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
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But he's trying to fit his Large body into the space, one knee up while the other leg has to dangle off to the side, and then arrange the blanket and. Water. He tips it to his mouth and nearly chokes on it. A single loud cough to clear his throat and he's just. A little too greedy with the H2O.
Oh.
It occurs to him now, her sitting on the floor and him crammed up into a bunk that seems to be designed for average size humans at the most that-- this. This is kind of weird. Not the "coming back to life" thing, that's a whole different beast. But... Just talking with Rey and it isn't the end of the galaxy stakes? ]
I'm not sure there's a "right way" that could have gone.
[ While not entirely a helpful response... it is true. He actually cannot picture a scenario with him walking into a Resistance base that could have gone well. Even if he was chained up and marched in.
He is now taking much more careful drinks of water. Please don't judge him too harshly, Rey. He's had a rough day. ]
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We can't stay here for long.
[If they do, she's liable to punch Poe right in the face and no one needs that to happen. Her head falls back against the wall and she sighs, shifting uncomfortably. Ben's doing better, at least. He's talking. And isn't dead, so they have that going for them.]
You should rest while you still can.
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And then there's the sudden realization in his mind that while his bond with Rey is strong and bright... his mother's isn't there anymore. Right in the heart of a Resistance base and he can't sense a thing. Rey had explained in brief terms and he'd accepted it. But it was an entirely different thing to actually solidify it.
He hesitates for a moment as he sets down the canteen, then all at once decides that he can't afford to be shy right now. Rey can feel what he's feeling and she'll understand. ]
Are any of -- [ He has to swallow his anxiousness and push through ]-- my mother's things here?
[ Jewelry, clothes, her growing sense of her disappointment with her son. ]
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Rey lightly nods before looking over to make eye contact.]
She had [she's very careful to use the past tense there] things in her quarters. I can go get them for you.
[She half hopes he suggests they go together later. The idea of having to go gather Leia's things alone is deeply distressing. But the past year of her life has been nothing but trauma, so she guesses this is just another day in the life of Rey.
Her arm flops his way, hand seeking out his. She needs the physical contact, and thinks he might benefit from it too.]
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I can come.
[ Even if he has to dress up like chewbacca or a droid or something to avoid being shot.
And an easy silence falls over them as he can feel the vertigo and nausea fade away. He'd been running at break neck speed for a while and right now? He just wants to enjoy a bit of peace. ]
Thank you.
[ It's murmured and quiet. His eyes flick down to their hands briefly before he turns to make eye contact with Rey. He is well aware how much she has just put her own ass on the line. ]
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You would do the same for me.
[Now he would. A few days ago he might've destroyed a few planets just because she died. It's hard to tell what could've ended up happening if he hadn't turned against the dark side.
Without saying anything else, she moves to crawl into the best next to him. He's taking up all the space, but she easily sits at his side. She's potentially getting into position to try and kiss him again, but it feels awkward to try now that they're not caught up in a dramatic embrace in the middle of a battlefield.]
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She comes climbing up in to his bunk, there really is no space here. All the scooting and shifting in the world doesn't help the fact that she's half hanging out of the space. So when she clambers in, he urges her to just lay on top of him. He's got plenty of chest area for this very thing.
Is he catching on to the 'kissing' undertone? YOU BET HE ISN'T.
For now he's limited to getting his arm under her and lifting her up on to himself. He'll just not remove his hand from the contact it has with her. Because he's ~tired~.
It's a nice moment.
One which is interrupted by a muffled commotion outside of the Falcon. It doesn't sound too awful at this point, but it doesn't sound like Poe's satisfied with whatever answer Chewie and Lando are giving. ]
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This is...really close. Intimate in a way she's never experienced and isn't sure what to do with. Any thought of kissing or closeness is wiped away and she just tries to keep her heart from racing. Maybe he's so out of it that he doesn't notice.
It doesn't really matter, because she thinks she can fall asleep like this. And she almost does, up until she hears Poe outside the Falcon. She makes a sound of disapproval and buries her face against the curve of his neck.]
Hitting him would be wrong. But it's tempting.
[It really sounds like Poe's going to force his way inside, with Finn right on his tail. She should...do something about that. Really she should. But she's so tired.]
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Chewie may do it for you.
