#self ship Kylo ren

[xsister-serpent]

♱𝖋/𝖔♱

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱, 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐢𝐨 𝐯𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦. 𝐈 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧! 𝐊𝐲𝐥𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐇𝐞’𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐢𝐠𝐬, 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐬, 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐦𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈’𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞? 𝐈 𝐝𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐲𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐈 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞. 𝐇𝐞’𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐲, 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐲.

divs @mikeykuns @iwonbin, @rookthornesartistry @jicito kylo selfie pic is from @kyloremus I created everything else on canva (cause im a looosseerr) yeah this is not a weird parasocial relationship I fully respect Adam Driver so let's be clear on that.

[punkeropercyjackson]

'It's normal for guys to be super aggressively sexual and objectify women if they're grown men!!!'So close!It's actually gender essentialism and toxic masculinity

[cookiesjar]

My roommate made me watch all of Star Wars. And despite by best efforts, I’ve come away with a new new baby.

I love me some broken toxic FICTIONAL (that part is important) men

[just-some-random-blogger]

Hii!

I just came across your empress work with kylo ren and i absolutely loved it.

But i was wondering...

Could you maybe write something like that but with kylo marring a jedi reader to restore balance and peace to the galaxy?

Say That Again

"-- say it," Kylo mutters. His voice becomes shaky, "I want to hear you say it."

Kylo Ren x Jedi!Reader | 1k+ | cw: gender neutra!reader, implied kidnapping, violence/mentions of injury, lovers to enemies, pining, angst, typos, etc.

A/N: this req is remix of this anon's and @copiasratsstuff request where basically YN refers to Kylo with his first name and it makes him snap. also T_T i had to send myself this anon ask because i accidentally posted this WITHOUT ANYTHING on the post LMAO. i hope you enjoy it my loves <3 <3 <3 tbh I think this turned out better than what I had in mind slayyyyed

My heart pounds as I run down the halls. My hands were tingling and moistened with agitation. I huff when I catch sight of the space craft.

I swipe an arm and, using my Force, a pair of stormtroopers crash to the side, clearing my passage.

The footsteps thundering towards me grows louder when I get to the ship and pry the door open with my Force. Just as I'm about to get into the vehicle, a scorching blow hits my leg, then my shoulder. A loud cry leaves my lips before I can even think.

Similarly, I hear painful screaming from afar. "Didn't I say to hold your fire?!"

My panic heightens at the echo of that voice. Through the excruciating pain, I tell myself to push forward. This was it, after all, this was the opening to the freedom I was waiting for.

But the next thing I knew, a dark Force overcame me, and I didn't have enough strength to break free of it.

I thud into the arms of my captor, and whine in pain. I clench my jaw and slowly lift my eyes, glaring at him.

My expression is vaguely reflected on the Supreme Leader's black mask. He sighs before speaking, "you reap what you sow."

I growl and hiss, "and soon will you."

He carries me in his arms, all the way back to my prison cell. He sets me down on his bed l, and as he takes off his helmet, I fling him back with Force, making him lose his balance.

The man doesn't topple though. What only happens is his dark hair falls onto his face. He tilts his head, "childish."

I scoff, "I'm glad you're self-aware."

The Sith Lord says nothing in response. He walks off, props his helmet on his cabinet, and opens a drawer. He walks over to me with bandages and ointment.

I raise a brow as he sits on my side, "you're not going to heal me?"

"The pain will be good for you," he replies, grabbing my injured leg with little regard.

I whine and shift to lessen my discomfort. He begins to lather ointment on my laser gash.

As he does this in silence, and as I behold his profile, his nose, his lips, his lashes, I see flashes of the past from his face. I see a memory of when we were younger, both still under the guidance of our master, Luke. I see his sweet smile, hear his soft laugh, feel his tender kiss... my Ben.

Of course, we were young fools in love. Deep down, we knew we could never be; attachments were dangerous. And yet he promised me himself and I promised him myself, and somehow he believes that was the same as us being married.

That was why he captured me. That was why he was binding my wounds. That was why he was unwilling to let me go. According to him, I was the balance the galaxy craved, I was the balance he long yearned for.

"We are married," he says, a-matter-of-factly.

My face sours, "get out of my head."

"Even if you did, even if you managed to run," he turns to me, one hand gripping my knee, "you think I would just let you go?"

We stare at each other for a while.

"After all I've done to have you?" he narrows his eyes.

"You wouldn't be able to find me," I lean in as I retort.

He leans closer, "and yet you would eventually surrender because your heart is weak."

I whine when he pulls the bandage around me tighter than necessary.

"Your soft heart would not bear the destruction I'd exact on the stars to find you," he ties the bandage and turns back to me. He scoffs under his breath, "you and your empathy."

The last of what remained of Ben Solo stared at me. Perhaps I was the only one delusional enough to see it. He was barely there in face, and in soul, I fear he may be lost forever.

I turn away.

He releases my leg and grabs my arm, "take your top off."

I decide not to put up a fight, there was no point. I take my burnt top off so he could wrap the injury on my shoulder blade.

He moves me so my back is turned to him. He stares at my wound for a prolonged moment. I am tempted to look back at him when I realize he felt pity for me.

"You shouldn't have run."

I don't look back, "you shouldn't have chased after-" I hiss when he applies ointment on my burn.

"You shouldn't have run," he repeats, harder this time.

"Kylo, please-"

"What?"

I look over my shoulder.

"What did you just call me?"

His expression is that of shock and excitement. I quickly correct myself, "Ben. Your name is B-"

"That's not my name," he raises a finger, "that's not what you said-"

"That's what I mea-"

"Say that again, say it," Kylo mutters. His voice becomes shaky, "I want to hear you say it."

I clench my jaw and shake my head. "Your name is Ben Solo."

He releases a deep breath.

I grab his cheeks. It was the first time I had ever willingly touched him, and so tenderly at that, "that is your name. That is who you--"

"Ben is dead," Kylo grabs my wrists, yanking me away from him.

My heart races when I feel the hot air from his lungs.

"I am all that's left," he whispers, brows furrowing. His voice is shaky again, "Ben was weak. He could not even speak his love for you out loud," he shakes his head, "not me. I would make sure the whole galaxy knows my love for you."

I gasp when he grabs my face and kisses me. I immediately shove him away, and when I do, this man with wide, glassy eyes stares back at me.

For once, his face evokes something more than anger out of me. I see his desperation and it pinches my heart.

"Ben-"

"That's not my name," he blurts, snapping out of his trance and jumping to his feet. His moment of vulnerability was over. Staring down at me now was no one else besides the Supreme Leader of the First Order. He wipes his face and blankness falls on his features.

I mean to call his name out again but he speaks before I can.

"I will have a medic attend to your wounds," he says flatly, "don't think to flee while I'm gone."

I watch him walk out of the door.

[strawberry-whorecake]

Good Girl | K.R.

pairing: Kylo Ren x fem!reader

summary: Kylo had something you needed… just like he always did. So you found yourself sneaking around Starkiller Base for the satisfaction of your urges.

word count: 1.9k

warnings: swearing, dirty talk, unprotected sex, oral sex (male receiving), PinV sex, praise

a/n: holy shit- can i just say thank you for all the interaction i’ve been getting on my fics-?? i’m genuinely floored, i was just writing and posting these for my own self-indulgence but it means literally so much that you guys have been enjoying them omg. since you enjoyed kylo so much last time heres a small lil smut in means of my appreciation <3

What the fuck were you doing?! 

You rushed down the halls ducking around corners, peering for a sign of any wanderers on Starkiller Base. You were terrified of being caught, but your impulse to sneak out of your quarters and into the Commander’s came strong and suddenly. 

Metallic footprints drew closer in front of you, eliciting a gasp from your throat which you quickly entrapped with the clasp of your hand as you ducked into an unseen corner. The footsteps neared– then faded, finally vanishing as you watched the Stormtrooper disappear from sight. 

That was fucking close… so why were you doing this again?

Your urges got the best of you, and now you were creeping around the base because it was well into the late hours of the night– or arguably the early hours of the morning, and Kylo had something you needed… just like he always did.

You waited around the corner for another couple seconds to make sure no one else would come around, and to your relief the halls were void, so you continued on your journey to the Commander’s chambers.

As you walked you scrutinized yourself, questioning how you’d fallen into the face of this predicament in the first place. You were a meer engineer, assigned to working on ships that flew in and out of the base. 

You recalled your first meeting with Kylo Ren, and how he immediately captivated and terrified you– and he of course knew, and played into. Somehow this thing had bloomed between you two, and you weren’t particularly interested in snuffing out its flame any time soon. 

After a while of stalking around with your guard up to not be caught, you reached his door. 

