#all the boogeyman figures in the party's lives would be destroyed

[ariminiria]

Baldur's Gate 3 with MacGyver (2016). That would be very interesting.

[jess-the-vampire]

Bedtime Stories

Tom snuggled in his covers, tossing and turning inside his dark bedroom. The child held his stuffed rabbit close to his chest and rolled around some more, which proved to be a mistake at the tiny horns poking out hurt a little and forced him back onto his back and to stare at the ceiling. Tom begged his parents to give him his own bedroom, his own bed. he could handle it, he told them, but here he was a few days in and he couldn't sleep. He already missed his crib and sleeping next to his parents, the last few nights he had nightmares. Imagine, a demon, having nightmares! The Lava fountain served as a nice nightlight, but it wasn't enough to make him feel better. He shouldn't be scared, he was the boogeyman, everything was supposed to be scared of him, not vice versa. But tales of Evil Stumps, and monsters that came in the night to eat little demon children always made him nervous, and so did all the people out there that his father told him were bad and wanted to hurt him. Tom was sure his father had something in the room to make sure nothing could attack Tom, but that didn't seem to make Tom feel safe regardless. His father said it was ok if he wasn't ready for his own room yet, but Tom insisted. He wanted his own place to keep his toys, he wanted a place for himself, he wanted a soft bed like his parents had, he wanted a place so he didn't feel like a baby anymore.

