you have compassion for her;

When Kylo Sees Water on His Hand - End notes of Anakin’s Dream ROTS

Rey in Mirror Cave - Anakin’s Dream ROTS and first notes of Across the Stars AOTC

Rey Before Snoke (probably the elevator scene)- Padme’s Ruminations and Star Wars Theme

Fight Over the Lightsaber - Han Solo and the Princess ESB

Rey Contemplating Waiting for Kylo to Turn - Across the Stars AOTC

Oh my dear, thank you so, so much for reaching out. I’m so glad that you caught this too, and that my meta spoke to you and helped you make sense of their interactions in the novel. 

I’m not sure if you’re aware, but there has been a minor backlash to the meta. Although I am very grateful for those who talked to me about their concerns respectfully, and I did try to address them and think the meta is much improved as a result, the truth is that I do stand behind my work. 

I didn’t mean to find this story– it found me!! I dove into the texts to try to make sense of the strange repeated use of this word “hunger” in the book– and the evidence I reported in the meta was right there, screaming at me. I couldn’t think of another way to make sense of what I was reading. Ben is hungry for Rey, and he is hunting her as a sexual / romantic partner. Just like Rochester “hunted” Jane Eyre. Like many, many other men have done throughout history. And Rey is so, so tempted, but she doesn’t give in, because she shouldn’t give in. She is doing what she needs to do.  

I think that we have to address the elephant in the room and ask ourselves these tough questions because you better bet that antis are going to exploit the fact that Rey is repeatedly stated as being “afraid” around Ben in the novel. Not to mention that there is clear use of hunter-prey language between her and Ben (e.g., him physically advancing on her). It’s Disney/Lucasfilm’s story to tell, and there is power for us as Reylos in understanding why these themes are there. 

So, I tried to lean into these complexities.  What is Rey afraid of? What is Ben hunting her, for, really? Why does he get closer, and stare, and then get even closer? It’s sex, plain and simple, and him trying to seduce Rey. Something that men have tried to do to women since the beginning of time. As Reylos, we shouldn’t be afraid of the fact that Ben / Kylo has this motive for Rey. The drive for sex is a natural, innate part of being a human being- let alone when you have a gorgeous bondmate who can accidentally stumble into your private chambers at any given moment. I mean most men would also probablytry to seduce Rey in Ben / Kylo’s position. And hell, many women probably would too if the roles were reversed.

Importantly, in my mind, Ben’s desire for Rey sexually, and attempts to seduce her, does not, in any way, demean her. It doesn’t mean that Ben isn’t crazy in love with her (he IS!) or doesn’t view her as an equal (he DOES!) or that he would ever, ever, do anything to hurt or disrespect her (he would NEVER!). Ben respects her, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t want her, or that he (or shall I say Kylo) isn’t going to try to seduce her using some questionable tactics (i.e., capitalizing on her weakness about her parents). RJ said as much in his Empire podcast- that Ben’s proposal was literally a mixture of an honest, open, raw, emotional appeal (Ben), while still maintaining that dark Kylo twist of trying to get Rey to do what he wanted and JOIN HIM. The whole point of the ending of TLJ was to show us that Kylo is still there– and that Ben still has work to do in order to be worthy of Rey. And when he does that work, and redeems himself, Rey is going to meet him toe to toe, as his equal, on her own accord. 

Not to mention that I truly feel the hunter/prey hunger dynamic not only fuels the Reylo story, but in my opinion, make it even BETTER and more badass. Why?

Reylo is a sexy, complex, ancient / primal, and utterly modern / feminist ship. It’s a relationship full of striking contradictions with powerful females and dark, male impulses, and thinly veiled sexuality and yearning on all sides. That’s why we’re all here. We’re going to get Soft, Dear, Amazing! Ben Solo in the end (and I love him more than anyone, trust me, and my heart aches for him so much), but we cannot deny the darkness and the complexity that is Kylo in TLJ. If we pretend that Ben is perfect in TLJ, we’re not doing ourselves any favors, because, well, the TLJ novelization makes it clear that there is still darkness and issues for him to sort out. 

For my part, the presence of Hunter! Hungry! Kylo is just going to make Ben Solo’s redemption way more satisfying and glorious in the end, and make the ride there a hell of a lot sexier. ;) 

I think a lot of it was misinterpretation, and the other half was me not adding enough caveats in the meta to say yes, Kylo/Ben loves and adores Rey, and no he isn’t trying to be evil or hurt her or be a sicko predator. My meta was already super long and I took it for granted that we all agreed on those things already. I’m fine with saying all these disclaimers outright and have edited the meta accordingly… but still, the backlash (although it was a minority) really did catch me off guard.

The reylo pipeline

Immortal love