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[valantanana]

Ever since @kylorenvevo wrote “Accio Cloak” and sent me to another dimension, I wrote this original song with The Heartbreak Prince in mind. 

And really, it can only be titled “Going to Hell Anyway (Take You There)”. I hope everyone who loves the fic enjoys the song :3 

I’d love your feedback! (Lyrics Below) 

Going To Hell Anyway (Take You There)

I got no angels on my shoulder Just two devils telling me what to do Let my subconscious take over I need the wrong state of mind to be loving you

I need a preacher, I need to pray To HELP me walk, HELP me walk away But you got a spell that Makes me wanna stay & If I’m going to hell, going to hell anyway

I’ll make a deal with my demons Let’s make a secret worth keeping Cleared enough space in the closet For the skeletons that we brought in We’ll never be the same

Let me take you there~~

Tell me how you want it And I’ll touch you how I like This could be a mistake But even 3 lefts can make a right   My Body on your body Don’t wanna answer your call But why does it feel like I got no say at all?

I need a preacher, I need to pray To let me walk, let me walk away But you got a spell that Makes me wanna stay & If I’m going to hell, going to hell anyway

’ll make a deal with my demons Let’s make a secret worth keeping Cleared enough space in the closet For the skeletons that we brought in We’ll never be the same

You—you’re a game I could never win You’ve been my favorite since Oh baby, baby You—are the temple I worship in You are my favorite sin And If I’m going to hell, going to hell anyway

Lets make a deal with our demons We’ve made a secret worth keeping There’s enough space in the closet For you and I to get lost in Till you’re calling out my name To let me take you there~~’

[valantanana]

Regrets

[valantanana]

OUCH 😭😭😭😭 didn’t see the last one coming 😭😭😭

✩ *॰ May the Fourth be with you ॰ *✩

[valantanana]

Mark Hamill’s autographs are hilarious

[valantanana]

Gorgeous 😍😍❤️❤️❤️

Stay

[valantanana]

Reylo AU Bingo - Free Space - Firefighter AU

I’ve been keeping this one to myself for a long while because I had every intention of writing a fic around this. 

But it’s become very evident that I’m not going to. 

I had thought that Rey would be saved out of her burning apartment by Ben, a night shift firefighter that also lives on the other side of her complex. In this image, he would have just pulled her out of her place in the middle of the night, where she hurt herself while trying to save her plants. 

There was this whole thing that her apartment was destroyed more from water than actual fire (and the fire had actually started at her neighbor’s apartment) and Ben would offer to let her move into his place (since he works at night and she works in the day, they wouldn’t even see each other, right?). There was a plot where more fires seem to happen throughout the town and there’s an arsonist and for a moment Rey thinks that Ben might be the one that’s setting the fires. But anyway, I talked @writingwife-83 and darthsydious’ ears off about this some weeks ago, but as usual, I didn’t actually produce anything but this drawing. 

I hope y’all like it anyway. XD

[valantanana]

What 50 Shades Gets That JJerio Did Not

The Lords of the Sith podcast just posted a video about superhero movies’ influence on how Rey turned out in TROS.  I say pop feminism’s simplistic idea that women find fulfillment only in high-octane careerism, male power fantasies, and Hollywood’s obsession with power/money/status informed those films as well as Rey’s story arc.  What happened was certain fans–especially those who ship Reylo–connected with that part of Rey who was lonely and sought companionship and understanding while the filmmakers thought what audiences wanted was a woman who was first and foremost powerful in the most basic, materialistic sense.  For JJerio, power in the Star Wars universe consists of the Force and the Skywalker family name.  From their perspective, Rey attains the apex of power when she becomes “every Jedi” and seizes the Skywalker name for herself at the end of the movie.  For them, this is a happy ending because Rey is now the GFFA’s definition of the ultimate badass and the appropriate heiress of everything the heroes of the OT stood for.  They think this is her apotheosis.

Here’s the problem:  we never once saw any indication that this is what she wanted.  Rey spent the better part of the ST wondering to herself “what is this weird thing I have” and “what should I do with it” and “where are my parents?”  She craved belonging.  What was remarkable about her was how she didn’t crave power at all.  

