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This is insane!

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ZZZZZZZZZ and ……zzzZZZZZzzzz……

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Lindsey Young breaks down why Reylo is a great love story.

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Reylo cosplayers fighting over a bottle of Coke is at around :40.

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Bet yer sweet ass Imma have Ben/Rey❣️😍

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Last hope of the Jedi, Rey, discussing how Kylo Ren thinks of her after TLJ:

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A Mer-Rey for MerMay! Can’t believe I actually finished one this year - I loved the idea of giving her bright, lionfish colours! 🧡🐠

Reblogs are loved but please don’t repost!

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I was skimming through the reylo tags this morning and saddened to see some anti reylo jargon still floating around out there. It’s hard for me to imagine that 6 years after reylo was officially made canon, it’s still somewhat controversial within the Star Wars’ landscape. Apart of me feels like it’s John Boyega’s recent comments during a fan panel, and he’s certainly entitled to his opinion, but he does not represent my own. Let me briefly explain why.

I understand it’s easy to look at reylo through a modern lens, and come to the conclusion that it’s toxic- “why would you want to support a relationship where the two leads are fighting each other?” But Star Wars has always existed more in the realm of fantasy and fairytales. George Lucas has even referred to it as a “modern fairy tale”-

“I was afraid that science-fiction buffs and everybody would say things like, ‘You know there’s no sound in outer space." I just wanted to forget science. That would take care of itself. Stanley Kubrick made the ultimate science-fiction movie and it is going to be very hard for somebody to come along and make a better movie, as far as I'm concerned. I didn't want to make a 2001, I wanted to make a space fantasy that was more in the genre of Edgar Rice Burroughs; that whole other end of space fantasy that was there before science took it over in the Fifties. Once the atomic bomb came, everybody got into monsters and science and what would happen with this and what would happen with that. I think speculative fiction is very valid but they forgot the fairy tales and the dragons and Tolkien and all the real heroes.”

When you analyze fairytales, they’re often allegorical and symbolic in nature. Beauty and the Beast for instance was symbolic about looking past what we see, and trying to understand and empathize with the person underneath. Belle doesn’t fall for the Beast initially, and for good reason. In fact, she tries to flee the castle early on, and only stays to mend his wounds when he saves her from a pack of wolves. You could certainly analyze this through a modern lens, and say what we’ve all heard before- that Belle eventually develops Stockholm syndrome, etc. However, I think applying these types of modern terms to fairytales, that exist mostly outside time itself, waters down their intended meaning. Belle does choose to stay with the Beast, but she holds her own. In return, mutual trust and respect is eventually established between them, and that creates a foundation for something more.

Returning back to Star Wars, we see symbolism plays a very important role throughout the series, including the OT and PT. Luke is introduced as a farm boy who initially holds his father in high esteem. When it’s revealed his father is actually Darth Vader, his worst enemy, it shatters him. But by choosing forgiveness over revenge, Luke finally sparks enough good in Vader for Anakin to fulfill the original prophecy. Many could look at this through a modern lens, and wonder why Luke should ever forgive his abusive and traitorous father? Why didn’t he just kill both Vader and Palpatine right then? Didn’t they deserve it? But what Star Wars does so brilliantly is Luke won by ultimately choosing not to fight. His anger and rage started controlling him, so he decided to forgive his father, because he was in serious danger of becoming him. It becomes the overall moral of the story. So, you might be wondering, what does all this have to do with reylo, and the love story of the ST?

Much like how Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker are established as separate entities, Kylo Ren and Ben Solo are established as separate. In the ObiWan series, we see Anakin refer to himself in the third person as someone who’s gone-

ObiWan: Anakin?

Anakin: Anakin’s gone. I am what remains.

ObiWan: I’m sorry… I’m sorry Anakin for all of it.

Anakin: I am not your failure ObiWan. You didn’t kill Anakin Skywalker… I did.

