#one would hope this could be my final word on the subject of tlj in specific and the sequels in general

[dgcatanisiri]

I speculated a while back that JJ Abrams' very involvement is what truly marks why TLJ gets a pass for things simply carried on into TROS, that TROS only took things put into the sequels by the prior film and advanced them, so the ire really should be there, but, because JJ Abrams creates mystery boxes without including a solution in the box, and audiences in general are tired of it, HE gets the brunt of the anger of following elements put into the sequels by TLJ and Rian Johnson.

Another thing that kinda builds on that, at least from my perspective, is that... I don't really think ANYTHING could have spared TROS, because I legitimately feel that it was more of a "written to assuage the shareholders, just give them what they want" script than a "I passionately believe in and have put my genuine effort in to" script, where the executives at Disney gave a list of demands to include in the script and, as a result of that, had to adhere to a predetermined shape before ANYONE could write the script. Especially considering that JJ wasn't even anticipating coming back, and it was basically "we decided on a release date for this movie before we had a script, and now Trevorrow's out, JJ, have some money and come back to wrap this shit up."

Like remember when TFA released, and all the merchandise centered around Kylo Ren, rather than... y'know, Rey, Finn, and Poe, the ACTUAL heroes of the film? When people acknowledged that Disney seemed to be banking on the idea that people would respond to the edgelord villain, rather than the women and minority heroes? I can't imagine that they changed their tune afterwards, because that means admitting that THEY'RE the ones out of touch, so when they presented a list of demands for TROS's script, it followed that attitude, rather than responding to the way that the audience was leaning.

Like to make it clear, while my dislike of TLJ has put me off Rian Johnson entirely (I DEEPLY and will forever resent him bumping Finn into a "comedic" C-plot after he was the male lead of TFA), I don't think that JJ Abrams was the solution (though I will say that a single writer/director for the whole trilogy would have helped, be it Abrams OR Johnson). Rather the fault here was entirely on the backs of the executives, who wanted to put out an entire trilogy in the span of about four years, while changing up the writer/directors of each film, giving the trilogy no creative cohesion.

Genuinely, I believe that Abrams AND Johnson (who I'm including as much because I do this as anyone else whose criticisms of TLJ are beyond "women and people of color don't belong in my Star Wars, wah!") are probably just the convenient scapegoats for decisions made on the level of the Disney executives, not the act of writing or directing.

Y'know, when you have someone throwing around Disney levels of money giving you dictates for your script and story, honestly, you're probably not in the position of arguing too much - whatever wiggle room you get is balanced out by the fact that to Disney, you yourself are an utterly and completely replaceable cog in their machine.

I mean, end of the day, who REALLY had more power in that scenario, JJ Abrams or the damn mouse?

[violent-optimism]

Rey as a Palpatine and Why it’s Grown on Me

Hello my lovelies!

I think it’s been quite a while since I posted any kind of essay on here. Between work and other things I honestly haven’t had much time for it. However in recent days I’ve felt very motivated to work on a very particular kind of essay; a subject that I’ve been stewing over since December of last year.

Obviously from the title you already know what I’m going to be talking about. I’m not going to deny that this is a rather heated subject for some Star Wars fans, particularly those who disliked this plot choice and The Rise of Skywalker in general. As per usual in my essays, my goal is not to change anyone’s mind or argue over who’s opinion is “more right”. Plain and simple, this is just going to be me talking about MY thoughts and MY observations about Rey’s journey and lineage in The Rise of Skywalker. I hope this doesn’t need to be said but if you read something in this essay that you disagree with, I politely ask that you keep it to yourself and move on. At the end of the day, we are just talking about a movie, and this is all just for fun.

Now, with that being said, let’s get started! This essay is definitely going to be a bit more structured than my usual efforts and I hope this will result in a much more straightforward and clear-cut essay. Enjoy!

 1.      My Initial Reaction

 While I don’t want this to be a major part of the essay, I do think it makes sense to start this off with a little story about the time I first saw TROS in the theatre. I can remember it pretty well. My whole body was tense, my eyes glued to the screen for what I knew was about to be some kind of major reveal in the story (even if it felt very late in the film for such a scene). Then came those shocking and irreversible words from Kylo Ren: “You’re his Granddaughter. You are a Palpatine.”

Wait…what?

My mind recoiled at this statement. My heart sank into my stomach with complete rejection. This can’t be right. He must be lying. I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit. A man behind me just snorted with laughter and I can totally see why. Rey being related to Palpatine sounds more like a crazy Youtube fan theory than something that could actually be canon in the Star Wars universe. We had always thought she might be related to Luke or even Obi-Wan, but…Emperor Palpatine? Darth Sidious? No, just no.

So yeah, suffice to say that my first reaction towards this plot twist was not very positive. I admit that even once the movie was over, I still didn’t like this reveal. I don’t even think I began to warm up to it until my 3rd or 4th viewing of TROS. I had become so used to the idea that Rey had no special lineage and she was just a very force-sensitive girl from nowhere that it was extremely hard to let go of that. And honestly, if JJ and everyone else involved had chosen to keep it that way, I would have been perfectly content. So why…you might ask, has Rey’s true lineage grown on me in the last several months?

Now, don’t get me wrong…there’s still a part of me that thinks it was a very odd choice to introduce a reveal like this considering what happened in the previous installment. However…this fact has already been discussed to death and this essay is intended to be more of a story exploration rather than a critical film review. So let’s talk more about Rey being Palpatine’s Granddaughter and how I have actually grown to love the idea.

 2.      Rey’s Journey

 Throughout the trilogy, Rey has had to overcome quite a few challenges in her path to becoming a Jedi. Her journey has been one of mostly self-discovery and personal growth. In The Force Awakens, Rey discovers that she is strong in the force and can do things she never imagined. In The Last Jedi, Rey’s strength in the force grows stronger and she learns to accept that her parents were nobodies and that some things do not turn out the way we expect.

And so, thematically, it would almost seem like Rey has reached the end of her character arc. This is Rey at her most powerful. There’s nothing left to learn, and there are no more secrets to be revealed…right? Well, we know that this is not the case. Even from the first scene with Rey we know that something is wrong. She knows that something is wrong. There is a darkness inside of her; she fears for her destiny and who she is meant to become. It’s not until later that we understand why these feelings have come to the surface.

Up until TROS, we didn’t truly know who Rey was or where she came from. However, by this point in the story anyone should be able to describe her as a character. Kind. Brave. Resourceful. Curious. Compassionate. Strong. Rey has proven time and time again that she is an incredibly kind and capable individual who wants to do the right thing. Although both TLJ and TROS strongly hint towards Rey possibly turning to the dark side, we know that our protagonist never actually would because we know who Rey is.

And this a huge reason as to why the Rey Palpatine reveal works so well for me. There is an incredible juxtaposition with Rey being the most heroic, kind-hearted person imaginable, and yet she is related to the most evil man in the galaxy. There is something deeply profound about the last living Jedi having Sith blood in her veins. Part of the reason why this reveal is so shocking is because the two characters are complete polar opposites in terms of good and evil. Rey is absolutely nothing like Palpatine and so the familial connection seems impossible. It doesn’t just seem like an unlikely truth, it feels entirely incorrect. And yet, that is also what makes it (again, in my opinion) so interesting and bold.

 3.      Meaning and Impact

 Apart from giving Rey one last emotional challenge in the final installment, I think this choice was made for other reasons as well (3 to be precise).

1.      It made Rey even more similar to Kylo as he too is grappling with the dark influence from his Grandfather

2.      This decision subverts a long-existing trope in fantasy stories

3.      Used to further tie the 9 films together as a story about the Skywalker and Palpatine bloodlines

Since The Force Awakens, it was made very clear early on that Rey and Kylo were connected in some way; their destinies were intertwined. Although this was further explored in TLJ, we would not truly understand just how similar their journeys would become until the final installment. The dynamic between Rey and Kylo is infinitely interesting because at first glance they seem like completely opposite people, when in reality they share a very similar struggle, especially in The Rise of Skywalker.

Both Rey and Kylo experience the overwhelming darkness of their respective families. Kylo even says it quite bluntly before the lightsaber duel on the ruined Death Star: “The dark side is in our nature, surrender to it.” He is quite obviously trying to use Rey’s lineage against her in an attempt to turn her over to his side. What makes this so interesting is that we know Kylo himself is not yet completely taken over by the dark side. Despite his evil deeds, he has always been conflicted during this story.

When Rey finds out that she is related to Emperor Palpatine, she becomes withdrawn, angry, afraid and unstable. This is the closest to the dark side that we have ever seen Rey at. Indeed there are some moments where she almost seems to be channeling behaviour that would be more suited for Kylo (snapping at her friends, using anger as power). Although Rey eventually comes to her senses and realizes what is happening to her, she was clearly affected by her Grandfather’s dark influence, just as Kylo was.

 Despite the fact that both Rey and Kylo come from families with a history of the dark side, the film makes it very clear that one character’s lineage is far “worse” than the other. This is where the subversion of a common fantasy trope takes place. Now, to be clear, this is only my interpretation and I don’t claim this to be exactly what the filmmakers were going for; however this subversion is yet another reason why I enjoy the Rey Palpatine reveal.

How many times have you watched a movie or a TV show where a character’s lineage was a significant part of the story? It’s probably more times than you can count on one hand, right? My point is that the idea of a character’s lineage/family history becoming a main plot element in a story is nothing new, we’ve seen this before a million times. For example, in Disney’s “Tangled” (2010) Rapunzel learns that she is the long lost princess who was taken away from her family when she was an infant. Disney influence aside, does this sound somewhat similar to Rey’s story? Yes, it absolutely does…but not in the traditional or conventional sense.

This is where Rey Palpatine (for me at least), becomes extremely appealing. This reveal is like the evil, twisted version of a heroine discovering that she is the secret heir to a royal family. And instead of the protagonist being overjoyed and enlightened by this information, the reveal comes with great personal shock and emotional turmoil. In this case, Rey is the Granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine, which essentially makes her Sith royalty if we’re being really comparable. Am I the only one who (for lack of better words) thinks this is insanely cool? Not only is it a direct subversion of a very common story trope, it directly ties into Kylo’s arc and it also parallels Luke’s family revelation in “The Empire Strikes Back.” Coincidentally, this also makes Rey’s journey similar to Luke’s in that regard, but I’ll get back to that later.

Now as you’ve probably heard before, as we look back on all 9 films in the Star Wars saga we can see that this is clearly a story about the Skywalker and Palpatine families. Granted, the Palpatine bloodline is largely unexplored in comparison to the former. We know that Rey’s Father was the son of the Emperor, but we still don’t know his name or who he really was. Ultimately this information is not relevant to the story as a whole, but it’s clear that Emperor Palpatine has been pulling the strings throughout basically the entire saga.

More specifically, Palpatine himself has always been tied to the Skywalkers. He seduced Anakin Skywalker to the dark side and later tried to do the same to Luke. Via Snoke he was also able to turn Ben Solo, who shares a dyad with Rey, Palpatine’s Granddaughter. It kind of comes full circle and it’s really quite clever in my opinion. The Villain of the ST is related to the Heroes of the OT, and the Hero of the ST is related to the Villain of the OT (Did I just blow your mind?).

Put simply, Rey being a Palpatine makes a lot more sense thematically when you examine the story that came before her. Families are complicated and messy, especially in Star Wars. Rey’s experience echoes this, but in a much darker and harsher way. Her journey is meant to resemble Luke Skywalker’s in many ways, but their stories do have differences. In Luke’s case, he actually got to see and interact with Anakin, the real face of who his Father was. Anakin Skywalker was certainly not a perfect person, but in his last moments he turned to the light and saved his son’s life.

Rey, of course, did not get to experience a moment even close to this. Palpatine is about as evil as evil gets. There is no hope or chance of redemption. She was forced to look upon her own flesh and blood and see nothing but a monster. It would be unfair to turn this into a competition of “who had the most devastating family reveal”, but the point I’m trying to make is that Rey and Luke’s journeys are undeniably similar, which serves to further strengthen the connection of Skywalker and Palpatine in these 9 films.

 4.      Conclusion: The Power of Choice

 I feel I must end on the note of choice, because this is how The Rise of Skywalker chooses to end. Despite everything I have mentioned and how much I have grown to love the idea of Rey Palpatine, there is something that I love much more than this: Rey Skywalker. Even just reading it or saying it out loud fills with me an indescribable amount of joy.

To put it bluntly, Rey did not have an easy life. In fact, she probably had one of the most challenging upbringings of any Star Wars protagonist. Yes, Anakin was a slave at a very young age, but he also had friends and a mother who supported him. Luke was even better off with a relatively normal childhood, friends and parental figures who loved him as if he was their own son.

Rey had nothing and no one.

She was forced into a life of struggle and hardship, not by choice, and certainly not by her parents’ choice. Although they loved and cared for her, she would never feel this or know it to be true until much later in life. Rey did not choose where she came from, nor could she choose who she was related to. This is perhaps the most powerful and meaningful message that one could take away from the Sequel Trilogy: You cannot choose the circumstances of your childhood, nor can you choose who you are related to by blood. However, you can choose your destiny, you can choose who you want to be, and you can choose who you consider to be your family.

Rey had all the makings of a villain, but she chose to be a hero. A Sith that chose to be a Jedi. A Palpatine that chose to be a Skywalker. It doesn’t matter where you come from, only where you’re going. At the end of the day, it’s up to you to decide who you want to be. That is a beautiful thing.

Well folks, it took me a long time to get here but we’re finally at the end. I hope this essay was able to make some kind of a comprehensible point. Even if you didn’t agree with anything I said, I hope it was still something that made you think. It was quite a lot of fun to really delve into this topic and explore every microscopic detail. I sure hope it made sense, and if not, I’ll try to do better next time.

Thank you so much for reading! Bye for now.

[damn-stark]

Child of Ren Ch.5

A/N- Hope you guys liked it :) and I’m just saying that I liked writing Kylo’s p.o.v and if you guys liked it too I wouldn’t be against writing in his p.o.v again or any other character like Poe or Rey, lemme know!! Let me know what you thought!!

Warning- LONG CHAPTER, swearing, light mention of abuse, angst, Slow burn

Pairing- Poe Dameron x reader x Rey, Kylo Ren x reader (platonic)

Takes place- after TLJ & before TROS

(Let me know if you want to be tagged)

———

(KYLO REN P.O.V)

Alone.

Utterly alone.

That’s what he felt again. Y/N had filled a void in Kylo, one that had been empty for too long. He would never admit it to her, or even admit it to himself but she had, but she was gone now all because the Scavenger, Rey, had filled y/n’s head with doubt.

She was fine before, everything was fine, she was slowly learning control and that was all lost the moment Rey crossed her path, and that filled him with rage. The thought of her placing doubt in y/n’s mind angered him; it did when he first heard y/n speak about it, he wanted her to forget it all, but she didn’t and she left because of that doubt that spread into her finding out the truth he had hid for years, and that hurt him.

Y/N leaving hurt him, the words she said to him hurt worse.

“I trusted you, admired you and even if I never said it...I loved you,”

“I’m going to kill you Kylo Ren, not today nor tomorrow, but I will, I promise you that. You will pay for what you did.”

But the words that hurt him the worst, the words that tugged at his heart, were the words of hate towards him, “....I HATE you! I hate you! I hate you...” it hurt him in ways he could never express.

He knew that he should’ve never grown to care for Y/N the way he did, it was against everything in his code to get attached to someone, it only brought pain, something he didn’t want to feel and when he watched y/n storm out of the throne room he felt that pain. His eyes watered with tears that he didn’t let show, instead he took a shaky deep breath, his lower lip trembled but he pressed his lips firmly before he clenched his jaw tightly, turning all that pain into anger. He then formed his hands into tight fists, the material of his gloves making a rough sound as it rubbed against one another; he began to pace back and forth, part of him wanted to go after y/n, but he didn’t let himself.

If she wanted to leave then he was going to let her, he didn’t care—

—and yet he did and it pained him; but he needed to turn that pain into anger...he needed to turn it into anger, turn it into anger, turn it into anger, “Fu—Aughh!!!” He snatched his lightsaber hilt from his side and quickly ignited it, the crimson color radiating from the unstable blade basked his face in a cold manner, showing off the pain in his eyes.

The words she uttered to him kept replaying in his head, hurting him, but he would quickly remind himself to turn it all into anger....turn it into blinding anger—in a swift motion he pulled his lightsaber up, before swinging down at anything that happened to be in the way. He swung down his lightsaber at everything and anything in the throne room, destroying everything that was contained inside of it, the chair meant for him, but never used, everything in that stupid room.

All the pain that he turned into raging anger was let out with every mighty lash, swing and strike until their was nothing left to destroy—his eyes wandered the now trashed room, the lightsaber he held fell from his hold while his chest heaved up and down heavily. The sound of the door sliding open snapped him from his trance as he whipped his head towards the direction of the door, his heart skipped a beat as he hoped that it was her, only to be let down as it wasn’t.

The officer that walked into the now destroyed throne room gasped as he saw the mess that was caused, but he didn’t dare comment anything about it, instead he left that question in the air and said what he was here to say, “Supreme Leader some of the other officer’s have spotted The Child of Ren, taking a vast amount of weapon crates before escaping in a freighter, should—”

“Leave her! She left at my orders, don’t let anyone go after her I’ll kill them myself” Kylo barked before shoving past the officer and leaving the subject the way it was with no further comment or command, leaving the officer baffled and a little frightened.

Kylo stormed down the halls, making anyone that happened to be walking down the same hall, turn around or quickly walk past him as they saw as he practically fumed; all except one person, the only person who didn’t care of his mood, Hux. The sight of him only made Kylo angrier and Hux noticed but he ignored it the best he could.

“Supreme Leader, The—”

Kylo groaned before he interrupted Hux, already knowing exactly what he was going to say, “Leave her. She’ll come back home.” He began to walk past the ginger, but stopped in his steps to say one more thing, “I’ll be in my quarters, don’t let anyone disturb me.”

—

Kylo knew, he knew that he never should have gotten attached, it was a mistake on his part but it was also something he couldn’t control, before he knew it he already had gotten attached to this girl; a girl that he had destroyed the life of, he had taken and orphaned her all in that same day and he only made things worse that day when he took her to Snoke.

Snoke had really ruined her life for the worst, Snoke had hurt, traumatized and brainwashed her, while also implanting fake memories of Kylo and her. Memories that Kylo couldn’t even share with y/n, as she was the only one that contained them and Kylo was supposed to pretend—he had to pretend that he like her shared the same faux memories, when he didn’t.

He remember’s when they had finished with brainwashing her and implanting her with fake memories; she had went into that room sobbing and fighting, but when she came out she was down for a weeks but then their was something new about her. She was happy, their was a sparkle in her eye when she saw Kylo for the first time—well first time in a sense.

Kylo though didn’t share that same happiness when he saw her, he actually despised her, mostly because he was left in charge of training her when he himself was hardly trained in the ways of the dark side. The fact that she had these memories of him only made him despise her that much more; she would share them, she would attempt to talk and get close to him. That only made Kylo ice her out, it made him act cold towards her for months and the first couple of years, she would notice—hell yeah she would notice, but he did nothing to ease her pain, he would only tell her to...

“Turn that pain into anger and use it wisely or else it will get that best of you.”

It wasn’t probably until the third year of her being there, training alongside him when he began to feel a spark of something towards her—not in a romantic sense at all, never in that way, but he felt that need to protect her and once in a while ask if she was okay, but nothing beyond that.

Not until one day, it was the first and real memory they both genuinely shared together, not one only she had that was made up, no, this was one was real.

She had missed training and Kylo remembers well that he had gotten pissed at that fact. He stormed down the halls until he made it to her room, he stomped inside expecting her to be asleep because he knew she had the tendency to sleep in, but when he was inside she wasn’t. Her room was clean and it seemed that she was not in there for hours. He then followed by leaving her quarters and searching for her everywhere, their was no trace of her until he found the commotion that was about her.

Y/N wasn't with the commotion but rather balled up and in tears somewhere else. The room had been dark and cold with nobody else except her, her silent sobs filling the room. Kylo had hesitated to even go beyond the door to help her, but then he had heard her call out to him in a low and broken voice.

“Kylo?” Said man looks towards the direction of the voice, finding its location in the furthest corner, balled up, her head only peaking up to spot him. He hesitated to move any further, part of him wanting to bolt out before she could say more, but the sound of her broken voice calling out to him made him stay for reasons he had yet to understand.

He sighed, but closed the door behind him, he attempted to turn the light on but she quickly reacted by shutting it off from across the room, letting out a soft “no” before she dropped her head back onto her hands.

“What happened?” Kylo strained his eyes to see her, only getting to see the outline of her figure through the darkness.

Her shoulders shook as she let out another quiet sob before she pulled her head up and rested it on the wall behind her, “I-I lost control. I just wanted to talk with some of the stormtrooper kids my age...I just wanted to talk to someone...since you won’t talk to me.”

Kylo shifted his eyes down, swallowing thickly as a response to her comment, feeling the smallest amount of guilt of how he was towards her; but he only responded with that now by getting closer, her face was still hidden in the darkness but she was more visible than before. Nonetheless he could still feel her anger, sadness and fear most all, radiating off from her.

“They began to say stuff, tease and doubt what I could do....and-and I got mad...I-I lost control and-and I—” she cut herself as she let out another sob, running her fingers through her hair and feeling more sadness and fear rather than anger. “..I killed one them....I-I didn’t mean too, Kylo I didn’t mean to hurt or kill any of them...I swear I didn’t mean too, I didn’t want too.” She let her head fall back into her hands letting out a louder cry and making Kylo freeze and question on what he could do to ease her. She had never been this upset before, then again she had never lost control like that here before either.

