Jasøn

Kylo, that was the character that [Rian Johnson] was most excited about getting into and writing, because in the first Star Wars films, Vader was a great villain, but he was never someone you identified with. Whereas, with Kylo, it’s almost like Rey and Kylo are two halves of the protagonist. And, if this is all about the transition from adolescence into adulthood, Kylo is that anger of adolescence.

favorite lyrics by album  → the black parade

About two years too late with this, but I like comparing these two very-similar shots. First one from the TLJ teaser trailer. Kylo is looking very much like a villain, he’s calm, he’s calculating, he’s in control. He looks like a predator ready to attack.

Compare that to the shot we get in the actual movie: He’s terrified, he’s triggered, he’s reliving the worst moment of his life in a very public arena and he’s completely out of control. His hair is wild, his hand is unsteady. The combination of the look on his face and the way he’s holding the lightsaber, he’s begging Luke to stay away from him. He’ll still attack, but it will be because he’s cornered.

THE RISE OF KYLO REN

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

Kylo x Rey:

Today I was reading a reddit thread of adults who are still Emo and I came across an interesting post:

@Knuckle_chuck:

“emo is for anyone who embraces the fact that life makes you feel all Sorts of things.” 

You see, that got me thinking. When most people think of Emo, they think of mid 2000s teen phases, cringey hair, skinny jeans, sadness, and self-harm.

Yes, for many, Emo is a phase. Yes, the aesthetic is real, and yes, the nature of typical Emo music causes people, often young ones dealing with difficult emotions, to flock to the subculture.  

For me though, being Emo is to embrace the fact that life makes you feel all sorts of things. This means acknowledging and embracing the fact that bad feelings happen and they aren’t the end of the world. Depression, anger, desperation, sensitivity, misanthropy, shyness, introversion and angst. Sometimes these feelings happen. They aren’t the prettiest, or the easiest to handle, and they can be caused by mental health illnesses. These feelings are real, they hurt, and when they’re bad it can feel like nothing else exists. 

For me, being Emo is to find beauty in the darkness. You don’t need to feel the darkness to appreciate Emo music. Though, for those who do, being Emo is to look into the darkness, acknowledge it, and work towards feeling better; but in the meantime finding some beauty in the struggle forward. Feeling better can take a lot of time and effort, so in the meantime, Emo can be a way to cope with the place you’re at.

Emo lyrics can feel poetic as a sonnet or intense as a confessional and I think that to be Emo is to wear those feelings on your sleeve instead of hiding them in the shadows where they will fester and grow. Instead, I think being Emo is to take these uncomfortable feelings and put on a show. Exaggerated, fanciful, vaudevillian, post-apocalyptic or even painfully stripped of veneer, these songs and artists make our feelings loud enough that everyone can hear, and in the process realize that no matter how bad it feels, you’re not alone. 

Therefore, I don’t think Emo should be seen as something to be gawked, mocked, or dismissed as just a phase. It sure did have a moment, but just because the mainstream popularity passed, we persist. Emo can be a phase, and who knows, maybe it is for me, but that’s not all it is. Emo is a state of mind, a lifestyle, a anthem for the broken, the beaten, the damned and anyone ready to get out of their hometowns. So to all the Emos out there, whether you’re into 1st wave emo , 2nd wave emo, 3rd wave emo, 4th wave emo, screamo, SoundCloud emo rap, new wave emo, or any combination and emo genre I haven’t even heard of, I’m here, I’m Emo, and I’m proud to be here with you. 

P.S. Also the style is cool, and the fandoms are intense, and I like it.