I also want to just thank those of you who still come around and comment on the blog. I know that posting here is far from ideal as far as formats go, but I appreciate all the discussion and will try to keep content coming as long as people keep commenting. Our little fanfic community is awesome and knows how to treat this wonderful couple and I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds reading about them strangely comforting. So, many thanks to those of you out there writing or commenting or participating in any way.
Now, just for fun, what do you think about Han and Leia and holiday traditions? I've decided that they tend to go kind of all out. Han is someone who never had any holiday traditions, and never celebrated anything. Leia has many happy memories of big holiday traditions with her family, and Han basically can't wait until they have their kids and can totally go all in with holiday stuff. Like it's just the greatest thing in the universe to him that he has this home and this amazing wife and they can have big celebrations that his kids will remember for the rest of their lives. That's my sap for today.
Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate, and hope everyone enjoys the holidays!
"Strangely comforting"? Very comforting. :) Thank YOU, Zyra, for keeping the light on!
ReplyDeleteMy take is that the start off low-key but very serious about it, then gradually make it bigger and more fun. Han never really followed traditions, and having been so many places and seen so many different traditions, he got a bit jaded about it all. Leia celebrated some traditions with her family, and of course was very respectful of the great variety of traditions, even on Alderaan, but after Alderaan and the war, she lost any enthusiasm for celebrating, other than for formal events where she has to make an appearance. So neither Han or Leia feel a need for too much decorations or other obvious markers, but the depth of their love for each other and their visceral appreciation for the preciousness of life and each other mean that they DO mark some holidays together, quietly, and very sincerely... then as time moves on and the pain of war recedes, and they grow their family and begin to enjoy the joy of little kids who are enchanted by twinkling lights and delighted by gifts and sweets, they gradually do more and more stuff to mark the tradition. Then even in the midst of any frivolous fun, they still manage to carve out a quiet moment, together, tuning out everything, when they are reminded again of the preciousness of being together, healthy and happy.
Happy Solstice, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays to you and everyone else, too!
I had so many plans for last year's Christmas holiday... I spent most of it waiting for news about Carrie, and then sulking and not getting anything done.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen TLJ yet and have no timeframe to do so, because #DoneWithDestroyOT
Happy Solstice / Christmas / New Years / Holidays to you and yours and to every fanfic writer whose work I read :)
FB yesterday wanted me to re-post a "memory" from last year which was basically me saying "prayers for Carrie Fisher," and I realized what a rough time it must be for Billie right now. On a happier note, her enlarged role in TLJ was probably my favorite thing about it; it gave me all the feels to see that she actually got to interact with her mom, if only for a moment, in her mom's last movie. So, despite all my hostile/negative feelings about the ST, what a gift it gave to Billie - one that she will have forever.
ReplyDeleteThanks once again Zyra for maintaining this as a place for Han and Leia fans in a challenging time for the SW fandom. Hopefully, despite the tiffs we have here on this board arising from the new material won't Disney Canon, we can all stick together as fans of that couple. Whatever the future brings in canon world, we have 40 years of history to adore and hopefully many, many more years of fanfic to enjoy.
And what do Han and Leia do on holidays? Uh...duh...before there are children, they don't get out of bed, and not because they're tired. :) :) :)
Nah, kidding, I'm pretty much with both Erma and Zyra on this. Quiet and romantic before they have kids, and then once they have kids, Han is the guy in the neighborhood who gets so into hoidays that his light display can be seen from the Outer Rim.
Sorry. I need to learn to proofread, as my beta-proofers know. Meant to say:
DeleteHopefully, despite the tiffs we have here on this board arising from the new material/Disney Canon, we can all stick together as fans of that couple.
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Zyra, for keeping this place going. I know I'm a latecomer but it's been wonderful to see new posts here even as we wrangle about things...
Yes, I can see them having kids and having big and small celebrations, bringing together their ragtag family (GFFA has a month where there are celebrations in most faiths and the Rogues have one big party for them all. Han and Leia and their kids make sure Luke and all of his Jedi students have a fun party too).
Or they never have kids and all of Luke's students become theirs - take your pick.
But they are together and nothing tears them apart. (I also love the idea of Han making bigger and bigger light displays when they finally get a standalone house. The apartment on Coruscant has a balcony and he crams it full of lights so that it stands out even there).
Below is one of the weirdest Christmas things I've seen but for some reason, I enjoy the daylights out of it. Despite the name, it's adorable. The Peacock Spider Christmas:
https://youtu.be/HYFQQB9vqPw
And one of my favorite Christmas songs - Rawlf the Dog and John Denver sing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (why is this not on video!!)
https://youtu.be/kZSVfxk8ouM
OMG cv, Rowlf and John Denver singing is probably my absolute most favorite Christmas song ever! I bet it isn't on video because of copyright issues or something, which is sad. Sort of like how any edition of Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas you can buy now has the Kermit parts edited out. Anyway, wow did I get sidetracked.
