Welcome one. Welcome all. I have brought all of you here today to say that YOU WERE LIED AND DECEIVED BY THE FORCES OF HOLLYWOOD AND UNCHECKED CAPITALISM. 'How?' You ask. And yes. I shall answer. It is simple:
The ending of the Rise of Skywalker was wrong
Wait. Excuse me. WHAT THE FUCK?
You read correctly, dear friends. Someone fucked with the editing of Rise of Skywalker and it changed the entire ending of the movie. It changed the characterization of three key characters and it's clear this was against the creator's wishes. I'll be breaking this down into a few key sections. What were the changes, Why I believe these changes were made (and made last minute), and do I consider this ending more or less canon then the theatrical ending. So. JOIN ME ON THIS ADVENTURE FRIEND
The plot changes/editing change
It's fairly simple. They changed Leia's role in the plot, this changed the entire direction of the last few minutes of the movie. Let me break the timeline down
โ Deathstar fight on the ocean still happens, Ben is distracted by Leia reaching out to him. She either still enters her "disappointment son" coma here, or perhaps simply just reaches out to him.
โ From here, the plot continues as normal. Ben and Rey both get to the sith rave separately.
โ Rey Dies
โ Ben Revives her and dies.
โ Leia chooses THIS MOMENT to die and give her life to her son
โ Ben is revived. He and Rey kiss.
โ Move to conclusion
WHAT EVIDENCE DO I HAVE THESE CHANGES WERE MADE (and at the last moment)
Take in note, my evidence is circumstantial, but circumstantial evidence still counts as proof
โ Leia's final role in the movie is insanely unclear. She also takes 12 hours to actually die or something. Again. Confusing
โ Ben's final words, as of this moment, are "OW". Adam Driver said he was nervous about his final dialogue in the movie to the point he stressed about it on the flight over. And. Man. IDK about you but OW seems a little unstressful to say
โ There was no Force Ghost Ben, a decision that is baffling story wise. It would take any competent VFX team hardly any effort to throw a ghostly adam driver next to Leia and Luke. And this would be advantageous to add to the plot if Ben was going to die, give that final bit of closure to the Skywalker fam.
โ Rey's near LACK of emotion over his death. Go watch her realize she has to leave Ben behind in TLJ and tell me that the difference isn't noticeable. It's completely against her character.
โ The weird beats of Leia going into her disappointment son coma and the other strange beats of Ben's death. Especially the fact that you only see him disappear in like. one shot.
โ None of the cast thought he was going to die
โ Wow I wonder why Adam Driver is adamant about never wanting to do star wars at this point?
โ Wow, why does disney keep resetting the character poll of who is the most anticipated character of this movie????
โ The prophecy about Ben's death is completely unnecessary at this point. If it was brought up during TFA, it's understandable to put that thread there. Instead it's in the last movie when his death seems to be a foregone conclusion???
โ So Rey's fine for Luke and Leia even tho she's palpatines kid, but Luke and Leia don't seem all that bothered by Ben's death??????
โ This was supposed to be Leia's film and complete her arc. And while I understand that there was a lack of footage to use for her, it's odd that she ended up not playing much of a role beyond "Distract Ben so he gets stabbed ig"
โ Every single hole in characterization for Luke, Leia, and Rey, every strange beat that didn't really make sense in Ben and Rey's fight on the ocean and during their ??? Mutual deaths???? and the some how rushed and dragged on ending can be solved by a simple solution. Occam's razor, Ben was never meant to die permanently.
โ The fact that there was no final dialogue for Ben after his talk with his father suggests he had something significant to say after his resurrection
โ The fact that they didn't have a cut of Rey absolutely LOSING HER MIND over losing to, what amounts to, the other half of her soul suggests that she was never supposed to lose him permanently
โ The fact that there is no Ben Ghost means that they didn't have the time to slip that in before pushing it out to theaters
โ The way the final scenes with Rey are shot and edited are, again, weird, off balance. It seems like it ends WAY TOO QUICKLY and far too on the nose.
โ no but really guys. His final words are "OW"
โ As for WHO changed it, because of the fact that this is clearly an edit job done at the last minute? I'm putting my money on a CEO that is above Kathleen Kennedy and JJ Abrhrams. I think their hands are tied ATM. This is the ending that had been planned for, this is the ending they wanted, otherwise there would not be such big holes that felt weird and dishonest to the characters. And, like, Kylo Ren/Ben Solo was JJ's child, he wouldn't have done him dirty like this.\
THEATRICAL ENDING/TRUE ENDING
I'm sure opinions would be divided on which ending is canon depending on the person. The theatrical ending will be what's considered canon in the universe of star wars at large. For myself, I find it hard to deny the creators and filmmakers the right to present the story they wanted to tell. So, in that way, both endings are true for me. Though, I am biased-- both as someone who is an artist myself and someone who adores Kylo Ren's/Ben Solo's character-- I like the story the film team were trying to tell over the agenda that whoever pushed for these changes had. Personally, I believe it pushes Star Wars as a universe forward into new territory rather than keep it stagnant in the same old same old that it's always been. Plus. this maintains the integrity of Luke, Leia, and Rey's characters, Ben was never forgotten, far too gone, or unloved. Leia gave him one final gift, a second chance.
