#And in TLJ that leads him to some sad places sure | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

themattress · 3 years

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Holy Shit!

https://imgur.com/gallery/WKkli

https://imgur.com/gallery/j9OQylb

Beyond the proof that the guy who uploaded this is involved with Bad Robot that he provided at the end of his second post, these definitely seem legit because the first post was in 2018, before The Rise of Skywalker came out, yet the treatment contains some blatant concepts that ended up finding there way into that movie that I have a hard time believing anyone but J.J himself could have come up with (plus, the rest of the plot is very J.J-like, as I’ll get into.)

So these definitely seem to be the discarded Episode VIII and IX treatments. Thoughts?

- Luke’s reasons for coming to Ahch-To definitely seem more in line with TFA than in TLJ, seeing as if he wanted to just “go there to die” he wouldn’t have left a freaking map to the place behind, plus it seemed off that someone disillusioned with the Jedi ways would go to the site of the first Jedi Temple to begin with. His portrayal also matches what we saw at the end of TFA (seeming to be in mourning for Han), and fits the “kind but sad” description from the script. And far from cutting himself off from the Force, Luke has been influencing it from afar as part of his grand plan, explaining Rey’s vision when she touched his lightsaber.

- Luke has a wife and kids! Sadly for EU fans, the wife is not Mara Jade.

- It was Luke’s influence via the Force that explained the things Rey could do that fans deemed her a Mary Sue for, plus some other things that weren’t so routinely noted such as the remarkable coincidence that she and Finn just happened to run into Han and Chewie right after obtaining the Millennium Falcon. Not sure how well this would have gone down...

- Saccrum, Snoke’s home planet, is literally Exogol. Secret ancient Sith planet that is nigh impenetrable to all non-Sith, site of the final battle and (as we’ll soon learn) where Snoke is repeatedly cloned and where Palpatine is resurrected by Sith alchemists...it’s fucking Exogol.

- I recall concept art for Kylo Ren’s partly metallic face floating around.

- Dathan Naut seems cool, but she never really amounts to much.

- So it seems J.J Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan’s vision for the Sequel Trilogy always seemed to boil down to “All the generations of Jedi vs. all the generations of Sith reaching a climactic battle, with Skywalker vs. Palpatine at the heart of it, and the Palpatine who becomes a Skywalker as the key to victory.” That idea was always where they were going.

- Jedi/Sith Holocrons were always gonna be a thing, which is why Rebels worked them in.

- Live-action Ahsoka was also always an objective, it seems, and I bet the way they wrote her out in Rebels’ “Twilight of the Apprentice” was to potentially serve as a lead-in for her appearance in the Sequel Trilogy. But because that never came to pass, they brought her back toward the end of the series and set her on the new trajectory that she’s currently on. Honestly, I think that’s for the better, Ahsoka wouldn’t have really fit in the main film series.

- Not big on this Cfi-Xi character, she mainly seems to be here to “no homo” C-3PO. And her main role relating to the Sith Planet ended up played just fine by C-3PO in TROS anyway.

- BB-8 had the kind of fake-out death they ended up giving to Chewie.

- Wow, so Hux was supposed to die in Episode VIII and Phasma in Episode IX originally. Funny how that got totally flipped backward in the versions we actually ended up getting.

- OK, this “family time” that Rey’s getting is precious. It’s sad we didn’t get to see this.

- Hoo boy, “this is the bad ass Luke Skywalker we’ve been waiting for!” Really? Et tu, J.J and Kasdan? In light of the recent showing by Luke in The Mandalorian, I again question why this portrayal of the character is so widely beloved by fans when it has little to no basis in the OT.

- Rey vs. Kylo Ren in a raging ocean backdrop; here in Episode VIII rather than IX. Similarly, it’s a duel that Kylo clearly has in the bag, but a fluke in the Force allows Rey to survive, although I much prefer the fluke we got to the one this treatment proposes because....

- Goddamn it, J.J. You’re doing the time travel / time paradox shit again? Were Lost, Fringe and Star Trek not enough for you to explore that concept in? This is the biggest part of these treatment drafts that rubs me the wrong way, it’s just so needlessly convoluted and cliche.

- Also, yet another Mystery Box in Luke’s severed hand on Saccrum.

- No Jedi Leia in that flashback? Yeah, I can see why Kathleen Kennedy rejected this.

- Btw, Rian Johnson wasn’t the only one who was going to turn Luke into an asshole failure, it seems. Making this highly risky plan with Ben and not letting his parents know about it? Dick!

- Snoke is the one who destroys Luke’s academy, not Kylo Ren. And he does so as he is dying; another clue-in that there’s more to Snoke than it seems given that he’s still around.

- Lando would have been in Episode IX anyway, albeit still running Cloud City.

- The idea for this Episode IX is that the Skywalkers are a Jedi dynasty that long predated Anakin (Shmi being a descendant of it), and the Palpatines were their Sith enemies. Sheev Palpatine also would have died his first death generations ago and was being constantly resurrected via clone bodies made on Saccrum ever since, so the one that Anakin killed wasn’t the original; Palpatine can’t be stopped unless Saccrum is destroyed. While not as convoluted as the time paradox shit, I appreciate the simpler route they ended up taking.

- J.J and Kasdan always wanted Rey’s father to be a defective Palpatine clone.

- There was never a planned origin for Snoke in these treatments; wherever he came from the bottom line was that Palpatine brought him onto his side by promising to share his key to immortality (constant cloned bodies made on Sacccrum) with him. Again, this ended up being simplified into Snoke just being a whole-sale creation of Palpatine’s from the very beginning.

- Since these are treatments, the “love” part of the dynamic between Rey and Kylo Ren is highly underdeveloped and would likely have been fleshed out in screenwriting. The end result, with the deprogramming vision of Rey and Darth Vader, sounds pretty effective though, but I think I much prefer the Leia death / vision of Han version that we ended up with.

- LOL, the “droid way of making love”. I want to see this idea repurposed someday.

- That’s an interesting twist on Alderaan, although it really doesn’t amount to anything given that the planet Leia grew up on and called home still got destroyed by the Death Star.

- “Magic blood”, another J.J-ism. Again, I much prefer the simpler version TROS gave us.

- The climax’s structure is basically the same as in TROS, with Rey (and others) heading to the Sith planet from Ahch-To and then Leia’s Resistance forces going there from their base, with Rey and Ben facing Palpatine. The biggest differences is that we also have Luke vs. Snoke and Finn vs. Phasma battles going on, in addition to a Jedi vs. Sith ground battle.

- Yeah, I don’t really care for how Phasma’s death is handled: making her hideously scarred and treating her sympathetically don’t sit right with me. Rian Johnson did it better, IMO.

- No red stormtroopers here, but there are red Tie Fighters.

- Ben still gives his life to save Rey, albeit in a less literal manner.

- Palpatine still wants Rey to ascend to the Sith throne and rule by his side. Also: “he loves the smell of burning hair, it reminds him of home”!? Wow, that’s dark in what it’s implying...

- OK, so while not a Jedi, Leia is the Big Damn Hero in the end. That makes sense.

- WTF? Rey straight-up kills Palpatine with Sith lightning!? Yeah, that definitely wasn’t ever gong to fly with Lucasfilm, since it totally contradicts ROTJ’s message! It was inevitable that we’d end up with the more correct “Rey deflects Palpatine’s own Sith lightning back at him”.

- “Rey Skywalker” is the end point for the story here as well, but it ending on Tatooine is so much more emotional than ending it on Alderaan Prime, a place that only just now exists.

My final impression is that we probably could have had the best version of the Sequel Trilogy possible IF the right corrections were made when adapting these treatments into real screenplays, such as axing the more convoluted and pointlessly fanservice-y elements and making different choices for a few of the characters (Rey, Kylo Ren, C-3PO, Phasma, etc...also something more substantial for Poe since they clearly had no idea what to do with him). However, it was also an impossibility for it to ever happen due to many different factors, the biggest of which being Carrie Fisher’s passing in 2016. So as it stands, I am still satisfied with the version we got and am especially happy that J.J returned for TROS to provide the end of the Skywalker Saga with some of his original (mercifully fine-tuned and simplified) ideas.

#Star Wars #J.J Abrams #What Could Have Been #Opinion #Analysis

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imagines-for-the-fangirls-soul · 4 years

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Return to Me - Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven: As Constant as the Stars

A/N: Hi all! I’m really excited for you to read this chapter! Kinda based off the song, Angel Eyes (the version from Mamma Mia! 2). I’m hopefully going to get back to posting on Mondays and Fridays, so keep an eye out Friday for chapter eight. Also, I know I keep linking the same dress for the last three chapters but I’m obsessed with it, and I feel like it really represents the reader’s personality, besides, I think it would look really good with Poe’s black leather jacket from TLJ. As always, let me know what you think and lemme know if you want to be tagged! Also, bonus points to whoever can guess what random movie (it’s a cartoon musical) the title is taken from!

Pairing: Poe Dameron x Reader Word Count: 4,144 Synopsis: After finding out Naboo’s fate, the reader must do everything she can to save the Resistance from the terror of the First Order, even if it means admitting feelings she has tried to deny the past two years.

Tag List: @xeniarocks, @too-many-baes, @araceli91103, @holybatflapexpert, @themihala, @idocarealot, @treblebeth, @treestarrrrrrrr, @thescarletknight2014, @charlottie2998, @ibikus, @mellow-f1, @mrsdaamneron, @trustme3-13 @missjess71, @ella-solei, @minelskede, @gleigh42, @usuallyweepingnacho, @givemethatgold, @and-claudia, @constantdisgrace, @wordsinwinters, @readingvogueonprivetdrive, @trshbb, @kaitlynw011, @ihave2muchtimeonmyhands, @constantdisgrace, @fairytalesforever, @thanos-jeep, @mixedfandxms, @pastelbunny1501

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

You sat in silence for the next few minutes. Nové wouldn’t speak either. In fact, neither of you even moved until the door opened up some time later, and you both turned to see Poe enter the room, cleaned and changed into a dark leather jacket. He had a smile on his face, but when his eyes immediately found yours, it fell.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Nové, will you go let Holdo know what’s going on?” you asked, looking at her quickly. She stood up, frowning at you as she walked slowly out the door. She couldn’t even muster a glare for Poe as she walked out the door.

“What is it?” he asked, his panic growing as he limped over to sit next to you.

“We called Naboo in the hopes that they could send a rescue, but as we were speaking to Broden,” you stopped, the emotion of saying the words becoming too much. Poe put his hand on your knee, looking into your eyes softly.

“Y/N, tell me,” he said gently.

“As we were speaking to Broden,” you started again, “A Stormtrooper interrupted our call,” you said with a sigh. “The First Order has taken Naboo.” His grip on your knee softened as he sat back in his seat, taking in what you just said. “I was so stupid to come,” you said softly.

“No, you came to fight for the Resistance, for the light. You were only trying to do the ri—”

“The right thing?” you asked, scoffing, “Every time I’ve tried to do that, I only end up hurting the ones I love.” He scooted closer to you and put his arm around the back of your chair.

“All we can do is our best, which is what you have always done. Even if you had been there, you couldn’t have stopped an invasion. It’s better that you’re here, and alive.”

“For now,” you said bitterly.

“Hey, I’m getting you out of here. You’ve still got a lot of fight left in you,” he said with a kind smile. You smiled back at him, but let it fall as you remembered all of the nasty things you had said to him within the last few hours.

“I’m sorry about before,” you said weakly.

“Don’t apologize. I’m the one who pushed you,” he said with a shrug.

“You have every right to be angry, Poe,” you said, looking at him with watery eyes. “I know I’ve hurt you. More times than I’d like to admit.” He looked at you with soft eyes.

“You have every right to be angry, too. We’ve both been through a lot. It was the wrong time to talk about us, I know that now.”

“Why are you being so nice?” you asked, shaking your head.

“I’ve done things, too, Y/N,” he said with a frown. “I’m not blameless here. But we’re together now, and I don’t know what that means for us,” he said, his eyes wide, “But I think we should at least capitalize on what time we do have together, and not spend it yelling at each other.”

“I agree,” you said with a frown, your voice barely above a whisper, “I’ve missed you so much.” He reached for your hand as the door slid open.

“Poe, C’ai said I could find you in here,” Finn said, coming into the room. “Your Highness,” he said, nodding to you, easing the urgency he had walked in with.

“Y/N is fine. Finn, right?” you asked.

“Yes,” he said with a kind smile, glancing over at Poe. You stood up and moved over to check on Leia, giving Finn some privacy to tell him what he came down for. Poe’s eyes followed you, a small smile stretching across his face.

“What’s up?” he asked, looking back at Finn a moment later.

“I have someone I want to introduce you to.” You looked away from Leia and watched Finn open the door and pull in a young, beautiful woman. “This is Rose Tico.”

“Tico?” Poe asked, a sadness washing over his eyes. You walked back over to him, smiling politely at the woman. “You're Paige's sister,” he said.

“Yes.”

“I'm so sorry.” Rose nodded and sniffed away tears before they could form. You held out your hand to her and introduced yourself.

“I’m Y/N,” you said, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You, too. I've never met royalty before. I love your dress,” she said, smiling. You looked over at Poe who rolled his eyes with a smirk, remembering his initial comments about your gown.

“Thank you.”

“We have a plan of how to get us out of this mess,” Finn said, switching the subject to something more pressing. You and Poe exchanged another look. You made your way back over to the group and started to sit down next to Poe again when Nové walked into the room and waved you into the hall. Poe nodded at you as you followed her and walked out, closing the door behind you.

“I spoke to Holdo. She said they’ve tried reaching out to Black Squadron, hoping that they have gathered the Resistance’s allies, but their communications have gone silent,” she explained. You sighed and shook your head.

“Even if they did, no one would come to this fight,” you said sadly. “Not with Snoke's ship on our ass. Did she tell you any kind of plan?”

“I tried to get some information out of her, but she wouldn't let on. What's going on in there?”

“I don’t know. Finn thinks he has a way to stop the First Order’s ship, but he was just beginning to explain it when you walked in. Did you find Zaisa? Is she mad?” you asked, making Nové chuckle softly.

“Yes, I found her. She’s stationed herself at the entrance to the hall. She seemed a little mad, but I think she’s just glad we’re alive. And apparently, she trusts Captain Dameron. She’s alright with you staying here without her watching over you as long as you stay with him.” You rolled your eyes.

“Well, then she doesn’t know him very well,” you said.

“I don’t think so, but I know she does trust him to keep you safe at all costs.”

“I’m not sure that’s true,” you said softly. Nové began to speak as the door opened again and Poe called your name. You both turned to look at the door and saw him poking his head out of the frame. You glanced back at Nové with a smile, and she waved you into the room.

“I'm going to keep trying to contact Naboo,” she said. “We don’t know who or what has been taken yet. I’m going to find out everything I can, for when this is over,” she added optimistically. “I’ll see you soon.” You nodded and turned back to Poe.

“I think their plan will work,” he said when you reached him.

“Really?”

“Yeah, come listen.” You followed him into the room, quickly glancing over at Leia. It was strange that you were using her hospital room for your hideout, but this was the only place where you could guarantee privacy, and by the secret nature of this plan, you needed privacy.

“Okay,” Poe said, leading you to the seat next to him as he sat down, “Just give it to me one more time, simpler.”

“Yes, please dumb it down for me,” you joked, side-eyeing him. He laughed to himself as Finn began to tell you their plan.

“So, The First Order is only tracking us from one destroyer, the lead one,” he started.

“So, we blow that one up?” Poe asked.

“I like where your head's at, but no,” Finn said, continuing on, “They'd just start tracking us from another destroyer.”

“But if we can—” Rose tried, getting cut off by Finn.

“If we sneak on board the lead Destroyer, and disable the tracker without them realizing, then we can—”

“They won't realize it's off for one system cycle. About six minutes,” Rose finished, cutting him right back off.

“Sneak onboard, disable the tracker, our fleet escapes before they realize,” Finn said. Poe stood, waiting for you to think over the plan. He started walking towards Leia but turned back around quickly.

“How'd you two meet?” he asked, pointing between the two of them.

“Just luck,” Rose replied.

“Yeah? Good luck?”

“Not sure yet.” He laughed softly and turned back to Leia, touching her hand.

“Poe, we’ve got to do this. It'll save the Fleet, it'll save Rey,” Finn said.

“If I must be the sole voice of reason, Admiral Holdo will never agree to this plan,” C3PO said, speaking for the first time. You looked over at him and nodded.

“He's right,” you said.

“I know. It's a need to know plan, and she doesn't,” Poe said.

“That wasn't exactly—” C3PO began, but Poe limped past him, pulling up a schematic of the First Order's destroyer.

“Alright, you guys shut down that tracker, I'll be here to jump us to lightspeed. The question is: how do we sneak the two of you onto Snoke's Destroyer?”

“We steal clearance codes,” Rose suggested.

“No, they're bio-hexacrypt and rescrambled every hour. We can't get through their security shields undetected. Nobody can,” Finn said. Poe frowned, and looked to you for guidance. You chewed your lip, knowing that you should probably shut down their plan, even as your thoughts raced with ideas. This was what you had studied years for. Military strategy and politics decorated your diploma from Theed University. You had spent a large chunk of your life training for moments like these, but Holdo had asked them to lay low, and helping them with this plan would be doing exactly the opposite of that.

“There actually might be someone who can,” you said, standing and walking to Poe’s side, forsaking Holdo’s wishes. This was what you were good at, you told yourself. Poe shook his head in confusion as he looked at you, your eyes locking again.

“Who?” he asked.

“Maz.” A smile grew on his face and he nodded eagerly, running to the other side of the Holo table, readying to call her.

“Who?” Rose asked again.

“Maz Kanata. An old friend of the Resistance. Her castle was destroyed during the battle of—”

“Takodana.”

“Right,” you said, walking over to Poe’s side, helping him type in coordinates to try and locate her. “She’s always been good with codes, and she’s one of the only few who have remained loyal to the Resistance after all of this time.

“If she’s on Takodana, she’s not answering,” Poe said with a sigh, after his attempt to reach her failed. You leaned over him and pressed a few more buttons, fiddling with the controls and known contacts of Maz for a few minutes until she finally appeared on your screen, albeit blurry.

“Nice job,” Poe said, bumping his shoulder against yours as the image of Maz began to clear. You smiled slightly, focusing on Maz’s holographic image.

“What is so important that it couldn't wait?” Maz asked as a barrage of blaster fire came over her head.

“We need your help, Maz,” you said.

