere, you do what you cherish the most: sing a beautiful song, that unexpectedly leads to a fervent waltz. Song: "Dernière Danse" by Indila https://youtu.be/sCNbRElkSw8?si=92fJyU9U7k13UrMO Words: 1.9k A/n: It took me so long to finish the story and I will probably start a series with short stories about the romance between Obi-Wan and the opera singer.

The soft glow of the moon bathed the ancient ruins, perched on a hidden cliff, in a silver radiance. Abandoned for millennia, this sacred place had been a sanctuary since your earliest memories. The magic of the ruins revealed itself most profoundly under the cloak of the night, an enchanted aura that drew you in like a long-lost friend. Although your visits had become infrequent since relocating to Coruscant, each return to your family home beckoned you to this hallowed ground.

The weathered murals that adorned the ruins told tales of dramas and ancient fairy tales, capturing your imagination since childhood. Tonight, however, your solitude was interrupted. Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi and a dear friend, accompanied you on this nocturnal pilgrimage. Duty bound him to protect you from the bounty hunters that pursued you, yet it was your idea to share this special place, a testament to the bond you shared.

Your voice, filled with a hint of melancholy, carried the weight of memories as you spoke to Obi-Wan. "As a child, my mother and I spent countless hours here. She told me stories of the ancient civilization that once thrived in these ruins." A fond smile graced your lips, and Obi-Wan observed the light in your eyes with keen interest. The beauty and tranquility of this place seemed to touch a chord within him.

"The Vaarhi, that's what they were called, right?" Obi-Wan recalled, his hand exploring the weathered surface of a stone brick as you nodded in agreement.

"Yes, they are my ancestors."

"Really?" Obi-Wan settled onto a worn brick, his touch absorbing the essence of the aged stone. "The spiritual legacy of the Vaarhi is evident in you."

You chuckled softly, remembering how Obi-Wan had remarked on your spiritual aura when you first met him after a performance. Closing your eyes, you inhaled the night air, momentarily lost in shared memories. In that quiet moment, your mind wandered to the unexpected connection that had grown between you and Obi-Wan. Fate seemed to intertwine your paths at every turn, leading you to a profound understanding. The camaraderie, the shared ideals, and the uncanny similarities in your personalities forged a bond that transcended duty. Despite your growing affection for him, a bitter-sweet realization hung in the air—the Jedi Code forbade the reciprocation of such feelings. But all of your encounters were not mere coincidence, but forget a connection that runs deeper than duty demands. It felt like fate and fate had a curious way of guiding, even when least expected.

The nocturnal symphony of the ruins seemed to echo the complexity of your emotions. The forbidden affections tugged at your heart, yet the night held a quiet reassurance that, for now, you could revel in the shared warmth of the ruins and the profound connection that had woven itself into the fabric of your intertwined destinies.

Your eyes fluttered open, determined to cast aside the intrusive thought that threatened to permeate your mind. Instead, you immersed yourself in the delicate perfume of countless flowers wafting through the air. A symphony of joyful colors and tender emotions enveloped you. "Indeed, Master Kenobi, spirituality courses through my veins. Historical tales, superstitions, and fairy tales evoke a melancholy that eludes verbal expression. It's this connection that allows me to empathize so deeply with my roles in the opera," you explained, turning to face him. His gentle gaze lingered on your silhouette, absorbing the details of your face and the flowing dress that cascaded around your legs like a waterfall.

As your melancholy brushed against him, his aura softened, and you studied his countenance with keen interest. Something stirred in his eyes, and your heart quickened. In the night's gentle illumination, his irises mirrored the bluish hues of the flowers adorning the ruins. A flutter danced in your stomach, prompting you to turn away, wary of revealing too much about yourself and the burgeoning feelings for him. The awareness that he could sense your emotional state added an extra layer of complexity.

With purposeful steps, you reached the cliff's edge. Crooked trees, aged companions of the ruins, lined the slope, guardians of the former temple complex that loomed above the evergreen grassland. In the absence of urban lights, a tapestry of stars unfolded in myriad colors, a celestial display unparalleled in many corners of the planet.

"This place is where my passion for singing was kindled," you shared, turning back to Obi-Wan, who remained a silent observer. A tingling sensation traversed your body, and once again, your stomach fluttered. These were the moments that hinted at a connection beyond what he was willing to acknowledge. The stolen glances, the lingering stares—could he truly believe you were oblivious?

"I can imagine this place has been a wellspring of inspiration for you," Obi-Wan replied, briefly diverting his gaze to the surroundings. "It's a rare beauty, unlike many places I've visited."

"It's profoundly special to me. A haven of tranquility, seldom frequented by others. Being here grounds me and brings me closer to my roots," you explained, moving away from the cliff to settle on a stone opposite Obi-Wan. His eyes followed your every movement. Yes, it was a sanctuary for you, and that's precisely why you had brought him here.

You drew in another deep breath, and began to sing, the haunting melody weaving through the quiet night. The song, a familiar refrain that echoed through these ancient ruins ever before, held lyrics filled with sadness and heartbreak—but at the same time, was equally beautiful.

"Ô ma douce souffrance. Pourquoi s'acharner? Tu r'commences. Je n'suis qu'un être sans importance. Sans lui, je suis un peu paro. Je déambule seule dans l'métro."

Obi-Wan, captivated by the ethereal sound, held his breath as your voice painted the air. It was a sound he had heard many times before, yet each rendition enthralled him anew. Your voice, incomparably beautiful, possessed an unforgettable and haunting quality that silenced his thoughts like a siren's song. Unable to tear his gaze away, he found himself entirely entranced.

"Une dernière danse. Pour oublier ma peine immense. Je veux m'enfuir que tout r'commence. Ô ma douce souffrance."

The lyrics, tinged with emotions that reached deep within, were a poignant declaration of your romantic feelings for Obi-Wan. While you had sung for him before, subliminally during an opera performance, this time was different. It was an intimate moment meant solely for him, and the weight of it hung in the air.

You shifted your gaze, peering beyond the ancient trees to the horizon where the sea of stars unfolded. As the refrain left your lips, your voice reached its zenith, yet still withholding a fraction of its full potential.

"J'remue le ciel, le jour, la nuit. Je danse avec le vent, la pluie. Un peu d'amour, un brin de miel. Et je danse, danse, danse, danse, danse, danse, danse."

Enchanted by the spellbinding melody, Obi-Wan gracefully rose from his seat and approached you. A gentle smile adorned his face as he extended his hand, seamlessly intertwining with yours. In a fluid motion, he drew you to your feet, one hand securely holding yours, while the other rested on your waist, eliciting a delightful shiver of excitement.

"Et dans le bruit, je cours et j'ai peur. Est-ce mon tour? Revient la douleur. Dans tout Paris, je m’abandonne. Et je m'envole, vole, vole, vole, vole, vole, vole."

Obi-Wan's eyes locked onto yours, and with the onset of the next verse, he initiated a dance, pulling you into a surprising rhythm. You followed his lead, visibly taken aback; it was the first time witnessing his dance, a revelation that defied your expectations. You never imagined he would, let alone possess the skill you were now witnessing.

"Que d’espérance. Sur ce chemin en ton absence. J'ai beau trimer, sans toi ma vie n'est qu'un décor qui brille, vide de sens."

Lost in the depths of each other's eyes, you both shared a profound gaze. As if ensnared by an unseen force, you found it impossible to look away, losing yourself in the infinite galaxies reflected in his gaze. The gentle and loving smile on Obi-Wan's lips conveyed a message that transcended mere friendship, echoing the depth of emotions that unfolded in the dance of the night.

With each note of the ensuing chorus, your steps took on a newfound extravagance. Across the ancient stones, you and the Jedi glided seamlessly, your voice ascending to meet the night's gentle breeze. The moonlit waltz evolved into a dance of emotions, a symphony of harmonious steps, weaving an unspoken narrative as the hem of your long dress swirled through the air, lightly brushing against both your and Obi-Wan's legs.

"J'remue le ciel, le jour, la nuit. Je danse avec le vent, la pluie. Un peu d'amour, un brin de miel. Et je danse, danse, danse, danse, danse, danse, danse. Et dans le noise, je cours et j'ai peur. Est-ce mon tour? Revient la douleur. Dans tout Paris, je m’abandonne. Et je m'envole, vole, vole, vole, vole, vole, vole."

In an instant, Obi-Wan cast aside all pretenses. Locking his gaze onto your beautiful visage, he guided you into a graceful spin, disregarding everything—reality, his duties, and the Jedi code. All he desired was to be near you and savor the present moment. It wasn't just your enchanting voice; it was the fervor in your dance that wholly captivated him.

As the third verse echoed in the night, you began to toy with your voice, releasing notes that resonated heavenly, traversing the ruins, the cliff, and far beyond. Gathering all your emotions and the love you harbored for Obi-Wan, you expressed them through your high, soaring tones. It was an unmistakable message, one reflected in his eyes. He comprehended every nuance of your expression, the declaration of love entwined with the ache simmering within you, intensified by the realization that your love was forbidden in this world.

"Dans sette douce souffrance. Dont j'ai payé toutes les offenses. Écoute comme mon cœur is immense. Je suis une enfant du monde."

As your message resonated with Obi-Wan, his grasp on your hand and hips tightened, his gaze conveying a myriad of emotions. It spoke volumes about your significance to him, the emotions you stirred within him, and the profound desires hidden beneath the surface.

With the final rendition of the chorus, you infused the last ounce of emotion and power into your voice. Your wide eyes locked onto Obi-Wan as he gracefully twirled you through one pirouette after another.

"J'remue le ciel, le jour, la nuit. Je danse avec le vent, la pluie. Un peu d'amour, un brin de miel. Et je danse, danse, danse, danse, danse, danse, danse. Et dans le bruit, je cours et j'ai peur. Est-ce mon tour? Revient la douleur. Dans tout Paris, je m’abandonne. Et je m'envole, vole, vole, vole, vole, vole, vole."

With the final note resonating in the air, Obi-Wan orchestrated a concluding twirl. Your dress cascaded like a radiant veil, exuding an elegance surpassing that of a billion moons and stars. In the midst of the dance, you felt the sense of freedom coursing through your limbs, all while under the careful watch of the Jedi. There was also a sense of relief, because of the secret you have now unveiled.

As the momentum waned, Obi-Wan guided you back with deliberate ease. In one seamless motion, he drew you closer, releasing his hand from your hip. At the last syllable escaping your lips, his now-free hand cradled the back of your head, initiating a kiss.

Without hesitation, you leaned into the tender yet passionate exchange. A cosmic explosion of sensations surged within you as the long-awaited dream became true. Your hands traced over his tunica, threading through his hair, drawing him nearer. In that moment, all you yearned for was the eternity of this embrace.

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magpie-sherlock · 1 year ago

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Oh gosh it is the evening and I realize I never told you about High Fantasy Star Wars like I said I was going to

Okay SO

Some exposition: It's January of this year. I'm about halfway through my Clone Wars binge with my brother, rewatching it in its entirety for the first time since I was like, eight. I also happen to be a Heroforge addict, having already made several Legend of Zelda-themed miniature sets. I decide to apply my love of Star Wars to my addiction, and then decide that since Heroforge has way more options for fantasy than science fiction, that I will lean WAY into the whole "Star Wars Is Just A Fairy Tale Set In Space" thing.

Things get WAY out of control, and instead of a simple "Here's all the main characters of The Clone Wars in a miniature set", I wind up with a whole AU.

A lot of the story and stuff can be found under the #hfsw tag on my main blog, or by going to my (somewhat; I'm working on it) dedicated AU sideblog, @high-fantasy-sw, but since those are kind of chaotic at the moment, I'll also have a brief rundown here:

The main body (and by that I mean the fic adaptation that I'm writing) of the AU focuses on the Prequels, The Clone Wars, and the Original Trilogy. However, me being the Star War-crazed nerd that I am, I also do have stuff for Rebels, The Bad Batch, Tales of the Jedi/Tales of the Empire, and sometimes the Sequels (the first three are canon to the AU even though they aren't part of the main story; the Sequels are not, but I still like to mess around with them a little).

The plot remains nearly identical to the canon universe, just tweaked to fit the Fantasy worldbuilding.

Because I liked the idea of needing to travel long distances on ships to reach other planets, I decided to not make the setting a single continent with each of the planets being a country on the continent. Instead, the world is set in an archipelago on a great sea, with each of the planets as its own island or chain of islands.

(Side note but one thing I'm very proud of is that each character fights with a distinct weapon, and even each Jedi's individual lightsaber is unique to them.)

I haven't really posted much about this either under the tag or on the main blog, but as I am a sucker for symbolism and motifs and what not, there are several distinct fantasy... "subgenres", I guess you could call them, in the AU that are supposed to symbolise what a character or organization or what-have-you represents. To name a few, the Jedi are heavily influenced by Arthuriana (because holy monk-knights and the ideals of chivalry), the war-like and highly-traditional Mandalorians are inspired by Ancient Rome, Padme specifically has a very classic-fairy-tale motif because of her high ideals and hope for the future, and the Empire (and the island of Coruscant, to an extent) is represented by a very grim version of steampunk, because of its desire to dominate and control through mechanical means.

I do have to put a disclaimer on this work: I never claimed historical accuracy in this AU. My whole thing is, "If I think it's a cool idea, in it goes", and so while several aspects of the story and worldbuilding are drawn from history (especially the Jedi and the Mandalorians), it's more of an inspiration than a strictly accurate thing. If historical accuracy is your thing, I would suggest going and checking out @/an-old-lady's Medieval Star Wars AU, which was a huge inspiration on my own idea, VERY cool, and with much more historical authenticity than my story.

Oh gosh I hope I wasn't overstepping with this infodump, and if I was feel free to ignore. But if you enjoyed this rant, I'm so glad! I hope you have a great day :D

ahsjfkfbbdnfkejnfkekrnd I LOVE THIS

I need to go to bed but i am most definitely looking into this more tmr bc YES I AGREE

and ur so real for the “if i like i add” thing. frfr

the archipelago idea is EXQUISITE. and i love the arthurian addition to the jedi

you did not overstep at all! i love infodumps, and i am currently eeting this one. feel free to infodumo any time friend!

#a question for 'lock #margin

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santalsaburablog · 2 years ago

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The adventures of Santal. Chapter 18. Tea party in the house 500 on Republican Street

Be close to your friends, but keep your enemies even closer.

Temporary respite! Santal Sabura, who has passed the difficult trials of the younglings with honor, can finally relax a little. She plans to spend time usefully and have a good rest. However, not everything is going according to plan…

For the first time Sabura felt herself on top, boundless happiness. For the first time since Master Dooku left. Now that she is relatively free, she can do what her hands did not reach. In short, she had a lot of plans.

Firstly, she had long dreamed of walking outside the Temple. She hasn't done this in a long time. Since that fateful day. And then she was punished. Forced to wash the floors. And the girl really didn't want history to repeat itself.

So this time she decided to act smarter and asked for permission. Considering she's almost a Padawan, we should let her. In light of the fact that she behaved well and passed the tests, she was still allowed, but with conditions. Do not go far and be sure to have an accompanying person.

Santal frowned. It was undesirable for her to go with an escort. She was going to wander the streets in case anyone needed Jedi help. And then to the bar where she met Jango. What if she meets him again? Then can I ask where Dooku is, or more information about Aurra? That's right, she forgot something about her completely.

Since Santal found out about her existence, she still hasn't met her and hasn't even looked for information about her. Where is she now? She couldn't fly to another planet, she had to scour Coruscant. But how do you know that she's here? According to rumors. But the rumors are silent.

Only a year ago there were rumors that Aurra had visited Coruscant. Santal was biting her elbows that she overlooked. And then I thought: or maybe it's good? On that day, a mountain of the mutilated, suspended and dismembered was discovered. It was the handwriting of a mercenary. How many people died in a short period of time! Three Jedi were sent to investigate. Two of them were killed.

It's just a nightmare! And if she had gone to meet then, maybe she would have got into a hot hand too? Maybe this Aurra wouldn't even listen to her. I'd just see another victim and disembowel him by hanging him on the wall. Or, on the contrary, I was in a good mood, but still not the fact that I would be in the mood for communication.

Santal was most scared that so many brutal murders were committed by a woman. A woman! Santal was in shock. She would never have thought that a woman could be a villain. And not just a villain, but a cruel villain.

But time is passing. We must hurry. We need to find her urgently and talk to her. The investigation into the disappearance of the parents has not moved forward for many years.

I had to think of something. But the girl couldn't think of anything. And she decided to take a little rest and do something else. For example, the promised communication.

While Santal and some of her companions had already passed the trials, the rest of her clan were just starting out. And they needed support. In addition, this is a unique opportunity to get to know each other better. Especially those with whom I rarely communicated before.

A month later, an excursion to the cosmodrome was arranged for the Younglings. They were promised to introduce them live to different starships. And those who wish can try to pilot under the supervision of an experienced instructor. Before that, they were taught how to control a speeder, and also introduced to the Delta-7B light interceptor of the "Ethereal Fairy" type. It was also called the Jedi fighter, because the Jedi often used it if they had a solo mission.

Santal didn't really like to drive transport, but eventually learned how to drive a speeder. It turned out that the trips on it were very pleasant. And how many models he has! Santal even wanted to get a personal one. It is only necessary to search in the catalog and to be inexpensive.

The guys went on the tour on foot. Firstly, it was not very far away, and secondly, it was necessary to train endurance.

Santal was in the rear. One. It just happened that way. There are fifteen of them. It is worth noting that many people wanted to be paired with the girl, but they never came to an agreement. As a result, Santal went to the rear.

The girl was happy. She got out into the street and for this she did not have to dodge.

At first, the campaign was successful. Until we reached one seemingly unremarkable store. Santal thought he was exactly like that until she saw what was there.

There were hats in the window, among which there was one black one with a large brim and a bow. The girl was walking, and when she turned her head to the right and saw her, she froze in surprise. How she liked it! Santal just couldn't tear herself away.

Suddenly remembering that she was actually going on an excursion, the girl seemed to wake up from a dream and jumped. There was no one around. The curator and the guys instantly disappeared.

Santal wanted to hit herself on the head. What the hell! She's lost. And very stupid. Small children usually get into this situation.

And how did they not notice her absence? Okay, it doesn't matter. It is important now to think and make the right decision.

It's useless to go looking. You'll only get more lost. It is better to stay in place and take a walk around the store, which probably has a lot of interesting things.

The first thing Santal did was find a hat and took it. And, of course, the seller noticed it:

— Good choice. Fifty credits.

The girl rummaged in her pockets. It's good that she guessed to take the money that Obi-Wan borrowed. I couldn't resist and bought it — especially since the hat is good. So what if it's still too big. The head will eventually get bigger and will be just right.

Suddenly, someone bumped into the girl. Santal turned around and saw the boy from the dream. In his hands was a datapad. He was looking at it enthusiastically and, apparently, that's why he didn't notice.

— What are you looking at?

The boy tore his eyes away from the datapad, looked at her and lowered his head again. The girl decided that he was either shy or just wary. Then she decided to take the first step.

— I'm Youngling. Name is Santal Sabura. What about you?

— I'm Bob! I'm Jango Fett's son!

Santal's eyes widened. Wow! So he had cloned himself after all. And she also wondered who he reminded her of.

— Wow! If you are Fett's son, then you are a future tracker and hunter. You play hide-and-seek really well. Shall we play, Boba? Then it won't be boring. - The girl decided that the game is the best way to defuse the situation.

— And how to play?

— Very simple. You hide, and I'll look for you.

— That is, to track down?

Santal was confused, but answered:

- yes. Something like that.

The girl turned to the wall and closed her eyes. The boy quickly hid behind the shelves and shouted:

— Done!

Naturally, Santal found him quickly.

— And now you look for me. Come on, turn your back to the wall and wait a minute.

Boba did everything that was asked. Santal started to step aside as she felt that she was being watched. And indeed: the boy carefully tried to peek.

— Don't peek! Otherwise it's not fair.

Fett Jr. made guilty eyes.

— Okay. Let's start over.

If someone saw all this, they would be very surprised. What miracles! The hunter's son and the Jedi's daughter play together.

I really enjoyed playing with Boba Santal. Although she saw that the boy was not at all experienced in games, she wanted to show him childhood, that it was necessary to have enough time to play in time. Because then it will be too late.

— Well, well, well. What do we have here? Santal heard a familiar voice and turned around.

It was Jango Fett. And it was unclear from his tone whether he was glad to see her or not.

— Dad, meet me. This is Santal. We played with her.

— I see. Boba, give us a minute. I'll talk to her.

The man took the girl deep into the store into a dark corner, which greatly alarmed the latter. She was about to activate the sword when she was stopped.

— Don't be afraid. No one will kill you. I just want to know. What are you doing here?

— I saw a thing in the window and decided to buy it. And what?

— And why did you get acquainted with my son?

"Can't you?" Santal asked a little brazenly.

— I asked "why"?

— We accidentally ran into each other, — the girl realized that it was better not to anger him, and slowed down. — And the idea to play belongs to me. Or are you implying that I shouldn't have done that?

— Why not? May. But don't get too carried away.

"Is that all?" Santal put her hands behind her back and rolled from heel to toe.

— That's it.

— Then I have my own questions. First, I need more information about Aurra Sing. Because I won't catch her that way. Secondly, how is my teacher? Is he all right? Third, about that Cad Bane or whatever his name is. Who is he? And where does he live?

— What do you mean?

— I mean, give me the address. Street, house, apartment… By the way, this also applies to Aurra.

Jango looked at Santal like she was crazy.

"There's nothing wrong with your teacher. Alive and well.

Well, at least some good news. The girl's mood improved a little.

— And everything else?

— I won't say that.

- why? Because it is forbidden?

— First of all, yes. This is confidential information. Secondly, no one ever asks such things. Hunters do not have a permanent place of residence.

— And we have everything in one place and everyone knows who lives where.

Jango chuckled and continued:

— In general, I won't tell you anything more and I'm not going to help you anymore, — He was just about to leave, but Santal wouldn't let him.

— Well, no. I saved your friend. I think his name was Silas. By the way, how is he there?

— I'm fine.

"Exactly. And it might not have been if it wasn't for me! So you owe me!

"You forgot something. I calmly endured your company in a secret discussion of the deal with your teacher. Although, in a good way, I should have thrown you out by the scruff of the neck for lying. And I also told you about the existence of Aurra. So we've been even for a long time.

The man quietly pushed her into the wall and left with his son.

***

Jango, being a bounty hunter, always liked everything to go according to plan. But, unfortunately, this did not always happen. In such cases, improvisation helped well. So on that fateful day three years ago, when an unknown girl fell on him like a snow on his head, he decided to act on the situation.

When she began to ask him for help, the man was very surprised. A little girl fearlessly begs a stranger for help. You can see in her eyes that she's desperate. And when he refused, she did not retreat immediately, but continued to advance. Boldly. And then I compared it with a duros in a hat.

Jango immediately understood who he was talking about. He knew this duros well and even taught him for a short time. He knew his principles, or rather, almost the complete absence of them. Therefore, the girl's statement that he was no better was considered a personal insult. And, apparently, that's why he agreed to help.

And what was his surprise that the girl was a student of Tyranus! The way she protected him... Then a blind man will guess. He even gave her advice about shooting. And some information about Aurra. Why? He hoped that she would go looking for her, and he would not see this girl again. However, three years later, she is still alive. The same arrogant, fearless and stubborn. But also deceitful.

When Santal said that Count Dooku had saved Silas, he didn't believe it right away. The Jedi have always been the enemies of the Mandalorians. And jango didn't like being lied to. But the thought that the friend who once saved his life, with whom they had gone through so much, was alive, warmed his soul. While flying, I wrote a message to the customer that if Silas was harmed, the deal would be terminated, and the Mandalorian's revenge would be merciless. And after the "part-time taxi driver" there was a long-awaited reunion.