That said, I'm not pushing this ending on anyone. I won't be playing it by default. I would rather ask permission or have someone else bring it up.
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literaldumpsterfire2020-01-04 09:58 am
no subject
She's still half-smiling when he presses his lips to hers, and there's no hesitation when she returns the kiss with as much affection and acceptance as he's showing her. She hasn't yet remembered how to even slightly shut down the bond between them again, so it's possible he can feel just how overwhelmingly safe and right this feels to her.
It's possible she'll be entirely content to just keep kissing Ben Solo for a while. Like. That's pretty much the level on which she feels capable of operating. Kissing: yes. Explaining how she kind of lost her mind for two weeks straight and ran away to the desert and slowly went feral? Not so much.]
no subject
And really, Rey's seen him at his most angry and feral so. We all make mistakes. I know ten people who killed their own father because they got indoctrinated into a cult.
But kissing is good. Physicality is good. Helps with the whole feeling out of place thing and being anchored here with her thing. And it's just Really great that she's kissing him back. He does, eventually, pull away. They are both about one lost shirt away from some really bad decisions on "jumping into codependency with a BIG SPLASH" and he's kind of aware of that. Kinda. But he'd still like to not feel entirely useless. ]
Is there anything I can do?
[ Trying to step around dangerous topics. ]
no subject
Ben's question, however... she considers. She's honestly not sure. He'd already done the most important thing, and that was really mostly Leia's doing.
At some point she's stopped clinging to him quite so tightly, but now she just presses her palm flat against his chest, feeling his heartbeat strong and solid beneath it.]
Just be real.
[She remembers the horrible incomprehension that she felt watching him fade away in front of her last time. She's not entirely convinced that this isn't some complete break with reality or a dream she's about to wake up from. The only thing acting to combat that possibility is the sense of everything having shifted into better clarity, as though she'd been experiencing life through a glass pane for weeks and suddenly been able to step through.]
no subject
I can try to do that.
[ He's honestly still convinced this is a hallucination as well. Wouldn't even be mad. A+++ Delusion right here.
Rey's curled up in such a way that she can't clock the entrance to her room, so she won't see BB-8 poking his head in quietly. Man, Ben and BB-8's relationship is gonna be some serious trauma bonding. Because the droid is looking at him with Rey and just happy Rey is not a sobbing heaping mess anymore because. Like. He's noticed Rey hasn't been doing too hot and was just figuring it was some complicated feelings regarding the end of her role in the war. But it involved complicated feelings towards Kylo Ren and he's near short-circuited. And looking at BB-8 a Little bewildered Ben is realizing.... Holy shit Rey had no one to talk to about this. Like. BB-8 WAS REALLY MAD TO SEE HIM WHICH, again, he doesn't take personally. But that also means Rey didn't even attempt to speak about what happened to BB-8. Which means no one else knew.
It makes sense, of course. He's not insulted that she didn't go around talking about her tryst with Asshole #1. But it's... worrying.
How they manage to communicate with out noise and only gesture and expression I'll leave up to your imagination. But it is the first of what is likely to be a ton of surreal moments in their new lives. But Ben manages to convey he's got Rey. She should just stay here with him lest they risk another melt down. Also. Bring food. And more water. And BB-8's just 'okay roger that. Also I called the dude. Not My dude. But the other dude. Didn't tell him what was goin on but said it was a Pretty big deal so. I'll keep u updated on the timeline.'
Trauma bonding.
God. At least it wasn't C3P0.
But cool. Time to try and coax Rey into staying calm and distracting her from. Everything.
Also he's put the pieces together. The Sand. The moisture farm. The resentment of sand which has seeped into the ground. ]
So. Tatooine?
[ Said in the tone of "BRUH YOU CAME FROM JAKKU I THOUGHT YOUD BE OVER THE DESERT THING" ]
no subject
It doesn't make a lot of sense outside of her head, but for Ben's sake, she'll try to explain.]
It was the only place I could think to lay the last pieces of their legacy to rest. I brought their lightsabers to bury. I wasn't going to stay forever, but...
