#Pro Ben Solo

[vintageseawitch]

"omg i didn't know this book was based off a REYLO fanfic waaaah i don't like that 😭😭"

[midgardianqueenreturns]

Over the last couple months I’ve seen antis say stuff like “The Reylo/Kylo fandom is mostly dead”, “Nobody cares about Kylo anymore”, and “Everyone dislikes Reylo now”. The past few days sure proved them wrong, especially since Kylo Ren wasn’t even mentioned in the movie announcement yet you have so, so many Kylo fans and/or Reylo shippers begging for his return. So much for a dead fandom lol.

[mysticaltora8276]

You know how there’s some people who complain about Ben Solo’s redemption and say that it’s unearned? I’ll give you someone whose redemption comes out of nowhere and it’s basically accepted by everyone even though it makes no sense���Jacen Solo… the person who becomes a Sith for the stupidest reasons and comes across as a massive moron and to be frank I just didn’t like his character. This was a guy who was OK with killing his aunt and killing his sister, but just because he sent a warning to his estranged wife and child I’m supposed to believe that he redeemed himself. Well, no, he didn’t because he didn’t repent of anything he did. It’s another product of redemption that people seem to forget is repentance just saying I’m sorry is not enough. You have to show contrition for what you’ve done and repent of your evil Saying I’m sorry becomes a bit trite when you don’t change your personality or behavior the fact I argue that Ben actually manages to accomplish with Jacen, didn’t.

OK for a bit of context in the old continuity of legends, it was indicated that to become a Sith Lord under the rule of Darth Bane you have to sacrifice someone that kept you level and away from the dark side… Jacen did it full steam ahead with Mara Jade, which pissed off quite a few fans of the characters, even me who immensely lamented of her later use being wasted, and doesn’t regret it in the slightest. Not to mention that he lies to his wife and his child and is OK with conducting a massacres across the galaxy which includes genocide Ben on the other hand immediately and immensely regrets killing his father and he’s torn every step of the way. I used to joke that he was a wannabe villain, but that’s kind of what his character is. He feels like he was forced to evil due to the legacy of his grandfather because in the canon continuity, spoiler alert, he feels isolated a little alone from his peers due to his power, and the fact that he knows that his parents, especially his father is afraid of him due to it. That said he doesn’t want to be deep in his core and that’s why he’s constantly conflicted with it and to be frank I like it. Yeah he could’ve gone fully, but then he would’ve just been a typical villain and his conflict of whether he wants to be good or not is actually pretty nice. It’s seen one of the things that the sequels did very well.

[octobers-veryown]

REYLO 🦋

Your honor I am obsessed with them lately.

[darklinaforever]

Frankly, those who think a happy ending to Star Wars 9 would have been inappropriate are the ones who least understand Star Wars at its core. George Lucas himself described Star Wars as a fairy tale. And yes, he meant it in its current most childish and clichéd aspect, that is to say with the happy ending. Not to mention his opinion on romance... So no, Having Ben Solo die at the end of Star Wars 9 and depriving Reylo of a happy ending was literally the worst thing to do, both story-wise and marketing-wise. Because, like George say himself :

[sleepingapparition]

My first ever Tumblr post...I guess it's never too late to start?

I've been a lurker for many, many years and I felt it was the right time to join in. Truthfully I don't really know what I'm doing. But let's try!

Here is a WIP for a piece I'm working on that is inspired by something I'm writing.

Photoshop. Oil & Gouache brushes

[emilyredekerart]

Resurrection

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Guess who’s back! Sorry for the prolonged absence, I finished my last semester of college last month and have been swamped with life for the past 6 months.

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Commissions are open! Info here, message me if interested!

Credit me if you repost.

Please be respectful in the comments.

Do not involve my artwork in fandom arguments.

[unleashthegoats]

EPISODE 13: JAKE SKYWALKER: THE WORST JEDI

Welcome to the second episode in our Fixing the Sequels series! This time we’re focusing on that controversy of all controversies, Jake Skywalker. Some people liked him, others felt like he was an insult to everything Star Wars had ever stood for before this, but we had some ideas on what we would’ve liked to have seen happen for the character in the Sequels. 

[arson-09]

hi guys. I really love tamlin. Like hes become one of my favorite book character’s ever, probably one of my top fictional characters over all and shhshdgshd

[whennoonecares]

Calling Kylo Ren "Ben" feels like deadnaming him

Here me out: Ben was feeling fundamentally altered after his traumatic experience with Luke Skywalker, and as part of separating himself from it, he chose a new name.

