#ben solo: threads.

[godresembled]

@jakkuforce asked ❝ why can’t you just stay? ❞

"You could come with me." He says it so quietly, but the offer still hangs in the air.

[fandomrantsandtwittertakes]

[stillsolo]

GET TO KNOW THE WRITER

BOLD OR COLORIZE WHAT ALWAYS APPLIES TO YOU, ITALICIZE WHAT SOMETIMES APPLIES TO YOU, AND STRIKE THROUGH WHAT WILL NEVER APPLY TO YOU.

I RUN: lots of blogs || A FEW BLOGS || just this one

I FOLLOW BACK: muses in the same fandom || only muses who interest me || fandomless muses || FRIENDS OF MUTUALS || only members of a closed rp group || EVERYONE

I AM ACTIVE: more days than not || as often as not || some days here and there || DEPENDING ON MY school SCHEDULE || rarely || I'm often lurking even if I seem inactive

I LIKE TO WRITE THESE THEMES: FLUFF || ANGST || ACTION || casual interactions || INTENSE INTERACTIONS || CRACK || FIRST MEETINGS || PLATONIC RP || SHIPPING/ROMANTIC RP || THREADS || ASK MEMES || PROMPTS

I PREFER ROLEPLAYS THAT ARE: one-liners || single-para threads || MULTI-PARA THREADS || NOVELLA || different lengths depending on my mood

FOR SHIPPING, I AM: MULTISHIP || single ship || poly ship || no ship || plotted ships only || OPEN TO NEW SHIPS || not looking for new ships || mostly or exclusively looking for high engagement ship partners || mostly or exclusively looking for casual or low engagement ship partners || not picky about ships || SOMEWHAT PICKY ABOUT SHIPS || extremely picky about ships

I LIKE TO PLOT: everything || most interactions || some interactions || first interactions || nothing || threads || everything except memes and crack || ships || family relationships || HISTORY/BACKSTORY FOR OUR MUSES

TALK TO ME OUT OF CHARACTER: ANYTIME || TO PLOT || IF YOU'RE CONFUSED OR HAVE QUESTIONS IN GENERAL || to remind me to reply || sparingly || only if it's really important

I GIVE ALTERNATIVE CONTACT METHODS (discord / social media) TO: FRIENDS || mutuals || anyone who asks || PEOPLE I'VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TALKING TO ALREADY || SHIP PARTNERS || members of a certain rp group || no one

`➠⠀:⠀⠀ ACQUIRED FROM :⠀⠀@valorums thank you for thinking of me!!

TAGGING : @techniiciian @desiccation @sgterso @strcngered @forcenexus / @magikborn @alootus @vibraea @desireandduty @jundlcndwastes & whoever wants to do this!!

[bpdwandamaximoff]

Somebody PLEASE tell me there is a Reylo Phantom Thread AU. And if there isn’t one there needs to be one immediately

[bloodymyhands]

just dropping tags for new muses + for other muses i forgot to add tags for.

ahsoka

✮⋆˙ ahsoka tano. ━━ ( threads )

✮⋆˙ ahsoka tano. ━━ ( visage )

✮⋆˙ ahsoka tano. ━━ ( inbox )

✮⋆˙ ahsoka tano. ━━ ( study )

anakin

✮⋆˙ barbie. ━━ ( threads )

✮⋆˙ barbie. ━━ ( visage )

✮⋆˙ barbie. ━━ ( inbox )

✮⋆˙ barbie. ━━ ( study )

ben

✮⋆˙ ben solo. ━━ ( threads )

✮⋆˙ ben solo. ━━ ( visage )

✮⋆˙ ben solo. ━━ ( inbox )

✮⋆˙ ben solo. ━━ ( study )

vax

✮⋆˙ vaxildan. ━━ ( threads )

✮⋆˙ vaxildan. ━━ ( visage )

✮⋆˙ vaxildan. ━━ ( inbox )

✮⋆˙ vaxildan. ━━ ( study )

laudna

✮⋆˙ laudna. ━━ ( threads )

✮⋆˙ laudna. ━━ ( visage )

✮⋆˙ laudna. ━━ ( inbox )

✮⋆˙ laudna. ━━ ( study )

[gracefallen]

eyes roll at her correction , but he doesn't bother challenging it. smile soon appears back on his face , though , brows raising as he glances back to her. " well i don't need to add anything ! but we can always put it to the test someday , huh ? i'd happily buy a tape measure if it means proving you wrong ! " head shakes , laughing as he goes back to his bookshelf. " ah , yeah . 'cause i'm the reason they're not about right now ! " offering her an amused look as she approaches , he turns , leaning himself up against the shelves. " come on , now . you don't really want me to go anywhere ! " teasing words given before he gestures towards the books on offer. " i'm looking for a copy of alice in wonderland . sounds stupid , i know . but rumour has it that it's haunted ! " proclaimed dramatically , hands shaking in front of him , clearly not believing the tale. " my friends think i'm going to be too spooked to retrieve it , but i'm going to prove them wrong just like i'll prove you wrong someday ! " nudging her shoulder , grin widening as he leans in closer. " so . seen it anywhere ? "

continued  from  here   ♡   @starlcved.

