#I love Leia's essential Leia-ness in this

[mosylufanfic]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Finn/Rey (Star Wars), Finn & Rey (Star Wars) Characters: Finn (Star Wars), Rey (Star Wars), Leia Organa Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Magic, The Force is Magic, Meet-Cute, Destiny, Craigslist Summary:

Finn needed a chance, and Two Moons was it. Unfortunately there's a young woman named Rey standing between him and the job. But the Force has a funny way of working things out, as they'll discover.

[its-kinda-snowy]

@colombinna asked

congrats on 200 followers! I love your art! For the request, what do you think abt the Skywalker twins (plus their respective lovers if you're feeling like it) in royal-space outfits? like in a "royal ball" thingy after the war

Firstly thank you so much! Also apologies for taking quite a bit to answer this, I may have gotten carried away with the designs lol. But I really had a blast making these so thank you for sharing the idea :]

Ridiculously detailed descriptions and alternate designs under the cut!

Luke: For his outfit I mainly designed it as a mirror to Leia's (space twins and all that). So I went with mainly harsh angles and an overall darker tone. I feel that Luke also would have prioritized freedom of movement, as he would always be prepared for potential attack (5+ years being on the run from the empire will do that to you lol) He, and the rest of the trio all have a silver inlay which is meant to resemble the rebellion insignia and to add a little glamour. The color of the cape is in reference to the 'rebellion red' and his position as red 5. Tho the blue version below is also beautiful.

And lastly his hair is slicked back due to Leia's insistence that her brother will not, "Look like a scruffy nerf herder," although no one else is complaining lol.

Din: The headcannon of the Mand'alor having a fur collar is still absolutely perfect so I kept it. His outfit is largely unchanged otherwise, with all of his non-beskar armor being removed and a little skirt added for flair. And the red inside of the cape is both in reference to Aq-Vetina and the traditional meaning of red to Mandalorians. (He also may or may not have given Luke those beskar vambraces lol)

Leia:I mainly focused Leia's outfit being largely white in remembrance to Alderaan and along with still being non-traditional. I referenced Padme's outfits a lot for her, as its a nice detail if Leia wanted to honor her after finding out Padme was her mother sometime after ROTJ.

Han:The only reason Han is not in his usual leather jacket is due to his both love and fear of Leia (his hair would only stay back a total of 5 seconds before returning to its poofyness). He is essentially wearing what I would imagine the space version of wearing a black suit to the Met lol, with the mini-cape being a gift from Lando immediately after seeing the stale white bread-ness of his outfit.

[shewhospeakswiththunder]

Perhaps you’re feeling bored at home or, if considered an “essential” worker like me, you need a little fun and stress relief. Here is my masterpost of fic recs from my two years of reading so far. Maybe you’ll find something new, or reconnect with an old favorite. Either way--

Enjoy! 😷💕

Reylo Fics that Deserve All the Love

Near Kinsman by englishable

Englishable is just one of the best writers I’ve encountered in fandom. This historical western mail order bride AU is top notch quality.

The Masochism of Self-Defence by greyorchids

The Reylo dynamic in this Boston PD AU is steamy, but also heartfelt. 

So Much Thin Glass by walkingsaladshooter

Never knew I loved modern day Gothic AUs until I ran across this one.

Heaven Forbid by DarkKnightDarkSide

I was stunned by the author’s creativity in this Priestlo fic. So smutty. So... inventive 😉🔥

Sonder by deathbyhumidity

Two strangers passing each other by on the train. Soft, dreamlike, somber, poignant. Modern AU.

And Still I Would Remember by Inmyownidiom

A Victorian era AU of two souls that parted and come crashing back together.

So, You've Decided to Glamour a Human Girl. by selunchen

Faeries AU! Ben, a fae, and Rey, a human. Shenanigans ensue.

Live Long, and Prosper by SaintHeretical

For the Reylo Trekkies. Hell, even if you don't do Star Trek, read this. PHENOMENAL.

Mr. Solo & Miss Wellfound by LinearA

“Regency/Victorian AU, Ben sees Rey's stockinged ankle by accident.”

Diyari by Nervoustouch

Modern archeologists AU. Snarky banter with dashes of Indiana Jones, The Mummy, and Sahara vibes.

Drawn to the light of your burning sorrows by Kyriadamorte

The Mothlo AU you didn’t know you needed. Both gritty and soft.

Crown Glass by RebelRebel

Fantasy AU, with lots of beautiful imagery and engaging character dynamics.

Kohelet 3:16 (Call Me A Cab) by LinearA

NYC Jewish Leia and Ben. Skillfully layered plot, nuanced characterization. Smut is HOT.

By the Shores of Varykino Lake by hipgrab (merrymegtargaryen)

Unhealthy dynamics, definitely read the tags. “There’s a lot of fucked-up-ness”, in the author’s own words. But it’s good writing. Fair warning.

Let Me Put My Darkness In You by ArdeaJestin

Canonverse. Hux is an insufferable, pompous ass and Kylo Ren writes terrible, melodramatic poetry.

Wintertide by Zabeta

Whimsical and primitive in turn, this lives up to the style of a true fairytale AU.

The Forty Thieves by PoetHrotsvitha

Peaky Blinders/Gangsters AU. Rey starts as Ben’s bartender and ends up as so much more.

I Said to My Soul, Be Still by LinearA

Dark!Rey takes her man. 🥵🔥💕

Hux's Rousing Pep Talks by Riels_shorts

This fic is hysterical. It’s not Reylo, and I don’t care. My list, my rules.

It's All I Can Do To Leave You Alone by TazWren

Office AU. Silly, spunky, with a bashful Ben. 

Sip the Honey Sweet by dietplainlite

Anne of Green Gables-esque/Edwardian era AU, the title really says it all.

The Pull to the Light by HarpiaHarpyja

Entrancingly macabre. This modern/fantasy/monsters AU catches your attention from the get-go, and never lets you off the hook.

lay then the axe to the root by sciosophia

All the Bronte goodness, plus smut.

The Golden Age by TourmalineGreen

Golden Age of Hollywood AU in which Ben is a jaded actor in serious need of an image fix, in the form of fresh-faced actress Rey.

Never Be Your Curse by Kate_Reid 

Kylo Ren is a go-go dancer in this AU. That was enough to get my attention 😘

Gallows God by Killtheselights

Bursting with deliciously grim imagery, an intelligent take on Norse mythology.

Thunderstorms, Clouds, Snow, and a Slight Drizzle by aNerdObsessed

Who doesn’t love an ugly sweater Christmas party? Ben Solo, that’s who. All the nostalgic wintertime feels in this modern AU.

Though My Soul Has Set in Darkness by englishable

It’s not long, but it’s good. A lyrical dive into the mindspace of child Ben Solo. A true gem. Also not technically Reylo. Still don’t care.

I Dare You by tinylittlebrain

Daredevil Kylo has pissed off ER doc Rey Kenobi for the last time. Spicy!

stuck in colder weather by redbelles

Professor Ren stops grad student Rey from biking home in a snow storm. And takes her to his home. You can guess where this goes 😉

Between Sky and Sea by nessalk

Serious Indiana Jones vibes with a Caribbean flair. Painstakingly researched, and moments of true beauty and joy.