So referring to him as "Ben" feels like denoting who he was before, and "Kylo" for who he is afterward.

In that way, I feel like Rey insisting on calling him "Ben" after she learns that name is sort of disrespectful of his decision to distance himself from his family.

Though, I acknowledge him distancing himself through his name does ring a bit hollow when you remember his near-constant comparisons of himself to Darth Vader, BUT I would argue that that was implanted by Palpatine.

Because fundamentally Palpatine didn't care to acknowledge that his Grand Plan was just fuckin wrong, yet he's trying so hard to hold on to all that work he'd done.

But he's just a stubborn, vain man, and it would've been baller to see a Kylo that chose that name for himself.

ALSO!! Wouldn't it be baller if he chose the name "Kylo", no last name? Wouldn't that coincide so very well with "Rey", no last name?? The dichotomy of someone with no family because his family was slowly killing him, vs someone with no family who was only staying alive for the hope they'd be there for her?

And while we're on the topic of Rey, I can respect her taking on the last name "Skywalker" IF Luke had shown that he, y'know,, liked her at all? He seemed pretty begrudging about the whole thing to me.

Wouldn't it have been cool for her to adopt the name "Palpatine" as a way to reclaim power from that horrible man?

[reylogirlie]

“That’s abusive”

“That’s manipulation”

I’m gonna explain why it’s not in this context:

Now, is this how you should address your love interest irl? Definitely not. Is Ben Solo truly back to the light at this point? No. Is Kylo’s mindset still twisted? Yes. However, some don’t seem to understand what Kylo/Ben meant.

“You’re nothing.” Kylo/Ben didn’t mean Rey was actually nothing. Hell, he legit tells her she’s anything but that. “Nothing” , in his terms, means she’s seen as worthless by the people who are supposed to love her.(I know Rey’s parents are actually good people, I’ll get into that) means that they saw her as someone- something, honestly, to get rid of.

This is what Ben thought Leia and Han saw in him; that he was worthless and they needed Luke to off him. That nobody loved him. At least, that’s what he felt before he met Rey. He knows Rey grew up thinking no one loved her, and thought that she possessed nothing of value.

At this point, Ben hasn’t fully come back. He still feels like he was a victim to the light (when he was actually a victim to the dark) and he’s telling Rey “those people”- her parents, his parents, Luke, etc consider her nothing. “Real abusers brainwash victims into turning on their friends and family” Kylo/Ben doesn’t consider the resistance Rey’s friends. He thinks they’re just going to use and discard her the way he thought he was. He thinks he’s looking out for her. Real abusers typically know their victims loved ones care but wanna get rid of them so they can have said person all to themselves.

(And before you come at me like “actually a lot of abusers don’t get what they’re doing but it’s not an excuse” yea I got that, doesn’t apply here)

“But not to me”- This is Ben telling Rey that their view on her is wrong. That she’s not nothing. That’s she is, in fact, everything. To him especially. He’s not just saying this so she can be on the dark side, that’s not his main concern here even if he still is on the dark side. His main concern is what’s best for Rey, and he believes joining himself is what’s best for her.

His mind set isn’t “I’m gonna isolate her from her friends so I turn her evil and use her for my growth” it’s actually “Those people tried to kill me and use me for my power and they’ll do the same to her so I’m gonna protect her while I still can” he thinks he’s helping her. It’s pretty fucked, but he’s not trying to manipulate her.

“He lied about her parents” no he didn’t. Was Kylo/Ben wrong about Rey’s parents? Yes. But what you people fail to remember is YOU REALLY SHOULD NOT USE THE FORCE AS A FORTUNE TELLER. The future/ past visions are often vague and altered. He only saw parts of what happened. He had no clue that her parents were actually protecting her from evil, he saw them leaving and going to shady ass places and thought they were actually trading her for alcohol. That’s why when he found out the truth he told her!!! If he was manipulating her so he could have her all to himself, he would’ve never told her the truth. Notice how when she left at the end of TLJ he let her and didn’t form a plan to force her back or hurt her. He aggressively tried to persuade her, yes, but he never seriously threatened her. He even snitches on the dark side for Rey and offered to kill Palpatine instead of killing her to complete his mission.

