#you know that scene in tlk2 where kiara says 'them us. look at them they /are/ us'

[the-cat-at-the-theatre-door]

While I don't mind the Grizabella was a past mate of Deuteronomy/Deuteronomy's child and therefore that kinda explains his connection with her HCs at all, I gotta say there is something...infinitely powerful about a Deuteronomy who has no biological or romantic/familial connection to Grizabella whatsoever, but has so much love in his heart - so much capability for openness, for forgiveness, for acceptance - that he just...does. Just forgives her for whatever it was. Just loves her as his fellow cat. Just listens to her, and opens his arms to her in acceptance. Gives her the same chance as he would any other cat because she *deserves* a chance like any other cat. Point blank.

I don't need a *reason* to forgive you, to love you, to hear you out, to welcome you back, I just *do*.

#i'm sorry but apparently this week has been deuteronomy week #i'm not saying that deuteronomy can't be flawed but i *am* saying that one of those flaws is not hatred - is not holding grudges #for any reason #you know??? #like...these cats are his family all of them #he wants to teach them the power of forgiveness wants them to understand in the end that individuals do deserve second chances #wants to pass this on #so he can't just outright say 'forgive her because i said you should' that's not genuine #he enlists jemima and victoria's help because they represent this idea of letting go of what the future can look like #(and i love it when actors play up this angle) #deuteronomy doesn't know how to pass the message along so he gives it to those who can #who they will listen to and *hear* not just listen to and *obey* #anyways old deuteronomy...good #like i absolutely play around with the former headcanon for sure and have played with other familial connection hcs #but like...to deuteronomy all cats are precious #all are his family #you know that scene in tlk2 where kiara says 'them us. look at them they /are/ us' #'what differences do you see?' #it's like that #extemporize back chat #it's the idea that you can love someone and value their life but without it needing to be romantic or familial #also...giving the quality of unconditional love and forgiveness to a male charcter #when the concept of these sorts of traits is more often reserved for women and female characters and shunned in men #like...gah #honestly there is an argument i can make that deuteronomy was the first to forgive grizabella *unconditionally* #but i will refrain

[karmadash-is-shippingtrash]

A Reylo and Kiara/Kovu comparison

Mostly told in terms of TLK 2 instead of SW

I’ve seen many post going around comparing these and I though it best to add my views coming from somebody who’s been trash for TLK since I was a child. I probably know  more about these movies than I do my own family.

This will contain TLJ spoilers but everything’s under the cut because this is going to be long, so you’re safe until you click that read more. (This post contains pics!)

I want to start off by comparing the difference/opposites between the two, because there are many.

If we are saying that Kovu is Kylo, and Kiara is Rey then the family and living situations are very different and I would say opposites of each other but it’s not like the writers decided to base Reylo on TLK 2 ;)

To start with Kiara is the princess of this story (unlike Rey) she has a good family, and could want for nothing since the pridelands is full of life. Despite having an over protective father (which I wont go into because that’s a whole other TLK meta of its own) and  pair of baby sitter that leave her with hardly any time on her own shes got a very good family structure and constant support.

Kovu on the other-hand is in the outlands where food is scarce unless you count the bugs, he has his mother and half siblings (though this is still questionable) his family aren’t very caring or kind and live their entire loves on the basis of killing Kiara’s father so that can live in the pridelands. (Though this is down to Scar previously ruling it, I feel like its a good comparison to the First Order seeking to rule the galaxy much like the Empire had)

These are two very different backgrounds to how Rey/Kylo grew up, and although we don’t know every detail, I can safely say that Kylo was more likely to have grown up being treated like a prince (up until going to Jedi school) and Rey grew up with practically nothing and surviving on false ideas.

The first Meeting;

Similar to how things took place in TFA, Kovu and Kiara first meet up when they’ve both gone far from everybody else. Kiara was practically running away from her home, much in the same way Rey was running form the light saber and those visions. Kovu makes himself seem like the big bad but he doesn’t actually try to hurt Kiara (especially since she doesn’t exactly lie down and play dead, but unlike Rey she doesn’t try to fight back until he provokes her.)  They then end up falling into a crocodile nest and have to run for their lives which I like to link to the fact that the area where Maz’s castle was is currently being destroyed by the on-going battle. Though unlike Kylo, Kovu still hasn’t received his scar. Also baby Kiara flirts with Kovu.