But Before Tomorrow by Kate_Reid

Such good writing. Canonverse.

The Sword of Prince Hector by englishable

Exploration of what redemption might feel like for Ben, canonverse. 

if compassion be the breath of life, breathe on me by Victoryindeath2

All the angst and unknowns that we were left with in the wake of TLJ are soothed in this canonverse piece.

build a ladder to the stars by redbelles

An exploration of events post-Crait. Fantastic, beautifully written.

nor are we forgiven (which brings us back) by TolkienGirl

Both Kylo and Rey get to see what life would have been like if they both got exactly what they thought they wanted after TLJ. Fascinating read. 

Forsworn by Erulisse17

This Mando/ST crossover has everything you could want--action, witty banter, space romance! So much fun!

Reylo Favorites & Classics

One Shots

59 Minutes by delia-pavorum (literaryminded)

For Science by KyloTrashForever, ohwise1ne

He Made It Through the Wilderness (somehow he made it through) by LovesBitca8

light carries on endlessly by lachesisgrimm (olga_theodora)

Grey by ocjones

The Idiot's Guide to Flirting by Violetwilson

High School/College AU

I Caught Fire by KyloTrashForever

Mountain Springs High School by animal

Epithumia by pontmercy44

Soul Searching by OptimisticBeth

Office/Workplace AU

Sensual Storytime by andabatae

The Food of Love by LovesBitca8

Historical/Dystopia AU

Hiraeth by Ferasha

a manner of virtue by neonheartbeat

The lamb's thirst by animal

Wanted by Inmyownidiom

She Who Would be Queen by sasstasticmad

go i know not whither and fetch i know not what by voicedimplosives

ABO

Knot My First Time by KyloTrashForever

Canonverse/Canon-divergent

variations on a theme of you by diasterisms (Reydar)

i will be the wolf by diasterisms

Sky Marked Souls by AnonymousMink

The Death of Kylo Ren by nymja

World In My Eyes by sasstasticmad

i'm always in this twilight (in the shadow of your heart) by diasterisms

Catch Me I’m Falling by violethoure666

Sword of the Jedi by diasterisms

You'll Be the One to Turn by postedbygaslight

Dark Crown by Violetwilson

Harry Potter AU

Nocturnal Studies And Other Peculiar Magic by WaterlilyRose

Otherwise Modern AU

Pretense by Celia_and

Insta-heart by slipgoingunder

Serotonin and Dopamine by pontmercy44

The Elusive Mating Dance of the Porgus Adorabilis by andabatae

Hanging by a Moment by crossingwinter

WAR DOGS by fulcrumstardust

miles from where you are by Mooncactus

Charcoal by luvkurai

Stay by jeeno2

coarse and rough and irritating by frak-all (or_ryn)

Blades Crossed by the-reylo-void (Anysia)

Embers by sciosophia

Mitan, Midi by animal

Janus by englishable

Say My Name by Graendoll

Thank You for The Music by hipgrab (merrymegtargaryen)

darling, so it goes by akosmia

This is the Sign You've Been Looking For by RebelRebel

Broken Things by midnightbluefox

One-Night Stand by delia-pavorum (literaryminded)

The Rebel Side of Heaven by jeeno2

On The Bumpy Road (To Love) by violethoure666

we could plant a house, we could build a tree by Like_A_Dove

I’d Like My Obituary to Hint at a Sequel by Violetwilson

Only If You Want To by Violetwilson

Not Reylo, Still Awesome

Gingerflower/Gingerrose, Armitage Hux/Rose Tico 

Between Sand and Sea by Brit Hux-Tico (birchwoods01)

If Ever I Would Leave You by Weddersins

Her Yellow Rainboots by Weddersins

Merrical, Cal Kestis/Merrin (Jedi: Fallen Order)

The Stars Alight by FlyingMachine

Heavy Ice by FlyingMachine

Caltrilla, Cal Kestis/Trilla Suduri (Jedi: Fallen Order)

No One Else by xanderwilde

call it what you want by xanderwilde

tear you to pieces by xanderwilde

Dramione, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter Universe)

Now Is A Gift by SenLinYu

Sex and Occlumency by Graendoll

Zutara, Katara/Zuko (Avatar: the Last Airbender)

oracle bones by an orphaned account

Fics by Me

Virtue Ethics

Reylo College AU (completed)

Dr. Ben Solo, adjunct philosophy professor and part-time martial arts instructor, discovers a young woman in his Intro to Philosophy course whom he thinks may not actually be enrolled at the University.

Chiasmus

Reylo Role-reversal canonverse AU (WIP)

Scourge of the galaxy, Kira Ren, is tasked by the First Order to eliminate the last of the Jedi. When she captures hotshot podracer Ben Solo to extract Luke Skywalker’s location from him, things do not go according to plan. 

This Dance of Light, This Sacred Blessing

Snapshots of a modern Reylo AU. Smutty, prosey one-shot.

Listen Up, Kid

Canonverse Reylo Post TLJ one-shot

The ghosts of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren's past are back to haunt him with a vengeance. A well-meaning, familial kind of vengeance. Or, A Star Wars Carol.

Ben’s Body

Reylo Modern AU (completed)

Rey is an up and coming sculptor specialising in human shape and form. Her new next door neighbour has a body to die for and she's determined to preserve it in marble forever. Now she just has to convince dashing and reclusive Ben to model for her. Preferably naked.

Growin’ Up

Reylo High School AU (completed)

Ben Solo was supposed to only be ruining his own life with his bad decisions. Rey Niima was just trying to pay attention in class. Both get stuck in detention.

Seven Texts, 2 AM

Reylo Modern AU, smutty one-shot

Ben has good reasons not to have sex with his neighbor, Rey. She has other ideas.

Song of the Forest

Reylo Fantasy/BatB/Fairytale AU (completed)

Once upon a time, a girl with an unknown past appeared on the doorsteps of a lord’s manor, and now the forest at the edge of the lord’s property is calling to her.

A Season of Frost & Warmth

Modern Reylo P&P AU (completed)

When Ben shows up to a Halloween party with no costume, it only confirms Rey’s certainty that he is the world’s biggest jerk. Until it comes to light that maybe... he isn’t. 

Follow Me Home

Modern Werewolf Reylo AU (completed)

Rey gets stone drunk and brings home a big cute husky she found in an alley. The next morning, she finds a naked man built like a fridge sleeping on her living room floor, and no dog in sight.

The Gentleness That Comes

Reylo Modern AU one-shot

Underground boxer!Ben is resigned to his life of violence, until he meets a pretty new bartender one night.

Unlikely, Unbidden, Unbound

Gingerflower canonverse AU (WIP)

General Hux is imprisoned by the Resistance when the First Order falls. He had known his death was coming, it was simply a matter of course. He’s disappointed to learn the Resistance has other plans, and an unwavering policy of giving people second chances.

@thereylowritingden @reylofic @nancylovesreylo @grlie-girl @lilia-ula @greyforceuser @tazwren @mhcalamas

[wehavethoughts]

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope Review!