“Y/N? Poe? Are you two back together? You know, the dish set I sent for your first wedding was very expensive, I'm not sure I can send an—”

“No, no, Maz,” you said, cutting her off as you tried to fight off your blush. “That's not— We're not—”

“We need your help,” Finn corrected.

“Finn,” she said with a smile, “It's good that you're all together.” She smiled for a moment before jumping out of frame and firing a few more shots back. “What do you need?”

Finn explained to her the plan, while you avoided looking at Poe, fighting off the urge to see if he was flustered from her comment, too.

“So, can you do it?” Poe asked once Finn had finished.

“Could I do it? Of course I could do it. But I can't do it, I'm a little tied down right now.”

“Maz? What is happening?” Poe asked as another array of blaster fire clouded your discussion.

“Union dispute, you do not want to hear about it. But, lucky for you, there's exactly one guy I trust who can crack that kind of security. He's a master codebreaker, an ace pilot, a poet with a blaster.”

“Oh my, it sounds like this codebreaker can do everything,” C3PO exclaimed.

“Oh yes, he can,” Maz said, making you grin, “You'll find him with a red plom bloom on his lapel, rolling at a high stakes table in the casino on Canto Bight.”

“Canto Bight?” Poe asked, dejected, “No, no, that's— Maz, is there any way that we can take care of this ourselves?”

“Sorry kiddo, this is rarefied cracking, if you want to get on that Destroyer, I only know one option. Find the Master Codebreaker.” Whoever was attacking her eventually made the connection cut out completely after she spoke. You sighed and looked up at the group.

“So that's it?” Rose asked. “There's no way we can get to Canto Bight.”

“Not without Holdo knowing,” Finn said, folding his hands.

“And she won't,” you said, standing. “If I keep her distracted, think you can take one of those escape pods to Canto Bight?”

“Yes,” Finn said immediately, although unassuredly.

“Vice Admiral Holdo will never allow—”

“I know, Threepio!” you shouted, silencing the droid. “Which is why she isn't going to know. I'll keep her occupied.”

“How?” Rose asked. You looked over at Poe, also unsure of your plan.

“I know someone who can help,” he said. “Get to the pods, and I'll give you the all clear.”

“Hold on,” Finn said. He reached into his pocket and gave Poe the cloaked binary beacon that matched Rey's. “Keep it safe.”

“I will. Be safe,” Poe said, hugging him. Finn looked over at you, and you nodded at each other.

“Let's go,” Rose said, pulling him out of the room.

“We need to go, too,” you said, leading Poe to the door shortly after. He stopped you in the doorframe, looking at you seriously.

“You don't have to do this.”

“I know,” you smiled, tilting your head to look at him. You were so close together that you could have counted each of his eyelashes. “I need to do this. I need to make up, for everything.” Poe frowned, taking a step towards you hesitantly as C3PO spoke again.

“Oh! Do be careful!” he exclaimed. You laughed softly and turned your head from Poe, breaking the eye contact that had begun to start a fire in your chest.

“Thanks, Threepio,” you said. You looked back at Poe, finding a little disappointment in his eyes. You tugged on his arm and smiled. “Come on.”

At the entrance to the hallway, you found Zaisa stationed, just as Nové had said. You gave a cordial nod to her, but she stepped in front of you as you tried to leave.

“Vice Admiral Holdo says this is one of the safest locations on the ship and asked that you don't leave. You can’t run away this time, Y/N,” she said, looking down at you. You laughed and looked over at Poe, finding confusion in his face. He didn’t know that you had run from Zaisa earlier.

“I'll just be gone for a second,” you said casually, stepping to move around her. She held out her hand. “And if you're so worried, I'll be with Captain Dameron the whole time.” Poe snorted at your bull-shitting but kept his head down so Zaisa wouldn’t see the smile on his face.

“With all due respect, Your Highness—"”

“It's of life saving importance,” you said firmly. She rolled her eyes, knowing that she wasn't going to win this argument, and let you pass. “Thank you,” you sing-songed. Once you were out of earshot of know-it-all droids and commanding personal guards, Poe pulled you into an abandoned corner.

“So, what's our plan?” you asked.

“Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix.”

“She’s working for Holdo,” you said, shaking your head.

“She's loyal to Leia, she'll want to help us,” Poe said.

“Okay, but how do we get her help?”

“I'm banned from the bridge, but you're not.” He reached into his pocket and handed you a miniature communicator. “Give this to her, she'll know it's from me.”

“Okay, and then I'll distract Holdo and she'll make sure the transport gets away safely?”

“Yeah,” he said, sighing.

“This will work.”

“It has to.”

“It will.” He nodded as you stepped out of the corner. “I'll be back soon.”

“Be careful.”

No one gave you any flack as you stepped onto the bridge. Most likely, because they were all busy doing the bidding of Holdo and her mysterious plan. You found Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix, and discreetly handed her the communicator. She looked at you in confusion for a moment, but when Poe started to speak through it, she moved into action.

You lingered around the bridge, trying to seem as nonchalant as possible, waiting for Kaydel's signal. Once she gave it, you went up to Amilyn.

“What are you doing up here?” she asked when she saw you.

“I can't stay shut up with Leia. Is there anything I can do?” She pursed her lips and let out a sigh.

“No, I just need you to stay safe.”

“Why? So that I can delay my inevitable death as long as possible?”

“You aren't going to die on this cruiser, Y/N,” she said.

“What's your plan, then?” She looked you up and down, seeming to know your plan already.

“Did your ex convince you to come up here and get the plan out of me?” she asked knowingly.

“No,” you said, glaring back at her with as much ferocity as she was giving you. She had taught you well. Even though you were lying, you spoke with enough conviction that she couldn’t question your honesty.

“I can't tell you the plan, Y/N. I do trust you,” she said, stopping you before you could argue. “I just— What was that?” She turned her head, looking back at her crew.

“Just some passing debris, Vice Admiral,” Kaydel said.

“No, not that,” she said, moving to the other side of the bridge.

“An incoming transmission from Jessika Pava,” Admiral Statura said.

“What?” you asked, snapping your head back to where Poe was hiding, just outside of the bridge.

“Put her through,” Amilyn commanded.

“I’m trying, but the transmission is rocky,” Statura said. He typed in a few more codes, and eventually, Jess’s face appeared.

“Vice Admiral,” she panted, nodding respectfully to Amilyn.

“Did you get our distress signal?” Amilyn asked.

“Only just.”

“Well? Have you managed to gain any more allies?”

“We’re in the middle of that. But we’ve hit a bit of a snag.”

“What kind of snag?” Amilyn asked, her patience growing thin.

“We’re currently on the planet, Ithor. Snap reached out to a general here, and we were all invited to stay in their mansion.”

“Okay, so what’s the problem?” Holdo asked.

“This general has taken a liking to Karé. She showed off some fancy flying when we got here, and he has agreed to help up, only if Karé stays. He wants her to teach some training courses, give them some Black Squadron tips, the kind that can only be learned over an extended period of time.”

“What?” you asked, stepping towards the frame so Jess could finally see you. She looked surprised but didn’t question why you were there.

“Snap and Karé aren’t exactly thrilled about the idea,” Jess said with a frown.

“Would the aid of Ithor be enough to help us?” you asked, “Could this general provide support for us?”

“I don’t know if it will right now,” she said with a sigh, looking over her shoulder, “But definitely in the future.”

“Jessika, can I speak to Karé?” Holdo asked.

“Sure. Give me a second.” Jessika disappeared out of view, giving you a chance to talk to Holdo.

“What are you going to say to her?” you asked.

“I don’t know,” she said with a sigh. “If only we had someone on board who knew what it felt like to separate from their husband for the good of the galaxy.” You twisted your lips, holding her gaze.

“If only,” you said, taking a step back as Karé appeared on screen.

“Karé.”

“Hello, Vice Admiral.”

“What’s the situation down in Ithor?” she asked.

“I can’t do it, Holdo,” Karé said immediately.

“How long would it be?”

“I don’t know. A few days at the very least. But we just started this mission, there’s no way I’m going to leave Jess and Suralinda and Snap behind. They need me on the mission. I need them.” You heard the way her voice cracked when she said Snap’s name. Of course, she was worried about leaving her friends behind, but it sounded as if she was petrified of leaving her husband.

“There are other planets out there,” she explained. “If we leave now, I know that we can get to them and get you help.”

“I’m afraid there isn’t time. We’ve got a plan to get us out of here,” Holdo explained, “But it’s not foolproof. We can’t be turning down any help at this point.” Karé’s lip began to tremble as she stuttered over a response.

“Vice Admiral, I don’t know what Snap will do without me covering his six and him covering mine. We’re a team, all of us, but especially him. I need to be with him.”

“And we need help. The Resistance is dwindling as we speak.”

“I know,” she said gravely.

“I know you’re going to miss your friends, but they’re professionals, and being apart isn’t the worst thing—”

“Sometimes,” you piped up, stepping into frame so Karé could see you. “It still hurts to remember all the good times. Especially, because back then, I thought I could never live without him. I had the same doubts as you.

“I worried that he’d forget, or that I’d stop. I worried that something would stop me from getting back to that happy point I was at. And maybe it does, but I never stopped. I never ever forget how much I loved him, because I never stopped. You won’t either. Being apart drains you, but it’s not the end, not always. You and Snap are so good together, Karé. I don’t think there’s much you can’t get through.”

Karé looked speechless for a moment. Not just because of your hopefully moving words, but because you had just confessed, to the entire command center of the Resistance, that you were still in love with Poe, even after all this time.

“Alright,” she said reluctantly, staring at you and Holdo for a few moments, “I’ll do it. But on my terms. I’m not leaving for two years.” You laughed quietly as a tear slipped from your eye. “Thank you, Y/N.” You nodded at her and gave her a gentle smile as she signed off. It took a few moments before you could look at Amilyn.

“Thank you,” she said, too, reaching for your hand once you had.

“Don’t mention it,” you said with a wave of your other hand.

“After that, I want to tell you my plan, but truly, I have to keep it as safe as possible until I know we’re safe. Too many things could go wrong.”

“I understand,” you said with a sigh.

“Now, please, we don't know what the First Order will do. You're safest in the heart of the cruiser, not here on the bridge.”

“Let me know if I can do anything,” you said.

“I will.”

As you exited the bridge, you felt every pair of eyes on you. You looked at Kaydel and she gave you a simple nod. You smiled back at her as you looked to the doorway, finding Poe standing just a few feet outside of it, well within earshot to have heard everything you just said.

“Hey,” you said, your voice cracking as you approached him.

“Hey,” he said, jumping from his thoughts when you spoke.

“Finn and Rose?” you asked.

“Made it out,” he said quietly.

“Good.” He nodded as you bit your lip. “Good.”

“Yeah.” You took a step towards him, away from the bridge, your eyes never leaving his.

“We should go?” you asked.

“Yeah.”

“Wouldn’t want Holdo to see you,” you teased. He laughed and took a step back so you could move past him.

“Right,” he said with a smile, watching you walk away. The smile on his face couldn’t be shaken by anything, not even the impending doom of the First Order right behind them. He could only focus on you: the woman he loved, still in love with him, too.

#poe dameron #poe dameron imagine #poe dameron x reader #poe dameron x you #sw imagine #return to me #poe dameron fanfic #poe dameron fanfiction #star wars #star wars imagine #star wars fanfic #star wars fanfiction #sw #sw fanfic #sw fanfiction

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realchemistry · 4 years

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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Let’s talk about this movie for a second.

Spoilers under the cut.

Look, I haven’t lived with this saga for ages and I’m not an expert at it at all. Having said this, I really enjoyed The Force Awakens, I thought it was a lovely way to bring the series back. The Last Jedi, however, seemed to be a step back from it. I was hoping The Rise... would get it back on track but it really didn’t.

Poe: He’s always been my favorite, and they even got to him. Like, the Latino guy is a drug dealer? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? I honestly couldn’t hate this more than I do. But they sure tried to make it worse by introducing this female character out of nowhere and make sure it was real clear that Poe’s not gay. Can you fucking stop being so stupid? I’m asking TPTB. Are they for real? Like, you finally try to tell Poe’s background story and you do it by making him a drug dealer who is interested in a woman? Who fucking came up with this shit?

And it’s not to say that Zorii isn’t an interesting character, because she is, in what little time she has, but the fact that they had to expand his story by going to all the wrong places... Ugh, heteronormativity is killing this world and all the creative minds are being shunned by it.

Finn: Please explain his story to me. I loved that he connected with the former stormtroopers, but other than that, all he did was be sidelined and just not important at all, and comic relief, and we didn’t get to know what he wanted to say to Rey. I know it was said it’s something about being Force sensitive, which, I don’t know what that means tho I can guess, but it definitely doesn’t read that way in the movie and it’s such a stupid thing to do. Again, Finn is apparently into Rey, so he’s also Not Gay. But he does nothing much in this movie and it’s all very annoying because he’s such a big part of it, or at least he should be. Guess the white guy has to be front and center, right?

Rey: What on earth were they thinking? Everything they built, everything they did, it basically fell apart. Or at least that’s how I felt. Let’s go to the point: there were two things that made her special to me.

The first was that she was not a part of the Star Wars myth. I loved that, I loved that someone could be that powerful and important without her past being the key to it. And I kinda appreciated that about TLJ. How wrong was I! Turns out TLJ is even more useless because a lot of what was pointed at in it was actually bullshit. She’s not a scavenger, she’s a fucking Palpatine. Like, what even? The fact that old Palpatine’s alive and has been hiding... Honestly, it’s all ridiculous, I won’t waste more time on it.

The second was that she was the lead, and she was not there to be another Leia. I love Leia, but she had a lot of “love interest” (and, at worst, a desirable object) moments, and a romantic triangle of sorts brought some conflict between Han and Luke. I actually thought they were having Rey be the lead, not the female lead, you know? I actually thought they were not gonna go there with Kylo. And, somehow, somebody decided that was the way to go. Somebody actually sat down and thought that having Rey show interest in Kylo was a good idea. Like, what in the ever loving fuck? Why would she? The guy’s killed so many people, tortured her, her friends, just, UGH. Why, why, why?

Kylo: I hate him, I have hated him since he first showed up and I will continue to hate him. There’s no redeeming a dude who killed people and decimated whole planets. Explain the logic behind Luke being at fault for it, like, were the only choices Ben had to either become a supervillain or be good, and it all depended on Luke not trying to kill him? Give me a fucking break. I hate all that Kylo is, I hate everything he represents, and I hate that TPTB thought his redemption was a valid thing. I also hate that they had his own father, HAN SOLO, try to bring him to the light and he didn’t then, but he sees a pretty girl he’s sickeningly obsessed with, and only then he changes his mind? I’m sorry but, no, he’s not redeemable, he’s not deserving of any sympathy or of anything good at all. And to have this asshole who thinks his obsession is a good thing that should be reciprocated on the screen as a main character... what a fucking waste. And to have it actually be validated. I’m sick to my stomach thinking about it.

Other stuff:

Is Oscar Isaac the prettiest man in the galaxy? Yes, yes, he is. He deserved so much better.

Rey and Poe interacting was a sight. Too bad it took ages for the trio to come together. I’m gonna pretend they’re all soulmates and live in denial cause that hug was the most precious thing in this whole saga.

I loved the whole, everyone’s here to help. I hated that they had Poe doubting they would show up. That’s not a Poe thing to think.

Why would they have Rose there, doing nothing? Like, explain.

I actually loved that she called herself Rey Skywalker, I just wish, if they had to have her background be something big, I really wish she’d been a Skywalker.

People actually laughed at the (AWFUL) kiss and revival and death part. Cause it was FUCKING STUPID.

The whole Rey can’t kill Palpatine thing made no sense and she did kill him so what’s what? She couldn’t sense Chewie was alive in the first place? IDEK.

I love how the Resistance has so much inside info of how everything evil works, even after their spy is out of the picture.

RIP asshole!Hux - Domnhall is so good, tho, like, his delivery of “I’m the spy” was hilarious.

The queer representation was perhaps worse than in Marvel. And that was terrible... But the fact that TPTB tried to erase the possibility of FinnPoe and to make a thing out of the female main character and her abuser... The world we live in, I swear.

I understand it’s difficult to write Leia in, but it felt incomplete. She sorta apparated at Kylo, but it just... IDK, I’m just sad she’s gone and I don’t know what to think about the way in which they tried to include her using footage that wasn’t meant to be there.

IDK what else I can add so I’ll end it here for now.

#Star Wars #Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker #Poe Dameron #Finn #FinnPoe #Finn and Poe #Rey Skywalker #spoilers #sw spoilers #star wars spoilers #tbtl #this is basically me ranting a lot #you've been warned #anti kylo ren

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pacificwanderer · 5 years

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Whole bunch of anons about “leaks” etc. So, don’t read under the cut if that’s not your jam :) Also, as an aside, I’m going out on a limb here (not really lol) and am gonna say that I think the recent bout of “leaks” are actually speculation based on “toy leaks,” that is, the short phrases on the backs of packaging and nothing more (as in, sure, they’re leaks, but not “plot” leaks from some mole in DLF). Hence, the reason the “leaks” are all over the place and shift around everytime confirmed information (trailers, etc) gets released.

Many retailers get product for major releases weeks in advance (I know because I used to work at one lol), so if they have endcap resets coming up, they’ll get a whole big product display for a specific endcap. If they want displays around the store, they’ll send bulkouts with product. DLF has huge sections in major retailers, so the square footage they need to cover with product is insane. I can only imagine what gets shipped early to them (and I suspect staff who don’t have overnight crews end up doing a hell of a lot of setup prior to their major releases).

Case in point, Walmarts were selling TRoS toys up until a few days ago because they were mistakenly marked for sale (they’re not supposed to be out till Force Friday in October). Once they caught on, they shifted the skus back to whatever bucket they should have been in (and customers weren’t allowed to buy them after that point).

Anyways, makes a whole shitton of sense now that I think about it and is another great reason why you should always take “plot leaks” with a grain of salt because, for the most part, they’re just speculation masquerading as “leaks.” Contrary to popular belief, most people aren’t willing to lose their jobs to get internet points with random strangers. But taking a quick peek at the back of a retail box? That’s more believable (though can still get people fired, so be careful toy leakers).

Remember when MSW spoiled all the Reylo scenes in the Last Jedi? Oh wait... *checks notes* they didn't report on... any of them?

Remember also how they had no idea about Dark Rey, or Palpatine, and seem to conveniently forgotten half of the cast this time around SO FUNNY how that happens.