Glancing over your shoulders for any wanderers, you cursed yourself– no one was permitted in Kylo’s quarters without his direct permission, of course the halls would be void. 

You shook your head and quickly inputted the code to his lock system, listening to the metal doors reluctantly squeal open only seconds later. 

Dipping inside you peered around, his neat and orderly chambers were dark, and your eyes found his bed– found him, sleeping on one side. 

You watched the doors close behind you as you slipped off your shoes, leaving them in the doorway. Slowly you crept through his room, approaching his bed. As you drew nearer you pulled your top over your head before crawling in next to him. 

Your heart thumped wildly in your chest. Kylo was unpredictable– you had no way of knowing if he would be pleased with your appearance, or if he’d Force-throw you out of his chambers. Sure, he’d granted you permission to his quarters, under the premise he was in them, but how would he react to you waking him up?

Swallowing down your nerves, you gently caressed his cheek with your finger, which made him inhale deeply and stir despite still being asleep. 

Taking hold of his cheek you led his lips to yours, kissing him. When his lips met your own his eyes fluttered open slowly. At first his kiss was confused but it rather quickly grew hot and rough. 

Without tearing your mouth from his you gently pushed him onto his back and climbed on top of him. He pulled away only for a moment, just to take you in– and he smirked before pulling your face into his and kissing you hungrily. 

His tongue twisted fervidly with yours, hot, sloppy, open-mouthed kisses and soft sounds of already growing pleasure leaked from your lips. When he pulled back again, his plush pink lips glistened with the mix of your saliva.

“I missed this.” he growled and warmth developed as you felt him grow hard beneath you. 

His kisses trailed from your lips down your jawline before they landed on your neck, sucking and nibbling at your skin. 

A moan escaped from your throat despite trying to suppress it by clenching your teeth to your lip. You pulled away from him and lowered yourself to his abdomen, kissing his exposed stomach and upper pelvis. 

Your eyes looked up pleadingly as you pulled down his boxers, and he only hummed in response. 

You licked your lips, building up wetness in your mouth as you took him in your hand, gently placing a kiss to his tip. 

Despite barely touching him, you knew how much he missed you by the bead of precum already dripping from him. 

Running your tongue along his base, you then placed him in your mouth, drawing in your cheeks and sucking at his length until you pulled a groan from his throat. 

He instinctively grabbed the back of your head, pushing himself deeper into your mouth, and making you gag lightly on his cock. 

You looked up, watching as he smirked. “Good girl.” he cooed. 

You caressed his skin as you swallowed him. “Fuck…” he let his dark waves crash against his pillow as he threw his head back. His brow furrowed lightly as his eyes fluttered shut. One of his hands still gripped your head while the other folded behind his own head. 

He looked incredible like this, the blinking stars gently illuminating him in a soft glow from the window positioned behind his bed. The muscles in his arms rippling as he let himself enjoy what you had to offer him, the sight of him quickly reminded you of why you risked coming to his quarters in the first place. 

His pleasure made you eager to keep going, and the arousal flooding between your own legs was increasingly difficult to ignore. You couldn’t wait any longer to have him as you slipped off of him and stripped yourself of the rest of your clothing, leaving yourself bare for him. 

You ignored the warmth that flooded to your cheeks as he looked you over, his stature relaxed with his arm still casually placed behind his head. 

You pulled at his boxers, removing them from his legs before disregarding them to the floor with your clothes. Crawling back on top of him you took him once more in your hand as you led him inside you.

Although this was farthest from your first time with Kylo, you would never be prepared for his size. 

Your mouth gaped as he entered you, squirming atop him as you worked to adjust to his size as he split you to the seam. He only chuckled as he watched you, but after a few moments you began riding him, dragging your hips against his. 

He moaned as you lowered yourself further onto him, his cock delving deeper into you. His arms wrapped around your frame and flipped you onto your back. 

He leveled himself up by placing one hand on the bed beside your head as the other gripped harshly at your throat. A soft gasp managed to escape from your slack lips and he loosened his grip– just slightly.

His own impatience took over as he pushed into you, not holding back. You whimpered at the sudden force and reached up for his arm clamped around your neck for something to hold onto. 

He smirked, shaking your hands off of him as he quickly caught them with both of his own and pinned them above your head before kissing you deeply and with need. 

He withdrew himself only to thrust back in, creating a pattern as he did so. His pace quickened as he swapped your pinned wrists to one hand, letting his now free hand find your chest, kneading and toying with your breasts. His thumb flicked at your bud making you mewl out again. 

You wiggled out of his grip, which he let you, and you wrapped your arms around his shoulders, pulling his body closer to you.

He pounded into you faster, then slower, then harder– all rather quickly. His cock stroked your walls, cockhead prodding against that sweet spot that made your stomach churn in the best possible way. 

“Fuck... Ah- Kylo-” you groaned as you felt him pummeling against your core, tangling your legs around his waist. Your moans only continued to please him, proud of himself at how easily he could make you moan for him. He seized a handful of your hair into his fist and tugged slightly. 

Wrapping your arms around his broad back you pulled him deeper into you, and he didn’t hold back. He rocked his body back and forth with yours, you both synced in sin. 

The only sounds that filled the room were Kylo’s stuttered breaths, your moans, and the obscene sounds of skin slapping skin. 

He grabbed for your throat and pulled you into a steamy kiss, his tongue pushing past your teeth before dancing with yours. 

With every thrust inside you, you could feel yourself growing tighter as your walls clenched together, holding back euphoria. “Sh-shit- Kylo…” you mewled rather pathetically. 

In a hushed tone he growled, “Beg.” 

He fucked deeper into you than you thought was possible by now. “Kylo please I-” your words were cut off by a moan that was pulled from your throat at a particularly hasty thrust. You didn’t know how much longer you could take. 

“I said beg, slut.” he growled again.

He could feel you drawing you in, your walls growing claustrophobic around him, and he knew you were close, so he kept going. 

Quickening his pace, he placed your chin in his hand making you look at him while you pleaded. 

He glared into your eyes, then let his gaze drift to your perfectly parted lips as he mouthed the word “Beg” once more. 

Giving out you finally cried, “Please! Let me cum, Kylo-!” your mouth gaped, words straining out. Your eyes were barely open but remained locked on his. 

Kylo let his tongue dart past his own slightly parted lips, wetting them as he stared down at you, desperate and begging. 

He knew you didn’t have long before you had reached your limit, whether he wanted to deprive you of that or not, so he let you have it. 

“Good girl.” He hunched over so his lips just barely touched your ear as he whispered, “Now cum for me.” 

He himself didn’t have much longer with the way your velveteen walls stroked him with every buck of his hips. His pace was frantic as he slammed into you, watching the way your brows knit and you panted and moaned past your lips. 

His lips trailed down your neck, leaving bites and kisses as he made his way to your collarbone– the cherry on top. You clung to him as you tightened around him, reaching your high in a pathetic array of moans. 

Your vision faded out and shockwaves of electricity bolted through your nerves as you came around him, your walls milking him deliciously. He let out a groan of his own as his head lolled forward and he gripped your hips, pulling you down onto his cock. 

With a final groan you felt your cunt flood with warmth as he came inside you, still driving his hips into yours. 

His movements slowed, then stilled, and he pulled out of you with a grunt before laying down beside you. He pulled you close and coddled you through your finish. Your knees were lightly trembling which brought a smile to his face.

You buried your face into his chest as he let his fingers caress your skin before planting a kiss on your forehead, making your heart thump against your ribcage.

“Such a good girl.” he purred before placing a gentle kiss on your lips, “My good girl.” 

Your face grew hot. The tone of his voice and his words alone made your heart skip a beat. 

You were Commander Ren’s good girl.

[emeraldspiral]

I never watched any Star Wars, why is Reylo problematic? Is incest or what?

It's really not problematic at all. The films go out of their way to show that Kylo Ren takes it easy on Rey compared to other opponents and never actually tries to kill her. If you look at how their fights are choreographed he clearly has multiple opportunities to cut her down but doesn't take them because his goal is to turn her to his side, never to kill her.

Some people really, really wanted Rey to be the daughter of Han or Luke or one of their other favs as wish fulfillment and kept insisting on it even though there were clips out there of Daisy Ridley saying stuff like "Rey's parents aren't important" and "Have you seen the movie? Clearly, I wasn't (the daughter of Han Solo)" before The Last Jedi even came out and made it explicit that Rey and Kylo Ren/Ben Solo weren't related and the romantic tension between them wasn't in the fans' heads. The scene where they hold hands was literally described as "the closet thing to a sex scene in Star Wars" and people still act like them kissing at the end of TROS was "forced" or "out of nowhere".

