Kylo "Worst Disney Princess" Ren (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lostapprentice) wrote2016-01-01 04:18 am
lostapprentice) wrote2016-01-01 04:18 am
Entry tags:
Empatheias Application
Player: Ryoko
Contact:
dreamer_ryoko; Age: 25
Current Characters: Bucky Barnes, Freya Crescent
Character: Kylo Ren (Ben Solo)
Age: 30
Canon: Star Wars
Canon Point: After he's cut down by Rey in their battle on Starkiller Base.
Background: Kylo Ren's history on Wookieepedia.
Personality:
Since he was young, even when he was training under Luke Skywalker, Kylo Ren (born Ben) has been manipulated by a dark user of the Force known as Snoke. Fed lies about the Republic and his family, as well as stories of the Empire's (and Darth Vader's) greatness over the years, it was only a matter of time before he turned to the dark side. It was a turn that was seen by many as absolute, especially given his brutal slaughter of the fledgling Jedi order, much in the way his grandfather murdered the Jedi younglings of his time. He headed this effort himself under Snoke's direction, becoming known as the ruthless "Jedi Killer" as he continued to track down and eliminate all force-sensitives in the galaxy, be they Jedi or not.
Kylo Ren's grandfather, Darth Vader, is his idol, and he seeks to emulate the powerful Sith Lord in any way he can. Thanks to Snoke, Kylo Ren has come to see his grandfather's achievements in his service to the Empire as admirable, with the man's final sacrifice for his son as his one failing. He intends to learn from his example, to become feared and powerful in the name of the First Order, which was born from the remnants of the Empire, without allowing sentiment to cloud his mind. His black helm, fitted with a voice altering device, is the most obvious way that he styles himself after Vader, though his general mannerisms, his pursuit of the dark side of the Force, and his refusal to rein in his explosive temper also stem from his obsession.
One major difference from the terrifying Sith, however, is that his anger tends to manifest in childish tantrums. His anger comes more easily than Vader's, and when it comes to a head, Kylo Ren lashes out at anything in his reach, usually destroying equipment with his lightsaber and/or threatening officers who have brought bad news. This has occurred often enough that stormtroopers are able to recognize it and avoid it, and at least one officer is intimidated enough to be fearful of him. His anger can also appear in less volatile (though no less immature) ways, however; not unlike his father, he has his moments of sarcasm, often at the expense of others. Given his disposition and the circumstances, this is the only instance of humor that we see from him, and it's likely the only kind he's willing to indulge in.
His issues with his anger are only exacerbated by his utter lack of respect for anyone other than Supreme Leader Snoke—even his approximate equal in status, General Hux, is not exempt. He has no respect for his subordinates, as mentioned above. He has no respect for his true family, referring to his father as "weak and foolish" and a "thief" and trying to take his uncle's lightsaber for himself. He has no respect for his enemies, gladly torturing them excessively with the Force when other methods have not worked and invading their minds for the information he seeks. And despite his attempts to hold on to an air of pride, he also has little respect for himself—he has "destroyed" himself for the sake of the dark side and Snoke, seeing his younger self as an obstacle, as flawed as his father.
By cutting himself off from his past, Kylo Ren has isolated himself almost completely. None of his allies like him, and Snoke is only using him for his abilities—something which he is aware of but refuses to acknowledge. The other "Knights of Ren" mentioned in the film are not present, and it is unlikely they respect him for anything but his power, not unlike Snoke. When he seeks advice in a moment of weakness, he sits in his room alone with his grandfather's burned helmet, asking a man long-dead to guide him. In an attempt to destroy the weakness in himself and gain strength in his isolation, he kills his father. But the look on the man's face after Han Solo falls is one of near horror—he realizes the mistake he's made in killing the only person who's truly shown he cares. His father's last gesture was a sign of love even as he died, accepting him despite the violent act, further deepening the conflict he feels.
That isolation has brought him a great loneliness, something which he does not entirely recognize. This is one of the reasons he's so drawn to Rey, even before she reveals her Force potential. When probing her mind, he sees her loneliness as well as her attachment to Han Solo, and visibly becomes irate, telling her "he would have disappointed you," as if to warn her against it, and when he senses the Force in her, he tells her, "Don't be afraid, I feel it too." After she pushes him out of her head, he becomes even more interested in her, telling Snoke of her abilities in an attempt to convince the Supreme Leader to sway her to the dark side. When Snoke agrees, he pursues her immediately, regardless of the Rebellion's attack on their base. And even during their lightsaber battle, he tells her he's willing to become her teacher, desperate to reach out to someone who might accompany him on his dark path under Snoke as more than a reluctant ally, someone who can truly understand him.
