#time to learn about reylo

[emeraldspiral]

Girls don’t want to see another attempt at rebuilding the Jedi Order. Girls want Ben Solo back.

[coffee-with-mint-syrup]

The case of live-action atla zutara.

First of all, the scarf scene. I won't be repeating myself, here are some main points - there was absolutely no reason for Zuko to act the way he did and for the scene to be shot this dramatically. Even if they did the shipbaiting in this scene - it means there's a ship which is much more than live-action kataang has at this point. Also I don't really think these guys are shipbaiting type but that's just the impression I got.

Then - the second obvious one - Oma and Shu's visuals. We have star-crossed lovers from two towns at war, basically the local equivalent of Romeo and Juliet (as in legendary lovers who are known above all for their love) wearing coincidentally colors that are primarily associated with two of our characters (who shared this dramatically shot scene in the previous episode).

And I know, it may seem so insignificant - but but but but! - you have to think about this. Of course there are creators, writers and showrunners that are unaware of some non-canon ships or don't care about them. But it's not the case for atla. No, creators of atla were so aware of zutara - they wrote a parody scene in a in-world trashy play to mock this fan pairing and it still proved absolutely nothing and just gave zutara more content. The creators and writers of this adaptation clearly had the discussion "what we should do with kataang" - because there is no trace of kataang in the 1st season. So it was a conscious decision to omit that - but where would the romantic subplot go? Well, I don't know, but they are showrunners, they most certainly discussed options. They are clearly very, very, very much aware of zutara. And they still do this? They still show us Oma and Shu wearing red and blue? All they had to do is to give at least one of them any different color. Any. But they didn't. (for fuck sake, it is the Earth Kingdom - yellow and green would do it)

There were zero, no, nada Kataang interactions, implications or those scenes that are filmed just a little bit too dramatically like the scarf one. I don't know, there's still a chance that they will wait for season 3 to make Aang's crush on Katara happen. I'm also not so sure what will happen to Aang failing to open seventh chakra, I mean - his love for Katara has a huge purpose in series, so it still doesn't look very good. But you can't even imagine how glad I am that they didn't do this secret tunnel thing. It was very uncomfortable.

So it was the more fact-based part of my case, let's get to the irrational, almost delusional part, tin foil hat probably needed.

Almost all the scenes Zuko and Katara shared in the first season kept reminding me of another famous enemies-to-lovers ship that actually became canon in the infamous final episode - Reylo, the way it was filmed in The Force Awakens. I mean - the first fight in the woods where she looses, the intensity of him staring at her, the final fight in snowy location where she kicks his ass and shows her mastering this superpower, him trying to talk to her during this fight and mentioning her learning/having to learn...Zuko calling Katara a peasant reminded me of this "Rey is no one" discourse. I don't know man, I haven't thought about The Force Awakens reylo for a very long time and it just kept popping in my head.

All of this - it's like a blueprint for enemies to lovers.

Also I actually think that the look they shared in the 2nd episode was also shot kinda weirdly and dramatically. It's not to the extent of the scarf scene but I do remember thinking that "why did they film it they way? it's too intense".

In the conclusion I'd like to say that as much as I like all the season 1 zutara stuff they left out in the adaptation - necklace subplot and implications, pirates and the famous "You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun" - I think I actually prefer the scarf scene. Yes, it would be so great to see those things in adaptation but in the end of the day they would still be just the things they kept from the original and probably noting more. Like the cabbages or the secret tunnel song or anything else, just things from the source material that implicate nothing. While the scarf scene, the Oma and Shu's clothes - it means they made a conscious decision to make it that way. It means they put some thought into that and some meaning. And this gives me hope there's a chance for Zutara in this adaptation.

P.S. I told about this my sister who hasn't watch the series yet and she said "I think people who made this show are just shipping zutara in secret". I do not necessarily imply she might be right - but creators of animated series (the very same people that made kataang canon, not zutara) DID leave because of some creative differences and because they couldn't control creative decision. Might as well be THAT kind of decision.

[shesnake]

sorry to talk about star wars on main but

Leslye Headland is truly the funniest person alive for saying on record that oshamir was inspired by reylo. like it's the most transparent marketing line to simply tell you that they're "enemies to lovers" (pending) and to bait the reylos (who are arguably the strongest voice in the disney era fandom... like look what they achieved [derogratory]) into caring about non-white characters because yeah The Acolyte Does need the numbers.

and sure this is bringing people into the show for the wrong reasons and also deterring people from the show for the wrong reasons but it's a TRAP lol ms Headland has a comically large shovel-shaped lightsaber and is digging a hole in the ground right in front of us all. and I am DIVING IN HEAD FIRST before she's even sprinkled leaves over it. because oshamir is nothing like reylo, because The Acolyte is nothing like disney era star wars!