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

George Lucas (1977)

20th Century Fox Productions

Science Fiction, Action, Adventure, Fantasy Movie

Rating: 3.5/5 Waves

Content warnings for A New Hope: Character death, Violence, Implied torture

This review does NOT contain spoilers.

“She may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts, kid.” – Han Solo 

Summary: A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the evil Galactic Empire has lost the plans to their planet-destroying battle station, the Death Star, to Princess Leia of Alderaan, an agent of the Rebel Alliance. Unfortunately for the princess, the Empire has sent the mysterious and powerful Darth Vader to retrieve the plans. Cue the epic space adventure starring a farm boy, a smuggler, a Wookiee, a Jedi and a pair of sassy droids. Can they save the princess, deliver the plans to the Rebels and restore hope to the galaxy?

It’s difficult, some might say impossible, to think about Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope as a stand alone movie. This movie launched one of the biggest and most lucrative brands in western media, and it is hard to think of the movie without considering the impact it has already had on our culture. I personally love every chapter of Star Wars in their own way. These are stories of adventure, friendship, and hope. Who wouldn’t love that? However,  it is easy to get lost in the iconic-ness without actually thinking about the movie itself. So I am going to do my best to judge this movie for what it is (as I see it), not what it’s done. 

Let’s start with the obvious: the special effects. A New Hope premiered in 1977 with state-of-the-art, groundbreaking visual effects. It won an Oscar for Visual Effects, that’s how good it was. So how does it hold up more than 40 years later? Honestly, not bad. During blaster fights and light saber battles, it’s clear that this film is very old (there is something about the lighting idk), but I personally never found it to be jarring enough to pull me out of the experience. The well developed sets and reliance on costumes and prosthetics allow the audience to be swept away by this alien universe in spite of the dated effects.

One thing that does not stand the test of time, though, is the movie’s pacing. Modern audiences are used to fast paced action adventure stories with a lot of explosions and yelling, especially when it comes to intergalactic wars. A New Hope, in contrast, finds itself meandering through deserts and space stations at a glacial pace. While it is clearly trying to build tension with its long, quiet shots, it gives the audience just enough time to check out emotionally. 

There are two main points that kept me from giving this movie a higher rating: 1) the lack of diversity, and 2) the unrealistic way the characters respond to trauma. 

First of all, there are only two women characters with speaking roles in this entire movie and no people of color. With all of the aliens and droids, they chose not to include a single person of color in their galaxy far, far away? It just doesn’t speak to diverse audiences in 2020. 

Second, Luke and Leia have to weather insanely traumatic events in this film, yet these characters dust their shoulders off and move on with hardly a scene to process. It might be trying to speak to their resilience, but it also sends a message to suck up your emotions and get the job done, which frankly is just plain unhealthy.

That being said, I still gave this movie 3.5 out of 5 waves. So what does this movie have going for it? At the end of the day, the big draws for me are the music and the character dynamics. 

Movie scores can make or break a movie: one of the reasons why I love A New Hope so much is because of its fantastic music. With each swell of the orchestra, we are transported fully into this fantastical world. The music plays as much of a role as the characters, adding comic relief and dramatic tension in equal measure. 

The sound effects are equally compelling. It takes quite a bit of work to create believable sounds for things that do not exist, like lightsabers and TIE Fighters, but the sound designer, Ben Burtt, was up to the task. He created the iconic lightsaber sounds using a projector motor, an old tv, a speaker and a moving microphone. This fun blend was essential to make the lightsabers buzz, hum and zoom the way we know and love. Ben Burtt was also responsible for Chewbacca’s growls and roars (bears, walruses, lions and badgers) and R2-D2’s classic chirps and screams (a synth and Ben Burtt making weird sounds). 

My absolute favorite thing about this movie has to be the dynamic between the three main heroes. They embody such youthful and relatable energy, and together they make a team that is not only effective at getting the job done, but fun to watch. It comes across as an authentic and organic friendship that I just love to see.

Tldr; Definitely worth the watch. It’s a fun movie with relatable and unique characters, but you will be disappointed if you go in expecting diversity, a typical action movie’s pace, or much emotional depth. 

~ TideMod

(wave icon by Nawicon from the Noun Project) 

[emperorren]

is it ok if i ask you to discuss more why romance is the way to make a kylo rey dynamic compelling if they aren’t family and the light / dark stuff ? if you dont want to im sorry for this please ignore .

What you have in Reylo is the trilogy’s crucial hero/villain dynamic where the two characters involved develop much more complex and intense feelings for each other than simple hatred—the hero wants to save the villain, the villain wants the hero at his side, and is devastated when (s)he refuses to follow him. By identifying with the hero’s perspective, the audience becomes invested in the dynamic with the villain, and wants him redeemed just as bad as the hero does. Can you have a Star War without these elements? I don’t think so. Now, imagine you’re a writer, you have Rey and Kylo Ren and you gotta make their dynamic compelling in the way I described above. You have to ask yourself: what motivates these characters? Why do they end up caring for each other? Why does the hero want to save the villain? Why does the villain feel affection for the hero?

The Star Wars movies have 3 basic templates to answer those questions: a) familial love (Luke/Anakin); b) friendship (Obi Wan/Anakin); c) romantic love (Padme/Anakin).

We can immediately rule out familial love, as TLJ revealed with no ambiguity that Rey and Kylo are not related. So no bro/sis separated in infancy feels, no Cain and Abel narrative, no “I can’t kill him because he’s my brother (/cousin)”, no “finding happiness in family again through long lost relative I didn’t even know I had”. Not that these narratives were bad, on the contrary—it’s just not happening in this story.

We can also rule out friendship, because friendship in Star Wars requires a solid relationship built on shared ideals, common goals and working side by side. You have essentially two types of friendship in the SW movies:

camaraderie/brotp, seen mostly between age-peer(ish) characters (typically male, like Han/Luke, Han/Lando, Obi Wan/Anakin, F*nn/Poe, though F*nnrey and Leia/Holdo also qualify)who have Gone Through Some Shit Together: the characters are comfortable around each other, know each other fairly well, joke a lot, there might be some tension occasionally but it’s generally resolved within the same movie; it can be a long time friendship or an insta-friendship that blossoms while being in the same adventure together;

mentorship (Obi Wan/Qui Gon Jinn, Obi Wan/Anakin, Obi Wan/Luke, etc.): seen mostly between male characters with sizeable age gaps, who have been each other’s mentor/student for a certain period;

and neither fits the Reylo dynamic as we’ve seen it so far. (sure, there’s “friendship” involved—”You’re not alone” “Neither are you”, and there’s “mentorship” involved—“I can show you the ways of the Force”, and he did, via the Force Bond), but both are are tinged with too much tension, too much electricity, too much unspoken-ness to neatly fit the boxes above—this relationship is simultaneously less and more than friendship as Star Wars does it.

So it has to be romantic love. Remember: you’re going for a STRONG dynamic, so half measures and weak sauces aren’t going to work. There have to be lots of drama and tears involved, especially now that the legacy characters are dead or virtually dead: Rey’s the only living character who is in pain because of Ben’s fall. That pain SERVES the narrative—is actually crucial to the narrative—and has to be MOTIVATED, believable, on Rey’s part. Why would she care so much for Kylo Ben, if Kylo Ben isn’t: 

a) her blood

b) her friend?