“I-I’m a monster,” she mumbled, her words finally catching Kylo’s full attention—She lifted her head high enough to meet his eyes, before continuing, “that’s why you don’t talk to me at all, because you think I’m one. You’re afraid of me like I’m afraid of myself.”

Her words caught him off guard, but not for speaking “the truth” but because she didn’t, because if anyone was monster here it was him, he admitted that about himself, but never about her. Kylo never could think she was one and he was never or could ever be afraid of her, hell the thought never crossed his mind. Hell being afraid of her would be idiotic, stupid, foolish.

Someone was once afraid of what Ben Solo could do and he was almost killed because of that person’s fear. Kylo could never let y/n go through what Ben went through; alienated, forced to not be at his full potential because of that fear, but he was not going to let y/n go through that, ever.

“I’m not afraid of you nor do I think you’re a monster, you’re anything but that,” Kylo paused finally walking the distance that kept them both apart, looking down to meet her tear filled eyes. “You’re powerful, strong, you have the potential to be the greatest. What you have is a gift. Use your anger wisely and I promise that they’ll fear you instead. Never be afraid yourself, never.”

Y/N smiled sadly, the words Kylo told her being the thing she needed to stop crying. He offered her his hand, the first but smallest ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, making her increasingly much happier at the sight before she took his hand.

Kylo pulled her up to her feet, and she quickly caught him off guard by giving him a hug. He dropped his hands to his sides, his mind blanking on what to do for a the longest minute, until his mind slowly came alive again and slowly moved his arms around y/n to return the embrace.

In that moment, that single and smallest moment of kindness that she gave him that day was one he had not received in a long time, in that moment is when he knew it was a mistake to get attached because that’s when he felt a flicker of light return to his dark conflicted soul. It was in that moment that he should’ve pushed her away but he didn’t and he got attached.

And now she was gone....perhaps it was for the best....but it wasn’t, like hell it was. She still needed him, she’s due to lose control and he wasn’t going to be there to help her, she needs him and he knew that. He needed to get her back home, he was going to get her back home.

Soon, Y/N was going to be back home. Where she belongs.

—

(Y/N’s P.O.V)

“I know exactly who you are,”

Your eyes went wide at General Organa’s comment, a thought crossing your mind, or rather invading your mind like wildfire, that being that she would kick you out for being exactly who you are; for being the monster that has been made what they’re fighting for that much harder.

You knew she had the power to do so, she was the famous Resistance General, that also was once a rebellion hero, and shes the mother to Ben solo—Kylo Ren’s past self, after all. You would have nowhere to go, but you wouldn’t question her choices...it’s not like you could if you wanted too either way.

“Rey told me. You’re my son—the Supreme Leaders pride and glory. You’re famous, powerful, you have a life there, what are you doing here?” General Organa continued, shooting you a questioning look. A look that over all for you intimidates you, not just that certain look, but just her in general, you had every right to feel so, it would be foolish not feel so, considering what she stands for and who she is.

You sigh and try to find the courage to speak up, your eyes nervously wandering the floor—if Kylo was here he would have scolded you for not looking at the person you were talking too, saying that in a conversation they had to be intimidated by you, not the other way around. Either way you felt nervous but ultimately spoke up quietly,

“I had a life there, before I knew the truth. I’m here because I want to do better...I think...I know that I’m not a good person and you have no right to trust my word about helping out here, but I do want to do that, I’ll do anything to stay.” You finally turn your eyes up to the General and Rey, who was standing next to her, hearing every word you had to say. You saw as they both turned to each other, sharing a quiet and unspoken conversation about your fate here, before they both turned back to you.

Before they could say anything, you part your lips to speak first, “I know what my reputation is, I know what I stand for, but considering that I’m not in cuffs or getting dirty looks by everyone here, my guess is that neither of you have told anyone that I’m the Child of Ren.”

“It’s not our secret to tell, they have every right to know—”

“Than why not tell them and put me on a death sentence?” You interrupt the General quickly, making her go quiet for a second before she let out a deep sigh and answered you.

“Because I have a feeling about you y/n. You’re young, a girl forced and imprisoned to a side she didn’t choose. I have a feeling that you’re not a bad person, just like my son isn’t. I know that you’re going to do what’s right and well you had the chance to kill Rey and her crew before, but you didn’t. You went against your command and did what was right.” General Organa smiles softly, walking up to you and tilting your chin up, showing a kindness that you didn’t expect, a kindness that you weren’t used to.

“But I destroyed what they were after, I hurt them—”

“And you did what was right at the end, that’s what matters.” Rey interjects, her interruption surprising you.

“I don’t want to be that person anymore, I want to be me, y/n. Even if I don’t know who I am, I want to find out. I’m done being who they created me to be.” A tear rolls down your cheek, but a small smile replaces your frown.

General Organa moves her hand to your shoulder and gives it a light squeeze, “then welcome to the Resistance, Y/N.”

—

The memories of what happened with Kylo before leaving base, still very much invaded your mind like a nasty plague, they didn’t leave much room for anything else but that. It’s something you hated but you had nothing else to keep those memories away and being alone in some far corner of the jungle didn’t help with that problem either.

Well...alone, alone wasn’t true, you could hear distance footsteps crunching the foliage on the ground from miles away—whoever it was would be and is a terrible spy.

After a couple seconds the footsteps came to a stop just a couple feet behind you, making you wary and swiftly pushing the point of your vibroblade to the tips of your fingers so you could throw them or warn whoever was trying to hide behind you. Hastily and quietly you leave the spot you were at and circle around to where you knew the person was hiding so you could get a jump on them...just scare them a little so they knew that they had failed miserably on whatever it was they were trying to do.

After quietly coming behind them, you spot a familiar man from before, the Pilot. You see as he looks past the tree to see if you were there, but once he notices that you’re in fact gone, he steps to the open space and mouths something you couldn’t catch. You continue to sneak behind him, walking close enough to move the tip of your vibroblade to very delicately touch the back of his neck, making him go stiff at the touch and for his arms to slowly rise up.

“Fu-what the hell?!” His voice gets high and you can sense his fear and lack of amusement by the way he spoke.

You roll your eyes and snicker, “you’re a terrible spy, I heard you coming from miles away,” you pull you’re hand away before stepping back and leaning on the tree to your side.

Slowly he lowers his arms to his sides and turns around to face you with a deep frown, “I wasn’t spying—”

“No? You TRIED to sneak over here, you were hiding behind a tree, I call that spying. Not good spying though.” you shrug your shoulders before throwing your vibroblade to the the tree across from you.

His eyes follow the blade before shifting back to you, his stance and demeanor changing into a more nervous one after you had pointed out the truth. He parted his lips to retort but you said something first.

“You thought I was going to call some sort of attack, am I right, that I was a spy?” You pause and try to give him a minute to respond, but he stood quiet, placing his hands on his hips before following the second vibroblade you successfully threw to the same spot as before.

“I mean yeah, but that’s because you’re out here in the jungle, alone and well our previous encounter wasn’t all that friendly.”

You shake your head and throw a third blade in the same spot without looking. “I don’t have any friends here to talk to anyone and to our previous encounter, it was all business....mostly all, anyway.” You shoot him a quick smirk, the both of you holding each other’s gaze before you quickly look away.

He goes silent again, this time his stance shifts, the tension around the both of you eases, feeling more relaxed, while a hint of tension of something else you couldn’t quite describe.

“I thought you said you knew Rey?” He finally asks.

“I know Rey, yes, but I wanted to see what Ajan Kloss has to offer.” That was all true, every word, except that you had left out that being around so many people without your helmet on felt strange, after being used to only being around a couple people in a stupid ship for most of your days. And well after being in the void of space for so long it felt good to be in a place where the air felt less...faux and where there was actually trees and a sky that wasn’t just in a hologram or wasn’t disguised behind a dark helmet.

“Well as long as you don’t pull out anymore blades on me or try to kill me, we can, I don’t know try and be friends.” He says sincerely, making you really think of what he had said, making you feel bad because he didn’t know who you actually were, what part of your life you were hiding; but it’s also a part of your life you didn’t want to expose, even if you knew everything comes out eventually...but for now you were going to hide it and you were okay with that.

You bite the inside of your cheek and nod your head in disapproval, “sorry I’m not friends with terrible spies.” You bite back your smile before force pulling your blades back to your hands and making Poe grow a shocked and surprised expression on his face. Before he can say anything you speak up again.

“I tried to hurt you and attempted to ruin your mission....why are you talking to me?” You question, your smile fading and his face growing serious, but he doesn’t hesitate to answer almost like he had already thought of the answer before hand,

“because you’re here now, and you brought weapons, ones you were trying to keep away, and maybe you didn’t bring ships but you did what was right at the end and well I can’t judge why you did what you did, you were following orders, I understand that.”

You try and hide the smile that threatened to show, but he had caught sight of it without you knowing.

“So, friends or what? Or are you friends with the trees?” He asks in amusement and pride at his own joke.

You let out a small chuckle and shake your head, “yeah sure whatever you say Starboy.” You both began to walk towards base, sharing a small and quiet conversation between the both of you, until an idea came to your mind on how you can help them with the other problem you couldn’t solve.

“You know, I know a place where we can get sh—” you cut yourself off and your face gets hard and your shoulders stiffen at the sight of the one and only, Traitor.

You knew that you shouldn’t think of him like that anymore, but it was out of instinct, part of your mind still very much accustomed to thoughts from the first order.

He notices you next to Poe, and his face grows serious too, a slight and noticeable hard glare only meant for you, neither of you really getting a liking to each other like Poe and you had. You notice as he studies you, almost like trying to figure you out, almost like he had an idea of who you really were, but wasn’t sure, just a theory in his mind, one he was going to figure out.

A Wookiee comes and joins your unwanted gathering, he looks at you up and down, standing too close to you as he attempted to intimidate you. You don’t move and instead stay grounded in your spot showing that you didn’t fear him, even if you really should.

“Wow, hey buddy it’s okay, she’s not going to hurt us, she’s fine, she’s with us now.” Poe frantically explains as he notices the Wookiee’s demeanor.

Seconds later the Wookiee argues against Poe, explaining that he shouldn’t trust me after what I did to both him and the traitor next to him. You exhale loudly and cross your arms over your chest, you try and stay out of their bickering but it all got too annoying so you butted in, talking directly to the Wookiee in Shyriiwook, surprising all three of them.

The Wookiee after your explanation about you meaning no harm and wanting to do better, calms down and sees you in a different and less threatening way, but still doesn’t fully trust you—which is understandable. He follows by introducing himself as Chewbacca, which you simply respond with your own name.

“How? How do you—”

“I learned Shyriiwook as part of my language studies.” You interrupt Poe nonchalantly, purposely leaving out the fact that you actually knew more languages because you were forced to learn them before.

“Oh, that’s...impr—cool...well you may know my friend here from before, his name is Finn.” Poe introduces the traitor standing across from him, both of you offering each other feigned smiles.

“Yeah...I remember him...I’m y/n.”

“Pleasure.”

“I’m sure.” The both of you stare each other off, challenging each other in a way, neither of you saying a word before you look away and catch sight of Rey walking your way. Your stance eases for some strange way and your face softens before she stands next to Chewbacca, a small smile on her lips as she sees all her friends.

“You know everyone here, y/n?” She asks looking between you and the group gathered around.

“yeah.” You nod in agreement to her question making her smile.

She gets more of a cheeky smile, “getting along?”

“With some more than others.” You shoot Finn a discreet glare before turning your attention to Poe, “as I was trying to tell Poe before, I know a place where we can get ships. You were after that too, and by the looks of it you weren’t successful, I can help.” You offer, the group of friends sharing a look and unspoken conversation.

Unexpectedly Finn is the one to speak up before anyone else can, “are you sure we can trust you? Considering that the first time we met you were trying to kill us and destroy what we were after.”

You clench your fists, and let out a deep sigh, “I guess you have to just go with it and trust me then, right? Theirs no other choice, unless you want to fight the first order with no ships, because trust me you don’t want to do that, they won’t hold back in the last fight.”

A thick tension begins to surround the group, mostly just between Finn and you—well just between Finn and you.

Rey notices and tries to ease it by voicing her opinion “She’s right, Finn. We need those ships, we can’t fight without them, we have to trust her word.”

“What do you think Poe?” Finn questions.

Poe looks down at you with a slight smile, “I trust her, and it’s like she said, the first order won’t hold back, we need more ships and if she’s trying to help, than I’m not against it.”

You bite back your smile and try to hide the blush you feel spread on your cheeks—so much for being a cold dark daughter of darkness.

“It’s not going to be easy, and it might take a while, theirs people I need to go talk too, to get ahold of those ships, but I can get them.” You explain to all of them, hoping that they agree with what you’re planning to do.

They all again share a unspoken conversation, while Finn let’s out a loud and annoyed sigh before nodding in agreement.

Poe nods, a grin appearing on his face, he looks at his friends before turning to you to voice what they agreed too. “okay, we’re with you and we trust you, let’s do this.”

.

.

.

.

Tagged- @jennibradley​ , @xxrouge-lexxx​​ , @daniellajocelyn​ , @tweedlydumbtweedlydoo​ , @star-marvel-fangirl​ , @leilei-draws​ , @briesangel​ , @itslints​ , @madamepsicose, @constantdisgrace​ , @1-800-depressedlesbian​

[smuthuttpodcast]

Some of the best fanfiction I've been privileged to read has motivations and arcs well thought-out, facts researched, fantasy well within realm of plausibility, and with plotlines that are cohesive, compelling and which deliver emotional gratification.

Name/Handle/Alias

TazWren (Ao3 / Tumblr) / Wrentaz (Twitter)

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

Since Christmas Eve, 2017, the day I watched TLJ

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

I think it was clumsy as best, lazy at worst. TFA and TLJ set up what could have been a complex interplay between two people on opposite sides who still resonated at some core level. The potential to build was there. It was hinted at through the movie but never explored in full. It's testimony to the actors that so much was communicated nonverbally. Kylo/Ben shift of focus to saving / protecting Rey from Palpatine the only way he thinks is available to him, his transformation at her hands, her confession of wanting to have taken his hand, their scenes on Exegol. There was poetry there. A handful of beautiful moments. However it completely wasted the potential of Ben + Rey as a fighting unit, as two halves of a whole, and of two people who could only belong to each other.

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

Again, I think the chemistry shone through in a handful of moments in the movie, on account of brilliant and nuanced acting. For the most part, the scripted sections were very wooden their actions lacked motivation and were overall not really reflective of who these characters had been shown to be in past movies and ancillary content. 

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

I think the process of his transformation into Ben Solo was beautifully done, as also all the scenes with his running into Exegol. However, redemption needs to be balanced against what Kylo/Ben has been subjected to from infancy till that point. Redemption cannot equal death, especially one as unmourned or throwaway as it was. It has to mean the opportunity to rectify wrongs, to prove that you are capable of being different and doing different. Ben Solo was given no choice at any point. His redemption by death served no-one, respected no-one, least of all all the people who made sacrifices to be able to save him. Not to mention, the fact none of his past abuse or what he was put through is ever addressed. All his focus is Rey. And the absolute radio silence from the so-called Jedi pantheon when it came to the prodigal son of one of their own, so to speak? No one ever made an effort to be there for Ben, and we are expected to believe he deserves to be forsaken for turning into Kylo? That's not how the world works. 

How did you handle or would you have handled the redemption of Kylo Ren in your fics? How did you envision Kylo/Ben’s redemption before TROS and how do you (re)envision it after seeing TROS?

There had to be a strong driving force for change - love can be that I've thought about how Ben could begin to make amends - by respecting choices, by doing the heavy lifting with his mother, the Resistance, by using his power to build Vs tear down, by being who Rey saw him to be. By being free of voices and finally making his own choices. In war, there are no innocents - there are only bad orders and worse orders to follow. I think it's important that both sides acknowledge that as they try to rebuild - it's something I'm exploring in one of my fics, right now. Honestly, TROS has made no difference to how I see redemption, only now I absolutely hate the idea of death as the snap that fixes it. Not in the case of Kylo Ren / Ben Solo. Not after what his universe put him through.

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

No. TROS did an absolute disservice to Rey, by reducing her to a pawn, a vessel whose strength is defined by her bloodline and not by her own merit, and whose lifelong struggle was erased to serve the resurrection of a defunct character. There was absolutely no need to bring Palpatine back. Nor to infantilize Rey's development to the point she is only defined by what her masters thinks she is. Sticking her on Tatooine, alone, with no visceral reaction to having her other half ripped from her? On a planet that no-one in the family she blithely adopted ever had any happy memories for? At best she's shown as stupidly uncaring, at worst conniving. This is not the Rey we were set up to see.

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

Possibly, just not the good kind of fanfiction! Some of the best fanfiction I've been privileged to read has motivations and arcs well thought-out, facts researched, fantasy well within realm of plausibility, and with plotlines that are cohesive, compelling and which deliver emotional gratification. TROS had none of that. It is an embarrassment to the history of a franchise that has always build the idea of hope, family, love, redemption.

Tell us about your favorite parts of the fandom. How does the fandom lift you up and embody the best parts of Reylo and Star Wars?

I've been a Star Wars fan for over 35 years, and the sheer love of the stories, and the myths they told, has always shone through in every installment, in every medium / format. That is amazing to be a part of. With the Reylos, I have the best of like-minded, intelligent, creative, caring, talented and funny people from all walks of life, from every corner of the globe. That is rare in itself! My everyday is filled with interactions with Reylos around our writing, art, the movies / books / comics / series, about meta, about mutual thirst(!) and also about supporting each other in our offline endeavors and lives. I have made many friends who are for life.

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

Absolutely! As TazWren am working on a post-TLJ redemption / New Order fic (Caught Between Beats), another post-TLJ fic with Kylo/Ben suffering from trauma-induced amnesia (Hoth Landing) a few modern AUs (Brooklyn Bridge Blues, an unnamed on for the Reylo Charity Anthology). As TrashcanWren I'm wrapping up a couple modern AU about single-parent Ben-Teacher Rey (All I Want for Christmas), Prodigal Son-Ben & Guardian Angel Rey (My Angel Cometh) and a canon divergent JediStormPilot AU... My w.i.ps runneth over 🤣

Thank you @tazwren for the words! You can find their writing here: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TazWren/pseuds/TazWren

[we-are-what-they-grow-beyond]

some seriously self indulgent TROS thoughts that no one asked for: spoilers ahead!

(i’m gonna try tag every spoiler tag I can think of just in case anyone out there does care, but tbh this is really just for me lol)

the following is going to be a very ‘off the cuff’ series of ramblings so I apologise if it’s all over the place 

Overall.. I think I liked it? I left the cinema feeling euphoric, which is honestly all I wanted from ix. While there were very few immediate things that I took offence to as I was watching it [unlike TLJ] I have a bad feeling that some doubts about certain scenes and character choices are gonna creep into my brain in the next few days. Like the longer I think about it, the worse it’s gonna get.

The beginning was a mess. I think every single person who has seen it can agree on that much. There was so much exposition and heavy handed course correction from TLJ that it felt laboured and disjointed. The pacing was at this crazy breakneck speed.. we must have visited at least six different planets in the first fifteen minutes. I think that Poe’s ‘hyperdrive jumping’ [?] sequence really set the tone for the first act - just a constant barrage of different locations and characters.

And I understand that they had to do this. The events of TLJ left them no choice, they needed to establish every main character’s position [both physically and mentally], portray the current state of the war as well as rebuild a believable rapport between our core trio all within the first fifteen minutes if they wanted to give the last act any chance of sticking the landing. And to some extent I think they achieved this. In all that running around on different planets, bickering amongst the trio and the funny asides from Threepio - it really felt like something straight out of the OT. For the first time since TFA I cared about these characters. 

However. In doing this, they continually broke the cardinal rule of screenwriting; show don’t tell. While watching the first act I felt weighed down with information, like every five seconds another character would pop in with a monologue that sent them on another wild goose chase in which they had to find another hundred things that I would inevitably struggle to remember. ‘So now they need to go here, to see where Luke went, because he wanted to find this guy, who has this object, that will bring them to this other place, so that they can see Palpatine?’ It was so heavily reliant on dialogue alone that it ultimately lead to this sense of utter messiness. 

Where the film thrived was in it’s action set pieces. I adored the way the force was portrayed in this film. The scene in the desert in which Ben [yes Ben, but more on that later] and Rey pulled that First Order Transport out of the sky sent shivers down my spine. We have never seen the force used like this before and the amount of power Rey held was absolutely staggering. I loved it.

The saber battle on top of the Death Star was a visual highlight. Even though I felt like I’d seen most of it in TV Spots the urgency never went away. The moodiness of the water and mist cut through by the blue and red light was beautiful. 

The one shot of Poe, Finn and Chewie running through the Destroyer hallway felt like an echo back to everything that lies at the heart and soul of this saga.

We’ve been begging for more space battles and boy did we get a good one. When Lando and Chewie sauntered in on the Falcon with their thousands of rebel support ships set to the theme I was sobbing. There were so many little references in that one shot, from Rebels to Resistance to even Wedge Antilles - My heart swelled. 

