Ask Us Anything!

Just for fun, we are opening up the blog to questions from our faithful readers. If there is a question you've always wanted to ask us, give it here and in another blog post in the near future we will answer them. Although I will admit that we reserve the right to not answer any questions. So, no, you cannot have my social security number. You'd be unimpressed with my bank statement anyway.

So let us know if there is anything you want to know. And do us a favor, even if you don't have any real questions, at least humor us and ask like, what our favorite color is or something. Also, you can specify questions to one or both of us. Make it fun!

One Down...Four to Go...

CHAPTER V

Walking towards the doorway and to Hobbie, Leia stopped and said, “Wait a minute,” as she looked down at her arm and the needles still sticking into her flesh.  Closing her eyes, she gave one quick yank and with a sharp intake of breath she opened her eyes just in time to see Hobbie getting sprayed with her bright, red blood all over his orange flight suit.

While Leia shrugged her shoulders and gave him a sheepish grin, Hobbie muttered, “Um, if we could get through the rest of the day without any more of your internal fluids spraying all over me - that would be great."

"I'll see what I can do," she said as her stomach lurched at the sight of her own blood. "But I'm not making any promises."

They approached the hangar and Hobbie whispered "Just stay close behind me.”  And as they ducked between a couple of Y-Wings he glanced back at her and asked, “What are you certified on, again?"

"Well, I don't know if I can find any of my certs right at this moment. But let's just say I can fly whatever you can get me.”

“Right,” he muttered and then added, somewhat excitedly, “Oh, what was I thinking?  This way.”

Unsure if Hobbie was reacting to her boasting or if he had figured something out, Leia followed close behind him either way, her eyes constantly scanning their surroundings.  When Hobbie came to an abrupt halt, Leia slammed right into the back of him and he turned around and shot her a look, but Leia was too busy letting her heart drop down to her toes – her eyes on something right over Hobbie’s shoulder.

Leia whispered, “Is that…?”

“Yeah, I should of thought of it first off, kinda a no-brainer, huh?”

It was Luke’s X-Wing.

“What about Commander Skywalker, Hobbie?  What’s the status on his whereabouts?”

“I don’t really know.  He wasn’t on Coruscant when everything went down, but somehow we ended up with his X-wing and no sign of him.”

“Is that Artoo?”

The droid encased in the X-wing’s body spun its dome and whistled and Leia felt a small smile creep across her face.  One down, four to go.

Hobbie turned around and then said quickly, “You better get going, Your Highness.  We’re a medical frigate so you won’t get much resistance once you’re in the air, but the longer you’re here-”

“Gotcha,” Leia replied as she began to ascend the X-wing’s boarding ladder.

She sunk into the seat and felt her brother’s presence wrap around her like a blanket of strength and encouragement.  She shut her eyes and concentrated on his life force, reaching out tentatively with that same feeling she had stumbled upon in Bespin.  Taking a deep breath she expelled the disappointment she felt at not being able to sense anything, other than that Luke had been in this cockpit – something any number of people could have told her without one bit of Force sensitivity.

Artoo let out a shriek behind her and she lowered the helmet on her head.  She felt the X-wing rock on its struts and she realized someone was ascending the ladder.  Artoo’s shrills became more panicked and his dome rocked back and forth.  Snapping her harness in place, Leia scanned the control panel searching for the hatch closure.  She flipped the switch and heard the hiss of the pneumatic lifters lowering the hatch, when a hand grabbed the edge of the transparisteel encasement and stopped its progress.

“Artoo, get us moving!” Leia yelled as she spun around to look at who her interloper was. 

She was met with the same hazel eyes that had saved her days ago and as he slapped a blaster in her hand, he held out a flimsi and said, “Meet me here.”

Wedge was gone before she could even respond and the hatch on the X-wing was closed and pressurized before she could comprehend what had just happened.  Looking down at the flimsi, she read the coordinates and then turned her attention to the controls of the X-wing and lifted herself up and out of the hangar.  Hobbie had been right, she met with no resisitance - other than a few grounds crew waving their arms at her - and she was out in the cold expanse of space without incident. 

When she had reached a safe distance from the medical frigate, she looked back at the flimsi and punched in the coordinates.  It wasn’t until she was in the safety of hyperspace that she closed her eyes and let herself feel the faintness and nausea that still plagued her.  A beep from Artoo prompted her to open her eyes and read the message crawling across the X-wing’s display.

“It has been too long,” the X-wing’s computer translated the little droid’s beeps and whistles for her.