Last weekend while suffering from a headache ‘n nausea fest, I watched on Bravo a bit of the 50 Shades movies.  They are totally ridiculous but they are also a panoply of female fantasies, which explains why these movies and the fanfic-turned-hit novels that spawned those movies were successful.  E.L. James is no Jane Austen but both James and Austen understood something fundamental about their stories:  what matters most is the heroine gets what she wants or needs (and has to understand it’s what she needs, so of course she will want it).  For that matter, Stephenie Meyer gets it too which is why those Twilight books and movies were so successful.  

TROS instead gave the heroine what a couple of Hollywood guys think she should want:  power, friends who are there whenever they’re needed and not around bugging her when they are not, and a famous name without any of the messy entanglements.  It rang hollow to a lot of us because her emotional longings weren’t fulfilled and the person who understood her on the most intimate level was taken away from her.  (It’s also super weird to claim a family as your own when they are all dead, while still hiding from your actual family.)

What people writing heroines for t.v. and movies should remember are three things:  ask what she wants and make sure she gets it and fulfill her emotional needs.

[valantanana]

rey made this in luke's hut during TLJ

[valantanana]

Dyad Symbolism and Jungian Psychology in The Last Jedi

belWhile re-watching The Last Jedi, I began to notice how often imagery of pairs appeared throughout the film (and I don’t think this is just a coincidence). 

Here’s just a few:

Rose and Paige’s medallion:

Han’s dice: 

Rey’s scar:

The legacy lightsaber (split in half): 

the Twin suns, Leia’s Ring, The Supremacy (split in half), Snoke (split in half) etc…

I believe this was all very intentional symbolism that was suppose to lead our heroes to the resolution of the saga (and where I believe a Rian Johnson Episode 9 would have taken us) by finally bringing balance to the force. 

TFA begins with the galaxy still in disarray as the dark side of the force perceivers through the rise of the First Order. Lor San Tekka states that this can only be stopped through the return of the Jedi as he says that “without the Jedi there can be no balance in the force.”

However, this is exactly why Luke wants the Jedi Order to end because he felt that his efforts to stop the Empire were wasted and that the legacy of the Jedi only ended in failure. 

However, Luke soon see’s the error of his ways thanks to his pep-talk with master Yoda and sees that the solution to restoring order in the galaxy is not to end the Jedi but instead, to accept their (and his own) mistakes and learn from them. 

Rian states that  “If you think you are throwing away the past, you are fooling yourself. The only way to go forward is to embrace the past, figure out what is good and what is not good about it. But it’s never going to not be a part of who we all are. And that includes Rey, who grew up hearing the legends about the Jedi. So the notion of, ‘Nope, toss this all away and find something new,’ is not really a valid choice, I think.“ (Rian Studied works by Jun and Bly in preparation for writing TLJ, including Modern Man In Search of a Soul and A Little Book About The Human Shadow)

This idea of incorporating that dark parts of yourself into your identity comes from the concept of “the shadow” in Jungian Psychology, which involves examining our darker sides in order to become more consciously aware of the origins of our behaviors, motivations, and desires. 

So to become whole or “balanced” we must incorporate our Ego and our Shadow together and that creates our concept of “Self.” (Every Thesis contains an Antithesis and by synthesizing both together you can see a larger “truth”)

Look familiar? 

And this is where Rey and Ben come in, as Rian states that “Rey and Kylo are almost two halves of our protagonist.” I think that TLJ was leading up to having Rey and Ben set aside their differences to come together and reform the Jedi Order. 

As TLJ shows that when they work together they are an unstoppable force that can achieve harmony. 

Where as when they are fighting against each other the world devolves into utter chaos. 

Which is why even though TROS teased having Rey and Ben defeating Palpatine together. It didn’t feel like a satisfactory conclusion to the saga because in the end Rey ends up fighting alone once again balance is not restored. 

[valantanana]

[valantanana]

Reylo Video of the Week

August 1-8,2021

[Reylo] - Rey vs Kylo (TROS)

Creator - Dawn Adepoju

Published on June 13, 2021

Would you like a video to be featured? Click here to submit!

[valantanana]

Adam Driver’s Appeal…Explained!

Chances are if you’re reading this, you’re probably a Reylo or at least a rat* and you already find Adam Driver attractive.