Because she’s in love with him, that’s why. Love is one of the strongest pulls a human being can feel towards another, and it doesn’t require a lot of explanation narrative wise, because sometimes love just… happens. Irrationally. Against all hope or better judgment. Romantic love is both strong and chaotic enough to explain why Rey would become attached to her sworn enemy. Thus it’s the simplest and most effective narrative path to follow for these two characters.

(there could have been another way, which I call the Frodo Effect—Rey becoming invested in Kylo’s redemption because she sees in him what she could become at any moment if she gives in to the dark side. She feels compassion for him because she knows they’re not that different, they both have this raw strength, this violent energy that’s so easy to lose yourself in, and deep down she knows she was tempted, and could have gone down Kylo’s path if circumstances had been different. But the trilogy so far doesn’t seem too preoccupied with Rey’s dark side, and neither does Rey: she has some darkness in her and she’s aware of it, but she’s not particularly angsty about it, or worried that it might consume her—certainly not enough for it to be her only motivation to save Ben.)

As for the light vs dark, think of the Jedi and the Sith as archetypal opposites, like two plates of a scale. Star Wars has always drawn inspiration from eastern philosophy, and the light side vs dark side thing is pretty much a space version of the yin/yang dichotomy. Yet the original trilogy failed to address an important part of this archetypal dichotomy, which is that neither side can exist without the other, and each side contains a seed of the other—there’s always a little feminine in every masculine, always a little shadow in every light, and light itself cannot be defined or conceptualized if not against its opposite. The original trilogy dismissed all this subtext with an oversimplified, westernized concept of the “balance” as “light triumph over darkness”… but if you think about it, if you have a pair of forces pulling in opposite directions, the balance CANNOT be one force destroying the other—that’s the opposite of what balance is. And the prequel trilogy HAD the opportunity to deconstruct this oversimplification—it ALMOST did, by showing how Anakin was pushed to the dark side by the Jedi’s fundamentalism and attempts to destroy everything the dark side represents, even on an individual level, by censoring passions, emotionality, anger in their adepts—but eventually failed to properly introduce a new concept of balance as well. It was a set up for something that never happened… until 2015, when the sequel trilogy started. 

I’m fairly sure that by having a boy and a girl at the extreme sides of this polarization, they mean to have them meet in the middle and make sweet sweet love. Romantic/sexual attraction and hopelessly falling in love as a metaphor of the inexorable pull of the light towards the dark side and vice versa, to achieve a balance of opposites that’s the only way to -ahem- creation.

[starringemiliaclarke]

Emilia Clarke on Why Game of Thrones Is the Perfect Form of Escapism + HQ Scans

As Daenerys Targaryen on Game of Thrones, Emilia Clarke created a warrior queen for the ages. Her legend can be told on the walls of caves or on T-shirts at Comic-Con. But behind the Valkyrie wigs and very testy dragons, Clarke has an inspiring origin story of her own.

A valley sprawls before her, rich with every color of green in the kingdom, reaching out to a twinkling city, which borders the infinite sea. Her hair (tinted not with peroxide, but tiny flecks of actual gold) glows with a radiance that makes the setting sun so jealous it hides behind the surrounding mountains, and the evening sky blushes. She is Daenerys Targaryen, Queen of the Andals, Breaker of Chains, Mother of Dragons, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea. Everything in sight belongs to her.

Just kidding! She is Emilia Clarke, sitting high above Beverly Hills in a glass mansion rented for a magazine cover shoot. So high up that passing aircraft rattle the bones of the house and those inside it. So high up that you can see Santa Catalina Island in the distance, peeking out from behind a curtain of fog. She laughs about something the makeup artist says, and the last of the evening light bounces off of her cheekbones and shoots into the camera lens.

We are in the sky to talk about Clarke’s reign as one of the most preeminent television actresses of our time, as Daenerys on Game of Thrones. But first, I have a few questions about her abandoned career as a jazz singer.

Clarke’s default emotion is joy — her resting heart rate seems to be just below that of someone seconds after winning a medium-expensive raffle prize — but it quickly congeals into theatrical horror when I reveal that I know that she is a casual but talented singer of jazz music.

When she was 10, Clarke was an alto in a chorus that she describes as “very churchy.” Then a substitute teacher introduced her class to jazz. “I just innately understood it,” she explains. “I was always sliding up and down the notes. Every time, the [chorus] teacher would be like, ‘Quit sliding, just sing that note and then that one and that’s it. Stop trying to fuck with it.’ Then this [jazz teacher] was like, ‘Fuck with it. That’s the point.’ ” Fast-forward a couple of decades, and Clarke was singing “The Way You Look Tonight” at the American Songbook Gala in New York, honoring Richard Plepler, erstwhile CEO of HBO. Nicole Kidman was there, too, and that is the story of Emilia Clarke, a very famous singer.

Just kidding, again! That is the story of Emilia Clarke, extremely famous actress, and it is not even the beginning. Game of Thrones, the HBO fantasy epic that has captured the global zeitgeist for most of the past decade, has entered its ultimate season. Since the show premiered in 2011, Daenerys’s searing platinum blonde has been branded into the brains of every living person with cable access, so much so that she has become as recognizable an action figure as Princess Leia. Every autumn, legions of Americans don Grecian-style dresses and carry stuffed dragons to Halloween parties in homage. Kristen Wiig even appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in a full Daenerys getup. This phenomenon exists in part because it’s a relatively easy costume to assemble, but more likely because Game of Thrones is the most popular TV show in the history of TV shows.

It’s also just one of three popular entertainment franchises Clarke has participated in. Last year: Solo: A Star Wars Story, as a paramour of Han Solo. Two years before that: the fifth Terminator movie, beside Arnold. She was also Holly Golightly in a short-lived Breakfast at Tiffany’s production on Broadway. None of those projects were particularly successful — but none of that matters, to a remarkable degree, because what matters is: The people love Daenerys.

They love a character whose series arc begins with her indentured servitude as a warlord’s concubine and ends, most recently, with her fighting for sovereignty over a league of nations and for a throne made of swords. They love how fictional languages drift from her mouth like dancing smoke, and how her searing-white mane retains a fearsome curl, even in or near battle. They love the whole dragons thing.

The people would love Emilia Clarke, too, if only they knew who she was. During the first few seasons of Game of Thrones, Clarke was able to fool the general public into believing she was very regular civilian Emilia Clarke, because Daenerys was blonde, and Clarke was not. Now, she says, recognition happens more frequently. Particularly Stateside.

For reasons I cannot fathom, Americans feel more entitled to command the attention of celebrities. “People are like, ‘UH-melia CLORK!’ ” she says, in perfect American. In London, people are prone to whisper about her as she passes by. “ ‘Was that Emilia Clarke?’ ”

“I move like a shark when I’m in public,” she says. “Head down. I think I’ve got quite bad posture because of it, because I’m determined to lead a normal life. So I just move too quickly for anyone to register if it’s me or not. And I don’t walk around with six security men and big sunglasses and a bizarre coat. I really try to meld in.” It gets worse when the show is being promoted, but otherwise, she says, it’s not so bad.

