#kanan is awkward but supportive

[1-have-no-idea]

Playground love

‘Young love, or a small teen / preteen crush, only in a less mushy word or phrase like "puppy love."’

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Authors note: Reader is a teenager so it’s not weird

Character(s): Ezra, reader, brief interactions with Kanan, Zeb, and Hera

Genre: Fluff, romance

Overview: You and Ezra are best friends, and ever since you both joined the Ghost Crew, Ezra has had heart-eyes for the Mandalorian Sabine. You had always been his number one supporter, and as best friends you guys were close. Extremely close. So it wasn’t weird to hold your best friend’s hand, right? And definitely not weird to sometimes wanna kiss them, right? Definitely not… you guys have always felt this way for each other, after all! It’s just how best friends felt for each other. That’s… how it is, right?

Warning(s): Extremely awkward teenagers, second-hand embarrassment, insecurity, Ezra is so oblivious (to be fair, so are you-), Ezra’s a nervous sweat-er, this is literally just fluff with awkward teenagers-

1655 words

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Scene one, sharing a bed: the closer the better!

“Did you see her-? She was so cool–”

“Yeah– I know, I saw, you were all puppy-eyed-”

“No! No, I wasn’t– really-? I was-? No, I wasn’t- do you think she’s into me?”

You and Ezra were both in his new bunk, which happened to be a bit musky due to his large roommate, but it was fine. You’ve smelled worse. (Try sharing a ‘bed’ with the shaggy haired teenager after he came back from a run which included him stealing food.) It was fine though– it was expected. Currently, both you and him had just recently been recruited into the Ghost Crew, and Ezra was in training to be Kanan’s padawan. It wasn’t going well. You know what was going well, though? Him and Sabine’s impending relationship. At least that’s what he referred to it as. In reality, he had no chance with her, but hey. You both were delusional teenagers. It was the blind leading the blind.

“Maybe. I think so. I think.” You responded, shrugging your shoulders while flopping down onto the bed. Ezra following your actions, falling down by your side and pressing his side against yours, a lazy lip trill leaving him. “I think so, too. I think.” He echoed, tilting his head so his face was facing yours, a silly smile perking up on his face. You felt your own pull up just from seeing that boyish smile, before changing the subject. “How was your training today?” Ezra immediately groaned and turned his face away from yours, shaking his head. “A stupid loth cat attacked me when I tried to ‘bond’ with it.” You snorted at that, a laugh escaping you as you sat up, looking down at him. “A tooka?” You repeated, and he huffed, shifting so his head was resting on one of your thighs. “Don’t laugh. I was about to get a lightsaber. Bond with it–”

“Ezra!” You gasped out incredulously, and he scoffed. “Annoying furball was asking for it!” He defended, and you could only sigh at that. You were about to say more, before the door slid open, and a familiar Lasat stepped in, rolling his eyes at the sight of you two. “Get out, you lovebirds. I’m trying to get a nap in, so get out.” Zeb demanded, not even waiting for a response before he grabbed you two by the scruff of your shirt necks and tossed you out of the room.

Both you and Ezra sputtered out protests, before plopping down to the floor with an oomf! “What a jerk–” Ezra commented lowly, sending a dirty look to the now shut door, while you snickered. It didn’t even register in your guys' minds what the Lasat called you, but you guys couldn’t really care less.

“...wait, what’d he call us-?”

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Scene two, handholding: every friend does it!

“You two, go to the market. Hera needs some more tools and extra food supplies, but don’t cause any trouble–”

Aaaaaand you two were already rushing out, giggling and stumbling down the ramp in the direction of the market. Kanan sighed, shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes closed and brows furrowed in exhaustion. “Why do I feel like I just made the biggest mistake of my life?” He commented heavily. The previously mentioned Twi’lek only offered him a teasing smile, before nudging him playfully. “You just see yourself in him.” She teased, and Kanan huffed. “I do, yes, but— wait, I—” looking across the vast ecosystem, he spotted you and Ezra’s slowly shrinking figures running hand in hand together.

Oh, that’s what she meant. A strangled, incredulous (and embarrassed) noise left the Jedi Knight, and he whipped towards her. “I do not!” He defended, and she only shrugged, raising a brow at him, an obvious ‘you’re in denial’ look in her eyes.