[godresembled]

@wyldefcrged asked ❝ rest now. i’ll be here when you wake. ❞

If he could have stayed awake, he would have. Sleeping and injured was too much vulnerability at once, even if he knew she was good for her word. But there was no fighting off sleep, and he barely got out a nod as he slumped onto the makeshift bed.

[wastelcndbby]

“hmm…history is told by the winners, i guess.” luke had probably told him at some point or another that the jedi were held accountable, but after everything, ben started to doubt it the truth in that.

“palpentine, the man behind the fall of the jedi. pretended to be the chancellor, pulled all the strings so that everything could fall perfectly in place for him to seize total control.” ben explained as simply as he could. “better than i found it…” ben laughed. he had done so much wrong in his life, it was hard to think that the one good thing he had done had left the world better…but it had. “i’ve never thought about it that way. it’s a comforting thought i don’t deserve.”

"This is a strange new world. Those labels seem less important here" it was a good thing really. Sometimes it had felt like things had become so focused on that, it had made the rules so much tighter. It was all a mess. "I don't disagree with that. Though in my time, they were often held accountable, even for things that weren't their doing" it was a mess, but that was politicians for you. "Some of the rules do make sense, others miss the point" a sad balance really, one he had argued about.

"Emperor who?" he was sure that name should be familiar, but it wasn't one he could think of. "It sounds like there was a lot of darkness in the galaxy" likely from fear, but why people were so afraid, he hadn't figured out yet. "Fighting to do good, it isn't a Jedi trait. We may try to, and we may fight for it. But people who aren't Jedi do as well. End of it all, all that matters is leaving the galaxy better than you found it. Sounds to me as if you did".

[rederoma]

Io non la penso come nessuno, difatti mi tengo tutti ben distanti da me, non mi occorre chi la pensa come gli altri per sentirsi meno solo.

Quest’applicazione ha lo stesso concetto di Threads, Instagram e snapchat.

Più ti fai vedere, più sei provocante, più attiri il marcio umano che ha contribuito alla rovina di tanti ragazzi, i quali pensavano di poter diventare chissà chi, per via dei seguaci, per la marea di “attenzioni passeggere” che ad alcuni bastano per sentirsi apprezzati, dunque dal nulla più totale, ma non è tanto questo, il fatto è che quando chiudi il telefono tu non esisti più, ognuno ha la sua vita, di merda o bella che sia, ha la sua, quindi appena hai un momento no, crolli, e capisci che non sei mai stato in pace con te stesso/a.

Metti da parte le tipelle che provocano con le loro foto in intimo, quelli che a loro volta commentano per puro sfizio personale, poiché passeranno successivamente a commentare da una tipa all’altra, togli anche i tipelli che postano foto delle proprie vene o del loro fisico scolpito, o ancor di più togli chi scambia questo tipo di social per uno psicologo astratto…dimmi, che cosa rimarrebbe?

Tu qui come su qualsiasi altro social, sei il nulla, come lo sono io, come lo è chi sta leggendo.

Dunque chi siete al di fuori di tutta questa messa in scena?

[foreverreylo]

Rey’s footsteps were heavy, dragged down by physical exhaustion and the weight of loss. Every muscle in her body protested, marked by the recent battle, but the deepest pain was invisible. It burned in silence, lodged in her heart — the searing pain of having lost her dyad.

Ben Solo’s final smile — serene, genuine — still shone in her memory as if it had just happened, right after their desperate fight against Palpatine. It was an eternal moment, etched into her soul.

Rey had never truly known love. She hadn’t understood what it meant to be the center of someone’s devotion. But Ben had shown her. With every gesture, every choice, he had given himself for her — and it had marked her in a way no battle ever could.

Even before she fully realized it, the bond between them already existed. An invisible, unbreakable thread, woven by something that transcended the Force: love. A silent, yet absolute love.

Now, however, he was no longer by her side.

Amid the laughter and embraces of the Resistance, as her companions celebrated victory, Rey remained broken. Her soul longed for a different embrace — the one only Ben could offer.

What might have been if time had been more generous with them? If they’d had a chance to build something together?

The days that followed were filled with disguised mourning. Longing felt like an open wound that bled endlessly. Until, driven by a mix of desperation and hope, Rey left. Without warning, without farewells. Because continuing to live without her dyad was no longer an option.

The journey she undertook was long, perilous, crossing the known boundaries of the Force. But every challenge was worth it the moment she found him — lost, but still there — in the World Between Worlds.

And then, she saw that smile again. The smile that reignited her inner light.

This time, she swore to herself: she would never lose him again.

[starblightbindery]

Binder's Note for Forms by Trebia

How Forms fits in the long tradition of Star Wars fanfic.

My hope is that this project captures a snapshot in time from Star Wars fandom het shippers between December 2015 and December 2017, before the franchise confirmed any emotional intimacy—if you can call it that— between Rey and Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017).

Trebia, then aged 24, wrote and published the first chapter of Forms on Archive of Our Own on December 18th, 2015—the exact release date of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. When posting this first chapter, Trebia noted, “I’m just working off of memory from the one viewing I saw last night.” The entirety of the fanfic was completed and posted an exact month later, making this fic historically significant in Star Wars fandom as one of the earliest published “Reylo��� stories.

