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pulltothelight · 4 years

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2020 Reylo Fanfic Recap

With just a couple days left of 2020, I wanted to go back and appreciate all the Reylo fic I’ve written this year. Totaling 24 Reylo Centered Fics.

Like His Father’s Dice: *Puts on Tin Foil Hat* Here’s how Ben Solo can still be alive. Remembering how Han Solo’s dice disappeared in his hand gives Ben the key to surviving the battle on Exegol. G, 1,057 words, Complete.

He Gotta Go Check On Her: a sequel to Rey Has a Cold, where Ben crosses the Galaxy to take care of a sick Rey. G, 2,848 words, Complete.

I Licked It, It’s Mine: Senator Benjamin Organa-Solo is prim and proper and polite. Rey, the scavenger his father picked up on Jakku, is everything but. G, 1,884 words, Complete.

Yes I’m Wearing Your Shirt: You’ve Been Mostly Dead: Ben Solo was only mostly dead, and over the past several months since Exegol, his life Force has been recuperating in the Force. Rey is where we last saw her on Tatooine, working through her grief. G, 1,045 words, Complete.

Rey Crashes a Speeder: Rey and Ben are living a happily married life with peace in the Galaxy. That doesn’t mean that accidents don’t happen. G, 1,065 words, Complete.

Abilities Deemed Unnatural: Post TROS AU where Ben could not save Rey on Exegol. He's left to pick up the pieces. T, 6,341 words, 5/? chapters, WIP.

Broken Hearts and Healing Hands: A 1 shot that turned into a multi-chapter fic, and then post TROS, it got an epilogue. Rey and Ben fix the Legacy Lightsaber. T, 16,049 words, 16 chapters, Complete.

Dismantled: The Supreme Leader learns that the Force does what the Force wants. He decides he will do his best for the Galaxy, and for the little life the Force placed inside him. Mpreg. T, 13,233 words, 6/7 chapters, WIP.

Putting Down Roots: part 3 of my Scenes From a Sweeter Space series, Set after the events of Playing in the Snow, Ben and Rey find themselves caring for more than just the plants in their greenhouse. G, 1,590 words, Complete.

The Son & Heir of a Shyness: A modern high school AU, where Rey is the new student, and Ben is horribly shy. G, 2,344 words, Complete.

Down From the Tower: A Rapunzel/Tangled AU where Ben is the one with the gorgeous hair and Rey is our scrappy scavenger thief. G, 5,200 words, 1/3 chapters, WIP.

The Memory That Matters: The last thing Ben remembers is the fight in Snoke's Throne Room aboard the Supremacy. When he wakes up in a med center, he learns that a lot has happened since his last memory. Canon Divergent from TLJ. G, 2,829 words, Complete.

We Don’t Match: Ben is on an overnight road trip when he stops at a podunk diner in the middle of nowhere, and the light on his soulmate indicator lights up when the waitress brushes his hand. Unfortunately, she's not wearing an indicator herself. G, 7,995 words, Complete.

Saving What We Love: When the Supremacy and the Legacy Saber were shattered down the middle, Rey dragged an unconscious Ben back with her. Unfortunately, he wakes up in a cell. G, 747 words, Complete.

Padawans of Ren: Luke refused to teach Rey on Ach-to, and so she returned to D'qar to the Resistance, which was still hidden from the First Order, until Kylo Ren shows up with three new faces. G, 1,167 words, Complete.

Entangled Stars: Dance Stars: Galaxy was the hottest televised dance competition, and the this week's paired dances draw out the most compelling dynamics. G, 889 words, Complete.

Always a Woman to Me: Finn is missing Rey, where ever she is in the Galaxy, but his emotions pull another someone who is missing Rey to him through the Force. G, 705 words, Complete.

Palpatine is a Liar: A detour to confirm Rey's lineage leads to Palpatine's defeat and Ben's redemption. G, 2,093 words, Complete.

Written in My Hand: Diverging at The Force Awakens, Ben and Rey are soulmates. They know they are because they have the other’s name written on their arms in their handwriting. Knowing that they are soulmates from the very beginning changes everything. G, 9,884 words, 6/? words, WIP.

The Fire of the Sith: Ben and Rey send their adopted children up to summer camp, the same one that they perform at every Fourth of July. Little do they know, Ben's camping years have sprouted up the Knights of Ren, a group of campers who may very well burn the whole camp down. Part 4 of the Scenes From a Sweeter Space Series. G, 6,660 words, Complete.

Two That Are One: Ben Solo was the avatar, everyone knew it. Except, he couldn't bend all 4 elements. G, 1,637 words, 1/? chapters, WIP.

Celebrating Rey’s Birthday: Ben knew Rey's Birthday, and he made sure to celebrate her, even though she had never celebrated it herself. G, 939 words, Complete.

Chosen: As teenagers just presenting as an alpha and an omega, Ben and Rose promised that if they turned 30 without being mated to someone else, they'd marry each other. It's fine and dandy until Rey, an unmated omega, sets off Ben's rut. T, 10,323 words, 2/4 chapters, WIP.

The Wings We Stole: Before this Earth, before this life, Rey and Ben promised to find each other. They only agreed to do come to earth so they could spend eternity together. They don't think of themselves as angels or saints. They can't make it through this on their own. A Mormon Flavored Modern AU. G, 11,329 words, 8/? chapters, WIP.

BONUS

A Meta: Today on I fricking Love Ben Solo: A meta concerning the fall of Ben Solo. G, 537 words, Complete.

A GingerRose Fic: The Rose of The Titanic: Armitage Hux had helped design the massive ship, Titanic, and upon touring his pride and joy before the maiden voyage, he runs into the prized mechanic down in the belly of the ship. A GingerRose Titanic AU. G, 3,153 words, 2/4 chapters, WIP.

#fanfic recap #reylo fanfic recap #reylo fanfic #Reylo Fic

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miss-musings · 5 years

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TROS Review - after second viewing

I’m glad I knew all the spoilers going into my first viewing. If I hadn’t known Ben died, I would’ve screamed. Although I’m pretty sure I heard someone at my second viewing go “What?!” when he fell over and vanished into the Force.

OK, let’s break this down.

THE GOOD

The movie looks great.

Daisy, Adam and John Williams all FUCKING brought it for this movie.

I actually liked some of the fan-service-y bits like Wedge getting a cameo, Han having a memory chat with Kylo/Ben, and Luke motivating Rey. I also noticed on the second go-around that Kylo flies an old Imperial TIE fighter (one from the Death Star ruins) to Exegol. And I like that shot of the old X-Wing of the Rebellion and the old TIE fighter of the Empire there alongside each other.

Most of all, I loved ALL the Reylo scenes we got in this movie. About 70 percent of the runtime seems to be dedicated to Rey, Kylo/Ben or both. I mean, it’s basically Reylo: The Movie, and I’m totally here for it. (But more on that below.)

I actually liked seeing Kylo in the mask again. I think it makes him look... sexy? Idk what I feel, y’all.

Some of the new creatures and characters were cool, even if we didn’t spend much time with them. (Again, more on that below.)

Loved Leia’s moments and how she had a big part to play in the story even if Carrie is gone. 😢

Those are all the big things; there might be a few small things that I’d remember if I were watching the movie in real time, but I can’t remember them now.

So, let’s get into it:

THE BAD

Oh, boy where do I start?

The pacing in both the very beginning (first 20-30 minutes?) and the very end (last 10) was ridiculous. My dad even agreed that the beginning felt rushed and disjointed.