The Acolyte is critical of the jedi order and the absolutism of the dark side. it's not about Anakin but it does Understand Anakin and what went down in the prequels (unlike the kenobi series which essentially nullified his whole corruption arc...) and the jedi order's unique form of oppression through repression. up until this point we've only seen our protagonists being lured to the dark side through grooming and sabotage by a sith actively turning them away from the jedi.

but in the acolyte, our protagonist Osha has already been fucked over by the jedi without the influence of any sith! they killed her family, they killed her PEOPLE/RELIGION, they left her sister Mae to die (after they already decided she had terrible vibes), and they abandoned her as a "failure" because after all they did to cut her away from her life THEY DIDN'T WANT HER because she was affected by the trauma THEY CAUSED.

and they did say to Sol from the start that she was too old to be recruited. how many other padawans must they have done this to while they were too young for that trauma to grow and could still be groomed to believe in the force in the way the jedi order do. Sol is horrified at Qimir/The Stranger for killing a child and he just shrugs and says "you brought her here" because it really is on him.

but yeah Osha at this point in the story with her lived experiences is an adult who cannot be manipulated like that, by a jedi OR a sith. and so what other approach can Qimir really make to lure Osha over to the dark side except to... talk to her? sure there's a seductive subtext to it, but this is the first time we've seen someone with the force, sith or jedi, have to present their case like an adult To an adult.

and as the no.1 jedi order hater this is SO compelling to me because everything Qimir has to say is SO true and yeah manny is hot and amandla is hot and when you think about it he did kind of give her a knife lightsaber because he wants someone on that same level of enlightenment with him which does expose him to creating someone who could very well destroy him but he's taking that risk with her because he does Know her already from what he sees of himself and he's just going to get to know her better and they're both just going to keep talking it through and developing that set of beliefs together in That Beautiful Separation They Felt and she'll learn more about him and his particular history his real name and the scars on his back and also there's what he represents as a minority in the world and Headland's connection to him as a lesbian and how it feels like they don't want you to exist and let's not forget the colonial metaphors the manifest destiny of the way the jedi operate she'll see how alike they are and she'll be able to come into herself as an empowered user of the force and that'll be thanks to him and the journey will be Glorious!

but none of that is going to change the fact that before he made this intellectual/civilised/human/seductive approach with her as an adult HE STILL GROOMED HER SISTER and Osha is NEVER going to forget that because if she and Mae are the same person she's the only one left to remember he did that to her/them and I cannot fucking WAIT to see her lightsaber turn green when she finally runs it through his chest god bless 🥰

[piglet26]

Reylo Scenes: TFA

The day after the Force Awakens Ren and Rey were christened Reylo. I always laugh when Lucasfilm and JJ Adams tried to keep this pairing neutral and "suggestive" like seriously. The seeds were laid in the first film for FinnRey and Reylo, but really Reylo was always going to reign supreme not only because of the chemistry between Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver but the writing, art direction, acting and even costuming leaned Reylo heavily.

Reylo are introduced as Ying Yang right off the bat. Ren arriving in Jakku by night in black with a black mask. Rey meet on Jakku by day in white with a white mask.

The first time Ren hears about Rey or "the girl" he reaches out towards the camera and Rey reaches back towards him.

It's stated that Ren and Rey had similar visions of one another without understanding who the other was. In Rey's lightsaber vision she sees Ren very clearly setting up that he, bringing him back to the light, is her future.

On Takodana, it's canon that the production team wanted Ren's arrival to be like a prince arriving at a castle to meet a princess. "In this scene she is drawn to this place almost like Cinderella." FYI Ben Solo is an actual Prince. You know the twisted Star Wars version.

Then there is their first scene in Takodana. In the novelization this moment is more intense than the already intense movie scene. Kylo Ren recognizes that this is the girl that created a ripple in the force. He's fascinated with her. The standby stormtroopers actually are noted to having a reaction to his odd interaction with her. Despite the fact that he probably could've taken the information from her then, he bridal carries her out.

Having circled her, he moved even close peering into her face, her eyes

"It is you," he murmured.

The interrogation scene - the moment the Reylo fandom was born. Does it bother me that she's strapped to a BDSM stand? No. It's actually very clear that she's a peer. He doesn't approach her like he did with Poe Dameron. He's kneeling down as he observes her. She's a powerful force user and he does respect her on that level. He also does want her to be comfortable hence taking his mask off and girl....

I know you were not expecting this fine ass man to be behind that mask.

Believe me, I would've had all kinds of images in my head he would've picked up on.

He also checks her out physically. He's focused on the information he needs but overall he is attracted to her and very interested.

Rey surprised him but not being the simply girl she was in the forest. She is actually powerful in the force "untrained but stronger than she knows."

"Don't be afraid. I feel it"

Reylos "Feel what exactly. The minds want to know."

It's also canon in this scene that their force bond starts in this moment. She actually learns how to get in his brain from him getting into here's.

Force bonds between masters and apprentices aren't new. It used for defense/offence and it makes it so skills are easy to translate to apprentices.

Now their fight scene which was filled with sexual tension that everyone noted. It's still complex. Rey's instinct is to defend herself and Finn. She also just saw him murder someone. Ren is fleshing her out and testing her. It's like sparring. Where it's get's interesting is when they spiritually connect.

Daisy Ridley "Finding the force together"

Ren "You need a teacher. I can show you the ways of the force"

Many people read the moment as Rey finding the force on her own but it's actually the both of the moving through the force together. Kylo Ren actually finds a powerful ally/kinship with her and reaches out for that connection. Considering he rejects most of his connections this is actually a big deal. Is looking for a girlfriend? No, but he is looking for somebody.

Rey has such a conflicted view of him and an off kilter one.

Rey beating Ren is stupid. Even if he is injured, emotional damaged and surprised. It's stupid. It should've been a draw.

His stunned "Just Marry Me" face is also really great.

It's a great start and a unique relationship especially in the Star Wars universe. It's ridiculous that adults who grew up on Han/Leia find romance something purely feminine now and so unlike Star Wars hahaha either way Reylos stay winning.

[friendlyneighborhoodamara]

What Your Favorite Zelda Ship Says About You (for the games I’m familiar with)

General:

Link x Zelda (ZeLink): You are a firm believer in the inherent beauty of two souls coming together, again and again, through reincarnation after reincarnation.