A serialized novella that was churned out in an astonishingly short time frame, Forms is notable for predicting many elements of The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019), including the Reylo Force bond, Rey walking away from her training with Luke Skywalker, Kylo Ren pleading with Rey to join him, and Kylo Ren pushing his Force energy into Rey to save her life.

Throughout the story, Trebia mashed new and old Star Wars elements together—characters like the Mandalorians and Admiral Daala, settings like Illum and Kuat⁠—evincing her fondness for the Galaxy Far, Far Away. Forms has classic tropes from this franchise, like stealing a uniform to go undercover in an enemy base and the forced proximity of a “Slow Boat to Bespin.” Present in Forms are scads of fan theories from between the release of The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. These included the theory that—echoing a Legends plot line from Dark Empire (1991) where somehow Palpatine returns and Luke Skywalker joins the dark side to try and take him down from the inside—Kylo Ren had strategic reasons for his apprenticeship to Snoke. Like many Reylo fan-works set in-universe, Trebia lends justification to his many antisocial acts, part of shipper efforts to make the character more self-relevant and sympathetic.

Forms weaves in tantalizing threads that were tossed around by fans and concept artists but ultimately not pursued, including Dark Rey, Stormpilot (Finn/Poe Dameron), and Rey's saberstaff. Trebia even predicted the Kuat Drive Yards plot line started in The Last Jedi (Rose Tico’s contempt for weapon's manufacturers on Canto Bight) and continued in the abandoned Episode IX: Duel of Fates script by Colin Trevorrow. Forms also addresses loose ends that probably should have been covered for a more cohesive nine film saga, like the Chosen One prophecy and direct interaction between Anakin Skywalker and Kylo Ren.

No discussion of Forms can be complete without also placing it in the context of Star Wars fandom in 2016. Reylo was a fringe pairing that made intuitive sense to many Star Wars fans, particularly women; however, prior to The Last Jedi, the ship was dwarfed by the popularity of slash ships like Finn/Poe and Kylo Ren/Hux. At the time, many fans theorized that Rey was Luke Skywalker’s long-lost daughter, making her Ben Solo’s first cousin, making Reylo an incest ship.

As noted on the Fanlore wiki, the tags on this fic changed over time. In addition to “Riding the bus to hell either way” Trebia joked with tags like “Possible incest?” and “Not incest until proven guilty in the court of law.” Following the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Trebia celebrated by replacing those tags with a celebratory “IT AIN’T INCEST.”

The story's strong influence in early Reylo fandom reflected a hunger for more Star Wars romances about the pull between light and dark. After all, the sequel trilogy did not set up Kylo Ren as a horned, alien-appearing monster or a wrinkled geezer. Unblemished by the ravages of the dark side, Kylo Ren was depicted with pillow lips and a fabulous, voluminous coiffure unencumbered by his helm (which really should have flattened it to his scalp.) The groundwork for a lightsider/darksider romance was previously explored in other Expanded Universe stories. At the forefront of these were watered down lightsider/darkside romances like the tepidly written romance between Luke Skywalker and former Palpatine agent Mara Jade. Given Mara Jade was hardly a champion of the dark side, there was no risk of corrupting Skywalker. But the Expanded Universe also boasted stories that played with this dynamic, like the twisted connection between Fable Astin and Jaalib Brandl by Patricia A. Jackson for the Star Wars Adventure Journal (1994), the conflict between Jaina Solo and Zekk in Kevin J. Anderson's Young Jedi Knights (1996),or the passion between Darth Revan and Bastila Shan in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003). In this respect, Forms and the rest of the Reylo fan fiction oeuvre continues the grand fan tradition of Star Wars villain fucking.

“Darksider and lightsider conflict is one of the most fascinating points of Star Wars,” Trebia said in 2016, when interviewed by Spencer Kornhaber for The Atlantic. “Rey and Kylo represent the fight to find the balance.” Yet, at the time, the fledgling “Reylo” ship was abhorred by affirmational Star Wars fans who despised the emphasis on shipping with a female gaze, as well as scorned by media commentators who found the ship to be “problematic.” In male-dominated, established fan spaces like Reddit and Jedi Council Forums, discussion of Reylo was effectively banned by moderators through the freezing of threads. In other fandom spaces like Twitter and Tumblr, discourse about Reylo mirrored larger purity culture. The ship became a convenient target for alt-right misogynists, and also for anti‑shippers concerned that the ship “romanticized abuse.” Productive and unproductive debate arose around media consumption construed as agreement or approval, whether a sympathetic Kylo Ren lends people to give more latitude to real-life white right-wing men with anger management problems (or if it's the other way around), and if shippers can tell the difference between a fictional antihero and the same dangerous thing in real life. Critiques of Reylo fandom also included the implicit racism inherent in the sidelining of John Boyega’s heroic character Finn in favor of white whiny fascist Kylo Ren. (It did not help that 2016 also saw the election where white American women voters decided to displace a competent Black man with a white whiny fascist.)