But where I really broke was on Ahch-To. One of my biggest gripes with TLJ was its treatment of Luke. Every time I watch it again that shot of his submerged X wing infuriates me beyond measure as Johnson never chose to do anything with it [despite there being an obvious answer]. We finally got that scene in this film, the scene I was so desperate for; a callback to perhaps my favourite moment in the whole skywalker saga entangled with an apology for TLJ’s treatment of our favourite jedi master. Set to Yoda’s Theme, I felt like for a split second like I was watching Empire, and that meant the world to me. Thank you J.J.

The characterisation is perhaps the most divisive part of the film for me. It took so many risks, it’s going to take quite some time for me to properly digest them all. 

I want to start with our beloved Leia. The CGI, although perhaps not quite as seamless as some reviewers are making it out to be, worked well enough. With the knowledge of Carrie’s passing, it’s easy to poke holes in the performance - I found the beginning of her screen time particularly jarring, with her mostly addressing Rey with one word answers. I knew that there was supposed to be an emotional weight to all her scenes, as there she was, our princess, somehow miraculously on our screens for one final time. But I didn’t cry. I didn’t feel as if she was truly there in body or soul, and the emotional power of her scenes suffered as a result. Maybe in time, as we forget about the circumstances under which this film had to be made, this obvious detachment might fade away. And I sincerely hope it does, because the backstory they gave her is what truly deserves to be remembered about Leia in this film. The flashback scene of her training with Luke was glorious, the cgi really worked well here, and for the first time we saw Leia as a fully fledged jedi. This is something I could never ever have even imagined and I’m so pleased they did it, it would have meant so much to me as a young girl. As for her death, I believe they did the best they could with it. She ultimately died saving her son, protecting both the light and her family - two themes that have been so central to this entire forty two year saga. I don’t think they could have done much more. 

I was shocked to see Harrison in this, surprised isn't even the right word. But this bewilderment that I felt thankfully didn’t overshadow his integral role in the so called ‘Bendemption’ arc, in fact I think it really tied the whole thing together nicely. I have hated the idea of Kylo’s possible redemption since the moment we found out his true heritage during TFA, I thought it was too simple, too obvious. But the way in which it was dealt with here was wonderful. It showed Kylo to be entirely complex and ambiguous, and at the end of it we saw Ben for what he was, a young and vulnerable young man who ultimately made some terrible choices, the conflict in him was brilliantly acted. It was ultimately his parents that pulled him back to the light, not just Rey, and that fact alone saved this story arc for me. 

[I refuse to talk about the kiss. I hated it. It didn’t need to happen.]

Rey is a difficult one. Was the Palpatine bloodline convenient? Yes. Terribly so. Did it make sense story wise? Only kind of. But, I think it drew a definitive line under the nine film conflict which was ultimately at its core just Skywalker vs Palpatine, so in that sense I’m happy it happened in the way it did. 

[Sheev on an aesthetic level looked dreadful I thought. Proper rubbery. And the logistics of how he survived/who all those chanting followers were/where he got all those Imperial star destroyers from is extremely questionable. I try not to dwell on it.]

My mixed feelings about Finn and Poe cannot be overstated. The film did a good job at giving them more to do, we really got to see John and Oscar bounce off each other and at the end of the day, that is my kryptonite. However, Finn had little to no character development throughout the whole trilogy. All he did was figure out that he didn’t want to be aligned with the First Order anymore, deciding he wanted to fight for what is right. But the thing is, we saw him make that decision about ten minutes into TFA. It didn’t need to be rehashed again and again in every film. We wanted more - we wanted him to be force sensitive, we wanted him to form meaningful connections with others. On some level they delivered on that, we saw a little force sensitivity, he got his own back with Hux, he found his tribe in Jannah and the other deserters.. but it felt like an afterthought. Nothing was ever dwelled upon- even his confession to Rey [whatever it was] was completely forgotten about in the end. Finn as a whole felt like an afterthought. 

[Don’t even get me started on Rose, Kelly deserved so much more. I was embarrassed by the amount of screen time she had.]

As for Poe.. Oscar did a brilliant job in this, he successfully harkened back to our favourite scoundrel Han Solo stereotype and I felt that gave the trio’s dynamic a clear anchor. His interactions with both Finn, Threepio and Chewie as he kept crashing the falcon really made me laugh, it was nice to have some actual humour littered throughout, unlike the goofy slapstick stuff in TLJ. But.. the Zorii love interest and backstory made zero sense canonically. Zero. Aside from the ‘can i kiss you’ stuff being extremely contrived, there is physically no actual way Poe could have ever been a spice runner on this new planet that I can’t remember the name of. He lived on Yavin his whole life until he came of age to join the New Republic Navy, and from there Leia recruited him into the Resistance. This much has been documented in countless books and comics. J.J really decided to throw that all away so that they could what.. get that universal key thing? Did they even use it? Was there any other point of Zorii’s character other than that key? Not really. Don’t try to tell me that Kes and Shara’s son ran away from home to become a criminal for no reason. Just don’t. [He was still wearing Shara’s ring throughout and they didn’t do anything with it.. I wonder will we get more of an answer to this in the novelisation?]

[While I’m on the subject of the comics and novels, the decision to kill off Snap was brave. I really loved him in the comics and I’m sad he’s now gone and Karé is now alone. Not that any of that was mentioned but-]

Lando was used just the correct amount. I’m happy he got the ‘I have a bad feeling about this’ line, and I think any more screen time and we could have seen some holes in Billy’s performance. [sorry Billy]

Chewie had some great moments in this surprisingly. He was essentially just an extra in TLJ so it was quite refreshing to have him be a key player again. [I had forgotten about the clips from the trailer that showed him aboard the Destroyer, so when he ‘died’ I really thought he was dead for a moment and I was so angry that that was how he went lol.] But his reaction to Leia’s death was so touching and although it was a tad fan-servicey, I loved the fact that he finally got the medal he missed out on in ANH. It made me chuckle.

The same can be said of Anthony Daniels as C3PO and all of the other droids. I felt as though they really clawed them back into the mix this time - Threepio’s worrisome queries were wonderfully nostalgic and not to mention hilarious, and D-0 was a great new addition. The droids always brought a levity to star wars, it was their job, and they did this to great effect in this film. There was some questionable switching around of R2 and BB8 which I didn’t appreciate - there is absolutely no way that BB8 wouldn’t be Poe’s astromech for the battle against the Final Order but I’m willing to let it slide.. [also why was he on Tatooine with Rey at the end?]

It really sounds like I had more problems with this film than highlights, and I promise that’s not the case. In the end, it made me feel happy, like I was watching something akin to the OT again, and yes some parts of it were clumsy, but the heart of it was there. It all really comes down to whether or not you believe a film must be ‘good’ in order to be.. good. With something as big and sentimental as star wars I think it’s a lot more complicated than that. Return of the Jedi was an utter mess- but yet we all still worship it and the characters it gave us. Why can’t the same thing be said for TROS? It was clunky, but it was surprising, and powerful and fun. It gave us the characters we loved and some interesting new ones, some top-tier lightsaber battles and a conclusive ending to the saga that has defined so many lives. At the end of the day I think that’s all it needed to be. 

[kylosupremeimagines]

Ben Solo (Padawan) Having A Crush On You Would Include:

As you were practically one of the only ones to really open up to Kylo and be willing to be his friend, he had grown attached to you. After a while, you two had become really close friends, even best friends you could say. He appreciated that you seemed to care about him, it was more than he could ever ask for.

He would train with you since you were one of the closest to his age, and plus he had a more enjoyable time. With others, it was more like a Routine but at least when he trained with you, you would talk to him. There’s never a dull moment in training with you. 

Even if he’s comfortable having you around, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t occasionally get flustered by your presence. Considering that he’s never had feelings for anyone else, he isn’t exactly sure how to handle the unusual feelings he was having. He would not deny them, though. 

He’s always afraid to go to his uncle about it considering that the Jedi were not exactly known to be the romantically involved type. So he kind of just went along with things and saw how it turned out. He tried his best to keep the feelings from Luke, scared of what he would say as he’s unsure how he would feel about it. 

Considering that you’re his best friend, he doesn’t need to worry about being able to spend time with you and will enjoy every moment of it. You make him feel accepted even with the disapproval of some of the others. They were always turned off by how passionate he was, considering they were all encouraged to be more controlling with their emotions. 

You didn’t seem to be turned off by how in tune he was with his emotions and his acceptance of them. He was never afraid to embrace them, which he actually influenced onto you. He hated the fact that the others were starting to get weary of you too, and even called them out on it. He got pissed off when they didn’t seem to care much, but you stopped him from doing anything stupid. 

He knows that you are able to take care of yourself but he always wants to be there for you and to make sure that you’re okay. Sure, there are no direct dangers at the temple but he just can’t seem to help it. He cares deeply about you and is almost afraid of losing you, very much so. 

One of his favorite things is when he gets to cook for you, even if there is not much to work with. He will bring it to his hut for you two to share, and then you’ll just have long conversations together, it is about training or not. It’s personal time with you that he values above many other things.

You two have a private getaway spot that you will both go to if you need some time away; it’s by a small pond and a cave, and it’s always so pretty when it’s night when all the stars are out. Sometimes it will be just you, or him, or the both of you. But no matter what, it is easy to relax you and get your mind off of stressful subjects. 

He isn’t afraid to tell you about the voice in his head - Snoke - and everything that he tells him. He expresses to you that he is wary of the voice but that there is truth in his words, such as the comments of his emotions not being respected and the restrictions being a padawan can hold. 

He fears the future but knows that you are the only thing he is certain he always wants by his side no matter what. He tells you this and explains how he cares about you. It’s not directly stated that he loves you, but there’s enough to get you thinking about it, and even realize you very well could feel the same way about it. 

By the time the incident happens, he would ask you to stay by his side, and he would finally tell you that he loves you. He would hold a hand out to you and ask you “Stay by my side (Y/N), please.” (Insert TLJ “Please” Here). He couldn’t bare losing you too, he needed you.

You would either decline his offer and tell him that you still care about him, but state you could not go with him to the First Order. It would break his heart, but he would refuse to kill you. Thus, he would let you escape in hopes that he will see you again sometime in the future.

On the flip side, if you decide to stay by his side, he will be so relieved, and you will be what he takes in as his anchor. You will always be someone he seeks comfort in and the only form of support. In Return, his loyalties would always be towards you and he would be there to give you all the love that you deserve. 

@rentopia @scheherazades-horcrux @babybluelukex @attorneyl @glitzescape @alladeline @dancewaterdance02 @crkylo @celestiaelisia @celiholland @lyraeluna @twdlover2000 @peacefulwizardfox @cs-please @xultraviolet @xfeathered-serpent @fizzywoohoo @topsykretts92 @ayatimascd @delicatelyherdreams @ddriveringg @littlegirlsdontplaynice @yuleisymichel  @benfeakingsolo @darlinguris @bellaren18 @queenofheartsmegs

[kyluxtrashpit]

Hello naughty children, it’s 1 am rant time

So! My brain is slightly more together now than after the trailer first dropped and I’ve had some time to process all my Feels. I’ve settled on cautiously hopeful, with a hint of apprehension and a strong dose of ‘oh my god, this is really the end’. But overall, I think I feel pretty good about it, though it really raises more questions than answers. They meant it when they said ‘teaser’ lmao

(Rant is mostly positive, includes explicit discussion of what we’ve learned from the panel and the trailer. Some reservations and negative thoughts, plus a lot of speculation and touching on such controversial subjects as Reysky, Kylo redemption, and Hux in TLJ. Cut for length because I have no idea how to just use fewer words lmao)

I especially liked that it was so focused on Rey and that it’s a very clear torch-passing. Which, tbh, probably should’ve happened before now and did a little bit, but this really felt like the true moment of it. She’s the hero. She’s going to be a legend. I love that. Also that flip? Holy fuck. Slammed in the face by the reminder of how gay I am lmao. I have some Thoughts about it I’ll get into below, but from a visual point of view, it’s RAD AS HELL. I also love Finn and Poe featuring heavily and that the trio really does seem to be together for most of the movie. Which is nice. I think we need that. JJ said something in the panel about it being an ‘adventure’ and I think that feeling was captured well in the trailer. That part really excites me

Also! My boy! Kylo’s looking like a right hot mess and tbh I’m here for it lmao. I still have a strong urge to bathe him and kinda hope he doesn’t look like a depressed wreck of a human being for the entire movie, but still. I love my big messy boy. Also him just yeeting that dude into the ground? DAMN. I sometimes forget that Kylo is like… b i g. It’s a nice reminder. I also LOVE that the broken helmet rumour was real. That’s my fucking boy. I frequently tag him as ‘my precious disaster boy’ for a reason and I’m glad to see more of that. I would honestly probably lose interest in Kylo completely if he was ever like, calm and composed and not a complete fucking mess lmao. I kind of wish we’d seen just a touch more of him, but I know there’s more info to come and I still like that it focused heavily on the heroes for the first one. I imagine we’ll see more of him later

I’m… not really sure what to think of the Palpatine reveal. If he’s going to show up as a cameo of some sort, say as a Force ghost or something, then that’s pretty dang cool. If he’s going to show up as a ‘hello naughty children, it’s Force lightning time’ and take over as the main threat, I’d admittedly be disappointed. As much as I think a Kylo redemption is likely (and whether people like that or not, I’m indifferent and have made my peace with it as long as it’s done in an okay way) in no small part because Disney likes money, I still feel like replacing him with Palpatine is just… it feels derivative. We’ve had Palpatine before. A lot. 6 movies of him plus his appearances in the side materials. Do we really need more?

Now, there’s been heavy suggestion that there is some unknown threat that comes into this one and if that’s Palpatine, it would match up with the rumours. But I’d much rather it be something from his legacy with him only having a cameo. Because the really terrifying part about Palpatine is he had a plan for the continued survival of the Empire even in the case of his death. The Aftermath novels are really well done that way and tbh, especially with Chuck Wendig’s hinting on twitter, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see something from there come up. I mean, technically the entire First Order is Palpatine’s legacy. Something from his legacy could truly be anything and I like that possibility a lot more than just ‘oh damn, time to kill this asshole again’. Idk. We’ll have to see how that plays out

The title is also curious because it really confirms one of 2 possibilities: either Reysky, Kylo redemption, or both. Which, again, both of those are huge spoilers, so it’s an interesting choice to play for a title. That said, we don’t know which, so it doesn’t tell us definitively, I suppose, but still. And no, I don’t buy the theories about it referring to Luke or Anakin somehow returning; that would be stupid. We have new characters for a reason and they need to be the central focus. This is the same reason I’m not fond of Palpatine being the big bad; let the new villains shine. I also don’t believe it’s Leia because I doubt they had enough left over footage of Carrie to make that work

Of course, I would’ve enjoyed having a nice 0.2 seconds of the back of Hux’s head lmao, or even any info on the dark side characters at all because I’m a filthy villain fucker, but I’m not super upset about it. I’m kinda sad that Phasma is confirmed as dead, but I also expected that. My biggest hope for Hux is really that he gets to be scary and not treated as a joke, so I hope JJ really leans in to that. Let him have his moment. Let him be a credible threat because, really, he is. Tbh, I’d be more afraid of him as my nemesis than the vast majority of Star Wars villains. He’s got a higher kill count than anyone in all of Star Wars except maybe Palpatine himself (exact number of deaths due to the Clone Wars, the Empire’s rule, and the rebellion combined are unknown, but are probably in the billions, which would put him and Hux, terrifyingly, on the same level). It still throws me for a loop how often that’s forgotten, both by fandom and, sometimes, the official material. Hux is what happens when ambition, intelligence, ruthlessness, and fervent belief in a cause converge. I know he’s going to fail and he’s going to die in this one but, fuck, please let him die as the Starkiller instead of a ‘miscast tinkerer’. He deserves that much and, more importantly, so do I lmao. And Domhnall does too, tbh, because he’s a great actor who deserves better than being sidelined completely

(Another reason not to like Palpatine coming back: basically guarantees Hux has no role and gets completely forgotten because there’s a new big bad in town. I might actually cry if that happens)

I also know we will get more on the villains later, so we’ll just have to see how that pans out. As for other new stuff, Naomi Ackie’s character looks rad as fuck and I love her already. I’m also ECSTATIC to see Lando back. I fucking love Lando. And he finally got the Falcon back! Tbh I hope his role is rather significant and it’s kinda in line with Han’s role in TFA. I’m excited by that possibility. Also the Leia scenes… fuck. That hug with Rey fucked me up hard. I can’t believe we’re doing this without Carrie and it breaks my heart tbh

Another curious note: so we see a tie fighter that looks like a modified Silencer flying at Rey. We also see Kylo in a cockpit that definitely does not match the Silencer’s from TLJ. So it’s possible that was not actually Kylo flying at her, which raises some interesting questions. I saw some people saying they could see Poe’s jacket in the window but I think they’re full of shit and just seeing something they want to lmao. It remains to be seen who is actually flying it. The context of that scene is also odd: in what fucking universe does it make sense to use a SPACE craft with GUNS capable of atmospheric flight to run someone ON FOOT over from like 3 feet off the ground? It doesn’t. That’s stupid. That does make me think it’s possible it’s some sort of really risky training exercise, no matter who is behind the controls. I suppose it is possible that perhaps the guns were disabled somehow and the pilot is just going for broke, but the ship looks undamaged and that strategy still doesn’t make a lot of sense. The correct thing to do would be to come from above and crash it into the person while ejecting moments before impact, not chasing them like you’re driving a car. It’s dumb. I really hope that’s not real combat because it makes no damn sense to me lmao. Another reason lending to the training exercise idea: if I were Rey, I would’ve gone below, not above. She’s small. A tie fighter hovers. She would’ve fit under it easily and been able to slash from below without having to jump into the damn sky. Though, counterpoint: she has her lightsaber ignited and is turning to slash at the cockpit. Not really a nice thing to do to an ally of yours helping you train, hm? Idk. The scene looks cool as fuck, but the more I think about it, the more it bugs me tbh lmao

As a last thing… it’s really hitting me that this is it. This is the end of the Skywalker saga. Even though I know they have other stories planned with new characters at some point, imo, this is really the end of the true part of the franchise. How much am I really going to care about Star Wars without the familiar faces? After decades… this is really it. That’s… very bittersweet. I have loved these movies, always, but especially so in recent years (as evidenced by the existence of this blog lmao) and they’ve been a big part of my life. Yet here we are. And I just… I’m feeling melancholy about that in and of itself, but I also really, really want this to be a satisfying ending. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but I want it to fit. I want it to feel right. I want closure and I want this ending to do justice to these characters, including the main ones, the side ones, and the ones who came before but aren’t featured in this trilogy. That’s really what I’m aching for here. And I am cautiously hopeful, but I am also nervous. This is a very tall order and, while JJ is probably the person best qualified to give that to us, it doesn’t change how much of a challenge that is. It’s a lot. And… I am definitely sad about this being the end. Even if I love the movie and it’s amazing and lives up to all of my dreams, it will still end and this will be it. I honestly don’t know how I’m going to feel when that actually comes and it kinda scares me a little. But a satisfying ending would help soften the blow, so we shall see. Idk. I’m sad and a little scared just because of that, all other reservations aside

I think that’s all I’ve got for now? I’m excited for more and I don’t know if we’ll get much over the rest of celebration, but there might be snippets. I’d still like to see the Knights of Ren too, given that we’re pretty sure they’re in the movie but like… where? Lmao I want to know. Anyway. This is mostly word vomit, so don’t take it too seriously. My predictions could be way off base and we won’t know for a while so yeah. If you read this far, congrats and thanks for reading my rambling!

[sushigirlali]

I Spy (Reylo MiniFic)

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or anything that relates to Star Wars.

Rating: T

Continuity: Post TLJ

AN: This mini fic omg nvm this got super long one-shot is dedicated to @luminoustunes and @reyl-hoe for their great Saboteur!Kylo exchange 💙❤️ You can find my multi-chapter Reylo fanfics and one-shots on my blog, ff.net, or AO3.

Master list –> sushigirlali’s Reylo fanfiction 

——————

I Spy By: sushigirlali

——————

Ben wiped the sweat from his brow, peering around the next corner carefully. With the exception of two service droids, the corridor was clear. Taking a deep breath, he moved into the long hallway, skimming close to the wall as he approached the hanger bay.

With the latest attack against the Resistance ending in disaster for the First Order, Hux would finally have confirmation of Ben’s interference. Knowing that he had limited time to escape the Absolution before Hux tracked him down and had him executed for treason, Ben was making a break for his shuttle.

Coming up to the control room where the flow of traffic in and out of the Star Destroyer was managed, Ben listened at the door intently. Only sensing one person in the room, he quickly darted inside and took control of the young lieutenant’s mind.

“You will release the landing clamps on my command shuttle and approve it for immediate takeoff.” Ben ordered smoothly, holding out an authoritative hand.

“Yes, sir.” His former subordinate said stiffly, bound by the compulsion laced in Ben’s statement.

“Ready my starfighter as well.” Ben added for good measure. It was always better to have a backup. “And disengage the tractor beam and shield gate while you’re at it.”

“Yes, sir.” He said again.

Ben watched the officer do his bidding for what felt like an eternity, monitoring for activity in the vicinity in the meantime. Sighing in relief once every security measure had been disengaged, Ben knew that if he could just get to one of his ships, he would be home free.

“Sorry about this.” Ben muttered, waving a hand over the lieutenant’s head so that he slumped into a dreamless sleep. “But I can’t have you alerting anyone after I leave.”

Cracking the door open again, Ben slipped back into the empty hallway and continued toward the hanger. Stopping to the left of the open blast doors, he covertly surveyed the area. The command shuttle was stationed directly across from him in the officer’s wing, untethered and ready for him to pilot, while his TIE silencer was a bit further along with the other starfighters.

