Season 2 Spoilers Below!
Okay, unpopular opinion, but I kind of understand why Aziraphale may think Crowley would want to be an angel again, if we put aside the queer allegory of conformity for a moment.
Aziraphale probably remembers the first time he met Crowley (then Rafael) when Crowley was building the stars. Crowley had such a look of genuine joy and wonder on his face.
Aziraphale thinks he is being kind. Obviously, yes he still wants to fix Heaven, which is a futile pipe dream.
But, Aziraphale wants to give Crowley the stars again, and he thinks bringing him back to heaven is the only way to do that.
Aziraphale wants to save Crowley from an existence of eternal damnation. To forever protect Crowley from Hell which he sees as the only source of evil and torture. He still has his blinders on and doesn’t realize this about Heaven.
He just doesn’t realize that Crowley doesn’t need the stars and he doesn’t need saving.
At least that’s what I’m telling myself to cope.
(Luckily, the Bentley gets great mileage.)
Not mine but still fun
Aziraphale : There is no future. There is no past. Don't you see? Time is simultaneous, an intricately structured jewel that humans insist on viewing one edge at a time, when the whole design is visible in every fact.
Crowley : ...All I asked was if you wanted to cut your birthday cake first.
*
Aziraphale : Why are you on fire?
Crowley : This is just how my day is going.
*
Crowley : What do you call a dictionary on drugs?
Aziraphale : If you say "addict-ionary" I swear I will smite you.
Crowley : I was actually going to say "high definition", but your answer's much better.
Aziraphale : ...
*
Crowley , answering the phone: Hello?
Aziraphale : It’s Aziraphale .
Crowley : What did they do this time?
Aziraphale : No, it’s me, Aziraphale . It’s actually me.
Crowley : What did you do this time?
*
Aziraphale : You have your weirdly sincere humility.
Crowley : I prefer the term "self-loathing", actually.
*
Aziraphale , opening a Capri Sun: Guess I'll drink my sorrows away.
*
Aziraphale : I hate you.
Crowley : Well, according to this picture I drew of us holding hands, that is untrue.
*
Aziraphale , skipping rocks on a lake with Crowley : It’s such a beautiful evening.
Crowley : Yeah, it is.
Crowley : *whispering* Take that you fucking lake.
*
Crowley : I'm gonna get my pilot's license. I've already got a driver's license and a cosmetology license, that's two of the big five licenses.
Aziraphale : The big five licenses?
Crowley : Driver's license, cosmetology license, pilot's license, fishing license, and… license to kill! I can't wait to get that one.
*
Aziraphale : Are you trying to seduce me?
Crowley : Why, are you seducible?
*
Aziraphale : I’d like to live through a week that’s not a whole new verse of “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”
*
Crowley : I’m having salad for dinner!
Aziraphale :
Crowley : Well, fruit salad.
Crowley : Actually, it’s mostly grapes.
Aziraphale :
Crowley : Okay, it’s all grapes.
Crowley : Fermented grapes.
Aziraphale :
Crowley :
Aziraphale :
Crowley : It’s wine.
Crowley : I’m having wine for dinner.
*
Crowley : I think I should be allowed on ghost hunter tv shows.
Aziraphale : I think that would be dangerous for the ghosts.
*
Crowley : If we don’t get out of this alive… If we’re both about to die… I love you, Aziraphale !
*Neither of them die*
Aziraphale : …
Crowley : …
Aziraphale : So do you wanna talk about somethi-
Crowley : No thank you.
*
Crowley on Monday: *glues 5p to the sidewalk* Heh heh heh.
Crowley on Wednesday: *walking down the street* Ooh hey! 5p!
*
Aziraphale : You use humor to deflect your trauma.
Crowley : Awww, thanks-
Aziraphale : That’s not a good thing.
Crowley : All I’m hearing is that you think I’m funny.
*
Aziraphale : When do you usually go to sleep?
Crowley : Whenever I collapse is entirely up to the gods.
*
*Crowley is fighting a monster*
Aziraphale : Just stay calm! You already have everything you need to beat it!
Crowley : The power to believe in myself!?
Aziraphale : No, a knife! Stab it!
*
Crowley , grinning: I have a knife!
Aziraphale : Put it down, Crowley .
Crowley : Make me! *sprints away*
*
Aziraphale : Pick a card, any card.
Crowley : Fine.
Aziraphale : Wait, that's my credit card!
Crowley : You said any card.
Season Two Spoilers Below
Okay, so when Shax and Aziraphale are in the car, Shax says to Aziraphale, “You don’t seem his [Crowley’s] type at all.”
…
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!
What does she think Crowley’s type is? What is she basing this assumption on? Crowley’s aesthetic? Did Crowley curate some kind of reputation as a lusty tempter of goths downstairs in some hilarious scheme? How?! He’s so bad at that kind of stuff!