Meanwhile, you and Ezra were practically vibrating with excitement. “What do we need to get again-?” You asked, peeking over his shoulder to try and see the words written on the piece of paper Kanan had given the two of you. But, instead of Ezra showing it to you, he decided to be a little menace and hold the paper above his head where you couldn’t see it, a cheeky grin growing on his face. “Oh, I don’t know,” he purred playfully, and you groaned, before leaning up and quickly snatching the paper. Ezra yelped and pinched it between his fingers, but your tug was too forceful, thus resulting in the now ripped in half paper. A loud cackle left you as Ezra choked on his air, and you playfully shoved him. “Look what you did! You ripped it!” You shouted, and he protested immediately. “What!? Me?!” He squawked. “What about you? You’re the one who pulled it!” He retorted, and you rolled your eyes. “Only cuz’ you wouldn’t let me see, dummy!” You counterclaimed with a giggle, sticking your tongue out.

Ezra only huffed, before stepping closer to you. “Whatever. But now we’re gonna have to share.” He pointed out, and you shrugged. “Fine by me.” You responded, mimicking him and standing close to him. Both of your hands brushed against eachother, and Ezra took the chance to grab yours, interlacing you fingers together affectionately, and you didn’t even bat an eye. Nothing new. Once again holding hands, the two of you strolled around the market, keeping an eye out for any of the materials or equipment Hera needed.

A vendor behind the two of you sighed happily, shaking their head and smiling fondly. “Ah, young love. I remember that age.” They murmured under their breath, before turning and continuing to sell their products.

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Scene three, kisses: just affectionate presses against flesh

“Mmmmmwah!” A very exaggerated noise left you when you pressed a firm kiss to the soft flesh of Ezra’s cheek, one hand on the side of his head and the other pressed to his other cheek to hold him there. Ezra’s eyes widened, and he stiffened, looking at you in shock as you giggled, your lipstick that you had just applied now smeared slightly. You’d thought nothing of it at first, just an intrusive thought. Honestly, you didn’t even know why. You and Ezra had found Hera’s and Sabine’s lipstick, and thought it’d be funny to swatch it, and you thought that a nice way to swatch it would be just to… well, press your marked lips to his caramel skin. His skin was soft. Squishy. He still had a bit of a baby face. Your lips were warm and sticky from the lipstick, and his cheek was cold. It felt nice. Really nice.

You liked it. You liked kissing him. He liked it, too. Now, a stamp of your lips were marked on his skin, and Ezra grinned, sapphire eyes glittering. “What was that for?” He asked, tilting his head slightly. You shrugged. “I dunno. Intrusive thought.” You muttered, albeit a bit shyly, and Ezra grabbed the other lipstick beside you. “Well, to be fair…” Immediately, you perked up, grabbing the stick next to you and hastily applying it while he applied his own, before peppering kisses all over his face before he could get yours, yelps and embarrassed groans and laughs leaving the two of you. Then, before you could continue, he grabbed your own face in his hands and pressed a big kiss to your own cheek, before your nose, your other cheek, your eyelid… you squealed gleefully, pressing against his chest. “Ezra— noo!” You whined, but he ignored you, before finally pressing his lips to yours in a chaste, shy, and inexperienced peck.

He liked kissing you. He did. And you liked it too.

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Scene four, contemplation: just friends?

“‘Just friends’ don’t kiss.” You finally admitted, hands wringing together nervously as you and Ezra sat outside of the Ghost. Ezra nodded. He knew. He really did. He’s been thinking about this for a couple of weeks ever since he kissed you. Now questions ran through your minds. And you actually started to think about your actions. They weren’t mindless, they weren’t. But you guys were just friends, so why?

“I don’t think ‘just friends’ hold hands either.” Ezra added.

“Or sleep in the same bed and cuddle.” You continued.

It was silent for a couple of seconds, before you blushed, brows furrowing and your heart feeling a tad tight, along with Ezra’s. So would this mean that you and him have to stop? He didn’t want to stop. He really didn’t. Despite being a dork, you were his best friend, and he was yours. And Ezra, well, he loved you. And you loved him. Not romantically– you didn’t think. You just loved each other. Plain and simple.

“Ezra, I don’t really think we’re ‘just friends.’” You pointed out the obvious. But Ezra nodded. Not giving out a sarcastic reply like how he usually would.

“Then what are we?” He asked, looking at you and trying to decipher your reaction. You were doing the same for him, before averting your eyes, looking a tad insecure and not answering. Ezra didn’t remove his eyes from you, however. “...name, I like holding you.” He suddenly stated. That made you look up at him quizzically, before your features softened. “Me too.”