Although there were fewer people on this side of the platform, he would still have to cross in front of a fair number of stormtroopers and dock workers to board the shuttle. It would be near impossible to control that many people at once, but Ben had little choice but to go for it.

Hux must have been informed about his betrayal by now, and the lack of alarm was telling. The General had always believed he was smarter than Ben, and was no doubt forming some convoluted plan to capture him instead of just issuing a ship-wide warrant for his arrest.

Ben thought of Rey then, desperate to see her again in case his plan went wrong, but knowing he didn’t have the time. The stormtroopers stationed near the officer’s vessels would be changing shift soon, giving him a small window of time to cross the hanger bay relatively unnoticed.

If he didn’t make it out alive, he hoped she would find out what he had done for her and the Resistance one day. Since taking over as Supreme Leader, Ben had been able to scrap or sabotage every mission the First Order had launched against the rebels, stalling all efforts to track down the woman accused of killing Snoke.

Regretting his hasty words that fateful day on the Supremacy, Ben had been doing his best to protect the woman he loved ever since. Unfortunately, he had showed his hand today when a First Order scout ship literally tripped over the Millennium Falcon while refueling at the Garang Spaceport on the remote planet of Dantooine.

To protect his father’s ship, which likely housed both Rey and his mother, Ben had ordered the starship to stand down. But when the captain belligerently refused to give up her tactical advantage over the Resistance’s flagship, Ben used his access as Supreme Leader to remotely activate the scout ship’s self-destruct system, blasting the vessel clear out of the sky before it could get a shot off.

Having blown his cover in front of the entire bridge crew of the Absolution, Ben knew there was no going back now; his reign as Supreme Leader of the First Order was over.

As the stormtroopers left their posts, Ben forced himself to focus on the task at hand, dashing toward the command shuttle. He made quick work of the distance between him and freedom, but just as he reached up to lower the entrance ramp, Hux’s insufferable voice sounded behind him.

“Going somewhere, Supreme Leader Ren?” Hux asked nastily.

The thundering of boots filled Ben’s ears as an entire regiment of soldiers filed into the docking bay, armed to the teeth with blaster rifles and riot control batons. He could sense their hostility toward him, their thirst for his blood, and knew that Hux must have briefed them about his traitorous actions. It had been a mistake to allow the General so much control over the stormtrooper training program, he realized now.

Ben turned to face his enemy, smirking despite the dire situation. If he had to go down fighting, he was taking Hux with him.

“This is the end, Ren.” Hux’s eyes narrowed, unnerved by Ben’s lack of fear. “There’s nowhere left to run, nowhere left to hide.”

“Who’s hiding?” Ben asked sardonically. “Call off your war dogs and we can settle this once and for all.”

“And why would I do that?” Hux replied snidely. “I have an army! They can destroy you for me!”

“Are you really so weak that you would risk the lives of your men instead of facing me yourself?” Ben taunted.

The soldiers shifted uncomfortably at his words, and Ben could tell that Hux was measuring his next statement carefully.

“Tell me, Ren, who really assassinated Supreme Leader Snoke, hmm? Certainly not that desert rat pretending to be a Jedi.” Hux skillfully changed the subject. “Still, she’ll have to be punished for her interference.”

“Leave her out of this!” Ben growled, taking a threatening step forward. “Rey is innocent!”

“So you admit it, then? You admit to murdering our exulted leader?” Hux pressed.

But Ben refused to answer, to give Hux the satisfaction of prying a confession out of him. Unsheathing his crossguard lightsaber, Ben switched it on aggressively.

“Enough talk.” Ben sneered. “Let’s fight.”

Hux hurriedly stepped out of reach, motioning for his men to come forward. Two burly stormtroopers advanced in response, brandishing riot control batons capable of resisting the plasma blade of his lightsaber.

Ben let them come to him, knowing that his superior strength and skill would more than make up for the meager protection their non-lethal weapons offered. Stretching out his senses, he anticipated the first strike of baton against lightsaber, dodging out of the way at the last minute and splitting his enemy’s armor down the back.

As his first foe fell to the ground, the second charged forward with a bellow, swinging wildly. Ben parried the clumsy strokes, bringing his lightsaber down hard on the baton. Electricity crackled between the combatants, but Ben didn’t flinch, pressing his advantage as the stormtrooper lost his balance.

Pulling his crossguard back, he snapped it forward again, smoothly running his opponent through. Placing a large foot on the man’s torso as he slumped, Ben kicked him backward into the crowd.  Straightening up, Ben resumed a defensive position, ready for more.

“Kill him!” Hux shouted, looking fearful as his men hesitated. “Someone kill him!”

A third stormtrooper lunged at Ben, knocking him backward with the force of his attack. Ben surged against his adversary, locking their weapons together. Hux’s latest champion seemed better trained than the riffraff he had dispatched just moments ago, and Ben struggled to get the upper hand this time.

A sudden shift in the Force distracted Ben for a split second, allowing the stormtrooper to push him back a few paces. Readjusting his grip, Ben shifted slightly under the weight of his opponent’s weapon, peering through the unguarded shield gate to receive the shock of his life: Rey piloting Luke’s X-wing, hovering just outside the entrance of the hanger bay.

“Rey!” He exclaimed through their bond, momentarily forgetting about the stormtrooper bearing down on him.

“Ben, watch out!” Rey warned as a fourth soldier struck at his back.

Sidestepping him on instinct, Ben was barely aware of his two assailants crashing into each other, landing sprawled on the floor at Hux’s feet.

“You’re here.” He said in awe, eyes fixed on the cockpit.

“Of course I am.” Rey said warmly. “After what you did on Dantooine, I knew you would be in trouble.”

“How did you find me?” Ben wondered.

“The Force led me to you.” She whispered gently in his mind.

“Rey, I’m—” Ben tried.

“Ben, I need you to move now.” Rey interrupted him. “Take cover behind your shuttle and I’ll clear the deck.”

“Rey, wait!” He shouted, surprising the garrison around him.

But she had already zoomed through the gate, opening fire on the stormtroopers surrounding him. Pushing a group of stunned soldiers out of his way, Ben closed his lightsaber and ducked behind the left side of his command ship.

Recovering from his momentary shock at Rey’s entrance, Hux ordered his men to open fire on the X-wing. Rey rolled to avoid the oncoming stream of blaster riffle fire, flying out the open shield gate before making a hair pin turn and charging back into the fray.

After catching his breath for a moment, Ben reignited his crossguard and dashed out to help, stealthily taking out enemy after enemy as Rey provided cover. When the turrets stationed on the far side of the deck suddenly opened fire, Rey changed course once again, swerving to deal with the heavier artillery.

“Are you okay?” Ben asked unnecessarily, cutting his way across the room.

“Doing great.” Rey responded distractedly as she blasted the turrets to pieces with a well-placed proton torpedo. “You?”

“Never better.” He panted, swinging his lightsaber with everything he had. “Now that you’re here.” Ben could see her smile as if she was standing right next to him, giving him the strength to finish off the last of the ground troops pressing in on him.

Within a matter of minutes, Rey had completely decimated the enemy forces on the far side of the docking bay and crippled their starfighters to prevent retaliation.

Running forward as she swung the X-wing around to land on an empty platform in the middle of the hanger, Ben caught her easily as she jumped over the side of her ship and into his awaiting arms. Rey immediately wrapped herself around him, hugging him tightly.

“I was so afraid when the First Order ship blew up at Garang.” Rey confessed in a rush, pressing her cheek against his. She seemed unable to get close enough, not that Ben minded.

“I’m sorry, Rey, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He apologized. “I ordered the captain to stand down, but she refused. I had to make a split-second decision in order to protect you.”

“No, you misunderstand me, Ben.” Rey pulled back to cup his face in her small hands. “I was scared because I knew Hux would want your head for it, not because of the explosion.”

Hearing that she was afraid for him rather than of him was almost Ben’s undoing. “Rey.” He whispered achingly, touching his forehead to hers.

“You saved the Resistance, Ben.” Rey told him as she lovingly stroked the long scar marking his pale cheek. “We were on Dantooine to negotiate for supplies, so all of the officers were aboard the Falcon, including your mother. If not for you, the galaxy would have lost its last hope.”

“Rey, you give me too much credit.” Ben groaned, leaning into her touch. “You must know... surely, you must know it was all for you.”

Rey leaned forward, kissing his trembling lips gently. “I know, Ben.” She murmured tearfully. “I know.”

Ben swept her up against him, putting all the longing and loneliness he had felt while they were apart into one searing kiss. She responded in kind, tangling her slim fingers in his raven locks and tugging him as close as possible. Ben could feel her love, like a bright ray of light, filling up his being until he wasn’t sure where he began, and she ended.

But an abrupt disturbance in the Force shocked them back to reality. Still holding onto each other, they turned as one, both throwing out a hand to prevent the bolt of plasma fired by General Hux from striking them. He was bloody and disheveled, his eyes bright with rage.

“Why won’t you just die, Ren?!” Hux screamed, firing his blaster again and again, only to have each shot cast off by the powerful Force-users in front of him.

Ben watched trepidatiously as fire rose behind the General, inching toward their position as it consumed specks of fuel and fragments of debris along the way. As soon as the fire reached the coaxium reserves stored on the other side of the dock, he knew the Star Destroyer would be toast.

“We’re going now. If you want to live, don’t try to stop us.” Ben said firmly, shifting Rey towards the X-wing. “And my name is Ben Solo. If you make it out of this, remember that.”

“No! You can’t get away! I won’t let—ahh!!” Hux yelled as his cloak caught fire, dropping his weapon to try and extinguish the flames.

Ben quickly scaled the side of Luke’s ship while their enemy was distracted, pulling Rey up with him. Settling her smaller body in his lap, they worked together to close the cockpit and engage the starfighter’s starting sequence in record time.

“We need as direct a route as possible to the Resistance, R2.” Rey told the droid as she turned on the beacon strapped to her wrist and brought up the navigation screen. “Yes, that will work. Finn has the other half of the binary beacon, so you can follow the signal.”

“Do they know I’m coming back with you?” Ben asked uncertainly.

“Yes, they do.” Rey said soothingly. “It’s going to be okay. Okay?”

“Okay. I trust you.” Ben replied solemnly.

Rey turned her face to place a kiss against his chin. “Are you ready to go home then?”

Ben titled her chin up to kiss her properly, savoring the balance she brought to his once torn soul. “R2?” He called to the astromech droid. “Punch it.”

-FIN-

[kylo-im-ren]

Once Upon a Dream

~A reylo ficlet~

A post-TLJ ‘forcebond’ prompt, Inspired by my girl @rekaaa96 and our favorite Reylo song 😝🤗❤️

•

*Bond begins*

"You're stressed, I can feel it."

Rey hears the deep words from the corner of her bedroom shack. She had felt the buzz of their connection coming to life moments before, but didn't feel the need to make mention of it. They both knew what that feeling was, what it meant. Well, to some degree...

She easily shifts into a conversation, as if an existing one had already been established before this random moment.

"It's just...I've been under so much pressure. It's selfish to say, but I feel like the weight of the entire rebellion has been dropped onto my shoulders."

She sighs, not moving from her spot on the floor looking through the old Jedi texts she stole from the island before making her final departure. At first, Ben had reservations about the books, and why she had them. Questioning her motives, or what she thought she'd learn from them. When he eventually realized that his attempts to convince her to get rid of them were having no impact, he gave up.

"I know the feeling."

He says as a response to her statement.

"Through your connection with me, or..?"

She starts.

He sighs and smoothly makes his way across the small room until he's in front of her.

"The supremacy," he grunts as he struggles to bend his long legs down and cross them so that he's sitting opposite her, "has proven much more difficult to lead than I had anticipated."

She snorts,

"I can imagine."

He reaches a hand up to rub the bridge of his nose.

"Don't, trust me."

"Having second thoughts, are we?"

She insinuates with the most nonchalant tone she can muster.

"I never said that."

He states blandly, with a hint of defense.

"You didn't have to."

"Oh yeah?" He scoffs, "And what about you? Rey, poster girl for the resistance, the last Jedi, a beacon of hope for the nobodies of the Galaxy. The pressure proven to be too much yet?"

Her forehead creases.

"You don't have to be cruel."

She replies plainly.

He doesn't out right say the words 'I'm sorry', but the look he gives her is apology enough, for now.

"I had a dream last night."

He says, changing the subject rather abruptly.

“A dream?”

She asks.

“Or maybe a vision, at this point I’m not really sure.”

"Well, I’m not really sure if I want to hear this dream vision."

She returns, a feeble attempt to convey that she’s uninterested.

"Too bad."

He answers.

She briefly narrows her eyes at him before he continues.

"I was dead."

"Wow, off to a charming start."

She interrupts sarcastically.

"Would you please shut up and listen?"

He sighs impatiently.

She puts her hands up once and leans back to show him that he has her full attention.

He shakes his head,

"Anyway, I was dead. Or, asleep... I don’t know. It felt like death though...The dead sleep lasted for what seemed like an infinite amount of time. I just layed there. I layed there until death became welcome, normal. Until the sleep was just something I did, something I was. Then, when I felt the most comfortable and sure in the darkness of death that I ever had before, something strange happened.."

Rey now sits at the edge of her seat, curious as to what could've happened next.

"A crack."

He finishes simply, looking down at his covered hands.

"A crack?"

She repeats, her brow arched in confusion.

He looks up to meet her eyes, conflict stirring in his expression.

"Yes, a crack. A tiny crack in the darkness. A crack...of light."

She perks up at this, which he takes notice of.

"Don't get too excited, I haven't finished."

She rolls her eyes, dismissing him, but still dials back on the enthusiasm.

He continues.

"At first, I thought nothing of it. I ignored it, blocked it out. But slowly, over time, the crack got wider. It got so wide, that I could no longer pretend that it wasn't there. This frustrated me, but turned out to be the least of my troubles."

He pauses to swallow, and sweeps a gloved hand through the thick, raven hair atop his head.

"I was going about as usual, giving my best efforts to ignore the now gaping hole of light interrupting my eternal slumber, when something unexpected happened. Something I couldn't understand. "

"What?" she interrupts, not being able to help herself. "What happened?"

He looks into her eyes again briefly before turning, as if to avoid them.

"There was something...inside the crack. Something brand new. I was intrigued, understandably so, if you ask me. I foolishly reached out, and picked at the hole, to get a better look at the strange new something on the other side. Blinded by my own curiosity, I didn't realize how much of the darkness I was chipping away.

Before I knew it, this new thing, this beast in the light, had grabbed hold of me.

I resisted. I put up a damn good fight, but my efforts revealed to be futile. The beast dragged me out of the dark, dead slumber I had come to call home, and exposed me to the brightness that lay beyond what started as a tiny, harmless crack. The light blinded me for several seconds, but once my eyes adjusted, I looked up and saw..."

He trails off mid sentence.

Irritated with the cliffhanger, Rey urges him on,

"What? What did you see?"

The intensity of his gaze as he met their eyes once again, caught her off guard.

In the most matter-of-fact, and yet confused tone she'd ever heard him use, he answered,

"You."

•

Rey shared her vision with him, I don’t see why he wouldn’t do the same👀😌I hope you enjoyed it! Happy Reylodays😉💜☺️

[agir1ukn0w]

ok my reylo friends, here’s a little gift for you all :0)

Post-TLJ Reylo One-Shot:

Rey and Ben had entered each others’ rooms without anyone else in the galaxy knowing it nearly every night since the last time they looked at each other on Crait. Each time they reached through the Force, the subject of the look on Ben’s face and the words that his eyes shouted to her as she shut the Falcon door would always nearly come up between them. But each time one or both of them found the urge or the words to express a fear of a doubt, it died on their tongues, like a spark whet by the moisture that built up between their teeth as they imagined what it would be like to possess the others’ lips entirely, to devour them or set them free, or both.

At the end of their first year apart, Rey called out to Ben in the solitude of her own room on the Resistance’s newly acquired flag ship, as it combed through luminescent strands of hyperspace and stars stretched like elastic to their limits in order to put as much distance as they could between them and the ever-growing First Order. Her voice reached him in panicked whispers, soft and sharp on the back of his head like an itch, or a sudden gust of icy wind blowing against his bare neck. He answered her call immediately, and she was there with him in his own personal quarters, as though she’d been able to transport her body half-way across the galaxy, if only to stand before him with the eyes of a child who felt just as lost and desperate as he. He understood. She didn’t even have to look at him, the way her eyes traced the lines in the steel floor said enough.

In a few swift strides he’d crossed the room and swept her up into an embrace that was more than she’d ever believed she deserved in her life. Her cheek pressed firmly against his warm chest, limp arms gradually gathering enough strength to wrap themselves around his wide torso, her eyes weeping the residue of all the nightmares that had invaded her fragile, self-built peace ever since she’d left him on his knees. He let her heave into his chest, took all the weight and the pain, breathing it all in and then releasing it back out to the aether that surrounded them like a miasmic balance of confusion and certainty.

“Rey,” he said.

“Yes, Ben?” She sniffled as she lifted her face from the safety of his firm closeness, her dark brown eyes bleeding tears from long ago that had begged to be shed her whole life. Ben reached an ungloved hand up to stroke her wet cheek, felt it trembling beneath his fingers, relished her deep-seated, inner strength, even now in this moment of weakness for both of them. The ghost of a smile shifted across his face, injecting hope into his eyes that gave them fresh light, new color. And something else. Love? Rey wondered.

Without another word, Ben lifted her chin and kissed her full on the mouth, drinking in the pure essence of her otherworldly beauty, replicating her strength, her wonder, her faith into the diseased chemistry of his own heart, sighing internally as it healed him through and through. They’d made love that night, amongst the stars as they surrounded them with all the love they could send through the darkness, alighting their protection on the two tangled bodies of the strongest Force-users in the galaxy, thankful and blessed that they had finally found each other, in mind, body, and soul.

[just-4-thrill]

She Might Be Right

Fandom: Star Wars, TLJ

Characters: Paige Tico x Phasma (the slow burn ship literally no one asked for)

Words: 1642 below the cut

Summary: Paige Tico has been captured by The First Order when, much to Paige’s surprise, an officer named Captian Phasma releases her from the brig. Captain Phasma decides she will let Paige stay in her quarters where she can offer Paige protection while her wounds are treated. But why would Captain Phasma do this? Living in close quarters with the enemy puts both women in more danger than either of them could ever realize.

Paige Tico was not dead, she wasn’t anywhere near dead. In fact, her life seemed to be posing some sort of conundrum for the First Order. Paige herself might have tried to solve the puzzle of her unexpected life, if she had time for such quandaries. But she didn’t have time for luxuries; she had to find a way to escape before the First Order could break her and she revealed the secret that could bring down the resistance. She must keep it at all costs.

The door to her tiny cell opened and she braced herself for the onslaught, closing her eyes and trying to escape to her memories – this time she chose a family vacation on the beaches of Abordia with her little sister Rose. She braced her body, but…nothing. Peeking through one eye, a shiny chrome helmet filled her vision.

“I hear you have given us quite the trouble.” The voice reverberated out through the helmet, it sounded almost melodic – if a bit sinister.

Goosebumps prickled across her arms as she watched her own eyes widen in the reflection of the shiny helmet.

“Do you know who I am?”

Paige tried to shake her head, but it was strapped to the table so she barely twitched.

The silver storm trooper seemed to understand because she replied. “I am Captain Phasma, an officer of the First Order.”

“So I am working my way up the ranks, am I?” Paige retorted sarcastically and tried to lift her chin for a punch that didn’t come.

“Today is your lucky day.” Phasma shifted to the control panel near Paige’s feet.

“I sure do feel lucky.” Paige snorted, but Phasma gave her a look that even through the helmet made her question Phasma’s intent.

Her shiny chrome fist hit some button and the restraints surrounding Paige’s body released. Paige didn’t feel relieved, she felt oddly exposed.

“What’s your game here?” Paige didn’t move from her position lest she be a prey inciting the predator.

“No game,” Phasma said with an acidic sweetness. “We are letting you go. Well, actually I am letting you go. Protocol dictates we terminate murderers and your actions alone led to the deaths of thousands. Did that even occur to you – that you were killing people – when you pressed that button? Or are you capable of dehumanizing the people behind the masks?”

“That ship would have killed us all.”

“No.” Captain Phasma punched another button and Paige felt the table beneath her bend, moving her slowly into a seated position. “That ship would only have attacked you if you were intent on destroying the order that brings peace to the galaxy.”

Paige could see her face appear in the reflection of Phasma’s chest plate. It was purple and swollen around her mouth. “What you call peace is violence and oppression.”

“Control comes in many forms. What plan did the resistance have for controlling the war lords, mob bosses, and arms dealers?”Phasma stared down at Paige. “Fear is sometimes a necessary part of order. Order is a necessary part of peace. Your resistance is why there is need for protocol and leadership.” Phasma motioned for Paige to follow as she sauntered out of the room. Paige sat staring in awe at the space Phasma once occupied. This has to be a trap.

Phasma’s voice called from outside. “You are welcome to stay in the brig if you would like, but I am busy and will need to get back to my work soon. So make up your mind.”

Paige slipped off the table. Her body nearly buckled beneath her as she tried to fight her way into the corridor. Her body gave way as she stumbled through the door and into Phasma’s reflexive catch.

“We need a med chair down at cell 28V.” Phasma’s voice clicked above Paige and soon a trooper in white came rushing towards her with a sleek black chair.