Not that I believe MSW but I like this new update from them: "If this rumor is accurate in the way I've heard it described, it sets the tone of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hard and fast. This movie is about saving Ben Solo and bringing Rey into the fold."

So, they’ve gone from “there’s something between them, but it’s not love” for tlj (which was wrong, by the way lol there’s totally love between them if you’re not looking to miss it), to she’s gonna kill him, to he’s gonna try to kill her, to she’s going to save him and also become a part of his family? Sounds like backtracking after the latest comic got released and it was revealed that Ben was, indeed, abused by Snoke (WHOEVER COULD HAVE SEEN THAT COMING, Oh wait. The entirety of the Reylo fandom).

The idea or the “leak” that has Ben personally telling Rey that she is a Palpatine after what he said in TLJ is so stupid and nonsensical. Like if Kylo really wanted her by his side in TLJ then he should have said that her heritage is of the Sith or the Dark Side and that’s what comvinces her to follow that “destiny” or something. JJ did said that IX is not gonna retcon what happened in TLJ so I find this leaks hard to believe but who knows what the hell happens in IX. Anything can happen.

It’s nonsensical to believe that any dialogue at all has made its way out lol. Set descriptions, I could get. But actual dialogue? LOL GTFO. But you’re right, how much more convincing would it be to be all “YOU’RE EVIL, JUST LIKE ME! LET’S BE EVIL TOGETHER!” I mean, that’d be a conversation I’d wanna try first lol.

MSW: “...I do seem to remember first hearing of the flashback sequence [Leia and Luke training] and it being a secret location within Pinewood Studios itself.” A ‘secret location’?! If it was so “secretive” then how the fuck do you know about this?! Also how the hell do you know the context of the scene already when we know they are still editing the film and the script was too guarded?! How the hell do you know what the characters are talking about?!

All of the above, and honestly, how much do they really have of Carrie? I know some resistance scenes were cut out with her, and maybe some Maz stuff, but training Rey? When she herself didn’t want to train to be a Jedi? Really??? Iirc, Luke offered to train her and she was like nah? I’ll have to check on that. Leia’s connection with the Force has always been instinctual in the movies, so... It’s more believable that 3PO could train her lol what with all the shit he’s seen/helping her read the Jedi texts. Yeah, super secret, SO SECRET that random dude bros on the iternet found out about it!!!

It's funny how half the fandom thinks Rey is Luke's daughter because of MSW and no one is paying attention to to the fact that Disney/Lucasfilm have been defending Rey Nobody *and* they have allowed multiple people from the cast and crew to joke about Rey and Kylo being sexually attracted to one another. And then there is John Williams who shows Reylo scenes on the screen when he performs Han and Leia's love theme live in front of thousands of attendees who aren't even into shipping, lol.

Lol people still believe that? Man, it’s 2019. Reylo is real.

Do you think it's possible for Ben to have a convincing redemption if he he were to bring Palpatine back? I was already a bit disappointed that the Sithtroopers respond to him and the Knights of Ren but if he intentionally brings Sheev back it just seems like it'll be more difficult to convince the audience that he's worthy of redemption? I would like this movie to focus on him making good decisions for once, instead of bad ones until a last minute good one like Vader.

There’s nothing that’s going to happen to the Emperor that’s going to happen by accident. Period. He’s had plans working in the background the entire time, so if he comes back, it’s because he wants to come back, not because some accident on Ben’s part made it happen. Honestly, don’t pay attention to leaks that are basically rephrasing box text that says “yeah, kylo should be the most powerful person in the galaxy, but really he’s just fucking around like always, looking for answers to Force questions when he should be focusing on taking over the galaxy” which says to me that he never really did want to take over the galaxy. At all. He has it all, literally, and he’s still not finding what he wants. Which means he still has some exploring to do. Makes sense to me given how sad he looked at the end ot TLJ. These “leaks” also don’t really take into account that we’ve seen Kylo on that desert planet, like why is he there? What’s going on? Honestly, we know a whole lot of nothing about this movie and I’m sure the “leaks” will shift (again, just like they did last time) once the actual trailer gets dropped. Try not to worry about it :)

Hey so I'm kinda confused right now about some supposed "leaks"? Apparently its been "confirmed" by Lucasfilms that Kylo himself is resurrecting Palpatine? I saw some Reylos on twitter saying that Kylo was going to uncover secrets of the dark side and that it would lead to Palps being resurrected. I don't really keep up with leaks or extra material like comics so I'm kinda lost here. Do you know any thing about this? It just doesn't make sense to me why Kylo would do any of what was said?

It absolutely was not confirmed that he brings back palpatine, some box text on the back of his black series figure says, “As Supreme Leader of the First Order, Kylo Ren wields more power than ever before. Nevertheless, Ren continues to search for secrets of the Force from the depths of the dark side.” So, secrets from the Force, doesn’t say shit about palpatine but they’re jumping to conclusions because it “confirms” (in their mind) recent “leaks” (which I actually think are rephrased speculation based on TOY leaks) that speculate he’s looking for Palpatine. Why he’d trade one asshole master for another is beyond me given that he wanted to burn it all down at the end of TLJ. I’m gonna wait till I see the trailer/read more comics/official sources of info, before bothering with this sort of thing. These “leakers” didn’t say shit about Palps returning before his laugh at the end of the first teaser, so they didn’t know shit about it and are only speculating NOW. The only person I saw predict Palp’s return was Wayward Jedi, which was speculation proven to be right.

Cheers all!

#sw leaks #sw spoilers #tros leaks #tros spoilers #epix leaks #epix spoilers #asks and answers #a bunch #anonymous asks #ask pacificwanderer #tros speculation

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swshadowcouncil · 5 years

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It’s pretty ironic in retrospect that when the Sequel Trilogy began, there was a large pushback from racists and bigots that a black man and a woman couldn’t be the protagonists in the newest trilogy of Star Wars movies. People were honestly trying to boycott it because a white guy wasn’t the protagonist.

Now years later, the trilogy has come almost full circle with people refusing to see Finn as the co-protagonist of the ST or John Boyega as the male lead. I mean, if we want to look at it deeply enough, some people don’t even think Rey is the true protagonist, but Kylo is. It’s rather funny, in a sad way with the lack of self-awareness, that there are so many fans of the ST (Sequel Trilogy) that have forgotten, or don’t know, that originally there was a giant pushback for these heroes not to be the protagonists, yet years later, fans are echoing the intent of these people without realizing it. Finn has been sadly the biggest victim of this ironic mess. From being one of the central characters in all of the marketing, merchandise, advertising, and basically present and in full view of everything ST related, to slowly being forcibly pushed way into the back and made small enough on posters, merchandise, and media coverage at times that you actually need to zoom in or hunt down a trusty magnifying glass to find him.

The problem has extended from the #boycottstarwarsvii movement on social media in response to Boyega’s casting in 2014, to Lucasfilm (LFL) allowing multiple artworks to be created with Finn excluded, placed in the back, or smaller than the supporting characters, to the EU stories where he is sidelined, depicted as a joke, or generally just treated in a way that would make any sane black person, or person in general, go “Yikes!”. This isn’t an easy conversation to have, nor is it something many people even know how to approach, but from the perception of many fans, especially black fans and other fans of color, this comes across as pretty racist at best. So, without further delay, let us begin.

#BoycottStarWarsVII

Friendly reminder, when people bash the idea of Finn being Force Sensitive, you make this guy smile.

Yeah, I’m not going to sugarcoat this, John being cast as Finn, the male lead/protagonist, alongside Daisy’s Rey, the female lead/protagonist, was met with a LOT of backlash. For those who don’t remember, or just weren’t following the TFA like a lunatic like other losers (me), there was a hashtag going around, #BoycottStarWarsVII, which if you couldn’t tell from the title, was for the boycott of TFA. The main reason for this all circles back to John Boyega being the lead that had many bigoted racists in their feelings (translation: mad).

How bad was it? Well, let me just show you:

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These are the ones I can actually post. The others I have kept/found I won’t be posting due to the content in them being beyond disgusting. This was all over the place. Racists were rejecting the idea of a black male lead in Star Wars tooth and nail to the point of demanding people to boycott the newest movie.

So, how did the boycott go?

If you look closely, you can see Bob Iger’s tears of joy next to the dollar signs

Yeah, it failed on every level imaginable!

Something interesting about it though was that while some people were speaking up about the racist treatment that had been thrown at Finn:

You’re a good man, Trevor Noah. Thank you.

Others had remained silent on it completely. There was an odd amount of radio silence on how the public was treating Finn and his actor John Boyega, and looking back on it now, when there is still a great amount of pushback against the character and actor, I can’t help but feel that silence was a choice, rather than ignorance. Which brings me to the main topic of this very article:

#WhereIsFinn?

The #WhereIsFinn movement was created by fans of the character who started to notice something…odd. Now, I can’t actually pinpoint the first moment Finn’s erasure had started, but I do remember the most prominent and famous one that many in the community still remember to this day, and that was the Chinese Poster for The Force Awakens.

Hello darkness my old friend, I’ve come to talk with you again

Oh, this kriffing poster! Years later and my blood still boils like Anakin’s did on Mustafar! Now, I’m not pointing any fingers at any one individual at Lucasfilm, yet I highly doubt that if Rey was made smaller than a BB-8, or if Kylo was taken off of the poster, whoever said yes to this would have had the same response. Finn was made significantly smaller on the official Chinese poster for TFA. Now, for those reading this who don’t know, racism against black people isn’t just an American thing, I know, surprising, right? It’s something that happens everywhere, and movies with a black lead don’t usually do well overseas. So, someone made Finn smaller, and it somehow slipped through the cracks. A one-time thing though, right? It was a mistake and it’d never happen again. Lucasfilm would never try to make the co-protagonist of the sequel trilogy smaller or treat him with disrespect…right?

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Well, I guess that’s one way to avoid the Chinese poster situation. Just make him small by default

Rian, turn on your location. I just want to talk.

Johnson…just…why?

The longer you look at this image, the more you likely will want to die inside.

Don’t worry, guys. We got rid of the black character for now!

I’m like 85% sure the Nines (TR-8R) is making these with Phasma.

Well this is just erase. Not much to say about it. Finn’s not even here, I guess he wasn’t in TFA or TLJ.

I don’t know if making Finn smaller than Poe, and shoving him behind Chewie, is an accurate depiction of who were the protagonists of TFA

Just…why is it always Finn?

No, for those of you wondering, Finn isn’t allowed to even win the fight. BB-8 does and Poe lectures Finn.

Okay, why is Poe constantly being made bigger than Finn? Would this be approved if he was made bigger than Rey? Did someone sell their soul to Papa Palptine?

It sounds petty, but notice Rey and Kylo aren’t being made small, Poe, who’s not the co-protagonist, is made fairy decent sized, but Finn again is placed behind him and smaller.

Yeah, it’s been a LONG few years

Some of this is official artwork, some of these are posters, others are book covers, the backwards tux is how Rian Johnson thought Finn couldn’t dress himself, the leaky bacta suit was included in the film, etc. These are far from the only times Finn has been made small or been made a fool of since post-TFA Star Wars, but I wanted to give some type of understanding to what’s going on. Now, I know some people may be wondering: “Well he’s there. What’s the big deal?”

Well, to understand what it’s a big deal, you have to understand how Finn originally was marketed and depicted.

Regardless of your views on if Finn is Force Sensitive or not–which, if you’re doubtful, let me shamelessly plug another article I wrote about there being two awakenings in TFA (click here)–Finn was always presented as the male lead of the ST: heroic, brave, and important to the story. The idea of him being just as important to the ST as Rey, or the antagonist Kylo, wasn’t something that people scoffed at, which is a stark contrast to how things are going now.

Through these last few years, there has been a trend of individuals trying to remove Finn’s importance from Star Wars, whether it be by depicting him as smaller than characters he’s narratively bigger than, leaving him off of posters and artwork, depicted him as a joke in various forms of media like comics or books, or even just cropping him out of pictures completely. There are even attempts to make him seem less important on Wookieepedia or TvTropes.com, and it’s having a domino effect with how the powers that be see the character. Disney and Lucasfilm are businesses at the end of the day, and like any business, they do what’s best for them first and foremost. If certain fans and media go out of their way to erase, sideline, or mock Finn, then Disney and Lucasfilm will not try to course correct it, but rather let it continue or make less content for the character. Then fans of the character get less interested in content regarding Finn, and the cycle continues.

At first, many didn’t think much of it, yet as time went on, the number of instances that it seemed people were going out of their way to depict Finn as a supporting character or sidekick were starting to pile up. Its honestly become a trend now that if new content is coming out that has to do with the sequel trilogy era, you might as well play bingo for one of the ways Finn will be depicted.

We have him pushed to the back, looking like a supporting character/sidekick:

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Finn is once again in the back, with lighter skin for some reason???

Finn once again is made smaller and has lighter skin…okay

How are there 3 different versions of this cover and Poe’s head is still orbiting Tatootine while Finn is smaller than Darth Vader’s will to live?

Is Phasma the one green lighting these? Is she still mad?! She’s probably alive! Nobody is ever really gone, remember! Maul does!

If that’s not your flavor, then we have The Rise of Skywalker media coverage, which consists of basically Rey and Kylo, with article writers that seem to forget everything about the last two movies and can’t remember that they’re not on Archive of Our Own anymore.

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The Journey to Rise of Skywalker really isn’t doing too hot for anything Finn related, if you couldn’t tell by the giant orbiting space station that is Poe’s head on the cover for Resistance Reborn. In Spark of the Resistance, Finn isn’t even in the book, sent off on some subplot with Chewie that likely we’ll never hear from again. Maybe he went back to Canto Bight to free the slave children instead of the horses. Side note, whose idea was it to have the former slave child of two decades (Finn) not even comment on the slave children at Canto Bight? Oh…yeah, never mind. There’s also Resistance Reborn, which is again more about Poe than anyone. There’s even a scene where Poe has to tie Finn’s tie because he doesn’t know how to do it, and so many people are now flashing back to the backwards tux.

At this point, I can already hear that person who always appears in discussions about Finn saying “Who cares? He’s just a supporting character who was a janitor. John isn’t the male lead”

First of all, go jump into a Sarlacc pit!

Second, let’s talk facts:

Huh, Finn sure does have a LOT of screen time for someone that doesn’t matter. Oh, well. Maybe, he was there for moral support.

As of both TFA and TLJ, Finn comes in 2nd to only Rey, while having 15 more mins of screen time than Kylo. In fact, in two movies, Finn has more screen time than Han or Leia had in their first two OT movies. Hell, Finn almost has as much as Obi-Wan did in his first two PT movies and Finn lost around 16 mins of screentime because he had the most deleted scenes out of TLJ. 7 deleted scenes if you’re curious. No, I don’t know why, beyond the fact that one of them had more Canto Bight in it, and yeah, that one should have been cut.

See, that’s the funny thing I’ve never understood about people saying that Kylo is the real co-protagonist and male lead, or that Poe is bigger narratively than Finn. Finn still has more screen time than Kylo in both TFA and TLJ and Poe isn’t even in the same league as Finn’s screen time in either of his two film appearances.

Further, John’s Finn represents something not seen in the Star Wars franchise ever before – the first and only black lead of any Star Wars movie let alone trilogy. Lando and Mace Windu didn’t exceed 10min of screen time in any of their films, and Ahmed Best’s Jar Jar in The Phantom Menace was severely reduced and nearly erased following the toxic backlash that drove the actor to contemplate suicide. And while James Earl Jones’ voice of Darth Vader is a timeless and iconic addition of black voice acting to the Star Wars franchise, Finn, and Finn alone, represents something more as a leading face of the concluding arc to arguably the most successful episodic series in cinematic history.

The real problem here is that there are people in the Star Wars community that just don’t want Finn to be the co-protagonist, the irony of which is amazing since it’s just the TFA boycott all over again. For every time someone says that Finn is the co-protagonist of the ST, there will be someone there to comment that he’s not. Kylo is, or in fact, Kylo is the SOLE protagonist of the ST and Rey is below him. So the irony that originally racists and sexists were boycotting the ST because they didn’t want to have a woman and a black man as the protagonists, have now turned into “fans” in general claiming that the true protagonist of the entire sequel trilogy is Kylo, the white guy.

Ironic indeed, papa Palpatine

Now, people putting Kylo above Finn isn’t the only cause of Finn’s erasure. As you can tell above or in recent merch or artwork, Poe is being depicted in front of Finn, bigger than him, more heroic, etc. Now, there is no problem with Poe getting more of a spotlight. But when every single thing that comes out is constantly depicting Poe, a character who is at best a supporting role that was upgraded to the status of one of the main characters in TLJ, as bigger and narratively more important than Finn, who dominated the marketing for TFA and still has more narrative presence in the trilogy than Poe, it comes off as colorism at worst and biased favoritism at best from LFL. Recently there’s been a drought of actual Finn content that treats the character with respect or even content at all with him in it at all. Meanwhile, the EU for the ST is practically filled with Poe to the point of arguably oversaturation for some. Now, I like Poe and I like Oscar, and maybe others can’t see it because they’re not used to colorism, but as a black man myself (Kenyan-Brazilian to be exact), I’d be lying if I said that elevating a white-passing Latino man of color like Oscar’s Poe while slowly erasing a darker-skinned Black man like John’s Finn doesn’t look like clear colorism on LFL’s part from the perspective of many black fans. For black fans, it seems like there is a constant battle to remind people of Finn’s status in the trilogy while everyone is trying to put Kylo and Poe above him.

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Since 2016 when Finn’s erasure started to take place, people on social media have been trying to bring attention to this problem, yet they’ve been met with others in the fandom ignoring them, or suddenly saying it doesn’t matter and changing the topic. In fact, recently, while even more people have been trying to bring attention to #WhereIsFinn, the #WhereisRose tag was created. Not only was it picked up by Nerdist, but major social media accounts agreed there was a problem with how Rose (who, mind you, is a supporting character) wasn’t on the initial merch, but were silent about the co-protagonist being shoved in the back behind Poe, made smaller, or not being present in the marketing in the same levels he was at the start.

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I’m not knocking you for trying, Nerdiest, but it’d help if you also talked about #WhereIsFinn that has been going on since 2016.