In the September 2020 issue of the Journal of Fandom Studies, Andrea Marshall notes that Reylo “fan fiction acts as a locus of resistance to gendered oppression as feminist authors construct selves that critique the source material and the fandom for gendered oppression within tropes and attitudes.” By having Rey actually interact with and befriend a woman other than Leia, Forms already improves on the source material. It's a delight to see Forms depict older women over age fifty who are plot-significant and interact which one another, if only because Star Wars movies are fairly gender regressive. On the other hand, Rey's strategy to convert Kylo back to the light is to uh, suck the badness out of him. It's Padmé Amidala logic—sure, he arranged the wholesale slaughter of an entire village, but he can also deftly finger you to orgasm! Granted, Star Wars is infamously a franchise of excuse making, where really shitty dudes manage to turn it around and do the right thing at the last minute. Forms also doesn't push all that hard to actively resist the neo-fascist allegory in the sequel trilogy, particularly in Trebia's appendix, which dissatisfactorily explains that all of the First Order war criminals in the story ended up as instructors in military academies. (Who would even hire them, Albus Dumbledore?!)

Fics like Forms led to “ship wars” discourse, which led to the publication of ozhawkauthor's “The Three Laws of Fandom” meta essay on January 1st, 2016. “Laws” is a bit of a misnomer since there is no enforcement body; the essay is more of a request for courtesy in fandom spaces. The laws were also meant to apply specifically to shipping, not fandom or media criticism as a whole. “It’s not up to you to decide what other people are allowed to like or not like, to create or not to create,” wrote ozhawkauthor. “That’s censorship. Don’t do it.”

For fans conscious of fandom history and the impact of censorship in spaces like FanFiction.net and Livejournal, ozhawkauthor's guidelines—(1) Don't like; don't read, (2) Your ship is not my ship, (3)Ship and let ship—felt intuitive. This is reflected in spaces like my bookbinding guild, Renegade, which—similar to Archive of Our Own—takes a hands off approach to policing content. This did not prevent widespread handwringing about Reylo content. Star Wars fan ughwhyben reflected on the “gigantic fandom that is suddenly experiencing a renaissance, where an influx of mainstream folk are trickling into (or running into) the fic side for possibly the first time right now and don’t have this training. It’s like we’re flickering back and forth between the modern evolution of fic side fannish culture and what things were like in, for example, 2001 when I first stumbled in.”

Decades ago, in May 1981, Lucasfilm reacted to the publication of “Slow Boat to Bespin” by Anne Elizabeth Zeek & Barbara Wenk by declaring a ban on smut in fan fiction. I've included in the errata of this binding a letter from 1981 written by the Star Wars fanclub president to circulating fanzines threatening legal action. While slash was also caught in this net—disproportionately targeted given non-explicit gay romance was not okay even though Star Wars has non-explicit het romance—it was this fairly tame (by fic standards) heteronormative fic, featuring Han Solo and Princess Leia, that signaled to Lucasfilm that smutty fanfic was no longer on the fringes and now needed to be addressed to protect the “wholesomeness” of the franchise. Subsequently, fanfic writers had to make a conscious decision to flout Lucasfilm’s policy and go forth with propagating their smut.

And, in 2016, of all the ships in all of fandom, it was the Reylo Star Wars pairing, featuring this specific heteronormative female power fantasy (of being able to leash a villain by the dick to drag him back to the light) that led to a communal reaffirmation of these fandom norms. In her interviews with the The Atlantic, Trebia directly quotes from the Three Laws of Fandom, endorsing “ship and let ship” as a basis for creating Reylo fanworks. “I am fully involved in the garbage compactor that is this pairing, and I love it,” Trebia said. “No matter what way it goes, I will stick with it.”

After studying early romance novels from the late 1600s and early 1700s, Ros Ballaster observed a polarity between didactic love fiction and amatory fiction. Didactic love stories are sweet—aspirational, moral, and idealized—while amatory fiction is spicy—erotic, transgressive, untethered from social sanction. We do see representations of didactic love in Reylo fan fiction, particularly in contemporary romance “Modern AUs” like Ali Hazelwood's The Love Hypothesis (2021)where the Kylo's homicidal Sith rage is sanitized to a more socially-acceptable grumpy academic brooding. One can comfortably bring Adam Carlsen, Ph.D home to meet Mother. But certainly, the majority of Reylo fic written by fans gravitate towards and come with the self awareness of the amatory. For one, Trebia loudly proclaims in her Chapter Two author note: “MORE TRASH FOR THE TRASH GOD.”

Discourse over the “morality” of Reylo fan fiction tends to overlook the distinction between the didactic and the amatory. As compelling as the idea of a “Force dyad” is in fantasy, this relationship is not meant to be aspirational in a literal sense. Yet, readers of Reylo fiction were and continue to have to defend their interest in the archetype with disclaimers—yes, it's trash, yes, I know it's problematic—while men in fandom are not held to the same standards when it comes to “problematic” media they consume or enjoy, whether it's a Michael Bay blockbuster film or male-gaze pornography.

As Deborah Lutz notes, “The Dangerous Lover Romance” is a centuries old, conventional way to represent erotic desire and romantic love. The “sublimely tormented Byronic hero” is hardly groundbreaking, to the extent that Rian Johnson's depiction of Reylo in The Last Jedi subverts the trope—at the end of the film Rey isn't enchanted, she's repulsed. The same way Star Wars replicates Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey monomyth, Reylo stories like Forms reflect the broad appeal of the “how-the-turntables” Dangerous Lover romance—where the woman protagonist, initially subjugated by the debased, restless misanthrope, ends up subjugating him through her strength of will and the power of love. Trebia's Kylo even sports malevolent scars like so many Gothic male romantic leads before him—always on the face. In the Gothic romance, the heroine accesses socially undesirable aspects—power, rage, craving, desire—as expressed by her double, the Dangerous Lover. His presence in the story provides a basis for her disinhibition. The Reylo ship follows a well-trodden cultural script of transgressive female desire.