Phasma barely seemed encumbered as she lifted Paige into the chair, situating her comfortably. The pain seemed to be altering Paige’s vision and a dizziness washed over her as she tried to swallow back the bile in her throat, but it erupted. She spewed vomit all over the floor and it splashed onto Phasma’s shiny silver boots.

Phasma seemed un-phased as she spoke with authority to the trooper. “I want a medteam in my quarters in 15 minutes and you will retrieve the name of the officer in charge of this interrogation. This was a Class D interrogation and it is clear that Class A tactics were used.”

“Sir.” The trooper spoke and hurried away.

Phasma stepped forward her cape flourishing behind her as she walked. The chair followed next to her instinctively. Paige received what she felt were odd looks as the two of them wound their way through the maze of corridors, but no one blocked their path. Everyone seemed to duck their heads and rush quickly by Phasma as if hoping she wouldn’t take notice. The world of straight sleek lines, parted for her in a fluid natural way. Paige didn’t know why, but she was starting to feel comfortable with Phasma towering over her, but in the back of her mind, that comfort made her uneasy – if that oxymoron of a sentiment made any sense at all.

“You said I was free?” Paige asked finally.

Phasma didn’t look down as she spoke. “We obviously will not be making any special trips for you.” Phasma paused. “Unless you are willing to give up a resistance hideout.” She seemed to almost chuckle as if she had made a joke – almost. “Otherwise, we will let you leave at any planet, or stop that you wish to leave on.” They turned a corner. “I will have someone bring you a schedule and you can pick a planet from the list. The schedule is subject to change, mostly as a result of the war your rebellion has started.” Phasma stopped at a shut door with a keypad latched to the side and punched in a few numbers. “War is chaos, which disrupts order. We still try to keep it as scheduled as possible.”

The world was spinning, but Paige pushed words out into the vortex. “What will happen to me in the meantime?”

Phasma reached another set of blocked doors and punched in a few more numbers on the keypad. “This is the officer’s wing.”

Paige looked at the corridor, which didn’t appear much different from the rest of the corridors, except maybe it was longer and had very few doors – as if the rooms they opened up to were larger than rooms in other parts of the ship.

“The officer’s quarters are here.” Phasma flourished her cloak as she gestured to the hall. “Kylo Ren and Hux have the two corner rooms on the end. Snoke, of course, has the whole upper floor, which includes his throne room – you would be quite unlucky to ever see it.” Phasma stopped at a door near the entrance to the hall and punched a few more numbers on the keypad.

The door made a swishing noise as it slid into the wall, revealing a large and spacious living room. The living room was decorated in mostly grey with hints of black and red. All of the machinery was the same shiny chrome Phasma wore on her body. Paige was in awe at the sheer gaudiness of it as Phasma ushered her through the living room and through an adjacent doorway. A room with a large bed in the center greeted Paige, and Phasma had carried Paige gently into the bed before Paige could protest. Alarms flared in her head and she looked for anything that could be used as a weapon.

Phasma seemed to notice her discomfort for she tried to explain. “This is my room. While you are not technically a prisoner, you are still a murderer and my responsibility. I cannot allow you to cause more harm to this organization. I need to get back to work, a medteam will be in here shortly and I will have a medtech check back regularly. If they mistreat you, they will answer to me.”

“What will you do for sleep?” Paige asked nervously.

“For the time being, I will sleep outside in the living room while you recover. Once you have recovered, we will reassess and determine the risk you pose to The Order. If your risk level has been downgraded enough, I can offer you a room in our low-security guest quarters until you leave. Should you choose to stay on board longer, you will undergo an assessment test to determine a role that best suits your aptitude, and you will contribute. Your quarters will be adjusted depending on your role.”

“Am I allowed to leave your quarters anytime I wish, or am I captive here?”

Phasma moved towards the door. “After you are cleared by the medteam, you are welcome to roam the public areas of the ship with an escort. But I would caution you, many on this ship – including the officers – knew people on the one you destroyed. Your safety is not a guarantee and my presence improves it considerably. You are not a prisoner here, but your history does make the situation…delicate. I will have the medteam bring you the schedule of stops so you can be choosing which planet you would like to grace your scum.”

Paige scrunched her eyebrows. “I don’t understand. If you hate me so much, why did you stand up for me?”

Phasma turned her back as she spoke. “Because…I know of fates worse than death. And one such fate is living with the guilt of thousands.”

Paige let her head lean to the side. “But I don’t feel guilty. I am a hero.”

“That’s because you don’t yet understand.”

CHAPTER 2

[likeadove]

fic: come back and sing to me (2/2)

Read part one here

Title: Come Back and Sing to Me

Pairing: Reylo

Summary:  A Force bond is fairly inconvenient when neither participant wants anything to do with the other. Post-TLJ.

FFN

AO3

**

Kylo Ren's anger is shifting.

It is still there, pulsing and coiling inside of him, but…

He can't bring himself to direct it at her anymore. 

Rey is alive. Her light still hums softly in the back of his head, dimmed and weakened. But she is getting stronger each passing hour. He feels a flash of pride at her strength, but a stab of apprehension as well. He never wants to feel that level of terror again. If her light goes out in the back of his head forever, then a part of him also dies. He doesn't know why he knows this so firmly, but their link has etched itself inside his very bones. He feels a rush of echoing warmth from her, from wherever she is.

Why is the Force connecting us?

The Force has not always been his friend, but he has never doubted it. He would not start doing so now.

Besides, hadn't he told Rey to let the past die? And here he is, still clinging to the dead legacies of dead Masters and dead grandfathers. Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.

He'd murdered Snoke. What else could he kill?

**

Rey's leg aches for weeks, despite being patched up as best it could be. She walks around with a barely there limp and has taken to pouring over the ancient Jedi texts she smuggled from Ahch-To. One of the smaller editions holds passages upon passages on how to heal oneself using very specific Light techniques. But the language is dreadfully old-fashioned and difficult to interpret. Needless to say, Rey is not making much headway with her leg.

She has also scoured the Jedi texts for any mention of "Force-bonds" and found nothing.

But none of that matters anymore though, because, aside from her leg, she feels so much better. The color has returned to her cheeks. She devours every meal. She trains vigorously every day. Her arms and legs and middle are hardening with muscle and finally, finally she is sleeping. She sees him every night in her dreams now.

As she exits her quarters and makes her way to the mess hall so that she can start her day, Ben's shadow nudges her. She smiles, humming to herself, and lets her light answer in kind. And then he fades, but not abruptly like before. He recedes gently and slowly, and she knows that she can call him back so very easily.

But she doesn't.

The bond has grown sharper and more intense now that they've both hesitantly embraced it. At any moment she can reach out and feel what he's feeling, if he reciprocates. At any moment she can send a thought to him, can communicate with him, if he reciprocates. At any moment she can send him her own thoughts, her own feelings, if he reciprocates. And lately he's been reciprocating. A lot.

And so has Rey.

A slow but desperate determination is building up inside of her. There is still conflict in Ben Solo. She feels it potently now, whenever he reaches out to her. His confusion and bloodlust and loneliness fill her own head sometimes when he is not being careful.

Rey remembers her vision from so long ago, a future she had buried because it had been a supposed lie, a supposed poison leaked into her mind by Snoke. It is her and Ben standing side by side, her glowing with light, him shrouded with shadows. But her hand is clutched tightly in his. And they are at peace.

She clenches her fist, resolute. Snoke had been wrong. Snoke had lied.

Rey had just reached the mess hall, shoulders squared and ready for the day ahead of her, when General Organa steps into her path, Poe Dameron and a very guilty looking Finn flanking her.

"Rey." Leia Organa's tone is cheery and respectful, and Rey feels herself calm a little. Leia smiles. "Grab your breakfast and then come join us in the council room."

Rey swallows then nods quickly. "Of course." Leia turns away, Poe right behind her. Finn lingers.

"How could you?" she growls. She had trusted him, told him her biggest secret—

"I'm sorry Rey." And she can tell by the emotion in his tone that he really is. "But I'm scared for you."

She scowls and brushes roughly past him, ignoring the line for rations and following after Leia and Poe instead. Her heart is pounding at the upcoming confrontation—

And then Ben is there. Something is wrong. His shadow probes at her, relentlessly demanding an answer.

Rey resists the urge to groan out loud. Now is not the time. And then she gently pushes back against his him. He recedes, understanding she isn't in danger and with the smug air of someone knowing they're going to find out eventually.

Rey sucks in a deep breath, attempts to clear her mind as much as possible, and follows Leia and Poe into the private council chamber, Finn right behind her. General Organa sits at the head of the small table before noticing that Rey is already there. "No breakfast?" the General says, raising a concerned eyebrow.

"Not hungry," Rey grumbles, already feeling dread work its way up her spine. She has held onto this secret for so long, and part of her is loath to share it.

Leia doesn't look surprised. She gestures for Rey to sit down then says, "Finn, close the door would you?"

Finn obeys and Rey sits.

Leia gives her a long look that manages to be both curious and cautious. "Let's not cut corners here Rey. We all know why you're here. You can be honest with me. What's going on?"

And Rey, knowing there is no use in continuing to withhold the truth, sighs. "It all started back on Ahch-To—"

**

Finally finished telling her story from beginning to end, Rey is met with three equally stunned faces.

Finn and Poe both explode at the same time.

"You didn't tell me that he killed Snoke for you—"

"General, we need to get her off this base—"

"You're sure there's nothing in the texts—"

"I'm sorry Rey, but you're a complete and total liability—"

All General Organa has to do to shut up both men is raise her hand. Rey can't quite decipher the emotions rolling around on her face. Anger that Rey hadn't been honest until now? Hope that maybe they can get through this war after all?

"Poe," she says, eyes never leaving Rey's, "call Maz."

A few minutes later Maz Kanata blinks at them sleepily, her small eyes looking massive behind her multi-layered spectacles. "General Organa!" she exclaims when she stops blinking, all drowsiness gone. She sounds delighted. "How can I help you?"

Leia's answering smile is a little sad. "I was actually hoping you could tell Rey about your experience with the Force-bond you had."

The whole room quiets, and Rey, Finn, and Poe's eyes go wide.

Maz looks surprised for approximately two seconds before fixating her gaze on Rey. "Oh? What would you like to know?"

Rey's mouth opens and closes a few times, the months and months worth of unending questions she'd built up about this particular subject instantly leaving her mind.

Finn leans in and catches Maz's attention. "What is it?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like, you dummy. It's a bond through the Force, through two Force-sensitive individuals. They can feel each other's emotions, thoughts—"

Rey's brain has finally slowed down enough for her to form words. "Yes, but why does it start? How does it end? What does it mean?"

Maz is quiet for a moment. "There have been many debates about how one could start, but personally, I think it starts with two Force users feeling the exact same thing at the exact same time."

A memory hits Rey, sudden and unbidden.

Two lightsabers cross, snow falling all around them. Kylo Ren has her bent back as he pushes her toward the edge of a cliff. She can feel the heat and energy buzzing from both of their blades. Her foot slips a half inch. Her mind is going a thousand lightyears a minute, adrenaline and stress pumping through every part of her. Can't die must win fight have to save Finn. Kylo Ren grits his teeth and grunts and both of their arms are shaking and there's a feeling she gets as she continues pushing back against him, a feeling coming from somewhere deep inside of her, so small amongst the chaos of battle and yet so sincere—

I wish I didn't have to hurt you.

The room has gone quiet again. Rey clears her throat. "How do you make it…?" She trails off, suddenly feeling as if she has no more air to speak with.

But Maz Kanata didn't make it to be over a thousand years old by being stupid. "Stop it? You don't. One of you would have to die for the link to be severed. And then part of yourself dies with them. It'll be like an open wound inside your very being." A slight pause. "I should know."

Leia speaks up this time. "Can the bond be manipulated?"

The old pirate queen taps her chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps, if someone strong in the Dark Side sensed a Force bond, they could employ it to their whims. Not for very long, however. Soul-bonds are nearly impossible to corrupt. They come from the Light."

And then, completely unbidden, Rey's eyes fill with tears. Maz gives her a kind smile. "I told you once, Rey of Jakku, that the belonging you seek laid not behind you, but ahead." Then she snorts. "Bet you didn't think you'd find it with your enemy, huh?" Chuckling, she presses a button and her hologram form disappears.

Rey sniffs and subtly rubs at her eyes, embarrassed at being so emotional. Half of her wants to reach for Ben, to show him everything that she's just learned. The other half, the shy half that feels very young right now, wants to crawl in a giant hole and never come out.

General Organa stands and gestures toward the door. "Alright gentleman, out."

Neither of them protest. Finn gives Rey's shoulder a comforting squeeze on his way out, Poe a sad half-smile as they leave the room.

"I'm sorry," Rey croaks out, not able to meet the General's eye.

"For what?" Leia asks. She takes Rey's hands in hers and gives them a gentle squeeze. "When I woke up this morning my son was dead. And now, and now for the first time in a long time I feel hope. Hope for Ben." She leans forward. Her eyes… Rey notices how they soften like Ben's when they look at her. "He's tethered to a light now." The General stands and pulls Rey along with her, face beseeching. "He's tethered to you, Rey. You must go to him. You must try again—"

"No." And suddenly it's two years ago and Rey is remembering how he held his hand out to her, how he offered her everything. How tempted she had been, however briefly. She might not have left with him, but she had failed to bring him to her side. He might still be conflicted, and everything inside her might demand that she seek him out, but she could not survive failure like that again. It would break her heart.

Leia's mouth firms a little, suddenly looking more like a General again and less like Ben's mother. "Rey, I know you must be daunted, but this could be what—"

"No." Rey's voice is small but steely. She drops the General's hands and takes a step toward the door, gesturing with a finger so that it swings open with the Force. "I'm sorry General. I can't. Even if you order me to… I just can't."

Not yet.

And then she leaves and heads straight for the Falcon, ignoring Finn, who had been waiting outside the door for her.

She spends the rest of the day bent over Anakin Skywalker's broken lightsaber. She still has no way to fix it. Just like she had no way to permanently fix Ben Solo.

**

Kylo Ren has convinced a whole squadron of TIE fighter pilots to desert.

It was taxing, of course, manipulating so many minds over such a small space of time. But the absence of Snoke's whispers and the presence of Rey's light has been making him stronger, making every vein in his body spark with power. His cheeks are no longer sunken and the dark circles under his eyes have faded. He eats his meals with renewed vigor. And he sleeps, he finally sleeps. Every night he dreams of her.

Right now Hux is furious. His perfectly slicked back hair starts to become undone as he runs about the command bridge, screaming for the traitors to be caught and hauled back for swift execution. The subordinates under him scurry to do his bidding.

And then Hux turns to Kylo. He opens his mouth as if to say something but then snaps it shut, thinking better of it. But there is something brewing in the General's intelligent gaze, something malicious and mutinous.

And then Kylo Ren realizes that there is less fear in the room. Far less then there should be. He watches the First Order admirals and commanders and captains scramble to obey Hux's frantic orders, their gazes constantly switching between their work and their furious General. Very few glance in the direction of Kylo Ren, and when they do it is with an air of scorn, not dread.

He might be the Supreme Leader, but there is no one in this room that he truly leads.

It bothers him less than it should.

I can feel the conflict inside of you.

Kylo Ren hears the words she'd spoken to him on that elevator, and he almost reaches for her in his head so that he can truly hear her voice but—

Shame twists inside of him. Deep shame. Here he stands, a throne upstairs that belongs to him and him only and he just…

Doesn't fucking care anymore. About ruling, about how the Resistance and thusher have managed to stay out of his grasp for nearly two years, about Vader and his legacy and—

He can feel the Light taking root inside of him again. It rests alongside the Darkness in him, both sides of the Force ebbing and flowing within him like gentle ocean waves. Never fully Dark but never fully Light. Balanced.

Kylo Ren just wants to start moving forward. And the only future ahead of him worth anything at all is alongside her.

**

Rey and Rose are deep in tech talk during some down time when Finn sprints up to them, chest heaving.

"What's with you?" Rose asks with a raised eyebrow, a hint of fondness and curiosity in her voice.

Finn bends over and puts his hands on his knees, attempting to catch his breath. "Someone…from within this First Order…is leaking plans…coordinates…weapon blueprints-"

Both young women are instantly on their feet as Finn launches into a more official explanation.

And Rey reaches for that shadow, pushing with all her might, demanding and ferocious. He answers quickly. What?

Rey concentrates, centers her breathing and then lets him look through her eyes, at Finn excitedly using his hands to speak "—we might have enough man power now to catch them off guard! We know when and where they're getting their supplies, and Poe wants to dispatch a team to go and—"

"How to we know this information is good?" Rose asks smartly. "It could easily be a trick."

Oh, the information is good. His voice is deep and soothing and pleased in her head, and Rey isn't sure she's ever heard genuine amusement come from him before.

"The info is good," she tells her friends curtly. They both hush up instantly, eyes going a little wide, as if they're realizing the implication of her words.

Rey turns and sprints away from the corridor, shouting for the General. She feels the last of her fear of failure slip away from her for good. I'm coming for you, her light sings at him through their link. Ben's amusement fades and he recedes, quiet. But Rey doesn't care and she doesn't reach back out for him. She's coming for Ben Solo and she will drag him out of there kicking and screaming if she has to.

She finally feels confident that he might let her. For sure this time.

**

Like hell Kylo Ren is going to allow her to board his ship when it's in this particular condition.

He needs to take care of some of the riffraff first.

He calls an emergency meeting with all the leadership of the First Order in the middle of a night cycle. All the higher ranks that served under Snoke, that pushed for Starkiller Base, that have personal stakes in the violence and horror the First Order has sewed across the galaxy this past decade, he summons them all.

The room is filled with the sour taste of irritation and misgivings, and it is Hux that speaks first. "Ren, what is the meaning of this? Have you considered the hour—"

Kylo breaks Hux's jaw and nose before lobbing off his head with his lightsaber. That's when the screaming starts.

Some try to fight back, and others rush for the door. He keeps them all locked inside this room with the Force.

Captain Phasma rushes up to him, her blows furious and harsh. He stops her with his right hand, his left holding several blaster bolts aloft. A flick of his wrist and the bolts go flying toward new marks. He locks onto the Captain's mind, squeezing with his right fist. "You will fall on your own blade." And Captain Phasma whirls her massive sword around and stabs herself with swift, brutal efficiency.

It's easy to pick the rest off one by one after that. He enjoys it. The Darkness is surging up all around him, fueling every final blow. But the Light is there too, never letting his vision get too red, reminding him that each death is serving a purpose. This doesn't seem like murder. Not to him. It seems like justice.

**

The Resistance shows up ready to make a final stand.

All they're met with is escape pods and shuttles streaming from the First Order's main ship.

"What the hell happened here?" Poe asks, he and everyone important within the Resistance ranks watching from the main command bridge. All heads swivel toward Rey. Everyone knows now.

Ben's shadow is small in the back of her head. And sluggish, as if he'd just gone through a massive spike of adrenaline and is coming back down. She nudges him and his sigh echoes all throughout her head. She gets pictures, clips of action. There is the powerful thrum of his lightsaber and shrieks of utter terror.

There is blood. On the walls the ceiling the floor the equipment—

And Rey reminds everyone in the Resistance as well as herself that even though she is mostly Light there is still Darkness inside her too. She tells them that Ben Solo has performed a coup and eradicated most of the First Order higher ups, including General Hux. The few leaders he didn't execute have abandoned ship, with the rest of the Army in confused shambles.

She delivers all this news with a satisfied smile.

The bridge is quiet for awhile until, ever the leader, Poe steps forward. "Should we try to rendezvous, then?" He is asking Rey, and she can sense his fear. His apprehension at the frightening, hulking, enigma of a man waiting for them on the other ship. When she reaches out briefly with the Force she can feel that everyone is afraid.

Everyone except her.

**

Kylo Ren feels how near she is. He is up in the Supreme Leader's throne room, a room he has barely used since coming into control. And after today he suspects that he'll never have need for it again. But still, it seems fitting for their reunion to be here. He sits at the foot of the throne, bicep bleeding and sleeve torn from a blaster, waiting.

They are communing with one another through the bond, her light and his shadow so deeply entrenched in the other that it is like he is walking down his own halls with her.

He watches through her gaze as she stops at the nearly destroyed command bridge. As she takes in the bodies, the dead faces frozen in petrified screams. He watches her speak to his mother, watches Leia Organa's face go pale at all the blood, at the smell of death. He's prepared to tell Rey that she'll probably have to defy orders and sneak away when—

My orders are to find you. Rey leaves the destruction of the bridge behind, following his Force signature toward the elevator. That room? Really?

He starts, not bothering to keep his surprise from her. Surely they wouldn't want her coming near him after everything he'd just done?

On the contrary. And she gives him a memory, and oh, it is of his mother. "He's tethered to a light now. He's tethered to you, Rey. You must go to him."

As the elevator takes Rey up and up and up, bringing her ever closer to him, she floods his whole head with her light, with her warmth and her hope and everything that is good. And she shows him, finally, what she's learned about their bond.

**

Kylo Ren is bent over Rey, their lightsabers clashing as snow falls all around him. Hot blood trickles from his wounded side down his leg but he can't think about that now. He has to keep his focus straight. Win the fight take the lightsaber get off this base. His vision is going blurry as he pushes his strength into their locked blades, adrenaline and Dark power alone keeping him from passing out. But underneath all the stress of battle and the throbbing pain from his wound and oh god oh god oh god I've murdered my father, there is—

I wish I didn't have to hurt you.