So, bottom line- When Kylo/Ben called Rey nothing, he wasn’t saying she was actually worthless. He was saying that’s what her parents and the people who felt turned on him saw her as, but he considered her to be everything and the most important thing to him. You don’t have to like Reylo or agree with me, but I could go on about how Rey and Kylo/Ben don’t exactly fit the “toxic relationship” boat.

[midgardianqueenreturns]

Maybe this is an oversimplification, I don’t want to generalize, and I really dislike “people only dislike this character because x” type of takes, but I have to say, I don’t think it’s totally a coincidence Snape and Kylo Ren look so alike and inspire very similar levels of widespread vile hatred and moral outrage from their respective fandoms. Obviously it’s not a total overlap as I’ve seen plenty of Kylo stans who are anti Snape and vice-versa, but still. I can’t help but wonder if them having very similar appearances that aren’t conventionally handsome plays a role in why their antis are so excessively hostile and unhinged in their hatred for them. Again, this is probably an oversimplification and generalization (and I don’t want to suggest *everyone* who hates Snape and/or Kylo only does so beccause of their looks), but I can’t help but notice this connection.

[mysticaltora8276]

In addition to that post, I would like to point out that yes I do like the sequels. Are they perfect? Well no they are not. Nevertheless, I do like the Star Wars sequels. They continue the theme of things being cyclical. There were some ideas to put in mildly that I didn’t like, but there were also things I did like. I for one believed the main character. Rey does deserves the name of Skywalker. And yes, Finn should’ve had a better story arc and they should’ve used Rose the fact that they didn’t use her more is a crime onto itself. Ben Solo’s arc was pretty interesting, but I wish they had hammered home how he had been turned. But with all its flaws, I still like it. I think it’s kind of funny that the same arguments being thrown in the direction of the sequels were the same arguments I heard about the prequels. And now look at them oh the irony.

[thecleverqueer]

Random Thoughts on Star Wars Ships (Part One)

First, I’m going to focus on toxic Star Wars ships that I absolutely despise. There are three. They are all canon. Some of them are more serious than others, but all of them are incredibly pernicious and problematic. To say they’re my “least favorite” would be selling my hatred of them short, but yeah… the word “loathe” comes to mind. They are as follows:

1.) Luxsoka (aka Ahsoka Tano and Lux Bonteri)

This is my least favorite ship of them all because watching it unfold at times was physically painful. Part of me doesn’t understand it, but the other part of me knows that it was likely just a tepid attempt by Filoni egged on by Lucas to make Ahsoka more relatable. It didn’t work.

I guess the premise didn’t start out too bad with “Heroes on Both Sides” aside from the fact that it sort of felt forced and completely unnecessary, but holy fuck did it go off the rails fast!

Lux’s behavior in “A Friend in Need” was completely unacceptable and inexcusable. I mean, less than 10 minutes into that episode, Lux is threatening to shoot Ahsoka with a deadly firearm, followed by him stunning her unconscious, stealing her ship, hiding her lightsabers from her, then meeting up with known terrorists with anti-Jedi sentiment and history of violence against Jedi. Then, there’s the unwanted kiss. He just sort of grabs her and kisses her against her will to shut her up. She tries to wiggle herself out of it, and when she finally succeeds you can tell she’s PISSED. Rightfully so. Technically, that’s sexual assault. The episode ends with Ahsoka somehow being more fond of him, I guess… I assume it’s related to trauma. I don’t know.

Anyway, the last time we see them together is in the Onderon arc, Lux has fallen for and appears to be in a romantic relationship with Steela Gerrera, and Ahsoka finds a way get over him, which, good for her. It takes two episodes (of a four episode arc) of her being completely insufferable, but she gets there. Ahsoka deserved better anyway. By the end of the arc, she sort of does this attaboy shoulder slug to Lux after Steela kisses him for luck. By that point, Ahsoka probably also found Steela to be pretty hot, and at least one of them got to kiss her. Steela should have kissed you, Ahsoka, but we can’t win them all.

Filoni basically said he was experimenting with this anyway, and I would say that this particular experiment was an abject failure. I’m just glad that it fizzed out before it ever became anything. It was trash. Utter fucking trash.

2.) Anidala (aka Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala)

This is another toxic relationship that I don’t really understand. No. I mean, I do get it. It’s a plot point that gets us to a specific place in a character’s development.

