#( angsty kylo strikes again ) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

direnightshade · 3 years

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Okay, I am sitting here imagining all the brushing of hands, secret glances, lingering motions, angsty kisses in the rain out in the garden. I want REGENCY/SLOW BURN. I need it. You need it. We all need it. I would like it with....I want to say Sackler but I think it may be too chaotic. So I will let you choose Sackler of Kylo. I am going to sit here like a small child before their birthday for this...

We do need this, and I never knew that I needed it until you filled my head with it. It’s all I’ve thought about for days, Marie. DAYS. I got a little carried away and, uh, this one’s coming in just a little over 3k.

“Have you heard the news?”

The gentle clink of a porcelain tea cup can be heard as it is settled back down onto its designated saucer. To Marnie’s left, Shoshanna hides her smile behind the rim of her own cup as she tips it back to deposit a dainty sip of the still hot tea into her mouth. Your gaze shifts back and forth between the woman and you shift rather uncomfortably in your seat, brows furrowing in both confusion and mild amusement at whatever it is the two of them are keeping from you.

“No,” you reply, albeit a little more forceful than you’d initially intended. “What news?”

Both Marnie and Shoshanna exchange knowing glances and growing smiles, the looks earning a huff of exasperation from you.

“Out with it…”

“There has been talk,” says Marnie in her typical haughty tone, always so pleased with herself to be the first to know the county’s business, “of a certain someone returning from London.”

There’s that knowing look again, and almost immediately, you find yourself sitting a little straighter, your demeanor a little more lady-like as if preening yourself for the aforementioned someone who hasn’t even shown face. “A certain someone,” you ask, though try as you might, you simply cannot hide the hint of eagerness that shines through the question posed.

“Oh, please.” This time it is Shoshanna who speaks up, once again reaching for her cup of tea. “Do not dare to think either of us to be so foolish as to not know that you are well aware that it is your precious Adam who will be returning.”

A long stretch of silence follows her statement, and for a moment you find yourself at a loss for words, merely left to stare at her in disbelief whilst she sips her tea, quite unbothered by the revelation. Of course it was Adam. Who else could it have possibly been?

The moment that your mind reels and catches up with a very specific descriptor used to describe him your mouth opens to protest, but in true Marnie fashion, she is one step ahead of you.

“Alas, he is no longer hers, is he, Shosh?”

Immediately, your eyes shoot over to where Marnie sits still casually sipping her tea as if she hasn’t just dropped a very large and important nugget of information. Your face heats and your chest tightens at the thought, and yet…

He was never yours to begin with, this you know.

The two of you had merely grown up together; you were nothing more than childhood friends tethered together by an affable bond between two families. When he had come of age, Adam left both his family and you behind in search of work opportunities in London where he had, or so you heard, become even wealthier than he had been prior to his departure. And now…

“He most certainly is not,” Shoshanna replies, now setting her cup down one final time, its contents now completely consumed. Her hands begin to smooth the fabric of her dress, the motion languid whilst she speaks. “I heard that he has become betrothed to a Baroness who is undoubtedly much more well-to-do than anyone at this table…”

An undignified snort escapes Marnie, the sound quickly dispersed by another sip of her now rapidly cooling tea. “Well-to-do financially,” she says once her sip has been consumed. “I heard that Mr. Sackler is rather unhappy.”

“Unhappy?” The word falls from your tongue embarrassingly quickly.

The two women sat across from you both smirk in that abhorrently annoying way they do. “Aye,” says Marnie. “She is a pretty young thing with a wealth one could only dream to have, but alas, I have been told she simply cannot keep a grasp on his heart.”

“She never stood a chance, did she,” interjects Shoshanna. “Not when it has already belonged to another.”

You swallow thickly, eyeing both of the women before you. “There is another?”

Unexpectedly, both Marnie and Shoshanna burst into a brief bout of laughter. “Oh, do not be daft, my dear,” Marnie says once the laughter has faded away. “Do you not recall the summer in which he left for London?”

Once again, Shoshanna interjects. “How he watched you so wistfully from his carriage…”

“No,” you reply almost immediately. “You must be mistaken.” And yet… You find yourself hopeful that these words will ring true.

“Why don’t you find out for yourself this evening.” Marnie’s smirk remains in place whilst she speaks, and like Shoshanna, her cup also now stands emptied. “You are attending the ball for his return, are you not?”

You nod slowly in silent reply, your own cup of tea long forgotten and ice cold.

The second hand of the longcase clock that is displayed in the foyer of the manor in which the ball is taking place now strikes half past seven upon your arrival. A number of guests have already begun to convene in the manor’s ballroom and when you, too, join them you are immediately flanked by both Marnie and Soshanna.

“He’s already arrived,” murmurs Marnie.

“I should hope so,” you reply instantly, “this is his home after all.”

“You look quite the treat,” Shoshanna shoots back, ignoring your quip. “I imagine Adam will undoubtedly agree.” There is a pause, and then a soft gasp as her hand reaches out to grasp your upper arm. “Speaking of which…”

She nods to your right, and when you turn your head, you’re greeted by a sight that steals the breath straight from your lungs. Standing a head taller than most of the others in this room is none other than Adam who, certainly judging by the way he is weaving through the crowd, has noticed your presence as well.

“Is he…” Your question trails off into silence, the words barely a whisper whilst you maintain eye contact, unable to look away from the man who is on a mission to reach you.

“On his way over,” asks Marnie. “Indeed it would seem so.”

Marnie and Shoshanna exchange glances and offer their good lucks and goodbyes, quickly leaving your side to disappear into the crowd before you so much as have the chance to object to their all too sudden abandonment. With a quick pivot, you turn around only to collide with an audible ‘oomph’ into a solid wall of muscle. Two large hands lift in immediate response to grasp your upper arms, steadying you on your feet. Your heart leaps in your chest at the contact and though your eyes begin to lift to look at the man who’s stopped you in your tracks, you are already fully aware of whom those hands belong to.

Slowly, your eyes trail upwards past the black wool vest and the gold buttons that keep it held snugly in place across a body that is much broader than the last time the two of you had crossed paths, past the golden colored ascot that is wrapped around a muscular neck, and further up to a face that looks so similar and yet so very different. His face is framed by dark sideburns that barely manage to peek out from the hair that has grown so long since you had last spoken, the strands appearing so soft in the warm glow of the room that your fingers twitch at the thought, at your longing to reach out and feel for yourself. His eyes, however, are the very same as what you had remembered them to be; still a lovely shade of hazel—honeyed you’d told him once.

Your lips part just as you feel the slip of his fingers from the skin of your arms, and just as it did when he’d left for London, your heart aches yet again.

Softly, your name falls from his own lips in greeting, a pleased smile taking root. “You look lovely tonight, though I will admit I did not think I would have the pleasure of your company this evening.”

A soft smile now touches your features in automatic response to his statement, one which holds so much surprise in the tone. “Yes, well, you were my friend once. I would be remiss if I did not join in celebrating your homecoming.”

The pleased expression on Adam’s face falters only a fraction, but just enough for you to take note. “Are we not still friends?”

There is a lingering moment of silence between the two of you, hesitation preventing you from responding quickly enough, and then: “Friends do not leave one another without so much as a goodbye. Friends do not fail to allow their communications to cease abruptly. So no, I do not suppose that we are.”

He can sense it, the hurt that your tone carries. It is as obvious to him as the melody of the piano that plays in this very room. Adam’s mouth parts, no doubt to provide some sort of explanation, but no sooner has his mouth opened than his name is called from nearby. He turns and you peer around his stocky frame only to find a young, pretty blonde who has now managed to grasp his attention, flagging him down to join her and the three gentlemen she’s convened with.

I heard that he has become betrothed to a Baroness…

...a pretty young thing with a wealth one could only dream to have…

You watch, helpless, whilst Adam leaves you once more, this time to weave his way through the crowd to approach the woman who is undoubtedly this Baroness Marnie and Shoshanna had spoken of so eagerly earlier in the day. He leans in, pressing one kiss to her left cheek followed by a mirrored kiss to her right. It feels now—while you are doomed to watch this unfold before your very eyes—as if your heart has physically cracked, splintering into tiny shards that you are certain may never mend.

Pivoting on the balls of your feet, you turn with the intention of making your exit, but just as your earlier move had been thwarted by Adam, so too are you stopped this time, now courtesy of Marnie.

“Surely you are not leaving so soon.”

The expression that you wear sours which only encourages her to roll her eyes and loop her arm around your own, leading you away from the room’s entrance.

“A valiant effort I will admit, however, you owe everyone a dance.”

You scoff indignantly. “I most certainly do not. Not you nor anyone else. I never agreed to a dance.”

“No,” she counters, only releasing her hold on your arm once she has positioned you to her liking whilst others in the room line up beside you to take their respective places for the dance.

The music in the room shifts and the sounds of a flute now join in with the piano. Across from where you stand is none other than Adam and beside him, the blonde, but like you, he seems to be equally focused on what’s standing across from him.

He swallows harshly and your fingers flex within the elbow-length gloves that you wear, and only once the tempo of the music picks up do you—along with everyone else partaking in the dance—take the hands of those that flank you and begin to step in tandem with the melody in one large, conjoined circle.

When the beat of the music shifts once more, the hands that you grasp now release themselves from your hold, and you turn to your nearby partner to reach for them, clasping one of their hands behind their back and the other behind your own. The two of you twirl and twirl. Your head swivels with each turn, eyes seeking out the familiar hazel. When you finally spot them, you find that not only is he much closer than you had anticipated, but that he, too, has sought out your gaze.

The two of you carry on like this, switching from partner to partner, never once breaking eye contact with one another until…

“I never thought you the dancing type,” Adam says good-naturedly, the corners of his mouth curling in a smirk when the two of you finally manage to pair up.

For a fleeting moment, your lips press together in display of your displeasure—a stark contrast to the sudden and rapid beating of your heart which now pounds against the interior of your ribcage. Gently, Adam glides the pad of his thumb against the back of your knuckles, pulling you from the thoughts that you have begun to lose yourself in.

“I most certainly am not,” you protest. “I can assure you that I did not come here for a dance.”

“Then why did you come here?” There is an edge to his voice, one that—dare you say—sounds hopeful.

His hands grip yours a little tighter and...has he gotten a little closer? You inhale a breath that sounds much like a soft gasp whilst the two of you continue to move in perfect unison.

“I… I came here because I—”

But there is no time to finish your sentence. Just as the song has continued so, too, do you and Adam move onto others, once again doomed to watch one another from afar.

It is two days later when your paths cross again. The sun is shining overhead, the sky is blue, and the flowers have all bloomed to fragrance the garden with their magnificent scents. The only dark cloud that has come to ruin a perfectly good day is that which comes in the form of one Adam Sackler.

He strides so confidently out of the home’s back entrance and into the garden where you stand, a hand delicately caressing the velvety texture of a rose’s petal. He looks, much to your chagrin, every bit as enticing as he had two nights ago, though his golden ascot has since been replaced with one that is blood red. It suits him, you think to yourself before dispelling the thought from your mind.

“What are you doing here,” you ask, the words leaving you in a rush as the rose slips from your grasp when you turn to face him.

“I have come to speak with you,” he replies, stopping short of where you stand in order to keep a respectable distance between you.

“You must be mistaken.” Your head shakes firmly, jaw set and resolve steady. “I did not send for you.”

“No. No you did not, and yet I am here.”

“Why?”

It is obvious in the way that he reels that the bitter tone in your voice has taken him aback. He is silent for a brief moment, lifting a hand to pull the wool felt top hat from his head, exposing more of his flowing mane in the process. “You left in such a hurry the other night. I did not have a chance to bid you a good night.”

The noise that you make is one of indifference. “How mirthful coming from the likes of you.”

“Enough,” he bites back.

Your hands work along the silken fabric of your dress, making vain attempts to smooth the fabric in an effort to keep yourself occupied as you gather your thoughts and debate whether or not to allow them to tumble from your lips.

And yet…

Tumble they do.

“Word spread rather quickly upon your return...of your engagement.”

Adam has the audacity to look shocked at your words.

“You asked me the other night why I came. I had hoped that they were wrong. But then I saw her…”

His brows furrow as if trying to comprehend precisely what it is that you are telling him. His mouth opens and closes only to open again, but before he is able to formulate a cohesive sentence, you continue to let the words flow so freely.

“And yet you had the nerve to look at me so fondly...so...so wistfully, I—” Your words trail off as your head shakes fervently, eyes averting his piercing gaze.

It is now that Adam seizes his chance, taking a step towards you, followed by another. “You are mistaken.”

Your gaze snaps back to his, eyes narrowing as if to decipher whether or not he is telling you the truth. Another step is taken towards you, and grasping his hat firmly in one hand, he reaches for you with the other. This move, however, is one made far too soon. You take a step back, dodging his grasp and halting his movement entirely.

“Don’t,” you whisper. “Do not presume to come here and make a play for my heart when you are with another.”

“You are mistaken,” he says again, much more urgently this time.

“Do you love another?” The question leaves you in a rush, and for a moment, there is only silence that follows.

But then…

Adam takes another step forward followed by another and another until finally he is mere centimeters from where you stand. The hat has long since been discarded onto the grass, his hands reaching out to frame your face.

“No,” he says firmly and with conviction. “I love only you.”

He leaves you with no time for a rebuttal; his lips meet yours softly at first, but when you reach to grab the lapels of his coat, fingers curling into the fabric, the kiss quickly becomes much more urgent.

When you are finally able to part from one another, your faces remaining close, your gaze lifts to look at him once more. “But what about—”

“My love, do you always make it a habit to listen to such gossip? There is no one else. There never has been.”

A smile stretches across your features, a mirror of the one that is now displayed so prominently on Adam’s face, the dimples you remember as a child coming to light once more. He leans in yet again to press his lips tenderly to your own.

Finally, at long last, the love you had feared to be unrequited all these years is finally yours.

#Ask #mariesackler #Adam Sackler #Sackler #Regency!Sackler #Adam Sackler x Reader #Sackler x Reader #Regency!Sackler x Reader #Regency Romance

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dya-d · 4 years

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Up until this point I’ve been pretty much laying low in the fandom aside from interacting with a few mutuals here and there. I'm wanting to get more involved, so I thought I would start by sharing some fics I’ve enjoyed lately!

Hear Me Out by vuas - rated E. Ben and Rey are coworkers. She discovers audio erotica read in a voice that sounds suspiciously familiar. SO HOT. As you will see, I think I have a thing for nerdy IT guy-Ben and Rey workplace AUs.

what you take with you by irridesca - rated E. There will be a lot by irridesca on this list! This one is new but I’m loving it so far. Rey has to take care of her asshole boss Kylo after tragedy strikes - only Kylo has lost his memory, and is now going by the name Ben Solo.

The Benefits of Research by AttackoftheDarkCurses & thebuildingsnotonfire - rated E. Rey is a fanfic writer who is writing smut for the first time. Her best friend, Ben, is beta-ing for her and wants to help her do some research so that her writing can be as accurate a possible. This is one I’ve come back to over and over again! Best friends to lovers is another favorite trope of mine.