He pulled the covers over him mouth and winced, was it took late to back out? He hadn't slept well the last few nights and he took naps in the daytime as a result, could he just live the rest of his life surviving on naps? Tom  held his bunny tighter and decided  he had to make a choice. Either hold tight and make it through the night, or chicken out. Tom chickened out. Using his fire to leap himself off the bed so nothing under it could grab him, he practically darted up the steps and out of his room to enter his parent's nearby. They were both fast asleep as the tiny boy opened the large door and closed it behind him. Tom felt tears coming on and his ears sagged, but he still quietly used his fire powers to lift himself weakly onto the top of the bed and crawled over to his father. "Dad..Dad?",Tom shook his sleeping father until the man grumpily woke up and yawned, "What...Tom? Why are you still up? You're supposed to be in bed.". Tom cuddled his stuffed animal, he almost looked as if he were about to cry , "I can't sleep in there, It scares me...can I stay with you and Mommy?". Dave sighed and rubbed his eyes, "Ok, just for tonight Thomas.....". He opened his arms and let Tom crawl inside them and cling to him before lying himself back down, "We'll talk more about this tomorrow, ok?". Tom nodded, smiling, and snuggled himself to sleep. - It was only supposed to be for one night, but it became a routine, Tom always wandering into his parent's room to sleep next to them. Tom stopped even waking his father up since he already knew his father would be fine with it and he was expecting to see Tom next to him in the mornings anyway. It had been lasting for almost a month, Tom's new room, untouched. Dave didn't mind, Tom would grow into his room when he was ready, but part of him felt like he should help Tom feel safe sleeping in his own room. As much as he, and even Wrathmelior, liked having Tom next to them, they needed to help fix the problem instead of continuing to let it happen. Tom had his tantrums, and his powers could destroy anything in their wake if Tom got out of control, the boy was enough of a handle for his parents. Tom's been dreaming of his own room for ages and now he was too scared to even enter anymore, they couldn't just ignore that. Dave bit his lip, watching his son eat his food at the dinner table, it was almost bittersweet to him. He loved holding his son in his arms, it made him feel safe and reassured his own anxieties about Tom being out of his sight, but Tom couldn't be his little boy forever....he needed to grow without them sometime. "Tom? Is it ok if we ask you why your room is scaring you?", he said quickly, making the small boy look up from his creamed corn with a surprised expression. His ears dropped and he grumbled to himself,  "It's just...dark, and creepy...and I have nightmares...". "But Tom, you live in the underworld, dark and creepy stuff never used to freak you out before. Are you worried something is going to hurt you?", Tom didn't say much, playing with his fingers, "Thomas, we promise we won't ever let anyone hurt you as long as we live...". "But what if a monster pops in?!", Tom argued, "What if they pop in a-and you can't hear them and stuff!". Even the queen looked worried as Dave tried to reassure Tom, "Tom, it's ok to be scared, this is a whole new experience for you. You can sleep next to us as long as you need, but you can't stay there forever and if there's anything we can do to make sleeping in your own room easier....". Tom shrugged, "I don't want to go back in there...I-I can't sleep, I have nightmares......nightmares where you guys get hurt and I get hurt..a-an....". Dave reached over the table and held Tom's shoulder, "How long have you been having them?". The small boy shrugged, "I haven't slept good once since I got a room....". His parents exchanged looks and Dave thought for a moment, "Tom do you really want to have your own room?". Tom seemed to ponder over his question for a while, "I dunno.....", Dave got out of his chair to get down to Tom's height right next to him, "What If me and your mom could make your room less scary and help you stop having nightmares? Would you like that?". Tom didn't say anything for a little while before nodding and his father smiled, "We love having you sleep next us Tom, but we're concerned at seeing you be so scared of being hurt in your new bedroom, especially when it's something we know you really wanted. You should be able to have your own room and feel safe...". Tom mumbled, "But you always tell me how people and monsters are dangerous, that people will hurt me, what about the Stump?" Dave ruffled the boy's hair, "Ok, tonight we'll figure out a way to help you sleep, and then we'll find out something that will keep the bad people out. Is that ok?". Tom played with his fingers and nodded, Dave kissed his son's forehead, "We want to help Tom, you should be allowed to feel safe at your home and in your own room." Tom mumbled, "If you can't....can I still stay with you?". Dave though for a moment, and stood up, "Yeah, of course you can Tom.....We're gonna do anything we can, but if all fails you are perfectly allowed to stay with us until you're ready..". Tom smiled, "Ok....". - I took alot to convince Tom to at least sit on his bed again, but Dave managed, letting Tom hold his hand tightly so he felt more comfortable. Wrathmelior had just barely managed to squeeze herself in after she teleported and she was sure the likelihood of coming back in was reduced. Dave and her weren't exactly the best parents, so where to start was still across their mind. Wrathmelior never had been afraid of her room as a kid but Dave could faintly remember times he'd feared monster attacks in the past, although granted his parents didn't do much to help the paranoia. Tom seemed to feel a little more eased with their presence, the king himself scanned around to see if there was anything that might be making Tom nervous. The open closet or under the bed felt like solid options, "Tom, where are you worried the monsters will come from?". "Everywhere..", Tom replied, clinging onto the man for dear life. The older man bit his lip, he needed to figure this out, he could easily put a locked door on the closet yes, but that would only reduce one place Tom was nervous about. Under the bed would be trickier, but then again, the existence of scissors wasn't something he could prevent unless he enchanted the room to be inaccessible by magical objects. Man, this was going to take awhile. Dave helped pick up his small son, "C'mon, i'll tuck you in, and we'll keep guard for any monsters....ok?". He was intending to wait till Tom went to sleep under their watch, then head to bed himself, it was probably a lame plan but it was the only one he had in order to at least get Tom to spend one night here. He tucked Tom in, and Tom pulled the blankets up to his chin, "I don't know If i can sleep daddy....". "We won't make you sleep Thomas, but first and foremost we want you to feel comfortable enough to sleep, so for now just relax