People just had a massive hateboner for the ship because it was more popular than their ships, because they thought Adam Driver was ugly, because he killed their fav, because he wasn't a self-insert Gary Stu fanchild who was totally stoked about being related to their heroes, or because they projected an idea of Ben as a stand in for their toxic exes or white supremacists or incels or whatever group they despise the most. But in actuality, Ben is so soft inside being evil makes him miserable. The only reason he does it is because he's looking for approval from a toxic paternal figure who groomed him his entire life and took advantage of the generational trauma he inherited and even then he still can't help but empathize with Rey, long before she sees any good in him.

[aew-kun-age-regression]

Blackout...

Pairing: Caregiver!Kylo Ren x Little!Reader.

Summary: When a blackout happens, Kylo is there to comfort you...

Warnings: Blackout, Fear of the dark, Nicknames. (bubs, sweetheart, baby)

A/N - Very self indulgent fic because I love Kylo Ren so much!!! <333

(Gender Neutral Reader)

‼️ This is not NSFW ‼️

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NOT Proofread

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See the thing about living on a ship or any kind of way to travel through space is that certain things aren't always reliable. Such as forms of heating and lights. Space was already cold and when the heating stops working it gets even colder. Kylo has a stack of blankets for moments like that however. This wasn't something that Kylo was particularly prepared for... A blackout...

You had been sat in Kylo's quarters, colouring quietly sitting on the floor, whilst Kylo was wandering around the ship. He had some work to do.. you hadn't been left alone for long. Kylo was going to finish up his conversation with General Hux and then planned to come straight back. However when he noticed the lights starting to flicker he ran off before his conversation had ended.

Running back to his quarters he quickly opened his door, shutting it shortly after entering.

"Bubs..?" As he spoke the lights went out fully.

You were instantly upset and scared... It was dark and you no longer felt completely safe...

"You're okay Sweetheart.. would you like a hug..?"

You made a quiet noise of agreement.

Kylo gently took you into his arms, hugging you securely.

"Your okay baby... The lights will come back on soon... How about we go and sit down on the bed, huh? We can play with some of your stuffies..?"

A small nod was all he needed to move the both of you over to his bed. With the two of you sat their he reached over to pick up two plushies, passing one to you and holding one for himself.

The two of you came up with several games to pass the time with your plushies, It hadn't taken long with his games distracting you before the lights had turned back on.

"Well would you look at that" he says, with a bright smile.

It was always ironic when you had issues such as this... Scared of the dark.. your Caregiver leading the first order.. the dark side... Both you and Kylo always had a giggle when thinking about it..

[ivystoryweaver]

The Only One

Episode 8

prev | Fic Masterlist | My Masterlist

Summary: Your deepest, darkest secret is out. How will you handle this new attention? Who can get through to you? (I bet you can guess)

Pairing: Poe Dameron x female original character. Fic is written in second person, but the female "you" has a name (It reads basically the same as any other xreader)

Word Count: 2.1k

Content: nothing too intense - self-doubt, mild angst, slight injuries

PREVIOUSLY on "The Only One"...

Poe backed away, stunned, brushing bits of gravel from his face and hair. He thought to approach you, but stopped short at a miraculous sight.

Your hair had tumbled down, beautiful and wild, your eyes closed in concentration. Hands clenched by your sides, you held yourself still as bits of rock and earth circled you slowly.

And behind you, dark, slick wings unfurled.

As the Millennium Falcon raced to its safe destination, Poe gripped your hand tightly, through the slightest opening in the storage bay where you had hid yourself.

His thumb gently stroked yours, back and forth, steadily, reminding you to breathe in time with his ministrations.

In...out...in...and out.

"That's my girl," he would encouragingly whisper at various intervals, calmly caressing and encouraging you to breathe through each hiccup and gasp.

It was a miracle he'd got you this far. He thought he'd never get you onto this ship and off that forsaken salty rock called Crait.

Previously...

The ragtag remnant of the Resistance momentarily stopped, stunned by the vision of your dark wingspan and bits of rock circling your body.

Poe winced at the tiny scrapes littering his arms, where you had inadvertently flung gravel outward using the Force - his bare forearms the only shield for his face.

Everything that could be going wrong for a person like you was now careening off a cliff into utter disaster.

Your secret made itself known to everyone. Both secrets: the fact that you could wield the Force and the fact that you possessed demon wings.

Worse, everyone was staring at you, disbelievingly.

Worse still, there was no time for this. Kylo Ren and the First Order were surely mere minutes behind you all, following you through the hidden Rebel base in the mine.

Poe could hardly think of which fire to put out first, but he had to do something, before you panicked. You could not afford to have a panic attack right now - not with uncontrolled power such as yours. It would surely draw the wrong kind of attention - acting as a beacon for the First Order, impeding escape.

The Resistance would be finished once and for all, if you were found.

He started with your name, softly.

Your lip trembled at the sound of his voice.

Since the moment you sent rocks flying outward, you had yet to open your eyes.

"Ells," he repeated, with more urgency. "It's me. Can-can I touch your hand? Is that okay?"

Your chest heaved as reality began to take hold.

Poe ordered everyone onto the ship, hoping to disperse the crowd. Finn took notice and repeated Poe's command - the two of them realizing that Rey and Leia were sharing some sort of moment.

Something was wrong. Something greater than your display of power. You felt it too because your eyes snapped open.

"Oh no," you whispered, unable to understand that it was Master Skywalker's death rippling through the Force.

Thankfully, most everyone had boarded the Millennium Falcon by now, leaving Poe to reason with you. He nodded for Finn to join his comrades, and after concerned glances toward both you and Rey, he complied.

"Ells?" Poe repeated, reaching out for your hand. "It's just me. You okay? We have to get out of here. We have to board the ship."

Your eyes searched for Leia's. She met your gaze over Rey's shoulder during their embrace. You felt something in the Force - something painful, but you weren't strong enough to discern anything further - oblivious to the fact that Leia had just lost her twin brother.

It was then that you realized that Leia and Poe could now both see you for the demon you truly were, which made you automatically withdraw from Poe's reach.

"Come on, sweetheart," Poe coaxed, his dark eyebrows arched pleadingly. "Let's get you out of here - somewhere safe. Come on, I've got you. Just take my hand."

"No," you whispered, tears stinging your eyes. The metaphorical weight of hiding your true self combined with the literal weight of your newly unfurled wings felt like a millstone pulling you to the bottom of the deepest ocean.

Poe lowered his hand. "Come on, Ells. I won't touch you. I won't let anyone bother you. Let's go - we have to go."

You backed away, shaking your head vehemently. "No. Leave me. I'm...like them. I'm...wrong."

Poe did grip your hand then, commandingly, taking a gamble that you wouldn't freak out. That the foundation you'd built together as friends - as...hopefully more, would anchor you here - just long enough to get you on the ship.

"There's nothing wrong with you. And I'm not leaving you here," he fiercely proclaimed, trapping your hand in both of his and pulling it to his chest, urging you forward a stumbling step or two.

"No, Poe, I-I'll hurt you," you protested, breathlessly, although your body complied. "I did hurt you, like they did - like they tortured you - "

Poe squeezed your hand, touching his forehead to yours. "You're going to have to tear my arm off to keep me here. I'm not letting go, do you understand?"

Your breath trembled as you started to cry, but Poe forged ahead, appealing to your dutiful side. You seemed to take pride in following orders, performing your duties admirably. You weren't one for public accolades but a little one on one encouragement typically caused you to beam with pride.

"Get on the ship with me," he softly commanded, his breath ghosting your cheek. "That's an order."

You were nodding before you could think to protest. Something in you longed to please him - to be of use in the Resistance, even now.

Poe all but dragged you up the ramp of the Millennium Falcon - his heart shattering as you struggled to move naturally with your new wingspan - going so far as to bump one of them, causing you to hiss in pain...

...before your breath caught in your chest as you realized all over again that everyone could see the real you.

And they did stare.

"As you were," Poe ordered, waving them off. "Get to work." And he never let go of you until you were as far away from prying eyes as this crowded ship could afford.

...which is where you found yourself now, stowed in a small cargo bay with Poe's hold on your hand tender yet possessive.

His mind raced with fear -with terror, even, at how close or far behind the First Order loomed...if the remaining Resistance had even escaped unseen.

Despite many capable pilots, he yearned to be in the cockpit, in charge, or at least assisting the Jedi Rey. Which reminded him that something seemed dreadfully wrong between Rey and Leia. Poe shuddered to think of what had become of Master Skywalker.

But his duty right now was here, with you.

If he could keep you calm and breathing - if you could only make it to a safe destination - then he could help you. He could help everyone, after failing so utterly before.