Hylia x Hero: …see above. Also, you read the Skyward Sword manga.

Ocarina of Time:

Link x Zelda (ZeLink): You think classic Disney Princess movies are more feminist than given credit, and that Cinderella is more badass than she’s given credit.

Link x Sheik: You were absolutely fucking pissed to learn that you can only play as Sheik in Super Smash Bros. Also you are almost definitely some flavor of trans.

Link x Dark Link: Looking back on your childhood, you can pinpoint Ocarina of Time as the beginning of your crippling addiction to “Enemies to Lovers”.

(Child) Link x Saria: You really like Disney Channel movies where the popular kid’s girlfriend is nice to the loser protagonist.

Link x Malon: You just want good things for Link. And really, who wouldn’t? Also, you’re a horse girl.

(Adult) Link x Nabooru: Your favorite Champion is Urbosa.

Link x Ruto: You love the scene in Dragon Ball where Goku accidentally proposes to Chi-Chi but holds up to that promise when they’re adults.

Twilight Princess:

Link x Midna (MidLink): You are a firm believer in the inherent eroticism of getting dunked on. 

Link x Zelda (ZeLink): You are a firm believer in keeping things canon and keeping things wholesome. 

Link x Ilia (IliaLink): You believe that the Hero of Time settled down with Malon.

Midna x Zelda (Midzel): You hypothetically want a girlfriend who can kick your ass but realistically you just want to be bridle carried. Also, you read the manga.

Midna x Zelda x Link (Midzelink): Your solution to a love triangle is ALWAYS polyamory.

Midna x Zant (MidZant): Your AO3 history is about 50% Reylo fanfiction.

Zant x Ganondorf (Zandorf): You definitely got your start in the Star Wars fandom by writing Kylo x Hux slash fic.

Skyward Sword:

Link x Zelda (ZeLink): You have gotten into at least five heated Internet arguments about Skyward Sword being underrated. Also you cried at that ZeLink shot in the Tears of the Kingdom trailer.

Hylia x (Original) Link (Hylink): You cried at that other shot in the Tears of the Kingdom trailer of maybe Link’s metal arm holding maybe Hylia’s arm. Also you read the manga.

Link x Ghirahim (GhiraLink): You are still pissed Ghirahim wasn’t in Smash.

Link x Groose (GroosLink): Your mom told you that that mean boy on the playground pulled your hair because he likes you and you never let go of that.

Zelda x Groose (Zeloose): You are painfully heterosexual. Alternatively, you are Groose.

Breath of the Wild:

Link x Zelda (ZeLink): You are a firm believer in the inherent romanticism of shared trauma and Knight x Princess dynamics.

Link x Mipha (MiphLink): Your ideal relationship dynamic is one-sided, tragic pining. Press F to pay respects.

Link x Paya (PayLink): You just want good things for Paya. And really, who wouldn’t?

Link x Sidon (SidLink): You’re always a slut for beautiful cinnamon rolls, too good for this world, too pure.

Link x Revali (RevaLink): You love the Tumblr meme that’s like “You want to fuck me so bad, it makes you look stupid.” Also, you think people are too mean to Revali.

Zelda x Revali (ZeReval (?)): You are heterosexual.

Urbosa x Zelda’s Mom: You are a strong supporter of two women who are sick of a man’s bullshit.

King Rhoam x Literally Anyone: You think Endeavor deserves a redemption arc.

EDIT: the sequel

[reylogirlie]

“When do you think Rey and Ben fell in love?”

My Answer

So, I feel like this is a common topic in the Reylo community and maybe even Star Wars community. Some argue it starts in TFA, others say the TLJ, some even think there aren’t any real feelings till TROS. Here’s my opinion, which might be a bit common, but I’ll explain why

So, it’s my personal opinion that Kylo/Ben developed a crush on Rey by the end of TFA. Not any feelings of love, but a little crush. Rey, on the other hand, feels slight physical attraction but hates his ass and wants to end him. I’ll elaborate on that;

Here is when they first meet. Frankly, he was not expecting “the girl” to be remotely close to what he finds attractive. You can tell he was charging at her but when he got a better look, his voice softened. And, ya know, he carried her as if she were his damn bride.

So at this point, Kylo feels attraction but not a legit crush. Rey’s scared for her life, clearly.

Now I’m not gonna go too deep into the integration scene because many others have analyzed that and you can find it easily on here. But to put it simply, Rey got much better treatment than Poe. Now, Kylo does go into her mind without consent, and learns about her life; she’s lonely. She’s scared. She’s desperate. He relates to all of this, so he becomes more fond of her. He even comforts her (in his fucked up way) and tells her not to be scared. He also learns she has the force and tells Snoke of this eagerly.

Rey, on the other hand, has NOT taken a liking to him. She does, however, notice that he’s not hideous under the mask. (As does the rest of the audience) Further down the line, the two engage in a light saber duel and Kylo is extremely impressed by Rey’s natural talent and offers to train her. She denies his offer; despite all this, Kylo is mesmerized by her from her looks to her story and feelings to her abilities. He has a total crush but isn’t love by all means where as Rey sees him as a monster.

So by the end of TFA Kylo/Ben has a crush and Rey prays for his downfall.