[Yeah, there's the part she can't really put into words. Instead she just lets a little of what she'd been feeling bleed into their bond, the sense of isolation/safe/familiar but also the sheer inability to put into words for anyone else what she'd experienced. How she didn't know how to go back to being what others expected her to be.
And underneath that, though she's not aware of projecting it, a sense of deep guilt at having failed Leia, at having failed Ben when she failed to bring Ben home.]
no subject
You didn't fail me. [ He's just going to try and chase away those shadows hiding in the dusty corner of her mind. He'll link his fingers through hers where she still has her hand on his chest. He won't vocalize as much, but it had been his choice. He could have walked out selfish and alive, but he didn't. She didn't agree with that choice, but he'd make it again.
He's not even sure he would have lasted one week.
But they can't waste time on possibilities and what if's. He'd wasted nearly his entire life on the vague shape of an idea. ]
Unfortunately, what ever plans you may have had -- [ Which sound really depressing and lame btw ] -- will have to change.
no subject
She can feel a sense of nameless unease that she imagines must be coming from his side of things, but honestly who can tell when you've just opened yourself up to a whole mess of emotions at once? But she's thinking a little more clearly, and she'll allow that reassurance to stick if only because if Ben was here then that meant she hadn't failed.
However, all that nice cozy touching is going to have to suffer a brief interruption as Rey's practical brain tries to kick back into gear and she registers -- and probably utterly misinterprets -- his words. She sits nearly bolt upright, immediately trying to work out the logistics of how this was going to have to go.]
Lando! I said I'd check in; he's got to know about this. We'll have to figure out what to tell people. Officially speaking, you're dead, so it's not as though anyone's actively going to be hunting you down for retribution...
[Rey's just going to think entirely out loud for a while because she's not actually used to having another person around and we're all just lucky she hasn't started writing arcane Sith spells on walls, okay? Cut her a break, and imagine some rambling here that Ben had probably better interrupt before it gets any less relevant.]
no subject
his kink tbh]Rey [ oof he sounds winded. That would be the force of one boney ass knocking into his diaphragm ] Itโs been taken care of.
[ to support that claim here comes BB-8 with worried chirping noises and food. Like. Not great food but they are working with what the have. Which is not much. Not like Rey would have even noticed being a gremlin and in the depths of grief but. LOOK THE Bs ARE TRYING TO GET ALONG BECAUSE THEY AGREE REY IS BAE. ]
no subject
Which you'll note implies that she's given at least one of them a concussion.
Poe, it was Poe Dameron. And he probably deserved it.
That aside, Rey will note the presence of whatever kind of weird space food they have here on Tattooine and absentmindly take some of whatever it is from BB-8, which will provide Ben with a few moments of blessed silence while Rey eats what probably looks and tastes like sand while pacing semi-nervously around the small space. Tailed by a chirping BB-8 who is just trying to corral the feral Jedi child before she manages to break something or someone with the sheer amount of nervous energy she's giving off. She's barely finished chewing before she launches back into an attempted explanation.]
You said I needed to change my plans; this is the part where I admit that I wasn't really thinking that far ahead.
[Look, just sit on her or something.]
no subject
His concern is that she is running on fumes, lord have mercy maybe he is a delusion conjured up by her absolute descent into madness as she bends the Force to her will.
Cool. He needs to get her to sit still. It's tempting to grab her but that didn't work. It's tempting to say 'JUST CHILL' but that's going to back fire. He can't honestly say he and BB-8 have it handled based on the fact that they have a very flimsy treaty based soley upon 'Rey's really scaring me right now'.
--Wait. Over there.
it's shia labeoufThis is honestly where being trained to read people and break them apart actually comes to use. ]
Did you build that? [ He gestures towards a hilt laying among her things. It's new. He doesn't recognize it. ] Show it to me.
[ And give him a ten page essay on what the fuck you went through to make it and hopefully exhaust yourself so maybe yOU CAN JUST LAY DOWN AND REST YOUR EYES AND PREPARE YOURSELF TO PROCESS SOME SERIOUS TRAUMA. ]
no subject
Honestly she wishes she could get back to those first few blissful moments right after she'd awakened. Or possibly the kissing, the one he was actually awake for. That was fine and normal? Right?
(Probably not, there were definitely some steps skipped in there that normal people do like getting to know one another outside of lightsaber battles and kidnapping situations.)
RIGHT. Lightsaber. That's something she can talk about. She actually brightens considerably as she retrieves the hilt from among her things and hands it to him for closer examination.