“Yes, it has, Artoo,” Leia replied.  But the droid’s words weighed heavily upon her mind, the several different meanings that could be implied by them scrolling through her own internal translator.  It has been too long, Artoo.  Let’s just hope it’s not too late…

...to be continued...

(My condition from Zyra was:  "no matter what happens, whether anyone stays or goes, Hobbie can't go with her".)  Zyra was apparently very worried about the other men in Leia's life during Han's absence...

Let's Not Overthink This

Often times there are certain story elements that we find very intimidating to tackle as writers. Some things flow easily and don't scare us at all, but others we feel a huge sense of responsibility to get perfect because they mark a significant moment or turning point in our characters.

Of course the easiest way to avoid this sort of anxiety is to give in to the intimidation and simply not write it. I think we can often spend so much time worrying about writing something that it makes it ten times worse than it could possibly be.

The most glaring example of this is the infamous first time. Whether you think it takes place on the way to Bespin, after he gets out of carbonite, after the battle of Endor, after their wedding or maybe even sometime before ESB, this is obviously a huge moment in their relationship, probably the most important moment. I had thought about writing it for years and was too intimidated to even try. And I'm not talking about being too intimidated to publish, I mean too intimidated to even sit down and write it for only myself with no intention of actually showing it to anyone else. I realize this sounds a bit crazy, but I have a feeling I'm not alone here.

Now that I finally decided to write it - which just occurred to me for no particular reason, I just finally felt inspired and like maybe I could write it and get it out there - I wonder why I made such a big deal out of it. Now that it's out there, I don't even think about it anymore. Not a whole lot of other people saw it as a big deal and I don't see why I made it out to be.

I feel that a lot of times as writers we can really overthink things to the point of stifling our own creativity. Han wouldn't waste time worrying about the consequences of his actions or what people might think, he'd just do it. And you know what? He doesn't really seem like he regrets much. Except maybe dumping Jabba's spice haul....

So stop overthinking things. Don't not write something because the subject matter intimidates you, just go ahead and do it. And sure, maybe after you write it you'll decide you're not happy with it and don't want to show it to anyone else and that's okay too. I think we tend to give our readers too much influence on how we feel about our own writing. And it's also funny how we can get twenty positive reviews but we will fixate on the one negative comment. It probably isn't even a mean-spirited comment, but we tend to put far more stock in the criticisms we receive than the praises.

Here's the thing: nobody puts as much thought into your writing as you do. They are only going to see the writing itself and aren't going to be able to see how worried you were about getting it just right or how much anxiety you had when you finally hit the publish button and waited for a few reviews. I started writing fanfic almost ten years ago (only recently started publishing) and it took me until a month ago to finally write and publish this big moment that I had been too scared to write. The truth of it is, nobody really cares that much. They don't see it as such a huge thing. They just see it as another story to read. You agonize over writing something and then you get a couple of comments and that's the end of it and you wonder why you were so worried about it for so long. It's only been a month and I almost forgot I even published it.

So stop worrying so much about what other people are thinking and just write what you want to write. Don't be intimidated by stuff that you think is such a huge deal because most other people aren't going to see it that way. Leia always spends a lot of time thinking about the consequences of her actions. Be like Han instead, just write and put it out there. It's just writing. There aren't really any consequences anyway.

Still Not Enough Answers...

CHAPTER IV

Hobbie had helped get Leia back to her room, his vomit-covered shoes squeaking as he walked down the hallway. Damn it, if she couldn’t keep some nourishment down, she was never going to be able to get around on her own!

Once her head stopped spinning, she looked up to see Hobbie’s brown eyes mirroring her own. A part of her wanted things to end right now. Once you receive enough bad news, it gets harder and harder to tolerate any more. But she needed to know…

“Hobbie, how long has it been? How long was I gone?”

He looked at the floor before he looked back at her, not sure if he was supposed to keep the information to himself. He quite obviously knew that Princess Leia was not one to sit back and accept silence. “About three standard months,” he said.

Perhaps the news should’ve been surprising, but Leia found herself accepting this truth for what it was, knowing that it had certainly felt like it had been that long. Three months ago she had been with Han in the senate building on Coruscant when the explosion hit. Three months ago she had run to him while he lay unconscious on the floor, his head bleeding from falling debris. Three months ago she had tried desperately to cling to him while she was dragged away by some unknown force, leaving him helpless and alone.