“I like kissing you.” “Me too.”

“...name, I like you.” He finally confessed. “And I think I always have, now that I think about it.” He muttered shyly, and you observed him with curious and fond eyes. “...I think so too. I like you too.” Both of you just shared a fond glance, shy smiles on your faces, before you scooted closer to each other, leaning your head on his shoulder. He relaxed, and rested his head atop yours, heart banging against his ribcage and his neck and face flushing a soft fuchsia.

…He really hoped you couldn’t smell him. He was sweating again.

[thevibraniumveterans]

All this is classic Star Wars “misdirection”.

In A New Hope, near the beginning, Obi-Wan speaks with Luke.

Kenobi: I was once a Jedi Knight the same as your father.

Luke: I wish I’d known him.

Kenobi: He was the best star-pilot in the galaxy, and a cunning warrior. […] Your father wanted you to have [his lightsaber] when you were old enough. […]

Luke: How did my father die?

Kenobi: A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights. He betrayed and murdered your father.

We know that that’s not true… well at least it is, depending on how you choose to see and tell events, according to Obi-Wan’a Force ghost in ROTJ.

Luke: Obi-Wan! Why didn't you tell me? You told me Vader betrayed and murdered my father.

Kenobi: You father was seduced by the dark side of the Force. He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed. So what I have told you was true... from a certain point of view.

Luke: A certain point of view?!

Kenobi: Luke, you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.

Characters not telling the truth from the beginning is literally BAKED into Star Wars from the very beginning. Imagine if Old Ben told Luke that Anakin was his dad and became Vader in Ep4, we’d never get the “No, I am your father” revelation in ESB.

Which brings me to my next point.

The Star Wars branch of The Direct recently put out this article:

In it, the article highlights past interview talking points, the first of which was made by Dave Filoni five years ago on StarWars.com’s Rebels Recon #4.8: Inside “A Fools Hope” and “Family Reunion - and Farewell” on YouTube.

Filoni had said, of the relationship dynamic between Ezra and Sabine:

“It’s been a varied thing and I think everybody’s knee-jerk reaction is to ship the two. You know, to think that, because the two are similar in age, that there’s some type of gravity between them romantically. […] And I think it’s very strong at this point to show boys and girls being friends in supportive of one another. Everybody has their different relationships and it’s just not something that had to be romantically dimensional.”

So okay, Filoni definitely had Ezra start off crushing on Sabine but then he matures and still likes her. Fair enough, because by S4, they’re not kids anymore. They’re not dependent on each other but they rely on each other, and grow with each other. But that they should be, and definitely are, very close friends with each other.

I mean, remember in Rebels S4E1 when the Ghost crew is helping to save Sabine’s dad? He asks Ezra, “Are you with Sabine?” (Meaning, he wants to know if Ezra is part of the group his daughter is with.) And Ezra hilariously replies, “Yeah, I'm with her. I mean, not with her, with her. I'm just friends... With her.” (I mean, sure, it would be way past awkward for Ezra to say that he’s with Sabine, but by fumbling his response, not only do we know the extent of his feelings for her (he actually likes her, go figure 😂), he’s telling a half truth. Because, he is friends with Sabine! It’s true! He just doesn’t want her dad to get the wrong idea! 🤣)

According to Carrie Beck (producer of Rebels) in that same Rebels Recon interview, she said:

“I think the really incredible thing about watching the two of them grow up together as young people lost in a really big galaxy is understanding that one of the strengths of their relationship is actually how they’ve grown and they’ve been able to see each other through. […] And I think, very much, both taking their lessons from Kanan and Hera, I think, has shaped them into the people that they are. You may not be able to control the world around you but you can control how you treat other people and how you work with them. And I think their bond is so strong that there’s nobody else that he could rely on quite like her.”

Beck literally says, there’s two kids who looked at their role models (and team “captains”) who are in love, and took notes.

So it totally squares with Ezra not being 100% truthful in his message for Sabine. Because when he’s telling her something, he wants her to know something. He’s got unresolved feelings for her, so he told her in a way that he hopes she understands. Because it’s never been about him. And even though it’s not 100% truthful, she understands that he cares for and about her. What was at stake was the galaxy, not what they had between them. She knows how he feels. And I think he knows that she’s got feelings for him too. So he phrased his “I’ve got feelings for you” message in such a way that he’s telling her how much she means to him.