So let’s jump into the start of TLJ; specifically, when Kylo/Ben is having force connections with Rey. He’s excited to see her at first but she won’t have it. Every time they connect Rey treats it like torture where as Kylo acts as if the force made his day. This is until he tells her what Luke did to him. This is when she starts to see him as less of a monster and more of a human. Sees he’s lonely and hurt just like herself. Rey then confides in him, tells him her darkest thoughts and fears, and instead of teasing her like “you came to me” or something, he tells her she’s not alone. Then they hold hands and see themselves together:

Ben is past his attraction/crush phase; he is now fully in love with this woman. It’s not just her looks and ability, it’s the fact he sees himself in her and they can trust one and other. This is the moment he’s willing to turn on anyone for her, even the First Order. As for Rey, she doesn’t hate him anymore: she understands Ben’s story, she sees he feels the same way she does, and no longer sees him as the enemy but as a victim of the enemy. Not to mention her attraction to him only grew (😏) but she doesn’t resent it anymore.

This is the very moment they fell in love. This is when they became devoted. Ben went from attracted, to crushing, to in love. Rey went from hate and begrudging attraction, to crushing, to in love. This is when they came together as they were meant to being a force Dyad.

So my short answer: Ben and Rey mutually fell in love during the hand holding scene from TLJ. But the physical attraction definitely started prior. And Ben caught feelings first. Just my opinion though.

What do you think, I’m curious.

[darklinaforever]

Okay friends, little announcement.

I think I need a break from tumblr for a little while. Maybe a week or two at least. Maybe even more. Who knows maybe even until the beginning of June, being busy with a move and lots of other things in mind.

I will continue to like and reblog certain posts, obviously. But I will no longer publish anything of my own containing opinions or analyzes during this period. And I will not respond to any comments under my posts during this period either, even if I will continue to maintain conversations that I have here on this application in private messages.

I need to learn to distance myself a little from all this negativity in order to learn to resist this toxic impulse to engage in discussions that lead nowhere with antis, whether it's Dameyra, Team Blacks, Darklina, Elriel (anti Elriel are really unbearable for some), Zutara, Kylo Ren / Ben Solo, Reylo, Sessrin, Sylki, and many more !

I know I need to stop responding to things like this, as many have already told me. The worst part is that I don't even respond to everything. I've lost count of the number of times I've used the block button. But the fact is that it's obviously not enough and I'm not doing it enough. I'm obviously responding to too many negative things already. By the way, thank you for your messages on this subject, even if I did not respond to them. It is imperative, even if only for the space of my community.

It became so unbearable that a subscriber told me to leave and I finally realize that I have reached a stage that requires change.

Again for the community, but also for my own mental health. Especially because I already have a complicated life outside of tumblr and adding more to it wouldn't be good. This place is supposed to allow me to escape, not cause me more anxiety.

But I think that for this, to succeed in finally stopping needlessly engaging in pointless debates that hurt some of my subscribers who like my basic content, and for my own person, I have to do it. I need to distance myself from this app for a while ; In order to come back more stronger and finally hope to be able to ignore these kinds of horrible people who pollute our fandom.

Because by giving them importance, I myself am polluting our fandom and our beloved space, and that is not a good thing.

I want to reassure and repeat that I am not leaving tumblr, I am just stopping personal posts for the moment and will resume them when I am ready.

No need to worry about that, the antis won't get the better of me with all their demands that I leave tumblr. It will not arrive.

Please note that this decision will officially take effect from tomorrow.

I love you all very much, you who have supported me all this time behind your screens. And thank you again for your messages of encouragement.

We'll see each other again soon, and I hope with a better perspective.

@aleksanderscult @kittenfangirl20 @nrilliree @lizzie-queenofmeigas @forevermore05 @darkcrowprincess

[luke-shywalker]

I just learned about the Reylo fanfic author who renamed all the characters in her fanfic and published it as a book and it became a NY Times bestseller and it has a movie deal now (a lá Twilight fanfic becoming Fifty Shades), and I’m gonna need the HanLeia fic writers to explain to me why they haven’t had that level of hustle

[minamorsart]

Happy holidays to you 🎄🎁🌟❤️

*whispers* , who do you think deserves better

Lotor or Ben Solo/Kylo Ren

First of all: thank you so much! Happy Holidays to you, too!! I hope you are enjoying this holiday season with your loved ones 🎄🎀☃️💖

And second of all: NOOOO Anon how could you make me choose??! 😭😂😂

My gut reaction is to say both of them, but that's not really the answer we're looking for here, is it? Hehe. So I have tried to seriously consider this and provide a sincere answer to your question.

A quick heads up, I will be mentioning reylo and lotura here and there throughout this little essay!

The most fun part about comparing Ben and Lotor I think comes from the fact that these two are suuuuper similar to one another. I covered this a tiny bit in this ask where I talk about how protective the two of them are, but to reiterate:

Both Lotor and Ben are from sci-fi/fantasy franchises that were released around the same time, both have troubled relationships with their fathers, both are great swordsmen and pilots and engineers, both murdered their fathers, have complicated childhoods, rarely show their true faces to others, killed their dads, fell in love with fierce and powerful women, kissed said fierce and powerful women before shortly dying afterwards, said bye-bye to papa by doin a lil stabby stab, became intergalatic leaders of the most powerful empires in the universe -- oh, and did I mention daddy issues? You tend to find that a lot with long-haired emo boys from fiction. It's just the way it is. And for these two in particular you can also sprinkle in a little "mommy issues" just for funsies.

But in all seriousness, Lotor and Ben share a LOT in common, which is pretty crazy! So who deserves better, really? In order to make a fair judgment my first thought was to take into account their crimes and if they were able to redeem themselves in the end. But this is also fiction. As soon as people slap the label "toxic" on a character or ship, I usually tend to tune them out. This is by no means a hot take, but fiction is a form of escapism. It is a way for people to experience a thing (e.g. horror, adventure, romance) without actually having to experience it. So if we have a couple of sad boys who murder and manipulate people but also want to find love, who's gonna stop us from rooting for them? Absolutely no one!