It’s actually ironic that OP has never touched on Finn’s erase or his placement in the back…

The thing about #WhereIsRose is not that it’s a bad thing to bring attention to the fact that Rose isn’t in the TROS marketing or merch, it’s the fact that these same people who are fighting for what they feel is an injustice, are totally ignoring the blatant racism and erasure of what’s going on with Finn. The difference is, some of these people aren’t even overtly racist, but they are against the idea of Finn being the co-protagonist. So this erasure of him isn’t seen as a bad thing, it’s seen as what should be. For instance, there is a vocal shipping community in the Star Wars fandom that has ironically been echoing many of the same things that the bigots did when the ST began. Only instead of the bigots who said “Finn shouldn’t be,” you have shippers saying “Finn isn’t” whenever it is said that Finn is the co-protagonist, or the male lead, etc, etc.

Another puzzling aspect of #WhereIsRose, is that if the objective co-lead of the trilogy is getting sidelined, or artistically segregated into tiny portrayals with the other black characters, what hope is there to give a supporting POC character proper justice and representation? In fact, we’ve seen the result of successfully gaining attention for #WhereIsRose without any thought or consideration for #WhereIsFinn.

Take for instance this The Rise of Skywalker art (below), which segregated the black characters to be much smaller than Poe, and left out Rose. After the artist acknowledged #WhereIsRose backlash, the artist then added in Rose, placing her in front of the other black characters. In doing so, the art now further segregates and minimizes the black characters behind Rose and under Poe. The artist has yet to acknowledge the #WhereisFinn trend pointing out the artistic segregation even though they were quick to acknowledge the #WhereisRose trend AND act upon it.

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Approving artistic representation such as that above spells out an extremely negative portrayal of ALL black characters, since not a single one of them could break a bigger feature than Poe – a secondary supporting character. Regardless of the artist’s intent, and without their responding to or acknowledging the #WhereIsFinn trend – it sends a message of favoritism and apathy at best, and accurately portrays colorism and anti-blackness at worst.

You see, that is in of itself is part of the reason why #WhereIsFinn even exists. Finn’s erasure is coming from all sides at this point, and only certain fans even care about it or recognize it, most of them being fans of color who are openly getting ignored or mocked. I’m not saying it has to be #WhereIsFinn vs #WhereIsRose, but if you think the lack of Rose merch is a problem and gives a voice to the racists and sexists, and see ZERO problems with Finn’s erasure and sidelining over the last few years, then there is a severe problem with how you are seeing the world and its problems with race. No, it is not right for a black man to be the co-protagonist, be on equal footing with two other white characters, then years later be placed in the back of everything or not even shown at all. There is a problem with this and people need to see it. No one is saying that we shouldn’t ask about Rose, regardless of if she is a supporting character or not, but all we are asking, and by we, I’m now referring to myself and many black fans at this moment, is that the same type of energy be used to help defend Finn and John Boyega from the racist treatment that has been going on since 2014.

People stood up for Rey, people are standing up for Rose, yet whenever it is time to stand up for Finn, no one does a damn thing. All many fans of Finn are asking for is that the same effort people give in fighting sexism or racism against other characters, they do the same for Finn.

But to be the devil’s advocate, for once in this argument, let me tackle why #WhereIsFinn isn’t picking up the same coverage that #WhereIsRey did get and #WhereIsRose is now picking up.

People. ARE. TIRED.

There is nothing more disheartening for a black fan, or a fan of Finn in general, who really wants good content for the character, than to be met with a comic that projects the negative attitudes that the fandom has for Finn by calling him a janitor in the description or having him scream “fear my mop!” while dirty water drips on his shoulder as Kylo stares him down. Regardless of Canon already debunking multiple times that Finn wasn’t just not a janitor, but rather one of the best cadets that the stormtrooper program ever had, seeing Finn depicted as a joke or a sidekick just makes fans and non-fans of the character not want to even consume his content. No one wants to see their heroes constantly made to look bad, and that’s something parts of the community and LFL do at times, which has a domino effect on how people absorb Finn content.

The second reason, that is in relation to everything we’ve talked about, is that Finn barely gets good, solo content made for him at all. There aren’t even many people championing for the character to be seen anymore because of the fact that all attempts to bring awareness to this problem, have fallen on deaf ears. There isn’t an “FN-2187 comic series or novel” that is used to flesh out Finn’s life and suffering when he was in the First Order while providing world-building for the FO and its characters. There isn’t a “Finn’s journal” that helps dive into the character’s inner POV and feelings throughout his adventure. In contrast, there has been a decent amount of solo content for Rose, Rey, Poe, and as of recently, Kylo, yet we still have nothing for standalone for Finn that’s detailed and personable.

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The comics that come out give fans of the other characters have moments like this:

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As Finn was being lectured by Poe, the fandom cheered because it looked like Poe was in a Jedi Robe.

A Rey comic that explores her abandonment issues before leaving to find Luke’s fish nun island

This one IS a Kylo comic, where he’s doing backflips and screaming ‘Your God is dead”.

Hux’s comic, that dives into some of his past trauma and his nightmarish adventure with Kylo “I haven’t showered in a month” Ren

Poe doing his best Captain Kirk impression as he dressed like Spock

And Rose and Paige remembering their sad childhood

Snoke’s comic that is basically a Kylo comic featuring Snoke

Phasma just being Phasma

Rey kicking names and taking ass

General Princess Space Mom and Rose. No jokes here. Move along.

While what little Finn fans get looks like this:

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First image of we see of a comic featuring Finn, is him getting wrecked by some steroid using alien. Spoiler alert, he doesn’t win the fight and he’s lectured after. Yay!

After years of trying to make it clear Finn wasn’t a janitor by citing Lucasfilm’s own canon, Finn’s comic description calls him a janitor, shows a preview of him playing with a mop he doesn’t know how to use. Why? Who the kriff knows

It’s rather hard for people to feel anything but disappointment for this character they cared about because of how he’s been handled, and that disappointment is having a negative effect on how everyone in the community, media, and even Lucasfilm treats Finn.

This character means something to people:

This character is an inspiration to many black fans, not just because he’s the lead in one of the biggest franchises in all of cinema, but because he’s someone who was oppressed by a system that enslaved him and chose to be better, to do the right thing, and stand up for what’s right, regardless of what the cost of it was to him. Seeing so many people at LFL, in the Star Wars community, and in the media not only refuse to treat the character with any respect, but also act like he deserves disrespect, is heartbreaking to many many fans of Finn who relate to the character, regardless of their skin color, age, or gender.

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It doesn’t matter what you are in this world. We all want the same thing in life, and that’s to feel like we belong. This article isn’t being written to target anyone, it’s not being written to start any fandom drama. The reason this article exists is that there are a lot of fans not getting their voices heard when it comes to trying to fight for Finn, and we want to give that voice a platform. We want people to hear them because this message is important. FINN. IS. IMPORTANT. He’s important for reasons of representation, he’s important to people who want to believe they can change their life for the better, and he’s important to the story of this trilogy. All we’re asking, all anyone is asking, is for him to get the treatment he deserves from the media, community, and LFL. That is why people are asking where is Finn.

“Finn could not simply be a sidekick or key ally in the story; he needed a story arc of his own. For the first time, The Force Awakens offered a Star Wars film in which two characters, not only one, are undertaking the Hero’s Journey.”

“Each of these archetypes appears in the Hero’s Journeys of Rey and Finn – but not always in the same way or with the same character in the respective storylines. This makes The Force Awakens an interesting study in the use of archetypes.The Hero, of course, is the central protagonist of the journey. In Rey’s adventure, she is the Hero; in Finn’s adventure, he bears that mantle and Rey fills a different archetype.” – Tricia Barr

Thank you for reading, and may the force be with you…Always.

Where is Finn?: The Erasure and Sidelining of a Star Wars Protagonist #StarWars #WhereIsFinn #WheresFinn It's pretty ironic in retrospect that when the Sequel Trilogy began, there was a large pushback from racists and bigots that a black man and a woman couldn't be the protagonists in the newest trilogy of Star Wars movies.

#whereisFinn #featured #Finn #jj abrams #John Boyega #Star Wars #The Force Awakens #The Last Jedi #the rise for skywalker #Where is Finn?

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buddiebeginz · 4 years

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So I know I’m late to the party on this one but I’m gonna rant about my issues with TROS mainly because I just saw it again last night and I need to get some stuff off my chest. Warning this will probably get long and I’m sure I’ll repeat some stuff every one else has said

Also I know some of the things I bring up might be resolved to a point in the novelizations, with the commentary, or deleted scenes but most won’t see those so they don’t really count for the movie explaining things properly in some areas.

The movie has some enjoyable parts but doesn’t compare to TFA and doesn’t even come close to TLJ which in my opinion is the best out of the sequel trilogy. TLJ leaves you with all these questions at the end (especially in regards to Ben and Rey) in a good way that you think are going to be answered the next time you see these see characters in TROS but many of the questions are never answered.

Things feel messy and there’s too much going on all over the place. It’s easy to remember what the first two movies in the sequel trilogy are about it’s harder to remember all the stuff that went on in TROS because it feels really disjointed. Like they spend all this time looking for these triangle things (I forget what they were called) to find the planet Palpatine is on but little attention is given to what they are or why you need some special gadget to find these planets. Even when they find them it’s just over and done with pretty quickly. I also think there’s a lot better things they could have been doing with the final installment to the trilogy than wasting time on these things. Very little focus was given to character and relationship growth and development when it was literally the most important time to be giving it. There were so many scenes were I was just like what is the point of this? Like when they faked out Chewie’s death it felt really emotional at first and I was honestly shocked and sad. Then the movie was like psych just fucking with you he’s still alive and I’m like wtf was the point of that? All it served was so that they could go rescue Chewie but they could have done that without faking out his death. Or they could have had some other reason for them to end up on the ship like maybe rescuing Rey.

As others Have stated characters like Finn and Poe didn’t really feel like that had a good character arc through TROS and the series as a whole. I’d argue that TLJ gave a little more depth to both of them with showing Poe’s struggles in wanting to lead the rebellion and Finn’s whole journey with Rose and facing off against Phasma. I don’t think the TROS did too much to really close out either one of their storylines though well except for maybe giving Poe more of a chance to lead but tbh I don’t get all the choices they made for Finn.

They kept making it seem like Finn had romantic feelings for Rey (like when he said he wanted to tell her something) even though they’ve only ever been friends and it didn’t make sense for that to be a part of their storyline. If they wanted to give Finn a love interest it would have made way more sense for them to have it be Rose, or Poe. I didn’t like the fact that out of nowhere they had Finn just suddenly become force sensitive at the end of TROS. If they wanted Finn to be Jedi or force sensitive that should have been introduced in TFA not in the very back end of TROS. I wouldn’t have had a problem with Finn being a Jedi but it just didn’t feel like that was supposed to be a part of his storyline for the majority of the series. The writing made it feel incredibly shoe horned in.

This is pretty nitpicky but the movie is super dark in places particularly the end fight with Palpatine. I’m all for good mood lighting but someone needed to tell the editors to inject some light because you could hardly tell wth was going on in some of those scenes.

Bringing back Palaptine was just one of the worst decision they’ve made in Star Wars in my opinion. It was totally unnecessary and worse it undermines all the work that was done in the original trilogy to get rid him. Vader’s sacrifice was essentially for nothing. I mean I know it was about his redemption but part of that was killing Palpatine. Killing the man who screwed up his entire life and turned him to the dark side. The origtrig was supposed to mean the end of the Empire. I just get the feeling they weren’t really sure where to take things after Snoke was killed but the thing is we didn’t need another Snoke or worse bringing back villains from the past. TROS should have been about Ben (which I’ll get to that when I talk about the shit show of an ending)

I wish there had been more talking between Ben and Rey. I know I’m biased being a Reylo shipper and I get that it’s a Star Wars movie so there’s going to be a lot of action but the origtrig had a lot of talking. I mean there were scenes full of Vader and Luke just talking. Some of my favorite scenes in the whole trilogy are when Rey are Ben are just talking. There was so much more I wanted to know about these characters.

THE ENDING

(which needed a section all to it’s self because that’s how bad it was)

So by now everyone has ranted about how awful the ending is but in all honesty as much as I feel the same it could have been worse. I mean it could have ended with Rey and Ben fighting each other and him dying without a smidge of redemption. Still the redemption he got was minimal and lazy to what this character deserved.

This trilogy was really about Ben and Rey and they should have been the main focus of the last one especially Ben. In the first two movies of the sequel trilogy we see how Ben is being manipulated by Snoke and how he’s very much on the dark side but there’s still light in him, light that Rey finds and brings out. TROS should been the culmination of Ben’s fight to go back to the light. We never really saw a big dramatic storyline with Vader and his return to the light (we just got that end scene with him saving Luke) but we could and should have gotten that with Ben.

If you asked someone what the sequel trilogy was about they’d likely mention Rey and Kylo Ren and the sad thing is Ben was a central part of three movies yet had no real resolution or solid focus at the end of series.

The ending battle in TROS was mostly between Rey and Palaptine with Ben in there for a tiny bit and while I’m thankful we got the little bit of Reylo we got at the end if Palpatine had to be there it should have been Reylo battling him together. I found myself watching and thinking where the hell is Ben half the time.

When Rey says “be with me” in the middle of the Palaptine battle she should have been talking to Ben and not the force ghosts (who she didn’t know well) and he should have answered her back.

I don’t think that it was necessary to make Rey Palpatine’s granddaughter. I think they could have easily enough had her be powerful without having her be related to him. In actuality I think it would have made more sense to have her parents be nobody’s like was said in TLJ and it just happens that she’s really powerful. So you would have had Ben coming from a powerful loving family and being powerful yet turned to the dark side and Rey coming from a nothing cruel family who sold her and being powerful with the light. Not everything needs a huge explanation. I’m still very much of the opinion that Palpatine’s inclusion in TROS was totally unnecessary.

In TLJ there was a lot of focus put on Rey and Ben’s force bond it was even brought up sort of in TFA. We see it in TROS but I don’t feel like they ever really utilized it to the potential they could have. We should have seen more of them communicating through their bond especially during the end fight. And while I don’t think everything needs to be explained I still would have loved to see them talk about it in person. TROS shows us that their bond is so powerful it literally makes Palpatine exponentially more powerful when he takes their life force together but there’s never any explanation as to why Ben and Rey have this connection and why it’s so powerful. We’ve seen other force bonds with force sensitive people in the SW saga but never like these two have so what’s the difference? And why wasn’t it enough to save Ben?

So Rey dies and Ben gives his life force to save her. We get scenes with Ben crawling over to Rey, holding her, and looking absolutely shocked and anguished that Rey wouldn’t be with him anymore. Rey comes back they kiss and we see the first real smile from Ben in the entire series. and then he dies. Rey looks sad for a moment Ben disappears and that’s it, that’s the last time any reference to Ben is made in the movie. Rey loved him too Rey was eternally connected to him too yet the movie would have you believe all she felt was one moment of sadness over loosing her other half. It makes no sense. It also makes no sense why Ben wouldn’t be a force ghost unless he’s not dead.

And this is more of a commentary about fandom but I see so many people talk about how Reylo is abusive or how Ben can’t possibly be redeemed because of all the horrible things he’s done but no one seems to consider the fact that Ben was poisoned by the dark side at an age much younger than Anakin. Luke also turned on him and then lied about it which I have a huge problem with the movies acting like that was in any way okay. Like the only one who called Luke out on that was Rey but still Luke is partially responsible for what happened to Ben. My point in bringing this up in the ending is that Ben comes back to the light and without a moments hesitation he saves Rey and that still isn’t enough for some people he’s still this awful abusive person. He had so many chances to kill her, to hurt her, wound her terribly and he never did in fact it was her who ended up stabbing and almost killing him.

I’m not sure if Carrie Fisher’s death changed anything of how the ending was going to go. I’d assume so and I’ve read that Leia was supposed to play a bigger role in this movie so I’m not sure how it all would have played out but the way they had her die I think was another problem. There’s a video with an ending fix that shows Leia’s death bringing Ben back and I think that’s how it should have gone. Their whole battle on the Death Star to begin with was kind of messy you had Rey stab him, heal him, and then just leave which what was the purpose of all of that? But having Leia die then was less impactful as it would have been in the final moments of the movie. We don’t really know why Leia died in the movie just that when she did Ben felt it and it made him stop. If they had her die at the end it they could have made it so she chose to sacrifice herself to bring her son back so he could finally go be in the light with Rey.

When people watched the origtrig they saw Luke, Leia, and Han defeat the darkness good won out. Luke was even able to bring his father back to the light and talk to him and give himself closure. At the end of ROTJ the whole group are happy and together and there’s peace for first time in a long time. You might not have known exactly where these characters would end up after ROTJ but it all felt very hopeful. Now I’m not saying that everything needs to be wrapped up in a bow like that but where is the hope and inspiration at the end of TROS? Sure they defeated the bad guys but Rey is alone on sand planet basically back where she started.

I get that JJ and the other people involved with making the movie probably thought let’s be poetic and have TROS end where the original pretty much started on Tatooine but storyline wise it didn’t make sense for this trilogy and these characters and it was just plain tragic to have Rey end up back on a sand planet alone. One thing we’ve learned from Rey through the course of three movies is how alone she’s felt her entire life. How long she spent waiting for her parents because she thought they were coming back. How it’s clear she just wanted to to be loved and belong. She found that sense of love and belonging with Ben through their force bond and right when they could finally be together right when he finally came back to the light he was gone. She didn’t even have her friends with her she was truly alone.

If they had to have Ben die at the end of the battle and have Rey alone on Tatooine what they could have done was have her hear Ben at the end through their force connection and leave it open for interpretation as to whether he was still alive or just a ghost. I also think she should have taken Ben’s last name. This would connect her to the original trilogy in a way that would make older fans happy and it would connect her to Ben in a way that would make those of us who love Reylo happy. The thing is Rey was closer to Ben and his parents than she ever was to Luke. No offense to anyone who loves Luke but he wasn’t exactly the world’s best mentor. I mean I loved him in the origtrig but I wasn’t too happy with how he treated Rey and definitely not happy for what he did to Ben. Rey didn’t need to take his last name to honor him or Leia and Leia loved Han and Ben so Solo would have made her happy too. I just think JJ gave her the name Skywalker to make the fanboys happy. But Rey will always be a Solo to me.

I don’t know if they were trying to leave things intentionally vague or not at the end but a lot of it was. Like I said though I think the ending probably went through multiple changes in large part do to Carrie Fisher dying but other reasons too. I do think originally Ben wasn’t going to die but for whatever reasons that was changed. The scene where he lays down definitely feels weird like it was revered or something (as many have pointed out). I also don’t get the inclusion of force ghosts if they weren’t going to include Ben, either there should have been no ghosts or Ben should have been there too. Another reason I think the ending was changed was because of the scene on the Death Star. Why have Rey heal him only for him to die later? It felt like this movie was supposed to be about Ben’s healing and return to the light not his death. It just doesn’t fit.