While I love Kylo/Ben and Rey, the movie spends so much time focusing on them that no one else really gets an arc. Say what you will about TLJ, but Finn and Poe both had arcs in that movie, even if they were small. I felt like Poe did in this movie what he did in that last one: took to heart the words of wisdom of others around him (or at least, regurgitate their lines). He did it with Leia and Holdo in TLJ, and he did it with Zorri and Lando in this one. Finn doesn’t get any arc in this and the fact that he’s supposed to be Force-sensitive is like ... ??? What? I don’t even have time to unpack all that.

Also, Rose and Hux were sidelined majorly. I don’t even like Hux but even I felt his character and end were poorly done in this movie.

Something about both Finn and Rey’s Force abilities that bugged me was that I thought all Force sensitives can intuit or understand what others are saying in any alien/droid language. Remember how Rey could understand Chewie when she first met him but Finn couldn’t? It makes sense why Rey could understand a droid like BB-8 but why a Wookiee? Are there a lot of Wookiees on Jakku? No, she could understand him bc she’s Force sensitive and it’s an ability she has. But, in this one, neither she nor Finn could understand Babu Frick. I know it’s a small detail, and I could be misremembering canon, but it just bugged me both times.

So, Rey being a Palpatine... makes no sense. How and when did Palpatine have a kid? Was Rey’s dad a cloning experiment, or a naturally conceived and born child? This is something I’m morbidly curious about. I liked it better in TLJ when we thought she was no one, and this seems like a GIANT retcon and slap in the face to Rian Johnson. They even had to write a line about how Kylo supposedly never lied to her. Part of me wonders whether the Emperor was lying??? Maybe making Rey think she was his granddaughter would trick her into being obligated to come and end his life herself? But then, why was that Jedi Hunter looking for her parents? Oh well. Anyway, I did want her to be Rey of Jakku and no one else. But I also appreciate the thematic parallels and the yin/yang thing going with her and Kylo/Ben. He’s the embodiment of the Dark Side even though he’s descended from the Light, and Rey is the embodiment of the Light Side even though she’s descended from the Dark. So I’m a bit conflicted, but I hate it more than I love it.

I also HATE that Ben died. BUT, at least he didn’t die from falling into the pit, and at least there’s still a possibility that he’s coming back. The worst of it is that after he disappears, he’s never addressed again at all. Wouldn’t Poe or Finn ask about him? They don’t necessarily know he’s dead, and he would be a major threat if he were still alive. And why wasn’t he a Force-Ghost at the end? I HOPE it’s bc they’re leaving it open for him to come back. Or maybe his energy is living on in Rey whether spiritually (the dyad thing) or physically (maybe pregnant???).

But here’s the deal: in some ways this movie felt like the series finale of beloved TV show. All your favorites come back for little cameos, your main characters go out on a high note, and everything is resolved to a greater extent. Sure, there are more stories to tell, probably, but the Main Conflict has now been resolved. Think Avatar: The Last Airbender TV show or Star Trek: Voyager as examples.

BUT, in other ways, it DOESN’T feel like a finale. It feels like they’ve left doors to open and questions to explore in future properties. Is Finn Force-Sensitive? Is Jannah Lando’s relative? Is Ben Solo really dead? What’s gonna happen to Rey? Etc.

So, the movie needed to pick a lane. Either be The End of an era, or not. You can’t wrap up a story but then tease us with more stories. That’s not how this works. Fuck, even Harry Potter — as much as everyone hates JKR — got this right. Big Bad Guy is dead and instigating conflict is now resolved. Palpatine was the one who started this whole thing, so now that he’s dead, all is well???

Well, here’s my other big complaint about the movie. JJ & Co don’t seem to know how the Force works.

The Force is about a balance between the Light and the Dark. When one side becomes too strong, the other side grows stronger to compensate. When one side wipes out the other, the other responds. There must always be balance. Snoke even pointed this out in TLJ that Rey was Kylo’s Equal in the Light bc he was growing stronger.

And the Sith and the Jedi are religions on their respective sides. Not all Dark side users are Sith; not all Light side users are Jedi. And there are some Force users who use both freely and some who stay in balance.

The Mortis arc of TCW demonstrates this very well.

This is why so many people were pissed that Ben died. Not only are you losing a great character but you’re also losing the potential of what Ben and Rey could’ve been together as Force-users.

Palpatine and all the Sith are dead. Luke, Leia and all the Jedi are dead.

Except for Rey, who is descended of the Sith but trained by Jedi. So, she (and Ben) would have to figure out exactly how to keep the Force in balance. If the last Jedi just destroyed the last Sith, then the Dark Side is going to have to respond. But, if Rey could find other Force-users and teach them how to be in balance and use both Light and Dark in harmony then balance could be restored. There would be no need for these extremes if everyone stays in the middle.

This means Rey would have to end the Jedi. Which is what Luke wanted in the last movie. But then we find out that Leia received Jedi training??? So was Leia a Jedi? Is Rey? I’m so confused.

I like the fact that Rey’s saber has a darker hilt but it’s a yellow/orange blade. It kinda hints that maybe she will stay in balance — using both light and dark, being neither Sith nor Jedi, but something in between — a Skywalker, if you will.

So I guess, that’s a tiny win. The theory that the Skywalker(s) could be a new religion of Force-users in balance with the Force could still happen after that scene of Rey on Tatooine.

But, still, I hate all these retcons and the idea that the Jedi are the end-all, be-all. The Sith definitely aren’t good; but the Jedi weren’t always great either. And I hate that Rey had to fight Palpatine alone when it should’ve been her AND Ben — the balance between the Dark and Light should’ve been stronger than him, but whatever.

Also, one last thing, but why did Rey have BB-8 on Tatooine? Didn’t Poe make a big deal about Rey hurting BB-8 at the beginning? Why wasn’t BB-8 with Poe? Why wasn’t Chewie with Rey on the Falcon? (I guess he might’ve been and just never got off the ship.) Wouldn’t R2 and C3PO have been more appropriate in that final shot? They were in all 9 films. They’re more iconic and thematically appropriate than BB-8 to close out the saga, but oh well.

😪

TL;DR: I have really mixed feelings about this movie. At the end of both showings, I was smiling, so that’s something. I had fun... I think?? But yeah, it’s definitely bittersweet.

#reylo #rey x kylo ren #tros #tros spoilers #the rise of skywalker #rise of skywalker #kylo ren #ben solo #rey palpatine #star wars #force dyad #dyad #adam driver #daisy ridley #john williams

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everythingstarwars · 4 years

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Mine - A Kylo Ren x Reader Fic

Warnings:

- leading up to smut (none in this chapter)

- kissing

- choking

- anger issues

- possible TLJ spoilers?

Chapter Three - You’re Safe Here

Weeks passed, and you saw no more of Ren. This shouldn’t have bothered you quite as much as it did. He was a Commander, after all. Why would he visit? And yet, your desire for familiarity in this bleak, monotonous lifestyle had you scanning the doorway every now and then, heart fluttering with the hope of seeing his face. The notion that Kylo Ren’s masked face had become a source of comfort was almost enough to make you laugh.

That was until one day, roughly 2 months from the day you were brought onboard. A sharp knock on the door alerted you to the emergence of a visitor, and you glanced up from your book (Imperial Legacy, Volume 9), prepared to greet the stormtroopers for their weekly check in.

“You came back,” You said, eyes widening.

Kylo Ren stepped out of the shadows for the millionth time in your brief history with him. He seemed less stiff today. He walked into the room and allowed the door to slide shut, signaling that this would be more than just a short visit. The stormtroopers were nowhere to be seen.