So yeah, it would be very very weird of Filoni to have two teenagers somewhat get together, leave us hanging on their story for half a decade in our time, and not resolve it. Filoni knows what he’s doing. He wrote the damn thing after all, he knows what’s going on.

me: i'm tired of seeing the sabezra fandom go to the ends of the world to explain the sister line. i mean, i ship them too, but it'll be canon or it won't and it's useless (although fascinating) to delve into the gestures and psychology of it.

also me: "wow my writing prof really just explained exactly all of the literary character writing conventions that could be at play and i should share it on tumblr dot com"

[crazyclonefan]

Kanera

I start re-watching Rebels and  thought about the fact that when Filoni should concentrate on something and it turns out in very, very weird result once again. For 3 full seasons, Hera and Kanan behaved like an old married couple. They fought sometimes, they made up, she flirted and addressed each other like mom and dad when their children did something wrong or, on the contrary, did a good job. Not only that, but also the scene when Kanan meet Hera's father and how he was worried in front of him and was so excited that he confused the names of Zeb, Sabine and Ezra. It seems even Maul read something similar in Hera's memory when he wanted to know about the holocron. Plus, she always called him love and everything like that, not addressing anyone else in this style. Looking at them, there was no doubt that these two have been together for a long time and everyone knows it.

But everything changes in season 4 in the series shortly before Kanan's death. Kanan suddenly had some kind of embarrassment, some questions - do we exist as a couple, what will happen next and everything like that. They began to act as if they had only recently realized their feelings or that they had only recently allowed each other to experience these feelings and give them free rein, after which they had sex for the first and last time. And everyone else acts like they haven't seen how Hera and Kanan treat each other before.

Okay, maybe they wanted to show that because Kanan became distant from everyone after what happened on Malachor, he also became distant from Hera and it took them a while to reunite... But Season 3 disagrees! After Kanan returns to Hera and Ghost crew and works for Rebellion, they act as a couple again. Everything is fine.

Given that they wanted to kill Kanan, they really needed to focus on Hera and Kanan's relationship. But by concentrating on it, they did it in a very weird way. It was like Kanan and Hera had realized their feelings and had sex for the first time. But that's not what they've been showing all this time. They should either start talking about it earlier, or just leave their relationship as it was for all three seasons, but remove all those awkward conversations "what will happen to us later" and "who we are to each other" that were out of place. And this is several episodes before Kanan's death.

His death really turned out to be tragic and touching and this influenced the further plot, but they still had to start developing his and Hera's relationship early, so that they would not look awkward, as if they only now realized their feelings.

And the fact that Hera, under the serum of truth, wanted to tell him that she loved him and that he did not take it seriously... It seemed to me more that she wanted to tell him that she was pregnant and later regretted that she had not said about it.

No matter what season 4 may say, for me Hera and Kanan was already a couple at the time of season 1. They may not be officially married, but they are a strong fighting couple that support and love each other and have a bunch of adopted children and a droid. Everything an old married couple needs.

[hellothere-generalangsty]

I HAD A BRAIN WAVE MOMENT

DO YOU REMEMBER WAYYYY BACK WHEN EVERYONE HATED ASOKA? DAVE DID THAT ON PURPOSE SO HE WAS IN CONTROL OF WHAT PEOPLE HATED ABOUT HER. OK NOW THIS MIGHT BE A LONGSHOT THAT HOPEFULLY DOESN’T END UP LIKE LONGSHOT THE CLONE, BUT, IM HOPING THATS WHATS DAVE IS DOING WITH TBB. BEING IN CONTROL OF WHAT THE FANDOM HATES ABOUT IT AND THEN IMPROVING IT SLOWLY BIT BY BIT.

PLEASE IM DESPERATE FOR A EXPLANATION!

(also where’s my explanation about why the clones are white washed, dave? hmm? where is it dave?)

OMG LOOK.

It wouldnt excuse the whitewashing or the weak scenario, because he got us used to some good stuff now (tcw s7, Mandalorian, that kind of things)

But it would make sense - to a certain extent - to work that season as a "cliché team in a cliché scenario" and see how people react to be able for a second season (if there's a second season) to improve it

_

Disclaimer: I'm a white, abled person so I'm not trying to speak on behalf of poc/disabled people, but I think it's important to support them and listen to the critics they make about SW and it's content

Also this is quite long I got carried away but worth it it is!