I read this one post that talked about how Ben is dark with light and Rey is light with dark yin/yang they balance each other out and can’t exist without each other. So what is Rey’s life going to be like now that her other half is gone?

I think that the movie should have ended up with Ben and Rey together over looking some place green and beautiful (remember her saying she didn’t think there was this much green in the whole galaxy). Maybe some time in the future with Rey pregnant and them building a life together. They could have even had Ben teaching new Jedi students. I want to cry just thinking about it. There’s so many better choices they could have made for the ending than just Rey alone in the desert on mercenary planet where she’s probably going to have to fight to survive again.

Sorry this got so long I just wanted to get out all my feelings on this. If you read all the way down many blessings upon you and your cow. 😝💗 I’m totally open to talking about any of this even if you disagree just as long as you’re not sending me hateful bs.

#star wars #reylo #tros #tros spoilers #tros negativity #ep ix #sw!#reylo epix #long post #epix etc

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smuthuttpodcast · 4 years

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I have read some great or good pieces of fan fiction that incorporate a trial of Ben Solo into their stories.

Name/Handle/Alias

BonnieSwims (Twitter & AO3)

About how long would you say you’ve been rooting for Reylo?

I've been rooting for them since mid 2016. I REALLY started reading a large amount of fan fiction after seeing The Last Jedi. I am not sure if I read stories on AO3 before The Last Jedi, if I did, I started reading in mid 2016.

What did you think of the way Rise of Skywalker handled Rey and Kylo’s relationship?

I do not think it got enough screen time. The time consuming scavenger hunt with Poe & Finn, only having Kylo & Rey cross swords...all would have been forgiven IF Ben Solo lived or, if he HAD to die, if there was more screentime of redeemed Ben Solo AND Rey told others of Ben Solo, grieved his death, took Solo name, and ended up somewhere green.

Do you think the film understood why you, and other people, felt like Rey and Kylo had something together? Did it get their chemistry?

Given the acting between Ridley & Driver, I do believe the film makers understood the chemistry between Rey & Kylo. I also believe they FAILED to see how Kylo could become Ben Solo again and deserved to live. They did not acknowledge how his connection to Rey & her influence on him made Kylo believe that Rey trusted him and wanted a better life for him. Instead they went with "let's have them fight at every chance." It is true he was enraged at the end of TLJ but that feeling was from his perceived abandonment by Rey. Plus, TROS takes place a year later. The rage would lessen somewhat I imagine or if the rage against Rey was still so high, Kylo would have been MORE terrifying and just straight up kill Rey early in the movie. They did not understand Rey also insisted Ben do this for himself not for his mother, Rey, or Han or for power. That is why he was so upset that she did not take his hand when he offered. (The TROS story did get the "i wanted to take Ben's hand" correct.) There was also the strange scene of Rey looking happily at children. Was it an attempt to foreshadow a family with Ben? That's what it seemed like they were telling the audience but then at the end of the movie, I was left with thinking maybe Rey is now going to have two lovers and create a family with Finn & Poe.

What about the handling of Kylo’s redemption? Was it something you had to think through in your stories?

I have read MANY pieces of fan fiction on AO3, listened to Girls with Sabers & What the Force podcasts which seemed to focus on comparing Star Wars to works of great literature & myths, how Star Wars incorporates the Hero's & Heroine's Journey, and aspects of filmmaking. Given all the marketing with #ReyandKylo , #KyloandRey, the comics emphasizing the verbal (psychological) & physical abuse of Kylo, the comics showing how Ben Solo may not be responsible for the destruction of the Jedi Academy, the comics foreshadowing how Ben could survive being thrown off a cliff, the videos of little BB Ben Solo or Rolly Ben Solo (that never aired) and other items, it really seemed like the story was leading up to Bendemption. They did have Ben Solo redeem himself. I do think they had NO IDEA how to present Ben Solo to the Resistance after Palpatine is killed by Rey & Ben. They could not figure a way to do that so they just killed him off. I have read some great or good pieces of fan fiction that incorporate a trial of Ben Solo into their stories. Many were done well with Poe, Finn, & Rey coming to the defense of Ben because he helps them end the First Order. One story has Ben banished to a deserted planet for a year or two, then at the end he rejoined society where Rey was waiting for him. One has a trial that ended with a sentence of rehabilitation/probation where Rey might be the person in charge of controlling Ben. Other fics had it where Kylo is dismantling the FO from within so the Resistance can defeat them. Others have the First Order request an armistice. Another storyline I have read decided that since Ben saved the galaxy with Rey & he is Leia’s kid, he is pretty much absolved of his crimes since he will always have to atone for and live with the guilt of killing his father. The scene with Han in TROS was a great scene & did go a long way to Ben being redeemed and forgiven for his worst crime. The stabbing of Kylo, Rey’s healing of Kylo, & his tossing his saber was a great part of the movie and a good redemption arc. So that was good. Where the story lacked was the decision that Ben Solo still did not do enough so he needs to die. That was the mistake they made. They could have redeemed Ben & had him even start atoning for his crimes in the smallest way before the credits rolled IF they had a different plot than the LONG scavenger hunt.

Regarding stories after TROS, I have mainly read ‘fix-it” stories that are WIPs. The newest stories have Ben alive where he & Rey fly back to the Resistance where Rey has to protect Ben from being killed. He may be in a holding cell and discussions begin on what to do with Ben Solo. Those stories are pulling on the heart strings of “What would Leia want us to do with her only child?” and so far are resulting in sympathy for the fate of Ben Solo. I have read others that are basically have Rey telling the resistance that he can’t die or she will too or Rey is protecting Ben.

What did you think of where Rey landed at the end? There had been a lot of excitement around Star Wars having a female protagonist. Do you think she lived up to the promise of her character?

I did not like the ending. She was alone on a desert planet at a house where Luke's relatives were burned alive. She did not get a family. Well sure, she knows she is a Palpatine but from the beginning with TFA, I always felt like she wanted people around her that she was related to or had the capacity to help her create her own family. I did not like how the costume & hair reinforced Rey as a child virgin. That is where she was at the beginning of TFA. At the end of TLJ, her hair in not in her childhood style, she is wearing more 'earthy' colors showing character growth. Then with TROS, Rey regressed BACK to her childhood hairstyle and went to virginal white to show she is a 'good girl in white" and also a virgin. So she did not grow, in fact, she regressed. Her ending does not come off as the hero in white. She appears as the pure woman untainted by desire or love solely focused on protecting the galaxy. Additionally, she must be a robot because she was serene and happy as she flew away from Ben’s death. She was elated to see her Resistance friends. She was also so happy to be alone with BB-8 on a desert planet where the Skywalker Family has faced a lot of sadness. SUCH A HAPPY ENDING WITH SO MUCH HOPE. Wow, that is a lonely job for a scavenger that just wanted a family. So, girls, don't lose sight of your purity and you can be a hero if you are willing to bear the weight of that role only on your shoulders because you will have to do this alone. So Rey did not grow as a character and she did not get a family (unless you count her stealing the Skywalker family name but still alone because the last Skywalker died.)

There’s criticism of the movie that argues it’s akin to “fan fiction” and that is has too much fan service. As fans and fan-fiction writers, how do you react to that?

I have read many excellent stories that are fan fiction for Star Wars. The best fan fiction are stories that are planned, follow a plot structure, have a writer that RESEARCHED the characters, planets and ideas they were incorporating . TROS was not as good as the best fanfiction out there. It is very disappointing that some people and critics are excusing TROS by saying it is fan fiction. I disagree with that. If "fan service" means throw as many planets as we can into the story, add random things that are never fleshed out in the story, have a movie full of action with too many quick cuts with a lack of dialogue, and add a bunch of ships from the larger SW universe, then yes, the movie was fan service. What happened with just making a good movie? A good movie would have been acceptable. A great movie would have been wonderful. We were given a mess of movie that killed off THE LAST SKYWALKER (Ben) with no acknowledgement, reduced Hux to a very minor character when he could have been Kylo's main adversary, and Rey takes the name Skywalker with no explanation. Strangely, Terrio implied the sequel trilogy was a set of movies about the Skywalker Twins and they are now so happy to be Force Ghosts with their sabers buried on Tatooine. Does anyone believe that when Leia tells Han to “bring our son home” she means she wants to meet Ben in Force Ghost Heaven soon? One could argue that TFA was Han's film, TLJ was Luke's film , and TROS was Leia's film. That became difficult to accomplish with Carrie fisher's death. PLUS, WHY EVEN HAVE THE VILLAIN BE THE LAST SKYWALKER if that character wasn't supposed to even be a big part of the film? So confusing & disappointing, especially since JJ made Ben Solo into Kylo Ren. If he did not want Kylo/Ben to play an important role as The Last Skywalker, why didn’t he just make Hux the bad guy all along? The only conclusion I can come to is the sequel trilogy was always intended to be a tragedy like the prequel trilogy to teach kids about tragedy, disappointment, death, the importance of mortal sacrifice for your sins even if you are mentally and physically abused. (Anakin & Ben were both psychologically manipulated.) What a way to teach a moral lesson about trust, family, friendship, and hope. Kinda hard to see those messages as the credits rolled on The Rise of Skywalker.

Are you still writing any Star Wars fanfic? Tell us about it! (Don't forget your Ao3 handle!)

I am a reader only.

I will mention that I am almost convinced that all the Terrio comments about Skywalker Twins, special effects personnel saying they were never asked to make Ben a Force Ghost, the three month delay for the TROS artbook, and so little information about Ben Solo’s ‘death” is LucasFilm admitting that Ben is not dead and they will do another Rey movie or a Solo movie called "The Resurrection of Ben Solo." Who knows if Driver or Ridley will EVER do another SW movie, though. Animated movie/TV show? A miniseries for Disney+...”The Search for Solo.”

Thank you Bonnie Swims

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a-nerd-obsessed · 5 years

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Another Long, Unnecessary, and Obvious Star Wars Trailer Breakdown (Read: Wild Speculation) that Literally No One Asked For

So, obviously, it begins with Rey breathing hard, not unlike the trailer for TLJ. The trailer for TFA also began with breathing, except it was Finn. That’s mildly interesting, because in marketing for TFA, Finn was the decoy for the main Force-sensitive protagonist which actually turned out to be Rey. That means literally nothing but there you go.

Then we see Rey, alone.

She’s on a desert planet, possibly Tatooine, although that seems like too strong of a reference to ROJ in my unfounded opinion. It could be a part of Jakku we haven’t seen before too. But who knows.

But look at Rey: she’s calming herself, readying herself for whatever’s coming on the horizon.

And she looks ready. I mean, look at those awesome new Jedi-esque threads. The definition on those biceps. That Skywalker lightsaber, mended and functional like it’s no big deal, like we haven’t been freaking out over how she was going to repair it and what color it would be, but whatever - apparently she’s got this Force thing figured out.

We’ve passed on all we know

A thousand generations live in you now

I’m going to be generous and say that Luke is talking to both Rey and Ben Solo. I mean, with the exception of maybe the Knights of Ren, they’re the only two living Force-sensitives (in the purview of the main saga) who have been taught by a Jedi.

Now it could be just talking to Rey, especially since she has the physical representation of that knowledge in the Jedi texts, but we know Luke Skywalker is not done with Ben Solo - ”See you around, kid.” Also, Ben Solo is the legacy of the most influential family of Force-users in the galaxy, so I don’t see a way that, “a thousand generations live in you now,” doesn’t apply to him as well.

Now we hear that signature scream of a ion engine as the camera looks beyond our girl Rey to see a TIE fighter coming in low across the desert.

If you’ll notice, the angle of the sunlight is different in these shots. It’s behind her, then in front, behind, in front. I honestly can’t tell from the backgrounds, but these could be different places, or just different times. So she could have been standing there a really long time, just chilling.

Or, it could be JJ screwing with the time of day per his directorial whims again. Like in TFA, when the TIE fighters are coming in across Nymeve Lake on Takodana? Silhouetted against the setting sun? Yeah, in every other shot of that battle it’s a lot closer to noon than it is to sunset. So the angle of the sun could be nothing.

Still, whatever’s happening with the sun, it’s clear she’s expecting this bad boy to show up:

(Side note: two of my favorite sounds from SW is a lightsaber ignition and a TIE fighter engine - like, chills, every time).

But this is your fight

Again, I’m gonna say Luke is talking to both of them, and not in a you-two-need-to-stop-fighting-sit-down-figure-it-out-and-apologize-to-each-other kind of way, but a you-two-need-to-figure-out-how-to-defeat-the-bad-guy-together kind of way.

Which leads me to my overarching assumption: This is a team-up movie

Exhibit A:

He’s flying low. Really low. And to clarify, when I say “he,” I mean Ben Solo/Kylo Ren. Like when we’ve seen TIE fighters on strafing runs before (think the attack on Niima Outpost and Maz’s castle), they haven’t gone this low. Also, going low confuses their tracking according to Finn in TFA. He’s not targeting her using the tools at his disposal. And why go so low that she could literally gut his personally-designed ride with her lightsaber? This doesn’t seem like intent to kill here.

Exhibit B:

Rey knows he’s coming, and she’s ready. This is not her look from their duel on Starkiller, when she absolutely hated him and thought of him only as a patricidal maniac, or from the first few Force bond scenes, when she cusses him out. Not to get technical, but there’s a lot more teeth bared when she’s feeling murderous. No, this is the look she has when she’s totally in sync with someone, that someone being Ben Solo. Think the TLJ throne room fight.

Exhibit C:

He’s not shooting. If he was going to kill Rey, it definitely wouldn’t be by running her down with his sweet-ass custom TIE fighter. And it more than likely wouldn’t be by gunning her down either. This boy has Skywalker blood - if he kills someone he’s holding a grudge against, it’s gotta be up close and personal. That’s the only way to do it. San Tekka, Han, Snoke, Luke: all by lightsaber to the gut or chest.

All that is moot anyway because he’s not trying to kill her. Please. Really? Did you see their last scene together in TLJ? That sad sappy look in his eyes as she left him? Ain’t no way that boy could kill her.

Okay, and full disclosure, I got a little bit of an adrenaline rush when I watched this next part. Brace yourself.

Okay, totally badass, amirite?

But what are they trying to do here? I don’t know. Nobody does. If they tell you they do, they’re lying. Unless it’s JJ Abrams.

What I think they’re doing is NOT trying to kill each other. This is a coordinated stunt, possible multiple times. If you notice just in this GIF alone, two different angles for the sunlight.

Now what’s the goal then? For her to hitch a ride? Possible, although my logical brain starts calculating physics and thinks about the durability of the human body and I’m just like... yikes. But then again, that’s what the Force is for, right?

Another part of me just thinks she’s flipping over his ship based on her trajectory in the last frame before it fades to black, like a tuck and roll scenario. So, extreme training, then. I don’t blame them. If I had fun toys like that, I’d use them too.

If you want, here’s some great theorizing on this sequence by @gwendy85, also some here by @spacesoapopera

Then we dive into the rest of the trailer. We have this unknown ship that seems to appear a few times, so maybe it’s what our Resistance buddies are using for interplanetary travel. Also I’m super excited for this new planet because with the exception of Vandor in the Solo movie, we haven’t had a lot of mountainous worlds. It looks like there’s some kind of city/settlement at high elevation with all the clouds and snow blowing around. Consider my interest... piqued :)

Then there’s this. Mmm. 😏

This is the first time we’ve seen Kylo Ren fighting like this. So far his personal acts of violence have been either execution, interrogation, or dueling. But here, this is him on the ground, fighting alongside his troops.

I am ready.

Although it does beg the question, what are they pushing towards that would cause him to get so directly involved, especially since he’s the Supreme Leader now? Or maybe something happened (Hux’s coup?) so he doesn’t have the manpower to do the dirty work anymore which means he has to handle it himself. Of course, we haven’t seen much of his leadership style. He could be a hands-on kind of guy. I don’t know, but it’s got to be big - or personal.

Also, sorry, but the guy that Kylo is demolishing here is not the same guy Kylo stabbed in Rey’s Force vision from TFA - he doesn’t have the same weapon, although they may be connected. Plus, there’s more than one of these guys. If you watch the actual trailer, you can see a similarly dressed person run in from the right just before the jump. So, sadly, I don’t think this is a Knight of Ren, although that would be frickin’ AWESOME.

Speaking of things that are not, that’s not Kylo’s hands in this scene repairing the helmet. Although my boy is definitely embracing the First Order color scheme with the red accents on his helmet and TIE fighter. I’m a fan of all-black myself, but the Supreme Leader’s gotta represent. Interesting to note, however, that in the one scene of Kylo Ren we have in the trailer, he is sans helmet. It’ll be fun to see how the timeline of these shots works out.

MA BOYS.

And damn do they look fine.

Presumably they’re on that same desert planet that Rey and Kylo were on, practicing flips earlier in the trailer. So how did Rey get to be alone? When does Kylo show up? Is Finn holding Rey’s staff? What’s their objective here? SO MANY QUESTIONS.

And meet D-0, BB-8′s adorable new pal. I’m already in love. Droids are honestly some of the most underappreciated characters throughout the SW saga as L3 would be quick to tell you. Except maybe for Chewbacca, who doesn’t get nearly enough credit for all the shit he’s had to put up with.

And here he is with LANDO CALRISSIAN. The best thing to happen to the Solo movie, and I’m sure he’ll be amazing in TROS too. I may also die if he and/or Chewie get a moment to speak with Ben, so if you don’t hear from me after December, that’s why.

This is also the only time we see the Falcon. We do see shots of other ships that could be what our Resistance friends are using, although one does go down if fiery flames.

Our dashing duo again, always getting in trouble. I can’t tell you how excited I am for them to actually get to go on an adventure together along with Rey (and C-3PO of all people lmao). Yes, their journeys have be strongly intertwined in the last two movies, but getting to see them interact and observe their dynamics... I am ready.

And I’m just gonna say it. Poe Dameron and Finn are hot. Like, the Episode IX look for both of them is just so delicious, I love it.

Anyway, we get a brief glimpse of some action sequences: Stormtroopers with jet packs, maybe, chasing our Resistance darlings, and a ship getting shot down in a battle involving a Star Destroyer, maybe related to the shot of Kylo fighting on the ground earlier in the trailer?

This is clearly Leia’s hands. Don’t argue with me.

And she’s holding one of the medals she awarded to Han and Luke at the end of ANH. But which one? And why? You know, besides making me ugly cry.