[ His voice is growing softer as his body comes down from the adrenaline rush of being reborn. The surreal nature of this all isn't helping him get level, but at the very least he may get some space to relax. Being this close to Rey does make it somewhat easier for him. He isn't noticing her anxiety or her want, he's noticing her acceptance and warmth. He doesn't feel like he could ask for much more right now.
--Uh and Poe appears to be getting angrier. Lando and Chewbacca are gonna have to drag Finn and Poe until they are a safe distance from the base at this point. Lord have mercy he is LOUD when he's mad.
Ben just doesn't have the energy to be annoyed. He will after he gets a few hours of shut eye and a proper meal, but everything is almost this dreamlike blur. Comparable to when he's running on zero hours of sleep and is getting by using stims. Well... closer to when he's about to crash after using stims. We won't get into how he would just take more generally because that is the type of self-destructive person he is (Never mind poe does the same shit because he and poe are nearly brothers. wtf leia). But he's not gonna be doing that trick right now.
Rey's tension and stress rolls through his body. As much as he likes laying in this space with her, he also doesn't want a whole battalion of Resistance fighters marching in to try and tie him up and burn him while he's alive. Seems like it would ruin the mood. ]
You should delegate. [ Since she seems to be taking this entire thing on herself. He is well aware that Rey is prone to tackling huge issues on her own without informing anyone else. Like. This whole thing between them is prime evidence. ] Chewie and Lando understand what's going on.
[ Enough to drag his sorry ass from a sith rave all the way to the rebel base which is the worst place to smuggle any sort of Supreme Leader. Even if it was just his corpse. So. They can explain so she doesn't accidentally fry them with some signature Force Lightning. ]
Then compromise and tell your friends when you will explain.
[ .......... okay this is shockingly good advice. Like, he wasn't a very focused Supreme Leader. But at the very least he understood some key tenants of leadership and not completely overwhelming yourself.
Ones which he broke all the time because, like rey, he has zero chill.But the principle still stands. Let Lando and Chewbacca explain the very basics "Yes that's Kylo Ren. Yes we brought him here. Look this is Leia's last act so please be fUCKING RESPECTFUL." and buy herself some time to rest and get more level-headed. ]
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It wouldn't be honoring Leia at all.
With a soft huff of protest, Rey dislodges herself from the tiny bunk and shuffles her way toward the hatch to lower it. She's barely able to stand she's so tired, but she's doing this. It's going to be fine.
Over the next thirty minutes, Rey discovers it in fact is not fine. She and Poe get into a shouting match that ends with Finn begging her not to be near Ben. Chewie and Lando help her explain the basics of who he is and the man he is now, and she understands that it's not possible for others to want to accept that Ben Solo doesn't have to pay for Kylo Ren's crimes. Ben can earn redemption, but it's decided that he can't stay there for more than one night. It's only Rey's final, desperate attempt to explain Leia's final act and gift that gets Finn to finally cave in. He can hear the emotion in her voice and see the exhaustion in her eyes. He ignores his own hurt and upset in order to drag Poe away, and Rey insists that Lando accompany them and get something to drink. She doubts he'll mind that.
When she finally stumbles her way back inside, she collapses on the bench surrounding the holochess table. Rey puts her elbows on the table, and leans forward to bury her face in the palm of her hands. It's not complete privacy, but she tells herself that Ben is likely asleep by now. Despite the screaming match and feeling her distress through the force. Surely he's asleep. But just in case -]
We can have one night here.
[It's called out, a way to quickly summarize the conversation.]
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But his head is so blissfully quiet.
There may be a soft grunt in response, but not much more.
But don't worry.
Chewbacca is still up.
He'll come rumbling in a minute or two after Rey does, carrying what appears to be a huge cushioned pad and blankets. He'll lay it on the ground (The crew's quarters may be better, but the Falcon's been full to the brim with supplies for the Resistance. They'd have to DIG them out at this point) and move over to "shush" Rey out of her spot. He's making his way over to Ben and is remarkably quiet as he hefts the man up in his arms and lays him out on the padding.
Rey may note it looks like something Chewbacca had done a thousand times before.
A soft trill as he brushes at the man's hair... there's a lot of feelings right now. And of course Chewbacca is still angry with Ben, but things are never that simple with this family. This is the choice Leia made, this would be the choice Han would have made... Did make in so many ways. He would respect that.