"It's part of my old staff, some things I found here -- all of it scavenged, honestly. The crystal's not even new. It was something your mother had held onto for Luke after he disappeared; no one knows where she got it. Everyone sort of agreed I should take it with me."
Rey doesn't get into the Jedi lore of the yellow kyber crystal because she's more than sure that Ben knows more of it than she does, and honestly I don't feel like copying Wookiepedia into this box just to humor Ben so they can get back to snuggling again. But Rey does start to behave a little more like Rey for the few moments it takes her to explain, and she's looking at Ben with a slightly guarded but hopeful expression when she finishes.]
this wasn't the tag i expected to write and yet here we are
As she explains he's going to just coax her over to sit on the bed, he's sure he won't get her to like... lay down and pass out. Well. He could try. She'd attack him back tho because it be like that sometimes. This is so much trickier when your target is actually connected and bonded within you and you can't just steal away their wakefulness.
At the very least she's handed him the hilt. Cool. Laser weapons away from the manic child who is flipping between excited, annoyed, crying, overwhelmed-- and he knows there's rage hiding in there because. Again. This is experience. He is uniquely qualified. If he were Snoke (or even Kylo Ren) he'd use this state to his advantage. His first few weeks in the order he was hardly allowed to sleep, he was still reeling from his uncle attempting to murder him, from pulling himself from the rubble and half the other students thinking he killed Luke and drawing their own weapons and-- well. He's hurt a lot of people. He's killed plenty. But that isn't a night he revisits. And all of that flipping through his mind and making him unbalanced and weak and lost. It's sad now how clearly he understands what happened to him. ]
Have you thought about looking for more?
[ Please give him a list of the different places to find kyber crystals and then maybe realize OH HOLY SHIT HE NEEDS ONE WHICH ONE DO YOU WANT THO. Please rattle at him as he quietly sets the hilt aside and starts to tidy up the area around her bed----
oh my god she has his clothes. It is really weird realizing you died to the point that you did that force disappear thing and somehow his clothes were left behind. It's really weird. It's things he's going to process later. BB-8 is twirling around and gathering up the rubbish and Ben sorts it all out and. Hm. Idea.
Probably a bad idea but you know. He did do this to her once before to get her to stop screaming at him so, he's gotta ~strategize~.
Hey, she's probably on about page twelve of Wookiepedia's Fun Facts from a manic overtired child who needs to rest and properly get her head on straight to process what the fuck happened. Ignore him as he folds up his Revelation Style Clothes Left Behind As He Ascends pants. Wait, why only the pants?
Bruh my icons probably already spoiled it for you. He's removing his shirt. This is some Lewd Bullshit right here. Full frontal titty assault. And he's gotta work quick because LAST TIME HE DID THIS it only worked for half a second before she demanded he put on a Cowl. Her arms are lifted up and she's shoving that whole longsleeve "kinda like a sweatshirt sized Thing that just is gonna look Real cute on Rey" thing he's got on over her head and just. There.
He was brain-washed and in a cult, but he is well aware of the fact that every girlfriend must steal their boyfriends clothing.
He's gonna slide on his Death Shirt. It's dirty as hell. There's some blood on it. Probably stains from Rey's tears. Doesn't care. With that on he'll sit back on the bed with rey, the mattress shifting with his weight.
Oh and BB-8 was MAKING NOISES IN THE BACKGROUND. Like "oH NO HES HOT" Noises. ]
Lando won't be here for a while. [ He thinks. He doesn't really have an idea. Lando could be 15 minutes away but he doubts it. -- Also he doesn't realize how weirdly suggestive that could kinda sound to an over-tired young woman who has been grieving and also filled with such Thirst ] When was the last time you had eight hours of sleep?
picture Rey with a series of ellipses and question marks above her head
And before she has time to properly appreciate that situation, she's on the bed and she's wearing his shirt and he's wearing that shirt and she just.
What.
W h a t.]
I...
[what]
I don't remember. Why are you wearing that?
[She's honestly kind of horrified. It's morbid. Never mind that she's slept curled up with that thing... a lot more than she wants to admit, honestly. The fact that he's wearing the thing that he died in, the only thing she had left of him to haul off that planet, is kind of freaking her out and making her want to burst into tears again.
She's not going to. Probably. There was that whole shirtless moment and part of Rey's brain is reminding her that kissing is always an option.
But for now she's just going to kind of gape at him slightly openmouthed. Because what.]
Confused but slightly aroused. a story by Rey of Jakku
[ And some how still glisten erotically in a place with Zero Moisture.
Also he's ben solo infusing it okay. He has no idea when he's gonna get clothes again. THIS MAY BE IT.
But cool. State of shock isn't ideal but it's a start???? STOP HER???? SOMEHOW???
