#otterandterrierwrites

[lajulie24]

Braids and Bloodstripes: A Han/Leia Fic Rec List

For Han/Leia Appreciation Week 2024 (@hanleiacelebration) - Day 2: Braids & Bloodstripes (hair or clothing) / Home planet

Each of these excellent Han/Leia fics feature clothing, hair, makeup, or more as significant parts of their plots or setups — and they’re all well worth reading. Enjoy, and be sure to leave the authors your kudos and comments!

Formal Functions by EllieL / @ellielstories

Rated M

Han and Leia at six different formal events over the years.

Leather and lace by @otterandterrierwrites

Rated E

A pair of leather racing gloves figures heavily into this delicious smut, in which Leia listens to Han ramble on about racing but eventually manages to property distract him.

Jooni and Doré by @otterandterrierwrites

Rated T

An undercover mission prompts an opportunity for Han to take Leia on “the worst date she’s ever had,” including forcing her to wear an appropriately tacky outfit. The friends have “a totally normal time” (yeah, they kiss).

Gestures by @knightedrogue

Rated M

Han makes a rather impressive gesture (involving his New Republic dress uniform and a formal dinner) and Leia is struck speechless. She duly rewards him later.

Baby, Let Your Hair Hang Down by spinninginfinity / @yoyomarules

Rated T

Post-ROTJ, Leia does something a little different with her hair, now that she has access to hair stylists and quality shampoo. Han definitely approves.

Whore by @madame-alexandra

Rated M

On the way to Bespin, Han finds a lipstick (and more) in Leia’s go bag.

And Then We’ll See by CaptainNinapants / @captaincwb

Rated T

Leia really, really likes Han in his new glasses. Han wants to know why.

[lajulie24]

Year-End Fic Recs 2022 - part 3

Every year, my fellow fanfic writers blow me away with their talent,  their creativity, and their heart. I’m compiling a list to share a few of the fics I read (or reread) this year and would recommend -- by no means an exhaustive list of the many talented writers and wonderful stories out there, and not exclusively stories that came out or updated this year, but a place to start. Because I have a lot to say, I’ll be sharing these in multiple posts. (2022 Fic Recs Part 1 Here | 2022 Fic Recs Part 2 Here)

Fic Recs Part 3: Catching Up With the Princess and the Scoundrel

Fun and Fluffy

One prize I’d cheat to win by @thesandwichincident / JuliaRose12: This was my gift for last year’s holiday exchange, and what a gift it was! A series of vignettes showing wagers between Han and Leia at different stages of their relationship. Lovely characterization, good fun, and sweet without being saccharine.

Inked and (Mis)adventures by @soloorganaas: Post-sequel trilogy fics in their until death do us part AU (with a very-much-alive Han, Leia, and Luke post-TROS). In Inked, Rey, still dealing with some of the aftermath of Kylo’s emotional manipulation, has gotten a tattoo that she rather regrets. Poe and Finn offer to take her to get it covered up, and enlist Leia to chaperone – only to discover some surprising things about their General. In (Mis)adventures, we learn how Leia got the first two tattoos she had at the beginning of Inked, as well as Han’s response to the third.

Perfect For Each Other by @sififantsyfangirl​: For a costume party on base, Han and Leia coincidentally both dress up as characters from their favorite book series – only neither of them have read the last book in the series yet, so they don’t know how their characters end up. Funny and sweet masquerade party fluff.

Han and Luke Go to White Castle by @hanxleia / AdiGallia9: While waiting for a very pregnant Leia to get home from work, Han and a just-back-from-Jedi-travels Luke accidentally get high off their asses on a bottle of Hapan spice wine. (Yes, from THOSE Hapans, and yes, THAT kind of spice.) Han gets philosophical, Luke gets goofy, and they both consider what made them lucky enough to have all found one another. The genuine deep love and affection each of these two have for each other -- and how much they both love Leia, in different ways -- comes out, and it also just feels so real, especially when Leia gets home. I keep rereading this one, because it’s just so fun!