He strode across the cell until he reached you, then stood still - hovering. It seemed like an eternity until he spoke. “I’ve decided to take the duties of checking up on you myself. As one of our more… capable prisoners, you require a higher level of security,” he informed you.

It was almost a compliment.

“Understood.” Was all you said in response. “Sir.” You added after a brief deliberation. This caught him off guard. Kylo brought a cloaked hand to his helmet and ran it over the back, as though stroking his hair in thought. He glanced backward, noticed the simple metal bench at the corner of your room, and approached it to take a seat.

You leaned back against the headboard and smirked. “So, what - are you gonna just watch me do nothing for eternity?”

You didn’t expect a response, and he did not provide one. Reclining once more, you opened up the book and continued to read. While the story - now on a voyage through the particularly murderous years of the Empire - was riveting as always, something had been awoken in the back of your mind. The thrumming of your heart cared not for your persistent ignorance. After a moment, you peered over the crest of the book with a soft gaze and waited until you were sure he was looking you in the eyes. It didn’t take long.

“I don’t mind,” you said, your voice inching toward a whisper.

As the months went by, Kylo returned week after week, just as he had promised. For the most part, he remained silent, stealing away to his secluded corner and dutifully watching you read, write, sing, or sleep - which admittedly, you found a bit disturbing. Informing him of this, he agreed to the surprising promise of waking you up upon his arrival, should you be asleep again in the future. Your respect for him grew little by little.

Conversation was limited. He was not a social creature. Kylo seemed to have no issue keeping silent for hours at a time. However, that was not to say that he was robotic in manner. Many times, you caught him staring at you while reading or writing, or almost-inconspicuously scanning your body from top to bottom as he entered your room. Almost. Occasionally, he would even instigate conversation.

The first time was one day as he sat watching you read the latest Imperial Rule Manual (Volume Twelve: Droid Edition). Walking to the bookshelf, he stooped down and examined the rows of books, most of which had been clearly removed and replaced, returned to their home heavily dog-eared and evidently consumed.

“You read all of these?” He asked. You glanced up from your pages.

You allowed yourself a smirk. “I had nothing else to do.” Keep the explanation short and simple, that was your best move. Somewhere in deep caverns of your mind you registered the fact that your starvation for human contact had led you to treating Kylo Ren like a tentative street cat.

“I’ve always found them incredibly boring.” Kylo admitted. This response wouldn’t have surprised you if the fact that Supreme Leader Kylo Ren speaking to you at all wasn’t the most shocking thing you had experienced to date.

“Oh, they are.”

“You read them anyway? Interesting …”

Was there… amusement in his voice?

“Well, they may be a bit boring but… I agree with most of their beliefs.” The words were true, as was your surprise at his reaction.

“Tell me,” He responded, settling on the floor next to your bed with his back against the bookshelf. For a moment, his villainous guise flickered, and he seemed very normal. Very young. Sitting there next to you, silent and calm, giving you his full attention in a moment of abrupt compassion.

You raised an eyebrow and obeyed, beginning to explain your thoughts on the imperial texts. He didn’t make a sound, allowing you to speak for as long as you wanted and add as much detail as you desired. When you finished, he responded with his own opinions on the matter, and the conversation continued.

It was almost two hours before he stood up to leave. Despite his brief politeness, he left without a word of goodbye and never brought up the conversation again. But from that day on, your dynamic had changed. Kylo Ren was no longer a voiceless captor. He had opened the channels of interaction, and you wanted more.

Over the following months, you began to speak more and more, soon growing almost comfortable with each other. Often he would arrive at your cell only to be greeted by a beaming smile on your face. The two of you discussed literature, history, the beliefs of the empire you already shared, the planets you had visited, and the worlds you yet longed to see. He refused to share any information about himself or his past, but invested fully in any stories you were willing to share or hopes of the future. Contact remained prohibited.

Even in the lightest of times, however, darkness tends to linger. You were occasionally reminded of this. No matter how open Kylo Ren grew to be around you, he was an Imperial Commander, a force of evil, and a Sith.

“There’s a celebration they do, every year at the end of the harvest season. They gather all the younglings and float Lilieans in the river. I used to watch them drift down the riverbanks with my father, until they reached the waterfall, and then whoosh-,” you made a swishing gesture with your hand. “There they would go. Gone forever. But we would do it again the next year.”

You had been conversing with him for about an hour already, and you both were deeply immersed in stories from your childhood. Kylo, curious and willing to listen, and you, passionate and eager to share. The stories brought a smile to your face, in addition to making you a bit homesick.

Kylo nodded. “It sounds beautiful,” he said. You smiled wistfully.

“It was.”

He noticed your expression. “You miss it?”

“Very much so. It has been my home since birth. Wouldn’t you miss yours?”

“No,” he admitted. “I find it surprising that you do.”

You cocked your head. “And why’s that?”

“I had taken you for someone smarter than that. Such sentimentality; attachment to something as meaningless as a planet…”

“A planet that you ravaged,” you reminded him.

Kylo sighed. “When will you understand,” he said eventually. “That sometimes the intent outweighs the outcome?”

You narrowed your eyes. His words rarely angered you, the bar set as low as it was, but somehow these struck a nerve. “Look, I don’t know what your intent was,” you growled, “And I doubt you’ll tell me. But that was my home you destroyed. Those were my people you massacred. And when you took me aboard this ship, it was for doing something that I still believe in. I was protecting them, protecting my family and our legacy.” You were nearly spitting with anger now. You weren’t sure where it had all come from so quickly, but a fire had ignited in your chest and it was futile to resist the flames.

“You imperial beasts have no idea of the lives you are destroying, even less so of the lives you are taking- ” Something silenced you. A tightening in your throat. Your vocal chords were compressed enough to mute them entirely, and soon you felt oxygen begin to diminish in your lungs. You couldn’t breathe. You couldn’t move. Hands raised to your throat in desperation, you struggled for air that was not supplied.

Kylo approached you. Slowly. Taking his time. His hand was raised in a grasping motion. When he reached you, he kneeled down and leaned in a little too close for your liking. He squeezed his hand and your throat closed along with it.

“Careful what you say next, delicate one. Would be a shame if something happened to your pretty little neck.”

You tried to gasp and failed.

“I would be more careful with your words, moving forward. Not everyone here is as forgiving as I am. And seeing as you consistently defy my orders about staying quiet, you may want to learn to beg for forgiveness soon.”

With a single flick of his wrist, your throat reopened. You inhaled deeply and struggled for breath, gasping and heaving like a fish. He allowed you a moment to regain oxygen. When you felt more stable, you met his glare with one of your own.

“You almost killed me,” you growled.

“If I wanted to kill you, I would have.”

You considered this for a moment. The strangulation had not lasted very long, and his force-grip wasn’t as tight as you would have expected. Your throat felt surprisingly devoid of lingering pain. The whole affair seemed to be more of a fear tactic than anything else. It worked.

Furthermore, you found yourself considering his words from before carefully. You were surprised to find you believed him. He was more forgiving than many First Order officers had been so far, that was undeniable. It struck you that you could have gotten in far more trouble than you did for your traitorous words.

You held his gaze in a new light. Shadows of anger remained in your heart, he had still strangled you and he clearly hadn’t lost the fiery nature you had first experienced. But you found yourself able to nod politely and whisper, “I’m sorry, Commander. I understand when to hold my tongue.” It wasn’t a lie. But it wasn’t entirely the truth.

