FlipScript (Flip the Script): Reylo Fics that are set in the Star Wars Canonverse, using the Star Wars characters, but instead of diverging from canon at any point, the author re-imagines completely new scenarios/scripts of how the characters meet and how their arcs cross and develop.
Be warned, you are about to read some serious fangirling. Maybe it’s due to “social distancing” as we are all trapped in our homes with time to think and read and write and think some more, but as I created this post I realized this might be my favorite category of Reylo fic - from both the quality of writing and re-imaging the paths for these characters. I love the characters in the last trilogy, but the story they are given, IMHO, isn’t worthy of them - these authors give them stories that let them shine.
Within Monsters by AnonymousMink @anonymousmink
Sick of her life on Jakku and finally at terms with the fact her parents aren’t coming back for her, Rey decides to take charge of her life and leave Jakku by applying and attaining a job at Galatech as a technician. Her first assignment finds her aboard The Finalizer where she catches the attention of the Master of the Knights of Ren and a cautious arrangement of force training grows into an attachment neither expected.
Whew, I’ve reflected a lot on how to convey the genius I find in this fic. Let me start by sharing something personal: I am a Reylo fan, not necessarily a Rey fan. I’ve never gotten a clear picture in my mind of who Rey really is and how she is portrayed on screen (and interpreted in fics, sometimes) fits with the backstory she is given in canon. It’s Adam Driver’s portrayal of Kylo Ren/Ben Solo that anchored me in this fandom. I find Kylo intriguing, I find his attraction/dynamic with Rey intriguing. But Rey rarely holds my interest on her own. AnonymousMink changed all that and penned a Rey that I can now imagine without confusion and a muddy outline.
In just under 133K words, Within Monsters is a Reylo that delivers a fully imagined Rey from the backstory she was given in canon. A humanized, at times relatable, character that is conscious of her flaws and fears, her vulnerability, hesitancy to trust, cautiousness to hope and strength to carry on ... for something better. This Rey isn’t boring, isn’t a Mary Sue, isn’t irrationally angry or inexplicably righteous, isn’t dependent on her relationship with Kylo Ren to make her interesting and her agency is her own. This is one of the few fics I have come across (Snare, listed below is another) that I read not just for the Reylo or the Kylo, but for the Rey. And for that accomplishment alone, I recommend this fic. Kylo is also portrayed very well in this fic. With having both of the leads fleshed out so well their Reylo arc is not only interesting and engaging, but cohesive and compelling within the secondary arcs. AnonymousMink’s Rey has me looking and thinking about the character in a new light - a light that brings depth to a female character by moving her from a charismatic character’s vaguely sketched love interest to an equally fleshed out counterpart.
Snare by @carasstarwarsmusings CaraRose
After the First Order falls into a trap, set up by the Resistance, Kylo Ren must survive Jakku while trying to figure out how to make contact with the rest of the First Order. He “enlists” the help of a local scavenger, Rey, and the adventure begins ... This is probably one of the best and most “accurate” depictions of Rey, for the backstory she was given by Hollywood. She’s everything you’d imagine an abandoned child, never shown compassion, would be. Scrappy, dependent on her instincts for survival with her loneliness and compassion constantly warring with her mistrust, not flawless and not polished. Rey’s character isn’t overly glossed in this, she’s not malicious, but moral high ground isn’t a concern of her daily survival. In Snare, it’s her vulnerability that she tries so hard to mask, and her hope that she tries so hard to silence, and a relate-able, inner doubt that she finds the strength to push down to take risks none-the-less. CaraRose’s version of Kylo is always spot on for me as well. He’s unapologetic and expertly masks any hints of vulnerability, loneliness or a longing for his path to have been different ... expect to Rey. The Reylo dynamic fuses seamlessly when CaraRose writes it. Kylo finds an unconditional loyalty and eventually love in Rey that his parents never afforded him and Rey finds the love of someone who will never leave her behind. There is a rawness to this story I find appealing, their realities are gritty and their love flawed, yet their entire arc is nearly perfect. Bonus for the Solo Family dynamics playing out how I have often imagined it myself - no one is perfect in this fic, but the Reylo is.
Innocents Lost by pontmercy44
This fic reads like a modern HS Reylo AU, but is set in Canonverse without erasing the backstories of either character. It’s not fluffy, but not overly heavy on the angst.
The Bronze Boy by @morgan-leigh M_Leigh
THIS IS THE ONLY TRUE VERSION OF BEN SOLO’S CHILDHOOD I WILL ACCEPT! I found M_Leigh’s writing when I was lost in the Sterek fandom years ago. The depth of emotion she is able to portray when fleshing out a character is exemplary. How she is able to imagine such details via the perspective of fictional characters is simply astounding to me. Technically this is a prequel, but as we get more from canon on Ben’s backstory, I am including this in the FlipScript post. It’s also, possibly, one of the best character studies I’ve read. Read this for the BEN. You have to squint to see the Reylo and imagine it from the viewpoint of a child trying to understand what the Force is trying to tell him. (For anyone who was into the Sterek fandom as well, I HIGHLY recommend Derek’s character study: this boy, half destroyed and Stiles’s character study: the blood blooms clean in you ruby. Honestly, I recommend them as quality reads even if you weren’t/aren’t in the Sterek fandom).
How Far the Distance by @spottytonguedog Crysania
Crysania is consistent in delivering well-written, well imagined fics in this fandom - and she doesn’t disappoint with this FlipScript. A technical anomaly with a radio randomly connects a fighter on a toxic planet and a slave girl on Jakku ... and then keeps connecting them.
Sand and Sundown by @awsaya
Rey keeps to herself and accepts her lonely existence until one night when the war comes to Jakku and she can’t resist rescuing an injured solider.
Hidden in Plain Sight by @reylonite Rhonda3Green
Han Solo finally locates his Millenium Falcon ... parked in the hanger of a respectable looking house, being worked on by a pregnant woman ... and after a brief introduction, they realize how they are connected.