I digress, but my point is that I usually don't care which character did what and why they're a bad person for it. But even then were Ben and Lotor really all that bad? After all, we learned from "The Rise of Kylo Ren" comics that Ben was ultimately not the one responsible for destroying Luke's Jedi school, and in TROS we found out that he was being manipulated by Palpatine the entire time.

For Lotor, we never really got a clear picture of what exactly he was doing with that Altean colony. To this day I still don't get it! In S6E6 he says, "Many Alteans perished in my quest to unlock the mysteries of quintessence." But then in S8E13 Allura says, "Lotor may have been misguided, but ultimately he wanted to preserve life." Like, what does any of that mean?? There are cracks in the armor, Anon! Cracks!!! Not to mention all of the theories with very convincing evidence that there were a ton of changes made to season 8, and unfortunately I don't think we're ever going to get a solid answer from the showrunners as to what was really supposed to happen.

In the end, the complicated and morally gray choices that Lotor and Ben made throughout their lives are what make their characters so interesting! They did the wrong things for what they believed to be the right reasons. If they didn't come across as the mysterious and devious fellas as they did when we first saw them, we wouldn't be such big fans of them. We would've chosen someone else 😉

So any bad deeds aside, maybe we oughta take a step back and do one last comparison. Most notably, comparing how they died. Ben died saving the person he loved, while Lotor died fighting the person he loved. I would have to argue that Lotor's death was far more gruesome and superfluous than Ben's. Not only did he go mad from all of the raw quintessence coursing through his body, but we find out in season 8 that his body had remained in his ship for three whole years, decayed and melted (seriously whose idea was it to share that imagery? I'm scarred for life) and left to sit there by his own mother.

Ben's passing was also deeply upsetting. I cried in the theater. But you can't deny that it was a peaceful one. From the way his body faded into nothingness, leaving beind only his clothes, the audience is able to assume that he became a Force Ghost (or did he? 🤔). He was battered and beaten, but he brought the woman he loved back to life, and in giving his life to her and helping her defeat Palpatine, he redeemed himself. And not only did he redeem himself, but he was also able to reconcile with both of his parents.

Lotor didn't get to do either of those things. He never got the chance. He was manipulated by both of his parents, and he never had the opportunity to redeem himself on his own terms. You know, for someone who directly influenced the entirety of season 8's plot, Lotor is hardly in it! I suppose he sort of redeemed himself, at least in Allura's eyes, but he was long gone by then. He wasn't around to see any of the stuff going on in season 8, stuff happening specifically FOR him because his mother wanted him back. In season 6 he went out like your average cartoon villain--dying because of his own hubris while the heroes looked on. In season 8 we only get: a flashback episode, him showing up in Allura's bedroom ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), and him copied and pasted into the background as a ghost in the finale, almost like something is amiss in this scene (cracks in the armor, Anon!!!). UGH. You hate to see it.

But at the same time, I'm not too upset that Lotor died if I'm being completely honest with you. At least not anymore, anyway. Don't get me wrong, at the time I cried when his death was confirmed, and then I cried again when Allura died. But at least they get to be together in the afterlife. Ben had a lot going for him. He was only 30 years old when he died, and that's still very young. He could have had a long, happy life with Rey, and to truly redeem himself in the eyes of the resistance, could have devoted his time to restoring peace and order to the galaxy, as well as teach the new generation of Force-wielders alongside Rey.

Lotor, on the other hand, was 10,000 years old. The idea of having lived that long is not only unfathomable, but the fact that he probably spent most of that time being completely alone is just... really, really sad. If I were him I would have been ready to kick the bucket, too. I think the kindest thing to do for him at that point was to give him a peaceful, as well as justified, departure in the series finale. Allura had suffered as well. She had lost everything, just like him, so the two of them finding peace in the afterlife would be the most merciful conclusion, I believe.

Soooo I'm gonna cheat again with my answer 😂 Who deserves better? I would say BOTH of them deserve better, but in different ways. Ben Solo deserved to live, while Lotor deserved a better death.

Thank you so much for this question, Anon! I really had to think a lot about this one, and even though in the end I couldn't actually choose between the two, I still enjoyed coming up with this long-winded answer haha! If you have any further insights you would like to add, or if you even disagree with any of the things I've said, please don't hesitate to say so! I am always happy to discuss anything Ben or Lotor-related 😁 My love for these boys knows no bounds 💖

[alligatorjesie]

Why are being insane in somebody's notes. Chill out it's just a ship man 🧍

Y’all tumblrinas need to sit the fuck down for a few extra moments when reading replies and learn to discern between someone ‘losing their shit’ and the very different tone of ‘getting mildly upset because some asshole is posting anti harassment in their fandoms tags and getting more so when they won’t fucking leave when asked’.

I was the latter.

It is just a fucking ship so ain’t it real buckass wild that I’ve been told to kill myself so many times for simply enjoying it? It is just a fucking ship so ain’t it absolutely fucking bonkers this many years later (nearly 8) there are still antis posting hate directly to the fandom?

Ain’t that some crazy shit?

Wouldn’t that make someone go fucking apeshit?

I’ve been told to die or to kill myself over 900 times for enjoying this CANON ship so when I see an asshole being an asshole in what should be my fandom’s safe space, I get a little rightfully fucking salty about it.