This was why she had been somewhat relieved to learn that she’d been told that Han was missing rather than dead. Although the last image she had of him was face down on the floor, she hoped that whatever fate he had suffered would not be worse than the death she’d feared for him. She knew the kind of life she had endured over the past three months – if you could call it a life. She hoped Han had not had to suffer similarly.

“Are you gonna be all right, Leia?” Hobbie asked, breaking the long silence.

She looked up at the pilot, quickly finding the fiery determination sparking again inside of her. “That depends, Hobbie.”

Right away she could tell he was nervous as to where this was going. “On what?” he asked.

“On how quick you can get me out of here.”

He shook his head immediately. “Oh, no. It’s all over the frigate that you’re supposed to stay right here.”

“Hobbie, I know I’ve been gone for a while, but since when have I been one to follow orders?”

The pilot’s face fell, knowing that there was no way he was going to win this argument. “Will you at least let me change my shoes first?”

Leia smiled, noting that this was the first occasion she’d had to do so in a long time. “Make it quick.”

The young pilot disappeared down the hallway, and Leia walked into the ‘fresher to relieve herself and drink a bit of actual, cold water, thoroughly enjoying the feel of it sliding down her throat and pooling in her still-empty stomach.

Opening the small linen closet in the room, she pulled out a set of light green medical scrubs, throwing them on along with a head covering and a doctor’s mask to completely conceal her identity. The hardest part of all of this was probably going to be staying upright as she attempted to casually walk down the hallway.

“I don’t know. Fly casual!” She winced at the memory that flashed into her brain, seeing Han sitting in front of her leading that heroic mission to Endor. She could almost smell the aftershave he always liked to use, a mix of mountain air and morning dew. For a moment she felt like she could reach out and run her fingers through his hair…

But not yet. This would not be the first time she’d mounted a rescue mission to save Han, but at least that time she had the distinct advantage of knowing where to find him. While the details still remained vague, she wondered if there was more information she wasn’t being told. Whatever the case, she was not going to sit back and let the galaxy move on without her while Han was missing.

“Ready?”

She jumped at the sound of Hobbie in the doorway, wearing a much cleaner pair of shoes.

Having no idea what the next step in her plan might be, she responded anyway: “Let’s go.”


To be continued...

***

Short and sweet one this time. Push's condition for me was: "Leia is not supposed to leave the Medical Frigate. Meaning: orders have been given to keep her on the frigate. Doesn't mean she can't escape or stay put - it's up to you. "

Well, of course she's not going to stay put!

Tell Me About It

When I first started writing fanfic I totally neglected my surroundings.  I didn't describe in intimate detail what color the walls were painted or what the room smelled like.  I didn't even let my readers know whether or not my characters were wearing anything at all.  Then I started to see that maybe I needed to pay attention to these things and I started working on my descriptions.  It's actually a fun yet frustrating exercise in my opinion.  I do think, when done right, it can add to a story - sometimes even add volumes to a story.  But after one particular chapter of one of my fics, I told Zyra that I thought that I was describing too much now.  And that I thought I had gone overboard trying to compensate in an area that I thought I had been lacking in.

So.  How much is too much?  How little is not enough?

I don't have the answers here, so I hope you aren't eagerly waiting for them.  I have thought about it though and I think I've gotten to a comfortable place for me, anyway.  If we are strictly talking about SW fanfic (which I think we are), I think if you have your characters in a new situation/time period then maybe you need to give a little description of the surroundings and what they are wearing.

For instance, if you are writing Han and Leia and it is set in the time frame of the movies and they are on the Millennium Falcon, do we really need a description of what the inside of the Falcon looks like?  Definitely not.  Unless, it is through one of the characters eyes and it gives a glimpse of their state of mind or triggers a memory or something like that.  But we don't need a Martha Stewart description of the wall color and flooring.  Am I right?  But if you are in a different time or place, say Han and Leia are married and living in an apartment/house (see above pic).  Well, then you might want to clue your readers in to what things look like and if maybe Han is still wearing the same pants.

I definitely think descriptions, when you are using them, should add to the characters.  We shouldn't be more worried about what Leia's dress is made out of but how does she feel in it?  Or how does the silkiness of the fabric make Han feel about the woman that is wearing it?  Same with the surroundings.  Not so much what they look like, but what do they look like to the characters or what do they make the characters think of?  Does the white couch in their new apartment remind Han of the fight they had about him keeping his shoes off of it?  Does it remind Leia of when they made up from that fight? 

I still think I have a lot of room for improvement in my descriptive areas, I guess that's why I thought this was a good topic to discuss.  I do feel like I am still trying to find the right balance of setting the stage for my reader but not sounding like a set/costume designer.  And I didn't even really delve into sounds and smells, but I think they should follow the same logic.