DeleteYes, Han and Leia and celebrating :)
Yay! I love that version of that song - I saw that when it aired originally and that's the first time I heard that song!
DeleteCount me in for the quiet and romantic holidays...even when the kids come along. Breakfast in bed for Mom and Dad courtesy of the kids sounds great ;)
ReplyDeleteA very Merry Christmas to you all, and an extra mug of spiked eggnog and my thanks to you, Zyra, for keeping the lights on for us here. This blog is a wonderful place for us to hang out and chat about our favourite pair. Long may it continue!
Maybe it starts one year with a few strings of lights in the Falcon's hold... ;)
ReplyDeleteHappy...Boxing Day! I'm dragging in late, but hope you are all enjoying the holidays, however you celebrate them. I want to add my thanks to you, Zyra, for giving us a place to gather and chat. YES to many more years of fanfiction (and to everything else Kels said). It's a tough time to be a SW fan, for sure, but it has certainly been made easier, for me at least, because this blog exists and all you wonderful people exist. I'm so glad you were here when I staggered in two years ago, shocked by TFA and reeling from the implications. And again this time last year, when Carrie left us. I had a melancholy moment on the 23rd when I realised the anniversary and thought of Billie. I sure hope she has lots of loving support around her just now, as it must be a tough holiday to get through.
ReplyDeleteAs for H/L holiday traditions: ummm, everything Erma said! =D In the aftermath of war, newly married, they'd maybe hide away and just...enjoy each other . But the kids, when they come along, restore their capacity for wonder and delight. I also totally think Han in an apron, baking cookies, would be a thing.
A belated Merry Christmas to you all!
Happy New Year! I echo my thanks for this blog and to everyone who comes here. Sure is nice to have met you all.
ReplyDeleteHi! I discovered your blog a while ago and I’m just commenting today! Definitely missing Carrie today. I love the stories and analysis. After seeing TLJ I immediately knew I wanted to come back here! I totally have to view the new films as something totally separate/alternate universe because I can’t give up on the married/family life of Han and Leia in the EU that I grew up reading. I grew up with the Junior Jedi Knights (Anakin and Tahiri) and The Young Jedi Knights series as well as tackling the adult novels as a kid I can barely handle that in the later EU Anakin dies and Jacen becomes Evil.... I don’t think the writers consider how much some characters mean when you grow up with them or spend your whole life loving them.
ReplyDeleteMaybe in the new year you can do some Young Jedi Knights (Kevin J Anderson) book reviews?
Welcome, BookwyrmMom!
DeleteGlad you found this blog. It is so hard to give up on something you've held dear for so many years, isn't it? I flat refuse to give up on the OT and have happily moved into AU-land where fics are concerned. Although official canon still pains me, I am growing a bit more detached from it as time wears on. I'm planning to see TLJ soon (within the week) and hope I can watch it without feeling bad about it. I want to see Carrie as Leia one more time.
I'm thinking of her a lot today, of course, and of her family. Still can't believe she's actually gone. What a terrible loss.
Hugs to all and good wishes to all. I hope you are all having a good week!
Hey, there. Glad you could join us! Yes, absolutely thinking of Carrie today. So incredibly sad that she is no longer with us, still can't believe it. You're in the right place if you don't want to give up on happy married life for Han and Leia!
DeleteAs for the YJK books, I'm still VERY slowly working my way through the NJO reviews. I actually started the next review... quite a while ago. I had to read the latest book twice because I read it and then forgot everything that happened and then re-read it. I really have to write that review soon before I have to read it AGAIN. At this point in time I don't have plans to do reviews of those, at least not anytime soon. But if that is something you might be interested in doing I'd be more than happy to post the reviews here! I've never read those books, but I've heard there are some cute moments in them.
The YJK books are not very well written but I agree there are some cute parts. I have them all and could pitch in on the review. I see you are almost up to my favorite NJO book Rebel Stand
DeleteHappy Holidays, everyone! Like many of you, I have been thinking a lot about Carrie in the past few days. I echo all who’ve already thanked you, Zyra, for keeping up this blog. I never feel alone in my love for Carrie, the OT, or Han & Leia when I come here. :)
ReplyDeleteHi! Another new person here! I've been a Han/Leia fan since I saw ESB as a kid way back in 1980. I was so saddened by the ST because I really see it as out of character. I had hoped to see Luke, Han, and Leia fighting off threats together, as a family! Anyway, I found fanfic after seeing TFA, and I've just loved it! I also found Tumblr, and I post there as swimmergirl71.