It’s unfortunate really. Padme is supposed to be this badass strong, independent woman, and yet, she blatantly ignores countless red flags during “Attack of the Clones” that should have made her turn away… Anakin being generally creepy, crossing her boundaries, frequently interrupting her, admitting to being a dictatorial fascist… I guess I could technically write all of that off because sometimes your brain short-circuits when you’re in love, and you miss red flags. But… genocide? That was a bridge too far. She should have ran. She should have reported the incident to the Jedi council, but she didn’t because she’s “in love” and actually just a prop.

Their relationship didn’t get much better during the Clone Wars. Anakin guilted her often when she chose duty over desire, something her role in the galaxy required. It was also pretty apparent that Anakin didn’t trust her as far as he could throw her based on the way he acted during the Rush Clovis arcs. There was a point where it felt like their relationship should have ended during season six. Padme needed a break, and told Anakin that she just couldn’t do it anymore after Anakin brutally beat the dog shit out of Clovis. But then, more trauma. Maybe the moral of the story is to avoid “romantic” relationships when you’re in the midst of a traumatic experience because it’s going to end badly, I don’t know.

Then he kills her in “Revenge of the Sith”. Well. He force chokes her and she dies of a broken heart… and then he proceeds to lose his shit, force crushing an entire room with overwhelming emotion (say what you will about the Jedi and their obsession with not forming attachments and overcoming feelings but… *gestures vaguely at this incident right here*).

It’s just an incredibly disastrous toxic sludge of a relationship. And, I know I was more vague about this one, but honestly, I could write a novel about it… so, I’ll spare you.

3.) Reylo (aka Rey Palpatine/Skywalker and Kylo Ren)

I hate this one too… mainly because Kylo tells Rey that she’s “nothing” except to him in “The Last Jedi” and that bothers me. This is something a narcissist might say to someone they’re abusing and gaslighting in an attempt to make them stick around, and that is just gross.

If Rey had actually been a nobody, it may have been less offensive, but she’s a fucking Palpatine. She’s not a nobody. Her grandfather (who isn’t actually her “grandfather” as her father was just a Palpatine clone, and goddamn, I’m going to need a better explanation for all of that shit because it just makes me dizzy, but I digress) was an oppressive emperor that reigned in terror for decades. She’s far from a nobody. In fact, Kylo’s grandfather (actual grandfather, not a clone) was Palpatine’s bitch. He should at least show her a little respect.

He was also generically mean to her during the entire sequel trilogy.

This one ended in death too, but at least it was Kylo’s and not Rey’s death. Again, Rey exhibited this weird mental exercise where she sees Kylo Ren and Ben Solo as two different people instead of them being one-in-the-same (much like the mental gymnastics that everyone does with Vader), so she tries to validate the whole thing. But, he’s an asshole too. She should have faced it.

[darklinaforever]

It kills me that the nostalgia that makes part of the Star Wars fandom idealize the Jedi and refuse to see them as flawed and corrupt in their system is so powerful. Just look at the critical receptions from some viewers to The Last Jedi, and now The Acolyte. It's amazing that these idiots didn't learn from their mistakes and reproduced the same pattern of criticism on the show. Idealization of past figures due to nostalgia, therefore refusing a more nuanced or even negative treatment which is objectively true (with Luke, therefore the Jedi and again the Jedi in The Acolyte), misogyny (against any female characters present / with It matters even more if the main protagonist is therefore a woman) racist (against any character who is not white, and even worse when it comes this time to the two main protagonists of the story) and anti romance (against Reylo and Oshamir, while Wtf Anakin and Padme, Han & Leia, Hera & Kanan, Jyn & Cassian or even Revan & Bastilla from the Legend extended universe ?) on the program !

[sleepingapparition]

‘Their eyes locked as their fingertips touched. Ben granted himself an indulgence and stepped to the side, allowing the dying sun behind him to bathe her in gold.

Like Icarus, drawn irresistibly toward the sun, he felt the pull to move closer to her- consequences be damned. Let her scorch his skin and light a flame in his heart.

He noticed the quick rise and fall of her chest and his own hammering heartbeat.

Standing before her with his back to the window, he cast a silhouette in the fiery glow. An eclipse to her sun.

It hid the burning in his gaze as she stood before him.

Defiant, irritated, and utterly radiant in the fading light of the day.’

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Finished!