Forms the fan fiction novella is a notable cultural artefact reflecting a distinct period of time in Star Wars fandom. At the time, Reylo fanfic held all the promise of improved representation for women characters, crossed with the instinctual, regressive insistence that maintains a white male character in the forefront. Reylo fan fiction produced in early 2016 also led to the reification of anti-censorship values in fandom. Seven years later, a fandom that was once derided has gone fully mainstream, as fic writers like Ali Hazelwood, Ashley Poston, and Thea Guanzon top traditional publishing bestseller lists. What Trebia knocked out, hours after her introduction to the characters, is now it's own Star Wars literary tradition.

[thursdaygrl]

Usually Ben would be satisfied with minding his own business, he's never really been one for small talk and especially not with strangers. It's no wonder he'd tried to slot himself into a position that didn't value it within his professional life. Really, he didn't intend to prompt Rey for an explanation but he couldn't seem to shut himself up. He pictured it, what that kind of childhood would be like and instantly felt guilty for asking. "Oh." He nodded understandingly, averting his gaze to the dock for a moment instead of her. "That's... fair."

He hadn't been expecting her to take him up on the offer of putting her feet in, but he shifted a little more to turn and watch her as she reluctantly gave into the water for a moment. The corner of his mouth twitched, almost prompting a smile but he didn't get that far. "Feels nice, right?" He called out. Could he teach her to swim? Would she ever even want that? Ben would never be the type to insist, so he left that particular topic there for a moment, letting out a sigh before he slipped back in the water, laying back to float on the surface for a moment. It was his favourite thing to do, when the water blocked the sound and he shut his eyes to the bright sky, his mind emptying for a moment.

"I grew up in the foster care system in Arizona," Rey explained, looking over at Ben where he was propped up on the dock. "None of the families I was with ever offered... I don't think they had the means for them." She hated the way it sounded a bit like a sob story when she said it, but she had made peace with her past. It was what it was, and she typically just left it alone. "I always thought I would learn, I just..." she trailed off. She supposed there was nothing stopping her, but it just still seemed... scary.

She considered what he said about putting her feet in the water. In theory that was simple enough, but she'd always found a way to get herself into one scrape or another. Hopefully this was not one of those times. She stood gingerly and slid her feet out of the flip flops she'd been wearing before stepping carefully across the sand, trying to avoid sharper-looking rocks. When her toes met the cool water, she sighed, enjoying the feeling as it moved across the tops of her feet and to her ankles.

[sehtoast]

Hi! I love your writing!

So since Benjamin is Spider-man, that means he'll face all the iconic Spider-Man foes. And that means he might get infected by the Symbiote of that universe. How would he be like with the Symbiote and how would everyone react to him changing, especially homelander? Since we know Symbiotes can bring out the worst in their hosts.

this got long lol:

i do have some thoughts for potentially doing an in-universe symbiote arc, but the ideas are very surface level and i'm not quiiiiite sure if i would do it as a part in tender threads itself or as a standalone story

i think the symbiote and a venom adjacent villain for the boys-verse have the potential to be really emotional for ben and homelander. the hard part is i think the symbiote arc would be inclusive of both homelander and ben, but his venom-type villain would have to be faced alone since homelander could, in theory, solo that shit with lasers lol

as far as how ben would be like with the symbiote... it's an interesting thought:

when i was thinking of ben at the start, i thought of someone altruistic with a repressed reservoir of bitterness for the world that's still somehow strong in his convictions to do the right thing. peter cullen's story of his brother telling him that optimus prime should "be strong enough to be gentle" was the direct influence for who ben is as a person. that said, symbiotes amplify a lot of negative psychological traits. aggression, anger, impatience, anti-social/isolating behaviors, selfishness, and so on are all pretty prominent with what we see in symbiote hosts, and it does gradually get worse the longer they are hosts. i really liked the portrayal of peter's corruption in the SM2 insomniac game where it fed (in part) off of his overwhelming need to "be a better spiderman" because he's still so hurt inside at the loss of aunt may. even grief can be weaponized by a symbiote.

so, ultimately, i can see it tapping into ben's more selfish desires. why should he lift a finger to help people? he's done it for so long, but why is it always him? why does he keep dealing with the same problems-- and why do they keep coming back? would it be easier to kill them (imagine homelander's delight)? should he visit that washed up publisher-turned-podcaster that's been dragging his name though the mud and show him what a real villain looks like?

benjamin always gives, so maybe he should start to take. maybe he should stop pulling his punches all the time and let the world know how bad he hurts by making it hurt just the same. combine this with increased anger and definitely more social isolation (present trait already- can definitely see it getting worse) and i think that would be ben with a symbiote. he wants what the world owes him.

