Littlewinnypsyco - Sugar-free Cookie

We're 10 days out from tros so I made y'all some memes.

Why so many people hate the thought of Kylo Ren’s redemption

The amount of hate geared toward the character of Kylo Ren has always seemed odd to me, especially considering how the same people have no problem with redemption arcs for characters like Snape, Loki, Magneto, Darth Vader (who is even in the same franchise, so the excuse can’t be that a redemption arc is somehow uncharacteristic to the SW universe) or less obviously evil/villainous characters like William Darcy, Heathcliff and countless others.

But what is different about the character? (And don’t even start with “murderer/fascist”, it is not about that and you know it. Fictional deaths can not be translated literally and if they could - why are they forgivable for the characters I mentioned above but not Kylo Ren?)

Kylo’s outer appearance may play a role: while I personally consider him to be waaayyy more attractive than any copy/paste Ken Hollywood actor (hello Chris Pine, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Chris Evans - WTH are they all named Chris?! They even copy/pasted their names :D), Adam Driver is not traditionally good looking. We as a society do treat prettier people way more lenient than someone “ugly” or normal looking, because we subconsciously attribute features like intelligence, health, kindness or generally overall goodness to them. So maybe we just think “ugly face = no way he could be a good guy”.

But I think the main factor is something different: 

It is Kylo Ren’s vulnerability and his non conformity to traditional portrayals of masculinity. He is very much NOT the typical stoic tormented hero we are used to be seeing. Instead, he is a sensible almost whiny teenage boy (Adam Driver explicitly states he plays him “younger than his own age”) who never properly learnt to control his emotions and lashes out whenever he feels wronged or overwhelmed. 

That is not typical male behaviour, especially in a movie. We are conditioned to think of it as something ridiculous. Real men don’t cry. Real men bottle up their feelings, even if it breaks them. Grim self destruction like drowning the pain in alcohol or getting beat up / beat up other people are far more accepted coping mechanisms in a man than complaining or saying things like “I am being torn apart” with trembling lips while tearing up.

That is not a stoic male: 

I claim that a lot of people (male AND female) are triggered by a male who dares to be emotional AND demands empathy. We are conditioned to feel that a man should only receive that sort of treatment when he denies his feelings, when he is “strong” and “hard” and closed off. We admire that, even in a villain. Darth Vader / Anakin gets a free pass because while he is conflicted and shows emotions they are “masculine” emotions like anger, rage and hate. He does tear up but they are angry tears. Someone like Kylo Ren, who is open and vulnerable, more so than they can handle, we perceive as pathetic and weak. 

This is why so many people not only hate the thought of Kylo Ren redeemed, but think he isn’t worthy of redemption. 

Look at his Sad Puppy Eyes™: Even when he’s violently smashing his mask he seems on the verge of tears. 

Compare this to angry Anakin: 

(The same sexism in reverse is the reason why so many label Rey a Mary Sue, even though her abilities are very much in character and explained / established well in the movies. Women are supposed to be weak and emotional and men are supposed to be strong and rational. Play with these norms and people are going to freak)

Dream growing more and more curious as to who Hob is having one sided conversations with 

I wanted to be Quicksilver on that scene, to make this.

I can ruin your entire life with only one parallel

Suffer...

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BTS RECREATE THEIR FAVORITE EMOJIS

» beauty & the beast; reylo parallels pt.2 (pt.1) - (pt.3)

BONUS:

ok but

do you ever just 

remember the way

these assholes

look at each other

and it just makes you

mentally unstable

like when they instantly found each other with their eyes on a fucking battlefield with over 30,000 men

because i can’t fucking deal 

with their shit anymore

you can literally feel the passion and love through their fucking eyes i’m done

with their fucking unresolved sexual tension 

people be like “why are you shipping jonsa they’re siblings”

honey these assholes ship themselves 

i am only a vessel 

Ben Solo marketing

They released the comics right before the premiere which made it clear that Ben Solo did not destroyed the Jedi Temple and did not kill any jedi student. He just wanted to get home. And that certain night when Luke tried to hurt his nephew, Luke Skywalker was indeed under the influence of Palpatine.

All of these meant to prepare the audience for the “ Redemption  ” and Ben Solo’s happy life…

Before JJ Abrams and his crew changed and destroyed everything. JJ Abrams and Chris T. changed, rewrote and undone everything has been set up since TFA//TLJ.