Misprint by JenfysNest - rated E. Another IT-Ben/coworker Rey fic wherein Rey has written her fantasies about Ben into an elaborate self-insert story. Her printer malfunctions, leading to Ben discovering the story and shenanigans ensue.

for what it's worth (it was worth all the while) by irridesca - rated E. Rey is working at a summer camp in Texas, where Ben is the camp director. This fic is written so beautifully it makes my heart hurt.

our love was meant to be (my love came back to me) by BensCalligraphySet - rated T. Reincarnation AU! Ben finds letters in a bottle washed up on the beach - and they’re addressed to him. This one makes me cry.

Hey Sweetheart by SuchaPrettyPoison - rated E. Another one I come back to again and again. This fic is so sexy. Ben here is *chefs kiss*. Rey and Ben are roommates, and he keeps cockblocking her. PLEASE read this!

i’ve got you (under my skin) by KyloTrashForever - rated E. Probably my current favorite. I drop whatever I’m doing whenever it updates! Rey is Ben’s nanny. Slow burn. The wait is worth it! *fans self*.

under thy own life’s key by galvanator - rated E. This was the first AU I read and it changed my life. Prior to reading this fic, I was all about canonverse. The characterizations in this fic are amazing. Ben and Rey go on a trip with their friends and there’s only one bed, oh no! Best friends to lovers, incredibly sexy and sweet.

Canonverse

The Writings of Ben Solo by BurnedStars777 - rated E. Rey and Kylo are stranded together on a lonely planet. She’s reading the Jedi texts and finds journal entries written in them. Little does she know they’re Ben’s from when he was younger. I love the slow burn of this, and the enemies to lovers dynamic is strong with this one. A little angsty if I remember right.

way down we go by KyloTrashForever - rated E. ANGST. MY HEART HURTS. STUNNING. BEAUTIFUL. This is my post TROS headcanon.

Landslide by KyloTrashForever - rated E. Rey and Kylo’s force bond amplifies the complexities of their relationship as they get closer and closer to each other. What I love most about this fic is the tension between Kylo/Ben, and the moments where he is Ben with Rey. I cried reading this. Another heart wrenching, beautiful fic by KyloTrashForever. I just have to share a quote here because it’s one of my favorite lines from any fic I’ve read - “When I’m with you…” He brushes his nose back and forth across hers, a motion that feels like Ben Solo and nothing like Kylo Ren. “I wish I was good too.”

I hope you enjoy these recs! Let me know what you think :)

#reylo #reylo fic recs #dya-dstuff

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museumofinefarts · 3 years

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Worst to best Star Wars Movie

IMHO

Rise of the Skywalkers

I refuse to see it. When you have written yourself so much in a corner that your only way forward is bringing back old nemesis and invalidating the end of the original trilogy - maybe quit your writing job.

Phantom Menace

Yeah yeah, beating the dead horse. But honestly, it is bad. The stakes are trivial at best, the big bad Darth Maul has zero buildup or backstory before he gets killed of, but we got 20 min pod racing instead, Jar Jar Bings, Darth Vader built C3P0, midichlorians...this movie is a mess.

The Last Jedi

All of the big set pieces are recycled. Fighting on a white planet against First Order troops? That was Empire. Battle in the throne room while the rebel fleet gets blown to pieces? Return of the Jedi. Then there is the Guardians of the Galaxy-style humor, that clashes with everything. Smoke dies without any fanfare (come to think of it, in the same way as Darth Maul does - cut at the waist). And my pet peeve is the hyperdrive-attack of general McPinkhair. If you can build a weapon that devastating with just using common technology - why does anybody need a death star? Just strap some hyperdrive engines on a rock and save the imperial taxpayer trillions of credits. But I will point out what I liked. I liked Leas use of the force. Kylo Ren continues to be my favorite bad guy. And I liked the casino planet, even though it felt like a fukkin side quest. Like when you are in a game in a burning castle and you get the mission to immediately get a bucket of water, so you stroll out of the fire, two towns over to the bucket maker, he says ‘yes, but first get me 10 ears of the earless trolls’ so you grind troll ears for an hour, maybe collect some rare crafting materials along the way, all the time your original quest giver is standing in their burning castle waiting patiently on your return.

What was I talking about again?

The Force Awakens

The Characters felt so fresh. A humanized Stormtrooper, mystery, Kylo Ren. But yeah, the plot is almost a carbon copy of A New Hope, just BIGGER death star this time.

And let me tell you how much I love Kilo Ren. That angsty, incel edge lord bitch, trying so hard to be like grandpa Vader. Trowing temper tantrums and having a rage problem. Truly, a villain for the 21st century.

Attack of the Clones

While the sequels got worse with every installment, the prequels actually got better. Attack has still the romance between Anakin and Padme, worked in smooth like a barrel of gravel. But it gets better. And the Memes are great.

Revenge of the Sith

Still has a bad case of ‘remember this?’. There was no need for Chewbacca to make an appearance. Bloated at places. But overall it is the best of the prequels and still entertaining to watch today.

A New Hope

It looks its age now. That movie will turn 45 soon and you can tell. Still, the prequels somehow look more dated. Actually, this movie is brought down for me by being constantly ripped of by later Star Wars content.

Return of the Jedi

A great, satisfying end to the original trilogy. Slave Lea might have awoken my sexuality (dont @ me).

The Empire strikes Back

Maybe the Star Wars movie that added the most new content? Only movie to never set foot on Tatooine or another desert planet. I would love to see more of the cloud city, actually.

Solo

I...did not expect to love this movie that much? An incredible interesting backstory for Han, Chewie and the Millennium Falcon. Seriously, for a movie that establishes a backstory, most of the ‘member this? member this?’ is pretty subdued. If this was shot in the prequel-era they would have revealed that Chewbacca actually build R2D2 or was Uncle Owens weed man or whatever. Loved Lando, loved a new villainous organization and loved the sequel-hook/big reveal at the end. I am a bit sad that it will probably never get a sequel.

Rouge One

It is great. The mood, an explanation for Hopes big thingamajig, morally gray characters. A true sense of the Empires jackboot over the galaxy. A villain that is not a scheming mastermind but a bureaucrat of evil. The tragic ending. This is a great movie.

#Star Wars #prequel era #sequel trilogy #rouge one #angry opinions about star wars I bet no one ever thought of doing this

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helaintoloki · 5 years

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Happily Ever After

pairing: Poe Dameron x reader, Kylo Ren x reader

warnings/notes: the title is very misleading. I didn’t intend for this to get so dark and angsty but. Kylo is kind of a jerk and poor Poe gets roughed up a few times and that’s basically what you need to look out for. the first half is pure fluff

“And they lived happily ever after in a galaxy far, far away.”

“Tell us another story, mommy!” Her daughter Shara begs, and her son stares up at her with hooded, heavy eyes. The poor thing.

“Another night. Right now it’s time for you little ewoks to go to bed,” y/n smiles.

“But I’m not tired!” Shara protests, but she too is beginning to succumb to her sleepiness.

“Goodnight,” y/n laughs softly, pressing kisses to their foreheads before switching off the lights and quietly shutting the door.

“They go down?” Poe asks as he snakes his arms around her waist. She smiles, leaning into her husband’s embrace and shutting her eyes as she lets him envelop her in his warmth.

“Not without a fight,” y/n replies, and she doesn’t have to see his face to know he’s smiling.

“Just like their old man.”

She lightly shoves him away with a shake of her head, but her eyes are sparkling with love and adoration for the man before her. He owned her heart forever and always, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“You better get to bed too, mister,” she teasingly scolds, “you’ve got work to do tomorrow.”

“I know, I know. Help plant the yaro fruits then fix the shed out back before taking the kids out to the markets to buy more food,” he sighs before pouting. “Stars, I miss when you were a princess who had people to do things for you.”

“Oh, stop,” you tsk. “You know how much I hated being that girl. I like who I am now. With you.”

Poe’s smile is soft as he allows her to cup his face in her hands, fingers soft and the wedding band on her ring finger cool against his skin. How he got so lucky, he’ll never know.

“I know,” he hums softly, leaning forward to peck her on the lips. Then, with a flirtatious smile, “Wanna fool around?”