i think homelander would revel in it at first. suddenly his little bf is just as sadistic as he is. the rules change and homie can be messy when they're out together. but, i think, as time goes on and ben's behaviors come out against homelander, there would be a problem. suddenly homelander feels a) challenged and b) unwanted/unloved, and we know exaaaactly how he gets when he's feeling that way. ideally lol i'd like to see them physically fight while ben's got the symbiote. i think it would be really neat to explore how far each would go to hurt the other in a situation like that, especially if ben is really far gone. now, if this happens after homelander loses his powers [benlander canon >:)], this would be an incredibly different concept and i think would be extremely painful for homelander. like, really awful, to the extent of like a partner trapped in an abusive relationship with no way out of it. those are thoughts for another day though

i think the team would likely see ben's corruption arc as a direct symptom of homelander's influence. workplace relationships never stay a secret lmfao, so it's guaranteed that they all know at some point. of course this formerly sweet boy is suddenly becoming rotten to his core as he spends more and more time around their morally reprehensible, volatile leader. maeve and starlight would be very disappointed and likely speak up where and when appropriate (within the bounds of knowing what homelander could do to them if they did). i can see ashley going belly-up to ben but being confused since he'd always been nice to her. stan would find him to be a nuisance. a-train would become avoidant of ben, i think. noir would be chillin. if the deep is present for the arc, i think he'd find ben as intimidating as he finds homelander and likely suck up to him a bit more for approval and protection. if stormfront is present, i think it amplifies their tensions tenfold, though i don't think i would do this arc during her appearance in the plot.

ben's far enough removed from his family that i think their reactions would be small, but i absolutely think we could see an explosive anger moment with them.

it really is SUCH a tempting idea to throw a symbiote at ben. i'm still planning and actively writing bits of TT (now i'm off for two weeks from college so i might get another chapter out), but i think it's likely to happen

[tragcdysewn]

below the cut is a little plot call for the event! just react and i will dm you and we can work out what threads we want and divide up starters! all names link to outfits if you wanna be nosy :)

abigail bishop - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

abi exists on ‘i’m here for a good time not for a long time’, so she’s getting messy drunk, flirting up a storm, and going home with someone. whether that's for nsfw content or something requiring a much stronger trigger warning is absolutely open to be plotted out

ahsoka tano - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

ahsoka is expecting winter and leia to be drunk, and while part of her wants to supervise, the other part wants to get drunk with them. and i know which part of her is going to win out, unfortunately. #getthespacesistersdrunk2k25

alice 'daisy' tonner - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

daisy is not really into this sort of thing at all, but is definitely mistrustful enough of dc as a whole to come and check it out/keep an eye on things, good luck getting her to dance, but she can be convinced to check out the art exhibits or do shots at the bar

allana solo - going with sella palpatine

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

as per usual, allana is spending the night with their girlfriend, though she might not avoid her family as much as she has at recent events. they’re on edge, knowing how these things sometimes go, but she’s determined to have a good time anyways, and will make fun of the dumb/freaky art they find

ariana dupont - going with ben solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

girl has three kids under age three. any excuse for a night out is being taken. won’t be getting messy drunk but will definitely be enjoying herself and exploring as much as she can of the place

asher sorrengail - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

i miss my wife, tails :( no but really bro is missing his wife very much and would not really like to be here. catch him being the most awkward dude at the function by far, he's just gonna be yapping about the art for real. someone make him dance and socialize thank you

asmodeus - going with fizzarolli

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

my guy is the embodiment of lust, and will be acting like it tonight. he's got a monogamous partner, but will be drinking and flirting up a storm, and encouraging people to do the same. you need the confidence to approach someone? this is your guy

athenodora volturi - going with caius volturi

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

she has begrudgingly agreed to go with her husband, mostly because he apologized a lot and gave her his credit card, which she ran up a huge bill on. but she hasn't been to a public affair like this in centuries, so she's pretty excited for that aspect of the whole thing

baxian argos - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

bax is mostly here to keep an eye on danika, and make sure she's safe during this whole thing while she doesn't have her memories. but he could probably be persuaded to interact with people on the basis of seeming normal

bela dimitrescu - blind date with rebekah mikaelson

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

bela is naturally a bit of a flirt, and will probably be doing so with anyone she finds attractive, even with a date. especially if she’s hungry, so that is an option as well. she’s also not opposed to causing a bit of trouble if the idea is appealing enough to her

bryce quinlan - going with hunt athalar

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

bryce exists on the principle of 'if she’s gotta be royalty she’s going to be annoying as hell about it at formal events’ so she will be enjoying herself and being extra as hell, come join her in her menace behavior

cassie lang - going with lott jinrhu

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

cassie may legitimately be trying to climb the chandeliers, we’ll see if she succeeds at that particular endeavor. otherwise, she’ll be in the middle of everything, making sure everyone around her has a blast

davina claire - going with klaus mikaelson

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

honestly, davina is more here to keep an eye on kol and keep things from being real uncomfortable with klaus than she is the ball itself, but she’ll still come for a dance or two. she does love music, and will have a good time with both aspects

eleni vanserra - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

honestly, eleni loves going to parties, but it’s been a long time since she’s gotten to have fun at one, so she intends to actually let loose a little and enjoy herself. please help her with that

elphaba thropp - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

glinda told her that she had to go because it would be fun, and elphaba is incapable of saying no to glinda, so she’s here and trying to make the best of it. she'll probably be vibing and looking at art more than talking to people