A gentle nudge at her shoulder as he attempts to get her to lay down with him. If she goes easily, he'll drape an arm over her side. Touching her seemed to be the best way to anchor her even a little. ] How did you learn how to heal through the Force?
[ Tell him the story of how you fucking stole from Luke Skywalker, Rey. Give tons of details and ramble on for centuries. ]
it would be more than slightly but the poor girl needs a nap
This is fine. This is... more than fine, honestly, though she's dimly aware that there was a sequence of events that ought to have involved showering and not curling back up with your possible delusion wearing the clothes he died in jfc Ben.
His arm around her is nice. And despite her feelings about what he's wearing, the shirt he gave her is nice, too. Easy to snuggle down into a bit like she used to with a pile of threadbare blankets in an AT-AT, except this time she didn't need to use it as a substitute for the warmth and security of another person. Because as soon as she lets herself relax even just a fraction of a percent, she realizes that Ben Solo is somehow, despite all odds, an actual source of calming energy. At least to her, right now. It's strange, but welcome.
She allows herself to seek the contact she knows they both want and snakes her arm around his waist in return before curling her other arm beneath her head like a pillow and just letting herself look at him for a moment. It's something she hasn't allowed herself to do nearly as much as she'd like, because there's a part of her that's still afraid to trust that he's real.
She's just starting to sink into the feeling of warmth and calm when he asks the question and she can't help but smile a little.]
I read about it in the Ancient Jedi texts after I stole them from your uncle.
[That would be right before she mailed herself him in a supreme act of incredibly poor judgment that somehow actually paid off. She realizes that perhaps he isn't actually clear on that whole timeline, but the context is kind of dangerous territory, so she kind of glosses over the details when she explains how she and Luke had an argument that led to her decision to leave.]
I needed more information than he was willing to give at the time. I probably would have returned them, but...
[Yeah, that'll be more dangerous territory that Rey is just going to steer entirely away from.]
After that it was only a matter of study and practice, as I'm sure you're aware. Leia helped me train.
[Which, come to think of it, probably explains a lot about why Leia was the one able to rip her son forcibly back from the dead. Of course she had a natural gift for Force healing that she'd been able to guide Rey in.]
shhhshhhshhhhhhhhhhhh i totally editted the subject line
It seems like you've made pilfering from my family a habit.
[ He doesn't pull away from her lips much, the result is him mumbling that in to her mouth. As if that isn't distracting enough he starts to run his fingers along her back in soothing little shapes. ]
Any other new techniques I should know about?
[ Somehow this plan is kinda working? It's probably his tits. The sight of them alone knocks the panic attack RIGHT OUTTA HER.
Can't blame her. honestly that could be an effective technique to disrupt the physiological effects enough to counter a panic attack]no subject
Mhm.
[She's not particularly keen on elaborating right now. The kissing and touching and smiling have won out over the part of her that doesn't actually understand how and why any of this is happening. Who cares. She's not even trying to cling to him in that earlier desperate please-don't-disappear way anymore; now she's just let the tension start to drain out of her bit by bit. In the process of doing that she does end up pressing more of herself agaist him than is probably great for either of their attempts to not bang rn, but that's not her intent. He's just warm and safe and feels good to be close to, and this bed is smaller than ideal and Rey's finally choosing not to be scrunched up into a ball of defensive anxiety.]
I'll show you. Later.
[It's murmured in between small, gentle, almost-tasting kisses. She's not trying to initiate anything so much as she just really, really enjoys the feel of his lips on hers and wants to memorize them in case this somehow turns out not to be real.
She's also probably unaware of the slight teasing innuendo behind her words, because this girl has had a lot of alone time to think of practical applications of the Force that are absolutely 100% not Jedi approved.
But she really does mean later. She's content to fall asleep here at some point in between kisses because her body is just absolutely 100% done with her bullshit.
Sorry, Ben.]
you know whats not helping this existential crisis? Me having the song from inception playing in the
I'll wake you up before Lando gets here.
[ Honestly, it's tempting to let her sleep through it. She needs the sleep. But shes just gotta be the last goddamn jedi and she's got Shit she has to do. Oh well... at least he can do this for her.
He's just gonna facilitate this entire sleeping process by running his hand over her hair gently. He's not going to pull it out of the buns, that's some Serious Hair Kink foreplay that he'll get into later. But he's doing his BEST to relax her okay? ]
cockblocked by your existential crisis, a tragedy by Ben Solo
Unfortunately for us all, that's all going to have to wait because Rey is, as mentioned, passed entirely out. She probably snores a little. There may be drool involved. It's not terribly attractive or graceful, honestly. But that's what happens when you're running on stress, PTSD, and bad ideas for days at a time. You crash, and crash hard.
