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nettlestonenell · 6 years ago

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How Peggy Carter Shows Up in Avengers: Endgame

...is actually a really important question to ponder, Gentle Readers. Thanks for asking.

As I recently set forth here, Peggy Carter is the central bedrock of the MCU. If you don’t like her, you don’t like it.

As such, it seems unlikely that the attention she will be given in Endgame will be limited to the infamous black and white picture Steve keeps in his old compass (which some fans believe he looks to for moral guidance. About which I stringently disagree.)

Insert your own traveling-across-realms Once Upon a Time Swanfire keychain reference here.

Just to cover all the possible bases, then;

SCENARIO #1: Peggy used solely as image/misunderstood totem for Cap.

NOPE.

I firmly expect “actual” Peggy Carter to make an appearance in Endgame, and according to the internet at large, I am not alone.

HOW she makes that appearance, and what is made of her appearance is entirely unknown at this time, but here are the strongest possibilities. (All following scenarios involve Time Travel or universe-shifting.)

SCENARIO #2:

Cap sent back in time to his version of a Valhalla/warrior’s paradise: right after his jet goes into the ice he manages somehow to arrive the following Saturday at the Stork Club at 8pm as she and he were talking about in his last moments on the radio.

While iconic for that time period, The Stork Club (of New York City) has always seemed a rather upscale venue for Peggy and Steve to pick. (Coincidentally, it closed its doors in 1965)

(Ultimately, you may recall Steve saying he’s going to need a raincheck on that dance.)

I don’t see it. Doing this robs those moments in The First Avenger entirely of their gravity and their far-reaching impact in the MCU. Peggy wouldn’t even have a hot moment to grieve for what she lost. What’s more, Peggy in the immediate aftermath of Steve’s disappearance hasn’t got anything to offer the plot/Cap in the way of fighting Thanos/the power of Infinity Stones. She’s just relegated to a sort of trophy/reward, without any utility in the storyline.

If Peggy Carter is used in Endgame without having something to contribute to the forward motion of the plot, IF, for example, she’s reduced to a sort of ‘Grey Havens’ for Cap, what an utter waste of everything MCU has put into her over the years. If going back to be with Peggy (pre-Marvel’s Agent Carter and ongoing developments in the MCU) is simply Cap’s “reward”, then Peggy gets reduced to nothing but a dog treat. [which, I daresay from reading enough tumblr plenty of bloggers think she is]

Just as I said in that earlier blog, narratively it’s Steve in TFA who has to “come up” to Peggy’s level, both physically

She could snap him in two if they tried that dance, now.

(at least narratively-speaking—obviously there’s absolutely NOTHING wrong in real life with two partners not being the physical equal of one another, in fact it’s rather more standard than not) and also heroic conviction-wise; he has to be willing to step out there and join the fight (as when he left the showgirls, etc).

Of course, even leaving the showgirls behind, Steve won’t miss out on the sight of a great pair of legs, Angie Martinelli will gladly tell you.

Ahem. It’s been awhile since Cap woke up from the ice. He’s seen and done a lot. But Peggy, in the immediate wake of his crash, well, she’s hasn’t had a chance to grow similarly.

TFA-era Peggy and Infinity War-era Cap are far from on the same footing. She’s only just had her first brush with the supernatural (Vibranium and the Tesseract, super-soldier serum). She’s still WWII-Peggy, and Cap hasn’t been WWII-Cap for awhile (remember his government’s betrayal in Winter Soldier? His own rebellion in Civil War?).

Unlikely we’ll see this noobishly terrified expression ever again.

Lots has happened since next Saturday at the Stork Club, 8pm. Let’s talk funerals. Cap has gone to Peggy’s,

I’m not proud of showing you this.

and in the season one finale of Agent Carter, Peggy “Goodbye, My Darling” (words, btw, she never said to him in real-life) Carter takes a moment to pour Steve’s blood sample off the Brooklyn Bridge to prevent it being used for ill, and memorialize and let him go in a real way, which she had yet to be able to do.

Do you think the military held a funeral/event in memory of Steve after he was lost to the ice?

A day or two (or even a year) after the crash, she hasn’t been able to bring herself to do that.

Secondarily, as I said in that earlier blog, Peggy has to live and operate in a world without Steve IF ONLY TO BE SHOWN AS SUCCESSFUL ON HER OWN TERMS and not viewed merely as Captain America’s Girlfriend.

Having him show up ON TIME for their dance doesn’t allow her that. It also doesn’t see her co-found S.H.I.E.L.D. (for one example). Peggy would have remained Peggy unchanged, and Cap—well, Cap’s changed plenty. He doesn’t even dress the same.

Just look at the confidence in this man’s face. This man has grown and changed since burying that plane in the ice.

If he wakes up in TFA the same year that film came out, that’s almost nine years ‘til Infinity War, and who knows how long ‘til the plot of Endgame picks up. All of WWII lasted six years. It doesn’t seem like Cap’s life since waking up has been any less of a crucible.

I absolutely understand the emotional desire fans have to see that dance and that date take place as though nothing has happened. I. Get. It. But from a story standpoint, it’s a bad idea that negates so much work and development that’s come before.

I deeply apologize for my story-based convictions on this matter.

SCENARIO #3: Parallel Peggy

Parallel universes make my brain hurt. Literally anything could happen in them. Except Steve getting time with actual Peggy.

Also, that would be something of a Whovian #10/Rose re-tread, wouldn’t it?

SCENARIO #4:

(Possibly one-way) Time Travel to Just the Sweet Spot Where Peggy Has Access to an Answer the Avengers Need

Peggy Carter’s life and work have meant a lot to the MCU (don’t get me started on the fact the franchise didn’t have Nick Fury, Coulson, Hill, and Tony Stark attend her funeral).

We know some of what she was involved in with SSR and S.H.I.E.L.D. (okay, well, likely she was involved with literally EVERYTHING). We know she had two children, a boy and girl, and a granddaughter (we don’t want to negate them, do we?[Aside: Could Steve and Peggy even have kids?]).

Children on the right, on the left the photo is taken later (note clothing style), indicating a granddaughter.

We know she was married, though the powers that be have stopped short of ever naming her husband.

Sorry, wrong wedding dress, wrong wedding, v.v. sad day about to happen.

Season Two of Agent Carter shows her embarking on a relationship with Daniel Sousa,

All my love, Daniel!

but for all we know that proved a non-starter, and in a twist she wed Jack Thompson—or even Dum Dum—or some other guy we never met. We’re simply not told. No man appears in photos by her bedside in Winter Soldier, her husband is given no name in her official obit from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

In her 1953 interview we’re told that she’s married by that time, she speaks about her husband, a WWII vet. (The bedside picture with her two children shows her with a similar hairstyle to this interview)

What we’ve never been given is information about how long that married lasted. Divorce, death of a spouse? Entirely possible. If Cap’s being sent back (at least in part) to pitch woo to Peggy, I’m betting her husband will have passed on. (Truly sorry if it’s you, Daniel!)