Having equal potential for light and dark, Kylo Ren struggles to follow Snoke's teachings entirely, partially because it requires him to give up one of the few things left that he could belong to: his family. He's already destroyed one of them in the Jedi order, however, and when his father reaches out to him, he says he believes it's too late to turn back. Despite the fact that he has separated himself from all of the positive things he had, he is determined to follow Snoke and the First Order in the hopes that it will eventually calm the turmoil he feels in his mind, which he describes as "being torn apart." He believes that gaining the Supreme Leader's approval—something which he and Hux compete over—will make everything worthwhile.
In some ways, fear also guides him, although he may not entirely be aware of it. Fear of disappointing Snoke and of not living up to his grandfather's legacy are major driving forces, but in his encounter with Rey he also discovers a fear of defeat, of not being the most powerful. Having killed all but one Jedi, Kylo Ren has become one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy, and when faced with an enemy who can overpower him, he quickly loses his confident demeanor and fighting style, becoming shocked, unsettled, and unsure of how to proceed. It is doubtful he knew what it was like to be truly powerless until that point, and he will be working to make sure it doesn't happen again, even without the continued training Snoke intends to offer him.
Abilities: Kylo Ren's abilities on Wookieepedia.
Alignment: Aiada. His desire to be more like his idol, Darth Vader, shapes his actions and appearance, and he is constantly seeking approval from Snoke. He yearns for acceptance and a place in the universe, and can easily become jealous of those who have found it.
Other: I have a permissions post up for his mind probe/torture powers here.
Sample: "So I destroyed him."
Questions: I don't figure he'd be able to sense "disturbances" in Empatheias like he could in canon, but let me know if it would be alright to occasionally do it. Just fun stuff like an impending sense of doom or noticing that something really positive/negative/etc has happened somewhere, no real details (though I wouldn't argue if I could get the occasional detail).
Canon Update
Updated Background:
The FIRST ORDER reigns. Having decimated the peaceful Republic, Supreme Leader Snoke now deploys his merciless legions to seize military control of the galaxy.
Only General Leia Organa’s band of RESISTANCE fighters stand against the rising tyranny, certain that Jedi Master Luke Skywalker will return and restore a spark of hope to the fight.
But the Resistance has been exposed. As the First Order speeds toward the rebel base, the brave heroes mount a desperate escape...
Having failed to obtain the map to Skywalker, fallen in battle to an untrained girl, and still reeling from the murder of his father, The Last Jedi finds Kylo Ren, frankly, a complete mess. He's berated and mocked by his master, leading him to (after attempting to attack Snoke and being quickly put down) smash his mask in a rage and summon his starfighter, taking his anger out on the Resistance ship they've just tracked through hyperspace. However, even in his anger, he finds himself unable to fire on the bridge where he knows his mother stands—only for his escort ships to fire upon it instead. It's only through the Force he knows she doesn't perish, as impossible as it seems.
As the dwindling force of the Resistance struggles to find an escape route, Ren returns to Supreme Leader Snoke's ship, the Supremacy, and finds unexpectedly that he's able to see the girl Rey, as if she was right in front of him. While the first instance of this results in Rey attempting to shoot him, his curiosity is piqued, and he begins to ask questions about it, about what she can see and why they're connected. His interest in this scavenger girl who somehow managed to best him starts to rise, and he doesn't even attempt to resist the connection with her, even sharing with her the truth of why he turned against the Jedi and killed his father. After she shares her doubts and worries about a supernatural experience she had and they both reassure the other they're not alone, she asks for him to return and holds out her hand, and their projections reach out to each other. When they finally touch, it's almost as if Ren manifests physically on Ahch-to, where Skywalker has been hiding for years. But Luke comes upon this and interrupts them, using the Force to destroy the hut Rey sat in and shocking the two of them into breaking the connection.