“Your timing is impeccable,” she laughs but doesn’t protest when his strong arms scoop her up and carry her to bed.

~~~

“Mother, I don’t want to be married,” y/n whispers, vision abruptly cut off by the black veil that is thrown over her face.

“Nonsense. Marrying you off is a grand opportunity for our planet. Don’t be selfish,” the Queen scolds, adjusting the wedding dress.

“But the First Order-“

“I’ll have none of it,” her mother snaps. “You should be grateful Supreme Leader Snoke chose you of all people to marry the Commander. You’re lucky.”

“I don’t love him.”

“I’m aware. You fell for the flyboy,” the Queen says in disdain, “but you didn’t promise your hand in marriage to him, did you? Now stand up straight, you’re not an animal.”

“Yes mother.”

She wakes slowly, eyes blinking carefully as they adjust to the still darkness of the room. The unpleasant dream-like memory is still fresh in her mind, the voice of her mother still echoing in the shadows of her home. Y/N hadn’t thought of her mother in years, let alone her wedding day. What had triggered such a vision in the ex-princess’s mind?

She turns, seeking solace and comfort and warmth in her partner who sleeps peacefully beside her, only he’s not there. Poe’s side of the bed is empty, gradually losing its warmth and indicating that he’d been gone for a while now. Y/N sighs. He’s probably up late with BB-8 again, she assumes.

The little cottage hidden away in the greenery of Yavin 4 is dark and quiet with the still of the night, the children peacefully sleeping in their bedrooms and BB-8 charging in his little station- Wait, then where is Poe?

“Glad you could join us, Princess.”

That voice has her weak at the knees, stumbling and clutching the walls for support as tears begin to well in her eyes. She hadn’t heard that voice in years, hadn’t been in his presence since the wedding. Why now? Why here? When everything was so perfect?

“No...” she breathes, too terrified to turn around and face the ghost from her past. The sight is worse than she imagines, his towering figure looming over her husband. His beautiful face is bruised and bloodied, and at his throat is the unsheathed lightsaber.

“Let him go,” she whispers shakily, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that yet. He has something I want,” the man taunts.

“Y/N, go,” Poe splutters out, blood dribbling down the corner of his lip. “Get out of here.”

“What do you want, Kylo?” She seethes, ignoring Poe’s wishes. She won’t let him win, she refuses to give him the satisfaction.

“My bride,” Kylo replies simply. “Come back home with me. Where you belong.”

“I was never your bride,” she spits angrily. “Our souls were never bonded by the force.”

“Because you ran away like a coward,” Kylo scowls, thumb dangerously close to the ignition button. She jumps, eyes wide in terror.

“Kylo... Ben, please,” y/n begs, tears flowing freely now, “please don’t do this.”

“Join me then, and I will spare his life.”

“Y/N you can’t!”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” She whispers. His only response is an outstretched hand in her direction, and with a deep breath she’s reaching for him, fingers aflame as her skin comes into contact with his gloved hand.

And at his touch comes the tidal wave of memories, beckoned by their reconnecting souls. Flowers, the fields, the nights spent frolicking about together. The destruction, the violence, the chaos, the treaties. The man hidden behind the monster, and the monster acting as the man.

“You’ve made a wise choice,” he says, voice eerily soothing and gentle despite the harshness of the voice modulator. With a brutish shove Poe is released on his hands and knees.

“Poe!” She breathes, attempting to run towards him only to be yanked back into Kylo’s hard chest.

“He’s no longer your concern now,” Kylo reminds her, “and you are no longer his.”

“Poe, I’m sorry,” she sobs, eyes pleading for him to stay put. To stay down. For once in his life to not fight back.

“Y/N, I’ll find you,” Poe promises through tears of his own. His blood is boiling and heart aching in his chest, but he does as her eyes tell him to. The children need their father.

“Mommy?”

And that gentle voice, that melodic little voice causes both of their hearts to drop to their stomachs. So close. If Shara had just stayed put a little longer.

“Oh?” Kylo breathes, and it is unclear whether or not he is angry. “You certainly kept yourself busy while I was away.”

“Please, she’s only a child,” y/n weeps, hand tightly clutching his and desperately trying to keep him back. But he’s bigger, stronger, and she cannot stop him as he approaches the young girl and kneels before her.

“What is your name?” He asks gently.

“Shara,” she replies meekly, still half asleep. “Who are you?”

“An old friend of your mother’s,” Kylo replies. “An old friend of yours.”

“Get away from her!” Poe shouts, only to be flung across the room into the book shelf. Y/N lets out a horrified shriek, rushing to his side. And yet it’s as if Shara sees none of it.

“Would you like to join your mother and I on my ship? I have a special place just for you,” Kylo baits, reeling the naive child into his grasp.

“Okay... what about my little brother Rex?” Kylo’s fists clench slightly at his sides.

“He can come too. Why don’t you retrieve him for me?”

The bouncing five year old is quick to rush and wake her brother, and now Kylo can turn his attention to the couple cowering together in the corner. Despite how battered and broken he is, Poe puts on a strong front and shields y/n from Kylo, gaze mean and hard.

“You didn’t tell me,” Kylo observes.

“That’s because you didn’t need to know,” y/n spits. “They’re not yours.”

“Perhaps not the little one. I’m only bringing him along for your sake. But Shara...”

“Blood does not define family,” y/n breathes shakily. “Poe is her father. Poe was there for everything. You weren’t.”

“Enough,” Kylo seethes, once again taking his anger out on the pilot by knocking him out cold through the force. “Your precious flyboy can’t protect you now. It’s always been me, y/n. Ever since Naboo-“

“I went to Naboo with Ben Solo!” She cries harshly. “And you are not him. I don’t know what you are.”

“The man you love,” he scoffs. “Love won’t save you, y/n. Only the dark side can. You’ll understand in time.”

Shara emerges with the two year old toddler in tow. He’s whining for his mother, soft curls wild from bed head. A striking image of his father.

“Babies, come,” y/n urges, wrapping them both in her arms and holding them close to her chest, away from their father who won’t wake up on the ground. They don’t need to see it.

“It’s time,” Kylo announces. “Take what you must. I’ll be waiting outside.”

“Papa?” Rex whines, and y/n presses a hasty kiss to his forehead.

“Papa is... is on a trip,” she swallows, “he’ll be back soon. And we’re going to take a trip now too. And we’re going to be okay. We’re going to be okay.”

And she could only hope that they would be.

#kylo ren #kylo ren x reader #poe dameron x reader #poe dameron #ben solo #ben solo x reader #kylo x reader x poe #angst #star wars

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millllenniawrites · 4 years

Text

Permanently (Kylo Ren/Ben Solo x Reader)

Okay so ELF is this artist on soundcloud and instagram that I ADORE and she just released this song called Permanently (Selfish Poetry) so I wrote this angsty mess inspired by it. Her voice is amazing and everyone should listen to her.

NOTE: the words in italics are NOT MINE. I wish they were. They are lyrics from the song. Gonna link it again HERE incase the one above fails cause that’s my luck.

This is a similar structure to my Counting Crows Poe Dameron fic, so if you enjoy this, feel free to check that one.

Masterlist

Requested: nope I just love ELF

Pairing(s): Kylo Ren/Ben Solo x Reader

Words: like 800?

Warnings: angsty sad shit bois, also Rey doesn’t exist lols

I love you, careful creature.

“Ben.” you fall to your knees, looking up at the face of the scared boy.

“Join me or die. Chose.” the words would chill you if they weren’t coming from him, tear-striken and shaking. In the blue light of his lightsaber, you search his eyes for the yellow of the Sith. His eyes are still his.

“I’m coming with you.”

He reaches out and you take his hand, letting him pull you to your feet, “We have to run. Mom...” Ben shakes his head, “Leia will come when she feels that Luke is dead.”

“Luke is...” you try to hide your confusion.

“Come on. We have to leave.”

“What about the others?”

“Dead.” he drags you from the rubble.

You have to save him, and you can’t do that if you join the others.

You have to protect him.

Badly. Incorrectly.

He's sitting beside you, mask on your bed. You haven’t seen his face in... you don’t know the last time you saw his face. Years ago?

“Ben.” you murmur, voice cracking in your dry throat.

He shushes you, bringing a cup of water to your lips, “Rest.”

You cough on the water and for the first time, you notice how your ribs ache, “What happened?” looking down at your hands, you see the deep bruising and thin cuts, lacing up your arms.

“The rebels. They...” he ducks his head, pain playing across his tired features, “They have a Jedi. The defected stormtrooper we found on Jakku. You were hurt...” he meets your eyes and you see a jagged cut across his eye, “I didn’t want anything to happen to you. I brought some trees down around you so he wouldn’t find you, but I lost control. I’m sorry.”

Leaning back against the pillows, you close your eyes, “I could have helped you.”

“I know. I know and I... I was scared.” his voice breaks and you feel him lay his head on your stomach, his hand searching the sheets for yours.

You feel his tears and lift a hand to his hair, gently, slowly, gently.

“I’m sorry.” his shoulders shake.

“It’s okay.” as you speak, he turns his face to look at you, eyes clouded in tears, “Ben, it’s alright. I’m okay.”

And I want you, loveless leisure,

You watch him board his ship, surrounded by the Knight of Ren in all their red, polished glory.

It’s hard, having to stay behind. Ben insisted you wait until you’re fully healed to do anything in the field. You hate having to leave his side. Gone are the days of you trying to bring him back to the Light. Now, you just want to keep him alive.

As his ship leaves the Destroyer, you hear his voice in your mind, “Stay safe.”

It’s all you’re permitted. A simple wish.

“You too.” you project.

Never enough.

If you told him how you really feel...

Even as the small voice in the back of your mind screams to be heard, screams that he wants you too, you turn back into the ship and resume your duties. Your mission. Keeping the rebellion alive without anyone figuring it out.

Including Ben.

To want me,

You throw your hands out, sending Ben flying backwards and out of the way of the ship that comes barreling through the side of the ship. Turning to the troop carrier, you engage your saber, standing alone.

The fire starts the moment the door is down. You sent the laser bolts back into the ship, the mishmash of fighters scattering.

A Jedi stands among them, eyes fierce in the light of his blue saber.

He’s good. A challenge. You strike his arm, his calf, no real damage but enough to slow him down. You don’t want to hurt him but he doesn’t know that.

You hear Ben call your name.

In the time it takes you to find him in the rubble, you feel a sharp pain at your side.

Blue light.

Reflected.

In Ben’s eyes.

Ben’s hands.

Hands.

Hands around you.

Arms around you.

Fire around you.

A wall of fire.

Fire inside you.

Fire reflected in his eyes.

In your side.

In your arms.

In Ben’s eyes.

Crystal clear eyes.

Crystals in his eyes.

Falling from his eyes.

Falling.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Don’t be sorry.

It’s not your fault.

Ben.

Hands shaking.

His hands are always shaking.

Find his eyes.

“I’m here. I’m here.”

His eyes.

Striking eyes.

Struck down.

“Stay with me. Stay with me. Hey... hey. I'm here.”

Panicked voice.

Panicked eyes.

“I’m here.”

You aren’t.

You are somewhere else.

But he’s there.

He’s always been there.

Permanently.

#elf #elfmusique #elfmusic #ben solo #ben solo imagine #ben solo x reader #ben solo x you #kylo ren #kylo ren x reader #kylo ren x you #kylo ren imagine #star wars #Star Wars tros #Star Wars imagine #macks fics

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dangerouslysmartslime · 4 years

Text

Let’s Write About While Watching: LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special (2020)

This is a celebration of Life Day (Winter Veil tiding) only for the Sequel Trilogy. Rey is the main character here, instead of a big mess with the wookiee family of Chewbacca. With freedom restored Life Day could once again be celebrated, so to Kashyyk again we go. Finn and Rey are working on training with a lightsaber, that Rey senses force potential in Finn, and Finn ends up not “letting go” as she tries to read the ancient texts. When traveling down a wrong path, one must find another, a new path. That she is actually challenged. She ain’t a Mary Sue you hacks! There are other parts of the crew post Rise of Skywalker for celebrating Life Day, and Rey continues to study the Jedi texts as she doesn’t know what she is missing. As she is not as nmater in the forc,e of both darkness and light. And this is where I wish that she had a teacher, whether of Light like Luke or Dark like the OC Aliana (not Kylo Ren, he’s shite). And apparently there is a prophecy on Kordoku to help them both with training. That Life Day is today so they have to go. Chewie is knowing about the fact that family and spending time with each other. So Rey is trying to balance training and spending time with people. BB8 leaves and then a sir cries and says “I have a plan” and they know that his plans are terrible. So he resolves to make the biggest party ever with the best food. Rey didn’t take Finn with her to the Jedi Temple on Kordoku. It is a very snowy place with an Aurora Borealis all around it, then again such is probably not the mame for winter lights in general, just for Northern lights or such. Rey looks through the ruins and finds the symbol the Jedi are known for and inside is a green Kyber Crystal wrapped in linen, and with waving it she created a portal. So her and BB8 walk in to explore what’s next. A force gateway to… Empire Strikes Back where Luke was training with Yoda. She found that such is true and she thinks that it is a lot more interesting than it really is. That she could learn something from Master and Apprentice. “Do or do not, there is no try” “Participation trophies for Jedi, there are not” That is an amusing quote, and then there’s a sea monster which is right behind Rey, so they had to get out, and then to the next place. Watch other Jedi masters train their students. Do or do not and I’m going to do, he says. Obi-wan and Qui-Gonn Jinn are together at the start of The Phantom Menace, only for the appearance of Attack of the Clones where they see Anakin and Obi-wan talking about the fact that Anakin loves Padme. Jumping to Luke, where she ends up in his cockpit and they still need to shoot. “Listen to your master, use the force!” The shot goes through, which guiding a shot into the exhaust port is rather odd. Technically Rey did help him blow up the Death Star, and she thought that it was awesome. Switching back to Finn, Chewie, Rose, and… Captain turned general… He ends up burning a porg. Rey reflects on all of the things that she saw with the time traveling Kyber crystal and it was rather intersting, so then she jumped into a new portal caused by the crystal and then there is a monologue from Sidious. Death Star Two is commented as derivative, Starkiller Base was thought of by Vader, “Galaxy’s Best Emperor” only for Vader to be send into the future with Rey to find what happened. Return of the Jedi Vader vs Rise of Skywalker Rey… Interesting. Then the family of Chewmbacca comes and they start getting into a ruckus. Then I findally remembered the camptain turned general’s name is Poe Dameron. “All too easy, now I have the… what is this thing.” Quite humorous, and the fact that they are fighting and Vader didn’t know from what point in time she was so he assumed that it was during RotJ. “Impressive, I almost feel bad having to destroy you.” There are two Darth Vader’s because of there being RotJ Vader and ESB Vader, so they end up fighting. They say that their skills are impressive, only to conclude that they are the same being and agree to kill Rey. Rey runs off along with a Snowtrooper, where the RotJ Vader follows Rey as they appear on Mustafar where Anakin and Obi-wan were fighting in Revenge of the Sith. This is entertaining, only for The Child with The Mandalorian to show up in their adventures so Rey and Vader agree that The Child is cute. Only to continue fighting. Clone Wars have two clones talking about hating traffic duty, they joined the chase with Pod Racers from The Phantom Menace’s Pod Race scene. Then there are some from the ESB Hoth base, space battles, only to appear in A New Hope’s opening shot with Luke Skywalker drinking blue milk and a bunch of people from different points in time fighting amongst each other. Different versions of Jedi and Sith, clone troopers and stormtroopers. Only for Luke from ANH to chase after them and the key is taken by BB8 and then Vader is almost done taking it and the mug… He succeeds so now there’s ANH Luke and Rey in the temple. Kylo Ren is found dancing around saying that he’s Surpreme Leader, and Hux ends up perving on him. Palpatine and Vader are found by him and it is commented that Kylo Ren is a total fanboy. Palpatine doesn’t doesn’t rule anything, so Kylo is told to put on a shirt. Luke and Rey end up talking and Luke is at the point in time where he doesn’t know who Darth Vader is or the fact that he is Luke’s father… Although Vader did hint at that in a conversation. Kylo Ren finishes the story of RotJ to Rise of Skywalker. Kylo Ren speaks of the fact that he didn’t kill his master by Reactor Shaft, but didn’t tell Palpatine that he would kill his master in a different way. So now Palpatine is trying to work on stealing the time to have an Infinite Empire… Switch back to Finn and Poe, Finn sings Huttese Jingle Bells. Rather entertaining, as Poe Dameron. Palpatine likes everything that Kylo says, even things which Vader already said like Starkiller Base being seen as a good name when said by Kylo but when said by Vader it was a ‘lame name’ (earlier in the special). One thing that Disney does know how to deal with is making fun of the movie series along with the fan perception of it, while having cheesy bits like Huttese Jingle Bells, just as in the original Holiday Special Luke, Leia, and Han were on Kashyyyk to spend time with Chewbacca for Life Day. Skywalker is on the forest moon of Endor, so Vader is told to go and get him. Sending Vader down to pick up Luke when it would go to the same chain of events? Well, Palpatine now has Kylo Ren instead of Vader. Voda’s force ghost appears to Rey while she’s moping to herself, and it is noted that failure is important, to be a better student and a better teacher. One for doing a reminder of A Chrismas Tale from Charles Dickens. So focused on the books that she forgot the most important part. Useless knowledge is without connection. That there are friends that people have, and not just the connection between master and Padawan. Luke then talks to Rey about what was being said, while kind of just repeating it. “Had the power al along” So then she alights kyber crystals and they swirl together, along with holding the hands of ANH Luke to create a large portal using those crystals back to ANH. Kylo Ren like having a swirly chair. It is noted that Kylo Ren loves his grandpa so doesn’t want to send him down the shaft, two lightsabers of Kylo and Rey, then there is ANH Luke throwing milk at Kylo Ren, only for BB8 to stop him and then Rey to stop him. Uncle Luke “Uncle” “What did you mean by destroy Vader too?” Stop everyone in a black cape. “All of us, make with the fighty fighty!” So now there’s two versions of Luke around, Kylo, and Rey, as Palpatine is a pain in the ass. “Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy” “Really should’ve seen that coming” Only for Kylo Ren to fall back into his chair and he gets really angsty, destroying his chair with his lightsaber. Now it’s Rey, Vader, Rey, and Luke… “You’ve failed before, you’ve failed again.” I do enjoy the jokes that Palpatine has, only for Rey to stop him by having the help of Vader and Luke? “Luke, do you remember the first Jedi lesson you ever knew?” That she already knows and then Palpatine is still thrown into the reactor shaft. “Hey, what’s with the sweater” only say “Happy Life Day” Then Palpatine reflects on the fact that he a complete asshole and is always so mean, so he gets a Scrooge Reflection while he is falling to his death that being on the Dark Side and ruling the galaxy isn’t that good of an idea. Which is rather amusing but for something to actually come of that would be odd. Where Luke drinks his blue milk and reflects on what just happened, as Rey sends everyone else back to their proper time, puts the crystal back, and then gets back to the Millenium Falcon to the Life Day party. Rey actually sows up and speaks of the fact that she actually made it back in time, only for BB8 to tell the adventure to C3PO. There was a reflection that Finn is ready to become a Jedi and Rey to train him, as for the events, snow on Kashyyyk and Finn accidently destroys the table with the lightsaber. Plus it’s a yellow lightsaber, which is traditionally mainly used by Jedi Temple Guards. Well… That was the end and it was quite interesting. That plus the fact that apparently another LEGO special for Star Wars is a Battle Droid RO-GR which came from Clone Wars to fighting the First Order.

