This is a comment from the Just You page, but I wanted to share it here, too, because it’s interesting to think about.
Posted by Anita:
I’m loving this. And while I realise it’s fanfic and not precisely as in the movies, I’d like to share a thought. I think Kylo is smarter than most people give him credit for. And I think that (up until Snoke’s death) he’s had to be extremely careful, because otherwise Snoke would have offed him. He knew that – Han knew that and told him. Furthermore I think Kylo’s motives lie in removing his authority figures. They’ve all let him down. His goals were just temporarily aligned with those of the First Order.
To which I replied:
I agree, more or less. He’s definitely smarter than people assume, but I think his emotions tend to override his reason, which is why he lashes out, why he kissed Snoke’s ass for so long, and how Rey managed to throw him off balance. How he was seduced to the dark side in the first place. As much as he wants to break away and stop needing people, particularly authority figures, part of him doesn’t want to have to be alone. He didn’t get the attention he needed as a child, and he’s been looking for it his whole life, though he may not consciously realize it. Or maybe he does, adding an element of self-loathing. Snoke knows this and manipulates it. After Snoke’s gone, I think Ben’s all for starting his own order, though not necessarily on the dark side. But he wants Rey to join him. I explore that train of thought on the page for Let Old Things Die. I hope I do a decent job depicting his vacillating motivations in my fics and making sense of him. He’s a complicated guy, and explaining what goes on inside his head is not easy. He was spinning 360s in A Child in a Mask. 🙂 Bizarrely, I suppose it’s the same principle as knowing you should eat more vegetables because they’re healthier for you, but you just can’t seem to stop ordering pizza, because you love the taste–and the comfort you receive from a satisfied craving. I’m glad you like the fics. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I mean, that’s what started all this for me–a fascination with Ben’s psyche, the challenge of sorting out emotions and logic to reach the heart of him.