He nodded and stole away to the doorframe, where he lingered for a moment. Dramatically, as was the routine with everything he did.

“You don’t need to apologize,” he said.

For the first time, he didn’t seem to relish in the candor of his words. He glanced back at you one last time and left the room.

. . .

Weeks passed, and life in solitude continued. The storm troopers returned once again for the weekly-check in. Kylo did not. You couldn’t bring yourself to be sad. If anything, it was almost nice to be able to push him from your mind once and for all. Well, almost.

You hadn’t seen him for an eternity, when one night you were woken by a weight on your shoulder. Something jostled you once. Then twice. After a moment, you were awake and sitting up. Your head felt full of sand. Even with groggy vision, you could tell it was the middle of the night.

Kylo stood at the foot of the bed, his arm extended and his voice impatient.

“Get up,” he instructed. You stood, took his hand, and allowed him to lead you to the door. You registered the fact that your hair must be a mess and your voice was raspy with exhaustion. His wasn’t. Did the guy ever sleep?

“Follow me. Don’t make a sound.” He spoke quietly. When you reached the door he grasped your wrist. In the darkness, you saw the glint of metal and heard a sharp clicking noise. Your bracelet clattered to the floor. With the handcuff removed, he pulled you out of the cell for the first time in months and the two of you took off down a barren hallway. The entire ship was asleep, and the only sound was the monotone humming of an engine somewhere.

“Where are you taking me?” You inquired. His hand was to your throat in an instant. The walking ceased.

“What did I say?” He growled in your ear. His leather glove was cool against the skin of your neck. Your heart thrummed at the feeling. When you tried to breathe, you found you could, just barely. The thought was exciting.

“Apologies, sir,” You submitted as he released you. You hoped the darkness was enough to disguise your smirk.

He resumed his pace, leading you along with him, though he no longer clutched your hand. Willfully, you followed him, more out of curiosity than anything else.

After a couple of hallways that brought no change of scenery, a new thought dawned on you. Your throat closed up without any action from Kylo. Beads of sweat met the skin of your forehead and crystallized in the cold night air.

“Kylo,” You whispered. “Am I going to die?”

He almost stopped, but then seemed to think better of it and keep walking.

“What?”

“Am I being led to my execution? Did they send you to make it easier on me?”

You heard a soft laugh from somewhere inside his helmet. “My presence has grown to soothe you, has it?” He teased.

“I- uh… no.”

“No,” He consoled, “You’re not going to die.”

You sighed in relief, but a million questions remained.

“Then-,” You began.

“Quiet. We’re almost there.”

He took you down one final hallway and the path opened up into a cavernous control room. Blinking lights, abandoned consoles, and empty chairs filled the room. Even at night, it purred with electricity and activity, as if alive in some way. Massive computers lined the walls, and the front of the room was consumed by an enormous floor-to-ceiling window, revealing the vast expanse of space outside.

You walked through it in amazement. A long, glossy pathway through the center guided your way to the window. It was like walking down an aisle. As you passed each computer console, your fingers skimmed the tops enviously, imagining the power contained in just a single one, and what you could do with such ability. So much information, so much control, held in this one single room.

Kylo walked behind you for the first time. He allowed you to take your time admiring the room. You imagined he must be proud. This was his accomplishment, after all. His empire.

The window rose in front of you, tall and enchanting, like a gateway to the outside world. As you grew closer, you began to spot the small dots of stars in the distance, tiny flickering lights that appeared and vanished in your vision. One by one, then clusters, until the entire sky was filled with them. It was a sight you were familiar with, but seeing such wonder from space itself, as though you were another star among them, was different in every way. Your eyes glowed in their light.

Kylo joined you next to the window and watched as you reached out to touch the glass. You recoiled immediately. It was freezing. Colder than anything you had ever felt, as though it would solidify your blood with just one touch.

He ignored your activity and stared out the window. You tried to decipher what he found so interesting and could not, beautiful as the void was. You were about to ask him why he had brought you here, when something caught your eye.

A sliver of light lit up a corner of the window, growing larger and larger by the second. You remembered suddenly that you were on a ship, and it was moving.

The light was being omitted by something far in the distance, many light years away. There were only a couple of celestial bodies that did that.

Kylo gestured to the light - as if you hadn’t noticed - and spoke for the first time in minutes.

“Do you know what this is?” He asked, as the ball of light edged into view.

You nodded, recognizing it after a moment. “...Pleione, right? It’s a star,” you responded, smiling. It struck you what was about to happen.

“When it passes our ship in a few minutes, it will generate a mirage of light across the sky.” Kylo voiced what you were just piecing together.

“A sunrise,” you murmured. Sudden excitement consumed you as your scientific brain kicked in. You had seen a sunrise before, of course, but never from a ship. You hadn’t realized it would be possible until now. “From the angle of the destroyer against it’s rays… similar to that of a mini-planet. We’ll actually get to see a sunrise.”

“Indeed,” Kylo confirmed, sounding a bit awestruck. He looked at you, and allowed his gaze to linger for a moment. Had he been expecting you to understand? Wouldn’t most people? You couldn't be sure, but why would he bring you out here otherwise? You wondered what he was thinking.

“Kylo, why did you bring me out here?”

“I figured you missed seeing them,” he answered, still looking at you.

Something stirred in your heart. A genuine act of kindness, of sympathy… from Kylo Ren. It should have surprised you more than it did. Still, the act was unexpected and brought a bright flush to your face despite efforts to remain cool.

His next move surprised you more.

You had turned back to watch the approaching star, when a low click brought your attention back to Kylo. With a sound similar to that of a vacuum cleaner being turned off, his helmet was removed and cast aside. A heavy sound resonated through the room as it hit the floor by his feet.

“Kylo, what’re you…?” You inquired with widening eyes.

He turned to face you, and the man that met your eyes was worlds away from how you envisioned Kylo Ren. He had tumbling black hair, pushed back by the mold of his helmet, that reached the base of his neck in length and curled around his ears ever so slightly. His eyes were a shade of brown so dark they were almost black, and his skin was the color of ivory.

When he smirked at you, he looked so different from the man you thought you had grown to know. So young… so pretty. It struck you how handsome he was, a development you were certain you had not prepared for.

“Well, I can’t see the beauty of the sunrise if I’m wearing a mask, can I?” He said, almost flippantly. His voice, his real voice, mesmerized you. It was low and sonorous, less raspy than it had been with the helmet on yet still slightly cracked. The voice of someone tall, someone warm. Of a man with a young heart but an old soul.

You realized your lips were dry and tried to remember how to breathe.

“Look,” he said, interrupting your swirling thoughts, all too abstract to form words. The sunset had begun.

It began slowly, as though waking up from a long nap. Tiny slivers of warmth crept along the edges of the window. Not too many, not enough to overwhelm. Soon, an entire glowing curve of raw sunlight was visible. Then, the night sky burst to life, massive brushes of colorful light spreading in every direction, painting the sky with its splendor. Every panel of the window was illuminated by a magnificent golden glow, the stars in the distance fading as they were consumed by the light.

It was a spectacle unlike any you had ever seen. It light up Kylo in the warmth as well, his raven-black hair turning a shade of burgundy and his dark eyes glittering gold. You realized it must be doing the same to you.

You both turned to look at each other in awe at the same time and locked eyes. You were smiling, he had a serene look on his face. You looked away first, blushing. His eyes stayed on you.

When it was over and the sky returned to an eerie pitch black, he led you back to your cell.