#LEGO Star Wars #Star Wars #star wars holiday special #Renari'sReviews

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meteor752 · 4 years

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So...I just watched The Rise of Skywalker

And it was...a movie

Now, if you don’t want it spoiled, then don’t click keep reading, because I will immediately start after that.

Got it?

Good

Now that that’s out of the way

THERE IS A CANON LESBIAN COUPLE IN STAR WARS AND THEY SHARED A KISS, I AM DEAD

Sorry I just had to get that out of my system

I am not a movie critic, and for the most part I just enjoy a movie unless it bores me. But I have been saying that I will do this review, and I will, so I will just go over important part by important part.

Good?

Good.

The first scene

This is, hands down, my favorite scene in the movie. The way they introduced Palpatine and that we never really see his face in the scene is really menacing, but still oddly hilarious.

I mean, the man is hanging there quoting himself. He later literally said do it!! I’m surprised he didn’t start to tell the story of Darth plagueise the wise.

Plus, the fact that Kylo doesn’t want to join Palpatine and become his apprentice, but just kill him, is really cool to me. It shows a little different side of his character, that he wants to be his own and not just the next Vader.

Also, after Palpatine saying “I created Snoke”, there’s a blink and you’ll miss it moment of a deformed looking Snoke in a cubicle, so that’s that character's backstory. He was a failed clone all along!

Poe, Finn, Chewie & the Spy

The start of this scene is just pure fluff between our dear space husbands and their mom’s, husband's dog.

The revelation of the spy was cool, but I kinda immediately guessed that it would be either Hux or Phasma.

I really liked the chase scene, plus the banter between the characters. Character interaction is a thing I love in franchises, and this movie does a good job with it

Master Leia

I LIVE FOR LEIA TRAINING REY TO BE A JEDI

The Rey training scene though was...unnecessary, dunno why it was there.

Rey’s always been a kinda on-off character for me. I like her when she’s loose and chill instead of a “badass”. In this movie...I mean she has her moments, but for the most part I didn’t want her there

C-3PO, R2-D2 & BB-8

The fact that BB-9e wasn’t in this movie is a crime

I like Threepio, like most other fans, but he’s just like always been...there for me. In this movie though, holy shit did he shine!

To be quite honest, he was probably one of my favorite characters in it, just because he kept that lightheartedness in an otherwise angsty movie, with some occasional fluff.

What I really like about him is that they made this his movie! Artoo and BB-8 were barely in it, and when they were they didn’t do much, so Threepio could really shine! Literally, he’s made of gold. The latest eight movies he’s basically been bullied by every character on screen, no one really seems to like him (Poe did it in this movie, so it’s still a thing) but they gave him a lot of screentime and I like that!

I don’t like BB-8. He’s mostly there to sell toys, and I get that that’s what Star Wars is all about these days, but don’t make it obvious!! Cough, cough PORG!!!!

Artoo was underused as kriff in this movie. He did basically nothing, despite being one of the franchises most popular characters. My favorite moment in the movie however is when Wiped Threepio And Artoo reunite, and he actually sound HURT when Threepio doesn’t recognize him!! He calls him his best friend okay!?!?

Lando

!!!!

His introduction was so fricking cute! Chewie just went to hug him instantly, because that poor fluffy boy has lost enough!!

Threepio going to explain who he is, and Rey just going “We know who he is!” Is so heartwarming, like he’s a war hero! People idolize him that’s so cute!!!

Knights of Ren

Will get more into them in another section, but look really cool but really underused

Stormpilot, Jedipilot, Stormjedi & Stormjedipilot

Let’s get this over with

All three of the first ships are evident in this movie.

Rey and Poe arguing about BB-8 and The Falcon at the start of the movie...is basically all we get for Jedipilot but what’d you expect?

Poe making Finn general, their banter throughout the movie, the little very unnecessary fight they had, the reunion at the end of the movie-

THIS

Rey: So what were you going to tell me?

Finn: We’ll take it later

Poe: What, you mean when Poe’s not here?

YOU JEALOUS BRO???

Finn wanting to tell Rey something was most likely confessing some feeling for her, but then they survived and yeah, and it was fucking dropped?! Did JJ just forget about that???

Plus, I’ve never noticed this before, but Finn yells Rey’s name a lot.

The reunion hug between the three of them at the end of the movie is what kinda made me like Stormjedipilot. Poe and Rey holding their hands over Finn’s back while he buries his head into their shoulders, like yeah I like that.

Chewie’s “death”

I, to be honest, kinda wanted Chewbacca to die a little here. It would have made Kylo’s turn so much more compelling.

So it is my personal headcanon that Kylo did not know that Chewie wasn’t on that ship, and for a few minutes he actually thought that he, Uncle Chewie, had died. Because I couldn’t be the only one who saw a bit of pain on his face.

Kijimi

I first did not like Zorii, mostly because I thought she and Poe would have had a “relationship”.

Though, when Rey held a lightsaber against her throat, and she just impressively said “Not that it matters, but I like you.”

Gal, you GAAAAY

And also that twice, twice, Poe asks if they should kiss and she dismisses both tries, that I like. Good job movie, god job.

During the raid, you can hear female Stormtroopers, and I think that’s really cool. We’re in movie nine and first now does there exist female Stormtroopers that isn’t Phasma!!

Threepio’s wipe is sad and I liked it, but I feel that they made it a little too sad, considering it was afterwards mostly played as a joke and then they gave him his memories back

Hux the spy

Again, Chewie should have remained dead, but whatever.

I have no problem with Hux as the spy, I was just sitting in the theater mumbling ‘Fulcrum’ while my brother was looking at me weirdly, but what I don’t like is what they did with it.

For Hux just to be shot by some General we’ve never met before is just the equivalent of a letdown, especially since so many people like his characters. Including me, he’s one of the best parts of the Sequels!!

Rey Palpatine

Just so everyone knows, I saw this coming. I mean sure, I still liked the Qui’ra theory more, but when Palps started talking about how he knew who the girl was, then I was just like okay she’s a Palpatine.

What I don’t like is how they don’t talk at all of how this came to be. Like, I don’t even know which one of Rey’s parents who’s Palps child. Who the hell did he fuck?!?!

So yeah, whatever twist, bad execution.

Endor’s Stormtroopers

THIS SCENE IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHY I DON’T LIKE REY

They often do this in movies. Heroes have to do something, they can’t do anything at that moment so they have to wait, main Hero does it anyways.

IT’S ANNOYING AS HELL

Finn and the Ex Stormtrooper I can't remember the name of’s bonding moment was cute, but I just kept thinking to myself “Are they siblings? Because it wouldn’t be the first time this has happened,”

Finn getting mad at Poe is weird as shit and I don’t like it.

Dark Rey vs Rey

Huge letdown didn’t like it next

Rey vs Kylo, final battle

It was...fine, I guess. I like that Rey fucking stabbed him, that was cool.

Leia dying to redeem Kylo was dumb! I get that they needed to kill her off in a natural way and not just off-screen but come on!

Plus, if you would ask me, Kylo didn’t need a redemption arc. I think he should have died. As a bad guy.

Han Solo And Lightsaber Toss

Han Solo talking to Kylo was cool, though how does it work?? Was it a vision? Luke manipulations the force? Kylo only saw what he wanted to see?

That Kylo just tossed his lightsaber was symbolic and stuff, but a really stupid decision from his part. How are you gonna protect yourself now, huh? THE FORCE?!?!

Rey going into Exile

THIS SCENE WAS FUNNY AS SHIT!!

Just, Rey, thinking that every Jedi goes into exile, when they don’t feel like dealing with it anymore, and she’s fucking right!!! Yoda, Obi-Wan And Luke would be proud!!!!

Luke’s force ghost also has nearly identical hair to Anakin, which is adorable. Dunno how many that noticed that, since the people I’ve talked with about the movie didn’t, but that was literally all I could think about.

Knight Leia

When Rey picked up her lightsaber, my brother beside me was like “That’s Luke’s green one!” And I got mad because that’s not his lightsaber design at all. Know your facts bro!

That Leia was a Jedi is understandable, I mean was Luke not going to train her? But I’ve always seen her that she could use the force, but didn’t use a lightsaber because she’s badass.

I kinda also wanted her blade to be purple? I think it would have fit her much better, as she is probably the most balanced Jedi we’ve had for a while and she’s got a lot of anger that little Skywalker, but blue works fine I guess. Better than green.

Star Wars Endgame

I liked this scene, it was cool, Artoo got something to do, and Finn and Rose riding those horse thingies is an inside joke between those two at this point, convince me otherwise.

Lando And Chewie arriving though, and the First Order stating that they are “just people”, was really beautiful. Cool scene all and all.

Rey and Palpatine

Palps is still quoting himself! He fucking said “Do It” JJ knows what’s up!!

One thing that I’ve been trying to figure out since I saw the movie was what the hell was Palps’ goal? He said for Rey to strike him down (Said the same to Luke, is he suicidal??) and then he would become? Apart? Of her? What?

I’m sorry, but that doesn’t make any sense.

Kylo vs Knights of Ren

So these are Kylo’s guys, right? His inquisitors, per say.

Except these used to be Jedi, his clanmates, his friends.

So why the kriff did they all turn against him like that?? AND WHY DID HE JUST FIGHT THEM BLINDLY DUDE THESE WERE YOUR FRIENDS!!

If I could have changed anything in this movie that has nothing to do with ships, then it would be that at least ONE of the knights would have supported Kylo and not just blindly turned against him.

Though I must say, Rey giving Kylo Luke’s lightsaber through their bond, was pretty badass.

Palpatine steals Kylo and Rey’s bond

The. Fuck.

WHAT KIND OF FORCE POWER IS THAT?!?!

IF YOU CAN JUST STEAL A JEDI’S FORCE BOND, WHY DIDN’T YOU DO THAT WITH ANAKIN AND OBI-WAN PALPS?!?!? HUH?!?!?!

But for real, stupid decision, could have gone without it.

Jedi Rey vs Sith Palps

It was cool, a cool moment, I sat excitedly and whispered to my brother all the voices I recognized, I think Ahsoka could be heard??

...

I looked it up and yeah her voice is there, which means that she’s dead R.I.P Snips.

One of the better scenes of the movie, though I think it’s cheating because of nostalgia and love for these characters.

(I LOOKED UP WHICH THE VOICES WERE, AND WE’VE GOT FRICKING AAYLA SECURA, LUMINARA UNDULI, ADI GALLIA AND KANAN JARRUS!!!)

Reylo

*Sigh*

Ya know, I really hoped this wouldn’t happen. I almost wanted to skip this, and really make all the Reylo fans mad.

But I have to talk about this.

This kiss, should not have happened.

Now if you are a Reylo shipper, that’s good for you, I ship way stranger things than that, but to actually make it canon?!?!

Kylo having a crush or something for Rey? Sure, I can understand that’s he’s pretty much obsessed at this point. But for Rey, badass Rey who is pretty lesbian, to have feelings for Kylo? THIS IS NOT A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP PEOPLE!!

And that they made a toxic relationship canon, but not a gay one, really says something about Star Wars doesn’t it.

Death of Kylo

I laughed out loud during this scene. Not joking, people around me were annoyed. And that his clothes didn’t disappear? Is Kylo a naked force ghost? Did he do that for Rey?

Wait

Don’t answer.

Happy Rebels

The Lesbian couple that kissed was obviously queerbaiting, and you should never praise that, but that is probably all we will get Gays, so let’s just take it and cry on the inside.

Is that Stormtrooper gal Lando’s daughter? Because my brother whispered that to me, and I got those vibes too. Or is she way older than what she looks like and we were supposed to see her as a love interest?

The hug was cute.

Rey Skywalker

I will never accept this as canon ever.

To see the moisture farm again was nice, I liked that.

And for Rey to finally have her own lightsaber, and a yellow one too (I read a fanfic where she had a yellow one, was that like pre-seen??).

But the Skywalker thing...eh.

I would have found it cute if she’d said Rey Palpatine, as if she’d embraced her origin and decided that the name Palpatine isn’t just to be afflicted with the emperor, but also with her, the last Jedi.

Also, did she go into exile? Because damn, those Jedi do that a lot!

All in all, I liked this movie! I wasn’t bored a single bit while watching it, as there was always something going on, and I like when that happens. I don’t think that had happened since Empire with a Star Wars movie.

It isn’t in my top three, but it’s up there, and better than The Last Jedi.

Though I must say, they did take some things from Return of the Jedi and put it in this movie, specifically the ending.

Though I must say, and don’t hate me for this, it was better than Return of the Jedi okay bye

#the rise of skywalker #The rise of skywalker spoilers #The Rise Of Skywalker review #Stormpilot #finnrey #damerey #Finnpoerey #Reylo #I can't believe I used that tag

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ravencassidy · 5 years

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Chapters: 45/45 Fandom: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren Characters: Rey (Star Wars), Kylo Ren, Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, anakin skywalker force ghost, luke force ghost, Finn (Star Wars), Poe Dameron, Leia Organa, Rose Tico Additional Tags: my life has spiraled in endless control after i started drafting this fic, honestly it's just a lot of pain and hurt, there's no comfort here, and no smut, which is funny never thought there was fic with no smut but there you go, this will strike right into the feels i WARN you, it's angsty, AND THEM SHOUTING AT EACH OTHER, WHILE ISOLATED, Mutual Pining, Hurt/Comfort, Unresolved Sexual Tension, the worst slowburn you'll ever read i'm sorry, forcebond stands strong, i have zero regrets about any of my choices, it's just me drafting episode IX really, Canon Compliant Summary:

After the battle of Crait, Rey and Kylo Ren were separated once again, thinking their destinies are sealed on opposite sides of the battle for the galaxy once and for all.

But when an old enemy returns, Rey and Kylo must put their differences aside and learn not just to survive, but to live.

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emperorren · 6 years

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would you be ok with talking about the golden age of the reylo fandom? i’m a new shipper so i wasn’t here for it. i’ve heard a few people mention big events but I’m very curious what it was like in the beginning!

aaaaahhhhh the golden age when reylo was just a baby ship and there were like, 56 of us on this site and all busy defending ourselves from random accusations of being *anne’s voice whose name wasn’t anne yet* ABuSe apoLogISTs!!

The initial discourse around reylo was really intimidating, because even the most innocuous mutuals on your dash were reblogging smug untagged anti posts (I remember one in particular that was like “stop shipping female characters with their abusers!!!1111!!!” with something like 50K notes). The first few weeks after TFA’s release were all about heated debates on whether you’re actually allowed to ship problematic things and ~how can you deny that the interrogation scene was a rape analogy~, and for me personally, a LOT of juggling between reylo (which was quickly becoming my main focus, even though back then I was almost certain they were related) and f/nnr/ey (which I had mostly lukewarm feelings for, but showing open indifference seemed like a good way to be bullied for *internalized racism*, so I had to strike a balance).

