I guess I had some things to add?

@virescent-phosphor said: I was just thinking about writing about how the character of Leia impacted me, too…

I read it. You really said a lot of what I was thinking, not just about Leia, but Carrie herself.

Star Wars was and is such a huge part of my life, my coming-of-age, my history. The first story I wrote was Star Wars “fanfiction”. The first “scary” movie I watched was Star Wars, after much begging and pleading I was finally allowed to watch the sequels, too (rather conservative upbringing). I remember when Episode IV was re-released, and we all went to go see it. It was so cool to see it in the theater! I had a toy Han and a Millennium Falcon, but I couldn’t find a Leia so I made my own with a scrap of cloth and a small doll I had. She kicked all the butt, even though her rubber band often broke and her “dress” fell off. I also did attempt some of her hairstyles, though there doesn’t seem to be any surviving photographic evidence of this.

To me, Leia was everything I couldn’t be. She stood up to oppressive figures (overbearing father? check) and ran around with guns and mouthed off to everyone. She wore pretty clothes and no one said she was being too “girly”, and she also wore pants and camo and no one said she was being too “boyish”. No one got in her way for long, really. She was smart and resourceful and sassy, and mostly, it was Han who needed HER to rescue him. She could do anything.

So many of my happiest childhood memories are wrapped up in Star Wars, in the Leia character, in that world and that family, I can’t even describe them, I can’t even begin to, I’m not sure I could share them. I will always cherish them. Always.

Growing up, learning about Carrie’s struggles and personality, I realized how much of herself was in Leia’s character. Seeing her return to the screen in TFA was probably the best part of the film for me. I know what goes into a day on set, and I also know what it is like to live with a mental illness, and I know it couldn’t have been an easy accomplishment. Particularly on a film like that, with the entire world watching every follicle of hair movement.

The world has lost an exceptional voice; her particular flavor of wit and courage. I hope she will be long remembered for her accomplishments and her bluntly honest words, and not fade into the end of a list of casualties of a particularly brutal year.