But if you lashed out again, with your power - the consequences for everyone on board could be grave.

So he told you the same things over and over - to breathe, that you were safe, that everyone was safe, and the plan. Routine and reality were key for you. So he gave you everything safe and normal he could.

The Millennium Falcon touched down at a port off the beaten path, discreet, and free from First Order control. The plan was simply to refuel and gather any available supplies, including food, extra transports, fighters, ships or weapons.

Nearly every Resistance fighter dispersed as quickly and inconspicuously as possible to make this happen. Naturally, a small crew remained with the Falcon, making necessary repairs, refueling and guarding their only remaining transport.

This included the young Jedi Rey, who had grown rather attached to the ship, and, naturally, Chewbacca.

Poe found the two of you left mercifully alone for the moment. Your grip on his hand tightened to the point of pain and your eyes remained squeezed shut, as if you could keep the real world from invading your safe bubble.

"Elia...we're here. It's just you and me, okay?" Poe covered your joined hands with his free hand for good measure. "You're safe here. Say it."

Exhaling shakily, you nodded once. "I-I'm safe."

"That's right, sweetheart," he soothed, pulling your joined hands to the warmth of his chest. "We're safe, but we have to get some supplies. That's our mission. You're with me, okay? You report directly to me. Can you do that?"

"I...I can't hurt anyone," you gasped. "Need to stay right here." Fresh tears spilled out of your eyes at the pain surging through your cramped wings. You felt as safe as possible here, enclosed, with Poe to quietly reassure you, but the space was too small, in reality, for your...new body.

Poe blew out a tense breath, hoping like hell he was treating you in the way you needed - how you deserved. "I can let you stay here if you want, but first I need to know if you're hurt. I want you to tell me the truth."

You rocked back and forth a bit, trying to focus on the sound of his voice and the steady warmth of his hand - your touchstone.

Shit...Poe felt like he was losing you. Okay, new approach.

"Elia, tell me the supply list. We need to get it, but...I want make sure I don't forget anything. Tell me what's on the list," he gently directed, knowing you had that thing memorized top-to-bottom, inside-out. You could recite a great many lists and procedures verbatim, much to the slight annoyance of some of your colleagues.

But it was damn handy in a situation like this.

You answered immediately, opening your eyes and swiping at your tears with your free hand.

"Uhh...it-it's medkit, blasters, knives, rations, nav kit, thermal blanket, hooks, glowrods, stimpills..." You rattled off survival items, as well as supplies needed to restock, refuel and get to the next safe destination. By the time you finished, Poe was smiling tenderly at you, nodding encouragingly.

And by then, you were looking at him too. But, since eye contact was nearly impossible for you, your gaze wandered down to the scrapes and cuts on his forearms - the wounds caused by you.

"I'm so sorry," you whispered disbelievingly. "I'm the last person who should hurt you, Poe. You're my best friend."

"You're mine too," he soothed, reaching to trace the shape of your jaw, guiding your obsessive stare away from his cuts and back to his face. "You're hurt too. We need each other."

Your eyes darted away from his but you didn't flinch from his touch.

"I need you out there with me, Ells. Will you help me?"

Chancing a peek at his earth colored eyes, you felt, for a moment, as if he saw you - just you. Not your wings. Not your secrets, exposed, nor the danger you posed.

"I can get the supplies," you answered simply, allowing him to help you climb out of your hiding spot. Your wings provided a bit of a struggle, but Poe caught you by both arms as you stumbled into his.

As soon as you were steady, however, he backed away. "Sorry - you okay?"

You nodded, physically deflating as his eyes raked over the expanse of your wings. "Don't look at me," you uttered, all your fears exposed - a raw nerve.

Poe lowered his gaze, scrubbing a hand over the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, you're just...you're beautiful."

"I'm not. I'm...not. I'm dangerous. I'm a demon. But I'm not that."

Smiling wistfully to himself, Poe remembered back to your first date. "You are to me, Ells."

He noticed how you automatically reached for your backpack straps - your soothing motion, but...your backpack was destroyed, leaving your hands empty and your lip trembling.

Poe surged forward, sliding his fingers through yours, inviting you, with a tender caress to weave your worries into his skin - to push and pull and tug until you felt grounded and safe. He showed you what to do, twisting his fingers around yours, dragging his fingertips up, and back down - the motion he'd memorized as you fiddled with your straps a thousand times before.

A thousand times he wished it was him you would touch - him you would trust and depend on.

"I've got you." His breath brushed your forehead as he drew your intertwined fingers, pulling you as close as he'd ever dared.

Your eyes drifted closed once more, but this time, in relief, instead of an attempt to anchor yourself. Pushing your fingers in and out of his strong hands, around, in the same pattern memorized by your fidgeting digits - Poe's touch familiar - his smooth skin like the frayed straps, contrasting the calloused hands of a warrior, stalwart in their support of the Resistance...and of you.

And for the first time, wings and all, you laid your head on his shoulder and pressed your body against his.

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[starblightbindery]

Binder's Note for Forms by Trebia

How Forms fits in the long tradition of Star Wars fanfic.

My hope is that this project captures a snapshot in time from Star Wars fandom het shippers between December 2015 and December 2017, before the franchise confirmed any emotional intimacy—if you can call it that— between Rey and Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017).

Trebia, then aged 24, wrote and published the first chapter of Forms on Archive of Our Own on December 18th, 2015—the exact release date of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. When posting this first chapter, Trebia noted, “I’m just working off of memory from the one viewing I saw last night.” The entirety of the fanfic was completed and posted an exact month later, making this fic historically significant in Star Wars fandom as one of the earliest published “Reylo” stories.

A serialized novella that was churned out in an astonishingly short time frame, Forms is notable for predicting many elements of The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019), including the Reylo Force bond, Rey walking away from her training with Luke Skywalker, Kylo Ren pleading with Rey to join him, and Kylo Ren pushing his Force energy into Rey to save her life.

Throughout the story, Trebia mashed new and old Star Wars elements together—characters like the Mandalorians and Admiral Daala, settings like Illum and Kuat⁠—evincing her fondness for the Galaxy Far, Far Away. Forms has classic tropes from this franchise, like stealing a uniform to go undercover in an enemy base and the forced proximity of a “Slow Boat to Bespin.” Present in Forms are scads of fan theories from between the release of The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. These included the theory that—echoing a Legends plot line from Dark Empire (1991) where somehow Palpatine returns and Luke Skywalker joins the dark side to try and take him down from the inside—Kylo Ren had strategic reasons for his apprenticeship to Snoke. Like many Reylo fan-works set in-universe, Trebia lends justification to his many antisocial acts, part of shipper efforts to make the character more self-relevant and sympathetic.

Forms weaves in tantalizing threads that were tossed around by fans and concept artists but ultimately not pursued, including Dark Rey, Stormpilot (Finn/Poe Dameron), and Rey's saberstaff. Trebia even predicted the Kuat Drive Yards plot line started in The Last Jedi (Rose Tico’s contempt for weapon's manufacturers on Canto Bight) and continued in the abandoned Episode IX: Duel of Fates script by Colin Trevorrow. Forms also addresses loose ends that probably should have been covered for a more cohesive nine film saga, like the Chosen One prophecy and direct interaction between Anakin Skywalker and Kylo Ren.

No discussion of Forms can be complete without also placing it in the context of Star Wars fandom in 2016. Reylo was a fringe pairing that made intuitive sense to many Star Wars fans, particularly women; however, prior to The Last Jedi, the ship was dwarfed by the popularity of slash ships like Finn/Poe and Kylo Ren/Hux. At the time, many fans theorized that Rey was Luke Skywalker’s long-lost daughter, making her Ben Solo’s first cousin, making Reylo an incest ship.

As noted on the Fanlore wiki, the tags on this fic changed over time. In addition to “Riding the bus to hell either way” Trebia joked with tags like “Possible incest?” and “Not incest until proven guilty in the court of law.” Following the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Trebia celebrated by replacing those tags with a celebratory “IT AIN’T INCEST.”

The story's strong influence in early Reylo fandom reflected a hunger for more Star Wars romances about the pull between light and dark. After all, the sequel trilogy did not set up Kylo Ren as a horned, alien-appearing monster or a wrinkled geezer. Unblemished by the ravages of the dark side, Kylo Ren was depicted with pillow lips and a fabulous, voluminous coiffure unencumbered by his helm (which really should have flattened it to his scalp.) The groundwork for a lightsider/darksider romance was previously explored in other Expanded Universe stories. At the forefront of these were watered down lightsider/darkside romances like the tepidly written romance between Luke Skywalker and former Palpatine agent Mara Jade. Given Mara Jade was hardly a champion of the dark side, there was no risk of corrupting Skywalker. But the Expanded Universe also boasted stories that played with this dynamic, like the twisted connection between Fable Astin and Jaalib Brandl by Patricia A. Jackson for the Star Wars Adventure Journal (1994), the conflict between Jaina Solo and Zekk in Kevin J. Anderson's Young Jedi Knights (1996),or the passion between Darth Revan and Bastila Shan in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003). In this respect, Forms and the rest of the Reylo fan fiction oeuvre continues the grand fan tradition of Star Wars villain fucking.

