finally putting some older stuff on here @ w@ so if it looks familiar it probably is i am sorryyyyy i just wanna keep things in one place so i can pretend i’m organized sigh first draft of mermaid rey from like 2 yrs ago!! i need to draw her more her colors are so pretty… ; ;
“We’re going to win this war not by fighting what we hate, but by saving what we love.”
So I’ve been an emotional, Star Wars-driven wreck for the past two years—ever since Kylo Ren and Rey first appeared on screen. Even still The Last Jedi was like a bucket of cold water on my system. When I realized just how sexual the film was—that I was basically getting everything I’d wanted and more—I couldn’t breathe. Because holy s**t. Salt gods preserve us, they’re really going there. Give me some time to prepare myself *fumbling with pill bottle,* give me some time, I’m not ready *downing pills,* I’m not ready at all—
(Trust me, I love the film. I’m just in a state of shock at how ballsy it is.)
The Last Jedi is the most intelligent, multi-layered Star Wars movie to-date. It’s also my favorite out of the franchise, and with its creation Lucasfilm has finally won me over. After being gifted not once but twice with amazing stories and complex characters, I owe it to the filmmakers to say “you know what. You’re on top of this. I’ll wait to see how the story shapes up.” So this essay will be a little less critical than normal. But I’m still going to talk about what I saw.
For those of you who have followed this blog since the beginning, you’ll know it’s been awhile since I’ve written any “meta.” I’m an illustrator by trade, a fiction writer by night. Academic essays are not my natural element, which is why I tend to shitpost ad nauseum whenever someone leaves me too close to a keyboard. That said, in the days right after The Force Awakens I meta’d a lot. My most widely circulated essays were:
This work has aged in its technical execution over the past couple years, but I still feel pretty good about it. The writing was genuine and from the heart. Like many who saw the same things as I did on screen, I find it extremely validating to have our shared predictions proven correct. It’s such a weight off my shoulders to see that no, we weren’t imagining stuff, and yes, we can enjoy the dynamic between Kylo Ren and Rey in this way, in canon. After two years of constant harassment over a fictional “ship,” it’s a victory. I’ll never forget how we were treated. But I digress.
After writing the bulk of my meta post-Force Awakens, I didn’t feel like pumping out any more essays until I saw The Last Jedi. Then the bug bit and the urge came upon me again. The Force Awakens showed us what kind of dynamic would arise—namely “Reylo,” or a romantic relationship between Kylo Ren and Rey. The Last Jedi showed us where this dynamic will head. We’ve evolved from a Death and the Maiden motif to one that clearly depicts an Usurper and Holy Mother, which… wow. That dynamic has a lot of connotations associated with it, and it was not the film I was expecting to get. I’m still happy because it’s being depicted well, but Jesus its bold as f**k.
Additionally, to those of you who have been predicting since The Force Awakens that we’re going to get Anakin and Padme’s romance in reverse (“Show me, grandfather, and I will finish what you started,” Kylo repeats to the ghosts of his past, desperately wishing to do better):
^The other proposal for galactic domination. (external source)
Congrats. I’m pretty sure you’ll get your wish.
Of course this story is not “the same as […] Han and Leia,” as Rian Johnson assured the skeptics. The Sequel Trilogy is not inspired by them. The Last Jedi is deeper, mythic, and based around healing psychic wounds in the Force, caused by everyone’s favorite sand-hating hot mess.
A few housekeeping things that I want to get out of the way before I begin: this essay will be image heavy, and it currently clocks in at over 15,000 words. Yes, 15,000. Please for the love of Crait do not open it on tumblr’s mobile app, you will break it. A giant thank you to @ashesforfoxes for beta’ing, and a special shout out to @pixelrey for the images/gifs. I also want to say thank you to @ugnaught77. Your help in tracking down and compiling the visual references/videos was invaluable. Congrats on your Anidala predictions.
Alright, here we go: an essay even longer than Death and the Maiden. I hope you’re all ready for a Force-bonded Oedipus complex, because… welp…
Brilliant meta that makes me appreciate the writers of the Sequel Trilogy so so much. If everything Ohtze pointed out in this meta was intentional and planned ahead than my respect for the creators is now limitless.
Yesterday I realized that there’s a parallel between the cave scene and the well scene in Disney’s Snow White. While it’s not a big deal, it shows that some tropes – like water as the medium of omen/prophecy (although Snow White’s well isn’t magical, and the heroine treats it as such only in a playful manner), a love interest reflecting in the water (for me it’s certain that we see a glimpse of Kylo’s face before Rey sees her reflection in the cave), or even running away from your future love interest 😀 – are pernament in culture.
Thank you for pointing this out! I hadn’t thought about Snow White as having a reylo vibe before TLJ came out but the well scenes in both movies have very much in common.
The well in Snow White looks a lot like the darkside hole on Luke’s island. Or as many people already pointed out: a vagina in the shape of a well both of which are a metaphor for (female/dark) knowledge and wisdom. We recognise it because this kind of imagery speaks to our collective subconsciousness.
The comparison between TLJ and this classic fairy tale also fits wonderfully with the escape pod Rey uses to meet her prince. The thing suspiciously looks like a glass coffin and in both Snow White as well as TLJ is meant as metaphorical marriage bed.
“Problematic” characters that are loved by the public:
It’s okay to love him:
@pacificwanderer He is Shuu Tsukiyama from Tokyo Ghoul, also known as the gourmet ghoul. He’s bad, but he’s so good. And he has his redemption to become an anti-hero.
Look no further! I recently started this blog to help all starved Reylos to find media (fiction, art, podcasts, comics,…) that have a REYLO vibe.
My blog features villains, monsters, aliens, robots, wizards and of course ROMANCE!
Do you have recommendations? Submit or contact me! I would love to find new media through this blog.
Spread the word reylos💓
So @unashamedreylo recently asked for movie recommendations with REYLO vibes.
People responded with awesome suggestions and I’m gonna tag all of you. 😉
I know and love most of those movies. Give me a little time and I’ll feature each of them separately. I’ll also tag you in those posts if you don’t mind.
I created this blog so we can recommend stuff to each other and also because I want to feature lesser known pieces of media. I hope you’ll find something new and interesting on my blog.
Monsters and Villains 