At some point, she'll wake up, probably to BB-8 making a commotion again. It doesn't sound like he's threatening to shoot Ben or anyone else, so she'll just take her time rejoining reality for a while. The droid is probably just being the Lando alarm system, but Ben said he'd wake her, and things are probably about to get confusing and loud again sooner than she'd like so she's just gonna open one eye a little to make sure the warm presence she's curled up on is still real.]
Ben?
cockblocked by the subject line letter limit a ballad by Naima. Also have this short fanfic
A whole lot of shit has gone down.
Ben had lay there with Rey for a good long while with BB-8 just hawking over the both of them in the background. He's never heard so much nervous chirping in his goddamn life.
And then Rey's comm unit goes off. And it's just kind of a MAD SCRAMBLE TO GET IT TO SHUT OFF. Ben rolling off the bed, BB-8 zooming across the dusty room. Trauma bonding. And there's a moment when they've both got their hands (...metal claw in bb's case??) on it and--
Wait.
What do they do with it?
Ben just makes the wonderfully Han Solo judgement call of "Fuck it I'm gonna answer".
So, here's Ben Solo making his way across the room and sitting just outside the door which-- feels oddly exposing. Thankfully BB-8 grabs him one of those chiffon infinity scarf THINGS that Rey always wears and he's able to kinda just... drape it around and over his head. Sun protection. Identity protection. He also looks like he's failing at cosplaying Nathan Drake.
Once he connects the line there is immediately a barrage of worried banter from Lando. Like. Trying to figure out what is going on, but also trying to play it cool. This is a tone that Han got. A lot of.
'Tell me what's happenin'?' Lando is sounding desperate. Sorry bud, Ben just didn't answer because he's just
How? ]
Rey's not available at the moment.
[ It's a long pause. An obscenely long pause. BB-8 pokes his head out and looks at Ben sweating quietly long pause.
'Ben?' Lando says that carefully, as though he were disarming a bomb and not giving a simple greeting. ]
Yes.
[ The response this time is near immediate. And Loud. Ben has to pull the device away from himself loud. It's a shout of--
'MISTER FRACKIN' BEN HIMSELF--!'
With Wookie screaming and the quiet sound of some girl confused about wHO THE FUCK IS BEN AND WHY ARE THEY SO HAPPY TO HEAR HIM?? ALSO WHY IS HE WITH REY?? SHE WAS BY HERSELF.
The resulting confirmation is just this confused mix of emotions that Ben isn't fully capable of dealing with at the moment. But he can... try and clear things up. Like the first question of 'I thought you were dead' is just met with:
And there's a Lot he isn't comfortable with discussing over even a secure line. So, story time is going to have to wait.
Also?? He realizes Lando hasn't checked in on Rey since he dropped her off and Rey is pretty good at faking that she's fine and So. Yeah wow. This is an awkward position. ]
She should touch base with you.
[ In response to 'do i even need to come by? Sounds like you have everything handled'
Which Lando is taking his response as the cryptic warning/cry for help that it is. Like. Okay so Leia always looked at Rey like she looked at Ben. Lando figured there was something there that he wasn't piecing together. He'd asked if Rey was a long lost Actual Sister (half as a joke.... only half) and Leia had been Cryptic.
Just now his brain is making the connection of Ben and Rey.
Chewie is beyond aggravated. He literally dropped Rey off for a dark side booty call. He was the original Reylo enabler. And fortunately Jannah is completely lost so there is no space for her to figure out that they are talking to Literally Kylo Ren.
'I'll be there.' That's a promise. But.. yeah. Lando is gonna have to take some back channels, because this just turned from checking up on a Jedi to checking up on former Supreme Leader Most Wanted Dead Asshole In The Galaxy AND a Jedi. He doesn't need any one chasing after him.
Well. That went better than expected. Even BB-8's impressed.
Trauma bonding at it's finest.
So. Cool. He's got a few more hours. He'll wander inside and... yeah he's got not much else on his schedule for the day so he's going to lay down next to Rey, curl himself back around her as gingerly as possible and...
man. He can't even sleep right now. The weird crisis of "I was dead for over two weeks and I didn't even realize it" is shaping into some real "what if I close my eyes and this just stops permanently???" territory. He's just swallowing it whole. He's got no time to digest this. He doesn't need those thoughts seeping into Rey because he fucking Broke his girlfriend by saving her life and then dying and then coming back. He's not feeling really great about much right now.
BB-8 quietly and nervously putters around in the background, making and remaking piles because the level of nerves going on here is Astounding. Off the charts.