eveline winters - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

evie is a bit of a freak, and will absolutely be lurking in a corner for a lot of the party, just kind of observing people. she could definitely be dragged out to participate, but she is just kind of there. watching

feng xin - going with mu qing

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

i honestly don’t even know if he’s actually intentionally flirting or he’s just like that, but if anyone femme presenting actually approaches him, he’ll scream. i’m not kidding. he's also very smug that he's managed to convince mu qing to go with him, and will be trying to see how he justifies that

feyre archeron - going with rhysand

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

she has honestly started really enjoying parties since coming to the night court and no longer needing to be involved in planning them. and now that her mate is back with her, she’ll be much less mopey

hannibal lecter - blind date with may parker

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

hannibal enjoys social events like this, genuinely, and is thriving in this kind of setting. he'll be found charming people and discussing the art, like the pretentious rich man he absolutely is

hazel levesque - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

she's mostly here to watch her brother try to master a social interaction, but they also definitely enjoys a party, and will probably be acting like a social butterfly all night

he chunyu - blind date with laura kinney

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

she's not super used to big parties, but she loves any kind of formal event and any excuse to dress up, so she's going to be having a blast at this. she'll be trying to talk to and dance with pretty much whoever is open to it, so feel free to hang out!

howl jenkins pendragon - going with sophie hatter

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

howl definitely has some trauma from dc balls, but is determined to have a good time anyways, so here he is, the life of the party as per usual. honestly will drag anyone into any activity they are so social it’s painful

james witherdale - going with victoria sutherland

drinking(not alcohol) || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

he only goes to these because victoria gets a kick out of them, and they’re an easy way to get a snack if he hasn’t hunted in a while. so… probably avoid him unless his eyes are red, honestly

jesinia neilwart - blind date with sloane mairi

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

she's never been to a super formal event like this, but she's determined to enjoy herself. she's interested in the art a lot, and is decently social, if a little shy, so she absolutely would benefit from people tugging her into a more social situation

jun wu - going with mei nianqing

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

jun wu is honestly pretty personable when he wants to be, and this is a charity thing so he wants to make a good impression. he’s definitely open to meeting new people, but is probably going to spend a lot of time checking out the museum as well. he’ll be pretty easy to drag into a drink or a dance as well, though

kore sekkari - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

kore is going to have a blast spending a night drinking and dancing on the government’s dime. she’s also not opposed to leaving with someone if the mood strikes her, she’s got no real plans for this beyond have fun

korra - going with asami sato

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

korra is very high energy, and really should not be given access to events like this. but she will be fun to spend time with, and probably will walk out with a few new friends just off of drunken shenanigans. they're also feeling incredibly weird about this roommate date, so she's trying to ignore that

kriya dura - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

she enjoys a nice party, especially with free drinks and snacks. she'll definitely be trying to go home with someone, and the girl deserves a bit of stress release, don't we all agree?

lan wangji - going with wei wuxian

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

bro does not drink because he takes one sip and acts a fool, nor does he really enjoy social events. i’m so sorry for him but he will just be vibing on his own as soon as his husband leaves to talk to someone else

liu mingyan - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

mingyan isn’t really sure what to do at these sorts of things, but she’s intrigued enough to give it a shot, and maybe meet some new people as a result. if it’s terrible, at least she gets an interesting experience to write about, right?

lucifer morningstar - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

he's really awkward at these events, and is really just in a terrible mood with everything going on in his life, but he knows charlie is excited, and he's making an effort to show up for his daughter

lute - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

she's a bit of a bitch, but she will always enjoy a good time and a drink, so she's showed up anyways. if she gets enough drinks, she might actually be tolerable to speak to

lysandra ennar - flying solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

lysandra is always happy to party, and despite not really wanting anything to commit to, they'll flirt quite a bit and pull strangers into a dance or two for fun

manon blackbeak - flying solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

dorian is here with her, and definitely willing to go off and fool around somewhere, so she’s content enough to not cause problems on purpose. will she be pleasant? unsure. but after a few drinks she might loosen up

melinoë - blind date with arya stark

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

mel has mostly done this for the experience of doing something that humans love to do, and she's awkward about it, but having a good time. she's not going to be super social, but she can definitely be pulled into a conversation pretty easily

mj jones - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

mj loves observing people and their habits, so she’s honestly having a blast in her corner watching people dance and flirt and whatever else they’re doing. but she will also likely join for a dance or two, why not, right?

mobei-jun - going with shang qinghua

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

he is not much of a social person, but will ultimately be polite if someone starts a conversation with him first. he’s really just looking for the first possible chance to politely leave

monkey d. luffy - blind date with niffty

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

luffy is really here to vibe and make some new friends. he's excited for free food as well, but i promise he will be a good time to hang out with

nie mingjue - going with lan xichen

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

mingjue is ultimately a kind of stiff guy, but he does like social functions and is kind of surprisingly fun. he’ll drink and party like anyone else, he’ll just always have one eye out for any kind of trouble or danger

nyssa solo - blind date with azula

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

nyssa is actually only really pleasant when she's at some kind of event and can drink and party, and will actually be a blast at this sort of thing to anyone and everyone around her

odysseus - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

odysseus is definitely someone who enjoys a good time, but is also absolutely a dad type in terms of going to a party, where he'll be trying to make sure everyone else is having fun over his own enjoyment