Maybe she’s just preying on Aziraphale’s insecurities?
I need to know!!!!
Appreciation post for all the beginner artists who work hard despite the AI looming over us. You are fabulous. You are precious. Keep up the hard work, you are needed.
Princess and the Scoundrel Thoughts
Spoilers ahead:
First of all, the title and cover of this book are ridiculous. The art is pretty, but the pose looks like a cheesy romance. I think they’re paying homage to Courtship of Princess Leia, which while that story is hilarious, is one of the worst Star Wars books ever. But we get the Dathomir witches so it’s fine I guess.
On the other hand, Princess and the Scoundrel, is one of the best Star Wars books. Despite everything, despite all of the obstacles this book had from the beginning, it succeeds as having some of the best and most subtle character work in the entire franchise. Which is hilarious, because this book literally only exists to market a hotel. But Beth Revis said, “yeah, but what if it was good and I actually tried?”
Now, Beth Revis has clearly read COPL. You can tell and it’s kind of hilarious. For example, in COPL, there is a really long scene where Han plays sabacc (space poker) during a bout of insecurity and wins a planet to give to Leia and he uses THE MILLENNIUM FALCON for collateral. Han Solo would never do this. Now in PatS, Han plays sabacc while Leia is working to help her out by gathering intelligence. One of the players mentions that he wants to kidnap Leia (not knowing who Han is), and Han almost murders the guy. It’s awesome.
Here’s the thing, you can tell when Leia is being written by a woman instead of a man. In COPL, there is one moment where it’s brought up that if Leia marries Isolder there will be a planet for the survivors of the Alderaani genocide, but it’s only mentioned a few times and not by Leia. So any opportunity for a duty vs love internal conflict is not used. Her conflict is “Han and I are distant and space Fabio is hot so…”. Then HAN KIDNAPS LEIA USING A MIND CONTROL GUN. And she doesn’t murder him. So…I don’t care about this relationship anymore because both of them suck and it isn’t even clear why Leia falls in love with Han all over again.
Beth Revis gives Leia a very multi faceted internal conflict. Part of it is her dealing with her feelings about Vader, about being part of a team, and her guilt over Alderaan. It doesn’t take up too much time, but they inform a lot of her character.
Now, in a different canon book, that came out previously, it was mentioned in passing that Han and Leia got married on Endor. Now, at that point in both the EU and Canon, Han and Leia have been forcibly separated for a year and only actually got together a little bit before that. So, that’s really weird. But Revis is stuck with this. So she says to herself, “Why would they do this? Why would they move this quickly?”
And she remembers that this is Star Wars. They are living through war, they all almost died, and just spent a year forcibly separated. And they’ve decided that they’re done wasting time. Han just kind of…proposes and Leia (in typical fashion) debates for a second before deciding to take a leap of faith for love. It’s genuinely very, very sweet. Despite the title and cover this is not a romance book. There is no “will they won’t they” bullshit. Thank. God. They just get married and it’s really happy and Lando pranks Han into dressing nice, and it’s great. Then it’s a Star Wars adventure featuring Han and Leia.
That’s not to say Han and Leia don’t have any tension between them. The difference is it’s interesting. Han and Leia, especially her, do not know how to fully let each other into their lives. It isn’t that Han forgets for a bit that he married a very driven woman. He absolutely knows. His frustration stems from the fact that they are literally on their honeymoon, and Leia keeps leaving to work, because that is all she knows how to do. It is how she has coped with her trauma for three years. On the other hand, Leia feels like she is solely responsible for saving the galaxy, and that Han doesn’t understand that. Both sides of this argument are understandable. The book switches between Han and Leia’s perspectives. There are no stupid cutaways to Luke or space Fabio, there are no space witches. It is a focused relationship/ character study of Han and Leia while they’re on a decently interesting mission.
And the build up to the fight they end up having, is great. It’s a slow build up, you can feel their mutual frustration, and once they have the fight it is very cathartic. They don’t fight for the entire book either. They flirt and tease and have real conversations too.
So, after this huge fight, Leia is trying to divert the cruiser they’re on to this other planet, and Han finds out and helps her. Together, they succeed, but Leia is confused. They haven’t made up from their fight yet, and she asks why he helped her fight to go on a mission that’s going to take up more of their time. And Han says, “You’re my wife. If you’re running a con, I’m going to help you.”
Now, this might just be one of my favorite lines. Beth Revis understands that Han Solo is very loyal to the few people he cares about. He loves Leia, it’s why he goes back for her on Hoth at his own risk, why he saves Luke at Yavin and on Hoth. (She also understands the little bit of dorkiness Han Solo has beneath the posturing, up to the point that she gives him a sweet tooth.) Neither of them are overly mushy, they just love and respect each other.