I’m betting that in those files Cap was reviewing in The Winter Soldier, there may have been something among his research about what Peggy got up to after he was gone.

In my memory, there’s like a whole box of this sort of thing sitting around Cap’s apartment.

And that among her work, or even among Howard’s Bad Babies, might well be technology or an item needed to help defeat Thanos or reverse the snap.

So, Cap shaves his beard (to be more recognizable to her),

goes back not to 1940, but sometime after Peggy’s interview in 1953

(recall the motion-capture dots on Hayley in that Instagram pic which may be used to age her, recall also the casting call for 1960s office girls).

This gives us BOTH a Peggy who had moved on and done important work, AND a Cap who has grown and changed since being pulled from the ice.

In a scenario like this, what we are presented with (again) are Steve and Peggy as two EQUALS, the reward for each of whom, and their lifetime of service and sacrifice is each other. And a Cap returned to a world more in- line with his human life expectancy (and among which he might feel more comfortable—and in which some of his friends/the Howling Commandos might still live). Peggy would be in her 40s in the 1960s*. (Don’t even get me started on loving middle-aged awesome, reaching her sexual peak Peggy getting to be with constantly on-peak super-soldier Steve.)

I mean, check out Peggy in her late 60s: Here, hot, and still happening.

SCENARIO #4 doesn’t diminish a possible Steggy happy ending. In fact, it just deepens and burnishes it.

*Perhaps whatever takes place in the 60s also involves the long-unexplained tease of how Peggy as head and founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. remained (we assume) unaware that Hydra had long infiltrated her organization. #utterpipedreams

COMPLICATIONS:…now don’t get me started that if Cap-Now goes back, Cap-Then is still in the ice, destined to wake up, and that gets all kind of weird—sort of like Parallel Universes.

Time Travel and the potential plurality of existence is treacherous and headache-y to contemplate.

QUESTIONS THAT PERSIST: IF Cap is able to go back in time, and there’s nothing in-story that can be gained by it other than his reunion with Peggy, doesn’t it make more sense that he’d choose to go back and reverse something terrible in history, such as prevent the US from dropping atomic bombs, saving countless (estimated around 250k) lives?

Or that he would go back and rescue Bucky from Armin Zola?

After all, he’s seen that Peggy’s life was happy. She died loved, safe, and respected as a (very) old woman in her bed. Ya can’t say that for ole Buck.

Truly, if the power of time travel is in your hands, and you choose to use it purely for selfish reasons, well, that’s about the most un-Cap thing I’ve ever heard of.

So, Gentle Readers, how do you think this thing is going to go down?

#captain america #avengers endgame #mcu #peggy carter #steve rogers #steggy #marvel's agent carter #is my marvel superhero #cap won't mind #peggy in endgame #meta #daniel sousa #never forgotten

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gukiex · 7 years ago

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Doppelgänger - ch 2

Genre: Doppelgänger AU, smut, angst, fantasy, fluff.

Paring: Jungkook x Reader

Word Count: 8k

Summary: Remember, all that glitters is not gold.

Previous Chapters: Prologue - ch 1

Your eyes were gaping at the luxury style complex Jimin stopped the car beside. Double checking the address you typed into the gps, figuring you had the wrong information because this building was far from what you expected.

"There's no way in hell he lives here." Jimin whistled, just as gobsmacked as you were.

"Hell, I make a lot of money but even I can't afford this condo. Christ Y/N, who is this kid." Hoseok said next from the back seat and you were still to shocked to even turn around to address him.

"I don't know." You breathed out, your eyes scanning up the towering frame of the sleek chrome building that put your 2 bedroom condo—one that you were quite proud of—to shame.

After the three of you ogled the upperclass condominium, you were starting to feel the weight of your rash decision now that you finally arrived. When both men realized you weren't moving from the passenger seat, Hoseok spoke up first.

"So are you going up or what?"

Your silence and lack of eye contact was telling enough.

"So I'm guessing we're just going to wait for him to go in or come out than?"

Jimin snorted when you nodded in agreement.

"When we said we would help you we didn't mean like this, Y/N this is borderline stalker."

You sunk deeper into the passenger seat of Jimin's car, slightly regretting your proposition to rally your old friend's and host a steak out in front of a certain man's apartment, one you may or may not have illegally obtained the address to from a certain hospital file. You cursed Jimin for making you feel even more flustered than you were already about your ill-considered plan.

"Well you can just leave if you're not comfortable than."

Jimin rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Right, like we would let you stay here by yourself. For one, you don't even know this guy Y/N and for two I am curious to see if this kid actually look's like Chris and you're not just crazy."

Every day since your reunion with a certain male you found it extremely tempting to commit murder, prison suddenly sounding like a five star vacation destination. But before you could lunge and wrap your slender fingers around his abnormally long neck, Hoseok spoke from the backseat.

"If I'm being completely honest I'm really starting to question your sanity too Y/N."

"So am I." You admitted, an oppressed sigh parting your lips. Jimin gave you a pointed look, silently asking why it was okay for Hoseok to question your mental state and not him, one you made a point of ignoring.

Hoseok positioned himself in the middle of the backseat, popping his head in the space between the driver and passenger seats so he could speak to you properly.

"I don't quite understand your endgame here Y/N, what happens when he shows face? Are you going to tackle him on the sidewalk, hope he'll listen to you telling him he looks like your dead fiancé which in all honestly will probably only make him think you're just some nutcase who escaped the looney bin."

"No—" You rolled your eyes at Hoseok and his dramatics, "I'm going to thank him."

"Thank him?" Jimin repeated your words back to you questioningly.

"Yes, I want to thank him for taking me to the hospital." You inform, ignoring Jimin's dramatic eye roll afterwards.

"And that's all?" Hoseok pressed to which you nod your head in agreement.

"Well I know I don't believe you." Jimin attests and you pin him with an annoyed glare, wondering why you even agreed to invite him along when it was Hoseok you originally called.

"Well your opinion doesn't matter to me." You mutter, turning away to look back out at the building that housed a particular man named Jeon Jeongguk, the same man who had haunted your dreams and caused you a world of turmoil for a week now.

Hoseok's snores and Jimin's soft breaths were starting to drive you to a point of insanity in the dark confides of the car. It had been around two hours of waiting now, no signs of the brunette lookalike and the time of night had taken its toll on the two passed out males adjoining you.

It was around 10pm when you rested your head against the car window, contemplating waking your friends, calling a quits and just going home. You pondered if you'd grow to accept the idea of never speaking to nor seeing Jeon Jeongguk ever again in your life. You wondered if you would be able to forget about his existence and move on but the past week already proved the task to be one of grave difficulty, especially considering the fact that you were parked outside of his complex for the past two hours like some weirdo.

You flinched at the sound of knuckles lightly tapping against the slightly tinted glass your head rested upon.

Clutching your frantic heart you looked up expecting a murderer to be stood just outside of the vehicle until the figure stepped back under the street lamp, the downcast of light illuminating their features, the familiar bone chilling, heart wrenching and undeniably handsome features; a haunting face you were once blessed to call your boyfriend for years. You felt warmth radiate through you upon viewing him and if you'd never known you're fiancé had passed you'd swear it was him, even bet your life on it.