“I move like a shark when I’m in public. Head down…I’m determined to lead a normal life, so I just move too quickly for anyone to register if it’s me or not.”

Her best efforts aside, anonymity may be a pipe dream. The show is as decorated as a Christmas tree in a craft store. Game of Thrones has won a Peabody and 47 Emmys, the most of any television drama in history. The show marries critical praise with popular success, then it mercilessly slaughters those who have come to celebrate this union and receives even more acclaim (“The Rains of Castamere,” season 3, episode 9). The plotlines are famously convoluted. Luckily, we have an entire web’s worth of episode explainers, encyclopedias designed specifically for the Westeros universe, and a self-explanatory Funny or Die segment called Gay of Thrones, starring Jonathan van Ness.

When Mad Men first aired, television bloggers dutifully unpacked its symbolic elements, and millennials celebrated the show’s style with Mad Men–themed parties that were really just ’60s-and-one-red-wig-themed parties. Game of Thrones is basically an economy of its own. Since the show premiered, tourism to Croatia, whose coastal port Dubrovnik stands in for the fictional city of King’s Landing, has nearly doubled. Game of Thrones–themed weddings are so popular that it is almost impossible not to attend them — in 2016, Clarke accidentally walked into one that was occurring at the same hotel where she and the cast were staying during filming. (It was not a canonical wedding, and no guests were harmed.)

Game of Thrones has also earned one of the most important pop culture accolades of the century: The attention of Beyoncé Knowles. I believe it is her favorite TV show, and this is why.

Exhibit A: Jay-Z reportedly gave her a prop dragon’s egg from the set, at great personal expense. Exhibit B: At an Oscars after-party this year, Beyoncé approached Clarke (“voluntarily,” according to the actress) to introduce herself. “I watched her face go, ‘Oh, no, I shouldn’t be talking to this crazy [woman], who is essentially crying in front of me,’ ” remembers Clarke. “I think my inner monologue was, ‘Stop fucking it up,’ and I kept fucking it up.”

“I was like, ‘I just saw you in concert.’ And she was like, ‘I know.’ ” Clarke also mentions that Beyoncé complimented her work but declines to share specifics.

Why are people (more specifically, everybody) and goddesses (more specifically, Beyoncé) all obsessed with a show about some dragons and lots of dungeons?

“The show is sensationalist in a way,” Clarke explains, in an effort to describe a TV series that features twins having sex and a child’s defenestration in the very first episode. It doesn’t matter — Clarke’s conversational style is so intimate and emphatic that basic facts feel like sworn secrets. When she smiles, she does so with every single muscle in her face. “It’s the reason why people pick up gossip magazines. They want to know what happens next…. You’ve got a society that is far removed enough from ours but also circulates around power. How that corrupts people and how we want it, and how we don’t want it.”

In other words, Game of Thrones’ value proposition is creating a rich other world for people to experience a prestige, high-production version of pure, horny, violent, unbridled drama. It is, according to Clarke, pitched perfectly: “I think it caught Western society at exactly the right moment.”

“I don’t know about you,” she says, “but when I watch something, it’s escapism. I’m feeling crappy; I’m just sad, moody, depressed, upset, angry, whatever it is. I know that distraction is what makes me get better. Distraction is what really, really helps me.” She laughs and then quickly pivots to a caveat: “I’m sure that’s not what a therapist would advise.”

It is at this point that Emilia Clarke leans in very close, her breath knocking at my sideburn, and explains to me the bombastic and devastating ending to the most important TV show of the decade.

Wow — just kidding once more. But, uh, while we’re on the topic, how is this whole thing going to end?

It was not hard to root for the Breaker of Chains, until recently. Now we’re seeing the gentle unspooling of her character, and flickers of a dangerous prophecy that she will ascend the throne only to follow in her father’s footsteps and burn it all to the ground. For a while, Daenerys seemed like the Lawful Good ruler, but we have had the great pleasure of watching how power can pervert people. (Nate Jones, at Vulture, leads a thrilling discussion of this very topic.) (Also, if Daenerys were to rule the Seven Kingdoms, only to go nuts, we might at the very least have a spinoff to look forward to.)

Clarke will never say. Throughout 10 or so years in the public eye, her interviews have been peppered with the same handful of charming personal details from her career — the service jobs she worked prior to making it, dancing the funky chicken during her Game of Thrones audition — which feels a lot like walking a vast beach and finding the same series of 10 seashells.

Then, in March, some very different treasure washed ashore when The New Yorker ran the most illuminating profile of Emilia Clarke to date. It was written by Emilia Clarke.

If I am truly being honest every minute of every day I thought I was going to die.

In it, Clarke revealed that she had suffered two near-fatal brain aneurysms during the early seasons of Game of Thrones. The first hit her mid-plank during a training session, and not long after, doctors discovered a second that required them to open her skull for a risky operation. The recovery period was, to her, more painful than the aneurysms. “If I am truly being honest,” she wrote, “every minute of every day I thought I was going to die.” She also announced her charity venture, SameYou, which seeks to provide rehabilitation for young people recovering from brain injuries.

The second time we talk, it is the day before the Game of Thrones New York premiere, and Clarke is at a morning fitting, surrounded by a coronation’s worth of gowns. It’s early, and a passing cold has fried the edges of her voice. But her words still vibrate with so much joy, it’s like she doesn’t even notice. She’s just happy to be here, wherever she is.

Source

Emilia Clarke on Why Game of Thrones Is the Perfect Form of Escapism + HQ Scans was originally published on Enchanting Emilia Clarke | Est 2012

[dracox-serdriel]

Meta: The Genesis of Kylo Ren

Warning: Contains spoilers for both The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.

The first two films have presented his origin and his catalyst, the thing that pushed him to the Dark Side. However, they have barely scratched the surface on the genesis of Kylo Ren.

Below the cut for spoilers, length, and sanity.

What We Don’t Know about Ben Solo (Hint: A lot)

The catalyst moment is described by both parties in The Last Jedi, but it’s crucial to keep in mind that we have, in fact, seen this scene from two disparaging points of view (and one other time when Luke lied to Rey about the events that unfolded). The truth is a three-edged sword: their side, your side, and the truth. We’ve seen Luke’s side and Kylo’s side, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that we know the actual truth of that night.

But what we do know about that night is that it was his catalyst. We also know his origin/family. While these are crucial elements of his genesis, it remains incomplete. The question everyone should be asking is Why did Ben Solo have so much darkness in him by the time Luke “reads” his mind and future?

Luke comments that it was worse than he imagined, but he doesn’t bother talking about why it was there to begin with. We don’t know how long Ben Solo had been training with Luke before this moment occurs, either. But there is this one exchange between Han and Leia that provides some illumination.

HAN: Every time you look me, you're reminded of him.

LEIA: Do you think I want to forget him? I want him back.

HAN: There's nothing more we could have done. There's too much Vader in him.

LEIA: That's why I wanted him to train with Luke. I just never should had sent him away. That’s when I lost him. That's when I lost you both.