“Darksider and lightsider conflict is one of the most fascinating points of Star Wars,” Trebia said in 2016, when interviewed by Spencer Kornhaber for The Atlantic. “Rey and Kylo represent the fight to find the balance.” Yet, at the time, the fledgling “Reylo” ship was abhorred by affirmational Star Wars fans who despised the emphasis on shipping with a female gaze, as well as scorned by media commentators who found the ship to be “problematic.” In male-dominated, established fan spaces like Reddit and Jedi Council Forums, discussion of Reylo was effectively banned by moderators through the freezing of threads. In other fandom spaces like Twitter and Tumblr, discourse about Reylo mirrored larger purity culture. The ship became a convenient target for alt-right misogynists, and also for anti‑shippers concerned that the ship “romanticized abuse.” Productive and unproductive debate arose around media consumption construed as agreement or approval, whether a sympathetic Kylo Ren lends people to give more latitude to real-life white right-wing men with anger management problems (or if it's the other way around), and if shippers can tell the difference between a fictional antihero and the same dangerous thing in real life. Critiques of Reylo fandom also included the implicit racism inherent in the sidelining of John Boyega’s heroic character Finn in favor of white whiny fascist Kylo Ren. (It did not help that 2016 also saw the election where white American women voters decided to displace a competent Black man with a white whiny fascist.)

In the September 2020 issue of the Journal of Fandom Studies, Andrea Marshall notes that Reylo “fan fiction acts as a locus of resistance to gendered oppression as feminist authors construct selves that critique the source material and the fandom for gendered oppression within tropes and attitudes.” By having Rey actually interact with and befriend a woman other than Leia, Forms already improves on the source material. It's a delight to see Forms depict older women over age fifty who are plot-significant and interact which one another, if only because Star Wars movies are fairly gender regressive. On the other hand, Rey's strategy to convert Kylo back to the light is to uh, suck the badness out of him. It's Padmé Amidala logic—sure, he arranged the wholesale slaughter of an entire village, but he can also deftly finger you to orgasm! Granted, Star Wars is infamously a franchise of excuse making, where really shitty dudes manage to turn it around and do the right thing at the last minute. Forms also doesn't push all that hard to actively resist the neo-fascist allegory in the sequel trilogy, particularly in Trebia's appendix, which dissatisfactorily explains that all of the First Order war criminals in the story ended up as instructors in military academies. (Who would even hire them, Albus Dumbledore?!)

Fics like Forms led to “ship wars” discourse, which led to the publication of ozhawkauthor's “The Three Laws of Fandom” meta essay on January 1st, 2016. “Laws” is a bit of a misnomer since there is no enforcement body; the essay is more of a request for courtesy in fandom spaces. The laws were also meant to apply specifically to shipping, not fandom or media criticism as a whole. “It’s not up to you to decide what other people are allowed to like or not like, to create or not to create,” wrote ozhawkauthor. “That’s censorship. Don’t do it.”

For fans conscious of fandom history and the impact of censorship in spaces like FanFiction.net and Livejournal, ozhawkauthor's guidelines—(1) Don't like; don't read, (2) Your ship is not my ship, (3)Ship and let ship—felt intuitive. This is reflected in spaces like my bookbinding guild, Renegade, which—similar to Archive of Our Own—takes a hands off approach to policing content. This did not prevent widespread handwringing about Reylo content. Star Wars fan ughwhyben reflected on the “gigantic fandom that is suddenly experiencing a renaissance, where an influx of mainstream folk are trickling into (or running into) the fic side for possibly the first time right now and don’t have this training. It’s like we’re flickering back and forth between the modern evolution of fic side fannish culture and what things were like in, for example, 2001 when I first stumbled in.”

Decades ago, in May 1981, Lucasfilm reacted to the publication of “Slow Boat to Bespin” by Anne Elizabeth Zeek & Barbara Wenk by declaring a ban on smut in fan fiction. I've included in the errata of this binding a letter from 1981 written by the Star Wars fanclub president to circulating fanzines threatening legal action. While slash was also caught in this net—disproportionately targeted given non-explicit gay romance was not okay even though Star Wars has non-explicit het romance—it was this fairly tame (by fic standards) heteronormative fic, featuring Han Solo and Princess Leia, that signaled to Lucasfilm that smutty fanfic was no longer on the fringes and now needed to be addressed to protect the “wholesomeness” of the franchise. Subsequently, fanfic writers had to make a conscious decision to flout Lucasfilm’s policy and go forth with propagating their smut.

And, in 2016, of all the ships in all of fandom, it was the Reylo Star Wars pairing, featuring this specific heteronormative female power fantasy (of being able to leash a villain by the dick to drag him back to the light) that led to a communal reaffirmation of these fandom norms. In her interviews with the The Atlantic, Trebia directly quotes from the Three Laws of Fandom, endorsing “ship and let ship” as a basis for creating Reylo fanworks. “I am fully involved in the garbage compactor that is this pairing, and I love it,” Trebia said. “No matter what way it goes, I will stick with it.”

After studying early romance novels from the late 1600s and early 1700s, Ros Ballaster observed a polarity between didactic love fiction and amatory fiction. Didactic love stories are sweet—aspirational, moral, and idealized—while amatory fiction is spicy—erotic, transgressive, untethered from social sanction. We do see representations of didactic love in Reylo fan fiction, particularly in contemporary romance “Modern AUs” like Ali Hazelwood's The Love Hypothesis (2021)where the Kylo's homicidal Sith rage is sanitized to a more socially-acceptable grumpy academic brooding. One can comfortably bring Adam Carlsen, Ph.D home to meet Mother. But certainly, the majority of Reylo fic written by fans gravitate towards and come with the self awareness of the amatory. For one, Trebia loudly proclaims in her Chapter Two author note: “MORE TRASH FOR THE TRASH GOD.”

Discourse over the “morality” of Reylo fan fiction tends to overlook the distinction between the didactic and the amatory. As compelling as the idea of a “Force dyad” is in fantasy, this relationship is not meant to be aspirational in a literal sense. Yet, readers of Reylo fiction were and continue to have to defend their interest in the archetype with disclaimers—yes, it's trash, yes, I know it's problematic—while men in fandom are not held to the same standards when it comes to “problematic” media they consume or enjoy, whether it's a Michael Bay blockbuster film or male-gaze pornography.

As Deborah Lutz notes, “The Dangerous Lover Romance” is a centuries old, conventional way to represent erotic desire and romantic love. The “sublimely tormented Byronic hero” is hardly groundbreaking, to the extent that Rian Johnson's depiction of Reylo in The Last Jedi subverts the trope—at the end of the film Rey isn't enchanted, she's repulsed. The same way Star Wars replicates Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey monomyth, Reylo stories like Forms reflect the broad appeal of the “how-the-turntables” Dangerous Lover romance—where the woman protagonist, initially subjugated by the debased, restless misanthrope, ends up subjugating him through her strength of will and the power of love. Trebia's Kylo even sports malevolent scars like so many Gothic male romantic leads before him—always on the face. In the Gothic romance, the heroine accesses socially undesirable aspects—power, rage, craving, desire—as expressed by her double, the Dangerous Lover. His presence in the story provides a basis for her disinhibition. The Reylo ship follows a well-trodden cultural script of transgressive female desire.

Forms the fan fiction novella is a notable cultural artefact reflecting a distinct period of time in Star Wars fandom. At the time, Reylo fanfic held all the promise of improved representation for women characters, crossed with the instinctual, regressive insistence that maintains a white male character in the forefront. Reylo fan fiction produced in early 2016 also led to the reification of anti-censorship values in fandom. Seven years later, a fandom that was once derided has gone fully mainstream, as fic writers like Ali Hazelwood, Ashley Poston, and Thea Guanzon top traditional publishing bestseller lists. What Trebia knocked out, hours after her introduction to the characters, is now it's own Star Wars literary tradition.

[rebelsofshield]

Some scattered Acolyte theories (spoilers for episode five)

The use of Kylo Ren's motif to accompany Qimir has to be intentional. It's one of the few themes from any of the films to make an appearance in the show so far and pairing it so clearly with Qimir at the episode's close must be doing more than simply recycling a familiar musical cue. From what we've seen, Qimir doesn't seem to have much in common with Kylo/Ben as a character. While Kylo Ren was a villain defined by his conflict and the weight of family legacy, Qimir is a self-declared nobody who comfortably inhabits his Dark Side beliefs.