I linked some of @rebekadjarin 's post here because I read a bit through her blog today and agreed with her posts; and I invite you to check out the "#whitewhashed tbb" if you want more extanded and developed information about that matter! (As my knowledge on the matter is still quite limited/ incomplete due to my privileges, and this post is more of a summary than a real analysis)

_

So here, we know that the fans are unhappy about:

- the whitewashing of the Bad Batch (especially since they proved they could animate dark skinned people/ more generally poc with the first seasons of tcw, Kanan in Rebels and the Separatist in the latest TBB episode)

It is a real problem and it shouldn't have happened in the first place. Even if they are different, the Batchers are still clones and it's really not that hard to show their enhancement while keeping Temuera's features and skin colour (I mean, look at all the artists who did and do it everyday on this app; no excuse here)

Star Wars has wasted a lot of potential on numerous occasions because they keep doing stuff like this; and it's quite ironic (and very sad) to see that racism, ableism and stereotypes are prevalent in a universe where people fight for equality and peace...

Here and here are two posts about it (if you're the author of these posts and want me to delete them from my post please tell me so; I took the liberty of adding them because I think they highlight quite well the issue and do a clear job at showing the whitewashing in SW/ around the clones)

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- the way Crosshair is treated; both by the Batchers and the writers, he's manipulated by the chip yet no one is talking about rescuing him and we see nothing about the effect of his absence on the Batchers (they don't mention him, don't try to save him, and Hunter is more distraught by Omega's absence than by his own brother's)

And don't get me wrong, Omega is a kid and she's nice, of course they have to take care of her and protect her

But they also don't know her purpose; why is she here? She could be a bad omen (maybe she doesn't even know it! The Kaminoans probably didn't tell anyone about her real purpose and I stand by the idea that the infos they got about her are all wrong and purposefully misleading) and I have the dark feeling that she will be the end/ death of the Batchers by the end of the serie, even if she didn't wanted it that way

But Crosshair is never mentionned, except for when he's needed in the scenario. Which is a shame, because he's a Batcher too even if he's mind-controlled and (for now) working for the Empire. He's supposed to be a main character, and he's a key element to the plot; yet out of 10 episodes we saw him in only 3, and only the moments where he was acting bad (i'm excluding the lonely moment at the end of ep2 because it had a lot of potential about him fighting the chip but that was all we had and i'm still bitter about it lol)

Here is a post about it

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- speaking of plot; I feel like it's always the same disk playing since episode 2-3: They have a mission given by Cid, they do it, things go wrong, Omega saves the day and they get the money.

Crosshair is doing bad guy stuff so no need to tall about him (haha right?)

Now. I'm a good public. I know when to activate the Dummie™ in me and enjoy a show about a found family doing crazy jobs for a criminal and raising a newly adopted daughter at the same time. It's fun, it's sweet, sometimes it get emotional and the animation is beautiful (the lights are amazing I am always in awe)

I can enjoy it and be in awe and see Echo sniffing food and Tech smiles and Wrecker playing with Omega and feel happy about it.

But I also expected more. I hadn't any clear idea because I didn't wanted to set expectations (how ironic) but I can't help but feel sad about the wasted potential around Empire! Crosshair and the rise of said Empire.

If you want to antagonize one of the main character, do it, but do it fully and do it well. Show us Crosshair getting really invested in a plan to catch the Batchers and suddenly making a scene for a tiny detail that could blow it up; show us Crosshair and Hunter fighting each other hand to hand after they disarmed each other, and Crosshair getting the upoer hand until something holds him back; just enough for Hunter to take control again

Show us a complex character who suffers but doesn't fully realise it, and show us brothers mourning yet hoping to get the family back again you know?

~

- the way Echo is treated by the Batchers. And as much as it saddens me, they do him dirty in the show.

Echo is a war veteran, an ex- prisoner and a disabled character. He went through a lot; first he lost the Domino squad, then he lost brothers on Kamino (including 99 who was close to his squad), then the Citadel happened and he lost both his legs, an arm, his freedom, his brothers and probably any hope to be saved.

Then they found him in that freezer, and he probably realised that, if Fives wasn't here to save him, it meant he lost him too.

Then he left Rex to go with a team of 4 because he probably didn't feel like he belonged with "regs" anymore; he chose strangers over brothers because he thought he couldn't find his place there. Which in itself is sad and problematic.

And now he's with the Batchers, and they don't seem to grasp the importance of his trauma. I mean; they always had the 4 of them and never lost a brother (apart from Cross; which is another wasted potential here because they could have exploited that trauma and made a parallel with Echo being so used to losing brothers and them experiencing it for the first time on such a personal level you know) and they do some crappy stuff to him.