ok?", Mel attempted to reach out to her son herself, patting his head with a finger. Tom laid there for a few minutes, then spoke up, "Can you read me a story?". Dave looked up, "a story?", Tom nodded from his spot and snuggled further into the covers. "Some kids sleep better when their parents tell them stories...maybe....that might help?", Dave yawned and smiled, "Ok, we'll tell you a story....what kinda story do you want to hear?". "Well....not a scary story...", The boy said, "Just....something nice....?". The king twiddled his thumbs for a bit to think of what to say, "How about a story about Mommy and Daddy? Is that ok?". Tom nodded, "Ok, just don't make it weird..". Wrathmelior snorted, and Dave snickered, "Ok, how about the story where we first met?". Tom's eyes glistened and his head popped a little more out of the covers, it seemed to have sparked his interest. His parents both yawned again. at this rate they'd pass out before Tom did. "Well, When i was about 17, I was kinda forced to attend one of the Balls the Butterfly Kingdom was hosting. I wasn't too about parties, but my mother insisted I go since It would give me an opportunity to meet new people....", Then he rolled his eyes, "Or what she actually meant, which was getting a date....". Tom giggled, "Well you DID get a date, right?". Dave bit hard on his teeth, "Well, I really didn't want to do so. The thing is.....the party was Queen Moon's official coronation, and considering what happened to Queen Comet....I didn't find it customary to go around flirting with people since it was still fresh in everyone's mind.....". Mel huffed and growled, "Yeah yeah, I know it was a few weeks after but it was still uncomfortable. Anyways, so the other royals families attended, and personally I really wasn't having much fun so I kinda wandered off and went outside to get some air, only to find your mom out there as well, in the gardens..". "What happened?", Tom asked in his small voice, Dave lifted his legs up onto the bed and got into a more comfortable position before continuing. "Well, I was kind've startled at first, but after calming I realized she was the Lucitor Princess and she looked kinda down so...I sorta asked her if something was wrong...". Then he sheepishy rubbed the back of his head, "Unfortunately, I didn't know demonspeak at the time, So when she saw me and growled at me.....I wasn't sure whether she was answering my question or warning me that she'd eat my flesh. I backed off and.....I bumped into Princes- er....Queen Moon, who was still rather distraught but she kept her posture and I asked about Mel being in the gardens....Apparently Mel wasn't much of a people person and just wanted to enjoy being outside and get a good view of the stars...". He blushed heavily, "I-I uh....well since I wasn't enjoying the party much myself, I went out to watch the stars myself. Your mom spotted me and growled to me, and although I couldn't tell what she was saying, she knew what I was saying. Told her I didn't understand, but that didn't matter, We uh....well I started talking and she was interested in what I had to say...which wasn't something I was used to back home. I guess....I guess I just kinda liked that....The party ended, I told her that maybe sometime we could meet up again? She nodded and we met again the next night somewhere I picked out...". He smiled at the large demoness in the room who was feeling a little less annoyed being trapped in an enclosed space. "Yeah, and uh....I brought a demonspeak translator book that time, and started teaching myself....which took forever, but It was worth it!", Tom smiled wide, " That's so coooll! I hope I get to meet my future queen at a ball  like that!!. Dave snicked and petted his hair, "That's adorable Thomas, but we'll see, you never know what the future holds in store. ". "Well, I wanna be a cool king! I don't wanna be scared of anything, and i'll fight off all the bad guys.", Dave brushed hair out of his son's third eye, "Aww, but Thomas, first we need to rid you of your fear of this room before you can ever not be sacred on anything!". Tom yawned, "Well, i'm less scared with you and mommy here, you guys are funny, and I liked your story daddy...". Dave smiled sweetly, "Thanks tom, so are you saying Daddy and Mommy's stories make you less scared?". Tom nodded silently. "Can I hear another story?", Tom asked, snuggling up into his covers, "PleASE!!!??". The Queen yawned, but Dave continued, "Alright, But just one more ok?". Tom laid back and giggled, Dave finished one story, only to end up telling another, and then another, and Dave kept telling him story after story until Tom's eyes drifted closed and his breathing slowed. It was almost midnight by the time Tom fell asleep, smile upon his face and pillow protecting him from sleeping on his small horns. Dave carefully woke his wife who feel asleep during Dave's stories, and they both made sure to give their prince kisses before exciting his room to their own. The queen growled, and then plopped in the bed, finally happy to be out of that tight room and into her large bed. Dave yawned, "Yeah, I know, But it worked! We actually got Tom to fall asleep without feeling scared of his room. I guess hearing pleasant stories before bedtime really do help." Dave made his way on the top and plopped onto the bed, closing his eyes for some shut eye himself. Finally, after weeks of worrying about tom and his fears, they could sleep in peace, he made himself comfortable and tried to rest up.  Only to find himself tossing and turning throughout the night, he tried different positions, removing the blankets, putting back on the blankets, but no matter what he did he couldn't seem to make himself feel comfortable or feel sleepy. That was weird, he had no problems sleeping before now, what was different? Then he looked between his arms to see the absence of his little boy between them. Tom's been sleeping in his arms for a whole month, snuggling close to his father for safety, and now he was back in his room, sleeping without it. He sighed, Now he was the one having trouble sleeping. He thought for a moment and stood up, making his way off the bed, out of the room, and over to his son's room nearby. Tom was still fast asleep, still having pleasant dreams. Tomorrow Dave was sure he'd be making some changes for the room to make Tom feel safe, perhaps implant a goat skull messenger to scare off intruders? But for now this was a good start to helping Tom through his anxieties. The king smiled and once again sat on the bed, admiring his son before yawning. They spent the whole night helping Tom with his fears, only to feed a little more into Dave's. His biggest fear was losing his son after all, he wasn't too fond of Tom being out of his sight in fear of him being hurt. Maybe he could stay here, just for tonight, just to keep an eye on him....to make sure nothing happened to him. He grabbed a chair and sat it next to Tom's bed before taking a seat in it and closing his eyes. Tom was continuing to grow up but- He'd always still be his little boy.