What do y'all think?

Where is Everybody?

CHAPTER III

Leia’s eyes fluttered open and she let the room and her unfamilair surroundings unwind around her.  There was the distinctive antiseptic smell of a hospital and various monitors were beeping and whirring in her ears.  Recent events slowly clicked into place and as she realized she was safe, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  Turning her head to the side, she rolled over and pushed herself up to a sitting position as she let her legs swing down over the edge of her medical bunk.

She sat there for a bit as she let her body orient itself to an upright position.  She was alone.  Although there were two other beds in her room, they were empty.  Wiggling her toes, she wondered if she should try to stand.  One by one, she disconnected the tubes hanging from her arm, leaving the needles taped to her skin with the un-tethered tentacles swinging loosely like her hair in a ponytail.  That thought gave Leia a start as she missed the feeling that her blanket of hair usually provided, suddenly noticing the absence of its weighty presence.

Raising her hand up to her head, Leia met with the prickly ends of fresh cut hair that stuck out right past her ears.  Realization washed over her like a cool burst of water as her other hand flew up and hopelessly searched for the long braid of hair that was no longer there.  It was just one more thing that was missing from her life now.  Resting her hands down on her knees she looked at her knuckles all scabbed over and bruised and her fingernails freshly cut all the way down to the quick.

Exhaling heavily, she placed her hands on either side of her hips and slid off the bed and onto the floor.  Once her feet made contact with the icy, cold tiles, shooting pains were sent up her legs and she had to twist around quickly to lean over the bed and prevent herself from falling onto the floor.  Steadying herself, she slowly stood up straight, testing her legs and her equilibrium before she attempted to let go of the bunk and walk towards the door and hopefully towards some answers.

She ambled down the long hallway, relying heavily on the corridor walls for support.  Medical personnel brushed passed her but she seemed to be as invisible as she felt, like an aberration in an alternate universe.  She reached a crossroads in the corridor and stood at the corner for a long silent moment.  Her eyes traveled down the three corridors, to the left, to the right and then straight ahead.  Choosing the direction to take seemed to loom over her like the most important decision she would ever have to make in her entire life.

“Excuse me,” she whispered to a young woman in a white coat holding a datapad in her hands.

“Yes,” the woman answered as she looked at Leia from her hospital gown and right down to her naked toes.

“Which way is High Command?”

“Which way is what?”

“High Command,” Leia repeated but got the same puzzled look.  “The executive offices?”  The woman shifted on her feet and looked down the hallway, as Leia added, “Where is whoever is in charge?”

“This is a Medical Frigate, the Medical Director is in charge,” the woman answered with an aggravated shake of her head and then looking down at Leia’s toes again, she added,   “What room are you in?”

“I’m right down this way.  I was just heading back,” Leia pointed down the corner to the left, as she slowly edged herself around the corridor and replied, “Thanks.”

Leia begged her legs to move faster and it did seem that the more she asked of them the better they began to respond to her.  When she reached the next crossroads she ventured away from the wall, walked straight across and continued on. 

She formulated her next move as she approached another med tech and said, “Excuse me.”

“Yeah.”

“Which way to the lifts for the hangar bay?”

Again, the med tech looked down at Leia’s feet and before he could say anything, Leia offered, “Physical therapy, my doctor’s a real pain about it.”

“Oh,” he answered and then looked up at her and turned a little to the side to point down the corridor to the right of Leia, “Right passed that triage area, you’ll find the lifts.  Take ‘em down to seventeen for the closest hangar.”

***

A rush of adrenaline shot through her system when the turbo lift doors opened to the familiar montage of X-wings, B-wings and freighters.  Hobbling through the hangar, she missed the steady support of the corridor walls as she found herself struggling just to keep a straight line.  Recognizing a face amongst a group of men in front of her, she did her best to control the trembling in her legs as she walked up and said, “Hobbie?”

“Princess?  I heard that we’d found you!  What are you doing walking around?”

The room began to swirl around her and she concentrated on Hobbie’s voice and his familiar face. 

“You’re looking a little pale,” Hobbie added. 

She could hear the concern in his voice and the muscles in her legs began to tremble violently.  She opened her mouth to speak but her body refused to cooperate.

“Uh-oh, wait a minute."

She heard Hobbie’s words spinning around in her head along with the rest of the hangar.

His hands were on her or she had fallen into him, she couldn't be sure, but she heard him say, “Okay, here you go.”