So what if it's instead a callback to the Knights of Ren as a group? The exact origins of the Knights has yet to be established but we know from Marvel's Star Wars comics that they are an independent group of Dark Siders that have existed for quite sometime, possibly even further back than the events depicted in the Prequel Trilogy. While they would eventually morph into their own organization with separate ideologies and goals than the Sith, the musical callback alongside the visual similarities between Qimir's aesthetic design and Ren and his followers makes me believe that The Acolyte could be showcasing us the creation of the Knights as a purposeful offshoot of the Sith. It would be a fascinating storytelling detail if the Knights of Ren themselves began as an intentional red herring planted by the Sith to prevent discovery by the Jedi. One of the biggest questions hanging over The Acolyte is how exactly the Jedi missed this opportunity to discover the Sith over a hundred years before Palpatine executes their millennia long revenge scheme. While we already know that bureaucracy, ignorance, and fear of political scandal are factors at play here, the creation of the Knights as a scapegoat and smokescreen by the Sith feels like another element that's in play.

Hell, it even makes Ki-Adi Mundi's skepticism of Qui-Gon's claims in The Phantom Menace make more sense. What reason would he have to believe that the attacker Qui-Gon encountered on Tatooine was a Sith when a similar threat a century earlier ended up just being a member of a gang troublesome Dark Side offshoots. A problem, sure, but not the return of the Jedi's dreaded nemesis.

I spent much of the first few episodes of this show convinced that Sol was a fundamentally kindhearted man who was a witness to a terrible mistake the Jedi made on Brendok. Sol's tenderness towards Osha both in the past and present timelines of The Acolyte feels genuine and I'm not inclined to think that he's a devious enough liar to completely fake care and compassion for over a decade. I am, however, coming to wonder if Sol is perhaps hiding much more than we may think and might be one of the guiltiest parties at work here.

Much of this comes down to Qimir's inference that Sol did something to Osha. This feels like a much more pointed and personal accusation than Sol simply being present for the disaster on Brendok. Sol did something to Osha specifically.

It's obvious from how "Destiny" is directed that we are not getting the entirety of the story. Osha's perspective is shown and the events are confusing and chaotic. The Acolyte goes out of its way to make sure we barely see Mae or Mother Aniseya's experiences of that fateful night and I had assumed that we were dealing with a Rashomon set up that would reveal the truth after seeing different vantage points. But now, I'm beginning to doubt that what we even got from Osha is truthful. Even before she blacks out and wakes up aboard the Jedi's ship, there's a lot about what's depicted in "Destiny" that just doesn't make sense. A small fire spreads faster and quicker than it ought too. The witches all appear dead with no visible wounds. Sol's appearance is too sudden. Too much doesn't add up.

Basically, I'm starting to wonder if Sol used the Force to erase or twist certain memories in Osha's mind to cover up the violence on Brendok. Maybe the conflict between the Jedi and Aniseya's coven started out as a peaceful confrontation that escalated into violence through mistake and misunderstanding, but perhaps Sol is so concerned about the truth getting out that he would go as far to alter the mind of a child to keep his secrets. I've always felt that part of Sol's devotion to Osha comes from a sense of shame, but maybe that guilt runs much, much deeper than we think.

The other big leftover mystery from "Destiny" concerns the means and intents behind Osha and Mae's creation. Part of me does still genuinely think that the witches, being a matriarchal single gender culture, birthed both girls as a to ensure that their culture and tradition is passed onto another generation. I don't see Aniseya's ambitions stretching further than her coven on Brendok, particularly in how she views the Force as a Thread that cannot be pulled on without creating consequences. However, while the intentions may be fairly benign, I do not believe that Osha and Mae's creation was a bloodless act. The witches are clearly nervous about the Jedi discovering the true nature of their creation and it seems to stretch beyond their general distrust of the Order. Life doesn't come from nowhere and perhaps costs other lives in the process.

Now, here is where I put on my tinfoil. Like we're entering 2015-2017 Snoke theories territory here. I think Darth Plagueis assisted in the creation of Osha and Mae. One of the few things we know about the canon version of Plagueis is that he was obsessed with finding ways to use the Force to create life. It seems very possible that he might have collaborated with another Force sect for the purposes of experimenting and exploring these possibilities. The witches get the children they want. Plagueis gets knowledge that he deeply desires.

It answers the question of how Qimir knows so much about Mae and Osha in the first place. Sure, Sith are resourceful, but in order to manipulate Mae into becoming his Acolyte he would have to not only know that she existed but also possess extensive knowledge about her past. This feels like information that might come easily to Plagueis's current apprentice. And Sith apprentices sure do love training acolytes to help get their way to the top of the whole Rule of Two situation.

So what does this mean for Osha and Mae's future? There are many different directions to take their story from here and my thoughts about where they are headed as characters ultimately comes down to how definitive of an ending this (and maybe only) season of the Acolyte has. But to me, the groundwork seems laid for a particularly dark ending that sees Osha and Mae trading places. This has already happened in some sense given that Mae went undercover as her twin sister at the end of "Night," but I think The Acolyte is setting up an inversion of Light and Dark between these two.

Given her newfound proximity to Qimir, it feels all too likely that Osha slowly begins to learn the truth about what happened on Brendok and I don't imagine she's going to take it well, especially if my earlier theory about Sol proves correct. Depending on the degree of secrecy and lies, I could see Osha, even momentarily, lashing out violently at Sol upon learning the truth. And maybe she does the one thing Mae never could. Kill a Jedi without a weapon. We end this season of The Acolyte with Osha embracing the Dark and taking her sister's place.

So, where does this leave Mae then? We've also already seen evidence that of the two sisters, Mae is the woman who is most hopeful for a reunion and reconciliation between the two. Hell, she abandons her Dark Side revenge quest almost as soon as she learns that Osha's still alive. Mae may not be without sin, but with each episode I become more and more convinced that she's not a villain. She's a girl who lost everything is eager to cling to even the slightest shred of hope she can. And maybe, come season finale, that hope might be that she can save her sister from the Dark. That would be a hell of a set up for season two. If we get a season two that is. (Please make it so, Leslye.)

[morethansky]

***THE ACOLYTE SPOILERS***

• Me, seconds before I could hear millions of thirsty voices crying out: Oh my god is a nymph-bathing thing about to happen, is he legitimately about to strip

• Sadly, unlike Osha, I am immune to the Stranger's practically full frontal, but the reveal of his little tied-back hair bits at the same time had me screaming into a pillow, so we all win.

• So the island was definitely meant to evoke Ahch-To, right? This was a very The Last Jedi episode (it even had the same mismatched pacing for the three storylines lmao), and the Kylo Ren theme was the most prominent it's been in the end credits. I think the theories about Qimir being a progenitor of the Ren are spot on. I like this quite a bit; it would be smart to build off of High Republic stuff while cementing Resistance-era lore. This would line up with the Bad Batch building off of the Clone Wars stuff while cementing Resistance-era lore. I also personally find it a bit boring that Bane's lineage is laid out all neatly and am particularly interested in darksiders being outside of it. And it would mean the show is drawing even more from the books and comics, which I'm always in favor of. And fun fact, my second-ever SW fic was based on the Rise of Kylo Ren comics!

• But ALSO, given that they clearly showed the cortosis vein, it also evokes Bal'demnic, the planet where Plagueis kills Tenebrous omg??? Not to be an annoying fanboy, but I adore the Darth Plagueis novel and we're apparently supposed to see two additional Sith Lords before the season ends somehow??? And in the novel, Tenebrous secretly trains multiple apprentices. I could totally see the season ending with Qimir suffering a vague fate and an extremely brief Tenebrous appearance that leaves the door open for a season 2 big bad. That David Harewood casting rumor is too delicious to be fake!

• On that note, since episode 2, I haven't been able to stop thinking about how when we're introduced to Qimir, he's sleeping, and he's awoken by Mae, who is now confirmed to have been his apprentice. Which is notably how Palpatine kills Plagueis. It just feels so much like a neat little allusion to me.

• Did this episode not have such Mend This Old Wound vibes?? Waking up in your enemy's lair, finding out your wounds were tended to by him, realizing he really wants to convert you, discovering he doesn't find you a threat, being surprised by his vulnerability, being surprised by what of his past and his inner self he's willing to divulge. Tbh I hadn't even realized how tropey those elements were until I watched this lmao.