The friend was in far from the best condition, but he was alive. After taking his friend to the hospital, the hunter again remembered about Dooku's student, which is not as simple as it seems. That question about the two Jedi that Django really didn't kill. Here he told the truth. But he knew exactly who did it. Aurra boasted at a meeting many years ago how she and Cad Bane, Robonino, some kind of vikway hunted very successfully.

In general, as an orphan, jango understood the orphan girl. And when she said that Dooku was her Juster, he fully felt her so-called cry of the soul. Maybe that's why I decided to help. A little bit. In the hope that he won't see her again.

But suddenly she showed up again. Three years later. And where? In the shop. Yes, I also met my son. No, never set foot on Coruscant again. At least with Boba. This girl will have a bad influence on him otherwise.

***

Five minutes later, Santal herself was found. As punishment, they were forced to meditate for several hours to develop concentration, so they also arranged an individual piloting lesson.

But Santal was worried about something else. She has a new friend. And he's not from the Order. And I wanted to see him again. But how? Most likely, they live on Kamino, and this planet is very far away. Public transport does not go there. You won't be able to fly very often. She does not know how and she will not be able to secretly escape all the time. If she constantly leaves the Temple, many will have a lot of questions, and she does not really want to answer them. And how do you explain why you're going away?

The easiest thing is to tell the truth, because there is nothing wrong with what she is doing. But is it possible for a Jedi to visit friends outside the Order?

But she's still glad to meet you. Such a fateful meeting. But the oddities did not end there.

After a while, something else happened. A curator approached Santal and said that someone wanted to see her. Realizing that the meeting was going to be serious, she went to the shower and put on clean clothes.

The curator and Youngling flew to the Senate building. With each step, the girl became more and more anxious. Who called her? And why?

Here the chancellor's office appeared. Only then did it begin to dawn on her who was behind all this. The girl hoped that she was in the wrong place, but all in vain.

— Santal Sabura! It's good to see you. Thank you for taking the time. I know how exhausting Jedi training is.

— Santal Sabura has recently achieved great success, — said Tera Saynube.

— Of course. It can't be otherwise.

— What do you want from me? Santal asked, hoping it wasn't too rude. — Do you have a task for me?

— Not really. Just a modest tea party.

— Are you serious? — Even the curator fell into a precipitate. And the girl understood him very well.

— Absolutely not. As you said, Santal Sabura is a very capable Jedi with great potential. And I'd like to get to know her better. It won't take long, don't worry. You won't have time to blink an eye, as I will return her to the Temple in one piece. I understand that training is waiting for her. And she still has a lot to learn," the Chancellor approached Santal with a friendly smile.

Then the curator left them alone. So the girl was left alone with the head of the Republic. Because of this, she became very uncomfortable. She's not alone with anyone, but with the chancellor! And then there's that oppressive silence again.

— Honey, please follow me, — the chancellor beckoned her with his finger.

The girl suddenly felt like a dog, which the owner commanded: "To me!". But she went.

The Chancellor led Santal into a rather cozy room with a large white sofa with a golden pattern. There was a glass oval table near it, on which there was a teapot, two white cups with a beautiful but simple ornament and a curved handle, and even large plates with a bunch of sweets and fruits. A few slices of cake with a jogan fruit. A large vase with ice cream balls made of blue milk. Cupcakes with muja fruits, chocolate. Juicy purple kree-kree berries. Mailurans that Santal adored. Even the grapes were, despite the fact that they were rare. It was mostly eaten by the rich.

"If there were more mushrooms with mold and ricrit meat, it would be quite a paradise," Santal thought.

She was also very uncomfortable. She was even ashamed of it. It seemed to her that she did not deserve this. Doesn't stand out in any particular way, or does the chancellor know something about her that she doesn't know? Was he spying on her? Hardly. Why would he do that?

— Oh, don't be shy. You deserve it. Have a seat. Don't be shy.

"How does he manage to see through people? Or was it written on my forehead?" — Santal obeyed and sat down to the left of the chancellor and took a couple of grapes. Once offered, you should not refuse.

— But for what? I didn't do anything wrong.

— I rewarded you. After all, you've come a long way. Withstood so many trials.

"Others have passed no less tests," Santal objected, scooping up some ice cream with a spoon..

The Chancellor smiled kindly, shook his head and said:

— Okay, you got me. In fact, I started this to make friends with you.

It was the most startling confession Santal had heard at the time.

— Why? — the girl was in shock.

— Does friendship need a reason? In our age, it is very difficult when there are no close friends to rely on. Friendship is a very rare phenomenon. Now there are betrayals, lies, deception all around. Believe me, I have lived a long life and have the right to advise.

— I have no such problems. There are friends around and I trust everyone.

"It was not enough for him to find out about the failed teacher. Here's another one! Will I still discuss my classmates with an old man whom I don't know so well"

— I believe it willingly. I'm just warning you that you might run into it. And it's very unpleasant.

— You say that as if you have repeatedly encountered this.

"Alas, my dear, it is so. You see, I've been involved in politics all my life. Dirty business, as they call it. And for a reason. I know the Jedi don't like politicians, and you probably don't either. We are considered corrupt egoists who think only of themselves. But they don't understand that our life is a continuous series of difficult decisions. That's why, to some extent, I envy the Jedi. Your life is predetermined from birth. You are spared the need to choose. Your path is straight. My path is a fork.

"What words. Straight philosophy"

Palpatine paused, and then asked:

— Tell me, how do you like studying at the Temple? Do you like it?

Santal foresaw such a "control" question and gave a cliched answer:

- yes. This is the best thing that happened to me in my life. I'm perfectly happy," the girl replied sternly and firmly.

She had been told in class more than once that every action of a Jedi reflected on the entire Order. Good deeds improve the reputation of the Order, bad ones sometimes cause irreparable damage. Every being they meet can see a Jedi for the first time, and the actions of just one Jedi will affect the perception of the entire Jedi Order. So she did exactly that. In accordance with the instructions.

The Chancellor nodded. The girl poured herself some tea again, shifting slightly on the sofa, which seemed uncomfortable to her. Despite the fact that the chancellor was the epitome of friendliness, she was uncomfortable being in the same room with him. She was embarrassed because the head of the Republic invited her to visit, sits and drinks tea with her.

According to Santal, her fellow clansmen also deserve such an honor. Therefore, it seemed to her that everything that was happening to her was wrong.

But it was worth paying tribute: the chancellor organized a chic table. When the treat was eaten and the tea was drunk, the girl leaned back on the sofa. She had never eaten so many delicious things at once. Santal, during the meal, took, for example, a kree-kree berry in her mouth and held it there for about a minute, enjoying the moment, and then calmly swallowed. She even envied the Chancellor. He probably eats like this almost every day. How she would like to live the same way! In a luxurious apartment, a plate of fruit every day, chic expensive clothes.

And she? A Jedi to whom prophesying is contraindicated. They cannot have many things, only the most necessary. And the interior of her private room should not be rich.

The Chancellor stood up and wiped his mouth with a napkin. His piercing blue eyes widened, as if he remembered something important. The girl was worried that something serious was about to happen. And suddenly I got a surprise.

— By the way, I suddenly remembered that I had planned a kind of small trip for today. And I thought you could accompany me.

Santal choked and jumped up.

— Chancellor, are you serious?

"No way," the old man said calmly.

— Oh, no, no… Are you serious? What kind of escort am I? I'm just a youngling.

—A very talented youngling," the chancellor reminded, raising his index finger up with an intelligent look.

— It doesn't matter! Santal waved it away. — Let me better call the Temple, they will send you an experienced knight or a master who could go with you instead of me. After all, the Jedi are responsible for your safety. And I still have a lot to learn.

— It's nothing. I'm quite capable of standing up for myself. You probably think that because I'm a politician, I can't defend myself. But this is not the case. I'm not as defenseless as you think. Yes, and in any case, nothing will threaten us. You won't have time to blink an eye, as you will return to the Temple, safe and sound. I understand that training is waiting for you. Like you said, you still have a lot to learn.

Santal still agreed to go. She and the Chancellor put on cloaks with a hood, and then the head of the Republic took her to the lower level 2685. The girl's stomach turned cold.

— Why did you need to go down so deep? What business can you have there? I was told it wasn't safe to go down to the lower levels.

— Ah... they told you. And, of course, you've never been this low yourself, have you, Santal?

—Of course not," Santal lied. It was not necessary for the chancellor to know about her adventures. Even padawans are rarely allowed to leave the Temple unaccompanied. What can we say about the younglings. They are kept under strict control even in the Temple.

"Is that okay with you?"

— Absolutely. Adults know better what is best for us. And our right is to obey.

Santal thought for a second that disappointment flashed across the chancellor's face.

— Well, I visit the lower levels all the time. I feel like it's my duty. Despite the fact that padawans almost never come down here, I'm sure that few locals come to the surface. Do you know what is most valued on Coruscant?

— Nature? A clean neighborhood? An apartment with all amenities? Water? Clean air?

— The sky. Down here, the sun is a myth. My predecessor, the unfortunate Valorum, was happy to pretend that these depths did not exist for him. But I can't. It's the darkness that needs light the most.

Long live Chancellor Valorum! Santal shouted in her mind.

She liked the previous chancellor much more. Serious, as she thought, responsible, focused only on the case. He definitely wouldn't be having tea with a jungling girl!

And the Chancellor continued:

— When I have free time, I visit places like this. I hide my identity, just like we are now, and then secretly try to do something good.

The chancellor led the girl into a dim room. Santal immediately wanted to cover her ears with her hands because of the loud music. There were a lot of people. Someone was drinking, someone was laughing, someone was talking loudly. There was a bar with a huge selection of drinks, tables for games. Two people [even worse! we sat down on a long red sofa, next to which there was a round white table.

"Don't take off your hood, Santal. That way we can stay here incognito.

A blue twi'lek approached them. The girl immediately caught the eye of her outfit. She had never seen anyone dressed so openly before. The girl had a gold-embroidered bra with a fabric sewn to the bottom of the bodice, and a skirt, as they say, one name. A wide belt to which two pieces of fabric are attached in front and back. It seems that the girl stayed on the beach, realized that she was late, and ran in what she had. Lots of sequins, ropes and open spaces. The head was decorated with a wide black rim with gold sequins.

Some kind of swimsuit, not normal clothes! And some fancy jewelry. Especially the strange necklace around her neck. That's how shameless you have to be to dress like that. After all, it is still visible, especially what should be hidden as much as possible in a decent society. And here… A bra with such a deep neckline, then look, the chest will fall out and everyone will see everything. It is already as visible as possible.

While the girl was reasoning, the chancellor politely replied that he would not make an order, and the twi'lek turned around and left. So Santal saw other candid places. For example, the lower back. How it attracts attention!

Suddenly someone whistled. The girl looked around, and Santal too. A man was waving his hand, almost slipping. Apparently, the legs did not hold. But the look was like that of a hungry predator who saw his prey and began to think about how to catch it and eat it.

The girl felt unwell. The Chancellor noticed this and started a conversation:

"Just look at this place. Terrible things happen here every day. Debauchery, violence, robberies. Complete impunity, crime. Moreover, anyone can be bought here. Absolutely anyone. This club sells lives every day. It's disgusting. Especially twi'lechki…

Suddenly the old man started up and hurried to say:

— Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I know you came from the planet Ryloth. This is your home planet, right? I must have caused unpleasant associations or memories.

— Yes, I'm from Ryloth, but I don't understand. What associations?

"Ryloth is the home planet of the Twi'lek, whose culture is deeply rooted in slavery. Any individual, thinking about a slave, immediately imagines a twi'lechka in a revealing outfit. Twi'lechki are the most favorite object of the slave trade, and sometimes a status symbol that creates the appearance of wealth in society.

— What a horror ... — although Santal had already heard about it, she pretended that it was a surprise for her. "Does that suit the Twi'leks?" Do they really like to live like this?

— Do you like it? I'm begging you, it's part of their life. Twi'leks often trade with their own kind. Although there are more and more marriages where a man and a woman love each other, respect and consider each other equal, there are still dominant men who love to dominate in the Twi'lek society, who head clans and control the economy, while they consider women as an ornament and addition to a man. Such men do not take women seriously, considering them to be nothing more than a thing whose only duty is to serve men and fulfill their whims, so the twi'lek occupation was usually limited solely to this purpose: while their husbands or masters were engaged in politics and trade, they acted as dancers, masseuses and concubines. But, as I said, it's not that bad. Those I have described are in the minority.

— And yet they are.

— Yes, and they are quite dangerous. For example, the famous gangster Jabba the Hutt, he has a whole harem of twi'lechs, which he easily changes. Or Chom Frey Kaa, the senator of your planet, also did not put women in anything. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of one of the Jedi, Quinlan Vos, he was arrested for distributing the drug glitterill. But, alas, not always so lucky. Look here.

The Chancellor talked and talked, and Santal listened, but at the same time carefully studied everything around her. So she noticed another twi'lechka who had light purple skin and similar clothes. Only the bottom was different. This lady had a very short skirt. The rest is similar.

— What a nightmare! Santal said. — Where does the owner of the establishment look?

— And here's where, — the Chancellor pointed with his gaze at an obese man who came out of the door near the bar. This guy looked around his "possessions", noticed his acquaintances, among whom there was a whistler, and approached them. They began to tell him something. Then the fat man shouted something, and apparently it was the name of the blue twi'lek. The waitress came up, and a real shower of abuse fell on her.

The whole conversation took place in a language Santal did not know. At the end, the boss barked so that the girl dropped the tray. The man could not stand it and slapped her, so much so that the girl's ass kissed the table. The fat man's friends laughed together.

The girl couldn 't stand it and exclaimed:

— This is an outrage! Not only do his waitresses wear inappropriate uniforms, but also... this!

— Calm down, dear. These girls are his property. Alas, natural beauty played a cruel joke on them. Therefore, most often they were only slaves," the chancellor finished sadly. — That's why I was scared, afraid to upset you, to remind you that your people are too... or do you know this firsthand?

"Nothing like that," Santal replied, glancing at the boss out of the corner of her eye.

— good. So I didn't reopen old wounds by mentioning slavery.

— Of course. I learned about this phenomenon for the first time in books.

— Well, you're lucky.

Suddenly, a woman screamed. The girl raised her head and saw how the already familiar whistler was holding the blue twi'lek by the waist, and with the other hand he was squeezing her chest hard. The girl screamed and called in Twi'lek for help. The boss stood and looked calmly.

Santal could not calmly look at the suffering of a representative of her people, and therefore she felt her pain especially strongly. She felt she had to do something. Is she a future Jedi or not?

The girl had already decided to get up, as the chancellor took her hand, hinting that there was no need to interfere. Then she crawled under the table.

Who would have thought, a man wants to drag a girl into the back room to do his dirty work there, and suddenly his belt unbuttons. As a result, the "connoisseur of female beauty" turns out to be in front of everyone in underpants, and then without them at all.

The whole place just exploded with laughter:

— Just look at it! What a tiny dick! — the men were laughing.

"I'd have to look for him under a microscope!" — one girl almost fell with laughter.

The whistler, out of anger, quickly corrected the "misunderstanding", began to look with his eyes for the one who humiliated him. Looking around the room, he noticed a man in black clothes, who was laughing almost the loudest, throwing his head back. Someone else in a raincoat was sitting next to him, but the victim was less interested in him. In a rage, the humiliated man went to him:

— Hey, you freak, what exactly amused you so much? Oh, no, I know, you did it! You! You've made a fool of me! Am I right? Answer me immediately! Why are you silent? I asked you a question!

Santal was scared, thinking that a fight was about to start, but on the other hand, it was funny to her, because this man does not know who he is dealing with. Oh, if he knew, he would have started apologizing himself.

The Chancellor, oddly enough, apparently had the same opinion, thought there was no threat, and calmly replied:

— My niece was joking. I laughed. That's all. Now, if we've sorted it out, we'll go. We were just about to leave.

"And quickly," the disgraced one added.

Santal initially doubted whether to leave now, she wanted to make sure that the girls would be all right. When she saw those waitresses smiling out of the corner of her eye, she calmed down a little and followed the chancellor.

But she was still worried, afraid that when she left, the girls would have problems, and she would not be able to help them. We need to think about what to do.

"Can I ask you a question, Santal?"

- of course.

"Your Jedi abilities allow you to manipulate objects with the Force, don't they?"

- yes. We have been learning this since childhood.

— Could these abilities affect the location of, say... underwear?

— What I can do, everyone can do. I'm not special and I didn't do anything special. I acted according to my conscience," the girl answered seriously, looking the head of the Republic in the eyes.

They didn't talk the rest of the way back.

Entering the Chancellor's office, the duo took off their raincoats. Finally. Santal breathed a sigh of relief.

— How do you like our little adventure? Did you like it?

— I liked it. It was very interesting. I learned a lot of new things. And you too. I hope you will not ignore this.

"What do you mean?"

— Well, the head of that institution… When you have seen everything with your own eyes, you will be able to press him," the girl clenched her fist with a wide smile.

— I'll try. But this scoundrel is a small cog compared to large criminal organizations. His arrest will not greatly correct the picture of the world. The victory will be imperceptible and will change little.

— And I remember you said that you like to do good deeds in secret, — Santal reminded.

— That's right. But honestly, I'm sorry I dragged you into all this. You're still so young. It was completely inappropriate.

"You just realized about it now?" the girl was surprised, but she did not speak out loud.

— I have already said that there are many masters and knights who have three times more experience than me. You can ask them to do it for you. You're a busy person yourself.

"The Jedi don't belong to me. They are in the power of the Senate. It's quite possible to ask them to arrest that scoundrel, but I can't send them all the time on minor issues. If they were obliged to obey my commands, I would be nothing but a dictator. I don't want that.

— Then call the police.

— The police at the lower levels are not as effective as at the top. He often proves his incompetence, or even shows inaction at all.

"So she can't either?" You're the head of the Republic, I thought you could control everything.

— Not all of them. Although I am the chancellor, I am limited in my powers. Otherwise, it would not be a democracy, but a dictatorship. Which I can't allow.

— If you can't… And the Jedi can't… Then who can?

— This, my dear, is a question that haunts me even at night. Please do an elderly man a favor and don't tell your Jedi masters anything about it... I'm not sure they would approve…

- yes. I suppose it is," Santal agreed here. The curator wouldn't like a walk to the hangout.

— Santal... it's none of my business... but let me ask, are you happy in the Temple?

- of course. Becoming a Jedi is all I've ever wanted. This is my destiny. And I am glad that she brought me to the Temple," Santal also answered the standard question firmly, without hesitation, looking the old man in the eyes.

— I see. Now go home. You must be tired after everything that happened. I've exhausted you. But I want you to know: you will always be welcome here, and if you need help, I will help you.

***

As soon as Santal left, the chancellor was lost in his thoughts. Well, the psychological experiment went well. But worse than planned. I learned quite a bit about the subject. But, nevertheless, it was interesting to watch her.

Obviously, the girl is the complete opposite of Anakin. Very obedient, unwavering loyalty to the Order (you can see it even in your eyes), strict to yourself and others, too... Jedi. You can't make anything out of such clay, it's too hard. No matter how your hands crumple it, you will not make the necessary dishes.

Although what she did to that idiot is amusing. According to the chancellor, the girl acted quite harshly and very thoughtfully. I hit a sore spot, but it was still a pretty childish act. Besides, she wasn't at all proud of what she had done.

Unlike the same Skywalker. He is more emotionally unstable, plus childhood injuries have done their job. And most importantly, the old Sith saw that the boy trusted him completely. And he's very talented. Single-handedly destroyed an entire station only with the help of his pilot skills. The power flows powerfully in him. Darth Sidious felt it well. Incredible potential. When he met this boy, he immediately realized that he must definitely become his disciple.

In the case of Santal, Sidious met her before Skywalker purely by chance. Then he didn't pay much attention to her. And yet there was something about her that he couldn't explain. While. And that case at the Tournament… The girl accidentally found herself in the thick of things and successfully got away with it. Not bad. Very good.

Perhaps I'll have to ask Dooku. Maybe he knew her personally and would tell her something useful about her.

The bad thing was that the Chancellor had a very busy schedule. Sometimes there was so much to do that there was no time to sleep. If he didn't have a special bed, he wouldn't get enough sleep.

And it was not by chance that Sidious dragged the girl to the "Excitement and Erotica" club. He was still able to find out some information about Santal Sabur. It turned out a little and almost nothing significant. An ordinary-looking human girl. From Rylot. A planet rich in the drug rill and women.

It's worth noting that Palpatine wasn't even lying when he talked about how men and women on Santal's home planet treat each other differently. The man expected that a seemingly smart girl would be aware of this. And that she, realizing the injustice of this world, seeing how much her people suffer, with her own eyes, will give free rein to inner darkness.

He thought Santal would try to make the tormentor of a representative of her people really hurt. Somehow it will give itself away. However, his expectations were not met. To the fullest extent.

Sidious also felt distrust from the girl, which he managed to dispel a little. This is progress.

And yet Skywalker was more preferable to the Sith. And older, more independent and more "dark". Santal could also become his student, but it is harder and longer to process her. And one of the reasons is distrust. But Anakin fully believes him.

And Santal is too Jedi. At the moment. However, even she can be turned to her side. It's only a matter of time. In the meantime, it remains only to observe. Sometimes.

***

— Wow! Barriss exclaimed, surrounded by a bunch of datapads in the library.

"I know you don't believe it, but it's the truth.

Santal has just told her best friend about her adventures with the chancellor. Yes, he asked not to tell the teachers, but he didn't say that you can't tell your friends. And she chose Barriss as a listener. She is quiet, understanding and there is no risk that she can condemn somewhere like Green. And she won't be too emotional, like Max and Dasha.

— What do you think about this? — the girl was eager to know the opinion of mirialanka.

— Honestly, I don't even know what to think. It's all so weird.

— I completely agree with you. I was shocked when I found out that the chancellor wanted to have tea with me.

— And then he dragged you to the club "Excitement and Erotica", where all the conditions for sabacca, pazaak and other games. Where you can play, enjoy a drink and admire the available girls.

— How do you know?

— I'm always reading something. And I train my memory. For example, I can already remember a small maze of streets.

— Those who read a lot know a lot.

"Exactly.

— You know, I'm doing the same thing. We're great.

— And about the chancellor, most likely, he just wanted to make friends with you. After all, you are special.

"Are you going there too?" I'm not special at all. The most common youngling. Well, smart, well, I know how to swing a sword a little, I read books, but nothing else.

Barriss chuckled. The girls also studied the files. Santal decided to find out more about the club.

— Can we chew? I've been sitting here for a long time," Mirialanka suggested.

A slight rumbling in her stomach made Santal realize that eating was a good idea.

In the dining room, the friends gathered full trays and continued the conversation:

— I keep thinking about your words. Like, I'm special. And what is my peculiarity? Santal asked, cutting off a piece of meat and putting it in her mouth. Simple food again. Less than a day has passed, and she already misses the fruits and ice cream from the chancellor's office.

"The Jedi teach that each of us is unique in our own way. The Temple has always strictly adhered to the belief that no student was better than another. Everyone has their own gift. For example, it's interesting to communicate with you. Something happens to you all the time. And every time you come out the winner. I wonder how you do it.

"I don't know. I'm not looking for adventures. They're the ones who find me. If I had my way, I would generally sit quieter than a mouse. You're unique, too. Quiet, well-read, calm, with whom you can discuss a lot. Maybe that's why we became friends. Both are disciplined, respectful of their elders, loving new knowledge.

Santal sincerely believed that there was a perfect friendship between her and Barriss. They are so similar, complete harmony and balance, peace and harmony. No quarrels. The girl hoped that it would always be like this. True, they do not see each other often, but perhaps in the future everything will change.

Then the friends separated. Santal went to her room, continuing to reflect on everything that had happened to her. The story is really very strange from the very beginning. There were questions in my head that urgently needed answers. Why did the Chancellor invite her to tea? Why did you take me to this creepy place? Probably, the chancellor is a busy man, and he is very bored alone in a huge office. He's a grandfather by age. He would like to babysit his grandchildren, but he doesn't seem to have them. Otherwise he wouldn't have called her.