Hungry Hearts: XIII - Joppa stew and Gizer ale by @otterandterrierwrites: The latest chapter of the Hungry Hearts multichapter fic (in which Han and Leia share a series of foods together) involves what was supposed to be a friends’ dinner on the Falcon for our four heroes on the Festival of Love Day...but when Chewie and Luke bail, is it actually a date? Sweet, funny, and perfectly in character.

Try a Little Tenderness

one more night with you (always turns to two) by @yoyomarules​ / spinninginfinity: A lovely trip-to-Bespin fic where Han provides exactly what Leia needs to help her sleep.

let somebody love you (before it’s too late) by @hadleyfrasergender​ / beyondtheoldheadstones: This a tender little Han/Leia pre-relationship fic featuring trans Han Solo, and it’s just beautifully written, funny, short and sweet. I loved it, and I think you will too.

Gold Card by @organanation​: Han gets some data from a contact that might be of use to the Rebellion – and some holos that might be appreciated by a certain Alderaanian Princess. Pre-relationship fluff, with a lot of heart.

so from the world of spirits descends a bridge of light by @glimmerglanger: This lovely little fic involves Han and Leia sharing spooky stories from their respective worlds – which gets a bit emotional when it comes to stories from a culture whose planet no longer exists.

In Writing by @madame-alexandra​: What do you get the Princess who has everything? Co-ownership of the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy, for one thing. One of my favorite Han and Leia engagement fics ever.

[lajulie24]

Year-End Fic Recs 2022 - part 2

Every year, my fellow fanfic writers blow me away with their talent, their creativity, and their heart. I’m compiling a list to share a few of the fics I read (or reread) this year and would recommend -- by no means an exhaustive list of the many talented writers and wonderful stories out there, and not exclusively stories that came out or updated this year, but a place to start. Because I have a lot to say, I’ll be sharing these in multiple posts. (Fic Recs Part 1 can be read here.)

Fic Recs Part 2: Han and Leia Learn That Sex Doesn’t Fix Things

I love exploring Han and Leia’s growing attraction and their unresolved sexual and romantic tension in the first part of the Original Trilogy -- but what if they did admit and act on their attraction before the events of ESB? These fics explore that in different ways, and deftly walk that line of an enjoyable AU and a Han and Leia who feel perfectly in character.

The Interlude series (Interlude, Relapse, and Wilderness) by @madame-alexandra: This series explores an AU in which Leia and Han develop a sexual relationship in several isolated instances while away from base, starting with an encounter while on Kashyyyk to get Chewie urgent medical attention. The sexual intimacy feels great in the moment, but Leia’s not ready to take the leap into the emotional intimacy Han needs, and it’s killing them both. Beautiful, nuanced exploration of both Han and Leia, what they each bring to their relationship, and what things keep them from connecting, even when they are in love.

In A World Where You Are Possible by @keys2thefalcon / Falcon_Etti: This AU features a Han and Leia who take a bit of a detour from the OT plot trajectory, in part because of their friends-with-benefits-turned-relationship that develops prior to the events of ESB. The first chapter shows Han, Leia, and Chewie as field agents returning to the New Republic sometime after Endor, with Han and Leia’s four-year-old daughter and young son in tow; subsequent chapters are exploring how they got there, both plot-wise and emotionally. This fic is in progress and is updating regularly now, and it honestly blows me away. The author builds plot, explores Han’s and Leia’s individual emotional landscapes, helps us see how their pasts and their presents affect their approaches to the future, and adds plenty of lived-in detail and well-developed OCs that make this world feel so real. Han and Leia are still the heroes we know and love, they love each other deeply, they are building a good relationship, and yet in this fic they are allowed to fuck up, to make bad decisions, to do their best and still fail, to misunderstand each other. They feel so real and so human as they try to come together and as they commit to making this work. Them realizing they love each other is just the beginning of the story (although even that takes a while to get to!), and it’s wonderful to come along for the ride.