There’s this great symbolism with their wedding rings. They’re made of hardened amber by the ewoks, and their fragility is a constant reminder of Han and Leia’s issues. They crack under pressure, and have to be maintained carefully. They eventually end up breaking under immense water pressure, but Han gives Leia a new ring (the one she wears in the sequels) reminiscent of the amber ones, symbolizing that they’re coming out stronger. It’s so sweet, and while it’s a little bit on the nose, it’s a great literary technique.
He’s acknowledging that he recognizes this part of Leia’s character, Leia realizes she needs to also put him first. In the aftermath, they both feel bad, apologize, and resolve to work on their issues together. And when they make-up, it feels real. This runs through the entire book, and the way it ends is really satisfying. Now, we know what happens to them in the sequels, so we can see how this conflict may come back into play later and lead to their eventual separation in canon. But, it’s also easy to see a different path where they work through these issues and live happily ever after. It’s just ambiguous enough to be read as either a prelude to eventual tragedy or the beginning of a long, happy life between two complex people. (I prefer the first one, but whatever).
Other things I liked:
- Han proposing. It’s literally that “I want you” “For what?” “A really long time.” quote on the internet.
Han: I want you.
Leia: Me? For what?
Han: Forever. Marry me.
- Leia tells Han about her true parentage and he just does not care. Like, he’s sympathetic towards her feelings, but is like, “why would this impact my love for you?”
- Leia finally lets herself do something spontaneous.
- Luke and Mon Mothma ship it.
- This quote:
Leia: About time.
Han: For what?
Leia: You once promised me a good kiss. I’ve been waiting.
- The conflict on Madurs is also pretty interesting. Leia is unwilling to let another planet die, giving an insight into Leia’s feelings about Alderaan, especially since Madurs values art like Alderaan.
Honestly, I want Beth Revis to write the canon “trip to Bespin” book.
Also…
This book kind of implies that Leia is bi? There’s a scene where Leia is remembering a conversation with her mother. So, when Alderaanian royals get married, their parent straps the ceremonial Rhindon sword (also used during their coronation) around their waist before the wedding.
In the flashback, Breha specifically says “whoever you marry” and “your husband or wife”…
Some people may say that it’s just ‘forced inclusion’ but that’s boring. Now, in the EU, fanon, and canon, Leia always puts emphasis on how close she and her parents were. This is something that I don’t think is ever particularly well illustrated, especially in canon. In parts the Kenobi series (she gets better later) and Leia, Princess of Alderaan, Breha in particular comes off as really unlikable.
But, if Leia isn’t over romanticizing (and there’s no indication that she is), she was really close to her parents. So, it stands to reason that her mother would know her sexuality. They at least seem really accepting in this passage, so it doesn’t seem like something Leia would keep from them.
I have no other evidence, and as far as I know, Leia is always seen in romances with men in both canon and legends, but in this context, it is a very interesting hint of something new about her character.
Can’t say I can trust any online communists who go out of their way to devalue the concept of labour.
Head canon: When Midge and Lenny get married, he has the numbers from her fortune cookie engraved on her wedding ring. She has “I’ll always bring my umbrella” engraved on his.
This head canon comes features in “Two Comics Walk Into Temple…” part of my “Domestic Burlesque” series on ao3. Please go check it out and review!
I’m thinking about how one of Leia’s love languages is most likely touch. For all of her reputation as an ice princess, she is very physically affectionate.
We see this on the Death Star when she kisses Luke for luck, and again when she hugs Han after surviving the trash compactor. She hugs both Han and Luke and does not let go after they return.
Then, in Empire, you see Leia being very unafraid to enter Han’s physical space. If you notice in the med-center on Hoth, it isn’t Han putting his arm around her that makes her pull away, it’s the words coming out of his mouth that make her jerk away. Then, we get to the big kiss on the Falcon, and once again, Leia (despite her protests) doesn’t actually seem all that uncomfortable with his proximity, rather the feelings she has for him. But the kiss happens, and suddenly it’s zero to 100.
For real, Han probably got whiplash. All of the sudden after three years of dancing around each other to the point that he was almost going to give up, suddenly Leia is everywhere. Putting her hand on his shoulder, kissing his cheek. And he also registers this, because on Cloud City he is always reaching out to hold her hand, give easily give her forehead kisses. The moment there’s danger, the first thing he does is reach for her. Then after he returns from what is probably the worst first meeting with your girlfriend’s dad EVER, the first thing Leia does is just start stroking his hair. The last thing she does before the carbon freeze is kiss him. The movie ends with her in Luke’s embrace, seeking comfort when she is vulnerable.