Santal also concluded that the chancellor is very self-confident, since he went to the lower levels, taking a child as an escort.

"I'm not as defenseless as you think," the old man's words echoed in his head.

Maybe the chancellor studied martial arts in his youth? Perhaps. If so, that explains a lot. For example, his calmness in any situation.

Santal was so lost in thought that she didn't notice how she bumped into someone.

"Look where you're going, yunling," This voice is not to be confused with any other.

"I'm sorry, Master Windu.

— Santal Sabura, and I'm just looking for you.

"Is something wrong?"

— I have a question for you.

#cad bane #cad bane x oc

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ariainstars · 5 years ago

Text

Congratulations, We Fell for Another Love Bombing or Thank You, Disney, You Did It Again

Sigh. Luke Skywalker is back. And Din Djarin and his child had to say goodbye. I never thought I would curse and say “Oh no!” when Luke appeared in that fateful corridor.

I wonder why the Disney studios are doing this - trying to "make up” for the oh-so criticized sequels, I suppose?

The Jedi have made their time. It was shown and proven over and over again that their attitude is wrong and needs to change, and Luke was the last of the old school Jedi. Again, a Force-sensitive child is all but kidnapped by a Jedi: he obviously did not like to go. Mando is no longer the hero of the story, he was stripped of his agency and all of his personal choices were questioned and valued for null and void. But the Dark Saber is in his hands now, so he’s the heir to the throne of Mandalore I guess. Like he ever wanted that.