You stepped inside rubbed your eyes, the effect of waking up so early finally hitting you. Kylo stood in the doorway with his mask in hand, staring at you with a thoughtful expression.

You took a step toward him. Upon receiving no reaction, you took another. And another. Until you were a mere few inches from him. Almost breathing the same air. With tentative slowness, you extended a hand and he met it, allowing you to take his. His hand was nearly twice the size of yours, but his fingers were long and laced gently with yours.

“Thank you for keeping me sane,” You whispered. The words weren’t really enough to express your true gratitude, but it would do for now.

Kylo narrowed his eyes. “I trust this will be enough to keep you behaved for a while?” He asked.

“Very well behaved, Commander,” you teased, moving closer and closer to him. He didn’t stop you.

You were an inch away. Less than. His arms were around you. You weren’t sure when that had happened. Your hands were around his neck. His skin was smooth, and cool to the touch. But his lips were warm when he kissed you.

It happened in an instant, almost too fast to register. You two connected, and all the barriers that had been put up melted away.

His lips were firm, but used gently. He took the lead, wrapping his arms further around your waist and kissing you deeply. His tongue slipped into your mouth and you fought a whimper. How was he so good at this? Your thoughts became giddy. Kylo...kylo...kylo… His lips were magic, his touch electrifying. His upper lip pressed into yours with the perfect amount of pressure, while his bottom lip grazed yours lightly, almost as if trying to open it.

He bit your bottom lip teasingly as he pulled away and a light moan left your mouth. He smirked at the sound. You were certain your face was now flushed completely red and possibly sweaty, but you didn’t care. He looked perfect, still, and he had just kissed you so… passionately. Your mind was too fuzzy with lust to think straight.

Kylo was still looking at you, but it was clear the time had come for him to leave. His eyes were asking a question, and you responded with a nod but reached for his hand one last time.

“I don’t want you to go,” You confessed.

He gazed into your eyes. His expression betrayed nothing, but he squeezed your hand lightly and leaned in to kiss your forehead.

“I’ll be back,” he said as he pulled away.

Whether that was a threat or a promise, you couldn’t tell. But a moment later, he was gone.

You stood there standing at the door for long after it closed.

#star wars #star wars fanfiction #kylo ren #kylo ren x reader #kylo ren fanfiction #makeout #daddy kylo coming soon #star wars the last jedi #first order

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knightotoc · 4 years

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voyager and TLJ haters on the TL recently (here and twitter and fb)... what's a girl gotta do for some good old-fashioned prequels haters lol :( at least they sometimes have a (boring) sense of humor

It is pretty freaky how how trek haters are generally just garden-variety nitpickers and mansplainers, while sw haters are full-blown conspiracy theorists 🤦‍♀️ I mean, there is some crossover (I myself wonder if the plot problems in New Trek derive from their apparently toxic writers' room), but it does feel like even the worst Trekkies have at least a grip on reality.

I think it's cuz Trek Hating is Tradition, since at least the 80s when gatekeep-y dads were calling TNG a boring hotel (and uh where's the lie? jkjk). So no matter how obsessive and vehement the haters are, they're pretty much built into the formula.

vs sw which is sort of a perfect storm of incomparable hugeness and no leadership right now. This level of tinfoil-hat-wearing, us-vs-you defensiveness is uh, weird and unsustainable. Man it just really, really sucks that star wars (and DC) conspiracy theorists are normalizing that kind of behavior at a time when QAnon is becoming mainstream. People care more about adding onto the hypothetical situations in their imaginations than unpacking the real stuff.

anyway the problem is clearly me for always falling for the things with the biggest and nastiest mobs besieging them😎

#unwise post #you hate on ME? i hate on YOU! i have the buzzwords and i'm not afraid to use them!!!#star trek vs star wars #they are my favorite things. i am basic

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flexiblefish · 4 years

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Fish Stuff

I’ve been doing a bit of Tumblr housecleaning. I unfollowed a bunch of blogs that haven’t been active in more than a year, and blogs about stuff and fandoms I’m no longer interested in (Harlots). I know XKit had an option to only show the first 5 posts of people who posted a lot, but now I can’t find it. There’s this blog I like but the person posts a TON of stuff and it prevents me from seeing other people’s posts. I unfollowed them from now, but I wish I could just limit their post views like I used to. Give me a shout if you know which X-Kit widget this is.

Also, I need some new blood on my dash. If you guys can recommend interesting blogs to follow, let me know.

I’m a gen X who likes geeky and sciency things, queer things, arty things, bujo things (pens!!!), zero-waste, news, politics (big listener of the Daily Beans, Pod Saves America and Gaslit Nation), trees, oceans, Antarctica, pigs and chickens.

Past fandoms: The X-Files, The Good Wife, Harlots

Current fandom: nothing I care about enough to be fandomey about.

Shows I watch/watched : Dark, Pose, Killing Eve, Schitts Creek, Never Have I Ever, Hunters, The Good Place, The Boys, Black Mirror, Derry Girls, Stranger Things, to name a few. I was into Star Trek DS9 and anything Voyager from S4 (Seven of Nine!).

Movies: way too long to list, I will watch anything from sci-fi to costume drama. The Only Star Wars are the first three films made, WHICH I ALL SAW AT THE CINEMA BECAUSE YES I’M THAT OLD (TLJ and Rogue One were okay, the rest is trash). Alien and Aliens rule. The Lord of The Rings trilogy rocks too. The Silence of The Lambs is a masterpiece. Legally Blonde is the movie I watch when I’m down, go figure.

Video Games: I played games before most of you were born. Currently playing Skyrim on a PS3. Big fan of The Last of Us. Favourite Games Ever: Half-Life franchise.

Things I don’t care for or which bore me quickly: fashion and beauty things, anything sports, football and motor racing (except skiing and bodyboarding), the Marvel franchise and superheroes, except Wonder Woman (it’s superhero fatigue and poor writing in those movies more than anything else really), anime in general apart from a few exceptions - although I have been warming up to Miyazaki. (I do have a weird knee jerk reaction against the “cutification” of characters).

Voila! :-) I hope you can rec me some good shit.

#about me #fishing for blogs

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valiisthea · 5 years

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@brokenspaceprince -- AND ANYONE ELSE WANTING TO VISIT GALAXY’S EDGE IN DISNEY WORLD (FLORIDA).

So I dont have a ton of super duper helpful information, just because I went there September 1-7th which was when Dorian was scheduled to hit Orlando. Of course, it never did. All we got was one night of rain. HOWEVER, thousands of people canceled their trips in fear. The parks were EMPTY. And I mean, EMPTY. So I don’t have any valuable data on crowd control or accurate wait times for Smuggler’s Run.

As it currently stands, Hollywood Studios is opening at 6am every morning (I think only until the end of Sept 2019) for people who are staying on property. My friend and I went September 2 and September 6th, and we got there at 6:30 am each time. One time, the wait was 40 mins for the ride, another was 20. We actually rode it about three times when the wait had gone back down to 30 one of the days. However, I HIGHLY URGE YOU DOWNLOAD THE DISNEY PARKS APP AND ADD YOUR DISNEY EXPERIENCE TO IT. THIS APP HAS THE WAIT TIMES FOR THE ATTRACTIONS ALL OVER THE PARKS. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD IT NOW AND KEEP AN EYE ON SMUGGLER’S RUN FROM HOME!!!!! I look at it every day to see if it gains more attention.