@miguel-o-haras posted a flat out fucking lie about reylos in the reylo fandom’s tags and refused to correct their tags and get out of the space when asked to. They proceeded to do this Two More Times in the very tag I just asked them to stop posting in.

That’s what I got ‘insane’ about guys. mentalityunstablewoman here misinterpreting my liberal use of the word ‘fuck’ as me going completely postal on some poor innocent soul for no reason at all and not because they wouldn’t fix their fucking tags and get the fuck out of the fandom space when asked.

[lily-lilibeth]

Safe and Sound

A/N: A small Reylo piece I wrote long ago and wanted to share here.

Summary: Ben is getting nightmares every night about Rey dying in front of him. Is up for his life companion and wife to comfort him and aleviate his pain and fear.

I do not own Star Wars nor its characters.

You thought you could save her?

Foolish child, I expected better from you! And now you will see what happens to those who disobey me.

Ben Solo whimpered slightly as he thrashed in bed, this was the third night in a row that he kept having these nightmares. His Rey, his life companion, his wife, the love of all his life.

Watch her die before you as punishment!

"N-no, Rey..." He whimpered again and tried his dammest to wake up from his nightmare, he can't move, he felt his breath caught in his lungs. He can't move and won't be able to save Rey!

With a movement of his finger, Supreme Leader Snoke snapped Rey's neck with the Force in front of his apprentice.

Now turn your dispair into anger, ignite it. You just lose her!

Ben jerked away and coughed, sitting up in bed. "REY!" His breathed is caught in his throat as he whimpers and hyperventilates, Rey... she just died again, he lost the woman that he loved.

"Ben, hey, Ben!" Rey now has her hands on her husband's shoulders. "Ben, you're okay, you're okay, it's only a nightmare." Her concerned and soothing voice was what brought Ben back to reality and he looked at his wife, there was fear in his eyes, like a fear that he had not felt ever since a long time ago. His brown eyes locked into her hazel eyes, and almost automatically he drew the woman into his arms.

"Rey..." He whispered, holding Rey in almost possessive way as if he was scared that she would disappear the next second he let her go from his tight embrace. "...Don't leave me... I... I wouldn't take it, I can't live without you..." His voice cracked a little, and he felt something wet roll down his cheeks. Tears. He had started crying. "P-Please..." He sobbed softly.

"Ben..." Rey understood now. His nightmare was about her again, just like the past few days where he would wake up in the morning and look so scared and shattered. Her arms wrapped around his back and she held him closer. "I'm right here with you, I'll never leave you. My home is here with you." Her hands cupped his damp cheeks and her hazel eyes looked into his teary brown eyes.

"How... how can I be sure? I'm scared Rey..." Ben was never one to show his emotions openly, he'd learned long ago not to be driven by emotion, currently though, he was quite scared, so hurt and uncertain of what would happen next. "If I lose you... I..."

"Shh," Rey cut him off by holding him closer to him, putting his head in her chest, close to where her heart was, it was beating calmly and gently. Her beating heart was right there, she was alive. Alive and here with him, it was going to be alright, it had to. Rey had to be alright. "It's alright, everything will be alright, Ben. I'm right here, you will not lose me." She whispered into his ear, her hands both caressing his dark hair and his back as he comforted him. "Snoke is dead, you killed him, Ben. He cannot hurt us anymore." She spoke with sincerity. "You're alright, I'm right, my love." She continued with her soothing actions. Ben leaned in her touch.

"Rey, I love you so much. I love no other woman aside you, I must protect you." Even with his teary, broken voice, Ben vowed himself to protect his wife to the best of his ability. It had to be this way, he couldn't bare to lose the love of his entire life. They had come this far to be separated by destiny. Screw destiny or fate, Ben was not going to lose his beloved Rey.

Rey smiled, knowing this was the protective and loving Ben that she loved and adored. "I know you will, Ben."

Ben looked up into her hazel eyes after a while of being nested in her arms and having his face into her chest. "I promise you."

With that he leant in, letting his lips meet with Rey's. They both held each other close as they shared one passionated kiss.

Ben now knew that no matter how scary and painful his nightmares were, they were just nightmares and not a real thing. He would not lose Rey, not now and never.

Without a doubt, he would have Rey until death did them apart, even in the afterlife they would be together and nothing was changing that.

[sailorstarr-chan4]

Okay, y'all. Let's talk about shipping, and I'll even expose myself, fuck it, let's go:

I don't ship or like Reylo or Dramione, and yet I am a slut for Anidala and Buffy/Angel, who are easily just as Problematique when you unpack all of canon

I don't ship or like SessRin, and yet one of my favorite "love stories" of all time is low-key the most Grooming one of all: The Phantom of the Opera

I don't ship or like InuCest, Kaname/Yuki, Elsanna, let alone incest pairings as a whole, and yet one of my favorite manga of all time is Angel Sanctuary. AND I also ship Cesare/Lucrezia!! (both in the TV show The Borgias, and the manga, Cantarella)

I generally don't do cross-species/monsterfucking ships, and yet. Ancient Magus Bride exists. Beauty and the Beast exists. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I generally dislike Adult x Minor pairings, and yet CLAMP's Chobits has one of the cutest side pairings that is incredibly fucked up in the real-world setting (Ueda x Yumi; ikyk). But then again, CLAMP created another Large-Age-Gap pairing in Cardcaptor Sakura that I absolutely DESPISE (Rika x Terada ugh), and yet, in the SAME SERIES ALSO wrote one of the most Wholesome Ships Imaginable (Sakura x Syaoran) AND one of the earliest examples of an Iconic Gay Pairing (Touya x Yukito)

Hell, despite my issues with Large-Age-Gaps, I have a soft spot for Amu/Ikuto from Shugo Chara!, and Nephrite/Naru from Sailor Moon. And yet, I'm squicked the FUCK out of Snape/Harry, Snape/Hermione, etc. Nope. Not my thing

I'm also generally not a fan of the "Male Love Interest consciously/openly threatening to harm/kidnap/assault Female MC" trope and yet!! My biggest guilty pleasure is Alice in the Country of Hearts!! Not to mention several other manga/anime titles I could name!! It's a common trope that I like in some stories, and hate in others!!!!!! Shocking!!!