-- General Leia and Han Solo in The Force Awakens

Apparently, Han is under the impression that there is “too much Vader” in Ben, as if the Dark Side has some kind of gene that skips a generation or something. Most noticeably, Leia doesn’t disagree with him... she sent him to train with Luke because of all that Vader-ness he had.

In The Phantom Menace, Yoda meets Anakin and says, “I sense much fear in you.” It leads him to question whether or not Anakin should be trained as a Jedi at all.

Yet.. what Anakin fears is losing his mother. For a young boy forced to leave his mother behind in slavery, fearing that he will lose her forever is perfectly reasonable. In fact, if he wasn’t afraid of such a thing, that would seem... well, weird. Who can love someone, leave them behind in slavery, and not be afraid of losing that person?

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

-- Yoda in The Phantom Menace

This seems... oddly unwise. Fear can lead to anger, certainly. But it can also lead to courage. Courage is persistence in the face of fear, not the absence of it.

And anger is hardly a bad thing. Anger is the emotion that flares up when something isn’t right. Experiencing anger simply means something is wrong. (And, in some cases, the thing that is wrong is your perspective.)

And let’s be honest here, nobody accidentally becomes Darth Maul or Darth Vader. Anakin became Darth Vader because he was desperate to save Padme and his children. You could argue that the reason was that he was afraid to lose his wife, but you’d only be half-correct. He was afraid to lose his wife, and he selfishly chose to betray everything in an attempt to save her.

Yes, it’s entirely possible for Anakin Skywalker to be afraid of losing his wife and not be an epic tool about it. The fact that he was afraid was not the problem. The fact that he recklessly and selfishly acted on that fear to the detriment of so many others was the problem. He was so afraid that he sought power to protect the ones he loved.

You don’t need to be a Jedi to make that particular error. And, what’s more, fear isn’t the only possible path to such a mistake. Someone could easily chose to seek power like that because they believe it is the only way to make the galaxy a better place. Sure, they might have to make a few... less then palatable decisions that essentially equal the oppression and injustice they (eventually) plan to rid the galaxy of. But that’s okay, because, once they’re in a position of power, that power can be used to fix everything.

The above paragraph describes pride. Hubris. Not fear. Yet fear seems to be the Jedi fall guy for the Dark Side... more so than all the other paths to putting power over the lives of others.

So, if we keep in mind that, according to Jedi Teachings, fear “is the path to the Dark Side” and, in general, blamed for bad/Dark choices... this changes our question from Why did Ben Solo have so much darkness in him by the time Luke “reads” his mind and future? to Why did Ben Solo have so much fear in him by the time Luke “reads” his mind and future?

What, exactly, did Ben Solo fear?

I’m guessing that there are a number of factors in play here, but the most obvious ones include the following:

Losing his parents, the people he loved most (echoing Anakin’s fears).

Not living up to either family name. He was both ‘a Solo’ and ‘a Skywalker.’ That’s a hellova lot of expectation for, as far as we know, the sole heir of both families.

His own power and abilities. Luke commented on the fact that Ben Solo had a lot of “raw power,” and it seems like Leia and Han both saw his abilities as... well, Dark and out of control. We don’t know how old he was when he went to train with Luke, but a young son who loved his parents would likely take their impressions/reactions (“OMG, he’s out of control...” or even “OMG, he’s like his grandfather!”) to heart at nearly any age.

Ben Solo’s Childhood

I’ve seen a lot of speculation (and some outright assumption) about Ben Solo being neglected as a child. Not on purpose, of course. It’s just... Han wasn’t around much (smugglers gotta smuggle, you know?) and Leia was obviously busy with politics and such. Ben got the short end of the parenting stick.

It’s possible, but neither of the movies establish this. In fact, they imply just the opposite.

Leia specifically says, “I just never should had sent him away. That’s when I lost him.” She’s not one to shy away from personal accountability. If she suspected that she neglected her son - that she hadn’t been there for him enough when he was young and needed her - she would’ve said that. Furthermore, later in that same conversation:

LEIA: ...I just never should had sent him away. That's when I lost him. That's when I lost you both.

HAN: We both had to deal with it in our own way. I went back to the only thing I was only good at.

LEIA: We both did.

HAN: We lost our son. Forever.

LEIA: No. It was Snoke. He seduced our son to the dark side. But we can still save him. Me. You.

HAN: If Luke couldn't reach him, how could I?

LEIA: Luke is a Jedi. You're his father.

-- General Leia and Han Solo in The Force Awakens (emphasis mine)

This conversation implies that Han returned to full-time smuggling, and Leia to full-time politics, after Ben Solo destroyed Luke’s new Jedi Temple (or, when Ben was sent away to train with Luke--which is when Leia argues she lost him). Sure, it’s possible they neglected their only son. Heroes aren’t perfect. But canon so far strongly implies that Han and Leia put their son before their careers, with at least one of them acting as a primary caretaker. (Otherwise, they wouldn’t have to “go back” to what they were good at when they lost their son because they would’ve already been doing it.) Unfortunately, despite their dedication, neither Leia nor Han could help their son when they discover he is Force Sensitive. Leia has some experience with the Force, and Han knows about it, obviously, but neither one of them ever had the “raw power” (Luke’s words) that Ben Solo possessed.

Canon strongly implies that Han and Leia raised their son, but they had no idea how to help him when it came to the Force. Two parents raising their only child find out that they can’t help him with a fundamental part of who he is (being Force Sensitive). It would be perfectly reasonable for them to feel helpless - even miserable - over something like that... to feel like failures as parents. And it would also be perfectly reasonable for Ben Solo to read that helplessness and misery as a rejection. To see being sent away to his uncle was a sign of him being somehow defective in the eyes of his own parents.

To reiterate: canon hasn’t stated Ben Solo was neglected by his parents. In fact, it implies that they were heavily active in his childhood.

Think about it this way. If they weren’t very active in his upbringing (he was raised mostly by people hired to care for him), then sending him away to a [Jedi] boarding school wouldn’t be all that surprising. It’s not that he would want to leave his parents, but if he doesn’t see them much as it is, then being shipped off wouldn’t really be that much of a change in the family dynamic.

But, if Han and Leia were active in his upbringing, then sending him away wouldn’t just be shipping him off to a [Jedi] boarding school. It would also be ripping away his foundation - taking away the two people he loved and trusted most - to go live with an uncle.

Which would be more harmful to young Ben’s view of himself and his abilities? Two parents that didn’t have much time for him, even though they loved him, sending him away; or, two parents that were always there because they loved him...  until, one day, they weren’t.

I argue that the second scenario is far more compelling and in line with what (little) we know from canon. The second scenario would definitely feel more like punishment from young Ben Solo’s perspective as well. (More on that later.)

This also explains why Ben has “too much of his father’s heart” in him. How could he have so much of his father’s heart if he never really knew the man?

SNOKE: There's something more. The droid we seek is aboard the Millennium Falcon. In the hands of your father, Han Solo.

KYLO: He means nothing to me.

SNOKE: Even you, Master of the Knights of Ren, have never faced such a test.

KYLO: By the grace of your training, I will not be seduced.

SNOKE: We shall see.