BUT when actual fan content for the ship started surfacing, and we simultaneously started growing in numbers and closing our ranks against fandom bullies, it was amazing.

There was Ohtze’s Death and the Maiden meta, which for me sealed the transition from “intriguing enemies to lovers ship” to “ASGFHSJKSGAGSKKS OTP OF OTPS” because I freaking love subtext and ships built on subtext.Creatively there was a lot of freedom, since the reylo dynamic was hinted at in canon but nothing was set in stone yet, and imagination ran wild. There was lots of dark and angsty, lots of proper enemies to lovers tropes, lots of dark!Kylo, lots of scenarios where Rey has to kill him in the end and they’re both in tears and he thanks her for that, the first attempts at depicting the yin/yang dynamic. A popular headcanon was that Ben fell when he was fifteen-something (around the time Rey was abandoned on Jakku), so in many fics the Kylo/Snoke relationship was even more disturbing than it is in canon. Another popular theory was that Rey was a little student at Luke’s academy, and Ben was the one who dropped Rey on Jakku, perhaps to spare her from the jedi temple massacre, so you had lots of fics based on that. And of course the stranded/trapped together tropes proliferated.

You kids are so spoiled now, but back then we were really in the dark. We didn’t have Rian Johnson backing up your reading, or the story group chatting excitedly over Rey and Kylo’s interactions. For all we knew, we were seeing things that weren’t there, as the majority of tumblr kindly reminded us every 5 seconds. (there was a well researched meta theorizing how the actual *trio*—in the sense of the three most important characters—was actually F/nn, Rey and Kylo Ren, and oh, the outrage it attracted. In hindsight it’s hilarious.) Popular reylo shippers tended to be extremely cautious re: canon reylo, if not downright skeptical. Thinking that Rey and Kylo could actually have a romance, rather than a “special antagonism” with very veiled romantic subtext, was considered incredibly optimistic. Most people said they would gladly settle for Rey no longer hating Kylo by the end of IX. Consequently, most fics were excruciatingly slow burn (which is why they were amazing), because it was considered a titanic effort to make these two characters stop wanting to kill each other, especially Rey, something that needed thousand of pages of subtle character evolution to be remotely plausible. It wasn’t even about tempering our expectations—we barely had any. we simply thought we were shipping little more than a crackship.

So when the databank dropped, calling Rey and Kylo’s “destinies intertwined”, and JJ’s TFA commentary described them as “the story we’re really interested in”, and called Rey a princess and Kylo a prince, it was MINDBLOWING. It was the first hint that we were, in fact, reading this story correctly.

There was also a lot of obsessing over Pablo Hidalgo’s tweets and desperately searching for clues. Pablo’s confirmation that Rey “downloaded” Kylo’s force skills by entering his mind was probably the first canon confirmation of the existence of the force bond, but it was again Ohtze who had first introduced most of us to that concept in her meta on the parallels between Reylo and Revan/B*astila, and we latched on it enthusiastically (though back then the force bond was conceived as a merely telepathic connection—TLJ went above and beyond that).

Other touchstones were when John said the romance in this trilogy wasn’t /going the way you think/ and that he and Daisy essentially played their characters as friends (the fandom consensus back then was that the central romance was f*nnrey, so that interview was a turning point in the fandom and bolstered our confidence). And Daisy’s throwaway comment about Rey “feeling the force” with Kylo during the duel (another hint at the force bond).

There was occasionally some big intra-fandom drama (I remember a person called ysbaddadenthebrave, who wrote a lot of VERY popular fics back in the day but it turned out she was lying about personal stuff and some novel she was writing (though I didn’t follow that wank closely) and also the mess with msqualia (a shipper who became a bully to other shippers).

There were many #gates, too, starting with #ashgate. It happened when a pic of Kylo putting his helmet on a sort of altar covered in ashes, with the commentary by JJ that those ashes were the remains of his dead enemies. People went NUTS over this. People UNSTANNED Kylo for this, I shit you not, others took it as bad writing, lack of coherent characterization, a hint that he was never going to be redeemed, it caused SO MUCH PANIC, lol.

I also remember very vividly when the first HD version of TFA was leaked, and tumblr was suddenly flooded with a deluge of quality gifs of the duel, the interrogation, unmasked Kylo looking at Snoke with his big puppy eyes, etc. It was CRAZY and it sparked a new wave of meta and commentary, this time MUCH more confident that what we were seeing was real to some extent.

Oh and when filming for TLJ began and we learned that Adam was filming on Skellig Island with Daisy and Mark… that… that was the beginning of a new wave of fanfics, as you can imagine. And the leak of the exploding hut, which most of us thought was BS because it sounded too much like a reylo dream.

2016 was really a crazy year for Reylo shippers.

#anon #asks #the golden age #fandom #/#reylo

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emeraldsiren19 · 5 years

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IDK, if Kylo IS training her, I think their first kiss should be angsty and against a tree in the forest, since that's where they first met. It'd be a lovely parellel, full of snark, sass, and passion. And that's Reylo in a nutshell. People have said they prefer Rey kiss him first, but I personally think he'll be the one to do it. Right before she kicks his ass (again), and that's also Reylo in a nutshell. ;)

I’m sure their first kiss will be plenty angsty. Who knows where they’ll meet up after their year away from each other. If the rumors are true, supposedly they’re stuck somewhere in a jungle on Batuu which has plenty of trees as a backdrop for all that pent up sexual tension. Their next kiss will be elsewhere which remains to be seen.

I have no clue who will kiss who first. Kylo strikes me as the one to take initiative, if his previous attempts at flirting are anything to go by.

Thank you for the ask :)

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clairen45 · 6 years

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Digging into Rey and Kylo’s Spotify Playlists- part 1: episode 7 songs

The Shut Up and Dance with Me post really pushed me to go through the songs from the Spotify playlists and give you the lowdown, as I see it. That these lists even exist is beyond me! And, just to be clear, these lists have been released in 2015 pre-TFA. With no modification, even pre or post TLJ. No added material. If anything, they actually removed some songs from the lists: 2 for Kylo and 3 for Rey. I don’t think the changes necessarily meant that the songs were too revealing or, on the contrary, didn’t fit the characters anymore. It might just be copyright or legal issue or some artistic differences or god knows what. But again, the point of these lists were to get to know the characters a little better. Some characters we already knew of course, the big three ( Luke, Leia, Han Solo), but also Obi-Wan and Yoda, a list for Anakin and a list for Vader, Padmé, Mace Windu, Bobba Fett, Chewbacca... Lists for new characters: Finn, BB8... surprisingly no Poe Dameron. By the way, I think the Dark Side’ list is super interesting! And of course Rey and Kylo. Rey’s list is full of pop, girl empowerment anthem kind of songs, with a few romantic ballads, which already meant something. Kylo’s is of course full of angsty rock. I don’t want to comment on the genre. My mission was less on the musical genres than on the lyrics and how they can shed some light on the characters and their fates. Because, sure, a team chose these songs to let us know about the characters but, honestly, guys, I think somebody let them in on the rough draft of the whole ST. Because post TLJ it is obvious that a lot of songs apply to what happened as far as Rey and Kylo are concerned in this movie. And since we have our bunch of ep 7 songs, and a bunch of ep 8 songs, well, it appears a bunch of songs don’t fit either and could very well give us key information about ep 9. Before I get accused again of “reaching” (LOL), let us be honest: I think they put a lot of care into those playlists. So no, I don’t think coincidences are accidental. And yes, I think it’s fair to speculate about episode 9 looking at the songs. So let’s take the journey and crack these songs together.

There are 53 songs for Kylo (I am excluding the original soundtrack every time) and 54 for Rey. Rey’s playlist also has tunes in common with Padmé, Leia, and Luke. 4 songs in common with Padmé, quite a lot: Smoke and Fire, Rich Girl, Fighter, and Bulletproof. With Leia: Smoke and Fire, and the fact that they both have Love is a Battlefield, except that Leia is Pat Benatar’s song, and Rey’s is Jordin Spark’s song. Same title, different songs. This marks Rey as the “heiress” to these two heroines, which is not surprising. I think it is quite remarkable that she shares so many songs with Padmé, as regards the Anidala inversion we always talk about. Rich Girl, in particular, because Padmé was a Queen, so yes, the rich girl, whereas in Rey’s case the song is ironic. Rey also shares 2 song with Luke: Wild by Troye Sivan (I honestly don’t get what this song does on Luke’s playlist, so that must mean something potentially), and Adventure of a Lifetime. With Luke as a mentor to Rey in ep 8, that would kind of make sense that they would share something. I honestly merely skimmed through all the playlists, but Rey and Kylo seem to be the only one who share songs with other characters (if I am wrong, please correct me). Kylo shares 3 songs, 1 with Anakin (and NOT Vader), Bored to Death, 1 with BB8, Destroy the Map, and one with Mace Windu on You want a Battle (Here’s War). Interesting also. I won’t necessarily comment on that today, because there is a lot to go through, but these are thoughts to save and process later maybe.

Some songs can also fit two, maybe the three, episodes. And also, I have noticed something very interesting in Rey’s playlist: a lot of songs that feature in her playlist seem to be more from Kylo’s POV (like Shut up and Dance). They should normally feature on his list but because they would break away from the others in terms of genre, it is probably how they ended on Rey’s list. I found on Kylo’s playlist 1 song that, to me, should rather feature on Rey’s list, but again, would seem odd in terms of genre.

1.KYLO’S LIST/ EPISODE 7

Kylo’s list also seems way more descriptive about his character, angst, inner conflict, feelings of pain and revenge, than Rey’s list. There is a lot of songs talking about past abuse and family conflict. Sweet Dreams by Marilyn Manson is a good example: “ Some of them want to use you/ Some of them want to get used by you/ Some of them want to abuse you/ Some of them want to be abused”. References to dreams and nightmares in Kylo’s playlist are also quite noteworthy because they tie in with Rey’s visions as described in TFA: she hears voices in her dreams, and when she first sees Kylo, she knows that she has seen him before “in a dream, in a nightmare”. We can also find some parallels with the plot in episode 7: the Jakku massacre, meeting Rey, killing Han... Recurring themes are, without surprise, fire, death, suffering, dreams and nightmares...

This Means War (Avenged Sevendold). That song is packed with so much about his feelings and his introduction in the ST. It goes on and on really. I could quote the whole thing. But here are the highlights :

Hide my face again, harbor in the shadows (duh!) Feel this weight of sin hammering away Die, with the guilt of a thousand AWOL soldiers (The pull to the light) Die, watch the scythe usher me astray (Lor San Tekka’s execution)

The ugly side of me is strong

Carry me to nowhere (Jakku is nowhere!) Lie!Mask the pain Of a child who's forsaken Lie! To myself Praise the new regime (honestly, did they write the song for Kylo?)

I left me long ago Reasons you'll never know No one to miss me when I'm gone With no more words to say No argument to stay. Another post I don't belong (Lor San Tekka: The First Order rose from the dark side. You did not)

No home to call my own No finding someone new No one to break the fall No one to see me through No name to carry on No promise for today No one to hear the call (Oh hon, hang on, the girl is coming!) Buy into the fear (Rey: You are afraid!) My serpent blood can strike so cold (Murderous snake! again) Another thought I can't control (Force bond much?)

Elements of TFA Plot:

Legion of Evil (OFF): “Break down houses”, “ Mystery crews on a murderous spree” (the opening on Jakku, with his mysterious identity) but also “Retaliation against horrible gods/Treasonous snakes with gentlemen's lies/ Waving a false flag to sell the deception” which of course are reminiscent of his line to Rey about the Resistance: “ You mean the murderers traitors and thieves you call your friends ? “. But can also ironically evoke Snoke’s influence on him: he is the treasonous snake with gentlemen’s lies. Or even to him as seen from Rey’s POV in 7 and at the beginning of TLJ: “a treasonous snake”/ “murderous snake”/ “liar”...

The Red (Chevelle) and Evil Eye (Franz Ferdinand), both emphasize the color red, which is Kylo’s color theme.Thunder and Lightning (Motorhead”, “ Maybe you'll die, maybe you'll fly/ Fire in the sky, thunder and lightning”. Heart of Fire (Black Veil Brides): “ I feel alive inside I won't be terrorized, I'll take all the blame/This heart of fire is burning proud/ I am every dream you lost and never found/ This heart of fire is stronger now”. Also the attack on Jakku.

The Map plot: R2 where are U (Flying Lotus): it takes both BB8 and R2 to find Luke’s hideout. This song is also on BB8′s list by the way. Destroy the Map (36 Crazy Fists). Obviously the title is interesting because Kylo gives up on the map and gets Rey instead. The song presents some other interesting points: something that could evoke Starkiller base “ And the clouds don't break when the sun is on empty” , and also something that seems to fit straight into TLJ: “You couldn't hold your mouth to stop the sound/ With all these riches on the tip of your tongue/And I was trying to dampen it all out/You were talking louder than I should here/Producing nothing but all these mirrors”, “ Where the baptized drown/We used to breathe” (Rey in the cave) “This time, our time, we have, we'll last”. So gain some songs can actually fit more than 1 episode.

Failing on Starkiller: beaten up by Rey, never got the intel about Luke... At least I’m known for something (New Found Glory): “ I've figured out my situation/ I am an endless source of useless information/ Give me bad news could be something expecting/ I let my front down/ And I know I will regret it/ /But you don't know that and I'm the one to blame for it/'Cause I'm destined for failure“. More Starkiller: My own Summer (Deftones): “ Hey you, big star/ Tell me when it's over”.

Family and Han:

Refusing his legacy. War on the Palaces (Refused):

I carry history with me I carry hope (I see you Ben You are My Only Hope Solo!!!!) All the nameless faces before us Let's carry them all

I wanna carry the dead (his attachment for Vader instead of the living members of his family) Wage war on the palaces

Bored to Death (Blink 182): “ And it's a long way back from seventeen/The whispers turn into a scream/And I'm, I'm not coming home/Save your breath, I'm nearly/ Bored to death”. Mene (Brand New): “ My father spoke of prophecy/ To think that I believed is self-centered of me/There was something I was trying to say/ But then I choked on it and now it's getting kind of late” (@madandmisquoted did a meta on how Kylo mumbles “I love you dad”+ “It is too late”). Indestructible (Rancid): “ It's so fake now, everything I see right through/I'm ashamed now to say I ever know you” evoke his scene with Han. I don’t wanna Hear It (Minor Threat): “ I don't want to hear it/ I'm sick and tired of all your lies/ I don't want to hear it/ When are you gonna realize.”. Family and mommy issues: Down With the Sickness (Disturbed): “ It seems what's left of my human side/ Is slowly changing in me”, “ It seems you're having some trouble/ In dealing with these changes/ Living with these changes / The world is a scary place/ Now that you've woken up the demon in me”, “ No mommy, don't do it again/Don't do it again/ I'll be a good boy/I'll be a good boy, I promise No mommy don't hit me/ Why did you have to hit me like that, mommy?”.

Conflict

Got the Life (Korn): “Hate, something, someway, each day, dealing with no forgiveness/ Why? This shit inside/ Now everyone will follow/ So give me nothing just feel/ And now this shit will follow/ God begs me, the more I see the light, who wants to see?”. Strife (Trivium): “ I reach for calm/ I starve for a balance unknown/ This burden tortures me deep in my soul” ; “ Guilt buries me alive/ In a coffin criticized/ I shouldered the blame and dug this hole for me to lay in”. Duality (Slipknot). The title says it all, but it definitely applies to the scene with Han: “ You cannot kill what you did not create”; “Pull me back together/ Or separate the skin from the bone/ Leave me all the pieces, and then you can leave me alone” (Can apply to “I’m feeling torn apart”, “I killed your son, he was foolish and weak” ).

The Girl

I know that’s what you’ve been waiting for. There are 2 major songs about Rey in that list and one them has been removed, A Cross and a Girl Named Bless (Evans Blue). That song presents some elements that stretch all the way to 9. I’m including it here, because of the obvious reference to the way they meet on Takodana:

She's holding out for weapons to kill the ghosts inside (She shoots at a ghostlike figure in the forest)

Or at least kill the thoughts she has of killing her mind (Get out of my head!)

She says "I love you" with her hands (TLJ: Smut Hut)

She says "I hate you" with her eyes (You have that look from the forest..)

There's a pretty girl somewhere with a pretty name (What girl?)

But I could never let you know how much this means I swear we'll end this war, because we both know

It wasn't worth fighting for (Major episode IX spoiler)

She, she said to me I will be driving in the wrong direction Did you ever think that maybe your life

Is heading in the wrong direction, baby? (Throne Room Scene)

There's a cross up on the wall See from the corner of your eye When you're down on you knees...and she's begging please So go and lay back down tonight Because you won't know who you are

Until you're down on your knees...your begging please (End of TLJ, Crait)