**

When Rey finally steps into that red, red room she stops, suddenly frozen in place by that look he is giving her. A look that demands that she keep coming, how dare she stop moving—

She runs to him, suddenly overcome with how long they've been apart, with how long its been since she's seen his face in something beyond just thoughts and dreams and memories. He has his gloves off by the time she reaches him so that he can feel the soft skin of her neck and her cheeks and how her hair is so smooth—

He bends down to meet her and touches his forehead against hers, breathing her in.

Poe Dameron and General Leia stand at the entrance, both totally unnoticed. Poe had reached for his weapon out of sheer habit at seeing Kylo Ren, but Leia places her hand over his and squeezes firmly, shaking her head. The older woman can feel the hum of the Force here, powerful and potent and…

The scavenger girl suddenly throws her arms around her son's neck and Kylo Ren (or Ben or a mix of both) brings her close, pulling Rey off her feet a little in the process.

And Leia is able to put a name to it then, what she is feeling through the Force. Balance. And the General knows that there will be chaos and ramifications coming their way in the next month, week, day, hour…

But for now, there is peace.

**

I was lost, I was lost Crossed lines I shouldn't have crossed I was lost, oh yeah

Sing it, please, please, please Come back and sing to me, to me, me Come on and sing it out, now, now

“In My Place” by Coldplay

**

A/N: First off, thank you everyone for your kind words about part one! Was really cool to hear from some of my old readers that have seen me through several fandoms and ships. I hope this delivered a satisfying conclusion! Writing Kylo brutally murdering the First Order leadership brought me more joy then perhaps it should have. Anyway, this is it for this story, but I have plenty more Reylo coming up, including a couple of one-shots and a WIP, god help me.

If you liked let me know!

[reylostrikesback-blog]

Dark Premonitions

Now that the Last Jedi trailer is out and everyone is analyzing and celebrating it, I decided to post one of my small oneshots I made for a young Kylo because of how damn hyped I’ve suddenly become for TLJ thanks to that wonderful trailer! This takes place when Ben.. is 10 (didn’t realize that till now) and has an important headcanon of mine that Snoke has contacted Kylo as long before as when he was a kid before the Jedi camp. I made this a long LONG time ago, even before Bloodline came out so some info may be off. Hope you enjoy this thing I made more than a year ago, flaws and all!

You will grow to be as powerful as your grandfather, if you join the Dark Side. Ben continued his pace through the hallways of his home without pause. Throughout the years, he had adjusted to these ceaseless pair of words he received on a daily basis. He would inform his parents every time he heard this strange message, but it had gotten so normal that Han and Leia just assumed that Ben had this recurring message everyday, now. For the first few years while receiving this message, Ben questioned the reasons how, and why he had gotten this alert. Now that Ben was getting older, now 10, he had tried to dig deeper into the context. Who exactly was his grandfather? Why was he on the dark side? Why was he so important? How did this relate to him? Ben had attempted to ask his parents about his grandfather, but they gave him no answer. He understood somewhat, that they were trying to protect him from exposing him to information about the dark side. At the same time, Ben wanted answers. He needed an explanation to what made this message so significant. That's when he began to find the holograms. He'd searched far and wide of the planet, every Jedi and Sith temple that stood on the surface. He had almost given up. Only a week ago, Ben finally reached an end to his quest. It had taken patience; he travelled on foot for at most six hours to get to a Sith temple. He heavily regretted being present in such a dark environment, but he knew that it was necessary. Ben had found a huge set of hologram recordings in a chest inside the temple. Somehow, he could sense the holograms that he needed. Once he returned home, he was almost certain that his parents lost their trust in him. He didn't blame them; he had left numerous times during his search. They had only agreed to let him leave because Ben lied that he was supposedly going exploring with another boy that lived nearby. Ben had begun secretly viewing each hologram one by one every night ever since he had obtained them. His worst fear was if a member of his family would barge into his living chamber while he was watching a hologram recording. Ben entered his living chamber hastily and flipped a switch, shutting the door behind him. He sat in front of a small, unresponsive droid. It had been broken for a long time now, as a present for his sixth birthday from his father. He had gotten it from his travels when he was gone, Han Solo had claimed. Ben pressed a button on the silent droid, and a blue light lit up, illuminating a figure. He recognized it. The figure wore all black; a cape, a dark helmet, and Ben could hear sharp, audible breaths from the dark, menacing figure. "Lieutenant," the person grumbled deeply, making Ben shiver. The voice seemed almost robotic, "you have failed me, for the last time. Report to my division, immediately." The hologram ended. Ben groaned heavily. This figure had appeared in all of the holograms he had seen. He was convinced that it was his grandfather, but he solemnly refused to believe it. His family seemed so.. pure. Ben inserted a hardware drive into the droid, and another hologram of his grandfather appeared. The dark figure was now kneeling. "My master," he slowly began, "I believe that the Rebels have made a new base on a planet in a near quadrant. I am almost certain that the boy who destroyed the Death Star is with them. I'm sure of it." "Ben!" He instantly pressed a button, ejecting the hardware drive, causing the hologram to die out. He heard small footsteps outside the hatch of his room. Ben frantically stuffed the hologram drive on the other side of his bunk. He sat on his bunk, breathing unevenly, trying to act casual as the latch opened. Leia stepped in, and stopped in front of her son. "Ben, it's time for dinner. I've been calling you." "Sorry, mother," he stammered. Leia sighed discontentedly. She looked around the room, furrowing her brows. "Why is it so dark in here?" "I just.. wanted to take a nap," Ben murmured. Leia scoffed then motioned towards the door, and Ben followed her to the dining room of their home. Han and Chewy were already sitting at the dining table, Han replying to his Wookiee friend's unfathomable groans. The mother and son sat at the table that had two dishes in the middle of it. One of the dishes looked decent, but the other made Ben scrunch his nose. "Chewy decided to help me with dinner tonight," Leia amusingly chortled, making her husband form a halfhearted smile. "Yeah, I can see that," Han chortled. Chewbacca playfully punched Han's shoulder. Ben scooped a large amount of the decent-looking food and only put a tiny quantity of Chewy's dish onto his plate. Chewy immediately began to inhale his meal and the rest of them ate quietly. Han glanced at Ben. "What did you do today?" Ben stopped eating and looked up from his plate, his mouth still full. "Um," he grumbled, then swallowed, "I visited Argon today." Ben had no other friends, other than Argon. Plus, he was the only boy his age in the area. Argon was amiable, but did not have much in common with Ben. His parents nodded and smiled in response. Leia set down her fork. "Your Uncle Luke will be paying us a visit, tomorrow." Ben nodded his head. Minutes passed. His parents were chatting to specifically each other, and Chewy had already devoured his plate, and was getting thirds. Ben stared at his food, shutting his eyes. He tightly concentrated, his mind ringing. He opened his eyes, focusing onto his plate. Gradually, the plate began to levitate, causing Ben to grin hopefully. Leia darted her eyes to Ben, and straightened her posture. "Ben, what have I told you?" Ben frowned, and the plate plopped to the surface of the table. "At least I have this ability," he murmured to himself. Leia opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself. Han continued to gnaw at his food. He knew better than to argue with his son and wife at the same time. Especially when it was about the Force. Talking about this subject wasn't his cup of tea. Leia inhaled steadily, and regained her repose. "Uncle Luke will be arriving in the morning." Ben stared at his food, inspecting it with his fork. Leia sadly gazed at her son, stood up from her chair and diminished herself from the dining room. Chewy noticed the tension, and lumbered away from the conflict. Han moved his eyes to his son, who was still neglecting himself from his surroundings. Han, out of pity, positioned himself towards Ben. "Ben," he softly mumbled, as soft as Han can sound, "if there's anything you need to talk about, I'm-" "I wish Mom could understand how powerful I am, but she can't accept it," Ben said bitterly. Han gulped. "Your mother is just trying to do what's best for you. You know that." Ben shot a cold glare at his father. "Then what is best for me?" Han didn't know how to answer. He didn't know the answer himself, after all. "I can never relate to what you're feeling, son. I'm sorry. But your uncle is coming tomorrow. I know for a fact that you two have something in common." Ben's sharp glance softened and sighed nonchalantly. "I guess so," he uttered, a simper forging its away to the surface. Han grinned in response. "It's getting late," he said, breaking their fond moment. Ben couldn't recall the most recent time that his father had reassured him. Or been there for him, in general. Ben stood and pushed in his chair, and turned on his heel and scurried away. Han stayed to clean the dishes. Ben entered his living quarters and continued watching the holograms. He was truly fascinated by them. Unfortunately, these images had only raised more questions. Ben yawned, rubbing his eyes. He sauntered to his bunk and sat. Ben took the hologram device in his hands and began to play with it. He concentrated on the object as he had done with his dinner plate. The device ascended above Ben's grasp. He quietly chortled to himself, trying not to let ferment overtake him. He used his ability to swing the device all over the room, from left to right. This was the only time he could use the Force. By himself. The object slowed its speed midair, and Ben lost himself in this "game". He was content. He leaned his head back against the wall, nearly dozing off. His breathing became even and unhurried, unlike its usual rapid pace. The metal wall Ben was leaning on began to shudder, blatant voices that were clearly audible on the opposite side of the wall. Ben held the palms of his hands against his ears, unable to bring himself to listen to the familiar argument. "It's the only thing that could help him!" Leia screamed at her husband. "Sweetheart, you know I trust Luke, but if we let our son go, when's the next time we're ever gonna see him?" Han replied sharply. Leia paced back and forth, then stopped in front of Han. "Fine," she muttered bitterly, anger boiling within her, "you never understand from my side." Han scoffed, crossing his arms. "Oh, really? You think I never respect you?" Leia didn't respond, instead, moving her eyes to the floor. Han observed his wife scorn him, and gloomily shook his head. He reluctantly turned and plodded towards the entrance of their living quarters. Leia lifted her head just to find the door promptly slide open. Han took a large step, but halted himself for a brief moment, wishing that his wife would refrain him from going any further. Leia feet remained glued to the ground, although her mind clamored at her, to stop her husband from leaving again. Han realized that his wife did not want him to stay. He had truly not wanted to go, but felt like it was better for them both to get some time to themselves. At least he felt it was better for Leia. That was what mattered. In the past, she had discouraged him from running off, but she came to the reality that she was married to Han Solo. Han Solo. A smuggler who was not reliable, who seemed to have better things to do than to stay at home with his little family. Han regained his determination and marched out the door without wavering, around the corner, out of Leia's sight. Seconds had passed, hoping that her husband would come back and they would make up. But it didn't. Leia shrank to the floor and began to sob. Ben had heard the slamming of his parents' quarter's door, and sighed, already sensing the situation. His father had left, several times before. Only this time, the quarrel sounded much more fervid. The unfriendly silence was interrupted by the faint noise of small weeps. His mother. Ben stood to go comfort her, but he stopped himself. Obviously, he didn't want his mother to know that he had overheard the heated argument. He couldn't shake off the guilt he felt. Ben winced from the sorrowful sounds coming from his parents' living quarters, it was unheard of, his mother crying. He was amazed how strong his mother was. Even after all of those instances where Leia's husband was not next to her, she remained tenacious. Only now, it had gone too far. She had broken for the first time. Ben laid in bed for a while, struggling to fall asleep, but the excruciating cries of his mother wouldn't allow it. He felt his eyes beginning to water just hearing cries coming from the person he looked up to the most. He decided to distract himself by pondering about the holograms. Just the appearance of his grandfather seemed uninviting. How could his relative be on the Dark Side? The Dark Side. Ben had heard of the Dark Side, not only from the frequent mind messages, but as a very young boy. He could recall that his mother and sometimes father would share their stories of defeating the Empire. Ben, to this day, wondered if it was true. It was undeniably incredible, but seemed so unrealistic. He lived a normal life on a normal world, with what-looks-like a normal family. A princess, a skilled smuggler, and a Jedi Knight; all war heroes. He enjoyed hearing about their adventures, but then suddenly, they refused to tell him anymore. His parents did not even bother to mention the reason why. He was looking forward to his uncle visiting. Ben loved his parents dearly, but they didn't understand him the way his uncle Luke did. It was mostly because of the fact that they both are force-sensitive, and when Ben was able to see him, his uncle would help in controlling his ability. Ben was aware that his mother was also force-sensitive, but avoided any training to start a family. He didn't fully comprehend why someone would turn down such an opportunity, but he only kept it to himself. Han tried to chat with his son about the Force, since his wife did everything to avoid the topic and his son was so desperate to know more about it, but still couldn't resonate with Ben's view. He appreciated the gesture, though. Ben grew exhausted of this type of thinking, and closed his eyes. He was about to become comatose, when his mind buzzed. You will become as strong as your grandfather, if you join the Dark Side. Ben's mind ached only a moment, he quickly disregarded the voice, languishing into a deep sleep.

[damn-stark]

Child of Ren Ch.10

A/N- Plotwist y/n ends up with Finn instead lmao...I’m kidding! Anyhow I loved writing this chapter ;) hope you guys liked it too, leave your thoughts. Take care and I love all you guys.

Warning- Long chapter, fluff, things get very steamy but nothing beyond that (I’m incapable of writing that sadly) slow-burn.

Pairing- Poe Dameron x Reader x Rey, Kylo Ren x reader (platonic)

Takes place- after TLJ & before TROS

(Let me know if you want to be tagged)

———

“What the hell?”

Instantly Rey and you pull away from the kiss, looking back to see nothing. You share the same questioning look before hopping down to the ground to observe the surrounding area. You hear or see nothing, but you aren’t scared of what or who it could be, not here. You look over your shoulder and put a finger to your lips to motion Rey to be quiet; whoever was here would come out.

She does as you say and you wait in silence, only moving your head when you hear distant footsteps sneaking not far from you. You smirk and tread lightly towards the noise, holding on to Rey’s hand to make her follow you. The footsteps stop but you don’t need them to locate where the person is anymore, you knew. Again you look over your shoulder to Rey, smiling as you let go of her hand to sneak up on the spy. You carefully move forward and reach the tree the person was hiding behind, you take one step forward and come face to face with the terrible spy.

When you recognize who it was your eyes widen and you freeze where you stand, you part your lips in both confusion and surprise. You expected someone else, Finn maybe, or some other resistance fighter who accidentally ran into Rey and you. But you didn’t expect “Poe?” Your eyebrows knot and you try to read his reaction, but their was too much going on that you couldn’t make out one single emotion on his face. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

Rey joins your side and is equally as confused. Poe doesn’t say anything for a long minute, looking between Rey and you before solely focusing on you with confliction overriding every emotion, but that’s when your mind caught on, figured it out, that’s when your heart sank a little.

Poe had seen Rey and you kiss.

It had been a couple weeks since Poe and you had talked, but that didn’t mean you didn’t stop feeling the way you did for him, but he didn’t know that, in fact he didn’t know what you felt at all. All he knew was that you wanted to kiss him before everything went to shit, but of course seeing what he saw now could mean anything, or nothing to him, but he thought it was something more than you yourself were still very unsure of.

“I was looking for you so we could talk.” He stammered, trying to sound as confident as possible, but you could see straight through him and well you could also feel his every emotion. One thing you liked and disliked of being able to use the force. “But you’re busy we can talk later.” He said almost bitterly, quickly turning on his heel to walk away. You took a step forward to follow after him, but quickly stopped as you remembered Rey was still with you. You parted your lips to try and explain to her, but she knew what you intended to do and only pointed her head to the direction Poe had left in.

“Go, I was going to run coarse anyway. Talk later?”

You offer her a light nod with a small smile before turning and following after Poe. At first you couldn’t see him, even if he had walked off seconds before, but then you spotted his familiar black curly hair in the distance, storming away incredibly fast. “Poe!” He didn’t stop or even look back to the sound of his name, he just continued walking away. “Poe!” Nothing. You picked up your pace until you were hot on his heels, “Poe, please stop.” He let out huff as he halted in his steps, placing his hands on his hips and making you walk to stand in front of him.

“We can talk later, you’re busy, I didn’t want to interrupt. You can go back.”

You let out an annoyed sigh, “really? This is how we’re going to start talking? I haven’t talked to you in weeks and this how we’re going to talk?”

He held onto your gaze for a moment before shifting his eyes away. He stayed silent for a another moment to give himself time to think clearly before blinking down to you and starting the conversation. “Are Rey and—”

“We are not talking about that right now.” You quickly interrupted, pushing that topic aside even though you knew it was going to be inevitable, “you wanted to talk, are you finally ready to talk?” You asked softly.

He parted his lips and you knew he wanted to continue pressing on the previous subject, but he didn’t, “yeah. I just wanted to say that I understand why you hid who you were. It wasn’t easy, I just want to know why? Really why? Why didn’t you tell me? You can trust me.”

You lower your head and don’t say anything, gnawing on your bottom lip for moment before quietly speaking up, “because I was scared of what you were going to think of me, I didn’t want you to see me as a....monster. You were the first person I talked to that didn’t see me as the Child of Ren and I liked that, I didn’t want to be known like it, I wanted to be the person I was supposed to be and being here I got it. I didn’t choose who I was turned into, I was forced to become that person. I’m sorry, I really am.”

He sighed at your words, the anger he felt for the previous situation finally fading away...for now. He let his hands drop to his sides and took a step closer to you, as he attempted to get your gaze back on him, “hey, look at me,”

You hesitated but ultimately did as he told you, noticing his face had softened and their was a gentle look in his eyes. When he was sure you were listening he continued with what he was saying, “you’re not a monster. I was mad because of who you were, yes, I can’t deny that, but you’re not a monster.” He paused for a moment and hesitated to ask his question, but he had to know for sure, “was it true? What the Knights of Ren said? Did Kylo Ren really brainwash you?”

“It wasn’t Kylo. He would never do that to me.” You answered quickly in an unintended defensive tone. “It was Snoke. Snoke took everything from me, who I was, my life, memories, my family. I’m just left with flashes of past memories and a made up life. Now I’m just struggling with both.” Poe was the first person who’ve you really talked to about your past in the first order, you’re now just realizing that. The one person who could make you forget you’re past was the first person you confessed you’re tragedy too. Rey only knew a small portion. “So if I’m a little rude, dark or cold it’s because of that, because of who I was raised to be. I’m sorry.” He didn’t hesitate to wrap you in a tight embrace, making you feel secure in every way possible.

You let out a shaky exhale before hugging him back and resting your head on his shoulder, as he softly spoke again, sounding sincere with every word, “It’s okay Hon, I understand.” You both stay silent, just enjoying in each other’s presence until he pulls away, moving one hand to cup your cheek and showing off a charming smile, “how about we finally go on that fly you’ve been itching to go on, huh?”

A bright smile grows on your lips, “really?”

“We’ve been practicing for a while, I think you’re ready.”

—

“It’s just going to be a quick fly, okay? We’re not in battle, so you won’t actually shoot anything, but you can test those maneuvers.” Poe explains as he leans on the side of the hull, watching as you happily put on his helmet to prepare for just a fun practice fly.

“You sure you won’t join?” You question as you turn to meet his look, making him grin at the sight of you. It took everything within him not to pull you in for a kiss, he really wanted too before and now seeing you with his helmet on he desired it even more, but he didn’t, he couldn’t, not after what he had seen Rey and you do. He was to some extent sure that you had some feelings for him, but after he had seen you kiss Rey, his suspicions were sadly debunked.

“No,” he nods, “I would love too, but their isn’t any other extra ships and well you’re using mine so, another time.”

“We can fit if I scoot in, like when you’re teaching me,” You suggest with a smirk, “it just won’t be the same if you’re not with me.”

He swallows thickly, “t-that’s the whole point. In battle I won’t be riding behind you, but don’t worry I’ve got you from down here.”

“Hmm, damn shame then.” You pause and turn more sincere, “we’ll get more ships, I promise. We’ll do that mission, so then we can actually race.” You wink and grip onto the stirring wheel. “Now move Starboy, I’ve got places to be, stars to visit and well—”

“You’re not leaving this planet.” He interrupts in a serious tone, “it’s just a quick fly.”

“We’ll see.” You joke. He stays for a minute, eyeing you suspiciously before closing the canopy and climbing down the ladders. Once you make sure he moves the ladder and gets to the holo-computers to monitor you from there, you start the simple procedures, like starting the fighter and lifting off. That part was easy, you knew how to do that, it was just the rest of it that you weren’t so sure of before and perhaps even now, Poe had been teaching you, but you still felt uncertain.

That feeling of uncertainty didn’t last long as you flew up in the sky, of course at first you were nervous but knowing Poe was guiding, and looking out for you helped and well his voice was soothing over the coms. The flight however was everything you had hoped for and more—even if you weren’t shooting down any TIE-fighters. However the feeling of the rush made your adrenaline pump. And for that short amount of time you were doing barrels in the sky it made you forget everything bad in your life, no Kylo, First order, Knights of Ren or forgotten memories, it was all simply forgotten, it was therapeutic to be flying so fast and so high in the sky. For that time you were truly happy.

Once you finished flying and successfully landed back on the ground, you still had a wide happy grin, you still felt the adrenaline pump in your blood, it felt like you could do anything in that moment.

“How was that?!” Poe asked almost or even more excited than you were.

You didn’t even know how to respond, all you did was let out a small giggle as you rushed to capture him in a tight hug. He was caught off guard by your actions, letting out a small ‘oof’ at the impact, but quickly recovering to return the hug and pulling you closer to him. In that moment for him, he forgot what he had seen and let the feelings he felt for you seep through with the embrace, he let the wanting he felt slip, and the urge to kiss you increase like never before.

“It felt. I-I don’t even know.” You stammered, only pulling away far enough to cup his cheeks, “it felt..”

“Freeing.”