Night At the Grand Regent Hotel by @otterandterrierwrites​: And now for something completely different: it’s Han and Leia in a sex pollen fic! In an AU of the Star Wars Rebels and Rogues comic (in which Han and Leia are posing as newlyweds for a mission and decline the “pheromone enhancers” on offer in the honeymoon suite), Han and Leia are unknowingly exposed to said enhancers. And suddenly can’t seem to keep their hands off each other, or their heads clear enough to complete the mission. The sex is VERY hot (and as consensual as one can get with sex pollen involved), the plot is hilarious (especially after you know what’s causing the extreme horniness), and the writing beautifully portrays the conflicting feelings that would arise after falling into bed with someone you love but had told yourself was off-limits.

waves by @soloorganaas​: The sexual tension between Leia and Han finally crests while on a mission together, prior to ESB. Leia’s riding a wave of manic energy, and Han is delighted to be needed and wanted by her, and determined to lift her up when the wave crashes. Incredible example of smut with feelings, and an exploration of a neurodivergent Leia and the man who loves her – but fears that with her soul pledged to the Rebellion, there will be little left for him. The sex is beautifully done and very hot, and the portrayal of Han and Leia feels both very unique and very much in character.

[lajulie24]

First Lines Tag Game

I was tagged by @otterandterrierwrites — thank you kindly for the tag!

Rules: share the first lines of your ten most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written fewer than ten, don’t be shy, share anyway! ❤️

If we survived the great war: “Luke took a sip of his kaffe and made a face. He wasn’t generally much of a kaffe person, but the erratic sleep schedule of a Rebel squadron commander / aspiring Jedi knight and the unrelenting cold of their current base made it something of a necessity.”

One Half Won’t Do: “Carlist Rieekan’s head was still reeling. What the hell happened? When did I lose control?”

There’s promise in the air: “The celebrations were still going strong, Rebels greeting each other with relieved hugs and joyful shouts, inquiring after friends, warning each other about the Ewoks’ wickedly strong brew. Someone, somewhere had found fireworks and set them off; there were bonfires and impromptu concerts and tearful reunions. The tension and fear that had lain beneath their careful plans and daring escapes had given way to the overwhelming sense of relief that followed a major victory.”

All of the ghouls come out to play: “Nobody was really certain how and when the doll had first arrived. It was one of the steady stream of gifts from diplomats and well-wishers from around the galaxy that had flooded Leia’s office and the Alderaanian embassy as soon as news had broken of an Organa-Solo baby on the way.“

Better than anything else that I’ve tried: “Leia wasn’t exactly sure what had first inspired the idea—was it the memory of the last bits of ice cream she’d savored last night, retaining that cool sweetness on her tongue as her lips closed over the spoon? Was it the arc of that little dip in his throat, seen as he’d swallowed his last bit of kaffe this morning? His lean body tangled in the sheets? The heat she’d briefly felt leaning over him for a kiss before she’d left the apartment? The sound, something between a growl and a purr, he’d put into his intonation of Sweetheart?”

See if you can work me the way you say: “‘A word, Captain?’”

A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing): “Silence met Wedge’s story for a good minute, until Han finally spoke. ‘That’s the most fucked up thing I’ve ever heard.’”

Tiny Umbrellas: “Working up a sweat alongside Han was certainly a fair part of how Leia had expected to spend her first real vacation in several years, but this was not exactly what she’d had in mind.“

Our stained glass means nothing without light: “Leia was drinking tea at the dejarik table when he appeared. One moment she was alone, and the next, there was a faint blue glow and a sort of…presence.”

What they could do: “Nobody was supposed to talk about their younglings, the ones who had left. The little ones, mostly toddlers and preschoolers, who had been offered a place, a calling with the Jedi Order. The ones they’d sent off to be with others who shared their gifts, to be in a place where their strange beauty would be understood. Where they could spend their lives in service to the galaxy.”

***

Tagging: @keys2thefalcon @diplomaticprincess @inelegantprose @yoyomarules @theorganasolo and anyone else would like to play!