As it turns out? It's many hours later when Lando arrives. The sun's begun to dip below the horizon and the heat has blessedly abated. They get a bit of a heads up before the Falcon hits atmo, but the sound of it screeching overhead is what gets Ben to pull away from Rey again. He just needs to tell them "hey keep quiet let me go get her".
And he really Really intended to say that. Was looking all cool and darkside as he struts out of the hut and goes towards the Falcon just as it's dropped it's ramp and--
Well. It didn't go according to plan. Nope.
He's immediately descending upon by Chewbacca and Lando. There's the screaming commotion there. Leia had probably made some Vague hint towards what she had wanted to give her life for. But Lando and Chewbacca thought it was more about Leia deciding to end herself with her son and HOW WERE THEY SUPPOSED TO MAKE THE LEAP TO SHE WAS BRINGING HIM BACK?
So they'd been mourning a Leia who had given up along with Ben who had been lost forever. And they were Gonna be cool about it until they saw him and they weren't.
But that's not the reason for BB-8's alarmed chirping and commotion.
Nope.
That starts when Jannah peeks her head out the ramp and spots KYLO REN??????? AND HER EXPRESSION COMPLETELY CHANGES BECAUSE WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON.
Also Rey if you come outside don't you think for a second that Chewbacca and Lando aren't going to suddenly corral you into this spontaneous burst of celebration. This is just how this crew runs.
Except Jannah who is looking caught between not doing anything (If u don't move, Kylo Ren won't see u), running to grab a blaster, or just CALLING THE ENTIRE DAMN RESISTANCE IN. (BB-8 is attempting to talk her down because nO IF HE CANT CALL DAD U CANT EITHER) ]
pls do not shoot the idiot child, Jannah
Also her legs don't quite cooperate with her entirely, since her body really, really was not ready to surrender that whole sleep thing it's been fighting her on for days now.
So it takes a few minutes.
Rey has paused to grab her lightsaber because even though by the time she's outside she's realized that it's just Lando and Chewie, it just seems like a good thing to have on hand. She's also just kind of not bothered to take off Ben's shirt because she's not thinking about how this will look and also probably wouldn't care if she were thinking. But eventually she does make it out the door, and there's a moment of general celebration in which both Lando and Chewie pull her into hugs that she just sort of dazedly accepts.
And then she spots Jannah.
Jannah, who doesn't know the whole story, but most certainly has seen Ben Solo before.
Rey manages to break away from the celebratory huddle long enough to take a few steps toward the ex-Stormtrooper, hand outstretched in what could be a placating gesture but also might mean she absolutely will Force-throw you back to the Falcon if you reach for that blaster. She's also very, very deliberately placed herself in the most direct line between Jannah and Ben.]
"It's all right. He's no threat to any of us."
I LEGIT JUST FORGOT THAT JANNAH HAS SEEN KYLO IN THE FLESH THO
'Last time I saw him you were fighting each other in the ocean--!'
Don't kink shame, Jannah. That's how they flirt.
Chewie has caught up to what's going on and he doesn't sound happy that Jannah is threatening THE LAST THING HE HAS LEFT OF HAN SOLO. Ben had just managed to extricate himself from the forced affection when Chewbacca just goes and shoves him behind his gigantic wookie body.
He would nearly rather be dead. Why was he brought back for this humiliation????
LANDO LANDO TO THE RESCUE.
'Hey, no need to get riled up,' Never mind. Lando is failing at this. 'It's complicated, just give me a chance to explain.'
He's taking this downfall of explaining the trash family because he has now noticed Rey sporting a Very large Dark Side looking shirt and Very mussed sleepy hair. He doesn't think they've fricked the frack, but he's realizing Rey is probably not gonna be the best person for negotiations. So REY PLEASE BE AWAY FROM JANNAH BECAUSE HE IS A BIT AFRAID YOU WILL ACTUALLY HURT HER.
And you know.
This is only adding to the surreal nature of this Post-Death state for Ben. Do you know the last time several people threw themselves in front of him to protect him?????? He actually can't remember. Like he's fairly sure it's never happened. And he's just having Emotions and confusion about all of this like. Please he's only been alive for a few hours he needs a Drink. ]
Rey could you dial it back from 11 pls like maybe to 9.5 or so? Just asking.
Remember that rage she's been sitting on entirely unable to vent? There's a small (or not so small) part of her that really, really wants to just fuck something up as payback for everything she's just had to experience. And on the one hand, she likes Jannah well enough. But on the other, right this second she would love for someone to give her a reason to just go entirely batshit. Banthashit? Whatever. She wants to rage and scream and hit something with a glowy sword or the Force or whatever object is nearest and the person she usually vents those feelings to has been through kind of a lot and all she wants to do is protect him now.