You grinned wider and quickly interjected “Exactly! That and much more. I can still feel the adrenaline in my body. I feel like I can do anything.”. Poe moved one of his hands to wrap around your wrist, while he moved the other one to cup your cheek. The smile he carried never left his lips as he saw how excited and happy you were, the happiest he’s ever seen you. “Thank you for that moment, Poe.” You let out softly.

His smile widened and in that moment just like you he felt like he could do anything, and he did. His eyes flickered down to your lips before he leaned in to finally kiss you. The kiss was sweet, gentle and too quick as he pulled away. You stared up at him surprised and speechless, much like he felt. Quickly he parted his lips to let out an apology, but before he could you pulled him in for another kiss. He seemed to be surprised by your actions at first, but he quickly got over it and deepened the kiss, adding more passion, and desire into it while still remaining sweet in every way.

You felt him smile into the kiss, and you felt bad for comparing the kiss between Rey and him, but his was more dominating, he knew what he was doing and he showed it. The kiss with Poe was sweet and gentle but felt rough and passionate all in the same while. You only parted away to catch your breath, resting your forehead on his. He smiled and began to stroke your cheek with his thumb, as you were going to lean in again, he quickly pulled away and his smile dropped as he carefully took a couple steps back.

You stared at him concerned and confused, “Wh-what’s wrong?”

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, licking his lips as he pulled his eyes to you, “this shouldn’t have happened, I’m sorry.”

You parted your lips in disbelief, furrowing your eyebrows as you tried to figure out why he fel—oh, Rey, right.

“Uhm, I’m just going to leave.” He quickly turned around to storm away, leaving no room for you to talk back. So, quickly you rushed to go after him, grabbing him by his arm to turn him around; “I told you y/n, it was a mistake, just a heat of the moment thing, okay?”

You pull your head back, “heat of the moment?”

He pulled his arm away and placed his hands on his hips, “What do you want me to say? I saw Rey and you kissing, it’s obvious you like her and you two have something going on and I don’t want to get in the way.” He tried to storm away again, but you caught him in time.

“Poe I like you too.” It was sudden and not like how you wanted to let it out, but you did and now it was too late to take it back. By the look on his face he didn’t expect it either, he didn’t know how to process it, all he did was part his lips and keep his eyes on you, searching for any sign of a joke, but it wasn’t and you let him know that, “I wouldn’t have kissed you back if I didn’t. And I know it’s confusing and difficult for you to process that, but it’s the same thing for me, you know. I barely understand what I feel for one person and two? I-I just don’t know, this is all so new to me, I’ve liked people before, but never really done anything about it, not with Kylo scaring them away, but now that I can truly be with someone, I happen to like two—”

Poe interrupted your rambling, “Shh.”

“Excuse me?” Before you could express anything else, again he pulled you in for a kiss, this one more rougher than the other one. Instead of pulling away you gave into the kiss, and wrapped your arms around his neck, while he wrapped his around your waist to pull you in closer. The kiss felt amazing, you two moved in sync and when he moved you back so your back could hit a tree the kiss felt even more passionate, it felt euphoric. With one hand he gripped onto your waist, while the other one slowly traveled further down your leg.

The feeling of his body so closely pressed to yours, his earthy smell, the feeling of his lips never parting from yours and his hand just traveling down your thigh made a warm feeling began to build in between your legs. You couldn’t deny and say you didn’t feel that way for him, because you did in multiple occasions. And what you didn’t know was that he felt the same feeling of lust since you met. And yes it’s bad admitting such a sinful thought but he couldn’t deny it.

Finally his hand stops on the back of your knee, pulling it up so you could wrap it around his waist. He then pulled away from the kiss, only for his kisses to travel down to your neck. You gripped onto the curls on the back of his head and said his name to stop him, but it came out more of a soft moan, “Poe—Poe, stop. I-I’ve never done this b-before.”

Poe broke away, letting you see the small beads of sweat on his forehead, his mouth was slightly open and he was trying to find the right words to say while he also caught his breath.

“Not here.” You spoke softly, flustered by what you had admitted, you thought he was going to laugh or walk away, but he didn’t, he showed a assuring smile and caressed your cheek.

“You don’t have to, we can stop.”

You thought for a moment, it was something you wanted to do, especially with him...so you did. “No-no I want to, just not here. Not in the middle of the jungle...at least not right now.”

He showed a cheeky smile and moved his hand to grab yours, “okay, I know somewhere where it will be just you and me, come on.”

—

“Where was I when you destroyed Star Killer base?” You gnawed on your bottom lip and thought until finally coming up with the upsetting answer, “I was on a mission with the Knights. Missed all the fun didn’t I?” You smile sadly at a thought, “you would have seen me if I was there, I was still blindly loyal to Kylo, and I’m afraid you wouldn’t have liked me then.”

Even if you couldn’t see Poe, you knew he was smirking. “Are you sure about that? One look at you and I would be a rambling mess. You are incredibly beautiful Hon. I wouldn’t be able to resist you.” He said with the usual amount of cockiness, as he continued to trace small circles on your exposed back, his legs entwined with yours.

“Shut up.” You smiled brightly. “You know I would have loved to meet you before, I heard you were imprisoned by the First Order.”

“Would you have interrogated me?”

“Uhmm, most likely. Now that’s something I would have loved to do. You’re a very talkative person when you know the right ways to make you talk.”

Poe let out a small chuckle, before he relaxed again, your head rising up slowly and coming down on his chest at the movement of his slow and calm breathing. Neither of you talked for a moment, but you were left in a comfortable silence, just listening and feeling the way his heart gently thumped under your cheek, simply just enjoying each other’s presence “You’re not going back...to the first order, are you?” He asked breaking the silence.

You lift your head to meet his eyes, a small frown replacing your smile, “no. I don’t want to go back there, I wouldn’t.”

He began to stroke your cheek, before placing a soft kiss on your lips, “good, I like you here.” On his bed and with him, that’s what he wanted to add, but he didn’t.

You were happy here, with Poe and with...Rey. You wouldn’t go back, even if the thought had crossed your mind, you wouldn’t. You could never go back to Kylo, not with what he did, as much as at times you felt like he was the only one you had and that could help. It would prove a point to him, one you didn’t wish to prove right, one you needed to solve on your own. That’s why you could never go back. As much as he pleaded. You wouldn’t. Never.

—

You had deliberately been avoiding Rey and planned to do it for the rest of the day. It’s not that you didn’t want to see her, because you did, it was just after the night Poe and you shared, you didn’t know if Rey knew and you didn’t want her to know, you just didn’t want to deal with having to explain what you felt for both her and Poe. You had already somewhat explained it to Poe and it was difficult as it was, you didn’t wish to explain something you couldn’t even understand yourself.

The only thing you knew was the repeating question, why? Why like two people at the same time? Perhaps it was true that your feelings for Poe were evolving into something more. Not just after the intimate moment you both shared, or the fact that he was incredibly attractive, but the fact that he could make you forget about your broken past, the first order and the family name you still had no memory of. Poe made you forget and it felt great, with him you weren’t looking for someone you couldn’t remember, and well he also shared the same liking for danger and adrenaline.

And Rey. Well Rey, she understood you in ways Poe couldn’t, Rey and you shared a similar past, shared the same connection with the force. She wasn’t afraid of who you were when you first met, she wasn’t afraid of the person you were with the mask. Rey knew your lack to retain control and emotions and she knew how to help like Kylo could. Rey and you shared a bond, a bond you liked. That’s where it was hard, the fact that at one point you needed to tell either of them the answer they were going to seek. You didn’t want to play with either of them, you were going to have to choose. It’s not that you could be with both at the same time...could you?

Whatever you were going to decide, whatever you were going to come up with to say to both of them in the meantime, you couldn’t avoid Rey forever...just for today though—The sudden tap on your shoulder, made your shoulders jump and for you to grab onto your chest as you swore your heart was going jump out at the sudden interruption; “Who are we hiding from?” You turn back to meet the voice of General Organa, a sweet smile on her face as she followed your line of sight to see Rey; “she’s been asking for you all morning, you know.”

You huff and turn your back to Rey’s retreating figure. “Yeah well she’s the person I’m hiding from, so,”. General Organa lets out a light chuckle, taking a seat on a crate across from you. You shoot her a pointed look, finding this situation anything but amusing, “If you shared feelings for two people what would have you done?” You eventually ask.

She rests both hands on her cane before answering your question, “when I was your age I didn’t have the luck of liking two people at the same time. In fact it was later on that I gave into my own feelings for Han, I was too stubborn to admit them before. But it was the best choice I did, admit them to him.” She pauses and a sad frown replaces the gentle smile she had before; “you’re going to have to talk to them both, tell them how you feel. They’ll both understand. Poe might be more difficult to talk too, but Rey is kind she’ll understand more than you know.”

You nod silently, humming lightly as a response, your mind focusing on another subject now rather than your own. You had known of General Organa’s partner, Han Solo, father of Ben Solo and man that Kylo killed. Kylo had killed his own father; you remembered the day you had seen Kylo, days after the destruction of Star killer base and the battle at Crait. Even if Kylo was the new Supreme Leader he was not present amongst the ship and his people, he was in his private quarters, isolated in the dark, new scars and bruises sporting on his face that weren’t there before, a sad and guilty look in his eyes that he couldn’t hide, at least not from you, and well the emotions he projected he had a difficult time hiding.

Of course you had known what had happened before you even arrived back to the First Order, you had heard beforehand what Kylo had done to his own father—or Ben Solo’s father. That’s what got you prepared on how to approach him, you didn’t ask questions, just provided a distant comfort, avoiding the situation to avoid the worst. But now that you thought of it, now that you saw the perspective from General Organa, you weren’t sure why she chose to forgive Kylo/Ben for what he did. He killed the man she loved and she forgave Kylo for that, she still holds hope for her son to return. You weren’t sure how she forgave him, but she did. She did. Could you?

The change of subject was evident to General Organa, without you having to say anything, she had seen it on your face and the energy, emotions you failed at hiding. She knew the question you were going to ask before you could, which is why she knew who you were referring too when you did ask, “how..how could you forgive him? After what he did, how could you forgive him?”

She sat in silence for a moment, before she offered a warm assuring look, “because I know my son is still there. Because I love him. He didn’t fall to the dark side on purpose, he was lied too, tricked by the same person that tricked you into it. I still hold hope for Ben, and I always will,” she paused and took in a shaky breath, “you can’t hate someone you loved for so long. You might try, you might want to find any excuse, try to remind yourself that what he did was wrong to get you to hate him, but you know in your heart what your decision is. The choice you already know even if you don’t want to admit it to yourself. I might not know a lot about the relationship you have with my son, but I know it’s a special one. He might have done horrible things but forgivness is better than a grudge. Because what you do on behalf of revenge is something you will later and always regret.”

You’re left speechless and with millions of thoughts running wildly in your mind, but also with no motivation to continue with said subject, not if you wish to end up in tears and your emotions out of control. She knew that and didn’t press on, General Organa was great that way, she knew what to ask and what not to ask. Even in your short time since you’ve been at base, she didn’t push questions you knew she wanted to ask about her son. You only gave her a small taste of what he was like, at times when she would find you alone and conflicted, it would ease you and her talking about the good memories you had of her son.

“Just know this, y/n,” her tone in voice had changed, and she no longer carried her frown, instead she carried a knowing smile, “never love anybody who treats you like you’re ordinary.”

You smile warmly and nod, “I will keep that in mind.” General Organa struggles as she stands on her feet once again, but once she does she extends her arm so you could walk with her, you accept her offer, entwining your arm around her elbow.

“You do have to talk to Rey eventually you know.”

“Oh, trust me I know, we have that mission to get the fighter ships from the First Order soon, I have to talk to her sooner or later. For now though it’s later.” You explain still with a sort of uncertainty.

“Just thought I’d remind you.”

—

“We have the chip to get in, the only problem is us, they’ll recognize us, they’ll recognize you.” Finn points to you as he, Poe, Rey, and you go over the plan to steal, or more precisely take back old rebel fighter ships the first order had stored away in a planet infested by them. It was going to be a very high risked mission, but one you needed to do, one you promised to do.

You sit up straighter in your chair still old habits sticking through as you took a minute to think of an idea. This setting of sitting around a briefing table was one you were used too, waiting and going over plans for missions, except here you weren’t surrounded by boring old people that were afraid of every movement Kylo or you would do. Here they respected and listened to your ideas, surprisingly much like over there except at the first order it was most likely because of that same fear, they respected you because you were their superior and at points they seemed to respect you more than they did Kylo.

As an idea finally pops in your head you lean in closer to the briefing table and share what you had thought of, “they won’t recognize us if we blend in. Dress up like stormtroopers.”

Finn nods with a smile on his face, “that could work, maybe you could even go as you. Uhm you know The Child of Ren? Their youngest and most feared commander.” Finn suggests making you frown.

“What about Kylo? They see her there and they will let him know. Especially if he has put her on high alert.” Rey says.

“No, he hasn’t,” You breath, “the most likely thing he has told them is that I’m on some mission.” And that was because he wanted you back, he expected your return, which is why he hadn’t told them that you left with no promise of a return.

“If you’re not comfortable doing that, you don’t have to do it.” Poe directs to you.

You sigh deeply, “it would be easier. They won’t say anything with the right excuse. He won’t know until we’re out, not if everything goes right, that means no distractions. We do what we go there to do and leave.”

“The only thing now is how do we get the uniforms? How many?” Finn questions.

“Do we all have to wear those? I mean can we wear something else?” Poe asks with an uncertainness that you found amusing.

“Yes Poe we all have to wear them. We have to blend in.” Finn retorted before turning his eyes back to you, “do you have any hidden in your ship y/n?”

You tilt your head to the side and press your lips together, “yes Finn, I happened to snatch trooper uniforms before I ran away from home,” You answered sarcastically making Rey giggle, “no. No you see I was busy stealing crates of weapons instead.”

“I was just asking, a simple no could’ve been fine.” He quipped.

A smile makes it past your lips before you focus on the matter on hand again, “those are easy to get, just find some on our way there.” You turn to Poe with a more mischievous smile, “you know Poe, you don’t have to wear a trooper uniform.” He quirks his eyebrow unsure of what you’re trying to get at, “you can wear an officer uniform, those all black ones, you’ll blend in that way too. I think it’ll suit you more.” You bite your bottom lip as you keep your eyes on Poe, missing the way Rey looked at Poe and you, missing the way she had caught on to what was going between him and you, something more than platonic and she couldn’t help but feel jealous.

Poe smirks as he finally caught on to what you were suggesting, “You’re in charge hon, we’re all following you. Whatever you say goes.”

Finn wanted to argue against your suggestion regarding Poe, but once he noticed the hidden flirtatious context behind it, he instead remained quiet.

“I won’t be joining.” Rey interjected, getting your attention back to her.

“W-why?”

“I’m not ready to go out just yet.”

“But I mean, we’re all going to be there, I am. If anything happens I’ll be there.” You try and explain.

Rey nods, “I’m not ready, but I’ll be here when you come back.”

You hum as a response, even if you’re unconvinced you don’t fight her on it.

“Okay then it looks like we have everything figured out, right? All we need is to actually do the mission.” Poe quickly said, standing up from his seat and purposely standing in between Rey and you to block your line of sight and snap your eyes back to him.

Finn agreed with Poe’s comment, “Yeah, exactly.”

They all disperse from the briefing table, while you stay to collect your thoughts on the whole high risk mission. There could be hundreds of things that could go wrong but you couldn’t risk nothing going wrong, not one single thing. The ships were too important, the people you were going to go with were too important. Perhaps you did problems here at base, involving two specific people you liked, but those were problems you could somewhat deal with and were definitely going to deal with once you got back from the mission.

Right now you could possibly just ease the situation better with Rey, talk to her like you said the day before, hope that she wouldn’t know of Poe and you. Not yet anyway. With that in mind, you go in search for her to only find her and Poe, arguing? You stand by Finn as he watches them with a disapproving look.

“What’s going on? What are they arguing about?” You ask curiously.

“You.” He jokes, only you didn’t think it was at all funny, he clears his throat, “no-no, uhm I don’t know, but you know how they are.”

“Hmm.” You take a step forward to stop them, but instead you stay put and shrug, not wanting to deal with them arguing or having it turn into something bigger. Instead you turn to face Finn, “want to grab some lunch?”

Finn looks back at his friends and decides the same thing as you, “yeah, sure.”

“This mission is going to work, right? We need it to work.”

He shifts his eyes to you, not expecting you to ask such a question to him, not when you had Poe or Rey. Either way he tries to reassure you in the best way he could, in the way his friend Poe would. “It’s going to work, we’re going to get those fighter ships.”

“So optimistic.”

“Learned from the best.” Finn laughs.

You chuckle lightly and nod, “you’re right though. This is going to work. It’s all going to go fine.”

.

.

.

.

A/N- Are we going to get a taste of first order Poe in the next chapter?! Yes, yes we are! Anyway you know our mans Poe had to step it up, he sees reader and Rey kissing, well he can do better, lmao. Anyway you know what would be funny...if reader got pregnant haha...jk it can’t happen...unless, let me know your thoughts on that. Ahah. I mean yeah reader hasn’t chosen who she wants to be with, or you know if she wants to be with both, but It can still happen...Idk, idk.

Tagged- @jennibradley​​​ , @xxrouge-lexxx​​​ , @daniellajocelyn​​​ , @tweedlydumbtweedlydoo​​​ , @star-marvel-fangirl​​​ , @leilei-draws​​​ , @briesangel @lanatheawesome​​ , @madamepsicose, @constantdisgrace​​​ , @1-800-depressedlesbian​​, @commondazy​​ , @logiclies​​ , @robindoesntloveme​​ , @we-all-are-strange​​ , @fandom-addict-aesthetics​​ , @seninjakitey​​ , @sarablog10​ , @natalia-helena-alianova-romanov​ 

[forceprojecdin]

Spiritual Concepts In ‘The Rise Of Skywalker’

These are thoughts I’ve organized from the fury of text conversations I’ve had with friends since the release of #TheRiseOfSkywalker. I didn’t edit too much, as there is a truth to the immediacy felt in it. Rise is challenging movie to me, it’s the definition of fun, but there are some cheap quips in it that betray it’s soul and depth. And it is deeply symbolic film, true to original creator George Lucas in that sense. For the record, some of these ideas have been stolen from, or embellished on from my conversations with great friends in the Star Wars community. Thank you, its in the sharing of this saga that we can begin to uncover its secrets! SPOILERS ahead The Most Powerful Line Of Jedi Wisdom In The ST & Why Han Is The Greatest Spiritual Idea In It (At-One-Ment) There is a line from TLJ always grabs me as the most profound SW wisdom next to Qui-Gon’s “Your focus determines reality”. When Yoda says, “There is nothing in the Jedi library that Rey does not already posses”, It's not just props to Rey. It's that when all is One, as The Force claims, everyone has that One power in them. All the knowledge. All the wisdom. All the Connection to the One. Everyone possesses it just by being born and made of the same stuff. According to Campbell and all the teachers, that is the most important truth. At least TROS picks up on that enough to show how Rey is connected to all Jedi, Han has a will in The Force (aided by Leia's help) and even Finn. However, when all is One, Rey (and everyone) is also just as connected to The Sith, but that's a whole other theological tributary for another time. Anyways, Han is either a Force Ghost, or just Kylo's memory. Either way, when all is One, it all comes from The One! Everything in the galaxy literally IS The Force. So whether The Force (Or God or Whatever) talk to us, or whether we make it up, it's the same thing!  So Kylo has it in him too. But I believe it's both. The One Force is in Kylo, and Han, and Leia. So Han really appears.       In an interview with Hollywood Reporter co-writer Chris Terrio  says this scene was important for the ‘Atonement With Father’ element of the Hero's Journey in Rise, and his take is that Han is simply a memory. But my explanation is better, as I think that spirituality is embedded in the Hero’s Journey, and that creators touch on it eaither consciously or subconsciously. It’s embedded in the word: At-One-ment!

Rhyming Lightsaber Cruciforms  There absolutely gorgeous and subtle visual Star Wars poetry at its best. Rey uses two swords in a cross-cruciform to not attack Palpatine but "use the force for knowledge and defence." Thereby undoing Anakin's mistake of violently using two sabers in a cross-cruciform to execute Dooku in #RevengeOfTheSith. In one move, like Luke showed her on Crait, she uses her sabers nonviolently to let Palpatine destroy himself, and to continue Luke's new Jedi way.  