He finishes just... what can only be described as "tucking" Ben in and turns to Rey.
REY COME HERE. HE WANTS TO HUG YOU. You cannot resist you are getting big furry Not Dad hugs. It's not super easy to translate, but he's essentially thanking her and also apologizing and also saying GOOD JOB. Just a lot of feelings and gratefulness. Once he pulls away, he'll inform her he's going to be keeping watch outside the Falcon with his bowcaster so get the sleep she needs. With all that said, he'll lumber off.
He and Lando are going to somehow have to handle this if news gets out, but they will BOOK IT IF THEY HAVE TO.
Oh and yeah of course there's enough room on the padding for her to lay as well. He's not a dumb ass. He had to share space with Leia and Han. THIS IS NO DIFFERENT. ]
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She doesn't resist the hugs much. There's a slight protest, more out of exhaustion than anything. But she relents easily, and curls in against him. She still has lingering guilt from thinking she killed him, and getting to have him here like this makes her feel so grateful. She thanks him for his help and tells him to come get her if he needs anything. He can handle any situation that arises, she knows. But she wants him to know she's there for him the same way he's been there for her.
And just like that, the night finally calms and quiets to the point where Rey feels safe trying to rest. She takes a moment to remove her boots before collapsing on the padding next to Ben. It's obvious that Chewie made room for her too, and she's grateful as she gracelessly flops into the empty space. It's a matter of seconds before she gives in to the exhaustion and passes out. If she winds up curling up against him in her sleep, it's not her fault. He's warm and comforting and right there beside her.]
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But this time he's not in his quarters, things hit him at different points and he nearly just rolls back over to sleep because of the familiarity of the Falcon itself.
--Then he realizes it's the Falcon.
Oh. Right. Right.
There's no need to feel alarm or panic, but he can't help the sheer disorientation of his entire life being tossed upside down within a matter of like... 48 hours? Hard to tell. And then he had died? Right? One of his hands presses against his chest as if to check his own heart beat.
Well, if last night was a fever dream of a dying man-- this is a strange extension of it.
Especially when his hand moving to his chest jostles Rey. Who is nearly laying wholly on top of him.
This is a lot. His mind is catching up to things and-- oh look. There's a canteen of water (Left by Chewie), he's gonna make a reach for it because DYING IS DEHYDRATING. He'll take a few more drinks before setting it aside and... Laying down with Rey. He guesses???
That seems fine.
Don't mind him as he, in a completely platonic manner, definitely just friends, brushes hair out of her face. And gives her a gentle look of awe at someone he has certainly friend-zoned. He's stuck between waking her or not, but-- his energy is up. Hers may respond in kind. ]
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She's definitely not used to sleeping near someone, much less on them. She shifts, feeling warmth and weight beneath her. With a gasp she bolts upright, looking all around. Her palms press flat against the body beneath her, and thankfully it doesn't take her long to remember where she is and what happened the day before.]
Ben.
[She breathes out his name in relief, smiling down at him. It's a completely platonic look of adoration. Really.]
You're still here.
[Which is usually what happens when you bring someone back to life. Really she's just worried she had dreamed the entire thing.]
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I'm fairly sure someone would shoot me if I tried to leave.
[ Yes. He is here and he is sassy. Also he is urging her to lay back down because she's letting the cold air into their Platonic pile of blankets. Once she lays back down he'll gently start to run his fingers across her back. ]
How are you feeling?
[ He has a vague recollection of how angry and tired she was last night. And the fact that it was really clear she'd been crying... Just a Lot. It'd be nice to have confirmation that that was not the case any longer. ]
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Better.
[Things were all over the place yesterday. But now she's feeling calm and hopeful that everything will be fine. Her hand idly starts to trail up and down along his side, fingers working a trail along his body as she goes. It's completely surreal to have him here like this, and to be fortunate enough to be able to be this close to him.]
I'm able to think clearly now, and I know what I have to do.
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And yes he's keeping his mind away from the kiss because the few moments leading up to his death seemed very surreal and "Rey is touching me? and my face and hair and???" and as soon as he was happy he proceeded to die. So. It's an understandable conclusion. Probably not real. ]
Does it involve hitting Dameron?