It's safe to say that Rey still has a few screws loose somewhere, but she's rational enough to reach for that calm place that somehow kept her from striking down grandpa and slowly back away until she's standing next to Ben. She's not taking her eyes off Jannah and Lando, just in case the woman decides she wants revenge on behalf of herself and her fellow ex-Stormtroopers, but she'll hold out a hand for Ben to take. For moral support. Or. Whatever. It's anyone's guess who needs it more now.
What she really wants to do is drag him back inside or onto the Falcon -- she'll have go in and round her things up in a bit, including the lightsabers because now that Ben's back they're his, too, so they're probably not just getting shoved back into the ground on this stupid planet. And the stolen Jedi texts because someone's gotta keep an eye on that shit.
Right now she just wants him out of the line of fire, so if he takes her hand she's gonna try to sneak off with him in whatever direction seems most convenient while Lando tries to explain this nonsense.]
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Chewie is a mother hen and he's going to follow after the both of them. Really to make sure no one accidentally kills someone. That is Chewbacca's job. Keeping the Skywalkers from killing one another. Kinda failing at it tbh.
Ben would love to know what the hell she's planning right now but he can't really get a good grip below the surface level anger and annoyance. And-- yeah. He's recovering. They are two people who are emotionally stretched to their very limits and completely unable to cope. They'll get two steps into the hut before Ben's just gotta be straight forward and try to stop the momentum ]
Rey.
[ Down to Tatooine. Out of the Dark. With the rest of us space chickens ]
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Rey's got it together juuuuuust enough to realize that she's been rapidly losing her grip on reality here and she doesn't want to stay, so she's just going to step around Ben and start gathering up her few important belongings and shoving them into a bag.]
I'm fine now. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you, that's all.
She's really, really aggressively shoving things into that bag. That's a really disrespectful way to treat the Jedi texts, Rey.
BB-8 has rolled back in to try and help her, so now she's just trying not to trip over the nervous droid as it attempts to anticipate her movements and get to the thing she wants before she does. It's frustrating enough that she pauses for a moment to actually look at Ben again.]
We're leaving. I don't care where we go. Lando won't care where we go. So if you have an opinion, feel free to offer it now.
[She's not annoyed at him. She is annoyed. She still really wants to hit something and it's absolutely definitely not gonna be Ben. She might start yelling at him if he decides to hover, though.]
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someone's gotta have placed a bet on how long it would take them to say it
He has wanted to say it but was kinda afraid he was gonna break rey more if he did.
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BENJAMIN CHEWBACCA SOLO I STG
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off-topic but not rly: I'm listening to Frozen 2 and specific songs are a big mood here.
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jesus god they're never gonna fuck but i love it bc slow burn is my jaaaaaam
BEN JUST WANTS TO GET SOME UNINTERRUPTED SLEEP FIRST OKAY
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in which Rey is a vicious tease.
in which ben solo has no understand of how normal humans act
Rey: *just quietly implodes*
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writes an entire speech
better than any of Hux's speeches tbh
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makes everything worse or better idfk
Bruh its both
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coping skills: n o p e.
coping skills: laughs in star wars
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this sure didn't get any better!!!!
ITS ALL FINE. DONT WORRY. NOTHING TO SEE HERE AS REYS LIFE CASUALLY LIGHTS ON FIRE.
does he kiss his mother with that mou -- whoops nvm
excuse me wtf I never said I was gonna bring out the porgs.
look it's either dick or porgs i don't make the rules
okay porgs were first on his ideas list, then booze, then finding something for her to fix
all A++ ideas tbh, good thinking Ben
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lord I spent 24 hours dealing with sick children pls send help enjoy Disney!
What if I just send more children.
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writes this high on Nyquil thanks kids for the plague
Rings bell and screams BRING OUT UR DEEEEEEEEEEAD
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isn't the desire to fuck han solo just part of the galaxy's collective consciousness?
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current soundtrack: desire by meg myers. you're welcome.
LMFAO I'm tagging u at an airport gate sO UR WELCOME TOO
ofc now I've just got Lin Manuel Miranda singing you're welcome in my brain gj self
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these icons ruin everything lmfao
you misspelled "enhance the entire experience exponentially"
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remember the good old days when it was just Rey on the verge of a panic attack?
honestly we're all impressed he's kept it together this long
They are a relay race of keeping it together. It's a balance.
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I literally fell asleep halfway through writing this last night lmao
LMFAO. It was your intentions that counted most
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i didn't write this at the dentist, go me
I DIDNT WRITE THIS AT WORK GO US
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