This show, which grew to be so well-beloved in only a few episodes, now is not “The Mandalorian” any more. Its new title is “Luke’s Skywalker’s Comeback”. Hardcore fans may be out of their minds with joy, but for us, who admired Mando both as a badass hero and as a father figure and loved the dynamics between him and Grogu, the whole purpose of the show is destroyed. And here I naively had thought The Rise of Skywalker was bad enough to teach the studios not to repeat its mistakes.

~~~ more under the cut ~~~

Star Wars ought to be a fairy tale. It is and always was one. I can understand that the prequels had to end in a tragedy, we all knew that from the start, but why the sequels? And now, why must this generally acclaimed and beloved tv show again appease hardcore fans of old with Luke coming to save the day, cancelling in a matter of minutes what the story had built up within two entire seasons - the relationship of the two protagonists, heart and core of the narrative, as it had been with Rey and Ben Solo? And when both of them had their relationship just getting started - Rey and Ben kissing, Din calling Grogu by his name and the latter seeing him and touching his face? Why make Rey a queen without her king, and Din a father without a son?

Again, a Force-user is denied having a home: „Jedi training” matters more. By Luke of all people, the guy who never was trained in the first place (only very briefly), who except for a few lessons with Obi-Wan and Yoda was self-taught in the Force, and never understood that his strength lay with his compassion and his connection with other people, not with his alleged „superpowers”.

Think back to how Anakin, Luke and Rey were before they met the Jedi: unaware of their powers, compassionate, idealistic, brave. The Jedi mindset tainted their characters and lives, making them believing that they are (or have to be) untouchable and invincible, compelling them to live for duty instead of love, condemning them to a lifetime of loneliness. Will the Jedi never learn?

Though I practically grew up with the classic movies, I loved The Last Jedi; I can accept that Luke failed, and also that Han and Leia did. Nobody is perfect, and the Jedi mindset as well as the universally accepted idea that „Jedi” is a synonym for infallible saint-like hero was wrong in the first place, else the Empire never would have risen. Making Luke not the cavalry who came to save the day - until the battle on Crait, that is - but a man who failed and picked himself up again was much more meaningful, and I know not a few fans who felt inspired by this. Luke had saved his father choosing love over power, not the contrary. Some fans just never get it. To appease them, why not simply give him a new storyline of his own, instead of making him intrude in other Star Wars related shows? Why stop the new stories in their tracks just to bring him back?

Instead of seeing Luke as the grand kickass hero in a tv show that never had anything to do with him until now, it would have been more to the purpose to finally shed light on the thirty years between his father’s and his nephew’s death, to explain us where the Jedi and the Skywalker-Organa-Solo family failed to make such an outcome possible - the granddaughter of Palpatine taking over with their own blessing. There must have been a huge build-up between the end of the original saga and the fateful night at the temple when Luke briefly panicked looking into his nephew’s mind. Many fans still are convinced that „Kylo Ren just chose to be bad” because we hardly know how the relationship between these two was in the first place. (A very easy plot twist would e.g. have been Snoke warning Ben that his uncle sooner or later would turn on him, frightened by his power. The fulfilment of that prophecy would have made the night at the temple much more impactful.)

I understand that the studios want to tease us, to make us watch the other shows, too. But honestly, I’m getting tired of feeling duped. Tired of getting attached to new heroes to have their purpose smashed just so the Star Wars dudebro fans can sleep quietly at night because „some Jedi will take care of it”. First the characters from the sequels, now the ones from The Mandalorian. You get to love the new characters, you root for them to find happiness or at least some closure, and then, at the last moment, poof!, the hero of old comes back and the story development stops right there.

It is not right and it never was for the Jedi to take Force-sensitive children away from home, to enforce „you have to become a Jedi, like it or not” on them, to teach them not to have attachments, to make them focus on the Light Side thereby bringing the Force out of its much-needed balance. While Ahsoka saw that Grogu has formed a strong attachment to Din Djarin, Luke obviously did not, or he did not care. The irony is that he always wanted a father, and knows the pain of losing a father you’ve just found.

The Mandalorian felt like a consolation after Episode IX, a blessing for the fans for whom heart and soul are more interesting than nostalgia and „Jedi superheroes”. Now it’s just another kick in the guts. It’s painful and embarrassing to get to love characters so much, to get invested in their story so deeply, and then to realize again that they seem to mean nothing in the shade of the heroes of old. Ben Solo died young and miserable and Din Djarin and Grogu can now, I suppose, be miserable too. Can someone please explain to me why after the classics, no Star Wars film or show had an uplifting ending any more? With the possible exception of Solo, which was a nice filler but not a really important storyline. (I do not count Episodes I and II, they officially had a happy ending but it was tainted by the knowledge of what was to come.)

Fans are not blind. We saw the parallels between Darth Vader and Din Djarin as well as the differences - both being cool and tough but the latter not disdaining to be a caring father at the same time. The entire show lived from the dynamics between the gruff but kind bounty hunter and the innocent-looking powerful child, ever from the first episode. Two years of build-up for nothing, as it was with the four years of the sequels. Mando has to relinquish Grogu, Rey loses Ben. What was all that for? Both Mando and Rey are fighters, they have done nothing else their entire lives. What is to become of them now that they have nothing to fight for any more, nor anyone to live for? Except staying on a planet that is foreign to them and, for all they know, inhabitable or at least inhospitable?

With Rey and Ben Solo, the situation was different: she had proven good intentions but bad attitude (arrogance, violence, judgement) over and over, unable to deny her heritage, and even impaled her „antagonist” once while he was only defending himself. He had been the head of a criminal organization for years, and had committed patricide. Of course there are nuances to these characters and I still believe that they would have deserved another chance; I understand however that would have been unfitting to let the sequels end giving them a happy ending.

But in the case of Din Djarin, a man of honor, who has made friends and brought peace wherever he went throughout the galaxy? Grogu, the last surviving padawan of the old Jedi temple, who saved both his and Greef Karga’s life despite the danger for himself? What did they do to deserve being ripped apart like that?

So, all I can say: thank you, you did it again. And, once more, just before Christmas. I wish at least these depressing endings would be released at some other time.

I would dearly want to see a galaxy that finally learned from its faults, where family and attachments and Balance and free choice are not contrary to being a Jedi. I am in my late forties and I’m beginning to give up hope that I will live to see it. By now I am wondering whether George Lucas himself will live to see it.

I always loved Luke. He is one of my favorite heroes. But now he’s become an insensitive know-it-all who suffered from his own daddy issues to the point that he almost died crying out to his father for help, yet did not learn not to separate fathers from children and vice versa and, on the contrary, is doing it over and over again. He did not even tell Mando his name, or where he could reach him. We don’t have a clue as to if, when and how the Clan of Two will meet again.

I get it that since this show is set five years Return of the Jedi, it would have been difficult to ignore Luke’s existence altogether. And of course, we can rest assured that Luke will do his best for Grogu. But still: he has made his time. I wanted to see the new heroes going their own way, not hanging on the sleeves of the former generation. Mando is a man of honor, he had promised to bring Grogu to his own kind and he relinquished him despite his own wishes. (Not to mention that technically, since he identifies as a Mandalorian, by being a Jedi Luke is his enemy.) Why did Luke have to take the child away? His greatest strength always was that he was first and foremost himself and only in the second place a Jedi. What became of his trademark compassion?

Before The Mandalorian, we have never seen a healthy and working father-son relationship in the saga. It was incredibly refreshing and heart-warming to see these two traveling through the galaxy and living through adventures together; also, contrarily to Yoda, Grogu saw a lot of the bad things happening in the galaxy with his own eyes, which certainly was good for his character development.

But in the end, both he and his „father” did not go anywhere. Like Rey in Episode IX, they found a) power and b) a surrogate place, but neither got what was actually his heart’s wish - a home. I can’t understand why. Deliberate cruelty? We never knew whether Han and Leia and Ben felt how painful it was to break up their little family for the sake of „Jedi training”. You bet Din and Grogu did feel that pain and loss.

Both as a person with a heart and a brain and an almost lifelong Star Wars fan I am sickened by the readiness of the studios to end all that this well-made show had built up, for the appeasement of Jedi worshippers who just don’t want to see that the Jedi mindset needs urgently to change. It can’t be that difficult to renew them for the better; there is no necessity to erase the Jedi completely and there is nothing bad with making them grow wiser and stronger by finally understanding and accepting the importance of attachments and family ties. Yes, I realize that being a father also means learning how to let go; but here we are speaking of a literal child, not of a young adult who chose his own way in life.

I thought that George Lucas knew why he sold his franchise to the Disney studios, given their tradition in telling stories about family and friendship. This development is not a triumph, it is unworthy both of the studios and of the entire Star Wars saga. I’m tired of producers bowing down before fans who see every shred of the saga through „Jedi are always right”-tinted glasses respectively who value coolness over compassion even though it always was the saga’s central message.

Whatever happens in Season 3, countless fans will only be watching it asking, „Where’s Luke?” If Grogu should choose to join Mando again, everybody will be like, „But how can he want to leave Luke Skywalker of all people?” Some already see Grogu die prematurely, killed by the oh-so-bad guy Kylo Ren, for no other reason than to just to further prove how evil he is. In which case both Ben Solo and Grogu will have lived and died for nothing except for leaving a lot of heartbreak behind.

There must be another and better way to honor the legacy of both Luke Skywalker and the original trilogy than to think up new heroes and then destroy their purpose for the sake of old times’ glory. Lucas himself had said that Star Wars is basically for twelve-year-olds. It seems not: it’s for the fans who were twelve years old forty years ago, when the first movies hit theatres.

There are enough voices crying out for the sequels to be erased from canon. Who knows? This may be the next step into the past instead of the future. The sequels were hinting at a better future (Balance), Grogu was, too (family). But the grand past is so reassuring. The sequels tried to tell the audience to grow up and learn to do without their heroes, to see that even they were flawed and that the new heroes could grow beyond them. Fie on them, said the hardcore fans. Now it’s the turn of the younger generation, who got to know and love the saga with the sequels or The Mandalorian, to be like „WTF”.

Rogue One also had been a huge disappointment to me. Not that I found it badly made, but I went into a depressive mood for three days for the same reason: I did not like that I had grown so attached to all of these characters only to see all of them die. The infamous Darth Vader scenes and the design with the huge hints at the classic movies were no consolation. Nostalgia does not make me happy. Heart does. Rogue One, the sequels and The Mandalorian were all, in the end, deprived of all human feeling except loss and regret and many, many thoughts about what might have been.

The Mandalorian was an excellent story on its own. It did not need Luke Skywalker. It is and ought to be Din Djarin’s story, who lost or gave up everything because he was afraid to lose the child: and now he did. It’s not comforting that he lost him to the alleged Good Guy. Luke of course won’t turn a hair on Grogu’s head, but he can’t offer him a home, we already know that. Ahsoka saw the attachment between the two and she knows the dangers of it; Luke does not know what drove his father to his terrible fate. If the sequels remain canon, then we already know that Luke will not allow his pupils having and keeping healthy attachments. And that does not promise well for the child’s future.

Unless the studios commit the madness of officially erasing the sequels and starting the saga anew, we can only hope that the child will not stay with Luke for long since it’s a good five years before he will start his own Jedi temple. Maybe he will die of a broken heart, poor little guy. And Din Djarin might become the new ruler of Mandalore, though sad and alone. But who cares: Luke is back. Please: I did not subscribe to Disney+ wanting to see Schwarzenegger movies. The lonesome hero can ride into the sunset for all I care, out of sight and of mind. Star Wars’ greatest strength always was its heart.

My own take was that Grogu is meant to be a healer, and since Luke is not, there is no way he can teach him this particular skill in the Force. Anakin was a pilot and a mechanic, Luke and Ben also were pilots. None of them were Jedi by choice. Grogu is older than Luke and he was already trained at the old Jedi temple: he’s more likely to be a teacher to Luke than the other way around. Grogu as the first Force-user who values attachment and family over power and Jedi training, that would indeed have been a new hope. This backpedaling is shallow and useless. Even if Luke sends Grogu back to Din Djarin, this won’t teach him not to take a child away from its home, since only a few years later he will do the same thing to his nephew. (Although it would admittedly be an interesting plot point to see a small Ben Solo interacting with Grogu for a while.)

Please give us back The Mandalorian the way it was, with its characters and dynamics. The themes and messages of The Last Jedi already were almost all aborted in The Rise of Skywalker; we didn’t sign up on Disney+ to see the exact same thing happen with The Mandalorian. I for my part am fed up with this kind of love bombing followed by a quick and coldblooded let-down. Star Wars may be a cult, but it need not be the kind of cult where you get hooked and then unwittingly follow a carrot hanging before your eyes. I thought the exaggerated Jedi cult was mostly made by the fans: the studios did not need to jump on this ship. This is not the Way.

Now everything I feared is flaring up again - fans jubilating because “the Jedi are taking matters in hand” instead of accepting the failure of the Jedi mindset at last; and even insisting that since things are going so well, all Disney needs to do is to cancel the sequels from canon and everybody can be happy again.

Please, please, give this tormented galaxy a chance to heal at last. We don’t need Luke Skywalker to save the day by killing all the bad guys. We don’t need the oh-so-powerful and perfect Jedi. We need faith in the Force. We need a home. Don’t take it away from us again. Thank you.

P.S. If we see Luke again in Season 3, at least give the role to a live actor. That digital “rejuvenation” made him look wooden. Luke’s best trait, apart from his compassion, always was his smile.

P.P.S. What’s with Boba Fett claiming Jabba’s throne? I thought Jabba had a son. What in the galaxy happened to him?

P.P.P.S. I don’t mind kickass women, but honestly, I’m getting somehow tired of them. What became of the ladies of Star Wars, the diplomats, the good queens, the loving mothers, the accurate librarians, who contribute to the galaxy without killing (or hurting) anyone? I’m feeling kind of underrepresented here...

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Cruella: Does Every Villain Need a Sympathetic Origin Story?

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Clearly this isn’t your parents’ Cruella De Vil. This isn’t even your Cruella De Vil. However, there is something fiendishly charming about seeing Emma Stone charge into a ballroom and light her black and white dress on fire, revealing a chic red number beneath that would do Scarlett O’Hara proud. If fashion is a statement, Cruella is here to say the villain has just arrived!

Yet one can’t help but shake the certainty that by the time we actually learn the plot of Disney’s Cruella reimagining, Cruella will be in anything but black and white, or fiery red. Rather Cruella is obviously posturing to take a sideways approach to an old classic. But then again, that increasingly feels like the only direction these Hollywood redos know: the sympathetic origin story for an iconic villain.

To be clear, we’ve only gotten a glimpse of Stone as the new Cruella, and she looks absolutely fabulous in a black leather coat and cane, purring, “I’m only getting started, darling.” There’s a wildness about this interpretation befitting our current era where Harley Quinn is the hero of her own story, and Wade Wilson now leads a Disney franchise. Nevertheless, when I watch Cruella on the edge of tears in the trailer, barking defiantly that she is CRUELLA—and seemingly embracing an unfair reputation that other characters may be placing on her—a nagging question persists in the back of my head: Do we really need a sympathetic Cruella De Vil?

The trend of supervillains getting intellectual property-expanding sob stories is nothing new, be it at Disney or anywhere else in Hollywood. Maybe 25 years ago when folks liked their villains big and outlandish—think Glenn Close in Disney’s previous live-action remake of 101 Dalmatians—it was novel to see the antagonist become a tragic protagonist. But like everything else with modern blockbusters, that all changed a long, long time ago with something called Star Wars.

Back in 1977 when the original Star Wars movie was released, many audience members left the theater giddy about the world George Lucas created. In a galaxy far, far away, every pop fantasy of the mid-20th century—Wizards! Knights! Princesses! Samurai! World War II ace pilots!—was thrown into a massive cauldron that seamlessly blended these elements.

Luke Skywalker’s galaxy felt like a real place of exotic, lived-in locales, all of which captured that dirt-under-the-fingertips, tactile quality so rarely seen in fantasy stories. Sure the characters might be archetypes, but they came with histories which gave their fantasy space battles human density. Old Ben Kenobi fought in the Clone Wars with Luke’s father Anakin, who was “a gifted pilot.” But what exactly was a clone war? And why was there more than one of them? Also, what did a Jedi’s “more civilized age” look like for Luke’s papa?

For more than 20 years, no one knew the answer to those questions, which made them all the more intriguing, and the “lore” of this fantasy evermore mythic. Then came Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, the first modern blockbuster prequel devoted to filling in the gaps left by a beloved classic’s mysteries. That movie’s problems are numerous, but at its core the most persistent, lingering issue may still be the reveal that Darth Vader was once a blonde haired little boy with the emotional range of Beaver Cleaver. Of course everyone knew in the abstract sense Vader was once a child… but did they ever really want to see it?

Additionally, did anyone really want to learn Anakin Skywalker’s reason for turning to the Dark Side is because of a bratty streak that followed him into adulthood? Probably not.

Nonetheless, all three Star Wars prequels made massive amounts of money and rather than becoming cautionary tales of what happens when you attempt to explain away all the mysteries of a beloved character, they were the first steps toward a modern staple of media regurgitation where seemingly every mug, pug, and thug would get their own sympathetic redo.

Since then, we’ve learned on screen that Spider-Man’s arch-nemesis Venom, is really a well-intentioned bloke caught in a bad romance (with his alien space buddy), Batman’s arch-nemesis the Joker is really just a Travis Bickle clone with mommy issues, and Maleficent, the reigning empress of badassery in the Disney Villain canon, was really just a woman scorned by Sleeping Beauty’s toxic father. Even Hannibal Lecter became a victim in Hannibal Rising, and the Wicked Witch of the West starred in the most popular Broadway musical of all time… where it turns out she was the hero in a conspiracy with the Scarecrow to pull one over on Dorothy.

To be clear, some of these spinoffs and reimaginings work quite well. Even if I personally am a bit chagrined at Todd Phillips’ Joker being nominated for Best Picture, Joaquin Phoenix’s sad sack killer clown created the space for a riveting performance that reminded mainstream audiences that movies can still be for adults. In another comic book movie, Magneto’s heartbreaking backstory in the Holocaust was expanded in 2011’s X-Men: First Class, which made an already relatively complex supervillain just that much more compelling in Michael Fassbender’s hands.

Overall, however, this approach has left something to be desired. And to get back to Cruella, her remix as a misunderstood tragic heroine appears to owe most of all to Maleficent. In 2014, Disney made a killing when they cast movie star Angelina Jolie as their very best big bad, a character so evil in 1959’s Sleeping Beauty that she was willing to knockoff a princess simply because no one sent her a party invite. That’s cold. And it’s wickedly entertaining. Hence why Maleficent scared and captivated generations of children.

Some characters are just too good at being bad.

The marketing of Maleficent leaned into this with a melancholic cover of Sleeping Beauty’s Tchaikovsky-inspired theme song, “Once Upon a Dream.” Now in a minor key, the new version sung by Lana Del Rey promised a scarier, more menacing version of the story, which was then confirmed by Jolie’s wonderfully devilish laugh. The big bad was finally going to have her day at the ball.

But when the movie actually came out, we learned that Maleficent was an enchanted fairy who’d been wronged. In the end, she didn’t hate Elle Fanning’s Princess Aurora. In fact, she loved the little royal and tried to save her from the curse she herself cast in a fit of justified anger. Ultimately, the sorceress adopts Aurora as the daughter she never had after disposing of her now abusive father. That’s certainly an interpretation. I guess.

It also proved massively successful in the short term, opening at a staggering $175.5 million in its opening weekend worldwide, and grossing $758 million total. Those numbers also exclude merchandising and home video revenues. If you want to know why we’re getting the punk rock Cruella, look no further.

However, did a lot of folks really like Maleficent? It made all the money in the world based on that devious marketing campaign that promised a shocking tell-all about Disney’s closest approximation to Lucifer, but by the time a sequel limped into theater five years later, relatively few seemed to still care about the misunderstood, freedom fighting warrior fairy Jolie played. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil ostensibly continued the good fight but flopped at the box office with a cume of $491.7 million, barely more than half of what its predecessor made. (Don’t cry for Disney though, as Avengers: Endgame, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and remakes of Aladdin and The Lion King in the same year made Maleficent 2 look like a clerical error.)

What this whole sputtering franchise reminds us though is that some characters are better left bad, and the mystique of the unknown is an end unto itself. While I enjoyed Phoenix’s take on the Joker, there is little argument the character was even scarier with a PG-13 rating when he manifested out of thin air, like Beelzebub, in The Dark Knight. Or to take a step away from just villains, was Han Solo really any cooler when you learned how he got his name in Solo: A Star Wars Story? Or could you have gone your whole life without knowing thanks to The Hobbit movies that Gandalf and Galadriel were kind of, sort of, just maybe friends with benefits?

The allure of Cruella De Vil is right there in her name: She’s a cruel devil. How could she not be when her entire ambition in Disney’s classic 101 Dalmatians is to skin puppies for their fur coats? Finding out she used to fight the power before hoarding it may make a lot of money, but it doesn’t make her necessarily more compelling.

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politicalmamaduck · 6 years ago

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Reylo Fic Recs: Fantasy, Fae, Magic, Fairy Tale, and Mythology

Ours Is The Fury by @shmisolo

Rey was tasked with taking Storm's End for her king. She defeated the Storm King Snoke in the Rainwood, but when she proceeded to the castle itself, preparing for a long siege, things did not go to plan.

A Man Called Winter by @reylotrashcompactor

The girl didn’t dream. Perhaps it was because she needed more to fuel nighttime sojourns than fantasies of a full belly, of escaping the desert. Perhaps she exhausted all these dreams years ago, falling to sleep in the soft embrace of hope and waking in the hard grip of reality. Or perhaps dreams simply could not permeate the armored shell she slept inside, those rusted walls resistant to blaster fire as well as the simple comfort of imagination. Maybe this was why, on a particularly stifling night, when sleeping on her gritty pallet in the too-still air finally proved unbearable, and she had rucked the mess of salvaged pilot seats and threadbare blankets into the sand outside her door, that he came to her first. She laid under the stars, straining her exhausted body for a cool breeze, and found sleep. And he found her.

Between Death and Winter by @shmisolo

“I’ll answer none of your questions, crow,” she snapped.Ben placed the butt of the spear down in the snow and leaned on it as he sheathed his sword. He was breathing more heavily than he wanted to admit as he looked down at her.You should kill her, then, he thought in a voice that sounded very much like the Lord Commander’s. If she’d rather die, then let her die.Except there was something wrong in that. He didn’t know why, but it felt wrong.“Pity for you,” he said and he broke the spear over his knee. “I’ll be taking you with me back to Castle Black.”The moment the words were out of his lips, he regretted them. He was the First Ranger, he was in the middle of a ranging—he didn’t have time to keep a spearwife hostage.

all true lovers are by @abstractragedy

She might seem lonely, but Ben can sense that this forest is her faithful audience, and she is nothing but alone. The birds chirp a symphony to her, and the greenery around her bows, grateful to be blessed by her beauty. She truly is beautiful, but that’s not the entire reason he is so drawn to her. It’s her Magic.

Wintertide by @transpogrrl

It was important work, gathering fuel for the Burning of the Ren, though only an outcast like the Scavenger could do it. The ceremony marked the turning of one year into the next, and ensured the light would come again to drive back winter’s darkness.The good Queen had tried to change the ancient rite, to mark the year without the loss of one more soul from their war-torn land. But in the ten years since her decree, the disasters sweeping over them had only multiplied. Famine, flood, unearthly winds and the summer’s fires had torn at people’s goodness, and the refugees that sought the Queen’s peace had only taxed it more. When a Wizard suggested that only human sacrifice would appease the angry spirits, the people listened, and demanded a real Ren for the fire.

The Scavenger Bride by @the-reylo-void

After a fairytale summer romance, Rey of Jakku sees her beloved, Prince Ben Solo of Alderaan, off to his uncle's temple, only to learn of his death at the hands of the Dread Knight Ren, a feared warrior who never takes prisoners. But fairytales are never quite that simple, and Rey soon finds herself swept up in a game of political intrigue that threatens to tear the galaxy apart. With new lifelong friends (thieves, but who's counting), mostly-dead ex-boyfriends with too many names, a grumpy wizard who wants nothing to do with any of this, and POUS (Porgs of Unusual Size), Rey's got her work cut out for her and will need her wits, strength, and the strange force she's felt inside of her for years to find her true love.

The Hunter and the Swordsman by @dreamsdescent

It was the first part of the night, and the Hunter was rising in the sky. Four stars stretched out in each direction, with a belt of three across the middle.For many generations he had watched over her kind during these long nights in the depths of winter, and now he was her only companion.The star that made the Hunter’s right shoulder shone red, reminding her of warmth, of flowers and flesh and blood, of all the things that sustained life amidst the cold emptiness of the heavens.With the fire of earth at her back and the fire in the sky over her face, Rey calmed herself and listened. Soon she could hear it, the song of the red star, low and lonesome like the call of the mourning dove.She reached out to it as if it were to someone, and sang a quiet, but high and warbling answer, as if to say, you are not alone. Whether she was reassuring herself or the other, she did not know.The red star blinked in the sky, beating along with her heart as she fell into a dreamless sleep.

Stolen Hearts by @capaldisrighteyebrow

As the Judge of Souls, Rey weighs humans' hearts to assign their fates. When an imposing man who goes by Kylo Ren shows up without a heart, Rey seizes the chance to solve a mystery that threatens the universe. Returning to the mortal world together, Rey and Kylo rush to find his murderer and restore balance.

The Dragon Queen's Moon by @diadumene

“My handmaidens once told me a story,” Daenerys mused. “During my time in Essos, I would hear many variations of the story. Would you like to hear the one I liked best?”After a moment, Sansa nodded. “I would like that very much, Dany.” Dany gave her a look of approval and straightened her back. “Let me tell you the story of how the dragons were born and the moon and the sun fell in love with one another…”

All In Her Arms by @aionimica

Three things are to be expected when the dragon came back to the stars. The first was that one didn’t leave their home at night.The second was that one didn’t go check the noise they heard at the edge of the woods, no matter the cause.And last and final and arguably most important was that one most definitely did not get married.

in this white wave by @something-pithy

It was King Kylo’s season, and he had been born to rule it. Blood of the Tuatha de Danaan ran in his veins, yes, but in addition to the most glorious of the sidhe, the darkest of the Unseelie. He had been born to break the wheel and rebuild it anew, to rid the world of the systems and order that stifled it and bring the Unseelie back to power so that they could set the fae free once more. And he would be enjoying his victory -- the death of his twisted, decrepit master, his rightful place in the universe secured, the triumph of the Unseelie over the Seelie -- but for an impudent nocker, a tinkerer, a little no-one who had worked her way into his very soul.In which King Kylo of the Winter Court and Rey of the Summer Court struggle with the past, themselves, and their ferbidden Seelie/Unseelie luuuuuurve.

echoes (again) by @soul8

again and again, she slips from his grasp like moonlight (reincarnation au where ben seeks her through their past lives and maybe, just maybe this time this time will be the last)

there may be something there that wasn't there before. by @aquawolfgirl

She’s a thief, small and lithe. Her days are spent pickpocketing and snatching from market stalls. She has the sun in her skin and the light in her smile. She is beauty. He is a prince, at war with himself. He is a mix of a man, a hybrid of containment and utter chaos. He has the night in his hair and hatred in his eyes. He is beast.cShe just stole from the wrong garden. “You are aware that doesn’t belong to you, are you not?”

Like Blood, Like Honey by @lariren-shadow

“Sweet Rey,” Kylo said as he gently grabbed her chin. “We’re all monsters in the Unseelie Court.”When Rey moves in with her grandfather the summer before college she expected a part time job at best. Instead she found herself mixed up in the world of faeries.

Waves Calling Her Home by @shelikespretties

“When will you return to me, Selkie wife?” he taunted. “Have they hidden your skin that well?”She nudged him hard in the ribs with the foot he’d been cradling, pushing him away. “I’m no one’s wife, and my skin is safe exactly where I placed it. I’m not coming back. I’m here for a reason.”

The Sands of Jakku by ASingleWhiteDoe

Rey is a street rat and a scavenger in the deserts of Jakku, but when a haggard man approaches her and Finn about a lamp located in a strange and wonderful cave, all of that changes.

between belief and the sea by @thewayofthetrashcompactor