Still unable to force her dried mouth to say anything, she just rested her head on Hobbie's broad shoulder and he scooped her up in his arms as if she weighed nothing.

As Hobbie began walking, he said, “Let’s get you somewhere to sit.”

Shutting her eyes she prayed to the goddess to help her not throw up on the one person that seemed unable to shut up.  She felt him walking and then the noises of the hangar dropped away and she felt him set her down on a cool surface.

“Hey.  Can you hear me?”

She was sitting up and she could feel Hobbie’s breath tickling the tiny hairs on her face, but her vision refused to put all those tiny dots together into anything resembling Derek “Hobbie” Klivian.

“Alright, let’s lay you down.”

“Where’s Han?” Leia croaked out, it seemed a good a question as any.

Hobbie seemed to freeze up and as he pulled away from her he drawled out, “Ooooh.”

Dammit to all hells!  The frustration of not getting any answers sent hot blood coursing through her veins and her mind began to sharpen once again.  She sat up abruptly and placed her hands on Hobbie’s shoulders, blinking furiously until she could recognize the fear in his face, “Tell me what’s going on, Hobbs!  And that’s an order!”

“We don’t know where Solo is, ma’am.  He’s been missing as long as you have.  That’s all I know.  I swear.”

“Where’s Mon Mothma?  And Rieekan?  Where’s the Alliance’s headquarters?”

Leia heard him expel a deep breath and she could make out the shadow of his hand as it crawled across his face, “There ain’t no Alliance…anymore…ma’am.”

Her mouth fell open and the bottom dropped out of her world.  The urge to vomit hit her like a punch in the gut and she felt Hobbie grab her shoulders and gently lie her down.  No.

“The Rogue Squadron, we’re just a search and rescue team now, that’s all.”

No.

“Mon Mothma and all them big shots drew up some sort of peace treaty.”

No.

“With that Grand Moff guy who slaughtered us on Coruscant.”

No!  Shut up, Hobbie!

“But we don’t hear nothing from anybody anymore ‘cept the Imps.”

Leia leaned over and emptied the contents of her stomach all over Hobbie’s shoes and as she rolled over onto her back she said, “That’s enough, Hobbs.”  And then draping her arm over her eyes, she whispered, “I’ve heard enough.”

To be continued...

(FYI:  My only condition from Zyra was that Leia could NOT fall in love with Wedge.  As if!)

Universal Han and Leia Fanfic Truths: The Sequel

No, this is not a story update. We still want to do some normal posts, too, not just turn it into a story blog. You'll have to wait until Friday. The universal truths post is by far and away our most popular post on the site. So I decided to see if I could come up with some more options. Some of these were taken from comments of the last post, but I think they're worth repeating.

1. Mon Mothma doesn't like Han and/or his relationship with Leia. You'd be hard pressed to find a fic in which Mon Mothma is all excited for Leia and ready to help her pick out a wedding dress. She either wants Leia to lose Han and marry someone else "for the good of the New Republic" or she just doesn't seem to think that Han is good enough for her and she can do better. Why does she seem to hold some personal interest in Leia's love life? Is it just because she's apparently the only other woman in the galaxy? All she does in the movies is give exposition, yet we have her meddling in Han and Leia's relationship constantly. Perhaps she just wants Han to herself...

2. Their relationship is often plagued with others saying that Han isn't "good enough" for Leia. Sometimes this gets used a bit too often since it's such an easy and obvious way to put a strain on their relationship, but I'll admit to using it now and again. I suppose there are certainly legitimate reasons for people to see things this way. The fact is I don't think I've ever read a story where Han's buddies are telling him he should break it off with Leia, where many, many stories have Leia being told by lots of people that she shouldn't be with Han. Yeah, I suppose she's a princess, but is she really anymore? And it's not like the Royal House is even alive anymore to disapprove. The girl has suffered enough, can't you just let her date who she wants? Besides, the guy ends up a general of the New Republic and was integral in taking down both Death Stars along with protecting Leia and many others. Isn't that good enough?

3. Han buys Leia presents and surprises her a lot, and Leia almost never does either of those things. For some reason we all seem to think that Han would buy Leia special presents or surprise her with dinners or vacations or whatever. I have read very little in which Leia buys Han a present or surprises him with something. Do we all think that Han constantly has to vie for her affection, even in marriage? That just giving him herself is enough and she doesn't owe him anything else? Do we just love the idea of Han doing these nice, romantic things for Leia? I've actually thought about writing something in which Leia gives Han a meaningful present. The problem? I can't think of anything. I mean, with her it can be something commemorating Alderaan or something about the kids or jewelery or all sorts of different things. I don't know of anything he would get excited about. Engine parts, maybe? But that hardly seems like a romantic present.