I’ve seen the wait times hit 80, 90, and 120. And that was with an EMPTY park. So just keep your eyes peeled. I do NOT know when they will open fast passes for the Galaxy’s Edge Attractions. AT this time, Rise of the Resistance is NOT currently open. I think it opens next month, so I can’t review that.

Smuggler’s run was good. It’s a mix between Star Tours (in Hollywood Studios outside of GE) and Mission: Space (Epcot). You have buttons to push to complete certain actions that happen during your flight. They will light up when you need to press them. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy a highly immersive flight inside the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon. I loved it, but it wasn’t quite as cool as I thought it would be. Not to worry, it was still AMAZING. The queue line is very decorative and hilarious. You won’t be bored waiting in line. Also, right before you’re ushered into the Falcon to fly it, you will come to a very memorable location upon the Falcon that I will show you in my photos below B)

The blue milk is tastier than the green milk, but they’re both delicious. You can get them alcoholic or non alcoholic and they are DAIRY FREE. They are almost like a slushie, but they use plant dairy instead of animal dairy so it shouldn’t upset anyone unless you have specific allergies. Very inclusive of Disney, I was impressed. Get the milk, you won’t be disappointed. Also, Galaxy’s Edge had only been open 2 days before Mecca and I got there -- so lots of cast members were asking us what our favorite flavors were when they saw us holding milk!

Chewbacca, Rey, First Order officers and Storm Troopers walk around randomly. I’ve heard Kylo does too, but I never saw him. Rey stops and takes pictures and interacts with guests. Chewie doesn’t do photo ops (but there is a spot to meet Chewie, BB8, and Vader at the Launching Pad not too far outside of GE in Hollywood Studios). Chewie recruits kids for a “special mission” which is really adorable. I won’t spoil that for you. The FO officers and the Storm Troopers have very limited photo op time. They’re really performing, so it’s hard for them to take photos. Try to just enjoy them without bugging them for photos.

Droid Depot is amazing. There, you can assemble your own BB-Unit or R2-Unit. It costs 99 dollars. The droids, as far as I know, are remote controlled and you can purchase a personality chip for them to beep and boop at you. They come in all sorts of colors so they’re highly customizable. You pull parts off of a conveyor belt and assemble the droid yourself. If you just want Droid Merch (which I did) you can also just look at the shop. It has merchandise with all sorts of droids on them!

ALSO, here is where you can meet the life-like, 25 thousand dollar R2D2 by the registers!!!! He is AMAZING. You MUST stop in the droid depot, if only to meet R2. He is fantastic. He followed Mecca and I around the store while we shopped and made conversation with us. He will beep back at you if you talk to him, he will react if you say certain things to him. Mecca told him he was her favorite, and he shrieked and spun in a circle. Very adorable and interactive. Definitely go meet him.

There is also a spot where you can build your own lightsaber. I did not go in there because it is 200 dollars to do so and I did not want to tempt myself. The sabers look amazing though, I saw multiple people with them around the parks.

There are two places to eat as far as I know. One is more “quick service” and the other is a restaurant. We did not eat at either place because we are picky eaters and we also went at 630 am - not a great time for dinner LOL.

Both of these eateries looked amazing and interactive. They were empty, of course, but I KNOW that when normal park crowding resumes, you WILL NEED A RESERVATION TO GET INTO THESE PLACES. YOU CAN MAKE DINING RESERVATIONS MONTHS IN ADVANCE TO YOUR TRIP. DISNEY IS VERY ACCOMODATING TO ALLERGIES SO PUT ANY ALLERGIES ON YOUR RESERVATION. MAKE. RESERVATIONS.

That being said, I’m not sure when Fast Pass will become available for the rides, but IF YOU STAY ON PROPERTY YOU CAN ALSO SELECT FAST PASSES MONTHS IN ADVANCE. DO THIS. I CANNOT STRESS IT ENOUGH.

Aside from those hot spots, there is a market place that has TONS of little shops inside of it. We did not stop at every single shop so I cannot tell you what specifically each store sold. I know one shop sold all sorts of critters!!!!! From the SW movies new and old. There is a first order shop if you’re with the first order, and there is a resistance shop. There are some outposts with resistance merch too!

The decor of the place is phenomenal. You really feel like you’ve stepped onto another planet. You are ON BATUU when you are there. Fully. The cast members even speak to you as such, and so does Rey when you meet her! It’s 600000% immersive even for Mecca and I, as adults. Imagine what it will be like for kids!

There are lots of places to obtain FREE WATER all over Galaxy’s Edge - and the Coke stands sell Coke bottles shaped like Thermal Detonators!!! They’re super cute and such a novelty. Be prepared to spend a lot of money for that coke, though. IT’s like a 7 dollar coke just because of the bottle.

Oh, also, they speak in SW lingo while you’re there. My apologies, it will be seven CREDITS, not seven dollars.

All in all, it was truly an amazing experience that I would highly recommend to anyone and everyone. I will be returning in July 2020 so I will get to review Rise of the Resistance then since it will be open. I will also review anything that might be new (character encounters and such) between now and then.

SIDE NOTES: Hollywood Studios still has Star Tours. It is OUTSIDE Of Galaxy’s Edge and it has been UPDATED to include TFA and TLJ characters! It’s randomized, so you still may encounter some older characters as well! The Jedi Training still happens RIGHT ALONGSIDE of Star Tours and it now includes Kylo Ren (which I think has been there for quite some time now). Little tiny Jedi’s get to go toe to toe with Ren and Vader. It’s adorable.

The Launching Pad is over by Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Here, you will meet Chewbacca, BB-8 (yes, hes interactive. you may speak to him and he will speak back, and the cast members will translate for you. very cute), and Darth Vader. We met all of them and had glorious experiences. Very well done. There are also some shops at the end of the encounters here.

AND SPECIFICALLY FOR @brokenspaceprince WHO ASKED ABOUT TRANSPORT FROM THE ORLANDO AIRPORT TO THE RESORTS - yes, the magical express still operates. You HAVE to be staying at a DISNEY RESORT on Property though, or it will not take you to your hotel. It’s fantastic. The Orlando airport as a whole is a great airport. You can’t get lost.

ANYWAY, THATS ALL I HAVE FOR RIGHT NOW. IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS, PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK THEM AND I WILL TRY AND BE AS HELPFUL AS POSSIBLE. NOT ONLY FOR GALAXY’S EDGE - BUT FOR ANYTHING DISNEY RELATED.

THERE ARE SOME PHOTOS BENEATH THE CUT, BUT TUMBLR ONLY ALLOWS ME TO ADD 10 PHOTOS, SO PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK ME FOR MORE IF YOU WANT TO SEE AREA-IMAGES FROM INSIDE BATUU ITSELF. I WILL SHOW YOU MY ENTIRE LOG OF PHOTOS FROM AROUND THE PARK.

#galaxy's edge #star wars #disney world #hollywood studios #galaxys edge

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that-girl-with-the-blue-dress-on · 7 months

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it is Time

for the post no one asked for but which i shall write nonetheless

now that Voyage has had time to settle, i am ready to put my thoughts into words that make some kind of cohesive sense, for my own benefit and hopefully some enjoyment for others

these are impressions gathered from the previews that Apple Music had available prior to album launch, my first listen-through during the twitch livestream with JD, as well as how all that has gelled over the last week and a half.

The Llandoger--first heard on the Jingle Jam stream and then the JJ concert, this one continues to be sheer fun. the Robbie energy is off the charts, the warmth of that refrain "we'll all be well tonight" really hits in the recorded version with the full chorus echo effect and feels like I'm hearing it live in a concert with the audience singing around me (which. will be made reality in less than three months AAAAH), there will be DANCING.