We discover the truth of the Jedi's exile: Luke Skywalker, while training Ben, became so fearful of the darkness inside his nephew that he lit his lightsaber as if to strike down the boy. Even if the desire to do so passed immediately, the damage was done—Ben saw a man standing over him with an active weapon, whom he had already begun to distrust thanks to the darkness that Snoke cultivated in him. Fearing for his life and convinced that the Jedi aimed to follow through his obvious threat, Ben summoned his own lightsaber to defend himself, bringing the building down on the two of them. After this, he took several of Skywalker's students and killed the rest, reducing the temple to ruins and escaping.
Back in the present, Kylo and Rey both realize they've seen visions—hers is of a redeemed Ben Solo, who will come with her to the Resistance if she simply goes to him. Ren, meanwhile, sees her joining him and fighting by his side. Despite Luke's doubts, Rey departs and uses an escape pod to launch herself towards the Supremacy, where Kylo Ren is already waiting for her. They speak briefly in private on the way to Snoke's throne room, revealing their visions to each other, Rey earnest in her desire to bring Kylo back with her and claiming he won't kneel before Snoke, and Ren claiming he's seen the truth of her parents.
While Kylo does indeed kneel before Snoke as Rey is mocked and tortured for information, Snoke's constant taunts, belittling, and eventual command to kill Rey result in Kylo's betrayal. His uncertainty regarding the situation becomes resolve, as Snoke sees, but while the Supreme Leader sees the killing blow he wants to see, the recipient is indeed Kylo's "true enemy"—that is, Snoke himself. He uses the Force to subtly manipulate the lightsaber at Snoke's side, activating it and cutting his former master in half. Snoke's guards then descend on the pair, and Kylo and Rey fight together to kill them all.
With the battle done, Rey begs Kylo to order the First Order to stop attacking the Resistance, thinking he's redeemed himself, but killing his master wasn't something Kylo was quite prepared for, and in that moment he decides to take the mantle of Supreme Leader. He tells Rey he still intends to let the past die, revealing that Rey's parents were nothing more than junk traders, claiming they sold her off and have been long dead, his point being that her origins are utterly mundane and unimportant.
"You come from nothing. You're nothing," he says. "But not to me." He asks Rey to join him to fight and rule by his side, even pleading as he holds out his hand towards her, but she similarly pleads for him to not go down that path. He holds his hand out once more, and Rey reaches for it... only to attempt to pull the blue lightsaber towards her from Kylo's belt. The two of them struggle to pull it towards themselves, but their conflict is so great that the lightsaber breaks, split in half.
The Resistance leader Admiral Holdo, alone on a ship in the hopes of allowing her fellow rebels to escape, changes course towards the Supremacy and goes to lightspeed—tearing both ships to pieces.
In the chaos, Ren is knocked unconscious and Rey escapes on Snoke's ship, taking the pieces of the lightsaber with her. General Hux, seeking orders from Supreme Leader, discovers the scene and nearly pulls out a blaster to kill the unconscious knight, but Kylo jolts awake and explains the situation. The girl killed Supreme Leader, he claims, and begins to direct Hux to order his troops to follow the Resistance to Crait, the nearby planet they'd escaped to. The general doesn't seem to be having it at first, but Kylo quickly silences his arguments with a Force choke, bringing him to his knees. "Supreme Leader is dead," says Ren. "Long live Supreme Leader," replies Hux, recognizing Kylo Ren's authority, at least for the moment.
Ren commands the First Order down to Crait, bringing with them a cannon that will pierce the wall of the old base that protects the few Resistance members left. Livid when he spots the Millenium Falcon, he impulsively orders their fighters to focus fire on his late father's ship whose weapons Rey is currently manning. Despite that, their attack on the barrier is successful, but Luke Skywalker suddenly appears, stepping forward from the base. Determined to fulfill his destiny, he orders every gun to fire upon the Jedi, but finds that it does nothing. He decides to take care of the matter himself, ordering his ship to land so he can face his former teacher, and Ren expresses his anger towards his uncle and attempts to attack. But even though Luke deactivates his lightsaber and seems to get hit—again, nothing happens.
Kylo realizes that Luke was never actually there at all; he was projecting himself through the Force as a distraction for the Resistance to escape. Luke says his goodbyes, though claims Kylo will see him again, and disappears. Although he and his soldiers march into the base, it's now empty, aside from the golden pair of dice his father kept on his ship. Through his connection with Rey, he watches her and the Resistance escape in the Millennium Falcon.