Rey has a busy schedule: between her part time jobs, trying to get a degree, and breaking into certain people's homes to steal items she can pawn off to Unkar Plutt, she doesn't have time for anything mysterious or unusual. And she's not exactly in the habit of returning lost property. However, something gets her to make an exception. Which somehow mixes her up with Ben Solo, and that turns out to be a hard bond to break.

Song in a Thousand Pieces by @thewayofthetrashcompactor

Snoke holds up a hand. “A nightingale.”The man bows. “Yes, my lord.”“In the Jakku forests.” Snoke’s voice is emotionless.The man pauses before answering, unsure of himself. “Yes, my lord,” he finally says.Snoke settles back into his throne. “Kylo Ren," he orders, and Kylo swiftly steps forward. "Bring it to me.”

Paradise Regained by @lasthopesolo

Where all fates of the universe are decided, there lives a wandering immortal, leaving behind in her wake dried and decayed things. Rey, bringer of death and rot, worries she will never find her place of belonging. Everything changes when she comes across a wailing immortal, the scent of spring clinging vigorously to him as fresh flowers dance in the wind around him.

Wherever There is You, I Will be There Too by @optimus-pam

According to Greek mythology, Tartarus is the deep abyss used as a dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked. Rey journeys there in search of a lost soul.

it shall not be death by TolkienGirl

Rey of the Jedi Knights is sent with her sword and Holy Fire, to destroy a palace of thorns.It doesn't quite go as planned.

Fated by @shmisolo

Emperor Palpatine declared that it was the new horse in his stable that would reward Kylo of Alderaan’s saving his life, fulfilling the Law of Surprise. But the fates had other plans, and would not be denied.

My own fics in these categories:

Aníron

“Do you remember when we first met?” he asked, tracing her cheekbone. “I thought I had strayed into a dream,” she murmured, looking up into his eyes.“Long years have passed; you do not have the cares that you carry now.” He sighed, looking down and burdened for only a moment. He looked back up at her, focusing his powerful gaze once more. “Do you remember what I told you?”She could not meet his gaze. She knew the words; they were etched on her heart. Yet she still could not believe them, could not believe that he had said them in the first place, let alone held himself to them all these years later. “You said you would bind yourself to me, forsaking the immortal life of your people.”

your love is my immortal crown

A young woman makes a choice and ascends her grandfather’s throne, becoming a goddess and a queen to save her lover, the god of spring, who will stop at nothing to return to her.

The Prince and the Dragon

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, there lived a prince who met a dragon woman.

if it were only the stars we had wanted to conquer

Amid a backdrop of persecution of magic users and First Order colonization, Kylo Ren discovers a powerful fellow magic user named Rey on a mission for his master. There is more than meets the eye with Rey's magic, however, and she longs to understand her true calling. Yet her fate is inextricably bound with his own.

I am sending back the key

Rey's mysterious new husband, Ben Solo, asks her not to enter his study. But who is he really and what is the truth about his family history?

Hidden in the Desert Sands

The prince ran away from home, and found himself in the desert. A scavenger's kindness reveals more than scrap metal buried under the sands.

My other fic rec lists:

#reylo #fan fiction #fic recs #my writing #mythology au #fae au #fantasy au #fairy tale au

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meandmyechoes · 5 years ago

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Something I wrote May 8th, 2020 02:44 about Rebels that I forgot to publish. But actually contain a lot of context for how I feel about reusing Ahsoka in general. I formally apologize for every ill will I had for Rebels Ahsoka’s design.

hot take: I don’t like Rebelsoka. Yeah, as if you can sum up my opinion like that.

Why I don’t like her is a really petty and subjective bias, so I am not being fair. The real problem I have with Rebelsoka was mostly my personal lack of enthusiasm in her art style and early on her role was... replaceable. Her unique place is as an ex-Jedi, which is why I’m glad and more accepting when they turn her story away from the Rebellion to focus on Jedi Business. Her early lines in Rebels was... delivering information that could easily been given to another rebellion officer. And it felt off to switch from that unsure teenager to this full-blown wise mentor.

With everything, the final verdict is of course, Rebelsoka is amazing. In the end the potential outweighs my complaints. Yeah, information feeder, cryptic vocabularies or poor cosmetic choices can be forgive in exchange for awesome duels, delightful mentoring and GOSH THAT ANGSTY “ANAKIN”. not that i hope we see more ahsoka stories but i hope we see more ahsoka stories you know. more than that 45 minutes of it ◔̯◔

As a TCW traditionalist, of course that was my definition of Star Wars. Bitter of replacement was a common feeling in the year 2015, but I’m also reasonable enough to expect a major stylistic change with Disney’s acquisition. So all in all, I am glad we at least have another show instead of none at all.

Even though I dropped out, I was there for Rebels in the beginning. If nothing, I learnt from Clone Wars not to underestimate a Season 1. Yes, no one from the Ghost crew captivated me the way Ahsoka did, but I liked them all equally. It was an enjoyable show when I judged it as an exposition and sanely do not compare it to the finale that Clone Wars was building. So Ahsoka coming back at the end of Season 1 really put me in a difficult place, when I thought I could move on to this new family, having accepted her departure.There were rumours, but I kinda expected her to set off the S2 premiere instead. I was also spoiled of that very last minute of revelation. Anyway, when she came back, and I heard Ashley’s voice, I just broke into tears. It’s literally a resurrection. I also couldn’t believe, that I actually get to see Ahsoka again in my life, and that she is suddenly so mature and wise.

It was difficult for me to adjust for two reasons: the art style and her maturity. I guess now I could put myself next to Anakin in 709 describing how I felt meeting Ahsoka again. I also really hated her art style in Rebels initially. She was... streamlined? had slick skin, but her lekku stripes are jagged, and i never get to see how her lekku grew into the shape they are now. and her whole facial patterns are different too?? and she actually doesn’t have clear sky blue eyes anymore? but somehow has deep purple eyes? and just all around no-no with the art style when it first came out. The style wasn’t an issue when you don’t have the my favourite as a veteran character for comparison. (say you don’t see me complaining about Hondo that much but didn’t they do him dirty) Even though I had no problem with her outfit or headdress, it’s just not my favourite of hers. and the fact that they’re forcing me to watch a cartoon character lined with age! and how tired she looks, with wrinkles! and pouches under her eyes! don’t do this to my poor daughter! let her stay happy and carefree as a 14-year-old 5ever! (18-year-old me holding an angry PTA sign)

It also closed a book on however I want her to be. stupid war in the stars making me accept canon. I would’ve been content with her just leaving and staying alive, when every fan set out on her dying before RotS. Yeah maybe she threw her entire ‘life’ away but at least, she’s not, dead you know. And seeing her thrown into another war, threw herself into another war, I wan’t sure I could handle that. The grief, the guilt, the regret, the sight of not seeing her standing by her family again. (good lord Filoni gave us the Rex and Ahsoka hug ;_;) I just want her to stay happy and carefree in my head okay?

and that constant battle of wanting to see more of your favourite character but also level enough to not want her to steal the spotlight form a promising new cast? and the lowkey distrust towards Disney that they brought in Ahsoka to trick more audience into a less-popular show? as a fake-ass apology? Are you suppose I’m ever gonna forgive you for cancelling Clone Wars even though you brought back its characters and basically made a TCW sequel? Are you asking me to overlook the damage, done to both TCW veteran characters AND Rebel’s originality if you don’t do it right? And when they really don’t give us much Ahsoka mid-season it was kind of.... *deflating high-to-low 7-note crescendo* If Disney is actually giving us “what the fans want”, it’s because we damn well deserve that apology without ever needing to forgive, less alone thank.

So anyway, I did dropped out of Rebels after the Season 2 finale. A bit of real world reasons too because I was getting busy in college and I have Rider, an all-year-round show to fall back on. So i just totally turned away from Star Wars in general after March 2016 where it was dead dead for Clone Wars. I caught up a bit of S3 but never finished it, and I’ve been on and off trying to do it to recover from TLJ but it didn’t feel enough (+ plus real busy irl)

I only even found out Ahsoka the White on social media and was utterly confused. Not sure if it was the best decision creative-wise then, and frankly hand’t given much thought since. But I definitely don’t mind Ahsoka Not Dying. I think I have more questions directed to this girl in person on her life and fashion and spaceship choices more than anything. You just sort of reached a point where like god let them rest.

I only wrapped up the series before I saw Walkabout. And there was like a 3-month gap since I started rewtaching late January after ep9. But I ran through the last season in 2, 3 days? It was really good. I didn’t expect it focus on just one planet, but the plot was good, even though the primary enforcer villain monkey just looks meh. Somehow strangely, the character I grew attached to is Kallus. You know, he is not in the main cast whatsoever so he really may not die? And the whole time as the finale draws closer I just was on the edge of my seat hoping none of my faves die. (Yeah the only mistake that finale made was sacrificing Gregor. not nice Dave.)

And the epilogue was amazing. The resolution again subverts expectation in a good way and gave us what’s plausible but not expected. And I love how the show actually balanced warfare and lore. The mythological episodes border on fantasy fairy tales but it still suits my taste. The balance is actually better done here than on Clone Wars. In a show titled Clone Wars, you kind of expect it to be about Clones and Wars. But Rebels connected the spiritual journey of the characters to the wider warfare. They needed the Force to train and guide them to their victory. And this prominence of the Force as a plot element and narrative influence is something I found missing in the later seasons of the Clone Wars (6 not withstanding).

The show made me genuinely escalates in loving these characters and gave us a well-rounded, complete Star Wars experience. It’s not my favourite, but it’s definitely a good show.

#tcw reviews #myechoes #why am i defending myself over nothing #this is a bit long and could be counted as meta but is actually devoid of reading of the text lol #ahsoka tano #star wars

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disregardcanon · 5 years ago

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end of year writing meme

time for my end of year writing meme! this has been a tradition for me since 2015 or 16, so i’m excited to keep it up :) i normally do it ON new year’s eve because i write over winter break. but.

i have the depression/anxiety cocktail and have to go back to teaching next monday so i highly doubt i’ll get anything else written or posted by then. sigh

tagging @titaniumsansa @bodhimcbodeface and anyone else who wants to do it

Total Stories Written: 18 on ao3 19 completed total

Total Words Written: i know my ao3 stats are shifted p drastically this year because i updated two extensive drabble collections, but i do have more unposted drafts this year so i’ll just go with it. 96k Average Words Per Story: about 5k as the mean, which tracks Shortest Story: 370 words Heaven on Her Mind Longest: 11,875 words Academia Nuts

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d predicted?

less! i knew i’d write less this year than i have in the past because student teaching and then first year of teaching are both supposed to be hell, but i kind of expected going into quarantine that would give me the time and energy to write.

but NO! in some months of quarantine i wrote less than i did during student teaching, certified most stressful time of my life

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write most?

pairing: cassunzel! coming in clutch at 6 stories

genre: no fucking clue

fandom: tangled was the most by number, but i think jedi fallen order is the most by word count because those two fics combined come in about 13k

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January? uh, that’s probably rwby. i always knew that when i watched rwby i’d go feral but i didn’t expect to watch it this year

Did you take any writing risks this year? i think my biggest writing risk was writing a 12k fic with romcom tropes about a platonic relationship no one cares about from a mainly dead fandom

Academia Nuts, the one where merlin and morgana are bickering in-laws and academic rivals

Do you have any fanfic or general writing goals for the new year? i would frankly just like the time and energy TO write. this year has been the most stressful and depressing time of my life and that’s reflected in my writing output. i would like to see more output because i have more energy and drive to do the things that make me happy again

From the past year of writing, what was your…

Best story of this year: the thing with feathers fluttering in her chest the jedi fallen order fic about trilla suduri capturing cal kestis but still eventually deciding to defect

Personal favorite: Smoke Rises, Cinder Falls my personal take on the cinder backstory before it dropped! while i definitely like where the show took the backstory better because the hotel imagery is TOP NOTCH i still love what i did here. i think that i made good use of style and the information that we had, and i think that the salem connection works very nicely

Most under-appreciated: i know calling a fic with 65 kudos “underrated” is a bit ridiculous, but this is for a very large fandom. it might be dead but i still think it could drum up a bit more support :(

Academia Nuts, the merlin and morgana are bickering in-laws and academic rivals fic

Most fun to write: as a reward for being so fucking happy that biden won the election for real, i rewarded myself by writing the pines family reacting to it

Remember, Remember the 7th of November

Story with the single sexiest moment: how about that inquisitor caltrilla au?

I Want You to Want Me

Most “holy crap, that’s wrong, even for you” story: captive caresses, the one where the v shaped polyamory dynamic that i normally do with cassunzel and new dream isn’t so healthy

Most challenging to write: from a technical standpoint that would be academia nuts, but from a personal standpoint...

Scar Tissue, the steven universe fic about connie still keeping secrets from her parents

Biggest disappointment: frankly, nothing i wrote this year can be a disappointment because i put words on a page. however, i will say that i could have polished this one that i wrote years ago up more before i posted it

Holy Ground, the shireen/jeyne poole fic from like 2015

Favorite character to write: i didn’t get stuck on a fandom long enough to get a favorite character to write tbh

Favorite opening lines:

Sometimes, when Rapunzel wakes up in the morning, she likes to pretend that everything is alright. She closes her eyes and imagines that Cass is right down the hall, just like she used to be. Rapunzel will burst into her room as soon as she gets up, ready to plot some new mischief to keep them busy for the day. Cass will roll her eyes, but she’ll go along with it because she secretly enjoys Rapunzel’s plans. She’ll smile when Rapunzel isn’t looking, and she’ll call her Raps with a soft fondness that makes Rapunzel's heart melt.

Jeung

Sophie knows that she shouldn’t be walking home alone at this hour. Of course she knows that. She’s a tiny white girl who lives in Gotham with little self-defense training or experience in athletics. She’s had “don’t walk home alone” beaten into her head for so many years she wonders if those were the first words the nurse said when she came into this world.

Not “it’s a girl!” but “don’t let her walk home alone at night!”

Walk Me Home in the Dead of Night

Favorite closing lines:

“Follow me,” the fairy godmother ordered, taking a brisk step forward. Cinder followed without question, just a step behind. Following, following, following- just as she would be following her until the end of time. Cinder was her protege, after all, and must be prepared to take over the fairy godmother’s work someday.

That day would not come for many years, but it would come. And the fairy godmother would finally have everything she ever wanted.

Smoke Rises, Cinder Falls

Trilla can’t exactly have her second-in-command stay that low in the hierarchy forever. A consort to a queen needs to walk only a few steps behind her, after all.

I Want You to Want Me

Other favorite lines:

She can lead a horse to independent thought, but she can’t make him think.

The Name Game

When Trilla gets back to her room, she grabs the damn cube and throws it against her wall as hard as she can. It doesn’t break, because the holocron is made of stronger stuff than that. Cal Kestis is made of stronger stuff than that.

Maybe she’s the only one in the world who’s so capable of shattering.

the thing with feathers fluttering in her chest

“You don’t have to forgive him,” Fuyumi says, “just don’t kill him.”

“Because he can’t come back from that?” Dabi demands, “a corpse can’t decide that it wants to love its daughter, right?” Dabi watches as the knife twists, and Fuyumi’s facade finally crumbles. She slams her mug of tea down on the table, and they're both lucky that it's not full anymore or the hot liquid would have come flying out.

Justice Without Dispassion

“But you’re a good trainer,” Lillie says, “you’re what I want to evolve into.” Selene shakes her head.

“We're from different evolutionary lines,” she says, “you evolving into me would be like- I don’t know. A Charmander evolving into a Blastoise.” Lillie looks like she’s holding the fur even tighter, and Selene snakes her hand underneath to disentangle Lillie’s hand from the fur and give her something else to clutch. Lillie squeezes her hand like a stuffed Jigglypuff that people carry around to squeeze away their stress.

“But what if I’m stuck at Charmander forever, and what if Blastoise is better than Charizard, and what if I’m just- just not cut out for this?”

Even Gods Like Cuddles

“Do you remember when we were really little,” you say, “and I used to come over for dress up parties. I’d wear your extra princess dress, let you do my hair however you wanted.” You smile, thinking about how cute the pictures that Bianca’s mom took of you two looked. Your mother always said that they’d be good blackmail material, someday, but-

It wasn’t ever shameful, especially not if your mother didn’t make you feel ashamed.

“Of course,” Bianca says, “you were always the best at sitting still. No one else would have let me do their nails and makeup.” You’re not looking at her, but you can hear the soft smile in her voice.

“You were always so indulgent, Hils. I really appreciated that.”

“I wasn’t being indulgent,” you say, balling your hand into a little fist and rubbing your thumb over your knuckles.

“I always- I just,” you say, “I wanted to be that “girl friend” that you always wanted.”

Girl Talk

#end of year writing meme #writing meme #sunkelles writes

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marybeatriceofmodena · 6 years ago

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TFW when you try to do Anastasia but you also suck at your job: A Master Class by The Rise of Skywalker

Okay. So, I promised you guys a TROS review, and it’s coming, I promise… except I’ll be making two “spin-off posts” about specific issues just in order to clear up some stuff, mainly because in my mind, those issues are important.

First post is going to be, of course, about Rey’s parentage.

So. After TFA, it would have been possible for Rey to have been the kid of “someone”. However, TLJ made it impossible to do so, unless you’d have some serious, bullshit retconning going on – which is exactly what happened.

I know this is a VERY controversial thing to say at this point, but post-TFA, Rey Palpatine “could” have been possible. Okay, maybe not have her be Palpatine’s granddaughter, but more of a descendant of his.

This said, I “tried” making an origin story for Rey Palpatine that “works” for the purposes of this meta, on a hypothetical basis, while making it consistent with canon (something JJ Abrams and Chris Terrio clearly couldn’t be bothered to do, LMAO). I had plotholes no matter what. I do think I could have eventually found something with a little bit of brainstorming, but truth is, IT’S HARD, and a lot of exposition would have been for novels/comics only.

From a thematic perspective, though? It wouldn’t have been a bad idea. For this to work, though, you would have needed to go on full-blown Romeo and Juliet mode with sprinkles of Anastasia, though. I mean, The Lion King 2 did something similar, so why the fuck not. Because, yeah, Ben Solo, the grandson of Darth Vader, son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, the last prince of Alderaan, who falls in love with the last Imperial princess Rey Palpatine while they’re on opposite sides of the war but not the ones you’d think of is the stuff of fairy tales and star-crossed romances, except this one would have a happy ending and brought peace to the galaxy.

Truth be told, I still really enjoy fanfics who go for that story and find a way to make it work in canonverse or in AUs – because it’s genuinely fun. But in canon itself, as I point out earlier… it’s not easy.

So, we have Rian Johnson who said he made a list of potential origins for Rey while he was working on TLJ’s script. You bet Rey Palpatine was on that list. However, he came to the conclusion that Rey Nobody was the best way to go, and whatdyaknow, he made the right call.

Why? Rey Nobody requires minimal exposition. Storytelling-wise, you don’t have a lot of brainstorming to do, and it’s easy to have Ben revealing it, and easy to present it as a repressed memory of Rey’s. On a thematic level, that puts Rey on the same level as Jane Eyre or the main character from Rebecca: she’s a nobody from nowhere who is thrown into a family drama, and since she’s the glitch in the matrix, she must stop the story from becoming a tragedy.

See? Simple. You got your easy exposition, you got your thematic coherence, and you got the literary call-backs.

So, JJ and Terrio decided to retcon this shit because, as they said, they thought it was boring. I think Colin Trevorrow probably thought it was boring too, because I have my reasons to think a lot of TROS is from him (but more on that in my main review). But thing is, it’s not it’s “boring”, it’s literally that they didn’t know what the fuck to do with Rey. No, more than that, they don’t understand her, and frankly, they can’t be bothered to do so. She’s an empty vessel they can toy with at their ease, and in the process, turn her in a Mary-Sue. Because yes, TROS!Rey was a Mary-Sue, whereas TFA/TLJ!Rey was not. So, what I say above regarding Rey might be a bomb for some, considering how people are (understandably) defensive when it comes to that statement. I promise I will elaborate more about it in the main review, once again.

So, with the lineage aspect addressed, it’s time to talk about Rey’s parents themselves.

It’s hilarious how HARD JJ and Terrio tried to make Kylo’s explanation work – because as much as they butchered the shit out of him, they said: “Well he’s a bad liar, right? Gotta keep that in mind.”

Although, I don’t think it was a case of them being concerned with Kylo’s characterization – they’re not that graceful. They had to figure out QUICK why the hell Kylo wouldn’t have known Rey was a Palpatine from the get-go, because the Force is a great DNA test and shit, and I guess that’s how Palps located Ben’s Mighty Skywalker Blood™. Except that still doesn’t work because Palps couldn’t even locate his own goddamn granddaughter, but I digress.

Seriously, why would Kylo lie to Rey about her being a nobody instead of her being a Palpatine? It makes no sense, because if you’re going to roll with the theory Kylo just wants UNLIMITED POWAH, the Palpatine princess is not only a great asset (since marrying her legitimizes your claim to the throne in the eyes of the Imperial Remnants, I mean, that’s literally why Henry VII married Elizabeth of York), it’s also the one argument she needs to hear in order to sway her to your side. So I guess JJ and Terrio’s one shared brain cell kinda flicked a bit at that moment.

This said, getting the Palpatine princess on his side is clearly Kylo’s intention in TROS (which, again, makes no sense with what was set up in TLJ but that’s something I’m keeping for another post), except they trip all over themselves by having Kylo say he didn’t lie to Rey in TLJ. Except…

So, what Ben said in TLJ was the following:

Her parents sold her for drinking money.

They’re dead and buried in a pauper’s grave somewhere on Jakku.

Rey is related to no one.

Here’s what Ben reveals to Rey in TROS:

Her parents sold her for her protection.

They died on another planet, while being hunted down by a guy working for Palpatine and instructed to bring Rey back to them.

Rey’s dad is a Palpatine and Rey’s mom is Villanelle (nah, for real: the actress who plays Rey’s mom is Jodie Comer).

So, um, yeah, it’s the EXACT opposite of what Ben said in TLJ. Just say Palps was fucking with Ben’s mind-reading or Rey’s memories instead, JJ. Not that “Oh Ben was telling the truth, but he didn’t have the whole story”, because that’s not it.

For the latter, once again, it would have been feasible: the one thing, for me, that was possible to be added was that Rey had killed her parents accidentally, by having their ship to leave Jakku crash down with the Force: that’s what made her Force powers go dormant for all those years and provoked her trauma. It would also make sense that Ben would willfully not bring that back to her memories, because she’d understandably not be able to cope with the truth, which is often what happens to a lot of trauma victims. THAT was the theory I had pre-TROS, because that’s the only answer I could come up with when it came to JJ saying that there was more to Rey’s past. I guess I expected JJ to be, like, actually able to write, lmao.

I even wonder if that was actually in the cards, considering we see Rey in TROS bringing down a transport that supposedly has Chewie in it… but I guess they deemed that to be “too dark” for their heroine. Except the bullshit that comes instead is actually… much worse.

To make things simple, I’ll just take the above points and develop them.

Rey’s parents sold her for her protection.

Okay, so, Rey’s parents need to hide her to make sure Palps doesn’t get his hands on her. Fair enough. This said, why did it have to be Jakku and not, like, ANYWHERE ELSE? Especially that Palpatine had interest in Jakku at some point and that maybe having Rey anywhere close to that place would not be a good idea?

But let’s play the game and say that Jakku is the only place they can hide her because… I don’t know, it’s hard to find someone there with the Force. Whatever. Even then, why the fuck would they think Unkar Plutt is a proper guardian for a tiny little girl? You know they could have walked a few miles more and found a nice old man who likes the Light Side of the Force and the Jedi and all that shit called Lor San Tekka? Hey, why not even try to find a guy like Luke Skywalker who’s like, a Jedi and shit, and have him take care of their little girl and protect her?

Even then, why the hell doesn’t Rey’s mom stay with her daughter? Her husband is the Palpatine, not her. All Rey’s mom has to do is find a nicer hiding place for her and Rey somewhere on Jakku, like, not Niima Outpost (again, Tuanul is just a few miles away), and just let Dad hide somewhere else. He’s a grownass man, he can take care of himself and he just has to hide on Nar Shaadaa or some shit. Fuck, why don’t all three of them hide on Nar Shaadaa? Or in the Coruscant undercity? ANYWHERE ELSE?

Also, wouldn’t Plutt clearly see two desperate parents as a business opportunity? Like, if you want to do a Les Misérables comparison here, he wouldn’t “buy” Rey from them, he’d try to get money for them à la Thénardier with Fantine. Except Rey’s parents make Fantine look like frigging Einstein because at least she had the excuse of thinking Madame Thénardier would take good care of Cosette since Éponine and Azelma seemed well-cared for.

Again, a creepy-looking alien who exploits the outpost’s inhabitants for portions in exchange for junk, who asks you to pay him to take care of your kid should be a big fucking red flag – unless you want to involve blackmail, but that’s a whole other can of worms.

Seriously, why the hell would Rey’s parents even ACCEPT money that comes from selling their own child? Were they really that desperate? Fuck, even if I had no other way of getting off Jakku, I wouldn’t even THINK of using money that comes from selling my own child. Any parent who’d even CONSIDER doing that is automatically a godawful parent in my book. Shame on you. And shame on JJ for trying to make me buy them as saints, because THEY’RE NOT, JUST BY THAT SINGLE ACTION.

They died on another planet, while being hunted down by a guy working for Palpatine and instructed to bring Rey back to them.

I didn’t notice it until Jenny Nicholson pointed it out in her TROS review, because it SOMEHOW completely escaped my notice, but… Rey’s mom saying Rey is DEFINITELY NOT on Jakku is like the worst fucking lie I’ve ever seen in a film because it’s so hilariously bad. Congratulations, Space Villanelle, may you be forever remembered for this line.

Also, it’s stupid af that Oshi (that’s his name, right? Can’t be bothered to Google it, might just call him Barney the Bounty Hunter from now on) just kills Rey’s parents, because HE’S EVUL MUAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA, because he literally creates a dead end for himself. He still has no fucking clue where Rey is, and he just killed off his only leads. CONGRATULATIONS BARNEY THE BOUNTY HUNTER, YOU SUCK AT YOUR JOB.

Rey’s dad is a Palpatine and Rey’s mom is Villanelle.

So, Rey’s dad looks like he’s in his early thirties at most, right? Maybe a little younger than Luke and Leia, then. So, unless he got frozen in carbonite at some point, that means Palpatine fucked at some point while looking like this:

Anyway, I sure hope Sly Moore was Grandma Palpatine because she’s pretty much the only person who’d be game to smash raisin ass. Which leaves me with extremely disturbing pictures of Palps and Sly having sex, so I’ll spare you the more graphic details of my twisted mind that’s screaming for an end to this misery.

I sure hope having Rey’s mom as Jodie Comer isn’t a clue that we’ll get spin-offs with those two (GOD PLEASE NO), but while I crack jokes about how Rey’s mom is Villanelle and Palpadad kinda looks like Ramsay Bolton… I find it fucking hilarious they dressed Rey’s mom in BLUE. LIKE, SEE? SEE? SHE’S IN BLUE, LIKE THE VIRGIN MARY, BECAUSE REY IS SPACE JESUS!!!! GET IT??? GETIT???? PLEASE TELL ME YA GET IT, OKAY???? *gross sobbing* I knew we should have had Rey born in a manger, that would have made the artistic intentions clear *wipes tear*

All right. There’s a lot more that could be said about Rey’s lineage, but I’m keeping that for my main review because what’s left to say ties up to the bigger picture. What I tried to point out with this preliminary post is that while Rey Palpatine *could* have worked, in different circumstances, it couldn’t have had post-TLJ… and we’re left to see a mutilated horse who was dead on arrival. And that’s tragic.

#star wars #tros spoilers #the rise of skywalker spoilers #rants and reviews #anti tros #rey #reylo #my meta #reylo meta #rey meta

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allgirlsareprincesses · 6 years ago

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Another Search for the Lost Husband: Reylo as the Ballad of Tam Lin

This was originally going to be just a short post (HAHA) to cover a variation of the Search for the Lost Husband folktale type that wouldn’t fit into my previous metas, but then I did more research and BUCKLE UP, friends, because there’s lots to unpack here. Among my illustrated fairy tale collection is a version of popular Scottish ballad Tam Lin retold by Jane Yolen, and I noticed pretty quickly that this was another Cupid and Psyche tale (ATU 425) when I was doing research for my first post on the same topic. With the benefit of further research on Swan Maiden tales and various ways to disenchant fairy husbands, I realized that the Sequel Trilogy aligns surprisingly well with Tam Lin, and the story may offer yet more clues as to the ultimate fate of our heroes in The Rise of Skywalker.

While there are many, many different versions of the Ballad of Tam Lin (which dates to at least 1549 and probably well before), the basic outline of the story is thus: In the Scottish borderlands, young women are warned not to venture into the enchanted woods of Carterhaugh, where the faery prince Tam Lin dwells to steal their symbolic or literal maidenheads. A headstrong maiden, usually called Janet or Margaret, brazenly defies this warning and enters the wood to seek flowers, or to lay claim to the land which she says is her birthright. When she plucks a rose, Tam Lin appears asking by what right she enters his wood and “breaks his wand.” Unintimidated, Janet tells him that she is the rightful heir to Carterhaugh, and that she will come and go as she pleases.