Only it wasn't and you knew better than to believe in such fictitious dreams.

The tapping was too light to wake up the two sleeping passengers, neither of them so much as stirring as you stared out of the window, looking at the man and wondering what move you make. Jeongguk was just standing there, looking at you with his hands buried in his jean pockets, wearing a passive expression.

Before you could stop yourself, your fingers were clutching the handle and pushing open the car door. Jimin stirred in the drivers seat, readjusting his body and folding his arms to hug himself for warmth. You would have taken a moment to appreciate him in this form, for once he wasn't making you contemplate purging from the nonsense that poured out of his full pouty lips. But you had other matters to take care of right now and admiring Jimin's blissful state was not on the top of your list.

You slowly closed the car door, careful not to make to much noise and wake the two up. You knew it was brainless and reckless to not have them alert during this encounter, you didn't know Jeongguk or what he was capable of. Sure he was kind enough to admit you to the hospital but that still didn't mean you could trust him. But you were still drawn to him, a pestering voice in the back of your mind beckoning you to go to him and you knew it was due to his shocking resemblance to Christian. The undeniable pull you felt towards him now that he was stood in arms reach was created from the sole fact that he shared the imagery of a man whom you once swore was your everything.

As you walked towards him, your wary steps didn't go unnoticed by the male waiting for you near the entrance of his grand condominium.

"You're Y/N right?" Jeongguk ask's and you confirm silently with a nod. "Okay I thought so." He smacks his lips together, crossing his arms against his broad chest, looking like an annoyed father ready to scold his disobedient child, causing you cower under his menacing gaze.

"So... enlighten me on why exactly you've been sitting outside of my apartment for two hours now?"

Jeongguk didn't stray from the point, putting you on the spot and cocking a brow at you when you hesitated to answer his unexpected interrogating.

"I- uh well, I wanted to, uhm... talk to you." You stuttered, your nerves bubbling rapidly inside of you.

"You wanted to talk to me? ...Why? And before you answer that, how exactly do you know where I live?" He questions, eyeing you skeptically.

God, if your embarrassment wasn't visible already it sure as hell was now.

You open your mouth to reply but before you could get out a word Jeongguk was speaking again.

"Actually—no, I don't even want to know—so is there something you need or have you finally come to pay me back for ruining my favourite jeans." He asked dryly, reminding you of your first encounter and how you accidentally knocked his coffee onto him. You fight the urge to scoff in his face, your eyes flickering to the lavish structure behind him, one that signified he could buy a new pair of the same jeans for every day of the month if he wanted to.

"Actually I've come to, ah, say thank you." You push down the annoyance you feel from his statement, you were the one who showed up to his apartment unannounced giving him all of the right to be irritable with you.

"What for?" He frowns, sounding completely disinterest.

You shifted on your feet, hiding the slight tremble of your hands by clasping them behind your back. Yes you were nervous, you were absolutely neurotic. Your stomach swelling into your throat, emotions ragging inside of you, all from simply being in his presence, hearing his voice and seeing that face, it proved more than you could handle. Jeongguk was opening the flood gates and ushering in all of your best and worst memories causing them to overflow within you and as always Hoseok was right; seeing him again would surely do more harm to you and your grieving heart and you pondered if it was to late for you to back out now.

Shifting your eyes to his own, you admired the dark orbs that almost twinkled in the moon light, only they weren't as captivating as a pair golden spectacles that haunted you tirelessly.

You cleared your throat incase your emotions decided to fail you when you spoke again.

"I want to say thank you for taking me to the hospital last week, you ah... you didn't have to do that."

"Well I wasn't going to leave you on the street in your condition, I'm not that horrible of a person." Jeongguk grumbles but you noticed a twitch of a smile on his disinterested face.

"Well as I said, thank you." You say, sheepishly ducking your head to avoid his callous gaze.

Now that the sole purpose of your quest was out of the way the two of you fell into a uncomfortable silence, neither of you knowing what else to say. Sadly you had dreamt of this moment on more than one occasion. Since your first encounter with the man before you there were many sleepless nights, envisioning what would happen if you saw him again, what you would say, how you'd act. Yet here you were, stood before him in all of his glory and you couldn't even bring yourself to look at him longer than a few seconds without feeling like your whole world would crumble before your eyes. Figuring your reconciliation was now at its end, you prepared yourself to bid him farewell until he cleared his voice and spoke again.

"Who are they?" Jeongguk pointed behind you, gesturing to the men you brought along.

"Oh, ah those are my friends, Hoseok and Jimin." You looked back towards the car to see them still asleep, oblivious to your interaction with the male who they'd anticipated catching their own glimpse of tonight.

"Must be cool dudes, helping you stalk strangers and all." Jeongguk mocked.

You groaned, feeling the weight of getting caught all over again. Jeongguk had noticed your arrival before you even got the chance to see him first. How he managed that was a mystery but nonetheless he did and you felt you'd die from the embarrassment.

"Listen about that, I didn't mean to come off as a creep—"

Jeongguk scoffs and you fight the urge to roll your eyes before continuing on with your reasoning.

"I just wasn't sure how to contact you appropriately and I didn't want to just show up to your apartment door." You inform.

He snorts obnoxiously, "Like that's any worse than sitting outside of someone's home."

You're about to reply, to defend yourself when the front door of his apartment building opens and a young woman steps out.

"Hey, what's taking you so long?" She whines and Jeongguk's eye roll doesn't go unnoticed.

You looked around him and up at the girl who was clearly speaking to the male before you, noticing how beautiful she was and how perfect the two of them would look together.

"I'll be back in a minute Mia, I told you I had something to take care of."

The gorgeous brunette huffs, crossing her arms and sending you a pointed glare.

"Something? More like someone." She retorts, "its whatever Jeongguk, I've got work tomorrow anyway so I'll just leave."

"Okay." Jeongguk says with a shrug and Mia's jaw visibly drops, clearly not expecting that answer.

"You know, you can be such an ass sometimes Jeon." The girl storms past the two of you, making point to knock shoulders with the male before storming down the empty sidewalk.

"Mhm, see you tomorrow Mia."

You're astonished by his arrogant persona, Hoseok's warning playing in your mind, allowing you to remember this person wasn't Christian and clearly far from the likes. When Jeongguk turned his attention back to you, you felt yourself hating the fact that someone like him shared a face with your sweet and loving fiancé.

"You could have told your girlfriend to stay you know, I've got to get going anyway." You inform him.

"My girlfriend?" Jeongguk snorts in amusement, "Mia isn't my girlfriend, far from it actually." He enlightens and you don't know why you're slightly relieved to hear him say this.

"Girlfriend or not, you shouldn't have let her leave."

"What do you care?" He sneers with a laugh and you don't hold back your agitation towards him any longer.

"I don't." You shrug. "And clearly you don't either if you're letting a girl walk home alone at night."