Whiskey Is the Life of Man--the banjo and the harmonies in this one are driven and intense and I really like that, but the overall sound is more growly and hard-drumming than my tastes generally lean toward. the "recording" sound effects in different places are pretty cool, and did i mention the harmonies. as;lkdjf for being my last favorite song if i were forced at plank-walking-point to rank them, I still admire the craft that went into it!

Proud Mary--this was one of the songs they did a YouTube version of that I would have been clamoring to be on the Kickstarter-unlocked studio sessions album if it hadn't already been on the Voyage tracklist, and the Voyage version is even richer. Instant head bopping, 10/10 no notes very excited to have this on my Spotify playlists now <3

Leaving of Liverpool--starts with a bang and loses zero of that energy. Some great a capella sections and again, very dancy. HYPED to hear this one live!

Mutiny--when I heard the preview on Apple I was happy for another comic Robbie song, and the full does not disappoint. Delightfully ironic, classic waltz with definite Sea of Thieves vibes (I say knowing only the SoT songs they've covered). I don't have a lot of words for this one but it's one of my favorites. Simply darling.

Skadi's Hammer--the Apple preview did NOT prepare me. I thought it was going to be a weird little dark song I wouldn't particularly care about beyond being happy for Andy's songwriting credit and. well. we all know how THAT turned out. you've already heard my livestream-night frothing at the mouth and I have since mostly overcome the full-body petrification that would strike me the first several times I listened to it, but AAH. the swooping shh and the drum and the harmonies and the imagery it's SO COOL if they're all going to be entirely immersive sensory experiences i need more andy songs in my headphones STAT please and thank you.

John the Red Nose--we joke about BIG HATCHETS AND CLEAVERS but that's really so fun and then the way it softens down for the last verse, giving the spare ribs to the poor? CHEF'S KISS BEAUTIFUL STRUCTURE the building and building and climax and then that gentle bit of kindness and charity als;kdjf again the ARTISTRY in the songs that couldn't even fit into my top say five or whatever is mind-blowing. the fiddle background is wonderful and the cold winter forest vibes are settling in properly after Skadi's harvest time.

Greenland Whale Fisheries--new harmonies! more deaths! a breath of fresh sea air after our visit to the forest! all good things in their familiar a capella trad style we love to see it

White Frontier--and now the seas have turned cold and the wind has picked up and the drums drums in the deep wait sorry wrong lore. the chorus absolutely slaps despite being about a lot of death. this doesn't quite hit my top tracks when I sit down and think about it, but it sure gets stuck in my head more than you'd expect for all that...xD

One Hundred Feet--a;sldkfjas;ldkfj;sadlk skadi's hammer hit me physically, but this one hit my feels. classic TLJ vibes. a pleasure to the ears, a wringing of the ol' heartstrings. i'm in love. there's something so comforting about Robbie's sad singing, isn't there? and the harmonies on that one change-up bit in a chorus near the end are absolute perfection. can't sing this one's praises enough.

Willie Taylor--girlboss time ft. some fun sound effects! dally dilly dumm dilly dumm dum dum dum dally dilly dum dilly all the wayyyy. a little funky for my tastes in places but not much more than Bonny Ship the Diamond which I sometimes have a hankering for regardless. I'm not clear on whether she killed Willie's new bride-to-be or not but I'd rather not know. Nicely eases you out of sad feels and gets you ready for funtimes.

Maggie's Ship--I believe this is what the people call a 'banger'? heavy on the cymbals but the slap bass goes hard. cacophonic in places, especially the end but. survivable. And a fun character sketch, Dave's lyric work here is delightfully twisty!

Shawneetown--what can I say. harmonies. stompability. pure joy. never gets old love love love.

Paddy West--THE closer of closers. restful without a jarring drop of momentum, engaging and funny to keep up the positive vibes of the last few songs, and the gradual attenuation at the end is BEAUTIFULLY done.

Overall I really admire how there's songs for such a variety of tastes on here, the artistry on display within that variety, and how structured the flow of the songlist is. It feels just like its name--truly a voyage in song.

#tlj voyage #the longest johns

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medusasterling · 6 years

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My Unpopular Opinions #2: Strong Female Characters & Love Interests and other Misconceptions - No Fandom

[When I say unpopular that means one of two things: a) stuff the people I know don't give a damn about and don't care to hear or b) stuff the people I know don't agree with and don't care to hear.] (Technically this fits into neither of my usual "unpopular opinion" categories. I just get pissed about this a lot. It's almost a third category: things I see/hear people say - often enough to my face - that I just get pissed about)

Why do so many people seem to think a "strong female character" cannot have a love interest or be in a relationship? Does having emotions suddenly make them less of a compelling character?

I had a conversation once about how Rey from Star Wars can't end up with Kylo Ren (their opinion, not mine). Since this was before TLJ I gave them the benefit of the doubt, there was after all, at that moment, still an argument to be made for it (though the strength of it would have been debatable). So I asked why they were so convinced, it could have made for a nice conversation. The answer they gave me really had me thinking whether I should groan or laugh. "Because she's a strong female character". The conviction with wich they said that was almost ridiculous. As if that was a legitimate argument.

Why the hell should a female character not have a love interest or a relationship and still be considered a "strong female character"? Does having emotions - or, in the case of our example, being the recipient of implied affections - make a character weak now? Or does being in a relationship take away from a female character's accomplishments?

I think we have a wrong picture of a "good" portrayal of female characters. What good does a representation of "strong female characters" do, if those characters are forbidden vulnerabilities or love? That's not the way I want characters to be portrayed, male, female and everything in between alike.

I want interesting characters. Complex characters. With strength and weaknesses and room for personal growth. A character driven story, interactions causing reflection and change, character development. Three-dimensional characters, so to speak. What good does a hard-assed steel core woman do anyone? (What do we need generic muscle men with half a brain for? Or those sleek jack of all trades device guys that can do just about anything? But the portrayal of male characters or protagonists in general is no the point of this post, so that's a rant for another day.) Those kinds of characters are boring and easily forgettable.

Maybe it's a misnomer. Because by now, experience causes me to associate "strong female character" with the type of female character that are basically the generic male action movie hero turned into a woman, without the arm candy. Maybe this expectation is half the problem. Maybe it would be better to call the kind of character I wish I would see more often "dimensional character". Because quite frankly, half of what I've heard called "strong female character" was either inconsequential or flat.

There's good examples for dimensional female characters too, though, so not all is lost. One of my favorite examples of complex characters are Star Trek Voyager's Captain Janeway.

Captain Janeway is the female captain of a spaceship in a 1995 - 2001 sci-fi TV series. She's stranded half a galaxy away from home with her crew and has to get them home, basically. She's commanding, curious, assertive and decisive, but over the course of the show you also get to see that she can be merciful, vulnerable and uncertain. (Plus there's that on-going will they won't they with her commander but that's a rant for a different post, too.) She is clearly in command over characters older than her (and yes, males as well) but not at the expanse of her feminity. She is neither sexualized nor treated like she's devoid of passion. She is complex and intriguing. (There actually went a lot of thought into the conceptualization of her character and the portrayal before the show started and during it to find the precarious balance between Captain and woman.)

Obviously this is not a general thing. This is mostly a problem I'm faced with talking to people who I meet at university. As a history student, most of my classes are in the arts faculty. Now I have the problem that the town I'm studying in has a very strong left movement. And I always seem to get caught up with the narrow-minded ones. Then again, there seem to be infinite amounts of them at my university alone. I mean, a guy can't hold a door open at the arts faculty without someone calling it sexism. That's not sexism, it's manners! Those doors weigh more than me and are easily two feet taller than my meagre 5' 1" too.