Then JJ Abrams and Lucasfilm just decided to sucker punch the world with this shot of Leia and Rey embracing.

It blows my mind how quickly these two latched on to each other with such affection, and the implicit trust we’ve seen in their brief scenes together in TFA and TLJ. I know Leia’s story in this movie is going to stab me in the heart.

Also, the background has that temperate forest look, so maybe it’s the same place as in the still of Rey trekking through a forest that you can see here along with several others.

Now, when does this happen, before or after the chase on the desert planet? I don’t know, but I’d like to think this is the same planet where Kylo Ren is body-slamming that guy to the ground because that’s also in a forest, although it’s looking pretty wrecked when Kylo’s there.

And maybe - don’t hate me - maybe Kylo’s in full-on battle mode, mowing down everything in his way, because something happened to Leia.

Total speculation, but something’s gonna happen, right?

And then this. Hell to the yes.

I’m just going to assume this is the second Death Star. I mean, this is either the first Death Star on Yavin or the second Death Star on Endor’s forest moon. It seems like it has a fairly temperate climate, not tropical like Yavin IV has. And at this point I’m assuming it’s the same planet with the other forest scenes, but we have such limited footage (literally less than three minutes) there’s no telling what’s happening.

But they’ve come a long way to get here, and this is a big moment. Something’s out there, something they need, something they have to do.

(Also there’s another great theory about what’s going to happen here by @gwendy85)

We’ll always be with you

No one’s ever really gone

FADE TO BLACK.

PaLpAtInE’s CaCkLe😱😱😱

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER !!!?!?

So.

LISTEN UP PEOPLE! Kylo Ren is not the big bad. And he never has been. That’s gonna be the Emperor, every time.

And the only way to take that bad bitch down is if Rey and Kylo team up, y’all. Don’t argue me on this one.

Bonus: The music is optimistic throughout the trailer, and when the title is revealed, we get Kylo Ren’s (or should I say Ben’s?) theme taking a hopeful twist.

That’s it. That’s the story.

Now.

People that were missing from the footage:

General Armitage Hux

Rose Tico

a new character, Jannah, played by Naomi Ackie

Kerri Russell’s character

Richard E. Grant’s character

(Thanks @nancylovesreylo for pointing out ones I’d missed!)

Obviously it’s a teaser, and you can only throw so much in, but it’s still curious to wonder at the choices they made. Granted, these characters can be found in still images or have been discussed in interviews, but we weren’t able to see them in action yet. Why? What are they up to?

Anyway, I want to hear your thoughts! If you have answers to my questions, I want to know!

#star wars #the rise of skywalker #tros #reylo #trailer breakdown #star wars trailer #episode ix spoilers #tros spoilers #episode ix speculation #tros speculation

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monsterleadmehome · 6 years

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Reylo Fic Rec Masterpost

Since I’ve been asked a couple times for fic recommendations, I decided to create a master list, which I’ll (hopefully) come back to and update. This is by no means comprehensive, but they are works I’ve thoroughly enjoyed and wanted to share. You can also always check out my bookmarks page on AO3.

I have updated these with ratings, but be warned they are mostly M or E. Smut not your thing? Check my smut-free recs here! Remember to mind the tags!

*Indicates WIP

Let’s start with some little known fics. These are all under 100 kudos as of June 19, 2018. Make sure to leave a comment and/or give kudos if you read!

Ties That Bind* by @phoenixsolo -- Rated M. This fic is wonderfully written and jumps between multiple POVs. Also some great Poe and Wedge Antilles interaction which is fun.

Holonet Mail by MelodeeKS99 (not sure of tumblr) -- Rated T. This is the cutest You’ve Got Mail AU one-shot but still takes place in universe. Ben and Rey are both smugglers. Guys, it’s adorable.

A Veil of Smoke* by @binarysvnrise -- Rated M. ASOIAF AU that is just masterfully thought out and so well-written. NO LONGER ON HIATUS.

come and knock on my door* by jadeddiva -- Rated T. This is a really cute modern AU where Ben is a programmer at a startup and Rey is his college student neighbor. They meet because both their roommates have kicked them out to have sex.

every inch between us becomes light years by @spookykingdomstarlight -- Rated M. A beautiful one-shot that is both super sexy and sad. It hurts, but in a good way.

Cloudbusting by @bratanimus -- Rated T. Beautifully written and short. Just read it.

In-Universe Fics:

Sword of the Jedi series by @kylorenvevo -- Part 1 Rated T, Part 2 Rated M. Are you even a real Reylo if you haven’t read this? J/K, but seriously this was one of the earliest fics I read when I fell into the Reylo trash bin, and it is a masterpiece. AU where Rey and Ben grew up together at the Jedi Academy. It reads like canon novels. Not kidding.

Crossroads series by @gizkasparadise -- Part 1 T, Part 2 E, Part 3 T. This is an emotional rollercoaster in 3 parts. It’s got angst, it’s got the pre-TLJ Force Bond, it’s got memory loss, and some really kickass supporting characters. I just love it so much.

You’ll Be the One to Turn by @postedbygaslight -- Rated M. This is THE post-TLJ fic you need to be reading. It’s still a WIP at this point, but it’s sure to be completed soon, and like I told Posted before, if EP IX winds up totally letting me down, this will be the only version of events I accept. It is insanely well-written, gripping, and emotional. Just read it.

Infectious by @dvrkrey -- Rated E. Also known as the sick!fic. It’s a poignant hurt/comfort post-TLJ imagining with a beautiful first time love scene. This one has a special place in my heart.

In The Early Dawn of Happiness by @corseque -- Rated E. GAH! This is beautiful and touching and even though it’s a reylohardkinks fill, it’s so much more than that. It is profoundly sweet, and if we’re lucky, there will be another chapter.

landscape with a blur of conquerors* by @kylorenvevo -- Rated E. I’m assuming if you haven’t heard of this fic, you’ve been trapped on Ahch-To with Luke for too long. The arranged marriage AU with plenty of Hapan couture fashion to keep poor Kylo occupied.

Across the Stars* by @nite0wl29 -- Rated E. A Beauty and the Beast AU set in-universe (on Chandrila!). Rey falls for Kylo without him ever taking the mask off, and I think that’s beautiful. It’s got all the best elements of TFA, TLJ, and BatB. This one also should be wrapping up soon.

Songs of Innocence, Songs of Wisdom* by @cosmo-gonika -- Rated E. Another post-TLJ fic that has been blowing my mind. It has some mystical Force elements and some steamy scenes with Rey and Kylo. It does a really great job of showing where our star-crossed lovers are still not on the same page (but hopefully they’ll be there by the end!).

The Descent of Ishtar by @assortedfruitsnacks212 -- Rated M. This is a trippy post-TLJ fic that is super mystical and really intriguing. It’s so well-written, and I might have to light a fire under the author to get her to update this because I NEED MORE.

Id by @dreamsdescent -- Rated E. A smutty one-shot where Rey fulfills Ben’s darkest fantasy. It’s hot. Do yourself a favor and read it.

Mood Lighting by @raven-maiden -- Rated E. This is based on the closeup of the MF captain’s quarters in Solo. It is a beautiful one shot with humor, soul, and (yes!) smut. Can’t believe it’s her first fic!

World In My Eyes by @mygrandmathinksimsassy -- Rated M. Apparently I had been sleeping on this post-TLJ gem? It’s 96k words and recently completed, so you can settle down with this on a rainy day. Beautifully written, really sexy, and has a happy ending! I loved it.

AU Fics:

Blades Crossed by @the-reylo-void -- Rated M. A really amazing figure skating modern AU a la The Cutting Edge.

Stranger Than Fiction by @daxwashere -- Rated E. Seriously? Probably my favorite modern AU ever. Ben Solo is an author who needs to give his main character a love interest; enter Rey, his muse. It deals with some pretty real shit while also being incredibly full of heart (and some hot smut!).

Left Handed Kisses by @ever-so-reylo -- Rated E. The fuck buddies to lovers AU I never knew I needed. Rey is an Assistant District Attorney and Ben is a criminal defense lawyer. It’s hot, it’s sweet, it’s got lots of emotional constipation - you won’t be disappointed.

In the Name of Magic series by @waterlilyrose -- Part 1 E, Part 2 E, Part 3 T. The Hogwarts AU of my dreams! Kylo is a Snape-ish professor in Slytherin and Rey is a Gryffindor professor (of course). It’s great because it incorporates everything you love about Hogwarts, but focuses on the teachers instead of the students. Luke is Headmaster and Leia is Minister for Magic and there’s a very special painting of a snarky muggle that steals quite a few scenes. I absolutely adore this fic.

Dark Horse by @womp-rat-fever -- Rated T. This was a gift to me that I won in a tumblr giveaway. It is the Outlaw!Ben / Sheriff!Rey AU you never knew you always wanted! It’s a one-shot but it’s packed with action and pretty hot, too. I also made a playlist for it here.

The Promise by @nerdherderette -- Rated E. Wow. This is the most enthralled I think I’ve been with a one-shot. It’s 13k words, but reads like a 500 page historical fiction novel. If you like The Count of Monte Cristo, this is the fic for you.

Bedroom Hymns* by @drnucleus -- Rated E. Modern AU where Rey is a psychologist and Ben is an architect. Healthy BDSM where Rey is the Dom and Ben is the sub (although they haven’t quite gotten that far in the relationship yet). This is just really smart and eloquent. I’m a fan.

Fire Away* by @reylolujah -- Not rated. Disclaimer: I’ve only read the first chapter of this, but it’s SO GOOD. Laser tag AU with a really funny and great set up. Excited to see where it’s going! (I have it on good authority that we’re getting a half-naked Ben in a forthcoming chapter.)

A/B/O Dynamics:

Yes, I finally needed to add a section just for a/b/o. Sorry not sorry because I love it now. These are all E, for obvious reasons.

Your Pretty Little Heart by @ever-so-reylo -- modern AU where Ben and Rey are both doctors. And both terrible at admitting their feelings. It’s hot and super-well written. A good starter a/b/o fic!

Hunger* by @benperor-ren -- a canonverse a/b/o that picks up after Crait but with Rey in heat and Kylo coming to her aid, *wink wink nod nod*

Algorithms* by @grey-orchids -- the only first person POV fic I’ve ever enjoyed. This one is done so well it almost subverts the trope? Rey is a feminist and an IT person at a tech company run by Kylo. She goes into heat and things get interesting. *waggles eyebrows*

Summer Heat* by @isharan -- slow burn a/b/o you say? Yeah, and it hella works. Rey goes to spend the summer at her granfather’s cabin in Canada and is drawn to the outcast alpha Ben. It’s soooo good.

the thick of it* by @dvrkrey -- so steamy. It’s got hunter!Rey and lead alpha of the pack Kylo and Dothraki vibes for sure. Just check it out, you’ll like it. ;)

No One But You* by @faequeentitania -- a canonverse a/b/o started for Reylo week that started as mostly smut and now has plot! It’s really engaging and I’m excited for the last few chapters!

Hawthorne House by @strawberrycupcakehuckleberrypie -- I recently binged this and it is sweet/hot/amazing. Rey works at a B&B in Savannah, Ben Solo is a guest during a hurricane.

Oh and since people have also mentioned it, I will link to my works here at the bottom:

Dawn of the Rebellion series -- Rated T parts 1 & 2. This started as a one-shot I couldn’t get out of my head, then got a multi-chapter second part added on by popular demand. It’s my EP IX imaginings and it’s full of soft Reylo. There is a smutty epilogue in the works.

Truth Be Told* -- Rated M. The Alias AU I started for the RFFA exchange and am now taking too long to finish. If you like espionage and UST, I’ve got you covered!

smutty one-shots (all E): Chariot (modern AU) | Training Day (canon-verse) | Code 288 (Brooklyn 99 inspired) | Careless Whisper (80′s AU)

That’s about it for now, but I’ve got about 5 pages of “marked for later” fics I need to dig into, so keep an eye out for this list to be updated!

#reylo fic rec masterpost #reylo fanfic rec #reylo fanfiction #reylo fanfic #reylo fic

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o-taryn-o · 6 years

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Watching The Last Jedi Thoughts and Reactions

I’ve been obsessed with reading Reylo fan fiction since the opening night I saw TLJ. Ive seen this movie a lot but thought it would be fun to watch it again and react. I guess I had a lot to comment on Rose and Finn and also DJ. Enjoy~

Wow these opening credits are super vague…

I really love this opening scene it’s 100% my favorite Star Wars opening.

Carrie Fishers daughter is super cool. Hux looks v tired and/or on drugs.

Sansa’s insane aunt from Game of Thrones. Love BB-8, I ship Poe and Hux more then Hux and Kylo tho. “punch it!” I love that they have enough time to say cute one liners when piloting a ship. THIS SCENE IS EDITED SO FUCKING WELL THOOOO. Its literally FLAWLESSLY edited. 2nd “punch it!” When the bombers show up my heart starts beating faster, my favorite action sequence ever. Not even thinking about how theres no gravity in space. I love Paige so much! Have I ever seen a asian woman save the day in a movie ever? Why are her hands so beautiful? I LOVE THE COSTUMES OF THIS MOVIE. I wonder where Kylo is? Finn bb!! I wonder why he’s in a storage room? This movie is SO SEXUAL. Love me some beautiful island porn. LOVE that Luke throws the saber, love subverting expectations. “Master Skywalker?” is so cute I have such a crush on Rey. Wow the huts are so cute. Daisy is literally so beautiful, want to be and also kiss her. Progs, so cute. Rey literally doesn’t waste anything love it she takes the books later also. “Where’s Han?” and then cuts to Kylo love it. The fuck is a “cur”? ADAM DRIVER fuck. This room is so red, its so pretty. This movie is visually STUNNING. Ben’s hair is fucking glorious, also look at those LIPS! I just want him to be with Rey and happy. Ben is fucking loosing his mind Ryan made him look so broken I love it. “Prepare my ship!” is so sexy. Rey’s accent is so perfect. Literally what Luke said he doesn’t want to do he does by the end of the movie. Love poncho Rey! This island is so fucking cool I need more high quality pictures going around. The green milk is so funny. I love that Rey looks away from the creature in embarrassment but then not Ben’s naked chest. I need to take so many screenshots of this movie, theres so many moments people forget! Rey in the tree, so beautiful, I can’t wait to find out id those books give us any information next film. I hope the next film starts with the vision Rey and Ben saw next film. I want to see Reys dreams. I miss Carrie.

Poe is so annoying, Leia is so right. What a great line, “get your head out of your cockpit”. How does Finn know what the binary beacon is? THIS is when shit goes down. I really like that everything in this movie goes wrong. “Follow my lead” so sexy. Ben is literally crying feeling his mothers presence. And yet people thing this isn’t a redemption story. *shakes my head* Even The First Orders uniforms are so crispty its beautiful. I really like that Leia saved herself. Finn looks so good in that jacket I’m so excited for his blue pants look. Chewy and Porgs is all I ever needed. The lights in the cockpit of the falcon are really beautiful. The shots in this movie are GORGEOUS. I feel like R2 has a really dirty mouth. I can’t wait for Ben and Rey to escape with the falcon from somewhere and then takeout. IM SO READY. Luke is kinda creepy? Never liked Luke, Leia should have been the protagonist of the original trilogy. HOLDO is a BABE! Love her look and tone and everything she saids is bomb. I love that she talks about everyone else in the galaxy and the importance of keeping everyone hopeful. Why is there so much sexual tension between Poe and EVERYONE? I do feel like Poe is bi tho. Holdo is RIGHT, Poe is annoying and a dick. Sorry I don’t make the rules. He’s hot but wrong. Finn and Rose are so GOOD, it makes me so happy this whole scene. I’m sorry bb Rose I wish I could give her a hug. “Doing talking…” haha I love Kelly so much. Rose is v smart and I love that she stuns him and then drags him. DRAG HIM GIRL. All the men in this movie are making mistakes and the women are being smart this is true to life. Rose and Finn are honestly so perfect together. Its so annoying that Finn and Poe keep interrupting Rose, also true to life. Maz in the next movie is gonna be into Reylo. Also “union dispute?” what the hell is Maz talking about? How and why does Poe know Maz? I love sleepy Rey, Ben isn’t even mad when he sees her. He looks her up and down so many times throughout this movie. He’s so in love before she is, its cute. Reys outfit is perfection. What Rey said actually wasn’t completely wrong. “s tension, a balance” REYLO! I love that they go into what the force is in this movie. Porgs on the ship is so cute, so is Rey in rain. Ben with his questions, I like that Ben is actually listening to her to see how she feels about him. HE LOOKED AT HER LIPS! WET GLOVES. Finn is so distracted. Pretty cool looks in the casino, those glasses are sweet. Finn/John is so hot. Love watching Rey with her staff. I need one of those belts. An ICON. Could listen to Rey’s theme all day. I feel so bad for the locals, Reys a little bit of a dick. Right when she decides to follow Luke I need that gif! This conversation is great but all I can focus on is the fact that Luke saids “huberous” twice always makes me anxious. I love space operas. Men failing, *a theme*. “I need someone to show me my place in all this” its Ben baby! DJ is cool, why does nobody talk about him. He’s such a interesting character. BB-8 is a badass. Fathiers are so beautiful. It was unnessicary for them to crash through the window and run inside, this whole case is too long. I can’t believe that they have already filmed most of the next movie. I like that Leia and Luke are talking. Now Reys asking the questions, she’s trying to understand him, she wants to understand him. I haven’t noticed till now how inconsistent their voices are over the force. Sleeping baby Ben is my favorite, with his calligraphy set? Precious. Did he show her his past? Or does she just believe him? I want to see the other cut scenes from Reys storyline. Its really cool to see Rey mirroring herself. This is a really cool scene. I’m so happy Ben has long hair in Episode 9. Bens already crying just from her telling him about how lonely she is!! They are eye fucking rn, I know what that look is. I REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT THEY ARE SEEING!!! Luke fucking ruins everything. Ben must be freaking out rn. Yeah get him Rey! I love this fight in the rain. Rey is right. The thing is like how do you know someones completely evil? Who makes that judgement call? This scene is cool, love the look of Yoda. Its a lot of pressure on Rey to continue the Jedi order if she’s the one who knows all the stuff in the books, Im glad she grabbed them. “The greatest teacher failure is”, “we are what they grow beyond” GREAT QUOTES. Rose is a badass. DJ is kinda right tho. “Let me learn you something big” so funny. No one can tell me Rey didn’t wash up and get pretty for meeting Ben. Ben made sure he was the first face she saw, he looks hot. Sweet hacking skills. The iron is really fun editing, they all look really good in the uniforms. The first shot of the elevator scene is so sexual, Ben holding her lightsaber in front of him with her hands in handcuffs. Oofff. Ryan made this scene as sexy as he could. Its so intimate. They want each other so bad. Rey whispers and leans in. Ben is so soft. His trying to hard to focus on his goal of killing Snoke and saving Rey. Rose is so salty “of course you do”. I feel like everyone puts up with Poe because he’s hot, because he’s a dick. Another failed plan. Yeah Leia get him! I love that she just shoots. Her daughter surrendering is really funny. Leia and Holdo are so cute I hope they made out one night really drunk when they were younger that was ,y first thought when they held hands. I absolutely love Holdo’s hair. Reys outfit in the throne room is so cool. She’s so strong, Ben is trying so hard to keep it together in the back. Theres no way Snoke bridged their minds. Ben got so scared when he said that. “No” she’s so strong. Ben looks so sad. Oscar Issacs ass is fine! John is really good in this scene and Rose’s scream is terrifying. Murder in Bens eyes. Its really scary that Snoke has so much control over Rey. Rey with Bens saber is all I ever needed. Bens gloved fingers are v sexy. Also THAT FLICK! When they look at each other they know, there in love. THIS FIGHT IS EVERYTHING! When DJ saids “maybe” I felt that. They are so powerful together. I love watching them fight together, can’t wait for the 9! Ben fighting off 3 guards is so hot. Rey dropping her saber and backhanding ir is really hot. Wow this moment is so intense its so quiet. Im so mad Ben didn’t stop the fleet though. The way he saids Rey, why are both of their voices so hot. I need Rey to tell him off in the next movie the way he’s telling off her parents. “Please” murders me. Rey is so smart, she knows he isn’t good yet. This is Rey’s moment of “I know what I have to do” Its crazy that Rose and Finn almost died by being beheaded! The silent part is so beautiful. Why was Phasma so far away? BB-8 in that thing is pretty weird though. Finn is so powerful. He’s super reckless in this film. Rose is so good I want to be her and slide hug her. “Rebel scum” is such a good line. Snokes lower body falling off the throne is super graphic. Ben is so mad Rey left. I can’t wait to see more of soft Ben, I don’t like him choking Hux even though its Hux. Rose and Finn are very lucky they made it below that door. I think everyone always thinks of Rose and Finn as cute and funny, but they are honestly serious and smart. So many people died in this movie. I don’t understand how they aren’t wearing goggles if its salt, they would be crying right now. This run takes a lot more time then it is distance wise. Its so pretty though, so I don’t care. Rey and Chewy saving the day is my favorite thing. “Wooh I like this!” so cute. I love watching Rey shoot. The crystal creatures are so pretty. Finn no! Yes Rose! “I saved you… dummy. Thats how were gonna win, not fighting what we hate, saving what we love.” Rose is right everyone! Listen up! Why does Ben say “no prisoners”, maybe he is bad? I love Reylo I don’t understand I believe in Ben. Is he lying to himself? Could he actually kill his mother? Luke and Leia are so sweet. Also their conversation about Ben makes everything more confusing, so he’s not gone? Aw Luke kissing Leia’s forehead is really sweet. Lukes wink is funny. This music is so good. Finn taking care of Rose is my favorite thing. The editing is so beautiful. Rey in snow >>>> Also “Lifting rocks” how does she know thats what normal Jedi start training with? Ben is such a baby in this scene, he’s so upset. I love that Rey and Finn normalize intimate friendship. Ben is the truest definition of a ‘Dark Prince’ if Ive ever seen one. I’m really glad Luke died here, its time, the sunset it really nice.