"She'll be fine." Jeongguk waves you off as he crosses his arms.

You roll your eyes at his inconsideration for the girls safety. "But if she isn't than that's on you."

"Well than, let's hope the walk across the street to her apartment isn't to challenging."

You turn your head just in time to see her retreating figure walk into a complex a few yards down, the girl throwing one last look over her shoulder, visibly fuming even from her distance before disappearing through the door.

"Looks like she managed, now I can sleep peacefully knowing she's safe." Jeongguk muses as he cocks a brow and you resist the urge to wipe the smug look off of the face he doesn't deserve to possess.

"Whatever."

You turn abruptly, done entertaining this polar opposite version who shares no more than a physical identity with your past love. You're not even graced with a step in the direction to Jimin's car when a hand is gripping your wrist and halting your retreat.

"Hey, Y/N—"

You hadn't noticed his voice yet, you'd heard the accent yes but you hadn't truly listened to the sound of it.

Of course Jeongguk sounded like him too.

With your back turned, unable to see the slight differences that told the who apart, you wallowed in the feeling of his palm gripping your wrist, his mouth speaking your name, selfishly you allowed yourself to believe that it wasn't Jeongguk behind you and instead it was Christian calling out to you, touching you, simply being with you once again.

"I-I'm sorry, I've got to go." You break free from his hold, walking towards the car without a glance back towards the male, too afraid of what you'd see. Black orbs, chocolate brown hair, all of the signs that he wasn't Christian and you didn't need to be reminded of this once again.

You ignored him calling out to you as you slipped inside of the car, the sound of the door closing jolting Jimin awake from his sleep.

"Jesus Y/N, I'm still in this damned car?" He grumbles while stretching his stiff limbs.

"Sorry, we can leave now." You sighed, watching as Jeongguk turned away and entered his apartment complex without a glance back in your direction.

Jimin looked at your troubled features, leaning closer and placing a comforting hand to your shoulder. "Hey, did something happen?"

Your mind was to preoccupied to reply, your head searing with various thoughts, going over the short events of the evening.

"Did you see him again Y/N?"

You stay quiet when you look over to Jimin. Your silence confirming his assumption.

"What happened?"

It was Hoseok who spoke now, the sound of his voice starling you since you didn't even know he was awake yet.

"Nothing," a lie, "I said thank you and that's really it." You inform, leaving out the minor details of the encounter, the ones responsible for the bad taste in your mouth.

"Than why do you seem so put off."

Hoseok was to perceptive for his own good. You're quiet again and both men begin to understand the troubled expression on your face.

"I was right wasn't I?" Hoseok asks warily.

You nod sheepishly, ashamed to admit it aloud. "Honestly I should have just listened to you, I didn't expect much but I surely didn't expect that." You bow your head, annoyed with yourself for having even the slightest bit of hope towards your encounter with Jeongguk. It was a foolish mistake to come but in the end you know you needed to see him again—even though he turned out to be an arrogant jackass, you'd surely go insane if you hadn't.

"Well than let's get you home and by the way I'm crashing at yours, I don't think I can handle the drive back to my place, I'm exhausted and my back is fucking killing me." Jimin complains while stretching to crack the muscles in his back.

You shrugged and nodded, to emotionally drained to use your words.

Jimin was halfway to your neighbourhood, the drive from Jeongguk's apartment less than ten minute's from your own and you groan at the fact that he lived so close. You blamed the universe and whatever vendetta it had against you.

"Damn, I have to admit, I'm kind of annoyed I didn't get to see him." Jimin muttered.

You shook your head, flashes of your encounter playing in your mind once again.

"Don't be. You're not missing out on much."

One month. It had been one month since your last encounter with Jeon Jeongguk and to say you were coping with the fact that he was roaming around the city in all of his doppelgänger glory, you'd be blatantly lying.

Knowing of his existence had taken its toll on your daily life considerably.

Everyday at noon you sat outside for lunch, rain or shine. Your coworkers had started questioning this new habit, resulting in you politely declining their invites to eat in the break room and ignoring their worried glances whenever you sauntered out of the office at exactly 12pm everyday.

You wouldn't admit it to anyone, sometimes not even to yourself that this new ritual was solely for the purpose of hoping to see him pass by the large building as your eyes scanned the crowds of people for any familiarity. Your first encounter with the male was directly outside of your office during lunch hour, where he was coming from though you had no idea. He wasn't dressed in business attire, lacking any formal wear that suggested he worked in the area and this fact had you wondering why he'd been there in the first place.

You couldn't control your wandering eyes that found themselves searching stores or catching the gleam of black leather when it passed by, hoping to see a particular person attached to the material or wandering shopping isles. Only every time you thought it was him, it wasn't and you hated that you were acting like this, hated the effect he had on you even after you saw what kind of person he was.

But you especially loathed the fact that you knew exactly where he lived. All though you looked for him elsewhere, you never dared to take it far enough to drive into his neighbourhood, to take the streets you knew would lead to a particular upper class building in a rather nice part of the city, one that left you even more curious about the male and what his personal life entailed.

That is until your local grocery store was shut down due to a flooding and your next best option to get your prescription was in the next neighbourhood over, a neighbourhood that hosted a particular lookalike.

And just like you expected, your endless misfortune worked it's magic and you found yourself ducking behind a tower of toilet paper when you saw the familiar mop of brown locks meters away from you in the freezer isle.

You cursed lowly, clutching the white bag that held your filled prescription to your chest.

"Y/N, what the hell are you doing?"

Your eyes shot up to see your coworker Min Yoongi standing next to you, cocking his brow as he pushed his shopping cart filled with an impeccable selection of groceries and you mentally noted to borrow his shopping list sometime.

You shushed him, telling him to lower his voice but it didn't matter because it was to late.

"Y/N?"

Your eyes closed momentarily when you heard your name fall from his lips, the sound sending a wave of nostalgia throughout your entire being.

You shot a warning glare at the artificial blonde who was displaying an amused smirk, putting two and two together now that Jeongguk had made his arrival. You missed the mischievous glint that twinkled in his eye as they flickered from you to the male who was staring at you curiously.

"Are you hiding from someone, Y/N?"

You considered Yoongi to be one of your close friends, he was newer to the company, arriving a year ago and overtime became an important part of your work life; covering for you when you needed a break, taking some of your files when you your supervisor piled on more than she knew you could handle, buying you a drink after a long stressful day at the office. Yoongi was your saving grace inside of that building but this rarity obviously died after hours since you were now tempted to strangle him for the first time in your life, the males in your life proving to be nothing more than walking headaches for you.

Jeongguk finally noticed your odd position, hunched down behind the impressively organized tower of bathroom tissue, Yoongi's observation being confirmed by not only your questionable pose but by the red flush that tinted your cheeks.

And he laughed.

He actually laughed, an eye crinkling mantra and if you weren't so embarrassed by being caught you would have died right then and there because his laugh was one you'd heard many times, one you found yourself listening to on your laptop to keep it alive, to cheer you up on days you felt lost and the sound was even more intoxicating than you remembered.