• Sadly, despite my lifelong love for enemies-to-lovers stories, I don't vibe with a lot of M/F ships, bad boy/good girl ones especially. I'm happy for the Oshmir shippers, though, and at least it's happening in a story created by a queer woman, so hopefully it'll be done tastefully. Hmm... Perhaps if I genderbent Qimir I could get behind writing something, and then the seduction to the dark side would be strengthened by the queer metaphor...

• BUT ALSO YOOO OSHA/JECKI CONFIRMED???? And after Dafne Keen confirmed that she played Jecki as having a crush on Osha?? Y'all, Osha was TOTALLY floating the idea of asking Jecki out on a date with that whole "the next time I'm on Coruscant" thing, oh my goddd. The gays continue to be buried, but at least they exist, and I guess at least everyone else is buried, too?

• I love that we got a quiet moment of Sol grieving because finally there was nobody watching and he couldn't hold it together any longer. This is what I was begging for the entire run of the Bad Batch. Wonderfully acted, too. Lee Jung-Jae's expression work is so good, and I love the long, lingering shot and how you see the tears well up gradually.

• I love when actors have to act as characters acting, and Amandla Stenberg was already acting as two different characters that they had to keep distinct from each other, but in this episode, they had to act as one of their characters acting as the other character lmao. Incredible.

• Halfway through this episode I was like, why does it feel like we're getting blueballed for information omfg. We're definitely getting the second Brendok flashback episode next week, and obviously they had to keep it at the forefront of the viewers' minds without giving it away, but I feel like structurally they could've lined this up in a different way that didn't just reveal nothing in order to kick the can down the road lol. I guess this is a pretty classic issue in mysteries.

• I've been deeply confused as to why there's been so much Jedi-good/Jedi-bad discourse lately, but I don't see them as firmly in either court and that to me feels like the entire point of the part they play in the story?? Which is why I always love seeing the tension in the Jedi-Senate relationship and the way the political machinations play out, especially when Palpatine's not involved (at least overtly).

So I really liked Vernestra's conversation with the senator and the line about the Jedi always being transparent so an audit shouldn't be an issue and how the show clearly illustrates that that's not remotely true. Which is also really interesting because we have Sol doing a cover-up, possibly him and the other three Jedi who were Brendok doing a different cover-up, and also Vernestra, who doesn't know about what happened on Brendok or what Sol is hiding, clearly looking uncomfortable at the suggestion that the Jedi are transparent, pointing to other things they (or she specifically) haven't been disclosing.

I'm a sucker for political corruption in stories and when well-meaning people's hands are tied, so I'm eating it up. And of course I love how they're setting up the Jedi's fall from grace and building out context for why and how they would walk into Palpatine's trap.

• Qimir talking about being a Jedi a very long time ago is very intriguing. Upon seeing his scar, my first thought was Force lightning and that he was talking about being abandoned by a Sith master. But with Vernestra's whip making an appearance that doesn't add anything to the story otherwise, the show is clearly presenting it as the cause of the scar?? Which is VERY interesting.

• Mog's suggestion that Sol killed all the Jedi made my jaw drop because why would they even speak this outrageous idea into existence if it doesn't have truth to it in some way??? Like oh shit, that's REALLY fun. Has Sol killed Jedi before? Would he? Are the other Jedi wary of him? Do they feel the same way about the other three Jedi who were on Brendok? Mog specifically notes that Sol is very powerful. We already saw this with him going up against Qimir and surviving, so why this line?

• Sol was already my favorite character from the start just with how warm he was and how full of regret and how much he clearly loved Osha even though he wasn't supposed to, and every episode has drawn the darkness simmering within him closer to the surface, which brings him even closer to the kind of character I'm particularly fond of, so I'm very, very interested in where the show takes him. I don’t know if they could really swing Sith Master Sol, but Lee Jung-Jae sure as hell could act it.

• Can I just say, the writing for this show is definitely wobbly, but I at least appreciate that showrunner Leslye Headland has a refreshing understanding of story mechanics, even if she might love foils a little too much (and this is coming from a total foil whore). What she said about a good plot twist being built up so that the viewer realizes what's about to happen just before it's fulfilled instead of coming out of nowhere and being a total shock literally made me pump my fist because I've been complaining about the internet's poor understanding of this concept for literal years!! And the way she talked about how when you watch Jecki die, you want her to move out of the way so you can see the Stranger's face, and how in thinking that you've betrayed her and in a way become complicit in her death, is SO good.

• It's too bad all live-action Star Wars ever is doomed to have mediocre dialogue. But at least these things make me feel fairly confident in having high hopes for the Brendok reveal. And regardless of what happens, I am so excited to see goddess Mother Aniseya again next episode, omg omg!!!

[love-too-believe]

Why Namor x Shuri makes sense in terms of story structure

So if we go off context, Nashuri was already planned by the writers, as seen in interviews and the og script. Which isn't surprising because viewers picked up on their chemistry and romantic undertones in the movie already. The only reason this was changed is because they wanted to focus on the theme of grief and dealing with loss. Which has been the main theme for phase 4 in general since we're moving on to new heroes.

Also not sure if people are aware of this but the choice to kill Ramonda was more or less a last minute decision by Ryan. Angela only agreed to it after Ryan brought up how often it is for characters to come back.

So this could mean Ramonda's coming back to life or will continue to make appearances. If she does come back to life this more or less weakens the "but he killed her mom!" Argument.

Now let's talk about Shuri's story and Namor's role in it. Because at the end of the day this is Shuri's story.

Shuri's story in WF is her journey from childhood to adulthood. Tenoch has said this is his favorite thing about her story.

In the beginning she is a girl by the end she is a woman.

The particular kind of story structure Ryan used is called "The Heroine's Journey" a popular method to use in storytelling with female leads.

You'll find similar stories following this method in movies like "Star Wars, Labyrinth, The Hunger Games, The Wizard of Oz etc."

"The Heroine's Journey" is a female version of "The Hero's Journey" which is used for male leads. T'Challa actually goes through his hero's journey during "Civil War" and "BP" so im not suprised Ryan used the female version for his sister.

If you look at the structure of the heroine's journey Shuri pretty much hits all of these.

Distancing herself from her mother, venturing out of Wakanda (both in America and in Talokan) aka leaving the nest, and having her time to shine.

Both the hero and heroine's journies are a method to mature your lead in a way that makes sense and is relatable since hey, we all gotta grow up some times.

Also a subtle thing Ryan incorporated was how both Ramonda and Okoye treat Shuri like she's a child while Namor treats her like an adult, because she is.

Now something that is not always included but is common in both, is the hero or heroine's being presented with sexual incitement, at times for the first time. This signifies them coming into sexual maturity which is why you won't see it in every story or may just get subtle hits of it.

Now if it wasn't obvious Namor is ment to be Shuri's expirence with sexual enticement. Possibly her first encounter since we don't know her history.

And this isn't a "maybe" situation he literally just is. Firstly, this role usually is presented when the hero leaves the nest, not to mention Namor takes up every single trope of this role.

-Invades the hero's space (hut scene)

-whispers to them (again hut scene)

-touches or caresses them (First holding her hand then putting his mother's bracelet on her)

-shows them something new and exciting (Talokan)

-Is usually older then the hero (20s vs 500)

-Often times wears clothing that is either tight fitted or very little clothing (bro is literally walking around in nothing but jewelry and booty shorts)

Secondly, sometimes you'll straight up get subtle hints and/or introductions of sex it's self.

-In Star Wars there's a scene where Leia has to sit on Han's lap and the ship starts bouncing up and down...

-Again, in Star Wars Kylo Ren wipes his mouth which we see has water on it after meeting with Rey through the force...

-With Shuri in Namor, their fight has a weird amount of grappling and holding, not to mention the back scratching...

Namor treats and speaks to Shuri like she's a grown woman. He doesn't handle her with kid gloves like everyone else, he respects her as an adult who can make her own decisions.

In a dark sense even when it comes to either raging war after Ramonda's death or the alliance. He leaves it up to her to decide.

Also Riri, just isn't this to Shuri. This is not to say people can't ship it cause you can ship whatever you want, their all fictional. But Shuri refers to Riri as "a kid", "a child" or "a girl" depending on what translations you watch. This is to show the audience that Shuri does not view Riri as an adult. They're confirmed to have a sisterly bond. Shuri lost a sibling and gained a sibling.

But back to Namor, he also is noticeably kinder to her then he is to literally anyone else in the movie besides his people. Not to mention it's canon that he finds her charming and interesting. He also likes her smile.

It's confirmed by Ryan that he never wanted to kill her even during their fight which some fans noticed, he never tries to kill her even when he has an obvious chance.

And lastly, he sees Shuri as an equal by the end of the movie, showing he has respect for her as a protector of her nation and possibly even views her as a god now but we have to wait and see on that one.