Tam Lin then takes Janet by the hand or the waist, and she returns home to discover she is with child. When her family realizes it, they try to pressure her into marrying a suitable man, but Janet declares that her baby’s father is a faery whom she will not forsake. She returns to Carterhaugh to question Tam Lin as to whether he was ever human. The faery prince shares his sad story, that he was a mortal man who many years before was traveling in the wood when he fell from his horse and was abducted by the Queen of the Faeries and forced to serve with her knights. He tells Janet that he has been a captive for seven years, and he fears that on Halloween he will be offered as a tithe to Hell. However, Janet may free him if she carefully follows his instructions for breaking the enchantment.

[Original Art by Wylie Beckert]

At midnight on Halloween, Janet returns to a crossroad or bridge in the enchanted wood once more to carry out her lover’s rescue. When the faery company appear, she sees the knights on black, brown, and white horses. Recognizing Tam Lin on the white horse by his signal of having one glove off, she pulls him from his mount and holds him fast. The Faery Queen demands his return but Janet refuses, so the Queen transforms Tam Lin into a series of terrifying beasts in his lover’s arms. They bite and scratch her, but still she holds on until finally Tam Lin becomes a burning coal or cinder. At this moment, Janet plunges the fiery coal into a well, and Tam Lin emerges as a naked man. Still following his instructions, Janet throws her green mantel over him protectively, and the Faery Queen must acknowledge that the curse is broken, lamenting that she did not replace Tam Lin’s heart with stone and his eyes with wood.

That might seem like a lot of unnecessary detail, but what’s fascinating is how closely the Sequel Trilogy tracks with the folktale. To begin with, we have the menacing faery prince, Kylo Ren, who threatens the righteous and is feared throughout the galaxy. The heroine, Rey, ventures into a forest and finds him there, after we have seen rose imagery once in her AT-AT home on Jakku, and the “broken wand” in the form of the legacy lightsaber that she discovers in Maz’s castle in the same wood. She has in that sense “plucked” the rose which rightfully belongs to the Skywalker child, thus summoning him to demand of her why she treads on his birthright. When Kylo tries to intimidate her in the interrogation, she rebuffs him by turning his own powers back on him.

Just as Tam Lin takes Janet by the waist as a sign of his sexual conquest of her, so Kylo Ren lifts Rey into the distinctively romantic bridal carry in The Force Awakens. While Rey is of course not pregnant after this encounter, a bond has been forged between them, which is effectively the purpose of the pregnancy in the folktale: it signifies that the lovers now belong to one another and that they have a bond that is not easily broken. Soon, we learn more of Kylo Ren’s tragic past, that before he was the faery prince, he was a mortal man, Ben Solo.

Much as Tam Lin fell from his horse to be then abducted by the Faery Queen, young Ben fell from his path when his uncle Luke betrayed him, then turning to the controlling and manipulative Snoke. We further learn in the novels, comics, and other supplemental content that he was twenty-three when he fell to the Dark Side under Snoke’s tutelage, and we know that he is twenty-nine in The Force Awakens. We have been told that the events of The Rise of Skywalker occur roughly one year after TFA and The Last Jedi, which means that by the end of the story, Ben Solo will have spent seven years as a captive of the dark otherworld. In the folktale, Tam Lin has been a captive of the Faery Queen in her realm for seven years, after which he loses her favor and fears that he will be offered up as a sacrifice to Hell on Halloween.

A note about Halloween in this tale: Scottish folklore blends pagan and Christian traditions in its stories, so this holiday can also be understood as the Celtic celebration of the new year, Samhain. This was a time of change, when the barrier between the mortal world, underworld, and faery worlds became very thin and the likelihood of the dead visiting the living was high. This might not have had sinister undertones when it was first practiced by ancient Celts, but with the arrival of Christianity, such pagan rituals were assigned demonic connotations, which is why Tam Lin expresses his fear that he will be sacrificed to Hell (as he claims the faeries do every seven years). On Halloween, the faery company will cross into the mortal world, which is when Janet will have a chance to rescue her lover.

In the trailer for TROS, we hear Palpatine rasp “Long have I waited, and now, your coming together will be your undoing.” It seems from all the hints that have been dropped so far that the timing of his return is due to some event that offers a conduit from whatever state he’s in to greater influence over the mortal world. He’s either returning in corporeal form, or he’s somehow able to control the corporeal world enough to threaten our heroes and the galaxy as a whole. There are various theories as to how this might happen, but the point is that Palpatine has mythologically been confined to the otherworld since Anakin chucked him down the Death Star II shaft, and only now, at the same moment that Ben finishes his seventh year on the Dark Side, can Darth Sidious return.

Still more parallels appear when you consider the Knights of Ren, though we don’t know their full story yet without Charles Soule’s much-anticipated The Rise of Kylo Ren comic run. However, just as the Faery Queen forced Tam Lin to join her company of knights, so it seems that Snoke manipulated Ben Solo into joining the Knights of Ren and finally becoming one of them. In the folktale, several of these knights ride forth before Janet is able to identify her lover, a motif suggested by the appearance of the helmeted Knights in TROS along with the now-helmeted Kylo.

But how does Janet identify Tam Lin? He has one glove removed as he rides. This is certainly an image that appears in the Sequel Trilogy, as Ben Solo removes one glove to touch Rey’s hand in TLJ. It is this action that finally allows her to recognize him as his true self rather than as Kylo Ren. As I’ve discussed in other posts, seeing or knowing a lover is often the key to rescuing them from the dark power of the otherworld, as is being seen and known oneself. The removal of the mask and the removal of the glove serve the same purpose: these allow the mortal lover to recognize her true husband and claim him as her own.

While we eagerly await the ending of the Sequel Trilogy and the saga as a whole, the folktale offers tantalizing clues as to what might happen. In the ballad, Janet must hold tightly to Tam Lin as the Faery Queen transforms him into various beasts and finally into a burning coal, in an effort to make Janet release him. This Protean motif might appear in TROS as Palpatine trying to convince Rey that Ben is not who she believes him to be, that he is a monster beyond saving. The motif of fire is also likely to appear, as leaked concept art suggests that Mustafar is likely to make an appearance in the final film. Transforming into a fiery coal is another expression of burning the beast’s skin, a sort of baptism by fire which cleanses the faery husband of his beastly form.

Speaking of baptism, the last thing that Janet does to save her beloved is throw the burning coal into a well, after which Tam Lin emerges as a naked mortal man. The connotations here are obvious: the healing power of water appears in all mythologies, so the well in this instance serves to douse the fire and baptize the fallen prince, both healing and cleansing him of his connection with the faery realm. Many have theorized that Rey’s association with water in the production design suggests she may gain healing powers, but even if she’s not the explicit agent of Ben’s healing, we know that water in several forms will factor heavily into his redemption, as we’ve seen both snow and a raging ocean in the trailers so far. It seems likely that Ben Solo will rise from the water at some point a new man, no longer under the power of the Dark Side and ready to be united with his true bride.

While the original ballad does not record much beyond the Faery Queen’s anger at losing Tam Lin, the children’s book version I have has Janet marrying her prince and having children with him at Carterhaugh, her inheritance of which kicked off the whole story. This enchanted wood is the magic of the folktale, so it seems to me much like the Force is to Rey and Ben Solo. Ben was the original inheritor of a Force legacy, but after his fall, that legacy eventually went to Rey. Only when they are united can the Force be new and whole again, rather than the forbidding ruin it has become. This is why I find it so intriguing that John Boyega said he had expected Episode IX’s title to be “Heirs to the Force.”

So there you go; yet another rambling post about how the Sequel Trilogy is totally the Search for the Lost Husband and Rey is going to get her man by the end of TROS. I hope you liked this latest installment, and please let me know if you discover other variations of this folktale!

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hellobrockie · 6 years ago

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Some very long Rambly TROS thoughts

Holy fuck there is so much wrong with this movie.

Let's start at the beginning. Kylo tracks down the wayfinder/holocron crystal thing that will lead him to the sith homeworld. We learn that Palpatine was behind both the Snoke and Vader voices in Kylo’s head-basically the dude has been manipulating him for 30 years. Kylo states very clearly he's gonna kill this motherfucker. This is very in line with the Last Jedi- Kylo wants to destroy everything- the Sith the Jedi the Resistance- because he’s tired of the constant push-pull of rejection and manipulation. BUT THEN HE DOESNT KILL PALPATINE???? At first the film argues that he doesn't kill Palps because Palps promises him the big FINAL ORDER fleet? Okay...but I don’t think Kylo really gives a shit about a big fleet of ships when it's offered by the fucker who has been scrabbling his brains for shits and giggles. Once the ‘Rey Palpatine’ thing comes to light, we are lead to believe Kylo went along with the whole final order plan because he wanted to kill Palpatine together with REY???? Ahh okay?

So now we switch back to Rey. She's basically a jedi, cool. And I guess the Skywalker saber just fixed itself, with literally no scars or anything. A great visual representation about how this film feels about character development that happened in The Last Jedi. So Rey breaks concentration and fails the courses. According to the film, this happens because sheisapalpatine. If you had two brain cells you would realize Rey could be upset for normal reasons ...like that in order to the Resistance to win she’s going to have to put Kylo down like a dog. Its kinda cool that Leia is her teacher (more on that later).

Soo then we spend the next hour on a pointless adventure with the Trio™. Which would be fun, if they were ever established as a Trio. Arguably the real trio might be Rose-Finn-Poe. More on Rose later. Here is a list of incomprehensible things that happen here:

Kylo reforges his mask. Because Reasons? The knights of Ren. Because Reasons?

A handful of force bond scenes. The first one actually isn’t half bad. By wearing the mask, Kylo is rejecting the intimacy inherent to the connection because he is about to defile it. Grabbing Rey’s necklace is a physical and emotional violation. It's the first time he has ever used the connection for personal gain. The other connection scenes mostly just play around with the two of them being able to pass each other stuff. They lack the careful editing of TLJ connection scenes. Disclaimer: I’m a pretty hard core Reylo and these scenes really lacked the magic they previously had.This might be un-purpose Kylo is clearly pretty lost as this point. Dull, lacking in heart like so much of this film.

Kylo becomes a cartoon power ranger villian spouting Palpatine exposition and attempting to create suspense by almost catching the trio a couple times. Some of the dialogue is almost Revenge of the Sith Anakin level awkward. It lacks both the unstable angry energy of FA or the sad tired boi energy of TLJ.

Rey makes force lighting because I guess she was upset and it's a genetic ability now???

Poe gets a female love interest, becuase hes heterosexual. HeTeroSeXUal.

Poe and Finn flirt for a whole hour while Poe checks out some new chick and Finn now has a harem thing kinda.

Poe is now a spice trader. BECAUSE YOU KNOW HE'S THE HAN SOLO OF THE TRILOGY. Let's just forget that TLJ establishes that Poe is his own character, probably loyal to the resistance since birth. His parents are rebellion alumni.

Two death fake outs. I don’t know why they had to give 3PO his memories back. He lost them at the end of the Prequels and R2 loved him anyway. Chewbacca capture was a missed opportunity to get some resolution to him shooting Kylo in the gut.

Hux is the spy. Lovely. He is the ultimate weak bitch. Tbh the most consistent character development. Arguably my favorite detail on the entire film. Perfect execution. Domhnall Gleason is a gift.

Now onto Endor. Endor has so much potential and squanders most of it.

Finn meets other people who left the stormtrooper program. Cool. Weird how it's tied to force sensitivity. I like the idea of the force putting Poe and Finn in the right place at the right time, but I think to imply people’s ability to escape slavery is tied to force sensitivity brings us to the problematic terrority of the sequels. Also the only one who talks to Finn is also black. And Clearly has a romantic vibe. Okay…..

The Rey Palpatine thing is made explicit. Even though anyone will half a brain figured it out 90 minutes ago. More wierd implications…..who would agree to fuck an old man Palpatine? So Rape i guess. Rey’s parents were normal...is this some kinda side material hook to read more about them or some shit??? Kylo refers to Rey’s parents as ‘filthy junk traders’. He's right. THEY SOLD HER INTO FUCKING SLAVERY. However Rey’s parents are good people??? WTF THIS IS THE JEDI COUNCIL ALL OVER AGAIN.

Soo Kylo destroys the wayfinder to force Rey to work with him. Anti-Reylos will often get their panties in a twist about how it’s an ‘abusive relationship’. This is the only scene that really comes off as manipulative- in a way it never did in TLJ. Partly because they play up this idea of power-hungry Kylo (which has little basis in reality. In FA he just wanted to make Snoke his daddy. And TLJ Kylo is just soo fucking lonely) rather than sad boi Kylo trying to hold onto someone. Damn the TLJ throne scene is soo careful with getting that energy right, balancing the heartbreak with a little gaslighting (sorry off topic). Then They Fight. Kylo doesn’t even pull out a saber at first because he literally has no intention of killing her. Rey fights because she's mad. Leia decides to intervene at this time, which is weird because Kylo still has no intention of hurting Rey. Apparently Leia sending Kylo a text is enough to freak him out. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE TIME FOR FLASHBACKS, MAYBE A ‘YOU’RE MY ONLY HOPE’ TO TIE HIM BACK TO HIS NAMESAKE.

Instead Rey gets him in the gut. She then heals him, something that should have been really intimate. This would have been time to kiss him in that wistful ‘ I wanted to know what it would be like before I exile myself forever way’. This is one of the scenes that desperately needed more breathing room AND GIVE KYLO SOME FUCKING DIALOGUE YOU COWARDS. Healing him combined with Leia stuff should have reduced Kylo to a pile of tears. I think he would find it completely overwhelming that someone thinks he is worth it, worth a part of their life source, worth their final breathes.

Oh woah surprise Han Solo. This kinda works for me because unlike robot Leia and fairy godmother Luke, Han looks alive. Plus Han is only a memory so Kylo has to save himself, make his own choice. Aww fuck this got me the closest to tears becuase he looks so fucking sad about the fact that he can’t go home. Damn you Adam Driver and you’re big weepy eyes. His mother is dead and I don’t think he ever truly realized that she wanted him back. I guess with the way things went with Luke, he just assumed he was unwanted. Even now, Han is the only one of the 3 Ben can really imagine taking him back. Who knew Han was such a softie. At the same time there is something so unintentionally sad about the fact that Ben’s whole family can become force ghosts and not a single one gives enough of a shit about him to show up at the turning point of his life.

Also the implication that Ben turns to protect Leia’s lifework is strange. Leia’s legacy is the Rebellion, a democratic senate, a planet wiped off the map, NOT SKYWALKER JEDI #2 JJ!!!!! Ben doesn’t even interact with any of the larger powers at work, he just saves Rey.

Also while Ben’s guilt and shame about killing Han (his true sin) keep him on the dark side, this doesn’t address the 8 million other reasons he left the light. Also why do Leia and Rey never discuss this???? His own fucking family repeatedly rejected him because of his ‘Vadar-ness’ which is ironic considering…….

Then we cut to Rey’s fairy godmother-esque trip to Ahch-To where she arms herself with all of the Skywalker’s personal effects:

Mad that Rian Johnson denied you that ESB fanservice call-back of Luke being able to pull his x-wing out of water?? Don’t worry JJ has got you covered.

Mad that Leia didn’t have lightsaber? Don’t worry JJ has got you covered, Leia was always prepared to be a back up to Luke because she doesn’t have her own perspective or anything or like a whole fucking political system to run. Also she stopped training because apparently completing her journey would end in Ben’s death...ooo SmArT foreshadowing that Rey using her lightsaber will end in one dead Ben boi.

Leia and Luke ALWAYS knew about Rey Palps. Which is funny because they threw their own flesh and blood in the trash because he seemed kinda Vader-y. I guess it's wrong to judge people by their bloodlines unless its your own bloodline. I can’t even.

There is no mention of Ben at all- even though Leia and Luke both died for him and Rey put her whole heart into saving him.

Now to Exeger or whatever again. Almost two hours in and we’re back at the planet we were on in the first 5 minutes.

Spaceship stuff happens. Take out your checklist to get those pilot and ship cameos. Ooo look its The Ghost! OG trilogy pilot! Lando is there! WOOO! Poe’s girlfriend lived somehow!

Ben’s last words are ‘Ow’.

Palps wants Rey to kill him because I guess that will make her evil? Since when does killing people make you evil? I don’t think killing Palps to save the world in the same as ‘striking your enemies down in hatred’ or whatever.

Oh Hey Ben is here. Palps doesn’t care much I guess even though trolling Skywalkers is his whole life’s passion.

Palps drains the life out of Ben/Rey. They don’t die. Ben goes flying into a pit. Rey has to face Palps alone because I guess even though Ben/Rey are stronger together and are cosmically linked the lone jedi thing will happen anyway?? Is feminism about doing everything on your own rather than building meaningful connections with your equal partner. Honestly only Men would think a women has to do everything alone to prove her worth, Rey has been wanting allies and family her whole life LET HER HAVE IT.

Also okay sooo Palps did technically kill Rey’s parents and she had about a whole 5 minutes to think about that. Multiple generations of Ben’s family have been tortured by this guy, so I think it would be rather cathartic to see him play a bigger role in the end of Palp.

Rey enters the Avatar State. Cue more fanservice cameos (I love you Ahsoka, but you said it yourself, you ain’t a jedi). In another backhanded slap to TLJ were back on the TheJediDidNothingWrong line of thinking. Anakin is present ...I wonder if anyone else is interested in talking to him…...

Rey dies. I’m not sure why. Palps legit sucked the life of her and she lived, but the Avatar State killed her.

Ben crawls out of pit. Damn Adam Driver has legs for days. He heals Rey, its kinda sweet but it's also really really weird that he hasn’t said anything. Not saying we need an over the top love declaration but even his emotionally constipated parents managed to get an ‘I love you’ out.

Ben saves Rey. The thing Anakin thought the dark side would give him the power to do. Interesting bookend. Sad that my boy has such low self preservation, he gives her his life without hesitation. Why do we have to die for other people? It’s much harder to have to live for other people. To move and grow beyond the past. To try and be our best everyday, even when its hard. Isn’t that real redemption?

Ben kisses Rey. Awww. Its missing some of the elements of a big romantic drama kiss, which I would be okay with ...if it was followed up with a big romantic kiss with a sunset on a new planet before the credits roll. Alas this does not happen. The audience is somewhat befuddled since their had been almost no dialogue referencing their emotional connections. The ‘no one knows me./I do.’ dialogue from the trailer did not appear in film.

Ben smiles. It has all the boyish charm and innocence Anakin wished he had in the prequels. Aww he really has never kissed anyone. I wonder when the last time he smiled was. HAS THIS MAN EVER HAD A GOOD DAY HIS ENTIRE LIFE. I am emotionally moved until approximately 2 seconds later….

Ben dies. There is no funeral. No mention. Rey doesn’t shed a single tear. This dude literally gave you his life without hesitation. Is Reylo one-sided? Or at least not equally felt? Ow. U The Resistance doesn’t wonder what happened to the Supreme leader. We know at the end of TLJ Luke became a legend, I do not think this happens to Ben.

The Resistance parties. Cue Return of the Jedi film reel. Poe and Finn are heterosexual. No resolution to the stupid ReyFinn force sensitve thing. Two women kiss. It will be cut out of the Chinese release.

Rey buries the lightsabers on Tatooine because you know Luke lived there and Leia once wore a metal bikini there. Rey choose the name Rey Skywalker. Which is interesting because she didn’t get along that well with Luke. She finished her training with Leia Organa Solo, Princess of Alderaan who just happens to have been a result of a sperm donation from Anakin Skywalker. She found a father figure in Han Solo. She loved a guy named Ben Solo. I’m not saying she should name herself Rey Solo, but it certainly is better than Rey Skywalker. I mean it's almost like a person's worth and ability aren’t dependent on either a bloodline or acceptance into the galaxies most powerful family. Rey nobody would have been fine. I’m not going to get into the feminist angle of a self made women tying herself to the legacy of a man. Cue theaterwide groaning.

Twin suns. Cool. I liked them better in The Last Jedi.

Rey has a yellow-ish lightsaber and maybe made out of her staff. Wonder where she got the crystals from and why they didn’t introduce it earlier. Possible implication she's going the way of the ‘grey’ jedi? idk some Jedi have yellow actually. Ahsoka had a yellow one. Not sure since this film is back on the JediwayisBest bullshit.

We see Luke and Leia's force ghosts. Ben’s last word was ‘ow’.

In Summary, some odd implications:

Rey Palpatine is quite possibly the worst idea of all time. Worse than midichlorians. The highest level of fanboy pandering and Rian Johnson erasure. Rey has a lot of very real things to be angry about - her rough childhood, the deaths of her mentors, loving someone as dense as Ben Solo, having to come to terms with the fact that her parents didn’t love her.

Return to prequel-esque thinking on slavery. Apparently it is not that bad if you sell someone as long as you do it with LOVE.

Making Finn force sensitive is not character development. Its just half assed pandering and additional exposition in a film filled with exposition.

There is some truly awful dialogue in this film. Its shot composition and editing is so sloppy compared to FA or TLJ.

The force in balance means killing everyone on the darkside.

Rose is completely sidelined. She is the only Asian character on screen. She is seemingly replaced with a black woman who has a similar background to Finn and is a scavenger like Rey. Yikes. Why does this feel like an anti-interacial relationship thing.

Said Black women Jarrah talks to Lando, another black character in a bizarre dialogue that vaguely implies all black people are related. I might be really misreading this, but its weird. I would have liked her to talk to Rose instead because female solidarity.

FinnPoe is played up a LOT. But we are also repeatedly reminded they are attracted to women. This does not feel like woke Bisexual culture. This is pandering without making a commitment.

Rey’s worth as a character is related to her connection to powerful people in the Star Wars mythos, not her own traits.

Ben’s character resonates really strongly with abuse victims and outsiders. His lack of dialogue strips him of a lot of his agency. His estrangement from his family is not resolved. Vader, who arguably did a lot worse things gets a whole dying monologue and force ghost thing.

Oh hey C3PO said the festival is every 42 year old….OG came out 42 years ago. heh.

In Summary:

Watch the Clone Wars animated series

Fall in love with Ahsoka

Watch Star Wars Rebels or at least all the episodes with Ahsoka and also the series finale, it's got some cool force stuff in it.

Think about the cool force stuff in Star Wars Rebels and the cool force stuff in The Last Jedi. Woah.

Apply all this cool force stuff to your own personal version of the Rise of Skywalker

Wait for clone wars finale Feb 2020

Rinse and Repeat

Peg Kylo Ren

Oscar Isaac is the Captain on the FinnPoe Ship.

The Last Jedi was the Best One. Fight Me.

Find the fanfiction where Rey tells him what a good boi he is which reduces him to a puddle. Find the fanfiction where he cries during sex the first time, the second time, every time. Find the fanfiction where his force ghost gets a hug, where his family welcomes his back.

Read Fanfiction:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21852886

What I would do instead:

Delete Rey Palpatine

Ditch the mask. You have a fucking Oscar nomiated actor hiding under it.

After the Endor part, have Kylo join either Rey or the Resistance. Personally I think him hitching a ride on the Falcon would have been wonderfully awkward. And maybe give some closure the calling Finn a ‘traitor’ thing. This is fanservice-y, but no more fanservice-y than the rest of the film. And maybe finally answer the question of who does/doesnt know who Kylo Ren is. Would like a verbal declaration that he identifies as Ben Solo or least Ben or something.

Ben can still die I guess but maybe give him some kinda funeral. Or reuse the golden dice symbolism.

Slow everything done. Let the audience feel sad, feel happy. Oh and cut out those fucking death fake outs.

#tros #rambling #reylo #spoilers #rey #Rey of Jakku no last name given #why did i write this #catharthis #ben solo

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nymphl · 5 years ago

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Lie to Me - Hux x Reader x Ch. 11: Old & New Alliances

A/N: Hello there xD Well, I’m done with that paper... so now I can focus on my stories and my reading. This is a sabbatical year for me, the first since I can remember that I’m not studying something formally, so I intend to read as much as possible. Because apparently I’m more interested in TV shows when I’m overworked as fuck xD I intend on updating this story here every Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays till I’m done with the chapters in AO3. And I believe that after chapter 23... there’ll be more 5 or so chapters and then I’m done with Lie to Me. For the first time, I sat down and plotted what I want for this story... so yeah... we’re about to reach the end. Not a happy ending like in the fairy tales, but I hope to make it a good and surprising ending nonetheless xD For now, enjoy!

Story Summary: Falling for the enemy… That’s probably the stupidest thing you’ve ever done. Letting him live… for he should be dead. And you should’ve been the one to kill him. You had him, right there… and you let it escape through yours fingers. He lived. And now only the time could tell if you made the right decision — more likely wrong — by saving the amnesiac General of the First Order and telling him he was your husband. [Hux x Reader - Hux x You]

Warnings for the entire story: Will contain at times; graphic violence, sex, drugs and manipulation, coarse language and OOCness.

AO3 Tags: from enemies to lovers; eventual romance; memory loss; fake marriage; fake marriage becomes real marriage; rebellion; married couple; canon divergence; slow burn romance; politics; rebel alliance; resistance; first order; OOCness; eventual smut; eventual sex; power play; power dynamics; syndicate; lies; you lie; Hux lies; Hux backstory; manipulation; political alliances; political betrayals; secret organizations; tros fix it; anti tros; nobody likes general pryde.

Wordcount: 5835

PREVIOUS CHAPTER *** NEXT CHAPTER

MOTHER OF MOONS!

You had no idea you could tremble that much while holding a mere comm-relay. It was not even a dangerous device — his blaster for example —, but it made you more nervous than appropriate.

Those bluish eyes of his did not help the tiniest bit.

Armitage Hux stared at you with hawk-like attention, keen on your every expression and reaction. His hands were folded on his chest as he waited for you to gather your courage to contact General Organa. He was by no means that close to you, but it felt like he was right behind you, breathing hotly on your neck.

You shuddered.

And finally reached out for the Resistance.

It had been almost five years since you had last used that device; since you last contacted her — since you last needed to talk to her, only to get no response.

Her apology still made your throat constrict with both anger and… sorrow. Had she done her part, had she listened to you, had she listened to Aquilla, he would still be alive — and the General and his First Order would never have invaded Dantooine.

I am deeply sorry we could not reach Emissary Aquilla Syndulla in time. I am…

You shook your head as you waited for someone to pick up the transmission. Perhaps she did not use that frequency anymore. And why would she? You never responded to her message in the first place and your husband — the sole reason why she kept in contact — was dead. General Leia Organa had no motives whatsoever to get your message.

“She won’t pick up,” you said, your voice no more than a whisper. He did not move from the threshold. Nor he shifted his stance. His bluish eyes continued to watch you with rapt attention.

The two of you were back to the house, in the kitchen. While you had your back against the sink, Hux was leaning on the threshold — D-Five had been dismissed and was currently waiting outside.

He said nothing for a moment, which only made your heart hammer against your chest. Why was he doing this? What were his motives to contact the Resistance? He never liked them in the first place. Kriffs, he never considered the possibility of joining them. That time, some weeks ago, when he questioned you on why you were not with the Resistance was a joke. He was relieved you decided to stay neutral — if that was even possible — for both of you.

You hated the Resistance — hated them for not doing what they were supposed to do, for not offering help for those who helped them the most in the past —, but you knew your feelings could never compare to his.

Amirtage Hux worshipped the First Order and no matter how clear it was they had betrayed him — for kriff’s sake they had made an attempted on his life! — he still held onto his old attachments; his revulsion for the Resistance being only one of them.

Could such feeling — such religious hatred — go away with the loss of his memories?

Part of you doubted.

But another part — a hopeful, foolish even side — thought that he could change. Everyone did.

“Leave a message.”

You almost snapped the transmission shut in the same moment. His controlled, toneless voice startled you.

Swallowing, you did as he said.

“General Organa... I…” You wetted your lips and cleared your throat. That was difficult… more than you expected. “I… It’s (Y/N) Syndulla…” The surname brought a bitter taste to your tongue. You shifted your eyes to the General, his were a tad darker, as if he hated whenever you or someone else used that last name; as if that was unbecoming of you. “I… Reach out to me when you can. I have some… important message concerning the First Order. My contact says…”

You paused.

Breathed through your nose.

And looked at him.

He nodded.

“My contact says there’s some sort of shipment is to arrive shortly in Riosa. All sort of weapons, I believe.”

A few seconds went by in silence.

With your eyes glued to the General, you breathed through your nose and completed, “I will send you the coordinates when you reach out to me.”

In no more than two strides he was in front of you; his hands over yours, he put an end to the transmission by shutting the device.

A slow, deep sigh left you as you felt how warm his hands were. Your eyes were now focused on the floor, your brows furrowed as you considered what had just occurred. For starters, you did not believe D-Five found the comm-relay by chance, but part of you — some naïve, trusting shred — did not want to believe the General commanded him to bring the device to you at that time… However…

…however it was all so orchestrated.

He had to be looking for some excuse to contact the Resistance.

Why?

You even opened your mouth to question him, but he took the comm from your hands and placed it over the table.

“Let’s go,” he said, shifting towards you and pulling your wrist. “I promised to take you out to dinner.”

You were simply flabbergasted.

When he said the two of you would ‘dine out’, he did not say where; he gave no indication whatsoever of what the place looked like. And despite the fact Dantooine had several luxury restaurants — it seemed that the poorer the planet, the more the wealthy scum wanted to show off — he took you to a charming bistro closer to the demolished Jedi Enclave.