ReplyDeleteRegarding holidays, I see Han and Leia integrating Alderaanian traditions as well as a few Corellian ones, and developing some of their own as well. I originally thought that holiday meals would be a mixture of some traditional foods from their home planets, but now I have a different idea. I think that Han and Leia would host a big meal for their "found family" (and everyone's kids, once they're in the picture), where each person brings their favorite food, be it a traditional holiday dish from their planet or the GFFA equivalent of funnel cakes. Han makes deep-fried chocolate bars every year. Leia rolls her eyes, but secretly loves them because he always finds the highest quality chocolate for her. Maybe I should write something about this...
Merry Christmas! Merry everything! Better late than never!
Deep fried chocolate bars? Is that a real thing or a GFFA thing? Because if it is a rel thing...brb, have to get my frying pan and cooking oil out.
DeleteI gather you've never been to a state or county fair in the midwestern US! They deep fry everything. Deep-fried Snickers, deep-fried Oreos, even deep-fried Coke!!! Gotta love it!
DeleteI know about the Oreos but...wow, now that I have googled deep-fried chocolate bars, going to have to visit a fair in the midwest!!! :)
Delete@kels: Yes, you should definitely go, and relish all the deep-fried deliciousness!
DeleteThe burning question for me is: HOW do you deep-fry Coke!?
DeleteErin, you had no idea Americans were so far gone that we will totally deep fry anything, did you? Yep, we are. And no, I don't know how they do it. But they also sell fried butter. I should share that the craziest fried thing I've tried is fried Oreos. Although it was underwhelming, surprisingly enough. The dough needed more sugar!
DeleteThere's a chippy up in Aberdeenshire, here in Scotland, that claims to have "invented" the deep-fried candy bar in the mid-90s. Visitors often ask me about trying a deep-fried Mars bar, but I have only seen them for sale in a few places and have never met anyone who has tried one. Frankly, it sounds disgusting to me (especially considering it's probably fried in the same old grease as the fish). Ugh.
DeleteAnd fried Oreos sounds like...suicide. lol!
Yeah, I love sweets, but even to me a deep fried candy bar does not sound appealing.
DeleteYes, I've gone back to just putting Oreos on my ice cream like a civilized person ;)
Okay Erin just turned me off the whole deep-fried snacks thing when she commented that they probably use the same oil as they did for fish. Bleeeeerrrggghhh.
DeleteMy young son's reaction to a deep-fried snickers: "Well, that's a heart attack on a stick!"
DeleteOut of the mouths of babes... lol
I didn't know about the fish oil (yuck)! The one deep-fried snack I've tried (a snickers bar, once) was pretty tasty, not fishy at all. I'm heeding my wise son's warning though!
Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and hope that the rest of the holidays will be wonderful as well!
ReplyDeleteAs for 'Han and Leia and holiday traditions' I suggest the reading of "Han & Leia's Holiday Dozen" by Ravens23Princess (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12769226/1/#top): a sweet holiday story!
Hi girls! I have to join the choir and praise this blog! Your existence gives me so much comfort every day. These are our most desperate times, the dark times. After two movies and the loss of Carrie, this has turbed out to be a much needed support group! ♡ I don't know where would I be if there was not you guys. You are like a justification for my feelings for OT and for the real Han and Leia, because I know I'm not alone or unreasonable.
ReplyDeleteI'm late for wishing you Merry Christmas but maybe there is still time to wish you a Happy (Happier) New Year! I brought myself a Christmas present; the Leia book "Bloodline"! ;D I hope there's not too much Ben in it... -_-
I agree Erma's vision on Han and Leia's celebrations. It was the first comment on this post if you need to go and remind yourself.
I can't believe it's a year since the loss of Carrie! It feels like it's only a few months away. The unsuccessfullness of the Last Jedi breaks my heart even more, because her appearance as Leia was so wasted!
In case you wonder who am I who just has entered on conversations out of blue. I'm from Finland and here's my Star Wars history:
At the 80's, I considered Star Wars a boys movie without really even looking at it. There was space ships and robots and GUNS (!!!!!!) and I was on Barbies and My Little Ponies! ;D I was a teen in the 90's when I discovered Star Wars. The original Original Trilogy was on tv and dad VHS recorded them because they came out so late or something, so we watched them at a better time. I came along when they were watching ROTJ and I fell deeply in love and had to watch the other two movies, too. Han and Leia were probably my first wet dream! :'D
There wasn't (and still aren't) much SW books in libraries but I read those I could find and I never stopped thinking of them. I heard of fanfiction maybe few years ago. But as a younger teen, I imagined I was Luke and Leia's little sister, that's where my Lily Skywalker originates.
Awwww!!! Baby sister Lily...what a lovely idea! Thank you for sharing your SW story. I laughed out loud at your "wet dream" comment. lololol I know many of us here have said that watching Han and Leia together in ESB launched us straight into puberty. In today's parlance, they were my first and will always be my OTP. I am SO GRATEFUL for fan fiction and for all the great writers who use their talents to keep these characters alive and enjoying lots of adventures (and smooches) together.
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