4. General Rieekan is like a surrogate father to Leia. This was touched on a bit in the comments of the last post, but I think it is worth repeating. Let's all think back to The Empire Strikes Back. I'm sure anyone reading this blog pretty much has it memorized. Remember General Rieekan? I am pretty sure that if all you did was watch the movies a million times without reading any supplemental material that you wouldn't even know which one he was. Leia mentions his name once, but we can't really be sure which person she's referring to. There's nothing that tells us it was that guy who Han told he had to leave. He has a handful of lines that aren't particularly important. I suppose the only thing about him is that apparently he actually likes Han and appreciates his participation in the Rebellion based on telling him he's a good pilot and he doesn't want to lose him. Okay, well, I guess that's something. How do we even know he's from Alderaan? He says about two things to Leia. But in a lot of stories, apparently he was with her a lot growing up and she goes to him for a lot of fatherly advice. And in spite of what we all know most fathers would probably think of Han Solo, he seems quite supportive of their relationship. Go figure.

5. Leia is often portrayed as cold and unfeeling and doesn't like to be touched. This one doesn't make that much sense if you go back and watch the movies. Aside from Han, who she is actively trying to push away, think about how touchy/feely she is in the movies. I mean, within a very short time of being rescued she hugs and/or kisses all three of her rescuers. She hugs Han after the garbage masher stops, she kisses Luke on the cheek before they swing over the chasm and then again before he goes off in his X-wing. She hugs Chewie - who she had just recently referred to as a walking carpet - after they destroy the Tie Fighters. She hugs Han and Luke again when they come back from destroying the Death Star. Do these sound like the kinds of things that a cold and unfeeling woman would do? Probably not. And once she and Han share their first kiss, she almost always has her hands on him when they're together, even if just casually. She's actually quite openly affectionate.

6. Han is all about having kids and Leia is reluctant. All right, I guess if you found out you were carrying Darth Vader's DNA you might be a bit worried about what your kids would turn out like. But Leia never seems anxious to have kids. You'd think maybe on the other side of the fence, she'd really long to create a family of her own after she lost hers. On the other end of things, let's think about Han's recent past. Flying around without having to answer to anyone, doing what he wants when he wants. Sleeping with just about anyone he wants. Do you suppose in the midst of all of those smuggling runs and one-night-stands he spent much time longing to hold a baby in his arms? I don't think so. I get that things obviously would change for him once he met someone he might actually want to have kids with, but he is never the one to step forward and say, "Whoa, wait a second. If we have kids, doesn't this mean that we won't just be able to have sex anywhere we want whenever we want? I'm not sure I'm that excited about this idea..."

7. Han never has second thoughts about getting married. This sort of goes with the above. The guy took an awfully long time to commit to the Rebellion, and that was far less of a commitment than marriage would be. Now, of course I'd like to think that he wants to marry her from very early on, no doubt in his mind. But I haven't really come across anything where he sort of steps back and thinks that maybe settling down might be too much for him, as would kind of being stuck dealing with Leia's career. Not to mention only getting to sleep with one woman for the rest of his life. Like I said, I don't really see him being reluctant about marriage, but it's an option that hasn't really been explored and given his past you could certainly make an argument that that would be in character.

8. Leia often lets her work/career take precedence over her personal life. Again, I suppose you could argue that this is kind of what her character is like in the movies, so it makes sense. But wait, does it? Let's think about this. After enduring what we can only assume was brutal torture on board the Death Star, she doesn't reveal where the Rebel base is. Then, they decide to target her home planet for destruction. She caves immediately. I mean, I know she lied, but she basically let her personal feelings override her duty there. Same thing later on when she goes to find Han on Tatooine. You think the Rebellion might have thought sending Leia, one of their faithful leaders, and Luke, one of their commanders and a Jedi, to find one ex-smuggler pilot while there was another Death Star being built? I'm pretty sure that wasn't considered a priority. She dropped it all for a personal mission. So why later on do we have her so preoccupied with work and ignoring her family when in the movies it would seem that she is willing to drop "duty" without a second thought if it will help her loved ones? Yeah, think about that.

So there you have it, part 2 of the universal truths. As always, feel free to comment on what I've written here or add more. We love getting comments on the blog. Not only makes it feel like people are actually reading it but encourages some discussion and maybe sparks some interesting debates.