My point is, you can dislike certain "problematic" ships/media all you like, but don't cast stones in glass houses. We all have our Problematic Faves, peeps, whether you want to admit it or not. Just because You Like It doesn't make it morally exempt from the ones You Don't Like. Ship and let ship, don't like don't read, learn to curate your fandom experience.

And honestly? As a former Puritanical Anti, embracing my trash without needing to justify it (however tame it is by comparison to some, or weird it is to others) has been the most liberating thing in my fandom experience. Give it a try; I highly recommend.

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3/5

Book Blurb: A rich and romantic new standalone fantasy loosely inspired by the classic Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, from the New York Times bestselling author of Cruel Beauty!

Perfect for fans of These Violent Delights and The Shadow Queen.

Centuries ago, the heretic sorcerer Ruven raised a deadly briar around Runakhia's palace, casting the royal family into an enchanted sleep—and silencing the kingdom's gods.

Born with a miraculous gift, Lia's destiny is to kill Ruven and wake the royals. But when she succeeds, she finds her duty is not yet complete, for now she must marry into the royal family and forge a pact with a god—or die.

To make matters even worse, Ruven's spirit is haunting her.

As discord grows between the old and new guards, the queen sends Lia and Prince Araunn, her betrothed, on a pilgrimage to awaken the gods. But the old gods are more dangerous than Lia ever knew—and Ruven may offer her only hope of survival.

As the two work together, Lia learns that they're more alike than she expected. And with tensions rising, Lia must choose between what she was raised to believe and what she knows is right—and between the prince she is bound to by duty...and the boy she killed.

Review:

How far would you go for your god? Reylo meets Sleeping Beauty in this story about gods, sacrifice, and forbidden romance. Lia is a girl who was raised by nuns to follow her goddess, believing that she was raised to kill the evil heretic sorcerer Ruven and bring back the royal family that was cursed to sleep. When Lia does succeed in killing Ruven, to her great disbelief his ghost begins haunting her. She also discovers that she is forced to marry the newly awakened prince and that if she refuses she will be killed. It also doesn't help that the new queen is forcing her to prove that she is blessed by gods... but Lia soon discovers just how monstrous the gods can be and that her love for them does not mean they will love her in turn. Then there's the matter of the fact that she is falling in love with the ghost of the boy who represents everything she doesn't believe in and the fact that she will have to turn to him for help as she fakes her miracles *(least she be killed by the royal family for not being blessed by the proper gods and performing proper miracles). Can she find a way to survive the royal family and bring back the boy who has captured her heart, no matter how blasphemous their relationship is. This was definitely an interesting stand alone fantasy romance. The pacing of the book was slightly odd to me, it felt rushed at some parts but dragged on at others. Lia was a frustrating protagonist and honestly I have to give her some leeway because she is 17 years old and was raised by nuns... but this entire book felt like watching someone's religious discovery of deciding whether or not to believe in god. I did like the romance (despite the emotional whiplash of : I love him, I hate him, I'm gonna make out with this other guy, but I love him again). So I am in between giving this a 2 star vs a 3 star, but I will give it that bit of bonus because I liked the overall romance in the end. It wraps everything up neatly. If you are a fan of Reylo, I'd say give it a go because I think you'll have fun with it.

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Balzer + Bray for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[peppershark]

Self-rec time! What are your favorite five fics that you've written and why? After replying to this ask, feel free pass on to five other writers to spread the love. 💗

Wolfer -- The old-timey inflection and language in Tom's POV is my absolute favorite. It's been super fun combining the wizarding world with California gold rush history. We're just getting to the mountains scenes and I can't wait to write about all the gorgeous places they're gonna bone.

Gloss -- One of my favorite things is when someone who hates baby-related fics tells me they loved gloss. This is another setting-heavy one, but I think the biggest example of 2000s energy is just how melodramatic Tom is. He's literally walking around the whole fic, ruining Hermione's life and imagining the Knights of Cydonia blasting in his wake.

The Price of Water -- I think what I'm learning here is that my favorite thing about writing is world-building. I love a good A/B/O but I like more of a brat/Daddy dynamic than regular Dom/sub so I swapped the usual designations (inspired by but not exactly like the reylo Flip Side by PastelWonder). I just love a good fake relationship plot smothered with unresolved sexual tension.

Gilded -- This is my only canon setting fic, I think! I'm really tempted to expand on this because I think Tom competing in the Triwizarding Tournament during the Golden Trio era is just so fun. I like the idea of Hermione as his dirty little secret.

Keep Me On Fire -- I dump-wrote this Everlark oneshot after re-watching the Hunger Games and it makes me happy. It's a brief peek into a day in the life (what am I saying, it's PWP) between the end of the story and the epilogue scene we get in the book series. I just loved thinking of all the details and what it would imply about how the characters might have lived with the experiences they had in the story. Blah blah blah mushy bullshit.

[piglet26]

Rey Solo... Rey from Jakku.... Rey No one... anything but Rey Skywalker.