Updated Personality:
Kylo Ren still feels conflict over his actions, and while the main instigator for his turn to the dark has been eliminated, it doesn't mean he's immediately turned back to the light. Snoke's manipulations coming to a breaking point, his failure to kill his mother, his failure to kill his uncle, and Rey's rejection of his offer have only further driven him into chaos, anger and hatred. He is, essentially, on his own at this point, and without Snoke's guiding hand, he's less focused despite being more motivated. He intends to follow through on the First Order's goals, having become Supreme Leader, even if he has little idea how to truly accomplish this other than destroying the Jedi and the Resistance—that is, Rey and his mother's small group.
That said, the way he looks at Rey when she departs on the Falcon isn't exactly the look of a man who wants to kill.
He is still capable of caring for people, as shown in his relationship with Rey, defending her and asking her to join him so they can rule together. It's also made clear with his inability to fire upon the bridge of the ship his mother was commanding. He's also come to a point where he no longer intends to suffer the manipulations and insults of Snoke, and he quickly decides to take on that authority he feels he's destined for, not bothering to humor Hux's arguments about his new role. The way he treats his underlings doesn't change; he's still very much willing to display his power when he's questioned. Hux gets tossed around a bit.
Overall, he hasn't changed so much at his core; we simply understand him a bit more, and we've seen the more intense parts of both sides: his ability to care, and the amount of darkness and anger he still holds over the past. Still, he has felt a harsh rejection, been made a fool of by his uncle, and is taking on a position of leadership he may not entirely be able to handle. It makes his temper easier to trigger, for certain—he's reduced to screaming orders when he sees his late father's ship ruining his plans to destroy the Resistance. Not that he was the most stable man in the first place...
Updated Abilities: It's confirmed he can do mind tricks I guess? (Or at least he tries to do one.) And he has a telepathic link with Rey through the Force, through which they can project themselves so it seems as if they were standing in front of the other. ... obviously this won't affect anything but his CR with Rey. :v
no subject
Updated Background: Wookiepedia's got my back so I don't have to write all this.
Updated Personality: Kylo Ren is dead.
Well okay, Ben Solo is too, but he lives on in our hearts or something. And in Empatheias!
Touched by the sacrifice and compassion of those closest to him, Ben has finally cast aside his aspirations to power and control via the dark side. That said, he's still a reckless idiot (tossing his best weapon into the ocean, jumping down a giant hole, fighting a bunch of Force-sensitive dudes with a blaster and his powers alone) who has way too many feelings (he sobs at the memory of his dad, expresses pain in a humorous way, and even smiles, wow!!), but he's more open about these things and his connections to those he cares about. That isn't to say it's going to be an immediate turnaround in personality—there's some hesitation and lingering doubts thanks to his past deeds that are still relevant as long as he's alive somewhere, and it's not like the influence of the dark side or his experiences with it have been completely erased from his personality even if those damned voices are finally gone.
He's fought for what his family believed in and to stop the emperor, and willfully given up his own life in order to make sure the one he loves can move forward. While being a Solo means he's still a troublemaker and a bit of an ass, his grand ambitions are gone and he's stopped denying the truth of what's right and wrong. The pressure of legacy no longer hounds him like it did before; he's abandoned the First Order, and the Resistance and Jedi succeeded in destroying the emperor and his fleet. His part in the story is done, and he's... not at peace, because dying isn't enough to resolve all the crap he's done and that's not how redemption works.
He is resigned to his fate, however, which may externally appear as a generous amount of chill compared to before. He's not done with grief and regret, only having a few short hours to process the death of his mother and what it means to turn back to the light. That, combined with his lack of self preservation, all his attempts to carve off pieces of himself to please those he looked up to, the punishments he allowed himself to suffer the last seven years of his life, and his clear willingness to sacrifice himself without second thought? One martyr complex, coming right up.
Hopefully his friends in Empatheias will help to knock some sense into him before he does anything stupid again.
Updated Abilities: Confirmation of healing ability! He and Rey can pass stuff back and forth and affect each others' surroundings across lightyears, apparently. He also seems to be able to trigger visions by focusing on artifacts, and to have some kind of control over his connection to Rey as far as opening or closing it. Otherwise, nothing new!