The other big song is The Answer (Savages):

Wish me luck This was a hard year And I can't see No brighter future Wish me luck I saw the answer It was a girl (What girl?) Will you go ask her (Interrogation scene, the girl is all we need) I saw the answer Will you go ask her Love is the answer

Evil (Interpol): “ Heaven restores you in life/ You're coming with me/ Through the aging, the fearing, the strife/ It's the smiling on the package/ It's the faces in the sand” (the abduction, Rey is literally a face in the sand, the smile...), “You're weightless, semi-erotic/ You need someone to take you there/Sandy, why can't we look the other way?/Why can't we just play the other game?” (he carries her in his arms like a feather, You need a teacher!).

There is also a song there that is all about Rey’s POV on Kylo in TFA. Headstrong (Trapt) screams Rey during the interrogation scene. But, again, they couldn’t have put it on her playlist so it features on his instead.

Circling your head contemplating everything you ever said (getting in HIS head) Now I see the truth I got a doubt (You... are afraid you will never be as trong as Darth Vader!) A different motive in your eyes and now I'm out (escapes the interrogation room) See you later I see your fantasies You wanna make it a reality baby paved in gold See inside, inside of our heads yeah Well now that's over

Back off I'll take you on (Forest duel) Headstrong to take on anyone (Come on, that is SO Rey!) I know that you are wrong Headstrong we're Headstrong Back off I'll take you on Headstrong to take on anyone I know that you are wrong This is not where you belong (Trying to turn him in 8)

I can't give everything away (I won’t give you anything!) I won't give everything away

2.REY’S PLAYLIST/EPISODE 7

JAKKU

There are songs about Rey’s life conditions on Jakku. Poverty in Rich Girl (Gwen Stefani): “ If I was a rich girl/ See, I'd have all the money in the world, if I was a wealthy girl/ No man could test me, impress me, my cash flow would never ever end/ Cause I'd have all the money in the world, if I was a wealthy girl”. Of course the morale of the song is “All the riches in the world don’t mean anything without your love”. To remind us that if Rey has dreams it’s mostly about finding love and belonging. Interesting that she shares this song with Padmé who had the riches + the love and still didn’t get her happy ever after, but more on that later...

New Americana (Halsey) about survival of the fittest, the daily struggle of poverty, social divide. That one is also interesting because of its reference to James Dean: “ Young James Dean, some say/ He looks just like his father”. There is also the big reveal about Kylo being Han’s son. I think it’s probably how they first imagined Kylo, as a hypersensitive, rebellious, angsty youth, a character from East of Eden (another reference to Eden). The character played by James Dean, in Elia Kazan’s adaptation of Steinbeck’s famous novel, is Cal, a rebellious son who believes his father does not love him and sees him as evil incarnate. Kylo much?

Daylight (Matt and Kim) can also be about home and Jakku: “I miss yellow lines in my roads/ Some color on monochrone”, ‘Cause the daylight anywhere feels like home”. In TFA she wants to go back to Jakku. Rey is also used to having to fight for her survival: “ Murder lives forever/And so does war/ It's survival of the fittest/ Rich against the poor/ At the end of the day/ It's a human trait/ Hidden deep down inside of our DNA”.

Some songs talk about Rey’s dreams and her feelings of loneliness.Chandelier (Sia): “I'm gonna live like tomorrow doesn't exist/ Like it doesn't exist/ I'm gonna fly like a bird through the night,/ Feel my tears as they dry”. How she lives on a day to day basis and feels lonely all the time. Wake Me Up (Avicii):

Feeling my way through the darkness Guided by a beating heart I can't tell where the journey will end But I know where to start They tell me I'm too young to understand They say I'm caught up in a dream Well life will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes Well that's fine by me (stuck waiting on Jakku)

So wake me up when it's all over When I'm wiser and I'm older All this time I was finding myself And I didn't know I was lost

I tried carrying the weight of the world (Literally her job as a scavenger) But I only have two hands I hope I get the chance to travel the world And I don't have any plans I wish that I could stay forever this young Not afraid to close my eyes Life's a game made for everyone And love is a prize

THE FIGHTER

Of course songs about Rey, the independent girl, the fighter... Fighter (Christina Aguilera): “ 'Cause it makes me that much stronger/ Makes me work a little bit harder/ It makes me that much wiser/ So thanks for making me a fighter/ Made me learn a little bit faster/ Made my skin a little bit thicker/ Makes me that much smarter/ So thanks for making me a fighter”. Another song shared with Padmé. I know the song is about a guy that cheated on the girl and lied to her, but rather than about Kylo, this song can apply to a lot of people in Rey’s life: her parents, Unkar Plutt, and all the people she’s had to deal with since childhood. There is Run the World (Beyoncé) that could also be foreshadowing for episode ix. Kelly Clarkson’s Miss Independent, with the perfect title for Rey’s episode 7, but the message about love in this song actually fits better episode 8. Roar (Katy Perry): empowerment anthem, plus Rey looks like a lioness at the end of TFA, baring her teeth and snarling at Kylo. Possibly Piece of Me (Britney Spears).

Confident (Demi Lovato) fits well with Roar. That one screams end of TFA with beating Kylo down.

It's time for me to take it I'm the boss right now Not gonna fake it Not when you go down 'Cause this is my game And you better come to play

I used to hold my freak back

Now I'm letting go

I make my own choice (accepting the saber)

Bitch, I run this show So leave the lights on No, you can't make me behave

So you say I'm complicated

That I must be outta my mind But you had me underrated Rated, rated

What's wrong with being, what's wrong with being

What's wrong with being confident?

There is the teaser song about Rey’s origin. That’s Not my Name (The Ting Things). Well, in TFA everybody is asking about her identity, about “the girl”, wo that would make sense to have this song. Rey might not even be her name after all, though she is old enough when her parents sell her to remember it; Does it mean we will l get a new name in ix? Maybe. Or just Rey Solo. I think the song is really there for the fun about the possible identity of Rey...

THE ESCAPE

Songs about Rey leaving Jakku and becoming a pilot. Obviously: Starships (Nicki Minaj) because “starships are meant to fly”. Boom Boom Pow (The BEP): “ I'm on that supersonic boom/ Y'all hear the spaceship zoom”. Alive Tonight (Grace Potter), for these lines: “In the dark of the desert/ I saw a man with a sign, it said/ People get ready, 'cause it's all over/ It's all gonna end tonight, well” ( On Jakku, Lor San Tekka is the man with the intel about Luke promising that “this will begin to make things right”, and eventually this sign gets to Rey through BB8 at dusk in the desert). I also like these lines: “ You wanna get in on the action, you want/ Everyone to listen to you, oh/ You're just living in a prediction/ And that don't, that don't make it true, no” which fits the fact that things will not be as simple as Rey thinks. Also about the end of Rey’s time on Jakku, The Dog Days are Over (Florence+ the Machines): “The dog days are over/The dog days are done/ The horses are coming so you better run”. These lines are great: “Leave all your love and your longing behind you/ Can't carry it with you if you want to survive”, about giving up on Jakku and close to Maz’s line about “the belonging you seek is not behind you”.

MEETING KYLO

Now, with songs that reflect on meeting Kylo... There is Gibberish (Max): “ But then I caught you creepin'/ Secrets that you were keepin”, which could fit the interrogation scene. Or the title could just refer to the fact that Rey seems to understand every language she meets (BB8, Chewie...). LOL. Obviously, the beautiful Yes Girl (Bea Miller):

I got you figured out, you need to have control You think that I don't know you, I know you, I know Trying to tell you now, I've been doing what you want But I won't be your yes girl, no, not anymore

And these even better lines: “ And now you're my favorite sin, oh/ Cause I'm either on your side or you're a mile away” (which fits TLJ better). There is Focus (Ariana Grande): “ I can tell you're curious/ It's written on your lips/ Ain't no need to hold it back/ Go ahead and talk your shit/ I know you're hoping that I'll react/ I know you're hoping I'm looking back/ But if my real ain't real enough/ Then I don't know what is” (again, mood for the interrogation scene). Also like that line: “ Let's find a light inside our universe now/ Where ain't nobody keep on holding us down”.

That one seems really more to me from Kylo’s POV when Rey leaves for the MF at the end of TFA. We Come Running (Youngblood Hawke):

Headed for the open door Tell me what you're waiting for (Rey is coded as the waiting one) Look across the great divide (the ground falling apart between them) Soon they're gonna hear The sound, the sound, the sound (Boom goes Starkiller) When we come running Never go where we belong (obviously, they parted ways when they should be together) Echoes in the dead of dawn (Force bond foreshadowing echoes?) Soon they're gonna know The sound, the sound, the sound When we come running

And also that one: Force of Nature (Bea Miller). That one really fits Kylo in TFA as he starts falling for Rey during their duel on Starkiller: I don't know why but my hands are shaking I can see you coming and I stand here waiting (Didn’t put up much of a fight, honestly) Yeah I get tongue tied in the conversation (Lost the interrogation scene fight) It's an F'd up, bad, sick situationI tried to tie my heart down, board up all the windows Oh but it's too late now (Too late is classic Kylo) I let you get too close (like inside my head) I know I should take cover, hide inside these four walls But baby I surrender, it all'Cause you're a force of nature (Marry Me Face) Look at what you've done I can taste the danger but I don't wanna run So pull me to the ground and I won't put up a fight (End of the fight) I'm a caution taker, but baby you're a force of nature Baby you're a force of natureI feel your lips move in and they take me under (The Force? Mesmerized in looking at her) You know just what to do, how to make me want you And I know I'll be broken when it's over Oh but I can't help but pull you closerI'll be here 'till we collide I don't care if I survive So crash into me one more time

Say what you want, but this beautiful ballad is all about Kylo’s feelings for Rey!

BONUS: THE INVERSE ANIDALA SONG?

There’s an intriguing tune in Kylo’s playlist. Incorporeal (Tiger Army).

I’m gone I died long ago but my spirit still roams (Incorporeal) Unwanted in heaven, forgotten in hell as on earth (Incorporeal) I don't want to stay here, it seems that I'll never be free Oh can you hear me? (no) And so It has come to be that I must wander forever (Incorporeal) Many things I have seen, empires that rise and then fall (Incorporeal) A life you live long is simply a moment to me A tiny drop of water in the sea of eternity There's no place for me everywhere that I go Only seems to bring upset and harm There's one thing that I want and one thing only Release into the great beyond Don't want to remember when I was alive When I held my true love in my arms For like you I once was, and like me you shall be When you Feel a chill in the night perhaps it's me saying hello (Incorporeal) You're so much like my love though she lived in a long ago time (Incorporeal) I long to see her, the day when my soul's laid to rest The peace that I can not find in life, I can find in death

Honestly, this song makes me want to scream!!! Heavy reincarnation theme. Especially when you cross that with Rey sharing 4 songs with Padmé. And with the fact that Anakin (not Vader) and Kylo share a song. And the song I mentioned, Rich Girl. Rey is the inverse Padmé already, right? She’s the younger one in the couple, and she is poor with a low status. Again, Padmé has everything (the riches and the guy) and didn’t end up happy. By sharing songs, it might be another hint that Rey will succeed where Padmé didn’t.

This is it for 7, guys. It is quite a beast. 34 songs left to go through in Rey’s playlist, 25 for Kylo.

#rey and kylo spotify playlists #those playlists have a tale to tell #reylo #reylo fandom #reylo evidence #reylo meta #inverse anidala

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kylosupremeimagines · 6 years

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Kylo Ren X Reader: Love Is Blindness

Request: Hi, not to be too angsty but could you do an imagine where reader has a personality similar to Anakin and the reader is in love with Kylo and reader has dreams of something bad happening to Kylo and Snoke has reader to join the dark side to save him? I would write it myself but I'm not a real good writer in this fandom.

Word Count: 1500

Warning: “Death”, Angst

Tag List: @alladeline @rentopia @scheherazades-horcrux @attorneyl @babybluelukex @glitzescape @sonictemplepadawan

The Jedi way was always something you just would not follow to the very last detail. It never suited you, not your views or you as a person. You had always believed in giving in to your emotions, that to just limit them was to take away what it meant to be human. It was important to you to have passions, to keep yourself moving in life. Sure, you valued saving those who could not protect themselves, but what was the point if all you did was serve? You valued your own self just as much, and living a meaningless life was not something you wanted.

While Master Luke didn’t necessarily believe in the old Code with every word, he did express to all of his students that you had to learn to control them, to suppress the ones that could lead you down the path of the dark side. Did he not know that to have desired, to act off of your natural instincts was merely the way of life? Creatures from the wild did it all the time, they lived off of embracing each and every one of their emotions. And it should have been the way with you, or everyone else for that matter.

Although he was not as cautious with you as he was his own nephew - the one man to ever steal your heart - he was still adamant on keeping an eye on you. What if your so called reckless tendencies got you in trouble? He always expressed such concerns to you, but you never would listen. So what if you liked to take risks? It only made you stronger, helped you to conquer your most inner fears.

The moment that you found out that Luke had almost ended Kylo’s life, all of the things he had said to you had become void. Kylo had always been the one you cared about, you were his best friend him yours. Of course, when his own uncle tried to kill him, it became clear that he was no longer your master. As much as you wanted to leave with him, to stay by his side, he refused to let you come along with him. He pleaded with you to get away because he was scared of where he was going, the uncertainty of it.

Seeing the broken look in his brown eyes, you couldn’t ignore his pleading, so you had escaped like he wanted to. Ever since then, it had been you and only you. You had heard that Master Luke was still alive, but you had no desire whatsoever to track him down, to try to convince him to come back. You had hated the man, but not enough to seek him out for revenge. You had your numbed thoughts for that. The only thing that really mattered from that night was the fact that you had let Kylo slip from your hold.

The love of your life, gone. You knew the stories of where he ended up and the thing that Snoke had shaped him to be. Many others didn’t know the real him, that it was probably just some show he was putting on to please his master. No matter what, you would always care for him.

Stirring in your sleep, your mind could feel something dark roaming around you. Though, as your mind tried to wake you in alert, you could not quite seem to snap out of it. Your hands clenched down on your grey sheets, head turning left and right every so often as a vision overcame you.

You licked your lips at the taste of salt as your hair danced in the wind around, eyes locked on two men you were all too familiar with. “Did you come back to say you forgive me?” Kylo inquired about his uncle across from him. “to save my soul?” you could feel the tension in the air between the two. You had not seen Kylo’s face in so long, he looked older than you last saw him but yet still so handsome, but at the moment, he appeared anxious.

“No,” Luke said simply, not taking his blue eyes off of his tall nephew. The raven-haired man walked closer, throwing his cloak back to ignite his crimson blade. You knew that they were ready to fight, he was going to strike down Luke, who had ignited is own weapon.

Kylo readied his stance, only for you to call out. “Ben, don’t!” It didn’t matter to you if he was no longer going by that name, he would always be the same person to you. Luke did not appear to be intimidated by him, bringing his hand down to his side. He adjusted his foot before dashing at him, swiping his saber forward only for the attack to be dodged. Kylo turned on his heels, taken aback that his uncle seemed to be putting little effort into the battle.

And again, he went in for another attack but Luke was able to return unscathed.

“I failed you, Ben, I’m sorry.”

“I’m sure you are!” Kylo clenched his fist at his side. “the Resistance is dead, the war is over! And when I kill you, I will have killed the last Jedi!”

“Amazing. Every word of what you just said, was wrong. The rebellion is reborn today, the war is just beginning. And I will not be the last Jedi.

“I’ll destroy her, and you. And all of it.”

As he finished, Luke let his saber retract back into his hilt before speaking once more. “No. Strike me down in anger and I will always be with you. Just like your father,” his last words seemed to strike a real nerve with Kylo, who had screamed out as he ran for Luke once more. His eyes went wide as a blue blade struck into him, his uncle had pierced him with his lightsaber. “I’m sorry, Ben.”

“No!” you cried out at the sight, Luke killed him. “No!” feeling tears in your eyes, you ran towards Luke, seeing as he seemed to finally notice you. You prepared to attack - although you didn’t have your saber with you - but saw the blue blade as it swung towards you before you fell to the darkness.

“Ben!” you cried as you sat up from your slumber, an empty feeling in your chest. Bringing your hand up to your eyes to feel tears, that wretched nightmare for you to cry over Kylo. It all felt so real, almost as if something was true to it. You froze as you could hear a small laugh in your hear, something through the force. “who’s there?” You breathe out; it didn’t feel like a what, but rather a who.