Bens eyes say it all here. Chewy and Leia so sweet. Reys smile is so AWW. Finn putting a blanket on Rose is the best. Rey knows she’s thinking about Ben. “We have everything we need” I bet Leia had a big part in 9 I’m so sad Carrie is gone :(

This last scene with the kids is really the perfect ending, HOPE.

#reylo #star wars tlj #netflix #love #finnrose

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nerdydelusiontragedy · 5 years

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On abusive relationships and why Reylo isn’t one

Honestly, I’m a bid fed up with the “Reylo is abusive” approach repeated as kind of a mantra by many antis and SW fans comparing it to the abusive relationship/marriage. I’ve been in a relationship which I’d call abusive, namely my ex-partner used to bully me in every possible way (mentally and physically) including beating me black and blue many times. I was hopelessly in love as he was my first ‘serious’ boyfriend (I don’t count other short-term teenage crushes). Despite the fact that I knew exactly he wouldn’t change, I got stuck in this relationship for two years and just didn’t want to get out as I believed that perhaps one day something would change... I positioned myself as a passive victim, refusing any help from my family and friends. Thankfully, as I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, with a little help of the ones who truly cared about me, I found the courage to end this toxic relationship and set myself free. Now I’m engaged to a wonderful man who respects me and supports me with everything I do (OK, we sometimes argue but we never give each other the so-called ‘silent treatment’, our small ‘fights’ are something all the couples go through).

Anyway, coming back to Rey and Ben, I will share a very nice comment from one of my favourite contributors on reddit:

“I never thought about their 'relationship' as abusive. And I wouldn't compare it to an abusive marriage as:

They are not in a relationship and I really have no clue where people got the idea from; Force connection is not the same as being partners in everyday life;

When they meet for the fist time they are enemies on the opposite sides and there is a war (Kylo Ren interrogates Rey, entering her mind - yet Rey does the same at the end, then she fights him in the forest and painfully chops his face, humiliating him in front of the guy he hates and treats as a rival - Hux and his master whose appreciation he seeks - Snoke;

During their force skyping sessions Rey begins to see a human under the mask of a monster (he sees a soulmate in her) and tries to help him, but when she fails - she doesn't get his shit, she leaves with a message "You screwed up. I've tried to help you, but as long as you reconsider your actions and draw conclusions out of your destructive behaviour, I won't be a part of this so off I go"; in other words: she doesn't stick to a toxic 'partner' who dominates her, who abuses her and treats her like his own property (which happens between Fred and Serena Waterford in "The Handmaid's Tale" - if you don't watch, give it a try - the series is great imo :D)

Rey is not a passive victim who does not respect herself (as many people try to indicate) - she is mentally and physically strong and this is why she is a challenge for Ben Solo - he knows that if he wants her to forgive him and start talking to him again, he will need to get his shit together - Rey is not Padme in other words - she might accept him but on condition he realizes his mistakes and become selfless at some point;

People often claim that Rey has a heart of gold and came to help him and he turned out to be an asshole and rejected all her good - of course I'm not saying she didn't have good intentions, but she came to him hoping his potential turn will help the Resistance (so her friends) in the first place and her possible feelings of compassion for him came second; Ben - on the other hand - thought they will defeat Snoke and be together, "killing the past" and setting the galaxy on fire. His twisted mind does not work like the brain of a 'healthy' person. The moment he defeated the last Praetorian, he looked at Snoke's throne realizing that now he is free and he finally killed his long-term abuser. What does Rey do? Starts urging him to save the Resistance, to order (Hux and his fleet) to stop firing (which is simply impossible at that moment). Rey's mistake was to think that killing Snoke is all he needs to turn to the light (which is obviously not true as it takes a lot of time to fix someone that broken) and Ben's mistake was to think that Rey has nowhere to go apart from him and that she still hates her parents for what they had done to her in the past; I guess they both misunderstood each other here and failed miserably;

“You come from nothing, you’re nothing - but not to me” - this line is the essence and I’m really sad that many people read it out in a wrong way and totally misunderstand Ben’s intentions here. For me he wants to say “I don’t care you have no ‘royal’ blood in you, I don’t give a damn about your lack of legacy - you are important to me and I want you the way you are”. Why are people sure he wants to crush her self-esteem? Saying “you’re nothing” he doesn’t mean that no one else but him treats her like a piece of rubbish. “You’re nothing” is about the legacy, that comparing to him she is a ‘random’. But he doesn’t give a damn about it. Of course the delivery isn’t very successful, but hey - this is the guy who has been manipulated and deprived of self-worth by a monster who wanted to change him into a thoughtless killing machine. It was typical for Snoke to treat him as if he was nothing himself and ‘nothing’ seems to be Ben’s ‘favourite’ word... as he probably hadn’t heard anything else for a long long time. So I don’t blame him for the lack of expressing his emotions in a more tactful way.

Snoke is gone so now it seems that Ben will not be manipulated and messed up with his mind any longer and from now and every decision he makes is on him. In both novelizations of "TLJ" (junior and adult ones) it is implied that Rey will wait for him to make his final decision as his life is not hers to take and the Force has plans for them. Junior novelization goes even further and states that according to Rey's way of thinking "If she wants to have Ben Solo back, she will have to stop Kylo Ren" or sth.

To make it clear:

I’m not arguing with the fact that Kylo’s offer to Rey at the end of "TLJ" is kinda destructive and unhealthy - not only because Kylo uses his knowledge of Rey’s past to put pressure on her onto joining him (and he does do this even if this was not his whole intention), but also because it is based on destruction. He tries not to choose between the dark and the light anymore by burying his past, he thinks he can create a world separated from the pain of the past, he thinks he can just have Rey and only Rey and never reconcile himself with his past... but of course he can’t. He asks her to rule with him and abandon her friends, refuse to fight for them or agreeing on their death. He asks her to step into a world that would only contain him - but that is a dangerous, destructive, claustrophobic offer that would confine both of them to darkness and pain. Yet, he doesn't understand that and in his point of view his offer is the best she could have had.

And Rey? She could sympathize with him, she developed this spiritual bond with him and understands how broken and twisted up Ben is, yet she can draw a hard line between what is and isn't acceptable and healthy. She understands that this kind of offer is destructive and she just can't accept it, not now and not the way Ben wants her to be with him.

He has feelings for her obviously and his offer is indeed an offer of love and partnership, but not processed in a healthy way. In order to regain her trust he will have to change, reconcile with his past, at least try to choose healing over destruction.

This is actually the opposite of abuse. This is the perfect example of how to deal with someone who seeks a human connection and wants to be with you, but not in a way that your moral code allows you to accept it. This is an important lesson for everyone, not least the young girls who are watching this arc unfold and seeing how Rey is beyond that saying "no". But this is in no way lessened or cheapened by Rey, and through her still holding out hope that he can change, become better, healthier, more truly and disinterestedly loving - it gets more significance ("saving the ones you love").

It is the kind of connection/relationship/love that you don’t and can’t agree on until it has been purified and strengthened a hundredfold - because if accepted straightaway, it would lead to despair and destruction for both of them (yet from Ben's pov it is still a real and genuine plea for connection, love and acceptance)”.

#reylo #star wars sequel trilogy #the last jedi #kylo ren #ben solo #rey of jakku

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stairset · 6 years

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So admittedly I'm not sure EXACTLY what I'd do differently if I rewrote tlj, bc there's so many problems and lots of stuff to consider that it'd take forever to rewrite everything. But I do have some very messy miscellaneous ideas:

-Instead of starting off right at the second where tfa ended, skip ahead like, maybe a month or two? I dunno like a time skip that's fairly short, but long enough that both sides could plausibly be able to regroup and regather their forces after the losses they suffered from in the last film.

-Rey's been training with Luke and learned a few things but not a ton. Finn woke from his coma a while ago but still needs to get his back injury looked at regularly.

-Finn and Poe regularly talk to Rey and they give each other updates on how they're doing throughout the movie. This way we can have like, actual character interactions despite our trio being light-years apart.

-Like in the film, a fight between the Resistance and FO fleets towards the beginning results in some heavy casualties for our heroes. However these casualties are not the result of Poe being ooc and doing dumb shit for no reason.

-Poe's main character arc is still learning to step up and lead, but this time in a way that actually makes sense for his character. Maybe he beats himself up for losing so many people bc he's lost someone important to him before, and he has to accept that no leader can save everyone. Accept what you can't change and have the courage to change the things you can. Or something else like that. Just something that does his character justice.

-Paige doesn't have to die. Like I never expected her to have a big role bc there's so many characters to keep track of, but I'm sick of this franchise killing woc right after introducing them so let's say Paige just gets seriously injured. Enough to motivate Rose.

-Somehow Rose and Finn meet but in this version she has a consistent personality and they actually become friends and she doesn't taze him or talk down to him.

-I haven't thought of EXACTLY what I'd do with Rose's arc so if anyone has any ideas feel free to add on.

-The tracking the Resistance through hyperspace thing can stay bc it is interesting in concept, but there has to be a little more to it. Maybe the Resistance is trying to figure out how the FO is even getting all this super advanced tech and how to beat it.

-Finn doesn't know everything but he does know the FO has funding from many corrupt new Republic senators and other officials. So Leia sends Finn, Poe and Rose (plus BB-8 and 3PO bc 3PO needs something to do) to Canto Bight, which is actually designed well in this version.

-While they're doing that, Leia and Ackbar lead the Resistance fleet to the Crait base with the FO fleet hot on their tail, hoping to send a distress signal to their allies.

-At Canto Bight they meet up with Lando who was already on a separate undercover mission for Leia. He helps them get the I they need from some skeezy rich bastards who help the FO and tags along with them.

-Rose is the hacker bc it simplifies things a bit.

-They don't spend nearly as long on Canto Bight. Instead, sneaking around Snoke's ship takes up the bulk of their half of the plot. The animal subplot is taken out entirely bc it's pointless. They come for Lando and the info and go.

-Meanwhile with the force stuff:

-Snoke telling Kylo to stop acting like Vader didn't make sense. He should want Kylo to act MORE like Vader to make sure he stays away from the light and shit or something.

-Snoke takes Kylo to Vader's old castle on Mustafar to complete his training as he said he would in tfa, and the Knights of Ren tag along bc they seem cool and ignoring them in favor of the lobster guards was a mistake.

-Mustafar is not only significant to Kylo's family's history, but also canonically was once the sight of a sith temple, a perfect place to complete Kylo's training. Plus as a bonus it connects the prequels and R1 to the sequels in a natural way.

-Kylo's Mustafar training serves as a parallel to Luke training Rey on Ach-To.

-Luke actually teaches Rey some cool shit insteas of just being grumpy and wasting precious screentime with pointless crap, and they have a meaningful relationship.

-Instead of just giving up and going to Ach-To to die, Luke instead came for Important Plot Reasons.

-Basically, we learn that Snoke is an ancient and powerful dark side weilder, far more powerful and more sinister than even the Sith themselves. The very first Jedi knights formed the group to stop Snoke, and during the battle they gave him his injuries, severely weakening him, and imprisoned him in the unknown regions of space.

-Through the force, Snoke witnessed the history of the Star Wars galaxy as we know it unfold. The centuries of war between the Jedi and the Sith. The near destruction of the Sith. The creation of the rule of two that allowed the Sith to rise again and get their revenge. The Clone Wars. The creation of Darth Vader. The fall of the Republic and the Jedi. The rise of the Empire. The Rebellion. Snoke watched it all from behind the scenes, waiting for the right moment to return.

-His opportunity came with the end of the Galactic Civil War. The New Republic exiled the remnants of the Empire to the unknown regions, where they ran into Snoke and he somehow convinced them that he had the power to help them restore their precious Empire.

-So we now know Snoke's backstory, but his exact plan isn't revealed just yet. There are hints, but save the big reveal for episode 9.

-Luke didn't go looking for the first Jedi temple for no reason. He went in hopes of learning about Snoke, and more importantly, how he was defeated the first time to give an idea of how to stop him now. Unfortunately, he hasn't figured that part out yet.

-Make no mistake, Luke may not be bitter and hopeless here but he's not without his own problems. That crap with him almost killing Kylo doesn't happen, but he does beat himself up for not saving Kylo. He was so sure that if Vader could be turned than so could Ben. But the sad fact is that you can't save someone unless they want to be saved, and Ben didn't want to.

-And the big one: Somehow, maybe through that weird force mirror or something like that, Rey and Luke discover that they are in fact father and daughter. Because like it or not that's very obviously what tfa was hinting at. And like it or not, her being his daughter adds more weight to everything. Rey finally concludes her arc of finding her family. And through Luke's training she becomes the worthy successor to the Skywalker bloodline that Kylo failed to be.

-As for how she ended up on Jakku, why Luke, Leia and Han didn't recognize her sooner, etc. That I haven't thought of a good answer to yet, but I'm sure something plausible could be figured out if given enough thought. Maybe Snoke wanted to make her his apprentice but Kylo was jealous and somehow tricked everyone into thinking he killed her and left her on Jakku to die? Or something? Idk. Again, feel free to give ur ideas.

-Back to the Resistance plot. So while all the force shit is happening, Finn and co. have been undercover on Snoke's ship to not only destroy the hyperspace tracker, but hopefully find a way to stop the FO's whole flow of supplies from their sympathizers.

-Since Snoke is away on Mustafar training Kylo, Hux is in charge of the Supremacy. Unsurprisingly, it didn't take him and Phasma long to discover that they had intruders, and they've been onto them the whole time, adding tension for our heroes to hurry the hell up.

-Finn runs into a small group of his old friends and former squadmates from his stormtrooper days, and discovers that his defection inspired them, and they've been secretly sabotaging the FO in small ways.

-So these defectors take the heroes to some important database or something where they can get the information they need.

-While there, Finn also ends up finding a big secret in the FO's database, who his parents were and where he was born.

-For who his parents are, there's lots of interesting paths to take, maybe they're members of the New Republic, or royalty, or Mandalorians, or force sensitives, or something else interesting. Either way, it's possible they could still be alive, leaving things open for them to play a role in episode 9.

-Back to force stuff again, Yoda ghost can stay but only if Anakin and Obi-wan are there too, with Hayden and Ewan reprising their roles of course. I don't know what exactly they'd do, as long as it's plot relevant and more interesting than what we got lol. Also Anakin and Kylo especially have to have some sort of conversation.

-Maybe Anakin tells Kylo how he turned back to the light, and tells him that if he truly wishes to finish what he started, then he should too. Kylo decides that the great Darth Vader he looked up to all this time is weak, and he destroys his helmet, deciding to do things his own way.

-Kylo somehow finds out where Luke and Rey are, maybe through a force vision or something. Instead of telling Snoke, he goes himself with the Knights of Ren as backup, believing he can capture them himself and prove himself.

-So we get Rey and Luke (plus Chewie and R2) vs Kylo and the Knights of Ren on Ach-To. After the epic battle, Luke eventually surrenders himself if it'll get Kylo to spare the others. Luke is only doing this because at this point he has yet to accept that he can't save Ben, and is attempting to save him by doing the same thing he did with Vader, but tragically it won't work out so well this time.