As quoted by Ryan, Namor is ment to be a Peter Pan archetype and when you think about it he really is. He's black and white way of thinking is very childish, he's incredible stubborn, he's arrogant and cocky, yet at the same time, curious and charming. Like Peter he's a father to his people (he literally refers to them as his children) and their sole protector.

There's innocence to his character that's very compelling and shows how young he is in mind.

-he collects (maybe steals, very Killmonger of him) Mayan artifacts from the surface since he never got to see Ancient Maya.

-speaking of collecting things, he even collects random surface world stuff. He has 2 gramophones in his hut, which he most likely got from a ship back in the day.

-he's suprised and charmed by Shuri's kindness. Which makes session since she's the first surface person he's ever spent time with.

-and hey, he got his love of drawing from his mama.

Now what does all this mean for Namor and Shuri in the future? Well for one you got a good amount of back up for them no longer being enemies.

1. Shuri's heroine's journey is over now.

2. Namor was the one who forced her into womanhood.

3. We concluded the story at her finalizing her grief

4. It's canon that Namor was humbled by Shuri after their fight.

5. Wakanda and Talokan will be working with each other.

6. Namor may play a mentor like role with Shuri

7. Dispite many romance scenes being removed they still chose to keep enough hints for people to pick up on.

8. Their fight is described as "intimate" by both writers.

9. Namor and Shuri are described as "two sides of the same coin" and "twin flames" (these are the same descriptions that were used for Rey and Ben Solo in Star Wars)

Why does them having a possible relationship make sense? Well the most basic answer? They're the only two people that can understand what the other is going through.

Their both protectors of great nations that are centered around a resource unique to their land and have a culture and ancestry untouched by colonization. They both know grief of losing people they love. (Namor's mother and his two handmaids, Shuri's brother and mother) Their both EXTREMELY intelligent. (Namor build a vibranium sun underwater and I don't remember where I read it but he learned English in a week.) They both find each other interesting. They both see each other as equals. They both have alot of growing to do.

So will they have some kind of relationship? Most likely. Will it be romantic or platonic? Who knows. But we know they won't be enemies so we have to wait and see.

[chevelleneech]

Gonna die on the hill that people are against the possibility of Qimir being an honest bad guy, because he’s not white.

Why? Because Kylo Ren was instantly accepted as misunderstood and secretly caring for Rey, despite there being no brewing romance in their first interactions, and him being a visible dictator and killer. Meanwhile, Qimir hasn’t been confirmed in canon as lying about much of anything.

He didn’t tell Mae who he was, but that doesn't mean he is lying to Osha. He’s seemingly omitting just as much truth from her as Sol is, but more to my overall point, there is no unbreakable law in storytelling that says all antagonists must be liars and abusers

Qimir being honest about what he wants from Osha may be a form of manipulation, but it’s not on the same level as mind control or abuse. He’s telling her what it is or at the very least what he believes it to be, and it’s up to her to decide if she believes him.

As well, his potential attraction to her is being undermined, because again, people can’t seem to believe that a villain feels desire. Despite him saying it is one of many emotions which allows people to use the Force without being Jedi. So given Osha is beautiful, and has a strong power she knows not yet how to use that is clearly enticing to him… why can’t he be attracted to her?

Yes, it’s reasonable to assume he’s done evil before and killed people in the past, but we do not actually know that. And if he were white, I sincerely think more people would be willing to take that into consideration. Yes, Manny is gorgeous and that fact is helping drown out a lot of negative-for-negative-sake complaints, but if Kylo’s behavior can be overlooked so he can continue to be thirsted after and sympathized with, why is no one pointing out the canon evidence that Qimir is being viewed as a villain, yet hasn’t done very many villainous things?

The extent of his crimes, factually, are: impersonation and murder (of one person). Every other murder was a result of what he said in ep6, which is that he did it out of self-defense. And there has yet to be any proof that he forced Mae to kill Indara or Torbin. He pretended to be concerned for her life if she didn’t do it, but only because The Master would drop her as an apprentice. I don’t recall them saying he’d kill her if she failed. At least not until she said she was turning on him.

So all I’m saying is, while Qimir might be framed as the villain due to his preference of using the Dark Side to tap into the Force, that doesn’t mean he is a remorseless character only capable of lying and abusive-leaning manipulation. He might very well just want a pupil, and is hoping to find one in Osha, whom he may also be attracted to.

And disclaimer: I’m not saying people can’t like Kylo or ship Reylo. I’m just saying, he was much more of an evil person, established almost immediately, and still people ship them and feel sympathy for him. Much like they do with almost any white male villain on screen. So Qimir technically not yet being half as bad, should allow him much more grace within fandom, but it’s not. And that reason usually stems from racism.

And I guess I’m pointing this out now, because if my theories are correct and he isn’t the ultimate big bad who wants to cause Osha harm, I already know how that’s going to go down. It feels obvious to me that he isn’t, even though I’ll gladly be wrong because I’m enjoying the show either way. But I know that won’t be the case for most people who’ve already decided they hate the show. They’ll take it as a cop-out to instead focus on an “unnecessary” romantic arc, but again… thus far it’s not a far fetched theory to me. I think Qimir is an antagonist, but not the villain. Which doesn’t make him a good guy, but it also doesn’t make him abusive and irredeemable.

[wulfhalls]

reylo the the most tasteless blandest "toxic" ship of all time reserved only for people with no taste who self insert into rey because they wanna fuck adam driver/kylo ren

deeply correct take <3

[cosmic-ships]

And if you need me too. I will save you.

And if I'm lost in the world's shadows, I'll use the light that comes to me from your halo 💞

(Kyden) Kylo Ren x Kaden Reese

Tag list: @dragonsmooch || @kylars-princess || @ama-ships || @heatobrienswife || @roboraindrop || @mahitoslittlebird || @little-miss-selfships

Bg was just a free asset because I suck at bgs

If you're not a self shipper please DNI! I have anxiety lol

[natureboy96]

“Problematic” ships that people still ship because you literally can

A follow up to my “villainous characters who got redemption”, but focused on ships now - because you can literally ship any two character, or your self-insert, together. And it doesn’t matter if it’s problematic, because you’re allowed to make problematic ships and share them - and fuck people if they think they have the right to judge you for em. If people don't want to see them, it's up to them individually to curate their experience; It's certainly not a fandom's place (or people who claim to represent the fandom or 'majority') to exclude people because some dislike them more than others.

Do I personally ship these? Not really. Also haven't seen many of them before or their source material, not a horror fan and skipped the new star wars. Some of these make me uncomfortable to think about too.

Do I care that other people ship them? Not really. If I see something and I don't like it I don't have to read or look at it.

Should any of these be banned for being problematic? Not in the slightest. I'm not inside someone else's brain, I don't know what motivates them to write or draw or create how they do. People are allowed to experience and interact with the media they like how they want.

Dean & Sam Winchester: a literal tumblr classic, “Wincest” has existed as long as the show has. Aside from the fact they are canonically brothers, they’ve also attempted to kill each other and been abusive towards each other for seasons, as well as loved each other intensely.

Hannibal and Will Graham: One's a literal cannibal, the other is tasked with tracking him down... until he gets wooed to the serial killer's side - and fandom takes it to another level!

A Ton of Harry Potter Ships: Harry x Voldemort, Bellatrix x Hermione, Draco x Anyone - having canonically insane characters like Bellatrix (not to mention adults, though from my brief sojourn into this one they're all aged up to be adults) in a full on romantic relationship with the main heroes is wild, but has a history older than some of the people on this site!

Kylo Ren and Rae: Might need to add Kylo Ren to my terrible actions but redeemed list - literally kills his father and countless others, kidnaps Rae and abused her, and still manages to be instrumental to saving the day. Fandom just gives them the relationship the canon hadn't time for!

Lucy and the Ghoul: here's a fresh one, right out of the Fallout tv series! He's over 200 years old, he kidnaps her, he uses her as bait for a monster, he hits and physically assaults her, he cuts off her finger.. Go ahead and ship em!

A crap ton of horror movie slashers and their victims/other slashers: Michael Myers and Laurie, Jason Vorhees and a lot of OC's, Jason Vorhees and Freddy Kreuger?!? They did have at least two movies together... Oh, and those two guys from the first Scream movie, but that one honestly feels more canon than not (and one of the few slashers I've seen!)

The Entire Mortal Kombat Cast with each other: for a game that's renowned/infamous for having ridiculously gory, over the top kill animations of your opponents, there's no doubt all of these guys have had some mixing and matching going on.

Dracula and Jonathan Harker: ... Ok, this one is practically canon, right?

add more in the comments or replies below!