Then, there’s ROTJ. From the minute they’re reunited, Leia is always physically affectionate with Han. We get another shoulder touch in the shuttle. On Endor, he picks her up and spins her before kissing her after he doesn’t get eaten by Ewoks, she curls up to him during story-time. After Luke drops the bombshell and dips the only thing she asks Han to do is hold her. Leading to the end of the film, where there’s that shot of him just cocooning her in his arms.
Anyway, just some thoughts on my favorite rebel princess and her nerf-herder.
This was originally titled “Tying Cherry Stems” however, I have combined it with the sequel, added to it, and heavily restructured it. I love reviews, so please let me know what you think! I need feedback like Midge and Lenny need each other.
Benedick: Well, if you're not at least a little bit gay for your friends, then what kind of friend are you?
Benedick: Hey Beatrice, can you give me the opposite of these words?
Benedick: Always, Coming, From, Take, Me, Down.
Beatrice: Never, Going, To, Give, You-
Beatrice: The fucking satisfaction.
Benedick, very tired: Can I sleep in your bed?
Beatrice: *half asleep* Benedick, this is a queen-sized bed. That means it’s for *gestures vaguely to themself* the Queen.
Benedick: *venting endlessly to Beatrice about their week*
Beatrice, every once in a while: *in a monotone* Wow, that is so wild.
Benedick: Beatrice, can I ask you a question?
Beatrice: You just did.
Benedick: Okay, can I ask you two questions?
Beatrice: You just did.
Benedick, frustrated: OKAY, CAN I ASK YOU FOUR QUESTIONS?!
Beatrice: You just did.
Benedick: When?!
Beatrice: Just now.
Beatrice, to Benedick: I'll be under the mistletoe when you start feeling desperate!
Benedick: Valentines Day? I'm ready. *Sprays an entire can of AXE body spray on themselves*
Benedick: Tommorrow's garbage day.
Beatrice: I can't believe they made a whole day dedicated to you.
Beatrice: I love the term 'partners'. Are we dating? Are we robbing a bank? Are we the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies and are members of an elite squad known as the special victims unit? Who knows.
Benedick: We have a problem.
Beatrice: No, YOU have a problem. I have an idiot who keeps making them.
Benedick: So... what would you do if you were in bed with me?
Beatrice: Depends. Is your bed comfortable?
Benedick: Yes.
Beatrice: I'd sleep.
Benedick: I left instructions for everyone while I'm gone.
Beatrice: Mine just says "Beatrice no."
Benedick: I want you to apply it to every possible situation.
Beatrice: I want to kiss you.
Benedick, not paying attention: What?
Beatrice: I said if you die, I wont miss you.
Beatrice: A fistfight CAN be romantic.
Beatrice: I've met a lot of pricks in my time, but you, Benedick, are a fucking cactus.
Benedick: You know, when I first met you I thought you were a real bitch.
Beatrice: What changed your mind?
Benedick: Oh, I still think you're a bitch. I've just grown to like that about you.
Benedick: I’m in love with you.
Beatrice: We called off the prank war last night at midnight, dork.
Benedick: I know.
Beatrice: Ah. Okay. Um. Cool. Neat. Very cool. Cool. Cool. Coolcoolcool-
Benedick: Even Beatrice and I have been getting closer. The other day, they gave me half of their sandwich.
Beatrice: I mistook them for a garbage can.
Leonato/Don Pedro: Woah dude, premarital handholding? That’s just not cool or groovy.
Beatrice : Of course I have a lot of pent-up rage, you fool! I've been the same height since I was twelve!
Beatrice/ Benedick: Not to be nsfw but I want someone to hold me while I sleep.
Beatrice : If karma doesn't hit you, I fucking will.
Don John: If I can't cause tiny bits of chaos every day, I think my body will shut down.
Beatrice : I love sarcasm! It’s like punching people in the face, but with words!
Benedick : My heart is guarded but like… very poorly. The kind of guards that would let 3 kids in a trench coat into an R rated movie.
Beatrice : I'm not funny, I'm just really mean and people think I'm joking.
Benedick , at Hero’s funeral: I need a moment with them.
Everyone: Of course. *They leave*
Benedick , leaning over Hero′s coffin: Okay, listen here you little shit. I know you’re not dead.
Hero : Yeah, no shit.
Beatrice , to Benedick : How do you tell someone politely you want to hit them with a brick?
Beatrice : If I may interject...
Benedick : Oh, awesome, Beatrice was eavesdropping.
Benedick: Can I bother you for a second?
Beatrice: You're always bothering me, but go ahead.
Beatrice: Hey, Benedick? I need advice.
Benedick: I’m pretty useless at giving advice. Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment instead?
Beatrice: My hands are cold.
Benedick: Here, let me hold them.
Beatrice: My lips are cold too.
Benedick: *covers Beatrice's mouth with their hand*