[alpha-centari27]

From the moment he walked on screen in The Force Awakens, some Star Wars fans felt like they already had a handle on Kylo Ren: he was obviously a good guy.

Or at least, he was going to wind up that way by the end of the trilogy. The original trilogy ended with Darth Vader’s redemption, so logically, Kylo Ren’s story would end that way, too.

That assumption rang false to me, and not just because I was skeptical that anybody could come back from murdering his own father, Han Solo, one of the most beloved characters in Star Wars history. It’s because Star Wars isn’t about redemption — not in the original trilogy or even in Return of the Jedi.

It only seems that way.

[Ed. note: This piece contains spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.]

Return of the Jedi’s immortal third act set the tripartite structure for all future climatic Star Wars battles: A fight on the ground, a fight in the air, and a fight of Jedi emotions. As his friends desperately try to destroy the second Death Star, Luke Skywalker stands in the Emperor’s throne room and duels with Darth Vader. The stakes are his life and the very future of the Force.

Just when it seems that the Emperor’s power is inescapable, his loyal lapdog, Darth Vader, betrays him. Moved by his son’s example and Luke’s genuine belief that he is not beyond saving, Vader hurls the Emperor down a shaft, taking a mortal blow as he does so. He dies in Luke’s arms. After he escapes the Death Star, Luke gives him a warrior’s pyre.

But here’s the thing...

Darth Vader was never redeemed

In the moment Vader turned on the Emperor, he repented. He saw the error of his ways. Perhaps more importantly, he saw that it was still possible for him to perform some lasting good by saving his son, the only creature in the galaxy that held some honest love for him.

The original Star Wars trilogy wasn’t about Darth Vader redeeming himself in the eyes of others — about the impossible task of making up for the thousands dead, the lives irrevocably altered, the families, including his own, shattered — nor should it have been. It was about Luke growing into his own.

The Empire Strikes Back sees our hero hubristically chafe at the guidance of his Jedi mentors, and suffer immense consequences for it. Luke not only fails to save Han from carbonite, he barely escapes an encounter with Vader with his life, and has to be rescued by the very people he went to Cloud City to rescue. In Return of the Jedi, when Luke insists to Yoda and Obi Wan that there is still good in Darth Vader, it’s his first rebellion that actually pays out.

Luke grew up idolizing an idea of his father as a heroic veteran of the Clone Wars, and has the training to intimately, psychically sense Vader’s emotions. Vader’s turn is vindication of Luke’s instinct to forgive, and of his destiny as one who can recreate the Jedi order.

But asking for forgiveness and actually making amends for your actions are separate things. Vader’s nearly immediate death created a useful emotional illusion that completed Luke’s character arc in a satisfying way. The audience easily mistakes that with the real thing.

Vader’s act of repentance meant that he could no longer stand among the series’ other bad guys, but Return of the Jedi never attempted to figure out whether that alone was enough to allow him to stand alongside the heroes.

Yub nub nope

Imagine, for a moment, what the end of Return of the Jedi would have been like if Luke had walked into that big party on Endor’s moon arm in arm with a contrite Darth Vader. Vader personally tortured Leia in A New Hope, and Han in The Empire Strikes Back. He forced Leia to watch as Grand Moff Tarkin destroyed her home planet.

But we were never forced to watch as Leia looked Darth Vader in the face, knowing that his blood ran in her veins, while she decided what the fledgling Republic should do with its second greatest boogeyman.

This is a good thing. For the purposes of the kind of story that Return of the Jedi is trying to tell, this is a great ending. Vader’s death is narratively necessary.

So, naturally, The Rise of Skywalker attempts to mirror Vader’s turn with Kylo Ren’s — with the added problem that, thanks to J.J. Abrams’ tactic of echoing the original trilogy, but going bigger, Kylo’s crimes are an order of magnitude larger than his grandfather’s.

Discarding anything from expanded Star Wars media, Kylo’s version of “the Empire” carried on a systematic campaign of kidnapping millions of children to brainwash them into loyal cannon fodder, and used a superweapon to destroy the fully populated star system that served as the galaxy’s political center. He personally tortured both Rey and Poe and murdered his own father, Han Solo, in The Force Awakens. He attempted to murder and indirectly caused the death of Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi. In Rise of Skywalker, a previously hale Leia Organa sacrifices her life force to do ... something related to making Kylo turn, making him the indirect cause of her death as well.

The scene in which Kylo truly turns is an emotional one. In isolation, his talk with a (memory?) of Han Solo is a nice acknowledgement of how difficult it can be to recognize when one has done something truly wrong, and how hard can be take on the work of making up for the hurt you’ve done to others when it would be so much easier to just accept the advantages those acts awarded you.

But, like his grandfather before him, Kylo never gets the chance to do any of that work. He turns to the Light Side of the Force, but ultimately sacrifices his life to save (or possibly resurrect) Rey. He dies without ever facing the consequences of his actions, and without ever reckoning with what it would take to make amends for them.

He repents, vindicating Rey’s belief that he always carried the seed of that within him. But, just like Darth Vader, Star Wars doesn’t redeem him. It’s all a necessary Jedi mind trick.