-- Snoke and Kylo Ren in The Force Awakens

Snoke seems very concerned about the fact that Kylo must face his own father. Which is odd, given that current objective is to acquire a map to Kylo’s uncle (to kill him) before Kylo’s mother and her forces get ahold of it. Kylo’s family is all over the place in this situation, so why does Snoke put such an emphasis on Kylo’s father a threat?

And, why does Kylo have to reassure his teacher that he won’t be seduced by an encounter with his father?

As far as we know, Han has been running around since he “lost his son” (either after the whole Jedi-temple-burning thing happened or when his son went away to train with Luke), smuggling stuff and generally getting into trouble. He has actively been avoiding the rebellion (“Leia doesn’t want to see me”), even though it’s pretty obvious that they could use a hand. Meanwhile (again, as far as we know from canon), Leia has been in the thick of the rebellion.

So, why would Kylo Ren, who has been fighting a rebellion led by his own mother, have any trouble leading an effort to steal something from his own father?

Canon is silent on the subject, but I believe that, as far as the movies go, Han Solo stopped smuggling (and whatnot) to become a full-time father to Ben and to support his wife’s career. That would mean young Ben Solo spent his formative years with his father as his primary caretaker. This would certainly explain why Snoke would be much more concerned about Kylo Ren facing off against his father despite the fact that he’s basically constantly facing off against his mother. This would also explain why Kylo has to reassure Snoke that his father won’t be enough to sway him from his training or commitment to the Dark Side.

And this explains Leia’s line: “I just never should had sent him away. That's when I lost him. That's when I lost you both” (emphasis mine). I said before, Leia is not one to shy away from personal accountability. She very specifically says “I” here - not “we.” She chose to send him away to train with Luke, which makes it sound like Han either disagreed or at least resisted the idea.

This is confirmed, in part, by Luke:

“Han was, well... Han about it. But Leia trusted me with her son.”

-- Luke about training Ben Solo in The Last Jedi

It seems like Leia chose to send Ben away, even though Han didn’t really want it. She said that was when she lost them both... which makes sense, if Han had given up his day job to be a full-time caretaker for his son, only to have that son sent away. He’d return to his day job, which meant traveling and being apart from Leia far more often.

Ben Solo’s Darkness/Fear

Why was there so much darkness in Ben Solo? Because he was separated from the two people he loved and trusted the most, punished for powers he didn’t ask for, and undoubtedly told that his fear of losing his parents forever because of said powers was an inherently bad thing (again: fear is the Jedi fall guy).

So now... he’s afraid of losing his parents, likely afraid of his own power, and afraid of being afraid of both those things. He was probably also afraid of letting his parents down, letting Luke/his teacher down, and not living up to the family name. He was probably also afraid of being afraid of those things, too.

I mentioned earlier that, from Ben’s perspective, being sent to Jedi school and away from two active parents would seem more like punishment. I believe this is important, because it frames his experience. He was punished for his Force abilities - first by his parents, who sent him away, and then by his uncle and teacher, who saw his power and tried to murder him in his sleep.

His living kin are all champions of the Light Side. But they aren’t his only kin.

It certainly makes sense that Ben Solo might see his grandfather, Darth Vader, as the one family member who could’ve understood him... Had he been alive, Darth Vader would’ve accepted Ben, even lauded him for the “raw power” he possessed, rather than punishing him for it.

[clarabosswald]

tlj spoilers

thelukeskywalkers

POC were treated badly (Finn was sidelined and treated like a joke; Poe was turned into the hotheaded latinx stereotype when it didn’t align with his previous characterization; both were hurt multiple times for no reason)

Rey and Luke were ooc and had their plots revolve around kylo

i didn’t feel that finn was either sidelined (given his own plotline just like rey and poe?) or treated like a joke (as in, cracking jokes and being a bit panicky at times? i felt like that was consistent with his tfa characterization; he actually had more opportunities to be a serious character and make impact on stuff - willing to ditch everything to save rey; coming up with the hijack plan with rose and poe; facing phasma; willing to sacrifice himself to destroy the cannon - all of that is very non-jokey and in my eyes majorly outweighs the comical aspects of his character) - but please elaborate (if you like) bc i may very well be missing something here poe - the thing about poe is that i had almost 0 connection to him in tfa. i felt like he had almost no personality whatsoever. so i was really hyped to see him get his very own plotline and get to see his motives explored - so in this case i’d rather have him fall under the hotheaded latinx stereotype instead of be an empty character with no apparent drives or thoughts or anything, which i think would’ve been more harmful (but obviously that’s me talking from a white pov) as for them getting hurt - specifically, with tons of people getting hurt and/or dying in this movie, i felt like they were both relatively protected by Main Character Plot Armor pretty well - if any poc character got unnecessarily badly hurt, imo that’d be rose more more than finn or poe i mean i feel like there’s a major different between unnecessarily killing off poc characters and between poc characters getting hurt because of their choices and their plotlines - can you honestly wrap all poc characters with a protective bubble to keep them safe, and at the same time give them an interesting and meaningful story with their own independent choices and motives? without turning them into token poc characters or plastic stand-ins? as long as they don’t get ejected from the plot for no reason, and as long as their choices put them in dangerous situations, then i think that getting hurt (without going too overboard and angsty with it) is a realistic consequence to have, and a sign if good writing (again that’s my white privileged pov speaking so corrections are welcome) rey and luke - i didn’t really feel ooc-ness in rey’s stuff personally; as for luke, it’s literally been decades in his life since we last saw him (i mean in the original trilogy, not tfa where he just stood there and stared for a few seconds) - the man’s been through tons of traumatic shit and man, he also just. aged? so of course he’d seem ooc if you expect him to be exactly the same as that young guy in rotj. but i feel like i’d have been super disappointed if he were? i didn’t expect him to be exactly the same; if he were, he would never have isolated himself on that damn island in the first place; so personally i really loved the conflict and bitterness and grumpy-old-guy-ness because it fit him - it fit a man who’s lost everything and went through so much trauma trying to do the right thing, it fit a man who’d choose to run away from the universe. and i loved the arc of him finding purpose and hope again, finding his way again - in a way, returning to be “in character”. so that’s my 2 cents on that them revolving around kylo - well, it started with rey wanting to convince luke to come back, and wanting him to teach her/help her find her path, which was on its own completely unrelated to ren; then it naturally connected to ren, since ren was luke’s student, and that failed as we learned in tfa - so it HAD to go there. as for rey’s ~special mind connection~ with ren, yeah, that felt super awkward and i didn’t like it much at all. the mock/almost redemption arc he got was... also uncomfortable, but i felt like it was necessary - it’s such a popular concept in the fandom - any fandom really - it had to be addressed in one way or another - and i was so relieved that it ultimately didn’t work, because it should’ve have, and for it to work would’ve been super ooc and fanwanky imo; but yeah, rey and luke being so focused on kylo was a plot necessity because it always led there - for them to have a healthy teacher/student relationship while completely ignoring luke’s past with ren would’ve been super unrealistic and frankly worse writing than the (admittedly exaggerated) focus we got on it in the end bc the fact is, while i dislike ren, he’s a major character - he’s the main villain, always has been, much more than snoke (which is why him killing snoke made so much sense, at least to me) - and he’s got those strong ties to luke and leia, and rey after all their battling in tfa - so, logically, there had to be some degree of major focus on him during this movie - ultimately i’m just so glad it didn't all go the redemption arc way in the end - especially since we seemed so damn close to it after snoke’s death