Despite both of them being reprimanded for this, (although in Reys case it turned into a rescue mission) Zira twists the situation in Kovu using this as a way to get closer to killing Simba (with this epic musical number), like Snoke deciding that Kylo should “bring him the girl”. Unlike in TFA they’re both children and leave unlike Kylo keeping Rey on Starkiller for info on Luke’s map (which i’m still annoyed by, I mean if they had most of the map surely they’d be able to locate what the missing piece was by flying around the galaxy right?)

The “second” meeting

Zira orchestrates a plan to set fire to the pridelands, using all her children to follow her bidding (i’d say these would be Hux and Phasma, but comparing with to Nuka would be mean, Vitani on the other-hand is great) when Kiara is about to taker her hunting exam (I guess there’s no better way to describe it) having set up Kovu to rescue her and win Simba’s favor. And it works.

Kovu saves Kiara and then she gets very mad because he ruined her hunting exam and better yet she doesn’t remember him. So despite the plan working out in this movie, nothing like this happens in TFA, but you could compare this to the force-bond moments within TLJ.

Now this is where my opinion differs from most of the fan-base, since everybody likes to talk about the pond scene (which I’ll cover later) but if you want to split up the new SW trilogy within this movie, than I’d say that the childhood sections are TFA, the bulk of the movie would be TLJ, which leaves barely anything for the next movie other than my hopes for the direction Reylo will take.

So at this point, I’m comparing the entire time Kovu spends with Kiara at pride rock like the force bonding moments, because this is tuning point for Kovu. His head had been filled with his mothers opinions on Simba only for them to all change while he’s with them. This is also when Kiara and Kovu start to fall for each-other. I don’t think I need to say much about this since I’ll just add the pics because they speak for themselves.

This all leads up to the “There is is” moment - the touch. (Simba see’s this and really isn’t happy *cough*like Luke*cough*) But then they get a romanic musical number so its OK. Alternately you can listen to Kylo and Rey’s themes.

Obviously after this nothing goes right. Simba just starting to accept Kovu invites him out for a chat when Zira and her pride of lion (Or the First Order party) turn up and attack Simba sparking the basis for the war. Zira essentialy calling Kovu a traitor gives him his scar.

Where Simba banishes Kovu - Luke breaking the connection between Rey and Kylo. From here the pair don’t really see each-other because Kovu’s run off finding “nowhere” for him to belong, where he see’s a reflection of Scar in the water. Which I like to think would be like Kylo looking at his mask and finally seeing that he shouldn’t be like Vader. Kiara decides to go after him, because love, she re-visits all the places they went together. This is like the scene where Rey puts herself in the pod just to see Kylo and bring Ben back.

Its this scene that makes me think of then Rey looking into the mirror (or whatever it is) because I think in the way that It appears that Kylo is in the mirror before she looks at herself is trying to show us that Kylo’s part of her, and that Rey is only one half of the force.  In this scene Kiara is looking at the water feeling like half of herself is missing, and that half is Kovu.

The “final” meeting

In true movie fashion in TLK the reunion is a dramatic run toward each-other before they embrace. How I wish we had a real hug in TLJ. This leads up to the Reylo fan-favs “We are one” and “Let’s run away together and start a pride, all our own” yup, classic.

Unlike Kylo and Rey, this conversation happens before the fight. But it still has the same impact of Rey telling Kylo they can’t leave, they have to fix the problem and actually unite the galaxy, while Kiara has smaller plans of just uniting both prides. This is where I’d cut off the comparisons with TLJ. Despite the fact that Kylo ad Rey do fight together and take down the guards, I think that the battle at the end of TLK2 could be more fitting for the next movie installment.

Now this section is purely me speculating about the next movie based on TLK2 but I’m just going to roll with it.

I don’t see any reason for Kylo and Rey’s force bond to weaken at all (despite the soul crushing door closing scene) so I think they’ll still be able to communicate which will mostly be Rey trying to bring back “Ben” and Kylo just trying to get her. Now if Kylo can locate Rey she cant stay with the resistance meaning that Kylo could follower her somewhere else for them to have their own version of a reunion (though without a romantic musical number, but love will find a way!) If Rey can truly make Kylo see  that together then can save the galaxy we might just get to see them stop a huge battle between whats left of the resistance and the FO. They could finally end the SW story on a good note, of a galaxy united, with both the dark side and the light in balance.

All images came from DisneyScreencaps, honestly an amazing resource. I sadly don’t have the programs to rip my own DVD/Blurays (because I’m trash and own like 4 copies of TLK2)

#reylo #tlk2 #comparison #meta? #tlj spoilers