But with another Adam Driver Season upon us with not one or two but three movies coming between now and Turkey Day as well as the ad campaign for Burberry’s Hero, again will arise the question…why do those people find him hot? You know the drill. “He’s not good looking.” “He always plays problematic characters.” “He’s weird.”

Well, keep this little essay handy to answer the naysayers and the befuddled. These things are always subjective and not everybody appeals to everyone. We’re all particular creatures. In fact, I did not find Adam hot until his Kylo Ren years and it took until the second film for me to admit it. But there’s an explanation though for why we just can’t resist fantasies of rubbing that fake tummy he has on the set of his new movie or why the internet exploded with those HOT new pics from his fragrance ad.

1. Sexual magnetism

Marlon Brando had it. Mick Jagger has it. And Adam has it in SPADES. It’s one of those things you can’t manufacture. You either have it or you don’t (though it can take time to become comfortable with it). The best way to articulate it is that such a man exudes a bit of danger, a bit of mystery, a bit of vulnerability but can take control whenever you need him or want him to, a whole lot of confidence, and passion. He can break down your guard, cross your boundaries, and get you to do all kinds of things you never would ordinarily. And such men have the ladies in the palm of their hands. In Adam’s case, his big meaty hands. Yet he only has eyes for the missus, at least as far as we know, and a proud dad which paradoxically makes him even more attractive. A sexy man who can have anyone but commits? Yes, please.

It doesn’t have anything at all to do with looks. You don’t have to be an Adonis. But as long as we’re on the subject…

2. He’s actually quite handsome

You know what they say…he’s “weird looking.” But is he? Granted, he seems to have grown into his looks from his mid-20s to the present and as my mom says, money makes you beautiful. Still, he has expressive eyes, kissable full lips, a gorgeous head of hair the envy of men and women alike, an interesting profile, and a great body.

3. Yet his attractiveness is accessible

Look at your typical Hollywood hunk and unless you’re a model or actress, you think, “I’d have no chance with that guy.” But Adam looks and behaves like somebody you’d know, just with a little more polish. Someone who lived your street, went to your school or church, worked with you at your first job. We get a kick out of his goofy pre-fame photos or seeing him wear the same stuff over and over because those things make him relatable. His many freckles and moles show that you don’t have to have a plain porcelain skin to be attractive. Other actors might have pinned back their ears or capped their teeth to fit a Hollywood mold of perfection. But not our guy. The ears are cute and we love his toothy smile. The “elites” might dig him but he is a sex symbol for the people.

4. He’s complex

Who is this guy???

He’s odd, goofy, and socially awkward but can command a stage or a set like nobody’s business. He can be just as convincing in comedy as in drama or tragedy. He tells dad jokes and geeks out over medieval art one day, blows cigarette smoke at a camera on live t.v. like a bad boy rock star on another. He can be at home in Star Wars or just as at home singing from an actress’s hoo-hah. He’s arty and still proud of his service as a Marine. His star grows brighter yet he remains fiercely private, not even having a social media account. He’ll turn into a centaur in a fragrance ad and swim with gators just for a photo shoot. He will also play baseball with little Baby Driver.

He will eat all of the cereal in your home and once feasted upon an entire rotisserie chicken every day for lunch.

His brand is that he has no brand. You can’t really figure him out.

5. He’s great at what he does

Everyone loves talent, skill, determination, and drive. You don’t have to like everything he’s in but you’d have to be a dedicated anti to think he’s not one of the best working today and Kylo Ren/Ben Solo wouldn’t be as beloved without him. His work ethic and professionalism are undeniable. He sucks at skiing by his own admission but he took it upon himself to learn enough to be able to shoot scenes for House of Gucci without having to use a double. He got a bus license and drove routes for Paterson. He even learned how to bang out morse code for his small role in Lincoln though it was unnecessary. Even for this Burberry ad, he swam like an Olympic champion. He brings his A game every time and delivers ever time and doesn’t rest until it’s right. Which leads to my next point…

6. He plays vulnerable characters who are still recognizably masculine

Someone on a FB group posted a remark her boyfriend made while watching Marriage Story or something about why women like Adam, and that was he plays emotionally available men. It’s clear he does not like playing two dimensional characters. He always looks for what’s human about them and regardless of how good, bad, or powerful they are, he exposes their soft underbelly. As one critic put it, he understands the difference between vulnerable and weak. I think this is a big part of why Kylo/Ben became so popular. Old Hollywood might have had a lot of “strong silent” types but if you pay close attention, the movies were really about punching through that mystique in a way that was acceptable to audiences at the time. Now audiences are a lot more open to “sensitive” guys but it has also kind of swung to characterizing men as wimpy, immature, incompetent, or too much in touch with their “feminine” side. Adam’s characters though still behave like men.  Whether he’s playing a hero, an antihero, a sweet husband, or a total jerk, I never get the impression I have more testosterone than he does.