The Nobody From Nowhere  To set the record straight, Anakin was the real "nobody from nowhere" born to a nobody slave woman, on the most nowhere planet. It was not a new idea, it was just being pushed to evolve as a concept in #TheLastJedi. The real revolution was making the new lead a girl, and that was #TheForceAwakens. Anyways I digress, I simply need to put this Anakin thing back out into the universe. No, Palpatine did not create him, The Force did. I just think we tend to see things very black and white. This should at least be considered, for nuance.      I’m Fine With Rey’s Lineage, as was clear in #TheForceAwakens (her musical theme is a Hero’s Journey subversion of the Emperors theme) but the nobody idea  would have been a better way to tie her to Anakin, on the simple fact that they are both nobodies.       What is the spiritual logic that supports this idea? When All is One in The Force, all have equal access to it, based on the simle fact that All is One. Thus, our characters can connect to it, to co-create with it, as Creators. However, in contrast, one will cannot dominate the All, because the  All is true Power, the Only Power. The Only Power. It's what One spirituality is. Thus, The Sith separate themselves from true power. It’s ironic isn’t it? The very act of seeking power, is what separates the Sith from true power (All as One), literally. idea)       This concept is given further weight with the Force awakening of Finn, and even the new character Jannah. Finally, let’s not forget that other nobody from nowhere, Broom Boy!    Palpatine Is Still Trying To Impose His Will On The Force  The Sith attempted to impose it’s will on The Force in domination, not co-creation, created life. So The Force acted in response and balanced that with creating Anakin. The reason this is an important spiritual concept is that The Sith through ego try and have power OVER The Force. The Force says "No" and acts outside of their attempt. In short, the message is that one cannot control God, basically. One can only act in harmony with (That's why Jedi listen for its will). The Sith tried to impose its will by creating life. One cannot create OVER God. One can create WITH God. This is where it gets beautifully profound        The Plagueis novel brilliantly depicts this by often emphasizing how Plagueis wanted to dominate the Force. It's the ultimate ego. The ultimate futility. The Force which is "All", cannot be subject to one little part (an individual's will) in the All  Trees On Mustafar There are so many little homages to #TheReturnOfTheKing in this film. The most powerful is Kylo holding a seemingly dead Rey, like how Sam held Frodo in Mordor. A more subtle one I love is the tree symbolism. The smallest of hopes in defeating Sauron was symbolized by a single flower blooming on the leafless White Tree of Gondor. In TROS, trees have returned to the once only volcanic surface of Mustafar. Also ties into the burning of the Jedi Tree in TLJ, so this could potentially symbolize a new Jedi presence and The Force emerging in the galaxy. By contrast, Palpatine’s throne is a dead tree. Why Is Rey’s New Lightsaber Yellow At The End? As mentioned above, Rey destroyed Palpatine on the cruciform of her sabers, in “knowledge and defence”, non-violently, Before the Jedi turned to violence by becoming warrior in the Prequels, the Jedi Temple guards had yellow sabers. So the symbolism here seems to be that Rey’s new ay (and even possible school) will be more about protecting people, and the way of the Jedi. Also a great tie to Luke’s lesson to her in TLJ, “To think that if the Jedi disappear that so will light is vanity, can you feel that?”. So the yellow “rey” of light, is literally that light still remaining even after she buries the sabers of the old Jedi way.

* * *

I’m sure I’ll add more to this as I continue to uncover the hidden meaning in the wonderful film. Thanks for reading!

[phosphorescent-naidheachd]

So I am woefully behind on my dash and thus all The Best Blogs such as your own, but please tell me: What were your thoughts about Twin Suns? Please feel free to refer me to a post if you already made one.

*blushes* Thank you! And sorry for taking so long to reply to this! Apparently I had even more thoughts on “Twin Suns” than I’d initially thought.

Rebels 3x20: “Twin Suns” has its weaknesses, but I really enjoyed it overall. As you may be aware, I’m a fan of Obi-Wan (yes, yes, I know, ~shock~), so I spent pretty much the entire time I watched the episode clapping my hands in glee (albeit softly, so as not to drown out what was happening) because Obi-Wan was on my screen again. I mean, you’re talking to the person who gets excited every time canon makes the slightest of oblique references to him, so…¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’ve also always been All About Those Parallels™ and this episode abounds with them. The most obvious, of course, are the ones that mirror Qui-Gon’s death sequence in TPM, and I found this fitting for several reasons. First and foremost, I love it because it brings Maul and Obi-Wan’s story full circle. By setting their fight amidst the desolate sand dunes of Tatooine, Obi-Wan and Maul meet for the last time where the audience met Maul for the first time – something which the show explicitly underlines in 3x10: “Visions and Voices: “it ends where it begun… a desert planet… with twin suns”. (In fact, for all we know, the setting of Obi-Wan and Maul’s final encounter might even be somewhere in the Xelric Draw, which, according to Legends canon, is where Qui-Gon and Maul first met and fought. If you look at this map, you’ll notice that the Xelric Draw covers a wide swath of the space between Obi-Wan’s hut and Mos Espa, so it’s not improbable that Obi-Wan might travel there by dewback.)

In contrast to our introduction to Maul, however, which took place under the heat of a midday sun, our last glimpse of him takes place at night under the stars; Obi-Wan and Maul are at the end of their journey together and so – ostensibly, anyway! – are Maul and the audience.

Just as day and night contrast, so too do Obi-Wan and Maul, both when compared to their younger selves and when compared to each other. Both characters have gone through enumerable events in the three decades since they first met one another, all of which have shaped them… but at the end of the day, Obi-Wan has grown and changed in a way that Maul hasn’t. One of the first things Maul says in TPM is the following: ”At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge.“ And at the end of “Twin Suns”, his last line is “He…will…avenge us.”

For all that Maul scolded Ezra about refusing to break free from the chains of his past in “Visions and Voices”, Maul is still focused on revenge – still focused on Obi-Wan; in the end, it’s all he has left to give his life purpose. Obi-Wan, on the other hand, has moved on from their grudge match and is focused on the future – on Luke. He is no longer the hot-headed padawan or the crusading knight that Maul knew; he is a guardian, and thus it is only when Luke is threatened that Obi-Wan deigns to fights Maul. Luke is, after all, Obi-Wan’s sole remaining tie to Anakin, his sole remaining purpose for existing… and seemingly his sole remaining hope for a better future.

At the same time, however, the two characters have a great deal in common. Obi-Wan and Maul have always been foils to one another. Both are Force Sensitive children who were taken and raised by their respective Orders, thus setting their feet on the paths to their respective destinies. Both had brothers that were destroyed by Sidious’ machinations and both are deeply lonely as a result. Now, both are relics of a past that has already passed into legend for most of the galaxy; they are old men who have no place in this new world – this new Empire – and have consequently been hiding in exile for the past seventeen years. Obi-Wan has long been aware that they have some commonalities (see some of his comments in TCW 5x16: “The Lawless”) and I think Maul is aware too… he just refuses to acknowledge as much until he’s dying. (Honestly, I’ve always gotten the impression that he’s subconsciously a bit jealous of Obi-Wan and that that is one of the roots of his resentment towards him, but that’s a conversation for another day.)

“He…will…avenge us,” Maul says with his dying breath. Us. Although they belong to very different traditions and have made very different choices, Maul tacitly acknowledges that at the end of the day, they both belong to a way that has vanished, and that this experience bonds them together. It is my personal opinion that both men are tired of fighting by this point – it’s simply that Maul doesn’t know any other way. He seeks out Obi-Wan because it gives his life renewed purpose, and he fights Obi-Wan because that is what he has always done. No matter which of them wins the fight, Maul gets what he wants – either the defeat of his nemesis or a release from his own suffering.  

In a sense, Maul has been occupying a liminal space between life and death ever since Obi-Wan cut him in half in TPM. When we first re-meet him in TCW 4x21: “Brothers”, Maul is emaciated and utterly deranged. As TCW progresses, Maul regains some of his sanity and ambition – and his brother! – only to lose them again. At this point in Rebels, just as when Oppress first found him in TCW, Maul has lost all sense of self and purpose, his own spite and a burning desire for revenge against Obi-Wan (and Sidious) the only things keeping him alive. He lacks hope.

Fortunately for Maul, Obi-Wan is heavily associated with hope in Star Wars; does “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope” ring any bells? ;-)  That said, Obi-Wan is associated with sorrow as much as he is with hope. Perhaps nowhere is this peculiar combination encapsulated as well as in that oft-quoted excerpt from James Luceno’s Legends novel, Labyrinth of Evil: “And you, Master. What does your heart tell you you’re meant for?”“Infinite sadness,” Obi-Wan said, even while smiling.”

We see this theme repeatedly play out in Rebels. The two most blatant examples of Obi-Wan being linked with sorrow are when Maul uses Ezra’s suffering to lure Obi-Wan out of hiding (“Your pain, your sorrow… it calls to him”) and portions of Obi-Wan’s holocron message (“I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with a dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place […] Do not return to the Temple…that time has passed.”). Meanwhile, Obi-Wan repeatedly acts as an embodiment of hope for at least three of our main characters: Kanan (“This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi. Trust in The Force […] we must persevere. And in time, a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you, always.”), Maul (“As for myself, I seek something much simpler, yet equally elusive… Hope. […] I see him! […] He lives!”), and Ezra (“The answer to my question of how to destroy the Sith is Obi-Wan Kenobi.”).

Obi-Wan’s sorrow and hope both come to the forefront during his brief appearance in this episode. Maul’s unnecessary death is tragic in and of itself to Obi-Wan, but the way in which it mirrors Qui-Gon’s death and the fight that preceded it only adds to the pain he feels. And although he undoubtedly has hope for Ezra and the Rebellion after safely seeing the boy off (just look at the faint smile on his face before Maul starts to speak again), there’s something incredibly sad about his parting words to Ezra: “That is your way out. Your way home.” Obi-Wan can’t go home anymore – his home no longer exists. Yet still he clings to hope.

“Look what I have risen above,” Obi-Wan says in response to Maul’s taunting. And that’s Obi-Wan in a nutshell, isn’t it? He’s far from perfect, but despite all the blows life has dealt him, he perseveres and continues to choose the Light. In their previous confrontation in “The Lawless”, he told Maul, “You can kill me, but you will never destroy me”, and this holds true throughout Obi-Wan’s life and beyond. Obi-Wan is sorrow, yes, but he is also hope – and although hope can be shattered, it rises anew from the wreckage each time, a phoenix from the ashes. And hope is indeed “more powerful than you can possibly imagine”.

A related recurring Star Wars theme found in “Twin Suns” is that ‘it’s always darkest before dawn’. It is only after Ezra has given up on finding Obi-Wan, collapsing of heatstroke/dehydration/exhaustion next to a powered-down Chopper, that he achieves his objective. Although Maul dies, he does so with a glimmer of hope that the “Chosen One” will balance the cosmic scales. One might even call it a new hope. ;-) Meanwhile, we literally see this theme played out at the end of the episode, with the dark night fading away into pale morning mist, Tatooine’s twin suns hanging partway up in the sky as Beru calls for Luke (presumably to come back in for breakfast?), the titular new hope.

Speaking of the Chosen One… Ughhh, I’ve hated that prophecy ever since it first popped up in TPM. Can I believe that several key individuals in-universe bought into said prophecy? Absolutely. But honestly, “bring balance to the Force”? I know prophecies are always vague and therefore can be interpreted twelve thousand different ways, but come on. This ties into Star Wars’ problem where it can’t quite make up its mind as to what the Force is, let alone what the Light and Dark sides of it mean or what “balance” would look like. One could argue that we’re not supposed to understand it any more than the characters do – all of whom having differing beliefs on the subject – but I personally think it’s sloppy storytelling rather than an artistic choice. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if TLJ clears any of this up.

…But I’ve gotten off-topic here. The Chosen One. *sighs* Up until TCW’s Mortis arc, I was happy to believe that the prophecy was only true insofar as characters’ perceptions of and reactions to it, but TCW more or less put paid to that when it had literal manifestations of the Force declare Anakin the Chosen One. I can still headcanon my way around that, but I’m pretty sure the canonical intention is for the prophecy to be a legitimate thing. So, working from that interpretation…

I know there’s been a lot of debate post “Twin Suns” about the implications of Obi-Wan’s statement that Luke is the Chosen One – does this mean that Anakin was never the Chosen One in the first place? does this mean that there’s more than one Chosen One? – but I think a lot of viewers are overlooking the simplest explanation, which is that although Obi-Wan may believe that Luke could be the Chosen One, it doesn’t necessarily follow that he is the Chosen One.

Obi-Wan canonically places a great deal of hope – and pressure! – on Luke’s shoulders throughout the Original Trilogy, so a belief that Luke is the Chosen One would dovetail nicely with that behavior. For instance, with that belief in mind, his comment to Luke in RotJ takes on a new meaning: “Then the Emperor has already won. You were our only hope”. This complete and utter focus on Luke to the exclusion of Leia would make a bit more sense if Obi-Wan sincerely believes that Luke is the true Chosen One. (Though that still doesn’t answer the question why Obi-Wan would think Luke must be the Chosen One rather than Leia. *rolls eyes*) Moreover, it is makes sense that Obi-Wan would no longer believe that Anakin/Vader is the Chosen One. By the time we reach the Original Trilogy, Obi-Wan appears to have given up on Anakin. In his mind, the moment that “the good man who was” Anakin turned to the Dark Side, Darth Vader “betrayed and murdered” him. In Obi-Wan’s mind, submerging the galaxy into darkness is incompatible with bringing “balance to the Force” a la the Chosen One prophecy; therefore, Anakin either lost his status as the Chosen One when he became a Sith or he was never truly the Chosen One to begin with.

Another possibility is that Obi-Wan, master of “half-truths and hyperbole” as he is, is merely trying to give a dying Maul some form of comfort and hope. After all, he never outright says that Luke is the Chosen One – his reply of “he is” in answer to Maul’s question (“Is he the Chosen One?”) certain implies that he’s referring to the person he’s all but admitted to protecting (i.e. Luke), but we all know that Obi-Wan sometimes has a casual relationship with the truth, especially when he thinks his obfuscation will serve a greater good.  It would be just like Obi-Wan to intentionally give a vague reply that he knows someone will read an incorrect message into; after all, it’s not like he’s lying… And ironically enough, this is another way in which Obi-Wan parallels Maul. Obi-Wan’s line to Ezra that Maul “used your desire to do good to deceive you” and “manipulated the truth” could just as easily apply to himself, what with his “the truth is often what we make of it” and “from a certain point of view” way of looking at the world.

But honestly, I couldn’t care less who is or isn’t the prophesied Chosen One. It’s been a recurring theme in the prequels and animated TV series, but thus far it has yet to significantly affect the story (except insofar as it affects the characters, who in turn influence the plot – but most of this is implied rather than shown outright onscreen).

The audience sees “Twin Suns” through Ezra’s and Maul’s eyes, and both of them are lost – figuratively and literally – throughout most of the episode. From a narrative standpoint, perhaps this is why so much of the episode’s time is spent focused on them wandering in the desert. Both characters are searching for Obi-Wan in hopes that he will be the solution to their respective problems… failing to recognize that those solutions can only be found within themselves. On a personal level, I’m a bit unsatisfied by how much of the episode is wasted on Maul and Ezra’s wanderings, but I can acknowledge its merits on a meta-narrative level. Perhaps we’re supposed to feel frustrated and as though something is incomplete, just as Maul and Ezra do… or perhaps I’m giving the Rebels writers way too much credit.

Of course, no discussion of this episode would be complete without examining Ezra’s role in the story. “Twin Suns” acts as a metaphor for Ezra’s inner journey every bit as much as it does Maul’s. While their futures may indeed “converge on a planet with twin suns” as Maul claimed in “Visions and Voices”, Ezra does not choose to “walk that path together” with Maul. Ezra certainly has his attachments, but unlike Maul, he isn’t so married to the past as to be irrevocably trapped in it.

“What else can we do?” Ezra says in response to Chopper’s grumbling after their ship is destroyed, leaving them stranded in the middle of the desert. “We have to go forward.” And that’s what this episode is about for Ezra, really – learning to move forward again… and learning to accept that he already has everything he needs in order to do so. 

A few more random thoughts before I (finally) end this:

•   Chopper’s slump and resigned sigh before turning around to go after Ezra like his babysitter will never not be hilarious to me.

•   Chopper goes from being powered-down and sand-logged in one scene to awake and alert in the next. The only possible conclusion? Obi-Wan must have fixed him while Ezra was sleeping. And later, Obi-Wan pats Chopper while talking to Ezra; that’s practically a declaration of friendship coming from him! It makes you wonder what kind of conversation they had before Ezra woke up… (That would explain how Obi-Wan knew Ezra’s full name, though, if Chopper told him.) …I kind of want that missing scene in a fic now.

•   “You saw what you wanted to see, believed what you wanted to believe,” Obi-Wan tells Ezra of the combined holocrons’ message. Going off of what I said earlier about Obi-Wan possibly misleading Maul, I can’t help but wonder if he’s doing the same thing to Ezra here. I mean, Obi-Wan is obviously trying to get Ezra to not delve into the subject any further and to leave Tatooine before he learns about Luke (and, y’know, to protect him from Maul), but part of me wonders if there’s anything more to it – the same part of me that wonders if the holocrons had a point beyond the obvious (and, if we’re being honest here, author intended) interpretation. Not to take anything away from Luke, but I’d love to see a fic that runs with an AU interpretation of the holcrons’ message. 

•   I had had some doubts when I first heard him in the episode promo, but I after watching “Twin Suns”, I have to admit that Stephen Stanton did an excellent Alec-Guiness-as-Ben-Kenobi impersonation in this episode. Kudos to him and to the writing staff for nailing the character’s speech patterns a la ANH.

•   I’m just as glad to see Maul finally gone (well, ostensibly anyway!), but I’m also glad that he was able to find some small measure of peace on his proverbial deathbed. He was dealt a truly terrible hand in life, and although he inflicted suffering on so many beings, you can’t help but feel sorry for him.

•  “That is not your responsibility. I will heal this old wound.” Other fans have doubtless already commented on this Easter Egg, but it’s still worth a gleeful mention.

•   Responsibility is another theme that runs throughout “Twin Suns”. I got the impression that we’re supposed to think Ezra is initially trying to foist the primary responsibility for destroying the Sith off on someone else, someone older and more qualified (hence his search for Obi-Wan) and that he eventually learns to take responsibility for fighting evil himself. I disagree with that reading– I’d argue that Ezra’s narrative arc has been more about learning to be able to depend on others, as he’d had stand on his own two feet for years before he met the Ghost crew. Moreover, while of course the Rebellion doesn’t need to wait around for mystical saviors in the form of Jedi (nor should they!), that doesn’t mean that the adult Jedi – namely Obi-Wan, Yoda, and any other Councillors who might have survived – have no responsibility to the Rebellion, either. The rise of the Empire was by no means solely their fault, but like many, they did help to enable it… and therefore the responsibility for destroying it also partially rests with them. The problem, of course, is that this isn’t their sole responsibility to the galaxy, and so they have to choose which responsibilities to prioritize. In the end, they deem the survival of the Jedi (through themselves and Luke) and the protection of someone powerful enough to eventually bring about the demise of the Sith (once again, Luke) to be more important than any individual strikes they could make against the Empire on their own. Are they correct in their decision? Well, that depends upon your point of view.

•  You can definitely see the moment where Obi-Wan goes from a calm refusal to fight – even amusement – to Must Protect Luke At All Costs™. Similarly, you can see the moment when he recognizes the move Maul is making and adjusts his stance accordingly. Some very nice animation work here from the creators!

•   Some fans find the shortness of Maul and Obi-Wan’s final duel to be unsatisfying and unrealistic, while other fans think that the duel’s speed and anticlimactic nature are the whole point. I… don’t particularly care, tbh? I can see both sides. That said, I do think that they should have shown Obi-Wan’s lightsaber making contact with Maul’s saber-staff and chest for more than half of a second in the dark; on my first watch-through, I didn’t realize that he’d actually hit Maul until Maul was dead. I was so confused… and I know I’m not the only viewer to have had this problem.

•  I love the strange sense of kinship that’s evoked between Maul and Obi-Wan as he lays dying. And the way Obi-Wan cradles Maul and gently closes his eyes kills me every time.

•  Why, precisely, is Ezra so sure that Maul is dead when he left before the Big Showdown™? Does he just have that much faith in Obi-Wan? Did the Force tell him as much? Personally, I’m rooting for someone to write a crack fic where Obi-Wan comms him mid-flight through something he installed in Chopper or something and tells him, leading to a wacky correspondence. (Utmost secrecy and security risks? What utmost secrecy and security risks?)

•  I was slightly disappointed not to get any more of Luke than his silhouette (well, Ezra’s silhouette, if we’re going to be technical lol – Rebels re-used footage of Ezra to save time & money) in the closing scene, but I also thought it was kind of fitting. The closer we get to the timeline of ANH, the stronger Luke’s shadow looms over Rebels, after all.

•  The closing scene in general!!! I get chills each time I watch it. It really ties “The Journals of Ben Kenobi”, the Rebels series, and ANH together nicely. All we needed was for Obi-Wan’s bantha family to make an appearance… ;-)

•   As much as I loved “Twin Suns”, I think it would have worked better if they’d cut just a smidgeon of the ‘wandering in the desert’ bits and used that extra time to 1. Show a point in Obi-Wan and Ezra’s conversation where Obi-Wan gets Ezra to promise not to tell anyone that he’s still alive and on Tatooine, or 2. Shown us Kanan’s reaction to learning that Obi-Wan is still alive… and is hiding on a backwater planet instead of searching for remaining Jedi and/or helping the Rebellion (I’d love to see the other characters’ reactions to this news too, but Kanan’s reaction is the one that is most important thematically), or 3. Use their original draft’s plotline, which involved Ezra and Kanan going to Tatooine instead of Ezra and Chopper. This last scenario would have the added benefit of more narrative ‘showing’ than ‘telling’ when it comes to Kanan’s reaction, and it would allow for further streamlining of the episode, as TPTB could then cut out most of the scenes with the rest of the Ghost crew (which, although enjoyable, split the audience’s focus in an undesirable way in this episode, IMO, even if they did act as nice bookends). Any of these options would have made for a much tighter, less rushed, more coherent, and more satisfying episode.

All criticisms and analyses aside, I really liked “Twin Suns”. Although it’s enriched by knowledge of previous Rebels episodes, it can stand on its own. I’d say it’s definitely among the best work Rebels has produced and is a worthy addition to new Star Wars canon.