It was a surprise, to be sure, but a welcomed one.

You let out a relieved sigh when you noticed that instead of droids, humans were serving the tables and the clients. Across the galaxy, such tasks were left to droids — sentient beings were above such diminutive labor —, but in Dantooine, a place castigated by so many internal and external conflicts, sentient beings were left unemployed and consequently to their own fates, which usually meant starving to death. Day in day out, the hospital had to care for children in the brink of starvation.

It was good to know that at least a place — besides the hospital — were employing humans. A relieved sigh left you when you noticed that not even a single droid could be spotted at the bistro.

However, part of you felt a tad guilty. The droids at the hospital — and even D-Five — were so mindful of the patients needs — of your needs —, they sometimes made you wonder if contrary to the expectations — to the facts — they were at least a little sentient as well.

You were dragged out of your thoughts when the waiter came back with the bottle of honeyed wine and filled your glasses, before stepping away with a bow. Slowly, you brought it to your lips.

Your lids fluttered closed on their own accord. A hum of contentment formed in your throat.

It felt like centuries since you had last tasted such a sweet drink.

“You are unusually quiet,” he spoke after a while watching you attentively. He mimicked you, bringing his goblet to his lips and sipping the wine slowly.

You shifted your attention to him, looking at his bluish eyes for the first time since you left the house. There was so much you wanted to ask, so much you wanted to understand — needed to —, but you were at loss for words. What could you say? How could you say it without sounding accusatory?

“Thank you,” you whispered instead.

He lowered the goblet back to the table.

“That’s not what you meant.”

You furrowed your brows.

“I meant it,” you replied, biting your bottom lip with a little more force than customary. “I am thankful you brought me to this place instead of a high-end restaurant.”

He nodded, but his eyes were extremely narrowed, as if he did not believe a word you just said. As if he knew there was more you wanted to say, but did not know how.

And then, just like that, he shifted his attention to the young waiter. The boy — he was no more than in late teens; child’s labor in Dantooine was not unheard of and no matter how many laws to protect the infancy were reinforced in the Galaxy, they were all bent in that blasted planet — held a tray with two bowls containing Yeast-worm jelly. You even opened your mouth to say you had not ordered anything yet, but his hand holding your wrist across the table made you fall silent.

Before the boy could say anything — you were expecting he would reveal who ordered such an expensive dish for the both of you —, the General waved him off without even a glance.

Brows furrowed, you tried to slide free from his grasp, but he pressed his fingers tighter against your wrist. Your pulse quickened. Your heart was beating so loud now, it was all you could hear for a moment.

A gasp — that did not come from you or the General — made you look around. A few pair of eyes — which was basically the total amount of customers — focused on you.

“You say ‘I’m unusually quieter’,” you started, not even trying to contain your frustration, “but you’re the one acting weird all day.”

There was not a reply from his part.

As expected.

You sighed.

“Why did you made me contact them?”

Again, your only answer was his silence.

Not even a single expression took over his bluish eyes or his face. There was no telling if he was irritated with your sudden outburst or if he was actually expecting it. Knowing him, he probably anticipated this sort of behavior coming from you.

The waiter returned, but not the same boy of before. This time, a specimen of the Duros stopped in front of you, an empty tray in his hands and a dishcloth thrown over his left shoulder.

A gasp left you even before he could open his mouth and confirm — through his voice and heavy accent — his identity, “Trouble in paradise?”

The General even reached for his blaster, but before he could reach it, several blasters were pointed at you. All customers — and now you knew they were all from the Syndicate — and the Duros — one of Aurra Sing’s henchman, the very one who almost beat Aquilla to death once — pulled the trigger.

“Now, now, ladies and gentlemen, drop your weapons.” A firm voice echoed in the bistro. It was followed by the sound of a walking stick hitting the floor. “There’s no need for such rudeness.”

There was a moment of silence. The only noticeable sound was that of Aurra Sing’s walking stick against the wooden floor, in an incessant and even annoying motion — you thought that even surpassed the noise of your heart galloping inside your chest.

All blasters seemed to have vanished in thin air, as well as the customers. Apart from you and the General — who had been stripped of his own blaster and a small tensor pistol — only Aurra and three of her henchmen remained in the place. The Duros who had his blaster pointed at you touched your chin, forcing you to stare at him.

Across the room, you could see the General’s nostrils flaring, even if he kept any words to himself.

“I heard you call yourself Mrs. Hux now…” he started, tightening his hold around you. His navy-blue nails biting your skin. He smiled at the discomfort in your face. “Funny how I’m always the one to beat the living shit out of the guys you choose to live with.” He lowered his face to your level, his breath against your cheeks as he spoke close to your ear, “Perhaps you should consider having me next time.”

He barely had any time to move away from you and his face was hit with a heavy load of spit. You flexed both hands, controlling your urges to slap him till you could not feel them anymore — it is, you were very aware that he would see it and intercept you before you could even try.

Grabbing the dishcloth in his shoulders, he wiped his face clean. The other two of his companions laughed at him, and even his growl was unable to silence them. It was only when Aurra raised two of her fingers that they shut their mouths.

“A fortnight…” the General’s quiet voice was almost too loud in the quiet space. He watched the entire scene unfold before his very eyes silently. Not even once his attention was shifted to you while he spoke, “You said a fortnight.”

“Did I?” Aurra’s mocking tone made him move his jaw in barely contained rage. “I didn’t expect you to trust my words, General.”

Her teasing was only met with silence.

You stared at him with accusatory eyes. Although he said he had met with the Syndicate, he never said he had encountered Aurra Sing. He also totally forgot to mention something about a fortnight, whatever they meant by that.

She pulled a chair and sat in front of you. Mimicking her henchmen, she reached out for your chin, but you looked away. Your dismissive action caused her to breath deeply through her nose. You knew she was aching to slap you, like she did when you refused her help five years ago — when she threw at your face the arrogant little shit you were and how you would come back to her and beg for her help one of these days.

You never did.

Her green eyes were still on you when she spoke, “I may have said a fortnight, but I was dying to see Mrs. Hux…” She wetted her lips; the shadow of a smirk titled them slightly upwards, “is that what you call yourself now?” Her perfect Ryl made you bit the inside of your cheeks and blink furiously. You were on the verge of tears — of anger, of shame, of regret, of self-hate. Her pronunciation was a mockery of how she was still alive while Aquilla died for her. “I’ve missed you, darling.”

“You’re a hateful creature,” you replied in basic. You never spoke Ryl with her and you never would.

She threw her head back and laughed. You bit your bottom lip and cast a glance at the General. The intensity in his eyes made you look away at the same instant.

“It’s been five years since we’ve last seen each other,” Aurra started, snapping her fingers. It was all it took for one of her men to come back with a bottle of spice wine. She poured it in two waiting goblets and handed one to the General and the other she brought to her mouth. “In the Festival, do you remember?”

You shook your head.

You did not want to hear.

You did not want to remember.

“Of course you do,” she continued, green eyes narrowed. “It was the last time you saw Aquilla.”

There was no need to look at the General to know his impossibly blue eyes were focused on you.

“You used to love the Festival, remember?”

There she goes.

You closed your eyes, as if that would muffle her voice, or make the sound of it less painful. A bit more bearable.

“Did she tell you why she hated the Festival, General?”

You felt your body freezing at her words.

There was only silence for a moment. Of course there was. He would not know what to say — for apart from the despicable Duros and Aurra Sing herself, no one in that bistro knew the story and certainly not Amirtage Hux.

You swallowed.

That was it.

Aurra Sing had orchestrated it all. Perhaps she was the one to ask for him to contact the Resistance — she too was after Luke Skywalker. Having known her your entire life, you knew how she plotted everything and played everyone around her.

She would not have survived Beckett, had she acted any differently.

In a few minutes — even less than that, it all depended on how she would bring to life her next words —, the General would know everything and all you did would be for nothing.

You knew he should not have contacted her.

He should have stayed away from the Syndicate and those of her likings.

You cleared your throat and then bit your bottom lip forcefully. As if that would extinguish the need to cry or wipe the tears pilling up in your chin.

“They used to go to all Festiv—

“I know it,” the General interrupted her. Your eyes snapped open at his whispered tone. Aurra looked at him as well — you thought that everyone did. You could not say for sure, you could barely see him through the veil of tears in your eyes. “(Y/N) and Syndulla went to the Festival every year since they got engaged.”

Aurra looked at you and then at him, her whiteish eyebrows arched.

“In the night Aquilla died, she had to choose between you and him.”

You looked down at his words.

The lump in your throat made it impossible to keep your head straight. You could taste your tears now. The taste of salt — of your shame and your guilty — would take forever to disappear from your lips and even longer from your memory.

You have always thought of dying — and you could not think of a better moment for that to take place. Back then, it did not matter that he knew — how the kriffs he found out should be in the forefront of your thoughts —, but that you were forced to relive it all over again.

As if living it once was not enough.

“Syndulla died because of (Y/N)’s inability to condemn you to your death, Aurra Sing.” He walked to you and outstretched his hand. Still unable to face him, it took you a while to place your fingers upon his. The moment he had you in his arms, he wiped your tears away. “If you orchestrated this night to know how if we have secrets between us, you’ve lost your precious time.” He used his thumb to force you to stop biting your lip.

Your heart ached at that.

It was small and sore.

You never wanted something that badly in your life as you wanted for his words to be the pure, unadulterated truth.

He brought your hand to his lips, bestowing upon your knuckles the briefest of kisses.

“We have not.”

She arched her brows.

“Ah you certainly don’t.” Her mocking tone made you swallow hard. Part of you feared she would tell the whole truth to him and another part yearned for exactly that. For the last two months you lived on edge, always afraid of the truth, always counting on him to recover his memories and figure it all himself. Her words, however, surprised you, “But you’re wrong, General.”

The two of you were already close to the door when she said it. You tightened your hold around his fingers.

“I orchestrated this night to check upon some stuff: to know how deep your feelings for (Y/N)’s run and to know if she had moved on. I’ve managed to accomplish only one of these tasks.”

This time, the General was the one to squeeze your fingers.

“I know exactly what happened to the Syndulla boy.”

Your heart quickened at it.

Part of you wanted to know the truth — the only chance of closure you got in five years —; you craved it. Not knowing what really happened to him made your very existence a living nightmare. You even opened your mouth to say yes — you needed to say yes — but you shook your head. You squeezed the General’s fingers, your eyes on his as you replied, “It’s time I move on.”

She arched her brows, as if she did not believe a word you just said.

“You may regret it in the future.”

“Perhaps.” You cast a last glance at her and then looked back at the General. “Take me home, please.”

The journey back home was silent. And even if the velocity in which he conducted the speeder bike was still more than you were used to, this time you did not hold onto him for dear life.

You spent the whole way back thinking about his words.

It was not needed to be a genius to know he was playing with your psychological. The General may not have a clue on the reasons for your lies — or even that you were lying — but he knew you lied. And it was not the first time he gave you the opportunity to tell the truth.

The General was a ruthless man and the fact that he offered any chance for you to justify yourself spoke volumes about how high he regarded you. And yet you could not bring yourself to say it.

I lied.

Two words.

It was very simple.

It should be.

However, all you could come up with was more and more made up stories. Instead of taking that burden off of your shoulders, you kept only adding to it — and to your life sentence. You wondered if he would grant you a quick or slow death after he knew the truth.

As soon as he brought the speeder bike to a stop, you removed your helmet and handed it to him. You dismounted the vehicle and walked to the same place you found him earlier — where you shared those kisses and D-Five showed up with your comm-relay. The bottle of Tihaar along with his electronic cigarette were still there.

You brought the distillate drink to your mouth and gave one big gulp. Your throat burned, your entire face contorted into a grimace. You cast a glance at him, only to find him still sitting at the speeder bike. He had removed his helmet and was currently adjusting a few strands of his ginger hair back in place.

“Why did you make me contact the Resistance if you’re working with the Syndicate?”

Instead of giving you an answer, he placed his helmet next to yours and outstretched his long legs. Between his fingers, he lit a cigarette he took from his coat and brought it to his lips.

You scrunched your nose, but no words left you. Not that he would have minded you. He seemed so keen on smoking he would have ignored you even if you had begged otherwise.

He exhaled the smoke and fixed his intense blue eyes on you.

“I am working with no one.”

What?

That made absolutely no sense.

You blinked twice. As he brought the cigarette back to his lips, inhaling the smoke, you took another sip of the Tihaar. You pressed your lids together and wiped your mouth with the back of your hand.

Blast!

That was simply too kriffing bitter! And strong.

You felt dizzy already.

“You should stop drinking,” he said, shutting off the electronic cigarette. He exhaled the smoke one more time and pocketed his hands. You narrowed your eyes at him and brought the bottle to your lips. His eyebrows arched a little at your defiant gesture. “And you should stop feeling guilty for something that isn’t your fault to begin with.”

“Excuse me?”

That was probably the longest sentence he had spoke to you in the last few days. Or ever. You did not know. All you knew was that you were feeling as if you had drunk too much already and that you should have stopped drinking long before he told you to. You coughed and closed your eyes; your vision too blurry after the coughing fit.

He walked to you, taking the Tihaar from your hands. Different from you, he did not grimace when he drank it. You bet that he could even drink Port in a Storm — and no one, absolutely no one, could drink that, unless they were from Pamarthen — as easily as he ordered you around.

“Aurra Sing is a clever woman,” he started, placing the bottle on the ground, close to his feet and then entwined both hands behind his back. He was in full General mood, analyzing the situation. You tore your eyes off him and looked up, losing yourself on the gigantic moon above your heads. “But not as much as she believes. She’s a woman of action.”

You tried to get the bottle, but his hand quickly shot to your wrist, tightened his hold around you and pulled you towards him. A gasp left you at his action. This time you managed to break free from his grasp — or he allowed you to. At this point, you were not so sure anymore.

“She has always been more brawns than brains.”

He looked at you for a moment, as if deciding he agreed with your words or not. His hands were entwined on his back again, assuming the same rigid posture of before.

“Yes…” he conceded after a moment. “You could say that.”

There was a moment of silence between you.

“How did you know about the Festival?”

He retrieved the bottle and brought it back to his lips, as if considering his next words very carefully, “How long have you known each other?” he asked instead.

You felt your brows rising in your face. Your shoulders immediately squared. That was absolutely off topic for you. More than the Festival, but you thought that perhaps, you could be honest with him.

Kriffs.

His words would haunt you forever now.

The General was far ruthless than everyone gave him credit for. He knew his enemies’ weaknesses and exploited it to the fullest. He knew yours — how guilty you would feel after his open declaration of trust, real or not — and he was not afraid of playing you to his hearts content.

“She was not a ruler here when my parents needed money. They asked for the wrong person and…”

There was a moment of silence. You drew in a sharp breath, not knowing how to continue. That was a fragment of your past that you felt no joy in recalling — a tainted, shameful part of your life you wanted to forget.

“You worked for her,” he finished for you.

You nodded.

“She saw potential in me.” You laughed nervously — at least you tried to, the sound came out a bit struggled. “Can you believe that?”

He walked to you, hands still on his back, invading your personal space. His boots almost touched your own shoes. You knew what he wanted, but you were almost on the verge of begging him to let it go.

Judging by his posture, you knew you did not stand a chance.

Kriffs.

“I was barely thirteen when she put a blaster in my hand and forced me to kill another girl, my age, I think.” You breathed through your nose and shifted your attention to the ground, to his shiny black boots. Looking at his very intense eyes would simply not do. “I couldn’t do it. She killed one of Aurra’s instead.” You bit your bottom lip. “I promised that when the time came I would never waver again. I did. And it cost Aquilla’s life.”

He did not say anything, waiting for you to continue. You did not.

“I couldn’t bring myself to kill anyone, so I became a healer.” You finally looked up, looked at him. He was so close you could feel his breath against your face. “I saved all her henchmen, I saved her life, allowing them to continue with their rule of endless tyranny of them. Then I met Aquilla…”

You tried to look down, but he held your chin, forcing you to stare at him square in the eye.

“She wanted me to kill him,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper. “He was an Emissary from the Senate, investigating a few suspicious transactions here in Dantooine. I couldn’t. I couldn’t kill him.”

The irony of the situation was not lost on you.

You reached for his face, brushing your fingers against his sharp cheekbones. He leaned almost imperceptibly in your touch.

Twice you had the fate of two men in your hands and twice you decided to let them live. And while Aquilla was not a bad man — he fought for what was right in this Galaxy, you could not say the same about the General.

“In exchange for my freedom, he would stop investigating her. It is, as long as she did what was right. And as much as Aurra hated it, I don’t think she wanted the Galactic Senate breathing on her neck…”

You even tried to remove your hand from his face, but he held you in place. His own hands moved to your waist, bringing you close.

“She let you go.”

You shrugged.

“She always thought I was a useless girl.”

There was silence for another long moment. You reveled in the fact that telling him at least this piece of your life made you feel slightly better. As if some of the guilty for keeping so much from him was lifted off your shoulders.

He ran his fingers upon your nude arms, arousing goosebumps on your skin. You blinked twice, trying to remember what you were talking about before he interrupted you — practically demanding some explanation.

You did your part.

It was time he did his.

You stepped from his hold, putting a few inches of distance between you. “You have not answered my question.”

It took him a while to come up with a reply.

“Are you working with the Syndicate?” you asked one more time, hugging both arms around you frame. From cold or fear of what his answer you did not know.

“Tonight was a farce,” he replied quietly. It took you a moment to understand what he meant. “Aurra Sing wanted to know my weakness, so I gave her that.”

“I don’t understand.” You whispered, your brows furrowed. “What about never letting your enemy know your weakness?”

His words of reprehension echoed in your mind. In more than one occasion he chided you. In more than one occasion he made you feel useless because you could not be as detached as he himself.

He snorted.

You hugged yourself tighter. Only now you noticed how cold you were feeling. He lost no time to remove his coat and place it over your shoulders. You half expected him to move away, assuming that General posture of his, but he stood closer, caressing your face and your bottom lip.

“It was a ploy,” he replied nonchalantly. “She has been curious about the nature of our relationship, so I gave her what she wanted.”

Even after his explanation, it still made no sense to you.

“And why would you do that?”

His eyes were trained on your lips, in an intense stare. You shivered, but not out of cold this time.

“All my life people thought that I was a useless, weak boy,” he said instead. You placed your hand over the one that was handing on his side, squeezing it lightly. He opened his palm and you entwined your fingers together. “Aurra Sing knows that. So I merely let her think she orchestrated this whole night.”

You furrowed your brows.

“You stroked her ego.”

He nodded.

“She believes she can manipulate you using me…” You bit your bottom lip. “And that she held greater importance in my life than Aquilla did. She thinks…” You gulped, the very thought setting your heart into endless anguish. “That when the time comes, I’ll choose her over you.”

“She doesn’t know you.” He removed your hair from your face, smoothening the strands between his face. He leaned closer, his warm breath against your own lips. You could faintly smell the alcohol. “You didn’t choose between her and Aquilla as she firmly believes. You chose not to kill anyone. That’s different.”

“That makes me weak,” you whispered.

“No,” the General said in resolution; his lips moved from yours and skimmed your temples lightly. “That makes you… uniquely you.”

Your eyes widened at his words.

Part of you expected him to agree with her, expected him to say that was something you would have to work on, because that was a weakness. Instead, his words surprised you more than you thought possible at first.

Another part recalled Aurra’s words. They echoed in the back of your mind.

…To know if she had moved on…

Your heart hammered in your chest.

Your blood pumped faster in your veins.

You drew in a sharp breath.

In five years you never considered the possibility of moving on. You merely survived, going on your daily chores day after day, waiting for the moment it would all come to an end. But now…

…Now…

Her words made you see everything under a different light.

If you never cared about whether you lived or died before, now you wanted to live… Desperately. You wanted to finally move on.

With this man.

With Armitage Hux.

High in your own finding, you leaned to kiss him, but he moved slightly away before you could reach his lips. He placed a strand of hair behind your ear and broke apart. You shivered when his fingers brushed against your neck.

“We should go back inside, you’re getting cold.”

He walked ahead; his back to you. His hands were back to his pockets. It took you a while to find your voice. You were not sure you should ask that, but you knew that you could not go bed with that nagging doubt in your mind.

Aurra also said she wanted to know about his feelings…

…for you.

You had to know.

“So everything about tonight was a lie.” Your words were no more than a small whisper. You were not even sure he heard you. “Some game you played.”

It took him a while to reply. The mere indication he had somewhat heard you —your voice, even if he could not discern what you said — was the fact he stopped in his tracks. His back straightened.

The General looked at you over his shoulders.

“No.”

He walked back to you, invading your personal space. He lifted your chin, forcing you to stare at him. His blue eyes were very intense. And unreadable as ever.

“Not everything.” Your breaths were mixed, his mouth was almost on yours. You wetted your lower lip and subconsciously ended up running your tongue over his too. He shuddered. “She was right about one thing.”

What? you felt like asking, but gave up. His hands were on your waist, pulling you closer till there was no space between your bodies. You entwined your finger in his smooth, ginger hair. He captured your lips into a very light, very chaste kiss. Your heart stopped for a moment…

…then it all sped up at his words.

“My feelings for you.”

A/N - That’s all for today, kids. See you on Monday. Btw, thank you for all the notes, mainly for reblogging, it means a lot. Love you all xD And in case you’re a new reader, this story is available on AO3 as well.

#lie to me #hux #hux x you #hux x reader #armitage hux #general hux #armitage hux x reader #armitage hux x you #general hux x you #general hux x reader #fanfic #sequels #sequels fanfic #star wars #star wars fanfic

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jayne-hecate-writer · 6 years ago

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The Secret Commonwealth: A review of sorts-ish...

So on a cold fresh autumnal morn, I closed the cover of my book, sat back and almost wept. I have waited for this book for so long, I had had it on pre-order from the despicable Amazon (notorious for tax avoidance, low pay and bad working conditions) for so very long and yet, I cannot contain my disappointment.

This is a cold brutal book, filled with anger and sadness, as much a critique of our society as it is a fairy story. My friends, I present to you The Secret Commonwealth, the second in The Book of Dust trilogy and if you have not yet finished the book, be aware that I am about to discuss some events that could be classified as spoilers.

La Belle Savage was at times a dark book, revisiting the lives of Lyra's parents and explaining how she came to reside with in the walls of Jordan College, safely out of the hands of the Magisterium. It also contained a story of heroism as the young Malcolm Polstead struggles to maintain the safety of the infant Lyra during a catastrophic flood. Although it felt detached from the other stories given that it was in effect a prequel, it was complete and did not leave us with a bitter cliff hanger. Alas, I cannot say the same for the sequel, which is set several years after the events of both The Amber Spyglass and Lyra's Oxford.

The book opens with Lyra and Pantalaiman not speaking, during the episodes when they do speak, they communicate though angry argumentative exchanges and mutual misunderstanding. Pan resents Lyra's depression as she discovers the theories and philosophy of Nihilism, a system of thought that denies the existence of the Dǣmon and even of pleasure itself. Her adherence to the subject matter is fairly typical of every pretentious philosophy reading young adult and borders on the self denying extremes of Emo subculture, without stepping into the grotesque regions of cutting and self harm. There is throughout the book a feeling of abandonment and depression in the main character and it is linked directly to this bleak denial of light and goodness as she struggles to come to terms with her own feelings and knowledge, despite her having had first hand physical experience of the spiritual realm. This is an important part of her self denial that has led to the schism between Pan and herself, as she denies the existence of part of herself.

There is also a feeling of animosity towards the modern day society of Brytain which is clearly very similar in many ways to our own modern Britain, with self serving political posturing and power grabbing being clear goals for some of the characters. Gone is the clear evil and avarice of Mrs Coulter, replaced by the cold brutal spite and vengeance of her brother, Marcel Delamare. The main antagonists of this book are both motivated by revenge and power with the protagonists being somehow dirtied by modern life. The previously heroic Malcolm borders painfully close to the paedophilic with his obsession with a young woman who does not yet have adult status, being ten years his junior and whom he has nurtured since she was a child. In fact throughout the novel, there are many characters who it is implied may have flawed sexual relationships, starting with the loveless flirtations of Lyra herself and moving onto the strangely asexual Marcel, possibly even the Saint Simeon as he craves the touch of his boy, the shamed Princess who delved into lesbianism to satisfy the lusts of her own Dǣmon and finally the revolting actions of a group of rapist Turkish soldiers. Speaking of which, the sexual assault of Lyra is both heart breaking and brutal, it is described as a near rape, but it goes into enough detail to sicken the reader and if I am honest pulls too readily on the cliché of powerful men destroying the spirit of the young woman until she is rescued by another powerful man who berates her for daring to go out in public. This is in some ways the commentary of a middle class academic man, who has tried to imagine what it is to be a marginalised woman and it does show. However, if you wanted to be less critical, you could see this as a brutal statement on the suffering of women not just in the middle east, but the world over as we struggle against sexism, religious persecution and the removal of our bodily self determination.

With the first trilogy, His Dark Materials, there was an innocence to the story telling, even during the vicious battles and violent murders committed by some of the most beloved characters. With this book, there is a bleak world weariness in the subtext, it is every miserable moment distilled and condensed from the twenty four hour news networks, from global war to Brexit and with the reading it does towards the end of the book grow tiring, if not actually despairing. After closing the dust cover, I am left wondering how Pullman can raise the tone of the next book and I wonder if it is even possible for him to give Lyra the sort of ending she deserves, given that she has silently saved mankind across the myriad of realities. Seeing her fall in love with Malcolm would feel somehow lazy, when given her status as the biblical Eve to Will's Adam and their eternal love.

I think that it has also been forgotten that Lyra and Will killed the self aggrandising deity known as the Authority during the last battle in The Amber Spyglass, she knows for a fact that the fortress of heaven is ruled by tyrants, having battled them both directly and indirectly. She is also aware of the presence of the soul having witnessed it first hand escaping from the land of the dead to the plains of land of the Mulefa. Making her a nihilist in everything but name seems somehow incongruous, but maybe this is a comment on the nature of where the world stands at the moment. After all, did not Star Wars do something very similar with the failure and then redemption of Luke Skywalker in the Last Jedi?

As I grew closer to the end of this novel, I knew that it would not and could not end happily. Pullman does not even give us the moment of reconciliation between Lyra and Pan, instead we are left with a cliff hanger and an obtuse poem and worst of all, the knowledge that it is going to be many more months if not years before we get the answers to our questions. Given that his book is nearly seven hundred pages long, there is a great deal in here that is drudgery, misery and depression; which frankly I found heart breaking. Lyra has been soiled by the things that she has done and which have been done to her. I only hope that for the next book she retains her autonomy, does not fall into the predatory arms of Malcolm and finds the reconciliation with Pan, because otherwise this trilogy is going to be bleak and will see the destruction of one of the most beloved characters created in the twentieth century. I also think that Pullman has sank a great deal of his own personal despair with modern society into this instalment, carefully skirting the more usual tired tropes and cliché.

Is the Secret Commonwealth a good book? I cannot answer this question because it has left me feeling unsettled and hurt. What I can say is that as the original readers of the first trilogy have aged, the tone of the second trilogy has aged with us. Where I would have no qualms about letting my ten year old niece read The Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife or The Amber Spyglass, I would have some reservations about allowing this book to fall into her hands until she was significantly older. The tone of this book is just too dark at times and in some cases just too brutal. Do not forget that it is actually two of our beloved characters, both young women, who have been raped in this second trilogy and on each occasion they have been over powered and violated, while their struggle has been shown to be useless, there was nothing that they could do to prevent it. Yes, misogyny like this does exist, but do I want to encourage my niece to read such things or do I want to protect her from just how awful society can be?