"So you're avoiding me now?" Jeongguk cocked his head to the side and smirked, if he wasn't teasing you, you'd probably think the action was quite adorable. "That's a big step up from you stalking me outside of my home." Cue not so adorable after all.

Yoongi was taken back by this new piece of information, this kid had to have been joking he thought, maybe he had mistaken you for someone else because the Y/N he knew would never do something so... reckless.

But the look of sheer horror and embarrassment that dawned on your features was confirmation that the brunette was actually telling the truth.

Yoongi bit his bottom lip, holding back the laugh that dared to escape his lips now that he knew what you actually got up to on the weekends. And just when he thought you were a prude outside of work he was evidently proven wrong, clearly you just had a different version of fun compared to his own.

He'd definitely be pestering you for details about this on Monday.

You groaned loudly, your head falling back against the soft wall of tissue causing a few to tumble from their perfectly placed spots on top of the tower.

"Shit." You huffed, reaching down to pick up the fallen luxury version four ply, rolling your eyes at the bold claim of worlds best toilet paper because why did it matter, it had one purpose and as long as it did it's job you were satisfied.

A hand reached out in an attempt to pick up the same package you aimed for, causing the two limbs to brush against one another accidentally. Retracting your hand immediately as if you had just been burned by his touch, Jeongguk eyed you warily, furrowing his brows at your reaction. You remembered what happened last time that same hand touched you, how overwhelmed by emotions you were and the things you wished for.

You couldn't do that to yourself again.

"Thanks." You muttered, clutching the three packs of tissue as you stood, Jeongguk following soon after.

"Look's like I've got to get used to hearing that from you."

"What do you mean?" You frowned in confusion.

"You've thanked me twice now, seems like I'm becoming somewhat of a saving grace." Jeongguk winked and you remembered why exactly you had Ill feelings towards him to begin with. Arrogant.

You waved him off, putting the tissues back in their spot. "Call it what you will."

Jeongguk appeared next to you and plopped his package perfectly on top of your own stack. "Y/N's guardian angel." He sang out teasingly.

"I didn't mean that literally." You rolled your eyes and he flashed you an award winning smile.

A voice cleared behind you, the both of you turning around stunned, totally forgetting about Yoongi's presence.

Yoongi eye'd Jeongguk from head to toe, trying to recall where he'd seen him before. "So how do you know Y/N?"

"I saved her life." Jeongguk answered proudly and you crossed your arms, shooting him a look of disdain.

"That's a bit dramatic, I wasn't dying."

Jeongguk turned towards you, challenging you by crossing his arms as well. "But you could have if I wasn't there to save you."

You opened your mouth to protest as you glared at him, his reiteration of your first encounter only feeding his already large ego.

"Seems like you two have quite the history." Yoongi mused cutting you off, watching the entertaining battle of dominance that played before his eyes. Yoongi couldn't help but gaze at Jeongguk a little longer than normal, there was something oddly familiar about him but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

You snorted obnoxiously, "Far from it actually."

"Hmm, if you say so. Well I should get going, Holly is waiting for me in the car and you know how she gets when I'm gone to long. See you Monday Y/N."

"Yeah, see you Min." You waved him goodbye.

"Nice meeting you—" Yoongi trailed off while lifting his palm towards the male, his farewell falling short when he realized he never caught the younger males name.

"Jeongguk." He informed, shaking the blondes outstretched hand.

Yoongi's eyes flashed in recognition, he knew this kid was familiar for a reason but it couldn't be who he thought it was, surely he had to be wrong.

Mentally noting to check into his suspicions later, Yoongi sent a curt nod to the male.

"Play nice kids." Yoongi teased, sending you a wink before turning away and pushing his cart full of groceries and dog supplies.

As you watched Yoongi's retreating figure, it slowly dawned on you what his departure truly meant.

You were now alone with Jeongguk.

On cue, Jeongguk turned to you, his annoying smirk painted on his lips. "So what brings you to my side of town?"

"Who says I don't come here often?" You challenged, knowing you didn't ever come to this market but you wouldn't give him the satisfaction of thinking it was because of him.

"Well considering I've lived here for two years and I'm what one would consider a regular at this store—I've never seen you here before so it's only obvious."

Busted.

"The store in my neighbourhood was flooded." You admitted, breaking his gaze and looking around at the more lavish version of your local market, the drastic difference of the interior reeked of overpriced produce and wealthy customers.

"Bummer."

"Yeah, absolutely tragic." You huffed. "Well I should get going." You informed before turning away, deciding it was best to end the encounter now and get as far away from Jeongguk as humanly possible.

You made it no more than ten steps before his voice was calling out to you.

"Oh Cinderella, you forgot your glass slipper."

You stopped and turned to see what he was playing at, watching as he jogged lightly towards you before stopping a less than a foot away and you almost cowered from his close proximity. You could smell his cologne, a distinct fresh aromatics scent that was simultaneously cool and spicey, a complete opposite to Christians woody floral fragrance that smelled of Citrus, lavender and sandalwood.

Jeongguk dangled a white bag in your face, bold letters spelling Pharmacy printed across the front.

Your cheeks flushed.

You hastily ripped the bag from his grasp, quicker than you indented and you felt slightly bad for how rude it probably seemed.

"Sorry, Thanks."

Jeongguk didn't seem to care though, stuffing his free hand in his pants pocket, his other occupied by the basket he held, the weight of it causing his muscles to bulge slightly, another contrast to your fiancé who was scrawnier than a twig. You always loved how angular he was, how much it complimented him, even complaining when Jimin tried hauling him to the gym to 'bulk up because real men have abs.' And now that you saw what he would have looked like with a little more lean muscle you began to regret those days where you begged him not to go.

You were openly gawking at this point, observing how Jeongguk's veins ran up his forearm, how his short sleeve hugged the flexing of his bicep, how toned his chest looked even when it was covered by a black tee. You cursed yourself for depriving yourself of the godly sight that Christian could have looked like if you'd just let him work out with Jimin because right now, if it wasn't already obvious, you were drooling at the visuals.

"That's three now."

"Huh?" You blinked at Jeongguk after coming out of your trance. The way he lazily grinned at you was confirmation that he detected your unsubtle gaping.

"I said that's three times that you've had to thank me now. I think I deserve a reward for my benevolence."

"Yeah? Never heard of common decency?" You quipped.

"True, but it's only fitting." He shrugged.

"Well than what do you have in mind? Want me to buy your groceries?" You pointed to his basket that mainly consisted of protein and carbs.

"No," he laughed, "let me take you on a date."

"A d-date?" You sputtered, you haven't been on one of those in years and you'd be a fool to break the streak with the likes of Jeongguk. For one, he's Christians doppelgänger. For two, he's Christians doppelgänger. Never in a million life times would it be okay for you to date him, that just wouldn't be appropriate or healthy.

"I-I'm sorry, I can't."