#rant #people are stupid #unpopular opinion #star trek #star wars #hints of #reylo #kathryn janeway #james bond #strong female characters #Dimensional characters

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postedbygaslight · 7 years

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The Same Eyes in Different People: The Chiastic Parallels of the SW Saga, or Reverse Anidala Explained

I have a much longer work on this that exists in an extended rumination on my old Blogger account, but I’d need to sit down at a desktop and incorporate all the hyperlinks and probably spruce it up with some pictures and gifs because *PRESENTATION*, and I’m just not about that right now. What I’m going to touch upon here is the concept of reverse Anidala, a very popular, but befuddling Reylo theory, mostly because it feels right, but the reasons why are hard to articulate. What I’ve seen happen most often is a conflation of symmetric parallel with inverse parallel, leading some to furrow their brows about the potentially disastrous implications of “Anidala resurrected.”

The elusive articulation people are looking for is a somewhat obscure poetic device called thematic chiasmus, or palistrophe. I’m not going to go too in-depth here, because I’m typing this on my phone, and I’m not writing a term paper, but the device operates in a three act structure by setting up a number of events (usually tragic or catastrophic) in the first act, using the second act to resolve the conflicts presented by the first, and using inverse parallels to the first act in the third as a way of thematically correcting the ills inflicted by the events of the first act. A good example is the biblical story of the Flood: act one presents the doom of the Flood, Noah’s preparations, and the cataclysm itself; act two deals with the long voyage on the Flood waters and managing the balance between faith and despair amongst the survivors; act three sees the receding of the Flood, the promise of a bright future from God, and the rebuilding of that which was lost.

So, let’s tick down the inverse parallels and how they work. One of the key distinctions that has to be drawn is what role what character is playing insofar as the parallels are concerned. This is important because there are multiple synergized narrative structures operating simultaneously, especially in the Sequel Trilogy. Star Wars operates first and foremost as a Hero’s Journey, or, more specifically, three separate heroic arcs: The Tragedy of Anakin Skywalker; The Hero’s Journey of Luke Skywalker; and the Heroine’s Journey of Rey of Jakku. [This is apparently confirmed by the TLJ novel, as it reveals the Cosmic Force has touched these three as vessels of the universe’s will at each of their given moments in time.] So, that means that Rey should have direct parallels to Anakin, right? No. Anakin is a Tragic Hero with a female counterpart, so the inverse parallel is to set Rey as a true Heroine in the mold of Anakin’s counterpart. But because Padmé’s character is not suitable for a heroic arc (her parents are alive, she’s wealthy and affluent, she has power and status), Rey’s character origins are drawn from Anakin, just as Kylo’s origins are drawn from Padmé.

To illustrate: Anakin was a slave on a desert planet, fatherless and without status, a natural pilot, and very adept with machinery. Rey was all but a slave on a desert planet, an abandoned orphan, a natural pilot, and very adept with machinery. Padmé was literal royalty, replete with wealth, power, and status. Ben Solo is literal royalty, the scion of the royal families of both Alderaan and Naboo, and the heir apparent to the religious royalty that is the Skywalker legacy. Origins, though, are where those parallels end— but this is inverse parallel in and of itself, as the gender of the primary roles are reversed, fundamentally changing the balance and progression of the story. One other example of inverse heroic parallels are the visions: Anakin has visions of the future that involve death. Rey has visions of the future that involve life.

Almost every other inverse parallel conforms to the character roles within each story. To vastly oversimplify, Rey is Padmé if Padmé had been the Heroine of the Prequel Trilogy, and Kylo/Ben is Anakin/Vader if Anakin/Vader had been the tragic male counterpart (read: Byronic antihero) to Padmé’s Heroine. To see some of the many blatant cinematic parallels to this, see any number of YouTube videos. I’ll link to a few at the end.

Now to (only a few of) the character inverse parallels:

Anakin, literally conceived by the Force, was born in the Light, and throughout the PT, he is gradually drawn to the Dark. Kylo, polluted and violated by Snoke even in the womb, was born in Darkness, and throughout the ST, he is gradually drawn to the Light.

Padmé starts the PT as a monarch, with absolute authority and gradually sees her influence over events and over Anakin diminish. Rey starts the ST as an obscure scavenger, subject to the injustices of Jakku junkers, and gradually sees her influence over events and over Kylo Ren increase.

Anakin and Padmé’s last encounter is one of violation, when Anakin betrays Padmé’s trust, and, inflicting enough violence to render her unconscious, loses her forever. Rey and Kylo’s First encounter is one of violation as well, but operates in reverse thematically, as Kylo abducts Rey, but makes her sleep painlessly, and carries her away with him.

Anakin is ordered by his soon-to-be master, a Dark Lord, to execute an unarmed prisoner (Count Dooku); Anakin obeys, and thus effectively begins his Dark Side apprenticeship. Kylo is ordered by his long-time master, a Dark Lord, to execute an unarmed prisoner (Rey); Kylo instead kills his master, ending his Dark Side apprenticeship.

Anakin pledges himself to Palpatine, and in doing so shifts his true allegiance from Padmé to his new master. The transformative event of this action is Anakin’s rejection of his given name and his assumption of the mantle of Darth Vader. Kylo resolves to kill Snoke after touching Rey during their Force Bond, shifting his true allegiance from Snoke to Rey, and the future he assumes they have together. Kylo’s decision here is coupled by a temporary acceptance of his given name, as he doesn’t challenge Rey when she repeatedly calls him Ben.

In a beautiful cinematic parallel, Padmé’s body is carried to her tomb in a casket, which is framed and shot exactly as Rey is when she enters the escape pod to launch herself toward the Supremacy. Padmé’s journey is from the living world toward the void, and Rey’s is a journey into the void while living. Padmé’s funeral procession is one of grim despair. Rey’s arrival at the Supremacy is, let’s be honest, a lunatic act of hope, faith, and, in some measure, love.

Anakin is maimed and disfigured by Obi-Wan, punished by the Force for crimes committed while he was whole, and is imprisoned behind a mask, metaphorically shrouded by the Dark. Kylo wears a mask, committing crimes from behind it, also metaphorically shrouded by the Dark, and is maimed for his crimes by Rey after removing the mask more or less permanently, also a punishment inflicted on him by the Force. [It’s important to note that Kylo’s Dark Side crimes stop at this point, or are on a downward trajectory, where Anakin’s were escalating.]

Anakin lost everything by desperately clinging to his attachments, and in the process becoming convinced that attachment was weakness, and by trying to override the will of the Force by seeking unnatural power. Kylo is actively trying to destroy his attachments in order to free himself from the psychic pain in which he’s lived his whole life, and we have yet to see where that leads— though it looks like it’ll be toward an embrace of attachment as strength.

I could go on, but the picture is incomplete until Episode IX. The bright spot here is that Rey is the heroic figure in the ST, providing us a path to Happily Ever After (seriously, only Heroines get this; Heroes typically have bittersweet denouements), while Anakin’s tragic flaw (his doom-driven possessiveness of Padmé and his unwillingness to have faith in the Force) made his triumph impossible.

Here are a few videos with some excellent cinematic parallels:

https://youtu.be/b0fzCb6XbQI

https://youtu.be/IBQCwNvX7HQ

#reylo #reverse anidala #chiasmus #sequel trilogy

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