so basically the poc treatment issues - i see where you’re coming from, but i think that was actually good character writing rather than neglection of poc characters - but i recognize that i speak from a white privilege pov so my opinion doesn’t really matter much in this subject rey and luke ooc-ness i also disagree with (though i just vomited by own opinions since you didn’t elaborate much, so maybe i didn’t even address anything you were meaning/referring to in saying “ooc”) kylo ren centercism - agree with to some degree - the ~special mind connection~ was imo mostly unnecessary and embarrassing, even if it gave us some interesting insight into character motives etc - but some focus was essential since he’s the main villain and was left with dangling plot threads from tfa (conflict of light vs dark in him, what went on between him and luke, his relationship with snoke, etc)

and yeah

[gamebird]

Still more Star Wars thoughts

Poe says, “Big ass door”. Honestly, I was struggling to remember if anyone in the Star Wars universe cursed in Standard. I’ve been writing fic with an OC who is especially foul-mouthed and despite dosh, frag, kriff, etc., there are times when it’s tough to find a word that contains the nuance I want when he tells Kylo Ren ‘you are the most inconvenient asshole ever’ or calls him ‘Kylo Fucking Ren’, that just wouldn’t be adequately conveyed by ‘inconvenient dosh’ or ‘Kylo Kriffing Ren’ in my mind. I don’t want my readers to have to go comb through Wookieepedia to understand my fic, especially not when two characters are tearing into each other with insults and accusations in a dramatic moment. I want the hint of affection to come through with ‘inconvenient asshole’ and frustration and put-out-ness with ‘Kylo Fucking Ren’. I want that ‘you are fucking ridiculous and I’m tired of you; could you please stop being this way?!’ to be there, and I think the in-universe curse words lose that at times.

Rose knows how to fly a skim-speeder. Finn - not so much. Are piloting skills as common in the Star Wars universe as knowing how to drive is for ours?

Hux turns to Kylo, asking if they should hold while they wipe out the incoming 13 skim speeders. Kylo’s voice SHAKES when he answers, “No, the Resistance is in that mine. Push through.”

Where’s the logic in Chewie diving into that crevice on Crait? I mean, it’s one thing to fly into a Death Star or a star destroyer hulk where you have an idea of the structure (or so I assume). But he’s essentially going ‘Hey, there’s a hole in the ground. Imma fly this big ship right into it and hope like hell it’s connected to a cave that’s wide enough for me to fly back out somewhere, somehow.’ How crazy is that? WTH?

Finn: “No, I won’t let them win!” It’s a competition. And then we see him do the same thing Poe did in the opening scene - he cuts communication and doesn’t listen.

Luke: “I came to face him. And I can’t save him.”

Leia: “I held out hope for so long. But I know my son is gone.”

Luke: “No one’s ever truly gone.”

If Luke shows up to C3-PO’s sensors (which he clearly does), then I suspect he shows up to the various sensors on the First Order ships. Meaning they should be able to target him, etc.

I still remember how shocked I was in the theatre the first time they opened fire on Luke. I knew he wouldn’t die - it made no sense cinematographically - but I was thrilled to find out how this would play out.

I love Kylo’s reaction shot to Luke giving him a brush-off.

Kylo: “Did you come back to say you forgive me? To save my soul?”

Luke, with something of a sneer: “No.”

That’s when Kylo throws off the cloak and prepares to fight. I think before that, he was half hoping they wouldn’t have to do that. I think he was honestly hoping, in the back of his mind, that Luke would apologize to him. He feels owed an apology. That’s why that was the first thing on Kylo’s lips.

Luke: “I failed you Ben. I’m sorry.”

Kylo: “I’m sure you are!” (but he got his apology!) “The Resistance is dead. The war is over. And when I kill you, I will have killed the last Jedi!”

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

Kylo: “I’ll destroy her. And you. And all of it.”

Luke: “No. Strike me down in anger and I’ll always be with you. Just like your father.” Kylo ... staggers? at this. He at least shifts his feet. We get a shot of Luke looking remorseful and what I’d interpret as loving. Kylo’s fist tightens on his saber. His lips tremble. He charges. Slashes through. Looks back with mixed emotions of amazement, doubt, and depression. Closes on Luke again, this time standing tall (for the first time not crouched forward in fear/aggression). He puts his saber into Luke’s projection.

Kylo: “No.”

Luke: “See you around, kid.”

Then the expression on Kylo’s face. Words can’t do that justice. He looks lost, unmoored, devastated. He’s looking forward at the waiting walkers. He turns to the mine and yells “NOOO!” at it.

When Kylo goes into the mine with the troops following him, he gives them a hand signal as he goes into the control room where he finds the dice. I’d wondered why they’d seemingly automatically peeled off and didn’t follow him. Now I see it. Then we get that enigmatic close-up of Hux, who appears to have fixed his hair from being tossed into a wall.

I love this movie.

[him-e]

Out of curiosity: who are all your favourite SW characters?

Look, essentially I’m in this for house Skywalker. 

Not that I don’t love other characters (Obi Wan, Padmé, Qui-Gon Jinn, Han, Chewie, the little I’ve seen of Ahsoka–I really need to catch up on clone wars/rebels lol—and obviously Finn and Rey, whom I’m still figuring out), but the Skywalkers are where my heart is. Anakin and Kylo are these walking human disasters (for different reasons) whose personalities I would go on dissecting for years, and the twins are the fairytale heroes of my childhood grown into the adult heroes of my present days. They embody the simple, archetypal yet complex quality that I’ll forever associate with Star Wars, built around a constant dialogue between opposites. I love the greatness/madness thing going on in this bloodline, the (rediscovery of) family dynamics, the chosen one(s) narrative, the greek tragedy vibes, the anger issues, the DRAMA QUEEN-ness, the fact that they’re all born in mysterious and/or significant circumstances—born in the Force and so intrinsically tied to its destiny, the legacy as a burden and history repeats itself themes. In the movies at least, they’re this unstoppable force (heh) fueling the narrative and aggregating disparate characters and tying everything together. Or DESTROYING it. The story literally clenches and dilates around them—around their personal conflicts and whatever they want to do with their incredible power (Anakin falls, the Republic and the Jedi order fall. Luke reconnects with dad? The galaxy rejoices and is pacified. Ben sulks and the dark side festers in him? the seeds for the rise of a new evil empire are planted. The rebellion and, three decades later, the resistance solidify around Leia’s iron will).

so yes I’m mostly here for this thrice damned family… and for those gravitating around them who become part of the family even without literal blood ties, iykwim. it’s no coincidence that my other faves are all somehow connected to the Skywalkers via romance or friendship or mentorship or antagonism and that my fave dynamics are almost always Skywalker x Other (except when it’s Skywalker², like Luke/Leia or Luke/Vader or… various combinations involving Kylo).