I can't think of 5 ships. Just tell me how much you love Reylo. <3
I love Reylo. I was not expecting to love Reylo. I did not go into the theatre with my family on my brother’s birthday expecting any Reylo feels.
And then Kylo Ren did the bridal style swoop, catch, and carry and I felt a stirring. Oh no, nooooo don’t feel anything from that!
Next was the interrogation scene. Rey called Kylo out and HE REMOVED HIS HELMET AND NO I DID NOT ASK FOR THIS followed by Rey taking control and power from Kylo and spilling truth blue milk all over his ass. It’s such a great scene for Rey and Kylo as characters. Instead of puffing up his chest and acting the part of a cold and merciless monster like he did with Poe when he wanted information about the map, he made himself human to Rey, acting like a man instead.
Really, is it any wonder there are Beauty and the Beast and Hades and Persephone comparisons and AUs for this ship? The heart of those tales are all about balance. Here we have every story’s focal point: hero and a villain, representations of the Light Side and the Dark, two sides of the same coin, their fates intertwined for the rest of this trilogy and the big Star Wars question: How will balance to the Force be restored? The originals were about finding balance. The prequels were about the great loss of balance. What will the outcome of this trilogy be and how will they get there?
The fact that Kylo took off his helmet for Rey is a big deal, narratively speaking. He didn’t take it off when he was talking to Vader’s helmet, alone in his quarters - a private, personal scene that gave us a peek into who Kylo is.They could have kept Kylo in his helmet the entire time except for his scene with Han. But they didn’t. Instead both Kylo and Rey pick each other apart and lay each bare. It was truly this scene that birthed the ship because we see that Kylo and Rey have a connection and the beginning of their set up as adversaries on even footing. They can get under each other’s skin like no one else can.
It’s the idea of Kylo and Rey having great importance to each other that makes me ship them. They are worthy opponents for each other. They will meet again. Kylo had a family and he left them. Rey was left by her family. That’s interesting to play with for who they are and the choices they make. Contrasting mirrors. They’re important to each other’s character arcs regardless of shipping. Which is why it’s such a fascinating dynamic. Their lightsaber battle sealed the deal. That great chasm ripped between them at the end of their fight? Hello symbolism.
It doesn’t matter what happens between them in the sequels. Their interactions in The Force Awakens will always be there, those thrilling moments that excited our imaginations of the potential.
The angst. The questions of morality: finding the gray balance between the Light and the Dark sides. Pining. Slow-burn. The hard work and character development that puts them on a journey together that finally puts them on the same side and earning that peace and balance in the Force and between two lonely people who found each other despite all odds. Or perhaps they’re a tragedy, a What If had things been different.
I love it all. There’s so many ways to read them as a ship. They do so much for each other as characters. It’s beautiful and poetic. Future movies can’t take that away from this moment in fandom we’re living in, with all the fanfiction and theories at our feet from TFA alone.
I just love Reylo a lot. It makes me happy. :)