Selling him as a droid? Not cool.

Brushing off his trauma for a mission and some credits? Not. Cool.

And Echo can't say anything because he chose them, and now he has nowhere to go anyway because Order 66 happened; and he probably doesn't want to be a burden to Rex, and he probably doesn't want to abandon his brothers especially now that Cross is gone and they have a child to take care of

But yeah there are a lot of things happening - or NOT happening - around Echo and his trauma and his disability that are wrong and people are right to talk about it

Here is a post I read and I agree with it

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- Overall, the way the show and the characters are handled; they often feel very stereotyped/ cliché and the basic plot doesn't really help for character development or improvement

I read a post about it and it was really interesting; they linked the whitewashing of the characters with their abilities/enhencement

Tech and Crosshair are the smartest and the whitest in the group (which is bad)

Wrecker is portrayed as the Bid Dummie™ and he's the one with the "darker" skin and the features closest to Temuera/ Maōri features (also very bad)

Hunter is straight up a Rambo with a face tattoo, and Echo - and you guys know I love him - is whiter than a sheet of paper (all so bad)

Not only this, but there is no improvement in their personality or thinking

They don't seem to evolve, and just like their mission, they end up playing the same song over and over again

Hunter is the broody soldier and though people enjoy talking to him as a Dad (count me in) but he's not a good dad for Omega (he calls her soldier and is always acting awkward and uncomfortable around her)

Wrecker could be a better dad for her; but again they display him as a big dummie and give the impression he couldn't take well care of her

Tech is here to be the smart one, we only see him when they need someone to do the smart speaking and the complicated computer things

Echo is the grumpy reg, the "more droid than man" and sometimes the Mom™ but they never show him talking about the Empire or the trauma or how the I am not Freaking Out™ I did came back for this Shit™ he's just here to... Be here and be grumpy and bring the oldest clone wars fans to watch TBB

And Crosshair is almost non-existent.

Here is another post about it

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What could it be then?

So either Dave is pulling a Ahsoka on us; but he'll still have a lot of things to correct and explanations to give because I can excuse a bad plot but I draw the line at blatant racism ans ableism (especially when they KNOW the fans and they KNOW what people want and they KNOW it would probably bring more people to enjoy and get invested in the show)

- If he's doing this, he will probably work with the animator to correct the whitewashing (because it really is the only really wrong thing in the animation, the rest of it is quite good to be honest like the light, framing and all)

- Understand that Tbb and Mandalorian are two different shows and cannot be treated the sale way; so he'll get back to the main plot and hopefully work on Crosshair's arc and hos his absence/ him being controlled by the chip affects him/ the Batchers/ their relation

- He'll probably work more on displaying the effect of their trauma; collective and personal, and see how it reflects on their relations (and give Echo the healing he deserves)

- By extension, give the characters more depth and complexity, dig their stereotypical surface and reveal their true nature (show me a ruthless yet easily overwhelmed Hunter; a smart but constantly anxious Tech, a very emotional Wrecker playing the big explosive dummie to protect himself, etc.)

Well, that's what I would do

Or he's just... Doing this and not planning any changes; in which case I'll probably do what I did with SPN s15: stop watching, scroll through tumblr to get some infos and gifs and tell everyone about how dirty they did the characters, and they did us.

~

But I really hope he's hearing us and taking our remarks into account; the show in itself had a lot of potential and I'm still hanging on the thin hope that the ending could "save it"; but I also have no expectations and am in fact waiting for a disappointing ending

On a brighter note, I'm glad the fandom exists because I see artists and writers and gif-makers and theorists and all kind of people creating and sharing their own content, headcanons, art, writing and they all feel right and better than the canon

Like yes, give me a in-character dark skinned clone who deals with his trauma and the sudden changes around him in a realistic way

Tell me about the real effects of the war on soldiers, and the truth behind the corrupted government taking over the galaxy, and the efforts everyone has to make to survive, exist and live together

If Dave and his team cannot do it, I know you guys can and that's why I'm glad to be here too; you give me hope when they fail to do so 💙

~

I hope I like... Answered this correctly? 😂 I got carried away but yeah, though I'm usually not vocal about it and try to enjoy it with my Dummie Energy™ I still see and read about what you all think, and usually I agree with you; the show deserved better and we deserved better

Now back to ignoring the canon and writing a fic about my very much alive and beloved Fives 🥰