The Last Jedi simply revealed that Rey was a "nobody" – perhaps the most shocking and least expected outcome for the Rey lineage debate. It was a perfect twist in our heroine story despite people seeming desperate for her to be connected to some man already in the franchise.

Daisy Ridley has even expressed her frustration with the Rey’s lineage debate multiple times, “I love that Rey is such a great character, they’re like: ‘No, no, she has to be… she has to be-’She’s her own person! Let her be her guys, let her live."

Exactly! Why did people care so much? Maybe initially, it was fun to hypothesize. However, once the reveal came out people actually liked that she was fresh, a brand new start instead of just nostalgia, or, a way to continue on a males legacy. We have Ben Solo for that, or, at least we did.

More than a shocking twist created just to subvert expectations, the Rey “no one” reveal encapsulated The Last Jedi’s perfect message – anyone could be the hero of their own story.  Rey’s realization was that her heritage don’t matter ... all that matters is who she chooses to be now. Rey’s legacy didn't need to be defined by Luke or Leia, which would leave her free to start her own story - hell, Star Wars to have a future. On the other end was Ben/Kylo Ren, who did come from the mighty Skywalker family and hailed as the son of heroes and wanted to escape that legacy.

Then here comes JJ "Nostalgia Kind" Abrams and Chris Terrio. Terrio here “We also thought that Rey’s arc cannot be finished after Episode VIII. You can leave Episode VIII and say, “Well, now, Rey is content. She’s discovered her parents aren’t Skywalkers, or whatever, and that’s fine.” But so much of her personal story was about where she came from, what kept her on Jakku all those years and the trauma that shaped her. We see quite strongly in Episode VII that something mysterious and troubling happened to her. Although she did get some answers in Episode VIII, we didn’t feel that that story was over. We felt that there were still more questions in Rey’s head about where she came from and where she was going. So, that was the other big idea that we had to address in this film. Rian’s answer to, “What’s the worst news that Rey could receive?” was that she comes from junk traders, and that’s true. She does come from junk traders; we didn’t contradict that.” No, you just went back to what you wanted in the beginning.

By the end Rey takes on not only the Skywalker name but she looks over two suns which brings me to the point of this essay...... if Ben wasn't going to be there, then she should have taken last name. Rey Solo.

What's irritating about LucasFilm/Disney is their desire to appease everyone. I don't give a damn about the antis, nor should they. Reylos were a big support group for the films and mightily invested. TROS came off as trying to please everyone. If we really think about, with the exception of the end of Exegol, the Rey and Kylo interactions lacked depth and intimacy. Perhaps it's just not the style of JJ Abrams and Chris Terrio, who did support the pairing.

While I'm 100% convinced Reylo was planned, all the creators seemed very open to adjusting if it wasn't working. Hence why Finn and Poe were both open considerations, especially Finn. I don’t think Adam or Daisy intentionally played up any sexual tension in their scenes together to give us an impression about something in TFA.  I think it just happened.  Early bird Reylos picked up on it.  Some critics, including the one who wrote the TFA review for Time magazine, picked up on it. Rian Johnson picked up on it too and the rest is history.

Leia’s behavior's is odd for entire decades. Being a trained Jedi herself, she could have taught her son - instead she sent him to his uncle( Oh wait, that was a retcon). Han was either helping with the Resistance or off doing something shady. From the novels we learn that Ben heard his parents arguing and talking about him like he was a monster ever since he was a child, and that when he was sent away this seemed to confirm to him that something was wrong with him and had to be fixed. (From the novels we also learn that he actually had no ambition to become a Jedi and wanted to be a pilot - true Skywalker and also Solo that he is -, but he had no say in the matter.)

For both Ben and Rey, their journey is about letting go of childhood trauma and discovering their own independence. Ultimately it's about their pairing being both emotionally healing AND a balance in the force. They are a DYAD after all. I saw all this to say, he is her closest personal connection and impact through the 3 films. Leia is her master but we don't see that, it happened off camera.

Terrio says that the decision to have Rey take on the name “Skywalker” was a way to show that “you can choose your ancestry.” Which is not true and also a strange thing to say considering.

Which brings me to the correction of this tricky trail. Pay Adam Driver want he wants and reunite the dyad.

[juniperhillpatient]

this is just from scrolling randomly btw but I have something mean but real to say. people who violently neurotically obsess over ships they hate will always always & forever be a bazillion times more annoying & baffling to me than people who are a bit annoying about ships they love. Id rather see someone vaguely irritating who I disagree with frothing at the mouth over love for a ship id personally rather impale myself than read fic or meta for than see someone writing essays or creating accounts dedicated to like. hating / refuting that same ship for absolutely no valid reason my brain could personally ever comprehend. like. you know it’s fake right? you know it’s okay for you to like mashing different characters together in your brain right lol? you don’t have to agree? no need to get so angry…. this post is because an anti reylo essay was in my “for you” page btw before anyone can think it’s about them simply because I don’t go to Star Wars I’ve hardly ever cared about anything less than I care about Star Wars (yes it’s very odd this was in my for you page lol tumblr is dumb) so its very very random & I have no feelings on the specific ship that brought this post to mind so NO I’m not vagueing anyone specific / anyone in my circles lol. I don’t want anyone to be like “is this about me?” but also. if the shoe fits. it’s def a weirdly common phenomena or I wouldn’t make a post so I mean.. maybe if you think this is you uh. consider learning to ignore people who want to mash fictional characters together in a way you personally disagree with?? lol it’s all just silly