"Oh." Jeongguk flinched, not expecting that reply. It's not like he hadn't been turned down before, though it wasn't a normality but still, it sucked. Figuring he read into the playful banter the two of you shared with false conviction, he poked his cheek with his tongue, the awkwardness of the situation settling in.

"It's just, there are some things that wouldn't make that...okay." You tried to explain, not wanting to indulge in the fact that he was a living replica of your deceased soulmate and how fucked up it would be to go on a date with him, or do anything more, ever. That fact was definitely a discussion for a later date and different setting, a grocery store not the best place to reveal said reason.

When he didn't press you on your bleak excuse of an explanation you figured he'd just give up.

"Well than how about you buy me a coffee?"

"I'll buy you a coffee?" You scoffed, chivalry buried six feet under with an unmarked grave because it was undoubtedly dead.

"It's only fair considering I'm the reason you're still even walking the earth."

Here we go again, you sighed.

"I didn't have a heart attack Jeongguk, I fainted."

"Well at the time it could have been anything." He shrugged. "Think of it as your make up coffee for the one you spilled on me that day." He concluded and you sighed, knowing he wasn't go let go of this idea anytime soon.

"Fine. A coffee, nothing more, nothing less."

Realistically you did owe it to him considering he did look out for your wellbeing after all, though the situation not as dire as he claims it to have been, it was still gracious of him to do such a selfless act especially when he didn't know you.

Jeongguk beamed, flashing the brightest smile you had seen yet, it was genuine and even boyish, as if he was actually truly excited for the future event.

"Agreed." He nodded, practically bouncing on the heels of his feet and you began to wonder if he was the same age as you like Christian was or maybe even... younger? It suddenly struck you now, you didn't even know how old actually he was. Certainly Jeongguk had to be 24 too but as you studied him a little harder you began to notice he sort of resembled Christian from a few years back, around the time when he was only 21, just a much, much more muscular version of him.

Letting the thoughts drift away, you went back to addressing the situation at hand.

"Okay now that, that's settled, when?"

Jeongguk's grin transformed into a devious smile, his eyes gleaming with an unknown emotion and you were suddenly regretting agreeing to his proposal.

"How's right now work for you?"

"Jeongguk this isn't a coffee shop."

You glared at the flickering sign that read Mon's Bar, illuminating the dark night sky.

"Well they do sell Irish coffees so technically it sort of is."

"I'm leaving." You declared, turning on your heal only for Jeongguk to step in front of you, blocking your escape path.

"Awh, c'mon Y/N, you owe me." He whined, pouting childishly and batting his ridiculously luscious lashes for a man at you.

"Yeah and we agreed upon a coffee Jeongguk?" You reminded him, not amused by his trickery at all.

"Yes and coffee consists of many ingredients which are not limited to alcohol." He stated, his attempts to persuade just leaving you even more annoyed.

"I'm not drinking with you Jeongguk, I don't even know you." You shook your head, standing your ground with your denial.

"Well than this is the perfect opportunity for us to get to know each other. A little liquid courage to kill the awkward tension, help us open up about our deepest darkest desires."

"That's definitely not happening." You scoff and turn away from him, trying to hide the blush that crept onto your cheeks. As much as you hated to admit this, you were starting to warm up to Jeongguk, even though he is a pompous jerk, you actually quite enjoyed being in his company and this revelation was terrifying you. Maybe if this were a different life, one that didn't involve him being the mirror image to the love of your entire existence, you probably would be friends with Jeongguk, he reminded you a lot of Jimin and if you could tolerate that jackass, you could surely do the same for him.

"Well I challenge you to that, it's Saturday night, one drink won't hurt and if you aren't enjoying my company—which I'm certain you will—" Jeongguk sent you a wink and you almost gagged at his pretentious assumption, "—I'll walk you back to your car and we'll call it a night."

You sighed loudly, either way you'd find yourself inside of that bar tonight, wether it be without him, nursing a headache from his conspicuous self admiration and needing to drown your conflicted thoughts towards him or with him after his incessant pestering, probably doing the same thing as the first scenario just with a unfortunate pleasure of still having him in your presence.

And you settled on that fact that a little company wouldn't hurt, you hadn't gone out for a casual drink in ages, not since the last time Yoongi practically forced you into a night club, one that even he hated to be at after he insisted you needed to get out and let loose. Only his plan recoiled on its self and an hour later you both ended up back at his place, drinking beers and watching his dog holly play cutely with a squeaky toy.

And if that was the most eventful thing you could remember doing, you knew you were doing a horrible job of living out the last few years of your early 20's. But your reasoning was justifiable, you lost the love of your life, his death taking your with it, and than you remembered how upset Christian would be if he knew you'd given up living—having fun. So your giving in was solely out of the fact that Christian would want you to be happy, he'd want you to do something other than mope and cry on a Saturday night, even if it were with Jeongguk, no matter how fucked up it truly was because a friends, a friend right? Even if they do share the same face as your dead fiancé—right?

"Fine." You grumbled, cringing when Jeongguk practically broke out into song and dance before you.

"But—" You cut off his childish display in front of the bar, you watched how his face well slightly, awaiting whatever request you were about to spew, "you're buying first round since you tricked me into this."

Jeongguk's smile reappeared instantly and you found yourself matching it with one of your own.

"Deal."

This was going to be a long night.

It's Monday now and you were drained, emotionally and physically.

Saturday evening with Jeongguk turned into a long night of bottomless drinks and laughter. Jeongguk ended up knowing the owner, a man called Namjoon who showered you in kindness and free drinks. Surprisingly the night was quite enjoyable which is why you now found yourself in such a conflicting dilemma.

You liked him.

Not in that sense, you just actually genuinely liked him as a person. Yes he was egotistic, sometimes brutish and a little overbearing especially when he started making flirtatious remarks, but nonetheless he was actually quite—endurable.

When the night ended before the two of you drunkenly entered your taxi's, you swapped numbers which explains why you were looking at a text message from him asking to hang out again, promising the first round of drinks you agreed upon since he didn't get to fulfil the deal that night.

For the first time since the accident you actually had a good time. For the first time since the accident, your night didn't consist of dwelling and longing for your fiancé and you loathed yourself for finding solace in Jeongguk, for him being the person to make you forget, to make you feel like the future wasn't a hopeless dark place. And how ironic is it that the person to change your dampened spirits would be a doppelgänger to your fiancé; how absolutely cynical of you.

But after that night you began to have nightmares again, something that hadn't occurred in a very long time, your full prescription that was still sitting in the bathroom cabinet untouched since your last refill being confirmation that is until now; now there was one missing. And this time it wasn't replays of the accident, this time it wasn't Christian's bloody face looking at you through thick flames, a outstretched hand reaching for you that you couldn't grasp. This time it was entirely different, it was Jeongguk standing above you with Christian by his side, taunting you, laughing at you and belittling you for what you were doing; replacing him.

But that's not what you were doing, hell you didn't know what you were doing but it wasn't that, you weren't hanging out with Jeongguk to use him as a beacon to get over Christian, it was one night used as a much needed release and that's all it would ever be.