-So Luke is taken back to Snoke's ship where Snoke plans to finally destroy him, and the Jedi with him, thus eliminating the biggest threat to his plans. Rey, Chewie and R2 stage a rescue mission.

-They somehow manage to rescue Luke, and he finally realizes that his nephew is gone for good and he must accept this.

-Meanwhile, Finn, Rose, Poe and Lando got the info they needed, but have been caught, and like the film, Phasma attempts to have them executed.

-3PO and BB-8 find the defected stormtroopers who rescue our heroes right before they can be executed, resulting in a huge chaotic battle of stormtroopers vs stormtroopers.

-During the chaos, Rey, Luke, Chewie and end up in the same hangar and all the heroes meet up.

-Finn has his climactic battle with Phasma, only here it's a little longer with more buildup, thus making it more intense and satisfying. Also that bit where he reveals that she shut the shields down stays bc it was so cool.

-During the course of the film, there are many hints dropped at force sensitive Finn. These finally pay off during his fight with Phasma where she knocks him down and attempts to stab him with her spear. He throws his hands up and accidentally force pushes her back, giving him the upper hand he needs to defeat his powerful opponent.

-So after a short but epic fight Phasma is killed, and our heroes all gather in the Falcon and meet up with Leia and the rest of the Resistance on Crait.

-At long last, Rey, Finn, Poe, Rose, Luke, Leia, Lando, Chewie, R2, 3PO and BB-8 are all united, the hyperspace tracker has been sabotaged, and they have information on how the FO gets their resources which they can possibly use to beat them in the next film.

-Celebrations are short lived however, as the FO fleet followed the Resistance fleet to Crait, and the fight is far from over.

-During the space battle, our heroes, like in the film, board the shuttles to the planet below, and Ackbar stays behind to pull off the epic sacrifice that helps them get down there safely.

-Like the film, they send out the distress signal to their allies.

-As everyone is preparing for the coming battle, Finn and Rey have A Moment and kiss.

-So Kylo and Hux lead the assault on the Resistance base. The battle of Crait is epic and intense with all our heroes using their combined skills and abilities to fight their attackers.

-Like in the film, the Resistance is eventually overpowered and pinned down, and Luke walks out to distract Kylo to buy them time, only this time it's the real Luke with Rey by his side.

-Luke and Rey have another epic duel with Kylo and his Knights of Ren, but this time things go a little different. The distress signal pays off, and the remnants of the New Republic fleet (possibly led by an older Hera Syndulla, not required but it'd be awesome) arrive to help the Resistance.

-Our heroes manage to escape Crait, and now have the Republic fleet aiding them. Luke has reunited with his sister, and comforts her over Han's death. Lando promotes our newer heroes for their actions, the defected stormtroopers join the Resistance/Republic, maybe Paige wakes up and has a small moment with Rose, and Finn and Rey are set to become the first of the next generation of Jedi, and to uphold Luke's legacy when Kylo couldn't. However, Snoke, Kylo, Hux and their army are still out there, and we have yet to learn what Snoke is planning or how to stop it, leaving plenty of things open for the final chapter of the saga.

As stated before this is all just random ideas, and there's probably some stuff I forgot to mention bc there's a lot to think and talk about with this film, so if anyone wants to add anything go right ahead.

#star wars #shut up tristan

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thewaronsyd-blog · 6 years

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Kylo Ren/Ben Solo: The Case for Redemption

Hello fellow humans who are interested in the possibility of a Kylo Ren/Ben Solo Arc. I, like you, was curious on how this potential redemption could/would be carried out so I decided to do a little research! And I got carried away so I basically wrote an informal essay on the subject… what can say? Below you’ll find a summary of the typical “temptation arc” a villain figure follows on his way to redemption (Zuko and Spike are other examples of this form of arc so Ole’ Benny will be in good company) as well as some of my jazzy commentary. There are two other types of arcs, the first is the “sacrifice arc”, but this is unlikely to be used since it is the arc Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker followed, and I highly doubt J.J. will be THAT repetitive. The second is the “forgiveness arc”, but this arc only takes place with villains who have already turned into a hero, and Ben/Kylo certainly isn’t there yet.

The original template for redemption arcs in storytelling I used is linked below if any of you are interested in learning more :) https://mythcreants.com/blog/crafting-a-redemption-arc-for-your-villain/

1. Something Changes for the Villain:

This is the seed that will grow into a change of heart… hopefully hehe

- It Is Established Why the Villain Is Evil

The typical reasons for this are that they wanted to do something good so badly that they were willing to do evil in the process, they have blind loyalty for something or someone who saved their life, protected a loved one or manipulated/brainwashed them or they believe the good side/members of the good side were responsible for their misfortune.

Through Bloodlines and TLJ we know that Ben/Kylo turned to the dark side due to the discovery of his heritage (Grand-daddy Vader), brainwashing/manipulation by Snoke and the betrayal of Luke that lead Kylo to destroying the Jedi Academy. These motivating factors certainly follow a hypothetical redemption arc for Ben/Kylo.

- A Good Influence Is Introduced

This good influence can be found through meeting a new person(typically the hero), discovering something sacred or being reminded of better times.

*cough* Rey *cough*. Need I say more?

- The Villain’s Loyalty Subtly Shifts

As they spend more time with their influence they will grow more attached and may hesitate to commit crimes or question the orders of their leader.

Okay so I’m not sure if you can call murdering Snoke in order to protect Rey and “bring a new order to the galaxy” subtle, but clearly he is doing some serious shifting. Ben/Kylo himself admits that he is “feeling the call to the light again”, Rey tells Luke that she saw good in him and she believes he will turn him to the light and Snoke got all pissy in the beginning of TLJ because he could see that killing Han had split his soul and left him unbalanced. It cannot be denied that Ben/Kylo is conflicted, meaning he is still very much following the redemption arc up to this point in the films.

2. The Villain Is Caught Between Sides:

This is basically a form a grey area or limbo state. The Villain is no longer evil but he definitely isn’t good either. This is the “bread and butter” for temptation arcs and is usually, but not always, quite drawn out.

Now here is where things get tricky. I can’t say for sure whether Kylo/Ben has entered this stage yet. His big “shift” happened so close to the end of TLJ that we haven’t spent enough time with Beautiful Ben, err I mean Ben/Kylo, to see how he has changed since the killing of Snoke. However, things don’t look very good for everyone’s favorite Dark Prince in the last act of TLJ. He sort of tries to murder Luke (which could be justified seeing as the last time he saw him Luke tried to kill him) and then he attempts to destroy the last of the rebels… But, who knows? Maybe Ben/Kylo has this huge renovation plan for the First Order! Some new none-murdery guidelines he’s going to implement into Star Trooper protocol? Fingers crossed.

- The Villain Switches Sides for Selfish Reasons

- The Villain Is Unhappy In Team Good

- The Villain Goes Back to Evil

- The Villain Is Unhappy in Team Evil

I don’t really see this stage going passed continuing the inner-conflict Ben/Kylo has with the light/dark side of the force. There simply isn’t enough time for Ben/Kylo to become good then become bad again just to ultimately turn good yet again. On the other hand, you could potentially count Kylo/Ben’s team-up with Rey to kill Snoke and the rest of the praetorian guard as his brief switch to the light.

3. The Villain Turns Into a Hero

- The Villain Must Stop a Great Evil

The villain must be the only one who can stop something very bad from happening. This typically occurs when the villain is ordered to do something by their master, but it can work for villains who are their own bosses as well. While carrying out their evil ways they may have unleashed destruction on a level they did not forsee.

It seems entirely within the realm of possibility that Kylo/Ben could set something up through the First Order that gets out of hand and he must intervene to stop it from coming to fruition.

- The Villain Makes a Great Sacrifice

The sacrifice must be enough to prove their devotion to good but not enough to wipe their hands clean. The sacrifice can be in the form of the villain giving up the goal they had pursed at the cost of doing evil (their motivation for being evil), destroying their own forces, land, palace, or other assets, or giving up their own life.

So we know, or at least we hope, that Ben/Kylo isn’t on a sacrifice arc and that means his sacrifice won’t be giving up his own life.

4. The Hero Humbles Themselves

- The Hero Begs To Be Allowed To Help

Just because the villain is a hero now doesn’t mean everything is sunshine and daisies. They will try and help with a big problem but the rest of “team good” will be very reluctant and will most likely throw the previous crimes of the hero in their face.

Just a guess but I have a strong feeling Finn is not going to be a fan of Kylo’s lol

- The Hero Toils Thanklessly

The new hero will work hard to make things better and complete selfless acts with no expectation of reward.

- The Hero Proves Their Worth

Another crisis occurs and the hero is put to the test. This is likely a crisis that the new hero is uniquely suited to solve. Maybe because of their villainous experience or because their skills are a strong match for the task at hand.

I’m going to go ahead and assume that Kylo/Ben’s previous role as Supreme Leader of the First Order will equip him with some useful insights. Plus he is super buff and that could definitely be helpful. I also believe that if Kylo/Ben gets redemption this problem, and it’s solution, will be the climax of the movie.

5. The Hero Is Forgiven

Not all the characters have to forgive the hero in order for them to complete their arc. Instead, what is most important is that the hero forgives himself. They are now at peace and they no longer have to worry they’ll fall back on bad habits. Yay!!

So do I want a Ben/Kylo redemption to happen? Yes, 100%. Do I think it will happen? Ehhhhh idk. Maybe? It took two full movies to get him through the first stage (jury is still out on the second stage), and now he’s supposed to go through the last four in one movie? It seems unlikely. But on the other hand he has undoubtedly started on his journey to redemption. Whether that is because Rian Johnson intended him to finish that arc or was just using it as a plot line to make his eventual descent into full-fledged bad guy super sad, I’m not sure. Introducing Kylo/Ben as a villain with conflict and vulnerabilities that forces us sympathize with him certainly makes him a more compelling character. And even though I will be bummed if he doesn’t end up redeemed (and in the arms of Rey) I’ll eventually get over it because they have provided us with one of the most interesting villains in blockbuster history (in my opinion).

If J.J. Abrams does decide to continue the Kylo/Ben redemption arc into the final film it is going to have to be central to the plot and will most likely be interwoven into the climax of the movie. Here’s my prediction:

I’m assuming there is going to be a substantial time jump in between TLJ and episode IX so we will be reunited with Kylo/Ben there, after the time jump, at the beginning of stage two (caught between sides). Around the middle of the film he will enter stage three (turning into a hero) and be faced with stopping a great evil (most likely of his own creation) and as a result must make some sort of sacrifice. After or during his sacrifice he will reunite with Rey and the rebels, having embraced his light and/or found some sort of “force middle ground” with Rey that all the TLJ symbolism was hinting at. Next, he will go back to the rebel base with them and sulk a little bit about how everyone except Rey hates him because he used to be a supremely evil murderer. Then something is going to happen and he’s going to have to team up with Rey and the rest of the Scooby gang to take down the First Order for good thus proving his worth (stage four). And then they will defeat the big bad and he’ll be redeemed so he and Rey can make out during the sunset. Canon. The End.

Thank you so much if you took the time to read all of this nonsense! I’d love to hear what you all think!

XO, Syd

Oh, and if that isn’t how episode IX plays out one of you better turn it into a bombass fanfiction. Many thanks.

#reylo #ben solo #kylo ren #tlj #the last jedi #the force awakens #kylo ren redemption arc #rey #reylo is canon #episode IX #star wars #adam driver #adam driver I love you #episode IX spoilers #episode IX predictions #star wars predictions #kylo redeemed #give me what I want #j.j. abrams

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avani008 · 6 years

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TLJ Reaction Post

Short version: meh.

Longer version: behind the cut for length, disorganized rambling, general grumpiness, and spoilers. I haven’t really looked at anyone else’s reaction posts yet, so I’m sure my opinions could very well be diametrically opposed to everyone else’s, in which case....oops?

*I have mixed feelings about Poe’s actions in the first scene: one would think he’d have learned to be more pragmatic over the years, but that said, a plot arc (with Leia!) about learning to make hard choices as a leader is exactly the sort of character arc that I usually love....except when it comes at the cost of an idiot plot (see below.) But! At least Poe didn’t get stuck with a ridiculous romantic subplot and has an excellent chance of making it through the last film alive. He probably got the best deal of all three new leads, TBH.

* I also like Rose, quite a lot! I like her being idealistic and clever and determined, and she plays off Finn well. Which made me SO disappointed that her overall role is third leg of a LOVE TRIANGLE, of all things. (Star Wars doesn’t even do love triangles! At least not when two of the people involved aren’t awkwardly related to each other. And I hate how fandom will inevitably feel the need to pit her against Rey :( )

*That said, clearly Rose’s sister had to die horribly, because heaven forbid we have more than one POC female character featured. I liked her in her brief appearance, though.

* Holdo! I have mixed feelings overall. Morally dubious, smart, and ultimately tragic female leaders are some of my favorite character tropes (Everyone in Baahubali fandom is SHOCKED to hear this, I’m sure.) and also I loved Leia having a friend/alternative shipping option during the time she and Han were estranged. But: there was absolutely no reason for her to be so antagonistic to Poe, and his sudden dislike to her before he’s even met her doesn’t do him any favors either. We’re supposed to guess that the reason she doesn’t reveal her plan is because of a possible spy, which....um, how did the first order get the tracking coordinates in the first place? Did I miss that? Anyway, even if that is her reasoning, if she’s so close to Leia, surely she knows Poe is her protege and can be trusted. I’m not saying she has to announce her plans over the loudspeaker, but taking him aside to allay his concerns seems perfectly sensible and I can’t understand why she didn’t do that.

* Also Google informs me that Holdo first appears in a tie-in and has been compared to Luna Lovegood. Guys, I can’t imagine a character less like Luna than movie! Holdo; what am I missing?

*Which is as good a time as any to scream about Rey and how much her plot arc suffered the second Ben got involved. I’d happily watch a cut that was all her developing her Jedi powers, cut to the rescue on Crait and her “just moving rocks” scene. But no, instead she gets this long involved subplot with Ben that’s just....For me to believe that Rey has so much invested in his redemption, Ben needed to play the roles Finn and Han played in the first movie: the first people to value her, to help her, to come back for her. Instead Ben killed one of them and hurt the other before her eyes (yes, I screamed internally when he gave her the “join me” spiel.) Hell, I’d even have taken Han begging her to save Ben as his dying wish; or perhaps the AU where she’s Han and Leia’s adopted daughter taken in after Ben’s fall with all the complicated relationships that entails; but as is, it’s every toxic shipping dynamic that I hate.

*Okay, it’s time for the Ben rant (note: I do call him “Ben,” but that’s because I find I’m most attached and invested to the original trio, and as they all consistently call him “Ben”) Waking up to find your uncle and teacher trying to kill you is clearly traumatic!....But the appropriate response to that is not to turn around and do the same thing to your fellow students, who had nothing to do with this as far as we know. Nor is it to commit genocide knowingly. Nor is it to kill your unarmed father, who is specifically mentioned as not wanting you to be trained as a Jedi to start with, in cold blood. Also, even if we want to blame it on Snoke....Ben keeps on going even after Snoke’s death. At this point, he is beyond redemption for me; and Leia, at least, seems to agree.

That said, Luke: “If you cut me down, I’ll stay with you forever!”

Ben: *immediately slashes at him with his lightsaber*

...Methinks Bhalla and Ben probably need the same therapist.

*Leia flying in the vacuum of space was ridiculous. The CGI looked off to me, the science makes no sense, and we’ve never before seen that the Force can do such a thing, any more than we have astral projection (? But then how was Luke able to touch Leia’s hand or transfer the dice from the Falcon?) That said, I’m so glad she survived :)

* I was less happy with Luke’s plotline. First off, my! Luke would never be so pointlessly hostile and rude—I get the sense that his montage of going around the island was supposed to be funny, but no one in my theater laughed at least. But more egregiously, with regards to trying to kill his own nephew: LUKE WOULD NEVER. I just don’t buy it, at all, ever; this is LUKE SKYWALKER, the man who inherited his mother’s heart, the man who refused to kill Darth Vader. To think that he would, even for a second, CONSIDER murdering his sleeping nephew is completely incompatible with my understanding of his character. The scene with Yoda was better, as was the climax, but it’s not enough to overcome everything that had come before.

* Chewbacca and the original droids were sadly underused, most blatantly R2. I liked the one R2 and Luke scene but....how was that Luke had only the one interaction with his beloved droid?

* If he was going to be killed off so abruptly, I’d really have liked an explanation as to who Snoke is, how he found Ben and came into contact with him, what his actual goals are? But I guess that won’t be an option now.

* The porgs and the crystal fox-things were cute!

* Probably an unpopular opinion, but I actually was okay with Rey just being an orphan without connections to the Solo-Skywalkers. I know the story is largely a family saga, but I’m ok with the message being that bloodlines don’t matter (once again, the adopted Rey AU could emphasize this so much more). That said I’m still confused as to why Rey apparently has dreamed of Luke’s island before: this clearly isn’t something all Force sensitive kids do, so why her?

* Also, the pacing seemed a little off to me? I expected that the big Rey/Ben/Snoke duel was the climax and then the film went on for another thirty or so minutes, which seemed rather too much to me.

* Finally, I’ve mentioned this before to some of you, but overall what I find most disappointing about the new trilogy is how cylical everything seems to be. Leia is an overworked politician again, Han an unscrupulous smuggler; and just like Ben Kenobi, Luke is a hermit mourning the failure of his attempt at mentor ship for years. Actually Ben at least had the purpose of watching over Luke; Luke apparently abandoned his sister and the galaxy just to go wallow (LUKE WOULD NEVER!). The galaxy is at war, again, there’s the Sith back again, and whereas RotJ closed on a wealth of possibility for the characters, promising closure from the sadness of the past, the sequels just leave me wondering: “what was the point, then?” I was honestly expecting that watching this movie would make me want to write much more in this fandom, but honestly, the disconnect between how I see the characters and how the creators do is so great that I don’t feel I can do it justice.

That said, that is mostly me venting, mostly because of my own subjective tastes. If you guys enjoyed watching the movie, I’m super happy to hear that! We all need something to cheer us up these days :) I hope that you can all forgive my grumping and overall pettiness, haha.

#Star Wars spoilers #tlj spoilers #grumpiness #sometimes avani blogs about other stuff #also I just got back from the theater so apologies if this is largely incoherent

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