qi rong - going with xuan ji

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

i mean… this is a psychotic cannibal. i don’t know what you want from me here. he’s going to cause problems on purpose and no one should be shocked about that very obvious fact

renesmee cullen - blind date with belly conklin

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

ness is here to party and that’s it. she will be getting a bit messy drunk, but don’t tell her parents or their aunts and uncles thank you very much. they don’t want to have that conversation right now

rhiannon matthias - going with andarna

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

rhi is always down for a good time, and will happily party with any random stranger, as well as getting their friends to enjoy themselves as well. they might get a little messy drunk, but she'll be a lot of fun about it

ryden samos - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

bro is not thrilled with his current romantic situation, but he was invited to this thing, and he figured why not give it a shot? he’s just gonna be trying not to brood, maybe meet some new people if he can and avoid his problems

sasha james - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

sasha is absolutely a bit of a nerd, and is going to be checking out the art more than literally anything else, but she's absolutely open to grabbing a drink or having a dance with someone

sheev palpatine - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

officially he’s drinking, but the man’s actually had the same glass of champagne all night. he does not get drunk, it’s bad for both his image and his paranoia. will definitely dance and talk to people though

shen qingqiu - going with luo binghe

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

my guy is a mess, and he tends to become a bit of a messy drunk when an open bar is involved. and now his bestie isn't even around to bitch at him with. will that prevent him from drinking at this party? definitely not. good luck bro

shi wudu - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

shi wudu is a bit of a stuck up ass, so he’s definitely the type to judge people while drinking over actually having fun at an event, but he’s not entirely opposed to company for that particular activity

thanatos - going with zagreus and alani tiure

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

than is ultimately just not a social creature, and they will absolutely be in a corner observing and chatting with whoever approaches them more than anything else. they’re perfectly comfortable here, just very much an introvert

vidia vaymir - blind date with cho hyunju

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

vidia is truly a disney princess incarnate, and will be acting like it this entire event. she will be flitting around from person to person to try and make friends and get people to join her for whatever activity she's in the middle of

wen qing - going with jiang cheng

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

wen qing is awkward at best at parties, but she’s surrounded by people who enjoy them, so they try her best to have fun and enjoy themself. a few drinks in and they’ll be a lot more fun, i promise

xaden riorson - going with violet sorrengail

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

he showed up an hour late. do not ask why. xaden’s pretty stiff at formal events, honestly, but he’ll have drink or two and people watch from his corner. the only way you’re getting him to really have fun though is if you’re one of his friends or his girlfriend

xiao lanhua - going with dongfang qingcang

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

girl loves a party, and will be interacting with literally every random person she can. they’re having a great time, and will probably get just the wrong side of messy drunk unless someone stops them

xiao qing - blind date with vi

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

honestly, they signed up because they thought a blind girl going on a blind date would be funny. she’s a menace, but knows how to have a good time and will probably try to interact with a bunch of new people

ziva desilijic tiure - going solo

drinking || dancing || general chatting || exploring the museum || people watching || snacking in the corner || flirting || looking for an out || chaos

ziva is in her element at things like this, she honestly could almost be called hedonistic, and will be dancing and flirting like there’s no tomorrow. they’re here to have fun and maybe bring someone home, nothing else

[amomentxofhappiness]

"Don't call me Sir please," Ben whispered towering near her but in almost a whisper. He felt weak on the knees when Maly was near--he would blame it on the pain in his arm but it was all because of those brown eyes full of life. "You should call me Kylo when we are alone. Or--- or Ben." No one except for Padme would be allowed to call him that but Maly was special--too special for both of their sakes.

Her lack of understanding of how little workers mattered for the likes of Hux wasn't really surprising and he didnt want to hurt her feelings. "They managed to bomb a peace summit. There is absolutely no doubt that they could discreetly dispose of you I'm afraid," he breathed out, his calm unreadable face tensing for a moment. His non-injured hand reached to her shoulder against his better judgement. "As... As lovely as this is. As lovely as you are I'm--This isn't safe for you. I'm not safe for you. I can't keep you safe at all times. I'm poison," he breathed out hating himself--he always hated himself but more so even now when he wanted nothing more than to kiss her and hold her against his chest and he was going to do the exact opposite, just to keep her safe.

"You should probably leave Maly," he whispered, unable to move away from her.

Dinner flew past her much faster than expected. With pleasant conversation and polite company, Maly couldn't place where the time had gone. She'd have to leave eventually, make her way back to her own quarters - which were claustrophobic in comparison. Maybe her reluctance was less so to do with what she faced, but what she left behind. Or whom.

She just had to pray she could make it back without getting caught by a higher up. She had very little legitimate reason to be this far below deck.

At his call, he had her full attention - bright brown eyes focused entirely on him. Her expression round and interested. It remained unchanged even as he feared for her safety.

"I appreciate your concern, Sir." She did, even if she may not think it was warranted. "But wouldn't hurting me raise questions amongst the workforce? I mean sure, they could dispose of me discreetly, I suppose." She'd never considered the scenario. "But that would imply they know the meaning of the word, and I wouldn't go quietly. I'd kick and scream and you'd know." As if Ben knowing would resolve the matter.

"I can always hit someone with a spanner." Which would solve one problem and create another.