I suppose that I shall just have to wait for two long damnable years to find out what is going to happen next to our dear Lyra, but while we wait we do have the new BBC show to look forwards to. There were moments while reading this book that I looked up from the page to discover my partner was watching the television and there before me was the young woman who had portrayed Lyra in the film of the Golden Compass. Her depiction of Lyra and all of her depth was remarkable for a child who had never acted before and it is uplifting to know that she was able to put the film behind her and continue with her career. I am bitter about that film because it feels like it was scuttled by the studio and the blame was placed at the feet of the religious bigots who had probably never ready the books. The shame of it was that much of the anti-catholic rhetoric had been removed and still the religiously indoctrinated were not satisfied until they had ruined it and stripped it of meaning and value. If anything, that just makes the making of this series even more important. I very much doubt though that should this series be a success, The Secret Commonwealth will also be filmed for this age group.

#the book of dust #the secret commonwealth #philip pullman #la belle sauvage #lyra's oxford #lyra silvertongue #lyra belacqua #pantalaimon #Dǣmon #the northern lights #the golden compass #the subtle knife #the amber spyglass

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ariainstars · 5 years ago

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Ben Solo - A Sad Star Wars Story

Warning: longer post. (And possibly, a few unpopular opinions.)

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For a start: I’m not here to say I like how the sequels ended with Episode IX, in particular the way they handled their protagonist.

It sucked, to say the least.

I am writing this because looking back now, I can hardly imagine how the authors could have wrapped up the sequel trilogy with the happy ending we expected.

Let’s start with that word: happy. Honestly, did anyone want Ben to be “happy” with what Rey has become? I did expect her to fall down the rabbit hole. We repeatedly have witnessed how aggressive and judgmental she is; and by all logic, she had to meet her own Dark Side in order to realize that she has no right to judge the man she first knew as Kylo Ren. The moment I heard Palpatine’s evil laugh in the first trailer, I figured he had come to pursue Rey, not him. Unfortunately, her moment of shock was short and she hardly learned from it; if anything, since Luke sent her right back into the battle. This scene may have been what fanbros expected from Luke, but honestly, it was ridiculous. It did not fit to The Last Jedi’s Luke and it did not do Rey any favor.

And: had Ben emerged victoriously, found his happy ending, how would the title “The Rise of Skywalker” be justified? He is a Skywalker by blood, but in fact he is a Solo.

Wrapping Up the Saga

The sequels were received with mixed feelings from the start. Fans of old were angry at The Force Awakens since it seemed to say that history was repeating itself; that the heroes or the original trilogy had brought down the Empire but not managed to preserve peace. We saw them separated from one another as they once had been, disillusioned and worn out. Not the mention the wasp’s nest that was raised by The Last Jedi! If the Prequel Trilogy dismantled the illusion that the Jedi were perfect, the Sequel Trilogy definitively does the same with the Skywalker family. Both messages are clear for everyone to see, provided one is ready and willing to see them.

If Star Wars is a tale with a moral - and given its approach and the fact that it was handed over by Lucas to Disney of all studios it is - then the authors are trying since the 80ies to teach our minds to a compassionate approach on both villains and heroes. One of the main reasons why many fans dislike the prequels is that they expected to see the Jedi and Anakin / Vader being cool; they felt let down by witnessing the Jedi’s narrow-mindedness and Anakin’s strong emotionality. The affronted reactions to The Last Jedi were on the same line of thought. The prequels showed that the Jedi were not the good guys, and for the observant viewer this is already clear enough in the original trilogy. But it was only with The Last Jedi that the elephant in the room was finally approached.

Through Rey, The Rise of Skywalker makes clear that wanting to be a Jedi does not entail actual heroism but the conviction of being a hero. And Rey’s dyad in the Force, the tragic figure of Ben Solo, warns about the dangers coming from a child and teenager no one believed in as a person because everybody only saw his powerful potential.

The Jedi’s Failure

Neither Luke nor Anakin nor Rey needed the Jedi in order to become heroes. They already were good-hearted, brave and idealistic when we first met them. The Jedi ways did not make any of them happy; they learned to use their powers and employed them for short-lived “victories”, but they never found lasting peace.

Not a few fans have wondered how Luke Skywalker, who believed in his father despite all, could give up on his nephew that fatal night (even if it was only a moment of panic). Simply put: as strong and mature as he is by the time of Return of the Jedi, Luke suffers from a father trauma, and he desperately wishes for Vader to become Anakin again, his father, who used to be a hero. When he asks Vader to leave and come with him, it is not out of pure idealism but also a personal request. But Luke did not need his nephew. The moment he had at the temple was a personal issue, it had little to do with Ben’s strength in the Force or his status as Luke’s model student: Luke was afraid that Ben would be the end of everything he loved. Luke, Leia and Han were thrown together by a trauma bonding; Ben had no place with them because he hadn’t been through the same.

The actual tragedy in Ben Solo’s life was the bitter realization, over and over, that he was not needed by anyone (except for being abused, e.g. by Snoke). Ben desired Rey even before he had met her because she was powerful but unexperienced, and he hoped to find sense and belonging by protecting and instructing her. No wonder Rey’s rejection in the Throne Room drove him out of his mind with rage: it was another confirmation of what he had experienced all his life - that people can do without him. So he decided, bitterly and sullenly, that he could do without others as well. But over and over, he had to realize that he could not escape his want for connection. He kept hunting for Rey; and he was very conflicted both when it came to his father and his uncle, letting on that he did have an emotional connection with both of them although he didn’t want to accept it.

Ben’s tragedy was that he did not want to be special at all, and that contrarily to his uncle and grandfather he was aware of it. Ben simply wanted to belong somewhere.

It is an intrinsic part of the saga that a hero is never a hero “because he is superior to others for… reasons”: Star Wars does not bow to that cliché. Some people are born with the capacity to tap into the Force, but not all of the saga’s heroes have it. The morally good qualities a person has, the right decisions they make are not inborn but passed on, learned, communicated. In A New Hope Luke was saved by Han, to whom he had offered companionship and set an example by trying to save Leia. In Return of the Jedi Vader was won over by his son’s loyalty and sacrifice. For an average action film hero, this kind of attitude or outcome of his adventures would be unacceptable: a hero is expected to be triumphant, not saved by someone else. And I know enough fans who don’t understand Luke and prefer Han or Vader to him, who are both cooler and more predictable.

In film, where characters need to be introduced to the audience within the scope of minutes, narratives are applied in a way that the general audience gets them quickly. The downside is that this goes at the expense of nuances. Fans don’t like to see Anakin being passionate and stormy because as Darth Vader he was coded as brutal but cool; they don’t get Obi-Wan’s many mistakes because he was coded as a hero, or Yoda’s arrogance due to his status as a wise old mentor. The sequels brought this dichotomy to a new level coding Rey as the heroine although she has a bad attitude and comes from bad blood, and Ben Solo as the villain when his attitude is conflicted at worst, and who is the offspring of the original story’s heroes. The difference lies in their intentions - hers are good, his are bad. This is interesting because it makes us, the audience, question ourselves as to how and why we believe we can tell good from evil.

You could probably say into a megaphone that the Jedi are not the good guys who always win, that the Force is not a superpower belonging only to the Jedi and that there is no simple Dark and Light but that the Force needs balance: some viewers will never get it. I guess everybody feels the saga’s subtext on a subconscious level; but woe betide if someone like Rian Johnson brings it up to the surface for everyone to see.

Narrative Key

One of the main reasons why The Last Jedi is so divisive is, I think, that its major theme connecting all of the others is communication. While the prequels told much about miscommunication or lack thereof, Episode VIII is packed full of beautiful examples of what happens when people actually manage to communicate; and even when they do not, they learn from their misunderstanding one another (e.g. Poe with Admiral Holdo).

It is a common but major mistake not to question the narrative key to a story. Many Star Wars fans believe the story is simply about the good guys defeating the bad guys, so they overlook the deeper themes of the saga and respond with outrage when the authors try to humanize their heroes, bringing them down from their alleged pedestal. It is e.g. helpful to know Joseph Campbell’s monomyth theory; to consider that a film saga is not the same as a TV show and that therefore if the characters go through changes these must be significant from one instalment to the next due to the time limitations; to watch a few films by Akira Kurosawa, in particular The Hidden Fortress, to understand the significance of a major event seen through different eyes; or consider the prequels’ parallels with legends, classic literature, or the Bible - Lucifer’s fall, Romeo and Juliet, the tales of King Arthur. Star Wars is a conglomeration of many narratives, from Western films to the Japanese to French fairy tales to Greek mythology to Shakespearean drama. Who approaches these films expecting mere “action” is bound to be disappointed. It is understandable, however, that if you are used to certain kinds of stories, you will assume that every story should basically follow the same lines, and you will have difficulties accepting anything that is different, or believe it’s just badly made.

I still remember the (sometimes vicious) quarrels I followed in an online forum a few years ago about a Japanese mecha anime who some fans by hook or crook wanted to fit into the structure of a French novel. Of course, those two narratives don’t fit together: no wonder most of the other fans didn’t accept that kind of interpretation.

The Phantom of the Opera’s film version of 2004 was largely a failure both with regard to quality and audience appreciation because it made a tacky Byronic romance of a story that actually is a mystery thriller, probably expecting that it would be more appealing that way. What the filmmakers accomplished was making the story flat and the characters annoying by stripping them of the drama behind the original story.

Filming Rebecca’s film version from 1940 Hitchcock managed the transition excellently maintaining the storyline of the original novel; but Daphne duMaurier’s book is a coming-of-age story, and who expects a crime thriller may feel irritated by the narrators’ meandering and detailed inner monologue.

Game of Thrones also could not culminate in “all’s well that ends well”. The last season was not well-made, but I think now that was not the whole reason behind the audience’s disappointment. The show always was very crude and included loads of horrific events; even the worst victims of the war, who seemed to have a justification for their actions and seemed well-meaning, at times did terrible things. It would be a misfit to apply a happy ending to a “sex and violence” narrative as with another martial epic, like Aeneid and Iliad. Who waits for happy endings ought to avoid this kind of story from the start. (Yes, I know, I should listen to my own advice - had I imagined how depressing Rogue One is, Star Wars fan or not, I would probably have skipped it.)

Stories of this kind can be dissatisfying because as an audience, we follow our heroes’ adventures, sometimes for years, and we usually want to see them to find their happiness in the end. But in all honesty: we should have imagined.

That is why I think it was naïve to believe that the sequel trilogy would lead Ben to a happy ending with Rey. I have read more than one fanfiction which irritated me at first, until I realized that they were told on the lines of Fifty Shades of Grey, or Pride and Prejudice. That may work well for a fanfiction, but Star Wars is not a mere romance. Even if there was a hint of the overture to Romeo and Juliet during the abduction: couples based on that trope are not destined to end well. I myself was hoping for a happy ending due to the fact that the saga’s rights were in the hands of Disney of all production companies; and giving that the Skywalker family is one of the most famous in pop culture, I was certain they wouldn’t wipe them out. However I was not quite sure how they would do that and make it convincing, and I was wary when it came to the assumption (which many Reylo’s took for granted) that the love between Rey and Ben would be strong enough to save the galaxy and give them a happy ever after.

When a guy is introduced by murdering a defenseless old man, letting an entire village be wiped out with practiced ease, going on with torturing another guy both physically and mentally and climaxing with the horrible crime of patricide, one can hardly expect a happy ever after for him; even less since so very little was explained in terms of his childhood and adolescence. Some viewers identified with Ben Solo and saw his abandonment and abuse issues; many others didn’t, and none of the sequel films really thematized them. That he made peace with his parents and died to save the girl he loved is sufficient for a convincing redemption arc, not to offer him a happy closure.

The Trope That Comes Closest

There were a lot of speculations with regard to the trope Ben (Kylo) and Rey were actually modelled on. Romeo and Juliet, Hades and Persephone, Pride and Prejudice or Beauty and the Beast, and there were probably more. Rian Johnson is known for loving The Phantom of the Opera more than any other musical. I don’t think that’s coincidental.

- The phantom is disfigured by birth, Ben is extremely powerful by birth; and Ben also gets disfigured by Rey during their duel. (Vader’s sunken, charred face under the mask was, for a long time, how I imagined the phantom unmasked by the way.) - The phantom is highly intelligent and has huge musical talent. Ben was born with a strong power in the Force. - Both wear masks and look much less threatening without them. They also wear a cloak, and black clothes. - The phantom had committed terrible crimes both to protect himself and to punish a world which would not accept him. Sounds familiar? - In the musical we do not get to know how he became a ruthless monster in the first place. Ditto. - The phantom dies (or disappears, in the musical) because only the girl knew that he was lonely and unhappy and that he still had goodness inside him. She had forgiven him, but the rest of the world wouldn’t have believed her or forgiven him.

Both Kylo Ren and the Phantom are creatures who are at the same time terrible and wonderful. The normal world, populated by average people, cannot accept them because they are both too fascinating and too terrifying. In order to find lasting fulfilment, Ben ought to have found back to humanness. The phantom couldn’t due to his disfigurement and his criminal past; and though Ben loses the scar on his face, the Cain’s mark of the patricide he committed, his deed and his former status as Supreme Leader of the First Order never would have been forgotten.

“Yet in his eyes all the sadness of the world Those pleading eyes that both threaten and adore…” Christine in The Phantom of the Opera (on the rooftop)

Heroes: Dynamic and Static Characters

A general rule of storytelling is differentiating between dynamic and static (also called “impact”) characters. A static character is like an anchor for others: while they live through crises, learning and maturing, this character always remains his old self and always stands for the same values. He may be misunderstood, opposed and belittled, he may lose the battle, but never the war; and after having helped others through their troubles, he usually is on his own. (Cue: cowboy riding into the sunset.)

Superman stands for peace and justice, Jack Sparrow for freedom, Peter Pan for the innocence of childhood, Paddington for faith in people’s goodness. No wonder they are so popular: it is familiar and reassuring to follow the adventures of someone who is always like a rock in a storm. Static characters are in essence childlike, two-dimensional; which is probably why our child self easily gets attached to them and may be outraged at the idea of them changing, or maybe (gasp) being wrong about something.

But George Lucas developed his saga along the lines of personal growth, and by exploring its themes: thankfully, otherwise it would have become as boring and repetitive as so many other franchises. To continue a story you can either make it dynamic, or press the repeat button over and over. The Skywalker men with their strong emotionality may be unusual heroes, but much more interesting than other, “cooler” guys whose actions are more or less foreseeable. So, I can understand the Disney studio’s choices. On the other hand, it is not surprising when fans of old get angry when their supposedly unalterably perfect heroes make mistakes: everybody wants to know that some things (or persons) never change. Even if on the long run, change might be for the better.

I think one of the sequels’ most important messages was that the Skywalker-Organa-Solo family failed their heir precisely because their mindset did not change. Ben grew up in another world than they did; obsolete political structures, dictatorship or rebellions did not matter to him. But his family wanted him to adhere to the ideals that had gotten them through the war against the Empire, discouraging him from searching and finding his own place in the world, a world that now was very different both from the old Republic and the Empire.

Whether a static or dynamic character is more relatable to the audience is a personal matter. Many fans adore Darth Vader, Leia and Han Solo etc. precisely for the fact that basically they always remain their old selves. Padmé also is a favorite, probably due to the fact that she does not change considerably. Anakin changes a lot, which is perceived as a sign of weakness. Some fans may relate more to Luke, who undergoes serious trials and emerges from them stronger and wiser, far away from the greenhorn he was in A New Hope. And yet Luke’s final decision to throw his weapon away before Palpatine is often perceived as weird to this day. It’s not “heroic”.

The outraged fans who ranted at Luke’s portrayal in The Last Jedi did not realize that Luke was doing something both Obi-Wan and Yoda, or the other Jedi for that matter, never had done: he took responsibility for his actions. In this context Ben was the audience’s self-insert, he was as appalled at Luke’s misstep as we were. Such a blow is enough to send someone on a lonely island to meditate about his mistakes for years, convinced that the world is better without him.

But for the action film audience, that is not acceptable. If you have a light sabre and the Force (an alleged superpower), what do you need responsibility for? You can’t do wrong if you’re the hero, right? Luke also was the only character from the original trilogy who underwent character growth, which makes it all the more ironic that the many, many critics who tear the sequels to pieces are fuming at how Luke could be so “defiled”. Luke grew beyond the person he had been in A New Hope; these fans obviously did not. Which is why the studios thought they had to produce The Rise of Skywalker in order to “appease” them and to give them the Luke Skywalker they wanted.

Where Does the Galaxy Go From Here?

A conversation between my husband and me, about a year before The Rise of Skywalker came out.

Me: “I hope Ben Solo will survive at the end of the trilogy.” Him: “I do hope that, too. But they won’t give him a happy ending.” Me: “Why?” Him: “He killed his own father.”

I hate to admit it, but he was right. I’m not aware what ethics code is under use in the film industry now, but in any case, the horrible crime of patricide was done; even if it was under coercion, the son traumatized by it, and it ultimately brought him back to redemption. You can’t make a patricide, the former right hand and for a time leader of a terrorist organization a hero and give him a happy ending; in particular when you are Disney of all film studios. (Not to mention that he killed Han Solo, a very popular character.) And from exchanges with other viewers I am aware that many do not understand how Ben killed Han under Snoke’s coercion, and the implications that led him to kill Snoke: they believe he simply did it because it’s something an evil, power-hungry person will do.

Ben dying without anyone knowing that he was not a villain at heart and worse, leaving the fates of the galaxy in the hands of a young woman whom we often saw giving in to evil influences again and again within the scope of minutes was a dangerous turn. If he was but “a child in a mask”, Rey is a child who believes to be a Jedi. How is Rey supposed to be a heroine, with the other half of her soul gone? She and Ben fitted together perfectly because she had the good intentions but a violent attitude, while his intentions were bad but his attitude desperately conflicted because inherently good. Rey came from evil blood but was kind-hearted because she believed in her parent’s love. Ben was the heir of a family of heroes but did not feel loved by them, which made him lonely and bitter. What good is Rey on her own, even more so when at the end of Episode IX she deliberately leaves her friends and goes to a literal desert? The little girl inside of her is still starving for connection, and neither being a Jedi nor a “Skywalker” will appease her. She had to meet Luke to realize that he was a good man but still just a man; a lesson she didn’t quite internalize yet. The sequel trilogy wasn’t her story because her personality hardly developed. It was Ben who went through hell and back.

Films (and film sagas) have a determined length and as a film studio you need time to explore all themes, which in Star Wars are quite complex. The worst mistake I found with Episode IX was that it broke the Campbellian monomyth in favor of a Marvel type B-movie to appease the fans of old who had hated The Last Jedi. Which is understandable from their point of view, but went at the expense of quality. The Rise of Skywalker may have quenched the fire a little, but as a film, it’s frankly forgettable, and compared to the other films from the saga, I doubt that it will age well. Had the sequel trilogy continued Rian Johnson’s approach instead of putting a band-aid on The Last Jedi, it would have been good enough to make a cultural impact the way the classics did. If the sequel trilogy was meant to follow The Hero’s Journey, no one completed it: Ben died and Rey went into exile, and no one brought any kind of elixir or salvation into the world.

All of this is not to say that I have grown to like The Rise of Skywalker and that I am not disappointed about the ending, or no longer sad about Ben Solo’s death. I hope that the next trilogy will give him a second chance: I am still convinced that his ultimate fate should have been to bring lasting Balance to the Force. If I am wrong and his existence practically cancelled the past without improving anything, the whole saga loses its sense. I think that by now he atoned more than enough for his sins.

When I learned that Rian Johnson had negotiated his own trilogy after The Last Jedi, I remember wondering what it would be about. After all, almost everything had been said about the Skywalker saga, hadn’t it?

It hadn’t. I had naively assumed that like with Episodes III and VI, the final revelations were preserved for Episode IX. By now it seems to me like The Rise of Skywalker is meant as an appetizer for the next sequel. It can’t be that the studios unlearned how to make good films in so short a time after The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, also considering that everything else they made about Star Wars in between (Rogue One, Solo, The Mandalorian) is solid work and not by a long shot as flat as Episode IX.

The studios assuredly will keep their secrets as long as they can. The Mandalorian was met with huge expectations, yet nobody knew about Baby Yoda before the first episode was aired. Due to their depth and love for details, Star Wars films can be watched and discussed over and over, and the message regarding the necessity of Balance is still widely unknown or not accepted by the fans. If this is supposed to be not only an entertaining but also an educational tale, authors must give new fans room to get to know the saga, and old fans time to let the new ideas sink in. Lucas and his collaborators have taken decades trying to teach us that morals are not black and white. But still when The Last Jedi came out, the message was utterly hated.

Whatever Johnson’s trilogy will be about, it can’t be a part of the Skywalker saga any more: they are all dead. Even if Ben is brought back somehow, he is a Solo, so this time it would be the story of his own family. The Skywalker saga was basically Anakin’s, and by reconciling with a Palpatine and giving his life to save the woman he loved his grandson ultimately made up for his sins. The Last Jedi was a bold move; but what are “bold moves” supposed to be good for if they are not followed through? Apart from the fact that the sequels weren’t even exactly bold but drawing sums from what we already could see in original trilogy and prequels about the Jedi and the old Republic.

Family Is the Key

Star Wars is a family tale. It is for families and it is about families. One of the most frustrating things about The Rise of Skywalker was, for me, that the “new” heroes didn’t make any kind of home or family of their own; and a Star Wars film or series never works without a father figure at its heart. I am sure Ben Solo was ultimately meant to be a father figure; the sequels couldn’t work without even giving him the chance to be one. Anakin and Luke both founded a family - one through marriage, the other befriending many different people. The third generation did not even get a chance either way.

“I believe that you are redeemed by your children.” George Lucas

In Star Wars, children always have to pay for their parent’s sins, and only they can make them atone. Which makes it all the more tragic that Ben is not a father; by this logic, only his child could have saved him, or an adopted one. On seeing the enslaved children of Canto Bight, of whom one is Force-sensitive, I was convinced that the sequels would be the children’s trilogy. (I might have accepted Ben dying had he saved and left them with Rey, who also is an abandoned child and so would have found a meaningful task.)

What the galaxy needs most are not heroes but people. Heroes exist to save desperate situations; lasting peace can only be made by normal people. With Luke becoming a hero in the original trilogy and Anakin a villain in the prequels, I was expecting Ben to find back to humanness. Since we have another trilogy to look forward to, I do still hope Ben will get another chance and this time he will find his happiness; but I also believe that he will have a long way to go before that. By the end of The Rise of Skywalker he is a hero, but in order to be happy he would need to learn how to be fully human, realigning both sides of his personality and healing the gap between them (the way Anakin couldn’t). And you don’t learn how to embrace your humanness quickly after having lost it within the scope of years and years. Ben wanted Rey because she was the only person in the galaxy with whom he could be completely honest. But being human also entails bonding with other people, not only with one’s significant other.

Ben tried to pull off the “bad guy” role and failed because it’s not in his nature. A lot of fans see him as a loser, because whether good or evil, a male protagonist is supposed to be always unfazed. The gentle, nurturing and emphatic personality that comes out in Ben when he is balanced is not that of a warmonger but of a peacekeeper: I see nothing inacceptable or emasculating in that. Unfortunately, who has Luke, Anakin or Han as blueprints for “real” men, won’t accept someone like Ben Solo. I hope that in time, he will be more appreciated, and that his life story will be a warning both for the audience and for the saga itself, i.e. that it is more to the point not to punish a criminal but to prevent him from becoming that way in the first place. Which brings us again to the topic of children and a better way to raise them, Force-sensitive or not.

Rey and Ben both are children with unhealed wounds. Their brief moment of harmony during the Force connection on Ahch-To was so powerful because both were speaking to each other’s inner child: Ben saying to Rey that she was not alone, Rey offering Ben an understanding he had not known before. Padmé also always saw in Anakin the good little boy she had first met; one of the reasons of the unbalance in their relationship was that he felt powerless to do something for her in return.

I think that the sequel trilogy of the Skywalkers wanted to tell us is that even if you save the whole galaxy, it’s not sufficient if afterwards you can’t support and protect your own offspring. When we met Han, Leia and Luke again, their personalities were pretty much as we left them; their mistake in handling Ben can’t have been something they actually did to him, the blunder must lie somewhere in their attitude. All three of them were traumatized by cruelly losing or never having known a healthy family life, so we must assume that after the war against the Empire, they tried to build a new world that would fit to their needs. But if adults build a home, they must do so thinking first and foremost not of themselves but of the ones who need it more than them. Children shape the future, not a victory of “good” over “evil”. And I find it interesting that the codebreaker DJ, who had such a pragmatic view of war, was also someone we met on Canto Bight, like the children. He was a traitor, but as everyone in the saga, even he had a point when he said that ultimately, wars are useless because they always flare up again.

“Good, bad, made-up words. You blow them up today, they blow you up tomorrow.” DJ in The Last Jedi

The last scene of The Last Jedi showed us a Force-sensitive boy sweeping an open space before looking up at the sky and dreaming about being a Jedi. I still believe that this scene’s meaning was “Clear the stage, it’s time for us - the children.”

The Jedi, respectively Force-sensitive creatures, must find new and better ways if they want to be advocates for peace and justice. No institution can claim to have a moral standard if it does not protect, nurture and encourage their most vulnerable and needful members, i.e. the children. Watching the prequels it is shocking to follow how the intelligent, brave and affectionate child Anakin could become the most hated man in the galaxy, crushed in the powerplay between the “good but narrow-minded guys” and the “bad but not always wrong” guys. Both his and his grandson’s dark fate could have been avoided, had it not been for the Jedi mentality based upon the conviction of having the right to destroy everything that does not (or does not seem) to line up with them.

The Star Wars saga told us over and over that power is not what it takes. The Jedi lost the Clone Wars; Vader was a lonely, bitter guy (not to mention Palpatine); Kylo had all the power his grandfather never had and it did him no good. Anakin, Han and Ben all were loved most by their women when they were at their weakest. And this brings me back to what I stated above: stories can be interpreted in different ways, but what about the message the author actually wanted to convey? If I am not getting it all wrong, it’s that compassion and not power is the key to everything good.

Episode VII and IX mirror one another, only VIII hints at a possible balance. Star Wars has a cyclical narrative; Anakin / Vader had his happiest moments and successes in his youth, while his grandson in his own youth hit rock bottom and committed his worst sins. If Kylo Ren’s destiny, as per Adam Driver’s words, is supposed to be the opposite of Darth Vader’s, how can The Rise of Skywalker really be the ultimate ending for him?

P.S. What do you think, could baby Yoda and Ben meet? Then Obi-Wan and Yoda would be together again in a new way. P.P.S I would also like to see the Force, for once. I’m sure it’s not black and white at all. How about a rainbow? (Does anyone have Rian Johnson’s e-mail…? 😊) P. P.P.S. On the other hand, if the next film starts with Rey being pregnant and not knowing how, I might be sick… ☹

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