“Child, I can sense your fear as it has sent a ripple through the force, “ a hoarse voice spoke to you, leaving a pit in your stomach. You threw the blanket over yourself and stood from the small bed, you could sense him close. Then again, you didn’t believe that he was there in the flesh. “you fear for my apprentice’s life, I can… feel it… within you,” it didn’t take much time to know who it was. The Supreme Leader Of the First Order

“What do you want?” You demanded to know but ceased to show any anger towards him. No, it had started to form towards Luke, just the concept of him trying to kill Kylo again did not sit well with you. “I find it quite suspicious that I have this nightmare and you suddenly enter my mind.”

“If you are implying that it was I who had planted the dream into your mind, you are a mistake,” he insisted, you could almost sense the sincerity in his time of voice. “I have kept tabs on your force energy for years, ever since he joined me. I am well aware of the fact he had let you go, he refused to kill you. It sparked an interest in you, the one whom he has a fixation with.”

“You’ve been watching me?”

“I would not say that I have been watching all of this time, however, I have been able to sense the shift in the force within you. You need a teacher, I can show you the ways of the dark side, if you so desire,” you tensed up as you could almost feel his hand placed on your shoulder. Though, you didn’t pull away. “you can save the man that you love only if you accept my offer. I can show you many things, you will be able to stop Skywalker,” he smirked.

Your eyes fell to your feet as you contemplated his words, never would you have expected him to reach out to you. You would have thought that he would want you dead after finding out that you were still alive. Pursuing your lips together, you glanced back up. “I accept your offer. Anything to protect him.”

#Star Wars #Kylo Ren #Kylo Ren X Reader #Kylo Ren Reader Inserts #Kylo Ren Headcanons #Kylo Ren Imagines #Star wars X Reader #Star Wars Kylo REn #Star Wars kylo #kylo #kylo x reader #kylo imagines #kylo reader inserts #kylo headcanons #Star Wars Imagines #Star Wars Reader Inserts

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uomo-accattivante · 6 years

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With Star Wars: The Force Awakens, director J.J. Abrams sought to prop up and revitalize the most popular film franchise in movie history, to preserve its qualities in amber for a new generation. The Force Awakens was very concerned about what you, the moviegoer and fan, thinks about Star Wars. It wants to please you. It wants to be comfort food. And it’s very, very good at that.

But with Star Wars: The Last Jedi, director Rian Johnson wants to burn Star Wars to the ground. Not because he harbors ill will toward it, but because he loves it. He loves it so much that he wants to cleanse the garden and allow something fresh and new to grow. The Last Jedi is not concerned about what you, the moviegoer and fan, thinks about Star Wars. It wants to challenge you and make you question what Star Wars is and what it can be.

(This post contains major spoilers for Star Wars: The Last Jedi.)

An Answer to the Ellipsis

Star Wars: The Force Awakens concludes with one helluva cliffhanger. The Force-sensitive Rey arrives on the planet Ahch-To, tracks down the elusive Jedi master Luke Skywalker, and offers him his long-lost lightsaber. Luke’s face flashes with a dozen different emotions. You can practically feel the words crawling up his throat. And then the film ends, to be continued in two years. It’s a grand moment. An epic moment. A perfect finale for a film built out of questions and mysteries, a film about legacies and the shadows they leave behind.

And when we return to that scene in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Luke Skwalker accepts the lightsaber from Rey, examines it for a hot second, and casually tosses it over his shoulder. From its opening scenes, The Last Jedi makes it very clear where it stands – everything you thought this movie was going to be is incorrect. The symbols you hold dear, the symbols that J.J. Abrams held so dear in your stead, are being deliberately stripped of their power. If that shakes you, if that upsets you…well, that’s just Rian Johnson preparing you for what’s next. Abrams left him with an ellipsis, a “to be continued” that felt like a specific path. And Johnson takes a hard left turn in his land speeder, breaks through a fence, and goes off track into the wilderness.

Star Wars has gone off the rails. Either you’re going to be on board for the bumpy ride to a new place or you’re not. But the intentions are made early and they’re made perfectly clear.

Legends Bleed

Mark Hamill famously disagreed with Johnson on the direction of Luke Skywalker when he first read the screenplay for The Last Jedi, and it’s clear why. Luke, the farm boy who became a war hero who became a warrior knight who became his father’s savior, has fallen into disgrace. While The Force Awakens featured a Han Solo falling back into his old scoundrel ways (a position of comfort for those worried about a watered-down take on a character who was at his best when he wasn’t playing nice), The Last Jedi features a Luke Skywalker that is unlike anything we’ve seen before – a broken shell of a man who believes that everything he fought for and achieved was for naught. By telling young Rey that none of this matters, he’s also telling the audience the same thing. The stuff you love? The details that have reshaped pop culture and created a geek language that everyone speaks? Yeah, they’re wonky. Or rather, they’re broken. Your faith was flawed.

Luke’s hopelessness is especially affecting because the film is clearly on his side. This is not a movie where a plucky young Jedi-to-be shows up at the old master’s doorstep and teaches him how to hope again. This is a movie where a flawed old man with a lifetime of victories and regrets informs the decisions of a new generation of young heroes who need to find a new way to hope. Clearly, the old ways didn’t work because darkness rises again and there are still tyrannical man-babies trying to be the next Darth Vader. There’s a flaw in the system, buried too deep for most to see, and the only solution is to burn it all down.

The Last Jedi chooses to make this literal, as Luke Skywalker, wild and enraged, moves to burn down the ancient tree housing the ancient Jedi texts. But he doesn’t get to do it. Instead, the ghost of Yoda, the wizened master who trained him decades earlier, arrives, summons a lightning bolt, and does the job for him. This Yoda (once again depicted with a physical puppet after years of being a CGI creation) is very much the character we first met in The Empire Strikes Back – eccentric and wise and silly and profound in equal measure, the kind of old weirdo who has found grace and power in just letting go.

Johnson is clearly not a fan of the militarized, commanding Yoda of the prequels and the animated Clone Wars TV show. This Yoda cackles as he burns down what remains of the Jedi religion, the court jester whose mischief always carries greater meaning. This Yoda knows what Luke knows – the order to which he dedicated his long life is gone, and trying to recapture it is a fool’s errand. Why resurrect an archaic institution that cannot serve a new generation when you can let that new generation build something new for itself? Even Luke, a noble man who believed in the hidden goodness of Darth Vader, gave into his darkest feelings and considered murdering young Ben Solo in his sleep. The old ways failed Luke. They failed Ben. They will fail the Resistance. Luke knows this through anger and regret. Yoda knows this through wisdom and perspective.

It’s important that Johnson lets Yoda burn it all down and not Luke – the passing of the torch is not just the result of the failure of an old man who learned things the hard way, but it comes with the blessing of the wisest character in Star Wars canon. Luke knows that the Jedi must end, that they do not monopolize the Force, and that evil has flourished on their watch. But where Luke saw despair, Yoda sees a chance for renewal. Where J.J. Abrams saw a warm and comforting blanket that makes you feel really good, Rian Johnson sees that stagnation is the death of all things. Stagnation leads to Empires and First Orders. Hitting the reset button, breaking the machine, leads to revolutions. And after 40 years of circling similar ideas, Star Wars could use a revolution.

That revolution feels especially well-timed, as fans discuss whether or not “Luke would have done that.” Geeky debates will always exist (they’re the reason Star Wars thrives today), but maybe we should hone in on what The Last Jedi is telling us. Maybe it’s dangerous to worship our heroes to the point of idolatry, to convince ourselves that they can never do wrong, never make mistakes, and never let their hubris create monsters that threaten a new generation. Johnson sends Luke out on a high note, allowing him one more showdown with his former pupil in a fight that is pacifistic resistance at its most grand and extreme, but it’s the final gasp of the hero we once knew. Long live Luke Skywalker…but never forget that he erred. That he done fucked up.

Breaking Expectations

It’s easy to imagine Rian Johnson watching The Force Awakens and being thrilled. It’s a thrilling movie. It does that. It’s also easy to imagine Rian Johnson watching The Force Awakens and noting, “This Supreme Leader Snoke guy kinda sucks. I should do something about that.”

Despite being positioned as the Big Bad of the new trilogy, the overlord pulling the strings, Supreme Leader Snoke barely leaves an impression during his appearances in both Star Wars movies. His generic flavor of Almighty Galaxy-Destroying Jerk is something we’ve seen several times in Star Wars and countless times elsewhere. He’s dull. He’s especially dull when compared to the angsty, flawed, and powerfully human Ben Solo/Kylo Ren, played with such intensity and raw pain by Adam Driver.

But The Last Jedi knows our expectations. It knows that we think Snoke will remain a threat through the next movie and that Ben will find redemption. It focuses on Ben’s internal conflict as it showcases Snoke’s incredible power. As the son of Han Solo grows more sympathetic, his leader grows more godlike, revealing a command of the Force that allows him to flick enemies and allies alike around his throne room like gnats. The Last Jedi makes Kylo Ren more vulnerable as it makes Supreme Leader Snoke more unstoppable.

So yes, the death of Snoke is a disarming twist and a beautifully staged one – Snoke’s command of the Force bites him in the ass when he reads Ben’s feelings and intentions but cannot understand where they’re pointed. One little Force push from Ben Solo and Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber is activated, cutting the Supreme Leader in half and ending his reign of terror an entire movie earlier than anyone expected. It’s shocking. It’s hilarious. It’s bound to anger fans who have spent the past two years attempting to discern the identity of Snoke. Quite frankly, The Last Jedi doesn’t care about Snoke and it reacts accordingly – your Snoke theory never mattered because Snoke never mattered.

Part of this reflects Johnson’s interest in Ben Solo and his lack of interest in Snoke (can you blame him?), but it’s also a perfect reflection of the grander ideas at work in The Last Jedi. Luke Skywalker loomed large, but in the end, he was just a bitter old man with a chip on his shoulder. Snoke loomed large, but in the end, he was just an vicious old bastard whose backstory is unimportant and who gets stabbed in the back by his angsty student. In a universe where everything is connected, where we’ve been trained to expect greater meanings and profound truths, this is a punch to the gut. Not everything is connected. The mightiest can fall. And at some point, they probably should.

Snoke probably mattered once upon a time, to someone. But he’s gone now. Luke Skywalker mattered to the galaxy, but his time is over. The future has been yanked from the hands of past masters and the universe will be reshaped by Kylo Ren and Rey, who are both fighting for the same thing from opposite directions: the chance to build a future beyond the command of a generation that failed. Johnson’s decision to bring us even closer to Ben Solo, even allowing him to fight alongside Rey in an incredible lightsaber fight, before doubling down on him being irredeemable may be the best choice in a movie filled with audacious choices. Just because Darth Vader was redeemed doesn’t mean his nephew is going down the same path. And yeah, the motivations of this new villain make a certain amount of sense, don’t they? That should trouble you as much as it troubles Rey.

(As a side note, the sudden demise of Snoke feels akin to General Hux’s transformation into bumbling comedic relief. Some may take issue with him being reduced to a punching bag, but it once again feels like Johnson taking an ill-defined character from The Force Awakens and running wild with him, giving him something to do. The same goes for Maz Kanata, who is funnier and wilder in her brief cameo here than she was in The Force Awakens.)

Save the Things You Love

If the death of Snoke was The Last Jedi bursting a bubble, the revelation about Rey’s parents is…an even bigger bursting of an even bigger bubble. The Last Jedi is a movie about disappointment – your heroes are broken, your allies failed you, and your mystery parents, whose identity has been driving your entire existence so far, aren’t Skywalkers or Solos or Kenobis. They’re just some schmoes who sold you off and left you to rot on a backwater planet. If your last name is Skywalker, you’re destined for greatness. It’s a given. But what does it mean if your name is Rey? Just Rey?

The Last Jedi is full of nobodies brushing shoulders with somebodies. Rey discovers that her parents were drunks, simple traders who didn’t care about her, even as she trains under the legendary Luke Skywalker. Poe Dameron must grapple with the fact that he’s taking orders from General Leia Organa, a woman who has suffered and bled and fought for the Galaxy for 30 years, and therefore knows what’s right more often than him. And poor Rose must come to terms with the fact that Finn, a “hero” of the Resistance, is prepared to desert the moment things get tough. The new men and women of Star Wars (with the notable exception of Kylo Ren) are profoundly ordinary. Or rather, they’re profoundly ordinary people forced to live up to the extraordinary people around them, even as those extraordinary people often let them down.

I imagine we’ll see Star Wars fans upset about Rey not being a secret Skywalker or a Kenobi or a clone of Emperor Palpatine or the reincarnated Anakin Skywalker (the internet is a bad place), but Rey’s origin as just a person is more powerful than even the most shocking twist. Luke Skywalker and Anakin Skywalker emerged from a nothing planet as nobodies and rose to the occasion, stumbling into destinies they could never have imagined. To tie every character of significance to them and their circle of allies and enemies would be to rob them of their power. The beauty of Star Wars, since its earliest days, has been the depiction of heroes coming from every corner and every walk of life. A farm boy. A princess. A smuggler. They have no business saving the galaxy, but damn it, they have to! Who else will?

And now we have an orphaned scavenger abandoned by her completely un-noteworthy parents, a conflicted deserter from a vicious military regime, and a skilled pilot with a lot to learn about leadership. The next generation of Star Warsheroes are born from disappointment, the disappointment of having to live in the shadow of heroes and the disappointment of having to fight the war that those heroes failed to actually win all those years ago. No one should have to do this. No young person should have to go to war. Why should these kids, with no connection to the previous generation beyond being unfortunate enough to exist in the same galaxy as Luke, Han, and Leia, suffer for the sins of the Skywalker family?

They shouldn’t, but this is the hand that was dealt to them. And they’re going to fight because that’s what heroes do, no matter where they come from. Secret parentage that supplies an easily digestible explanation for your superpowers is for chumps…and Jedi masters who spend their final days in self-imposed exile.

A Long Time Ago…

Think back to the original Star Wars, the 1977 film, back before it was subtitled “A New Hope” and before it inspired an entire multimedia franchise. Look at the man who made it: George Lucas, a young hotshot, a proper artist, whose previous brush with science fiction resulted in the grim THX 1138. That film wears its politics, and its anger and frustration, on its sleeve. And while Star Wars is an infinitely more accessible film, it’s still the work of the same man and he’s still speaking the same language. A “fun” movie about a team of freedom fighters battling an oppressive, fascist regime is inherently political. Lucas knew this more than anyone and he even kept it alive in the much-derided prequels, which ended up being an entire trilogy of films about the failure of democracy in the face of a tyrannical despot.

When Lucas conceived Star Wars, it was as fresh and radical as anything else made in the American New Wave of the ’70s. But by Return of the Jedi, the ragtag Rebel alliance felt safer and the Force more of a superpower than a mystical way of life. An already simple premise was made simpler, an undesirable turn after The Empire Strikes Back doubled down on Lucas’ original concepts. It’s telling that The Force Awakens feels like a cinematic adaptation of our nostalgic feelings about Star Wars instead of a Star Wars movie as conceived by George Lucas.

Perhaps that’s why The Last Jedi is such a jarring experience, one that feels specifically built to make audiences work through their feelings about this universe. Rian Johnson is unabashedly political and unafraid to slaughter the sacred cows. The First Order isn’t just a group of guys whose costumes provide cool cosplay opportunities – they are fascists, evil and cold and frightening. The Resistance isn’t a team of plucky heroes – they are a band of fighters who are specifically cast with diverse men and women to reflect the fears and frustrations of millennials who feel trapped and afraid in a world where resistance often feels futile (and who really wouldn’t mind tearing apart a casino city operated by the 1%). The Force isn’t just a cool excuse for heroes to lift rocks – it is something mystical and mysterious that cannot be easily explained and comprehended, something that even Luke Skywalker has a complex relationship with at this point.