[ Please say yes. He may actually get a boner from his Not!Older brother getting beat up by his platonic force wife. ]
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[She laughs, because is it a joke? Is she serious? Only time will tell.
Her soft, exploratory touch ends with her fingers curling against his hip. They're making small talk about beating up Poe while lightly touching one another and it's the most normal feeling thing she's experienced in a long time.
And this platonic cuddling is about to get awkward because Rey lifts her head to make eye contact and winds up doing some unintentional bedroom eyes before feeling drawn in to kiss him. It's one of those spur of the moment things, only this time they're not on death's door or in danger. Her hand on his hip grips marginally tighter, as her other hand goes to press against his cheek. When her lips press against his, it's not hesitant or unsure.
The fact that this all happened in a matter of seconds after she joked about beating someone up is probably weird but you can take the girl out of Jakku but you can't take the Jakku out of the girl.]
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Oh. His mind actually goes a bit blank. It's easier to respond when your doped up on desperation and the heightened feelings which come from taking down Palpatine. Again. But this is quieter... not really a spontaneous burst of release. But he melts into it easily anyway.
He presses back into her, hands stilling as he closes his eyes and absorbs every inch of warmth she offers him.
And-- lord. Whenever she pulls away he's going to have that dumb goofy and beautiful grin on his face again. ]
Good to know that wasn't a hallucination.
[ Murmured into her mouth because this is really the only place he wants to be right now. ]
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[She makes a vague sound of agreement before kissing him again. It's still gentle and slow, but there's a growing hunger that has Rey has to be mindful to keep under control. She doesn't want to scare him or overwhelm either of them. Not yet. Everything is treading on a delicate line, and one wrong move could ruin everything.
Her fingers curl against his cheek before her hand slips away completely, moving to press against his chest instead. She reluctantly breaks the kiss and bows her head so their foreheads press together. Her breathing is a little quicker now, and her cheeks flushed.]
It's better now than it was before.
[Probably because it isn't desperate and they have all the time in the world stretching out before them. Or all the time in the world before reality settles in and they have to get up and moving.]
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But in all honesty he's content to stay with her forehead pressing to his, laying on this musty old sleeping pad in this pile of Not So Platonic blankets. This... this had really been his prize. What he wanted and desperately grabbed at. He just had to work through a lot to get there.... a lot.
His hands are now going to creep up her body until he can cradle the back of her neck and thread through baby fine hairs at her nape. He really wants to take those mussed up buns out, but... okay they don't have the privacy for that level of kink right now. ]
I love you.
[ My god this sap has been wanted to say that shit for a while. ]
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But she does know what she feels, and isn't blind to the reason why she sacrificed everything to save him.]
I love you too.
[She feels way too vulnerable after saying that. But it's a good feeling. Her lips just barely graze against his, less a kiss and more a show of affection. They love one another, it's out in the open.
Does this make him her boyfriend? Are they basically married now? What happens next??]
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Ladies and gentlemen. The Enforcer of the First Order. The Last Supreme Leader of the First Order. Curled around his force wife and grinning like a school boy.
Can he kiss her again? He's doing it. He's kissing her again. He's really bad with words, but he's somewhat better with his actions. ]
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And oh -
They're kissing again. She definitely doesn't mind that either. They've both said they love the other, which is huge for people like them. But something physical like this is easier in some ways, at least as far as Ben's concerned. Her lips part for him, allowing him to deepen the kiss as he likes. She easily loses herself in the warmth of him, the feel of her lips against his. It would be easy to spend the entire day like this, but she knows they have responsibilities to attend to. It's only because those responsibilities relate to Leia that she breaks the kiss to say]
We really should be getting up.
[Note that she says that with zero conviction. Kissing Ben is much better than facing the outside world.]
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They have to go get Leia's things, he knows. And after that, he could probably just hide out in the Falcon until Rey sorts out...
Just. Everything going on here.
But lord, he's still sore and exhausted. He can't imagine Rey's doing much better. She's still looking banged up herself, didn't have time to clean up before reviving him. And he still hasn't had a proper conversation with Lando and Chewbacca and that's just an entirely different level of exhaustion there. ]
Fine.
[ Murmured quietly as he starts to disentangle himself from her.
There may or may not be a surprise guest waiting for Rey outside so when we get to that point i'll let u kno](no subject)
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fun fact. currently drawing half naked mans back so this tag is perf