Likewise, in The Force Awakens, we see Kylo Ren refer to Ben Solo in the same manner-

Han: Take off that mask. You don't need it.

Kylo Ren: What do you think you'll see if I do?

Han: The face of my son.

Kylo Ren: Your son is gone. He was weak and foolish, like his father. So I destroyed him.

Neither ObiWan or Han are successful, but both times it’s established that these people are lost in their own darkness, and have now become something else entirely. When Rey first meets Kylo Ren, he’s on the cusp of fully embracing the dark, but something is holding him back. He attempts to snuff out the light by killing his father, which is the exact opposite of Luke’s choice in Return of the Jedi. Han’s death only weakens him emotionally, and he’s further established as an irredeemable villain in Rey’s eyes. When they meet again in The Last Jedi, her first reaction is to shoot at him. She remains hateful and guarded, until she starts seeing cracks in his facade. This mirrors Belle’s trajectory in Beauty and the Beast, where she held her own until she saw a real person underneath. Both characters attempted to understand their counterparts, and in doing so, start to empathize with them. Rey attempts to save Ben Solo from his worst self- Kylo Ren. She doesn’t fall in love with Kylo Ren. The same could be said for Luke, but in different terms. He tried to save his father from his worst self, so he could return as Anakin Skywalker.

It’s also important to note that these stories take place during an ongoing war, with many people attempting to reason with friends, family or loved ones who are on opposite sides. There will inevitably be fighting between multiple characters, but the overall theme is that hatred tended to lead towards the dark, whereas compassion led towards the light. ObiWan loved Anakin like a brother, but nearly killed him when he got out of control on Mustafar. This eventually led to the creation of Darth Vader. Meanwhile, Luke hated his father, but still decided to forgive him, despite the threat of death. This resulted in the return of Anakin Skywalker. Rey initially hated Kylo Ren, and for good reason, but recognized there was someone else underneath. It was her compassion, empathy, and love that ultimately led to the return of Ben Solo. This is the primary moral of the story, and has been since the very beginning. It’s ultimately why Rose Tico says very plainly to Finn, but also the audience- “That's how we're gonna win. Not by fighting what we hate. But saving what we love.”

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A gift for @foreverreylo 🥰

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Trying to get back into the Reylo community

Does anyone know any active blogs or Discord servers or even active writers on AO3 that you really like?

Also, hi! My name is Laura, and I think I haven't used tumblr in like 6 years. 😊 I'm back and trying to get into the swing of things.

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May the 4th be with you And may be the treats be with Poe

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Happy revenge of the 5th

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Rey and Kylo on badge art for STAR WARS celebration Japan ❤️👏🏻👏🏻

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I got mine already. It looks cool lit up!

Loungefly has a new Reylo backpack! Just ordered it!

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Print acquired!🪢

bonus:

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🌺🌊🧜‍♀️MerMay2024: #force 🧜‍♀️🌊🌺 I struggled picking Star Wars characters for this but in the end I’m a basic snitch and my guilty pleasure is Rey and Kylo Ren. BUT WHAT IF IT WAS REGENCY AND MERMAIDS?! 👀👀👀 So here we have the Force Dyad, Naval Captain Ren capturing the elusive rebel mermaid Rey, the air is thick with a whirl emotions and regency etiquette ( Kylo can’t let his eyes wander 😳) 

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So, I've worked on this portrait of Adam Driver for over a month. It's acrylic paint on canvas. I've not had the confidence to work a canvas in 10 years. Not one hit on Twitter, not hardly a blip on the radar on Instagram.

I think I'm failing as an artist and as a human being.

Spent the last few months questioning my worth, severely depressed, and wondering if anything good is ever going to happen to me again.

Maybe this is my magnum opus piece? My swan song? Going away present? I can't decide at this point. 🥹😅

Regardless, I present to the internet world an acrylic portrait of Adam Driver on canvas entitled, "Fortunate Son." 🙏

#painting #portrait #starwars