[priortoallthoughts]

TBB Character Thoughts

Where do you live Filoni I just wanna talk

Why are they white Filoni

Filoni answer me

Spoilers for TBB episodes 1 & 2 under the cut 

Crosshair 

There are two distinct instances where we see Crosshair being more than just the asshole character and I’m gonna talk about them 

The first one is S7E4 of TCW when everyone is escaping Skako Minor and he and Wrecker are comparing kill counts 

don’t look at me blushing about Crosshair being a top

But just look at Crosshair’s mannerisms when he says “no he won’t~” 

Popping up right after Hunter assures Wrecker just to rub it in that he topped him killed more droids 

The little head shake and shoulder shrug he does 

And his voice 

That’s not the voice of someone saying something cruel

That’s a straight up teasing voice 

He’s teasing his vod like vode do 

The second instance is in TBB S1E1 when they’re loading the marauder for their mission to Onderon 

“He actually cried”

And ya know what?

I don’t doubt that Wrecker cried 

But “hey, we both did”

I like to think that Crosshair, seeing a fully stocked armory with force knows how many (probably new) rifles, also teared up a bit 

THAT’S the Crosshair I’m holding out hope for 

But I swear if I don’t see him trying to fight the chip’s control 

(Just like Rex tried to do)

(Just like Jesse tried to do)

If I don’t see that and he doesn’t get any character development beyond being just the bad guy 

I’m gonna go feral 

But maybe we do see it?

He still wants Hunter’s permission before pulling the trigger even with his chip half active 

And Wrecker is a big target 

Crosshair only hits his shoulder when they’re escaping Kamino

From that close range he misses a kill shot?

No sir I don’t think so

Wrecker 

There was never a doubt in my mind that Wrecker would be good with kids 

Look at him standing up behind Omega in the galley for intimidation like the ori’vod he is

And to see him interact with Shaeeah and Jek 

“Uncle Wrecker!” 

I just 🥺

Amazing 

And can I just say that when they’re locked up on Kamino and he punches the wall the first time 

He explains the sounds to the guard almost verbatim the way Tech did to him 

Had me cracking up because the way he’s written, he would never say that by himself 

He trusts Tech’s explanation so much that he parrots it back to the guards

Not to mention all the little interactions between Tech and Wrecker in both episodes 

Them arguing about the hand signals 

Him reacting to Tech’s teasing about his conditioning 

Wrecker suplexing the droid which was hot

And maybe they’ve done it before, but all Crosshair needing to say is “knife” for Wrecker to know what to do

Great moment 

And his SCAR

We get a so much more detailed image of it in the first episode 

Like, I’m of the opinion that that injury is part of the reason he acts as childish as he does 

Because are those or are those not electrical scars 

His brain was fried

Them mentioning it at all would be nice 

Give me more than big dumb guy 

I love and support the headcanon of him being emotionally intelligent 

Also, him going through the Marauder with Omega and they both fall asleep together is the sweetest 

He probably showed her everything they have while talking about it

He showed her where they hide the snacks

Lula is cute and so is Wrecker’s poncho and hat 

Tech

His confidence in everything he says is so attractive

He might be misinformed about some things, namely the inhibitor chips

But boy

Him being positive about where to hit the wall to break out of their cell

The fact that he could slice into imperial data easily even though he’s never seen those codes before 

How he didn’t tell Hunter about his plan to impound the Marauder until after the fact because he knew his plan would work

The biggest flex

Also, I want him to hear Rex explain the true purpose of the chips 

I want him to say “actually” like he’s about to say something 

I want Rex to have undeniable proof of it all

And I want Tech to become progressively more horrified about what he sees/hears

Tech is Tech

He knows technology

He trusts technology 

And look at what the Kaminoans put inside him and his vod 

He immediately starts planning on how to get the chip out of Crosshair

Also he’s a secret softie with Omega 

He probably researched everything about her right after they meet the first time 

He’s upset because she’s upset on the farm in Saleucami

The way he reaches up to catch her when she drops down from the Marauder 

“That would be dirt” 

Like he can and will happily explain anything about anything to her if she asks 

Hunter 

Guess who just made the Galaxy’s Top 10 list of best dad’s? 