So as you stared at only message in the new chat, you were conflicted about your reply. A part of you wanting to see him again, the part of you that felt relived to be able to smile and laugh again while the other half was telling you to stay away, stay far away for it was in your best interest to not get caught up with him.

But you began to wonder, why had fate shown him to you? What did the universe want you to do now that he was a part of your life. Did you take that step and dive in further? The costs would be catastrophic, you knew this, you could already imagine how it would turn out, how karma would bite you in the ass like always, your fucked up luck would run short and surely it would all blow up in your face.

Your head hit your desk with a thud, exhausted by the nonstop battle that waged in your mind.

The sound of your office door opening caught your attention and you looked up to see the familiar mop on blonde locks sauntering in without a knock to announce their arrival.

Typical.

Yoongi closed the door to your private office behind him, taking the few steps forward before plopping down in the chair in front of your desk. He warily eye'd the questionable position of you being sprawled out on your desk, phone clutched in your hand and the obvious look of conflicted agony painted of your features but he doesn't press you about it thankfully.

"Did you hear what Janet did at the boards meeting this afternoon?"

You roll your eyes at his attempt for small talk, you could see right through it. Yoongi never cared for office drama and he knew you didn't either. If he wasn't here to hand in any files, you knew there was only one reason for his unannounced arrival.

"Cut the shit Yoongi I know why you're here."

The blonde's brows shoot to his hairline, trying to appear innocent as if he had no recollection of what you were talking about. You send him a pointed look and he sighs, dropping the act immediately.

"So, Jeongguk, what's going on there?"

"Nothing." You shrug, lifting yourself off of the desk to begin looking through the neglected paperwork you were tasked with today.

"Didn't seem that way to me."

You gulp, eyeing him warily, surely he didn't know, there's no way he could.

You blink at him repeatedly while straightening up in your chair. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean it looked like you were ready to take the poor kid for a ride on the Y/N express." Yoongi wiggles in brows teasingly and your jaw falls open at his accusation.

"That's not it at all!" You cry out, heat surging to your face because of his ridiculous statement.

Yoongi leans back in the arm chair, smirking at you "Than why are you blushing so hard Y/N."

"B-because you don't just say shit like that you moron!" You stutter and Yoongi snorts when your voice gives way, the falter in your words not helping your cause.

If there was any visible tension between you and Jeongguk it solely stemmed from his resemblance to Chris, having nothing to do with him at all, he was an ass and far from your type—personality wise that is. So any attraction Yoongi may have picked up on towards him was simply due to him looking like your fiancé and probably the fact that you hadn't indulged in any type of relationships since his passing—but that was a sob story for another day.

Christian was the only person you've been with, the only person you ever wanted in that sense so who could blame you if you did happen to look at Jeongguk a little more than you should have, he shared the same face as the only man whom you'd opened yourself up to like that.

"Well I'm actually not here to pester you about your sex life." Yoongi states matter-o-factly and you roll your eyes because it sure as hell seemed that way.

"Than why are you here?"

"To pester you about sneaking around with a celebrity." Yoongi chimes and you furrow your brows, surely he couldn't be referring to Jeongguk, could he?

"Celebrity?" You repeat, not quite following what he was getting at.

"Wait, you're telling me you don't know?" Yoongi gawks at you, wondering how you haven't figured it out yet for yourself, surely you weren't this naive.

"Don't know what? Yoongi what are you talking about?"

"Jeongguk? Jeon Jeongguk? You're telling me that name doesn't ring a bell to you?"

Yes it did but obviously not in the way that Yoongi was describing. You rack your brain trying to uncover any familiarity to the name, any importance besides him being Christian's doppelgänger but you come up short.

"No....?" You trail off, observing how he looked at you incredulously like you should already know.

"Y/N...Jesus where have you been? Under a rock?"

"No you ass," you throw a pen at him and he ducks skillfully, "just tell me already, what are you talking about?"

"Fuck Y/N, so you really don't know that's the Jeon Jeongguk, heir to a billion dollar company...?"

"What?" All the air escapes your lungs in one long breath. "You're joking right?" You stare at him wide eyed because you knew better than to question Yoongi, the man was never once wrong about anything.

Yoongi grips your laptop, turning it around to face him so he can type in something before shifting it back around so it faced you once again.

Your eyes were as big as the moon, perplexed by what you were reading. Yoongi had unknowingly uncovered another missing piece to the puzzle called Jeongguk.

"Jeon Jeongguk, 22, grandson to Jeon Jungsik, 84, just named heir to 14.7 billion dollar company, JJ Busan Property Holdings."

"Well shit."

130 notes · View notes

iabsolutelyresentthiswebsite · 7 years ago

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Why Reylo Should DEFINITELY NOT Happen

Is this an unpopular opinion now?

Disclaimer: I am not anti-Kylo. I love Kylo Ren for the potential his character does have (view profile picture!). I do not excuse any of his actions, but I do understand that had he not been mentally fucked by Snoke as an impressionable adolescent and had he not pushed away everyone who cared about him and tried to help, he would not be in this mess. Very much Snoke’s fault, very much his own. I love Rey for the beautiful being and character she is. How strong she is, her emotionality, and her fierce and beautiful desires. I am a fan of both Rey and Kylo Ren, so please do not take this as me saying one is too good for the other.

Well, everyone knows how very, very sure I am of myself when I say Rey is Rey Skywalker. This would make her Kylo’s first cousin, their parents being twins, so that is very, very fucked up to begin with. This is the MAJOR, and first, reason I was ever anti-Reylo.

But let’s PRETEND she isn’t Rey Skywalker. Maybe she’s Rey Kenobi or Rey whatever. It doesn’t matter. Let’s PRETEND she’s not a Skywalker, even though that is so wildly unlikely. View the attached videos to the last few words to see why I say it is that.

Have you viewed the videos? No? Well, I suggest you do. But whatever…I don’t know your schedule nor your interest level in this. Anyway, moving on…

So I’m sure you’re wondering, “Why, if you love both of the characters and they weren’t related, would you not ship them together?”

Simple: Because it is insulting to their characters, detrimental to the character development they could potentially have, and ends Star Wars for good.

I can hear the jeering now, “Those are some WILD assertions. How can you prove this, OP?”

Dissertation:

We have only been just introduced to them as characters, so how would I truly understand their motivations and who they really are? Well, to tell you the truth, I am one of those people who knows who people are based on how they act and respond to situations. It’s easy for me to predict what you will want and how you will act later. If I am so confident after TFA that I am willing to put myself on the line for jeering and my opinion up to all criticism on this website littered with differing opinions, I must be pretty confident that I know what I’m talking about. Especially true because I avoid conflict at pretty much all cost. So here goes…

Kylo Ren is a child trapped in a man of 30′s body. He pushed everyone who loved him away and was brainwashed by someone who cared only about what he could do for them. Kylo Ren’s main desire is that he wants to be wanted, he wants someone to be proud of him. He is unstable, unpolished, and very, very frightened…of Snoke, of himself, and of what he feels inside him. He is not emotionally mature enough, at least at this point, to handle a romantic relationship…at least a healthy one, one that which Rey would hypothetically deserve. And even though Kylo is allegedly more “polished” in TLJ, deep-seated fears like those just don’t go away.