Even the Lando surrogate, the unnamed codebreaker played by Benicio del Toro, offers no easy answers as he betrays our heroes and doesn’t even reach for apology or redemption. Even the goofy humor that arrives early and often is a departure from the norm, a case of Johnson making the movie his own rather than following a style guide. The Last Jedifeels like a movie young George Lucas, passionate and bold, would have made. It feels like a proper Star Wars movie by refusing to feel like a Star Wars movie.

The Force Awakens and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story want to please you. They want to hit familiar beats and remind you why you love Star Wars. They are so much fun. But The Last Jedi doesn’t want to remind you of anything. It doesn’t care about your relationship with Star Wars. The only relationship that matters here is Rian Johnson’s relationship with Star Wars, and for the first time in a long time, here is a Star Wars movie with a proper point of view, one delivered by a storyteller who is unafraid to shatter a universe he loves, to break down the heroes that mean so much to him. A wise and noble Luke is easy. A Luke with regrets? That’s hard. That’s tough to swallow. That’s what elevates The Last Jedi beyond a simple retread – it asks you to take these characters seriously in a way that other Star Wars films have not, to acknowledge them as something beyond a vessel for escapism. Star Wars can only matter in the long run if it’s given the room to grow. And right now, it feels like the sky is the limit. Right now, Star Wars feels…unsafe.

And that feels great.

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I find this to be one of the better thought-provoking reviews out there of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” I, personally, am glad that Rian Johnson had the guts to make the movie he wanted to make and not be swayed by public opinion. Truly great movies are born out of a strong point of view, not by appeasing to crowdsourced ideas or demands from moviegoers. Not all viewers may like or agree with a filmmaker’s opinion, but then, there is no way that a film can be everything to everyone - and it shouldn’t be. I applaud Rian Johnson for the courage to make such an unapologetically bold film - it’s stunningly good.

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capaldisrighteyebrow · 6 years

Note

Angsty prompt from the angsty prompt list: “I haven’t been okay for a long time.”

So, this went in a different direction than I initially anticipated and became more about Rey than Ben? Hope it still hits the angst vibe!

Set some time after TLJ. Warning: loss of parent angst ~3k

Now on Ao3

Tokens

The forest wept. Droplets of cool water pitter-pattered around her, falling from the dense canopy of towering trees in a soothing rhythm for the occasion. The hood of the white brocade cloak–an Alderaanian relic unearthed by Maz from an undisclosed location–repelled the moon’s unrelenting tears as she waited near the Falcon.

Over her years with the Resistance, Rey had curated an extensive color palette from the environments of strange, wondrous planets. Greens and blues and grays mixed together to form oceans and forests alike, but she’d decided a year ago that Endor’s appeal stemmed from it’s deep, lustrous browns: the trees, the vines, the soil.

The earth here had weight when held. It didn’t slip through her fingers like the sand of Jakku or scrape her skin like the bedrock of Ahch-To. This soil had heritage–eons of creatures and plant matter decaying in order to sustain new life. A person didn’t need to be sensitive in the Force to feel the magic of this place.

Rey hadn’t understood that at the time when Commander D’Acy had arranged to bring General Organa’s remains here, but she appreciated it now.

Her boots had sunk an inch or more into the soft mud by the time she saw his shuttle break through the stratosphere. At Poe’s request, she and Chewie had arrived hours earlier than the scheduled meeting to scout for potential threats.

“He is still the enemy,” Poe had warned her, finally granting official approval for the act he claimed was too compassionate for the leader of the First Order. “Promise me you won’t forget that.”

She hadn’t forgotten Kylo Ren was a threat.

She also hadn’t forgotten Kylo Ren had ordered a temporary reprieve from battle–a break which the Resistance had used to mourn, to come to Endor and entomb its revered, beloved general.

Across light-years, she had sensed him shake with wracking sobs and strike out in violence. She’d been too distraught at her own failure to protect the Skywalker matriarch, too incensed at Ren’s sanctioned attack–the one which had finally claimed Leia’s life–to speak to him.

During the days and months that had followed, she’d come to understand. At odd hours–in the quietude of her quarters or the solitude of the shower–she would hear him: begging for absolution, whispering pleas for something that would make him forget, that would make him remember, lamenting again and again for the blows he had dealt.

The words were never meant for Rey, only her.

With the anniversary on the horizon, Rey had finally extended an offer she hadn’t been authorized to give: Would you like to see her?

A single word had returned. Yes.

How one syllable could be so broken, she didn’t know, yet he’d intoned each letter with the chime of mourning bells.

Despite Poe’s cautions of duplicity and double-crosses, Rey knew it wasn’t Kylo Ren disembarking the shuttle at the edge of the wood. No mother had birthed the new Supreme Leader.

Leia Organa had only named one child: Ben Solo.

He strode forward, completely alone. Absent were the stormtroopers and personal guards who typically flanked his sides; not even so much as a pilot appeared in the shuttle’s transparisteel. He’d kept his promise, as she had trusted he would.

The ground beneath her shifted as he came to a stop two feet from where she stood. Her eyes roamed unchecked and unhurried, noting the changes in his appearance and attire in the same way he assessed hers. Time on the battlefronts had not been kind to either of them. His gaze narrowed at the scar on her throat–a close call indeed, she responded at his unspoken comment–while Rey’s mapped the lines permanently creased around his mouth, dragging down the edges of his full lips.

The scar she’d drawn across his cheek was no longer hidden by errant strands of hair. He’d twisted the locks at the top of his head, mimicking the style his mother had worn every day after she’d lost Han. Leia had explained the meaning behind many Alderaanian braids to Rey during the interludes between battles and retreats. To see Ben acknowledging his past was startling itself, yet her heart ached to know the occasion which had prompted him to learn this particular expression of grief. Had his mother shown it to him too?

Rey cradled the bouquet of wildflowers she’d scavenged together during her half-hearted scout and held out her free hand.

Ben stared at it, rolling his jaw in consideration. He made no move to take it, though his eyes darted up to hers and blinked softly at the offer. “You lead. I’ll follow.”

She didn’t push; her hand dropped back to her side, disappearing beneath the cloak. Her head turned to the side, glancing down the path that would lead them to Leia’s resting place.

A small gasp followed the movement: “Your hair.”

It isn’t so short anymore, Rey thought as she touched the loose ends curling against her neck. In a few more months, her hair would rest on her shoulders as it used to; for now, it only dusted them when she made a conscious effort. She tucked a strand behind her ear and stayed focused on the reason they were here. “It’s this way. Come with me.”

He fell into step with her, walking off of the narrow, trodden path, occasionally stepping over fallen logs or sidestepping massive ferns. From among the green foliage, light glinted off of curious eyes. Around the trunks, tufts of fur gave away the location of more concealed figures. Ben seemed determined to ignore the native population’s interest in their passage.

“They know,” Rey remarked, a small grin flashing from beneath her hood. “They know who you are.”

Ben regarded the creatures again, shaking his head in disbelief. “I was only a boy when my mother…” he trailed off, clearing his throat.

They didn’t speak again until they’d walked more than a mile deeper into the forest. Rey was glad for the cloak against the sudden chill in the damp air. The trees and undergrowth were thicker here, forcing Ben to walk so close their shoulders brushed.

“Just a little further,” Rey informed him, tugging the cloak from where it had snagged on a branch.

He hummed in acknowledgment, but didn’t make any other effort at conversation. Perhaps the journey through the forest had made him contemplative too. Rey had to stop herself from asking after his thoughts; she was here as an escort, not as a companion.

That distinction didn’t stop her from caring about the answer.

When they reached the heart of the ancient wood, Rey stopped in front of a tree trunk as round as the Millennium Falcon; it was almost as tall too, cutting off several feet above both of their heads. Gnarled roots thicker than her torso spiraled in waves around them, dipping beneath and breaking the surface of the ground like a sea serpent curling through water.

As impressive as the trunk was, the marvel of the location rested on top of the stump: a new tree grew on the surface, roots cascading over the sides of its predecessor, entwining like fingers around the dead wood before burying themselves in the rich soil. While it was new, it certainly wasn’t young. The sturdy trunk stretched impossibly high, pushing its leafy crown up into the canopy created by its neighbors to drink in its bit of sun.

They stood before a holy place.

“She would have complained,” Ben stated with a knowing smile, then added, “My father would have loved it.”

An archway had been carved into the massive stump, acting as an entrance into a hollow space which had been chiseled by the guardians of this place: the Ewoks. Leia had been something of a legend among their tribes, as Rey had come to learn. They’d kept watch over her tomb, making sure to never let the light of the small lantern hanging outside fizzle and die.

Rey lit a long, thin match using the lantern’s flame, then ducked into the entrance of the trunk. She touched the flame to the wicks of several candles mounted along the walls. Orange and yellow streaks licked up toward the ceiling, casting their warm glow around the small space and chasing away the shadows.

Before extinguishing the match, Rey turned to the gilded censer standing next to the smooth stone tablet marking the memorial. She’d watched Lieutenant Connix perform the incense ritual last year and followed the same steps. Heating the charcoal inside until it was red-hot, Rey finally snuffed out the flame before she sprinkled a mix of herbs onto the smoking brick nestled among the censer’s ashes. Soon wisps of aromatic smoke snaked through the air, filling the space with the scents of lavender and poppy.

She placed the bouquet of wildflowers at the base of the stone engraved with Leia’s name, then stood with her eyes closed, letting the incense waft over her as she waited quietly for Ben to join her. Finally, he stepped through the archway. With him beside her, the space felt no bigger than the cockpit of the Falcon.

“It’s quiet.”

Rey returned his earlier hum, agreeing with his observation. Within the trunk, sounds from the outside fell away completely. Chirupping avians, croaking amphibians–even the sounds of the rain–didn’t infiltrate the sanctum. Rey wondered if he found the silence unsettling.

“What is all of this?”

Opening her eyes, Rey followed his gaze around the room, trying to see it through his perspective: bits of flimsi and paper–scavenged from forgotten Rebellion archives–were tacked to the interior walls bearing handwritten messages scrawled in dozens of languages with dark ink. Other trinkets were placed around the chamber; some lined the bottom of the curved wall, while others hung from bits of twine. A few were left on the mantle of the stone housed in the center of the bisecting wall.

“Tokens,” Rey answered, remembering the procession of soldiers and command staff which had filed through the space to leave their offerings. The line had stretched beyond her sight.

Even now, she could discern a few of the items left in Leia’s honor. Poe’s flight wings, the first he’d ever earned as a Resistance pilot, graced the stand holding the smoking censer. A gleaming plaque Rose had welded together from spare datapads and pipe parts rested against the base of the stone; Finn had helped to etch its epitaph: Your hope burns within us. Chewie had hung one of his bandolier’s ammo pouches from the wall. Even Threepio had left the tip of one of his golden fingers behind, leaving his wires exposed.

Ben turned in place, taking it all in with solemn, glistening eyes. Facing the stone once more, he reached out to trace the imprint of Leia’s name. His fingers shook, ghosting over the letters. His mouth opened and closed several times without uttering a word, like a fish gasping for air while stranded on shore. Still lost in his thoughts, his hand came to brace against the mantle, brushing against another token: a thick band of dark hair, elaborately braided and tied off at both ends.

She sensed the moment he understood, that the connection was made in his mind. Her mouth felt dry as Rey defended the offering, “It was all I had.”

Rey had claimed only a few possessions as her own in her life–all repaired from broken wreckage or salvaged from the corpses of dead ships–nothing of value beyond her need for it. Joining the Resistance hadn’t granted her access to much more. She had the Jedi texts and a saber-staff she’d constructed from Luke’s broken legacy, but those things weren’t hers to leave behind.

Leia’s presence had brought forth a feeling from within her that she couldn’t transcribe into words and hang on a sheaf of paper. In the time they’d had after escaping Crait, the general had become her mentor and her confidant. Her friends had been there to listen to her troubles, but none had understood the sense of loss and longing nibbling at her tender heart like Leia. On the loneliest nights, they’d find a quiet corner of the ship or an unoccupied table in the mess hall to exchange stories. More often than not, Rey unburdened her worries and doubts on Leia’s shoulders.

That’s how it had started–with Leia stroking Rey’s hair, mumbling words in a mother’s patient, gentle tone when the pain had become unbearable, when the missing had overcome the anger.

“My mother had hair like yours,” Leia had praised, a fond smile on her lips. “Longer, but just as soft. Just as pretty.”

She’d shown Rey all she knew. How to twist it in variations practical for battle, and how to coil it tightly against her ears. She’d braided it in a crown around her head, and in another form between her shoulder blades. There were nights Rey had stepped into the fresher after Leia’s hands had woven magic and care into her hair and she hadn’t recognize herself in the mirror.

Each twine had been a kind of release, as if tying up their emotions in Rey’s hair kept them secure, out of the way of duties and missions.

Rey had learned much in her time away from Jakku, but Leia was the first person to teach her the art of patience. In the long hours when rest was uncooperative, Rey had practiced the new skill with the same level of dedication she used to train with her saber-staff or meditate on the Force. Her fingers became more certain of themselves with time, though they hadn’t been prepared for their ultimate test–when they’d combed and braided Leia’s hair for the first and the last time.

They’d trembled then.

Not long after, when Rey’s turn to choose her token had been at hand, it came to her naturally: she would give Leia the thing that had made her smile.

It was the least she could offer, the most that she’d had, and it still felt an inadequate tribute to the woman and the warrior she had come to cherish.

Ben turned from the stone to face her, raising a hand to brush against the ends of her hair. There wasn’t a need to explain her token; she could see he understood from the emotion floating in his eyes, tears flowing from the corners. Rey’s hand pressed his against her cheek, silently asking him to wipe her tears from her face as she brushed his away in kind. His caress was warm and familiar, though he’d only touched her like this in dreams.

“Did you bring them?” he whispered, coming close to resting his forehead against hers, but pulling back at the last second.

She nodded and slipped her fingers inside her obi’s pouch to retrieve the item he’d requested. Clinking as they bumped together, the golden dice fell into his waiting palm. His fist swallowed the pair before rolling them back and forth in his fingers, as if testing to see if they were real or if they would disappear. He breathed deeply with relief when they remained.

From his robes, he withdrew a scroll of parchment several layers thick. It was already sealed with a red band, but Ben looped the delicate golden chain around the center, crisscrossing the cubes to secure them in place.

“I was the one that drove them apart,” Ben said, kneeling in front of the stone. “I should be the one to bring them back together.”

He placed his offering on the mantle next to Rey’s braid, keeping his hand on the ledge for several long moments, unable to draw it away. His other hand concealed his eyes, attempting to squeeze the onslaught of fresh tears into submission. Soft, whiffling noises accompanied every inhalation, attempting to stifle his cries, attempting to hold back the emotions he’d hidden for too long.

Rey knelt beside him, the white cloak flaring out in a halo. “Are you okay?”

It was a hideous question to voice when the answer was so clear. But what else could she say?

“I haven’t been okay in a long time,” he confessed, red-rimmed eyes scanning up to meet hers. Inside their depths, Rey saw the boy lost to pain and anger, the one who yearned for his mother. He’d finally come home to her, yet it was too late–much too late.

Her arms slid across his shoulders and brought him close, cradling him as best she could. Sobs rattled against her collarbone while fingers grasped at the nape of her neck, clutching the ends of her hair. Rey channeled the most soothing presence she had known in her life and willed it to calm him.

They rocked together, suspended in stasis, cushioned by the damp earth beneath their knees. The smoke from the censer drifted down to envelope them, coaxing them to peace and rest as the cries trickled away. The only sounds were of their breathing and the rustle of their clothes as they moved.

When Ben flew away from Endor hours later, Rey touched the short, bristled patch by her temple. Another lock was gone, given with another solemn promise.

She’d told Leia she would bring Ben back, no matter how long it took.

The dark twist of hair resting in her palm–and the promise he’d given her in return–made Rey think it wouldn’t be much longer now.

#reylo #reylo fan fic #rey x ben #general leia #angst #angst prompt fill #whumpy wednesday words #briarlily #capaldi writes

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