7. He’s funny

For all of his famed intensity, he can be very disarming with his sense of humor. It’s dry without being so dry you don’t get he’s being facetious and definitely without being mean.  He can definitely laugh at himself and that’s always attractive.

Bonus:

His sex scenes don’t hurt either.  Tumblr won’t let me post them.  Sorry.

*= Twitter nickname for Adam’s stans/fans/devotees. It either came from “r*tlo” or his Law And Order episode where he flips out over the improper feeding of lab rats, maybe both. Comparable to Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters, Swifties, Rhianna’s navy, or whatever.

[valantanana]

Reposting again because I still haven’t watched it 😓😓😓 BUT! I’m gonna next weekend 🤩🤩🤩

Hear Ye! Hear ye!

I have recut The Rise of Skywalker into a fitting end for the Saga that we and the characters all deserved!

... And while I was at it, I color corrected that hot mess.

(For best video/color quality download the 1080p file and watch on a TV screen as it only streams in 360p from Google drive)

This version includes(but isn't limited to) such changes as:

Rey becomes a SOLO at the end.

Canon Stormpilot.

Palpatine never killed Rey's parents - and he isn't related to her.

Leia reaches out to Ben a couple of times when he needs her most.

Hux lives!

No major retcons of ANY content from episodes 1-8.

Feel free to share with your friends and family across all social media and beyond!

Remember - posts live and die by the reblog, so please hit that button and share the love!

*****

If you'd like to send a tip as an extra special thank you please do so at PayPal.me/RaynebowRayne.

(I did have to spend a bit of money out of my own pocket to make this edit, plus I do pay a small fee for the space to host it & my other edits - and I never charge for access - any and all financial support for my work is greatly appreciated!)

[valantanana]

I‘m a law schooler and honestly this movie is helping me through all the tough times. It‘s just so empowering and what I love about it is that it‘s not using the „not like the other girls“-trope but just portrays Elle as the strong and beautiful queen 👑 she is, staying true to her pink, glittering self. It stresses the importance of women supporting each other (that little scene between Vivienne and Elle in her room is absolutely heartwarming) and Emmett is the best ally 👑!

LEGALLY BLONDE (2001)

If you’re going to let one stupid prick ruin your life, you’re not the girl I thought you were.

[valantanana]

He‘s so precious 🥺🥺🥺❤️

Adam Driver behind the scenes of Star Wars: The Last Jedi

[valantanana]

Haven’t watched it yet, but will do so ASAP 😍😍😍

Hear Ye! Hear ye!

I have recut The Rise of Skywalker into a fitting end for the Saga that we and the characters all deserved!

... And while I was at it, I color corrected that hot mess.

(For best video/color quality download the 1080p file and watch on a TV screen as it only streams in 360p from Google drive)

This version includes(but isn't limited to) such changes as:

Rey becomes a SOLO at the end.

Canon Stormpilot.

Palpatine never killed Rey's parents - and he isn't related to her.

Leia reaches out to Ben a couple of times when he needs her most.

Hux lives!

No major retcons of ANY content from episodes 1-8.

Feel free to share with your friends and family across all social media and beyond!

Remember - posts live and die by the reblog, so please hit that button and share the love!

*****

If you'd like to send a tip as an extra special thank you please do so at PayPal.me/RaynebowRayne.

(I did have to spend a bit of money out of my own pocket to make this edit, plus I do pay a small fee for the space to host it & my other edits - and I never charge for access - any and all financial support for my work is greatly appreciated!)

[valantanana]

Yet more preview pages for my next reylo comic, "What if we Lived?". Ben and Rey face Palpatine. If you want to know when it's available, join my mailing list!