Rey is a grown adult. She grew up alone by nothing more than circumstances brought on by her parents, of whom we don’t (but probably do) know. Rey is 19…probably 21 by this movie…and has dealt with way too much in her life. She is emotional, but strong. She is fiercely loyal and desires nothing greater than to belong somewhere and feel that she belongs. She has every capability to have a healthy romantic relationship, but she doesn’t seem to really push for that. She desires friends and companionship and belonging, but not…a romantic relationship. At some point may she? Probably, but she doesn’t seem like the type of person, in my opinion, to prioritize a romantic entanglement. She is just getting her footing in the new world outside of Jakku.

Now, keep all that in mind while I explain why it’s insulting to their characters and the franchise itself!

I am writer myself. I am, admittedly, predominantly a songwriter. I have written screenplays and short stories and whatnot…you may have seen one of my screenplay ideas for Kylo Ren’s redemption because I did, at one point, post a few of them on Tumblr. However, not the point.

I took a screenwriting class about 2 years ago in college. Stay with me here! There was one time, I remember, we had an assignment for a short screenplay. I was writing a story…I don’t remember about what exactly, but I remember how much trouble I was having in keeping it within the time limit and due date I had. Finally, I had 3 days left to hand it in and still was trying to think of a decent way to end it. I had ideas and ideas that I loved, but the only thing that fit within the page limit and that would allow me to hand it in on time was the ending I hated…but it was the only choice I had at this point. I did it. I had the main antagonist fall in love with the main protagonist. I hated myself for it and it dissected their characters and destroyed the story, but I did it. I handed that paper in on time and in the page limit I had.

You see what I’m getting at, don’t you?

I used…a cop-out.

And that’s what endgame Reylo is.

A cop-out.

A cop-out is, as I’m sure you all know, something you do when you have no other choice or can’t think of a way to bring about your next goal. You do it because you gotta do it to make what you want happen happen. In this case, making Reylo canon would bring about a natural close to the saga.

But at what cost?!

Star Wars, as I’m sure we’re all aware, is littered with themes that extend back to the beginning time of storytelling. Good versus evil being the most notable theme, familial love, love in general. A lot of basic AF themes, but all good stories tend to have similar themes. We all know that because there are truly only 6-8 real stories in life and cinema. You can only have so many good things.

Now, TROPES are a different monster all together. Redemption is a trope that Star Wars utilizes a lot and that’s okay because it makes sense and grounds their good versus evil theme. Also, the Star Wars universe is so expansive and well-designed that it’s even kind of difficult to identify the trope until you really step back and say…”…huh.” It’s fine to utilize some tropes in wonderful movies. Don’t get me wrong…

But not when it sacrifices your characters.

The trope I will be talking about now is the one in which “the bad guy falls in love with the good girl and shirks his bad ways to make her happy and be with her”. We all know what I’m talking about. And we all know how played out it is. We’re all tired of it.

How many movies have we seen this year with the very same endgame trope? 12? more? I don’t know, I barely go to the movies anymore.

Do you want Kylo Ren and Rey’s character identity as it stands and their potential character development to devolve, which that’s what it is, into a romantic endgame?

That is my question for you.

Kylo Ren has the potential to pull a Vader and decide for himself, with the help of the people whom he pushed away earlier and those new friends, that what he’s doing is wrong. Darth Vader decided that when his son’s life, whom believed steadfastly in his goodness, was threatened that what he was doing was wrong and changed because he wanted to. Luke did not coerce, did not guilt, did not even truly fully persuade Darth Vader to turn back. But having Rey profess her love or even Kylo admit he is in love as a method of change is such a disservice to both of their characters. You are eliminating the fact that Kylo Ren must take responsibility for what he’s done and make amends as necessary.

To degrade Rey’s very presence in the series to a method to bring about change in her male counterpart is disgusting to me. Her potential to grow as a Force-user, her potential to be stronger than Luke, her potential to be her own person is GONE. We all know this to be true. Once she becomes the object of the male villain’s affections, she becomes a sex symbol, she becomes nothing more than an object, and she is now forever thought of as “Kylo Ren’s Girlfriend” and not “Rey”. She becomes his property in the thoughts and minds of fans and those not fans because she loses her own name when that happens because now all that matters is the relationship.

To use a female of Rey’s caliber to FORCE CHANGE in a male such as Kylo is reprehensible because it negates his need for true redemption, for taking responsibility, for fighting back from the Darkness. We all know Kylo needs to show effort because of who he is. He is denying and fighting the light, so therefore, he needs to fight the Darkness even harder. But…

If they fall in love…we all know, that’s all that will be remembered.

Not who Rey really is. Not what she could have been. Not Kylo’s struggle to turn back. Not his betrayal of Supreme Leader Snoke.

It’s all just them falling in love now…

Do you want that for Star Wars?

Because you know that’s what would happen. “Search your feelings, you know it to be true.”

I, personally, would not want that for this amazing franchise that has literally brought people joy for 40 years.

Aside from that, if they did fall in love and potentially go on to have children, that would be the end of Star Wars.

I know Return of the Jedi was kind of that way too. ROTJ was really a nicely tied bow on top of a Christmas present, sealing the whole Saga of 6 (yeah, I know ROTJ came out before the Prequels!)

TFA is really a second Christmas present for someone.

Since X, XI, and XII are all confirmed, if Kylo and Rey get together in IX, I do not see where they could go from there, especially considering they’re probably intending to follow the formula from before where the first saga was Anakin and Luke’s story, this saga really couldn’t be Kylo and Rey’s. IX would feel too final for people to want to rehash and reopen the gift. They’d lose viewers. They’d lose revenue. They’d lose our trust. If something feels too final, people won’t want to come back to it. That’s the problem with older people not liking TFA and the new trilogies. ROTJ was too final. But now that we have this and I’m open-minded to the new story, I’m all in…but

THEY HAVE TO DO IT RIGHT.

And Reylo is not the right way.

It would bring everything to a natural close before its time. I don’t know if I’d want to come back to SW after that because I don’t see the potential for a future in the series with that as a trilogy-closer.

Now, I’m done. I’m just trying to let you all see what I’m seeing here. The quote that Rian Johnson made in the NYT that “Rey and Kylo are really two sides of the same protagonist” is the truth, but it, in no way, alludes to Reylo becoming canon. If anything, it alludes to: 1) Kylo’s Redemption or 2) Rey’s Turn to the Dark Side.

Now please understand…I’m not trying to make y’all feel anything if you ship Reylo. This is just how I feel and how a lot of others feel. I’m very Pro-Kylo and very Anti-Reylo and I admit that. But I have legitimate reasons and legitimate concerns for the future of the franchise if Reylo sets sail.

#star wars #my views #virginia speaks #kylo ren #rey #rey skywalker #anti-reylo

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