Look at him trying to be a dad 

You don’t know everything yet but you’re doing great sweetie 

Immediate ride or die for Omega as soon as he finds out she’s some sorta defective like them 

Also the way he goes after Caleb to try and protect him from the other clones 

He just wants to help kids 

Probably shoulda called Crosshair out on his acting strange more/earlier 

He knows his vod, and Cross is not being Cross

The way he watches Cut and Suu to try and figure this parenting thing out because he’s just acquired a child 

The way Cut and Suu look at him when he interacts with Omega

Cut’s like, yeah vod, I’ve been there

HIS SMILE

HELLO TALK ABOUT GORGEOUS 

Also talking about gorgeous 

Hunter in civvies 

He wasn’t yelling at Omega because he was mad, he was yelling because he was scared 

He was yelling at Tech because he was mad

I knew Omega wasn’t going to leave but him suggesting it because he wants her to be safe

So good, so pure 

And he’s a great leader, honestly 

He doesn’t do anything to put them in danger if he can help it (see: Onderon)

Crosshair says he’s missing the big picture but I think he sees everything, but he also knows it’s an incomplete picture 

He just wants the best for his vode and that means getting all the facts straight before he does anything 

Echo

FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY SOMEONE TELL HIM ABOUT FIVES

My man deserves to know exactly how Fives’s actions helped saved Rex and Ahsoka and is still helping to save other vode 

He deserves to remember his last batch mate fondly

I love how he reacted to AZI-3 

The recognition of his PTSD is a good thing as much as it hurts to see 

Need more of that 

Echo using his cybernetic arm as a shank on the droids during the training simulation is peak feral fighting

Also he definitely asked to get some kamas again 

He earned his ARC status before and he’s not gonna lose that too

Plus he knows the kamas are hot

The fact that he’s complaining about the smell of their room too is just so funny?

Like it’s an offhand comment at first

But then he gripes about it again when Wrecker says it smells funny in the cell

“That’s because it’s clean”

All Echo wants is to kick everyone out of their room for the day and deep clean everything 

And the way he acts because of Omega

“Harm her and you’re a dead man”

Completely serious

He absolutely would murder someone if they so much as scratch her

I wish we got more bonding between him and the others

He probably had that awkward phase when you find a new friend group but you’re still new so you can’t just be your normal weird self

He’s gotta build up to being just bantha-shit insane

Otherwise the others would think he’s serious about the shit he says

And be worried 

But it’s actually nothing to worry about 

I just want them all showing love to him and each other 

Also, in case you were curious,

Galaxy’s Top 10 Best Dads (in no particular order):

Hunter

Din Djarin

Jango Fett

Waxer 

Boil

Plo Koon

Cut Lawquane

Kanan Jarrus

Bail Organa

Chewbacca, probably 

[belong2human-kind]

Thank you so much friend!! I adore your support, it means so much 🥺

Yeah!! I love the idea of overprotective Ez. I'm sure once he grew older, he still had the same feelings for her, but he didn't notice because they muted into something beyond the burning passion and excitement of a teenage crush. I believe his feelings never left, only became more calm, more real, like instead of those butterflies in stomach over her qualities, it became a warm feeling of "I know every weak spot and flaw of her, and instead I'd still trust my life to her with eyes closed, and I am 100% sure she is down for it the same" type of relationship, one where the bond is sealed on trust and loyalty, admiration, understanding and patience, and this above all the physical qualities. Ezra always thought that Sabine was a cool amazing warrior since they first ever spoke, and he hadn't even see her face. He was even more down for her once he saw, because he first got captived by her personality, her bravery, boldness and then he was attracted by her physical traits, which it was obvious he had always found very pretty. I think he was just too young to contemplate what was going on, besides he was still too young, it's understandable he'd be so mesmerized by her.

When they met, he was just this lost stray kid from Lothal's street, she was a warrior, charismatic, brave, bold, reckless and fearless girl, one from the people he surely heard stories about being one of the strongest warriors in all the galaxy. She was a warrior who had came from out of his planet, and he had never been in space. And to be the cherry on top of all, she was beautiful, so alive, with such vivid colors. I have no doubt Ezra thought she was unreachable, supremely perfect. I think that's what made him be even more nervous and awkward around her. She was like some kind of famous idle, and he was a fan meeting with her for the first time, always walking on eggs and trying to be all puffed up and show off to impress her. She probably thought all his crush and his flirting was just a teen phase because he definitely was impressed by her, and let's be honest, this woman IS impressive. But I also see she have always had a soft place for him, and she always liked teasing him back but also going sweet around him. She gave him the best birthday gift he could have ever asked for. She supported him through his worst phase, she helped him solve his conflicts with the disappearing of his parents that he would always run away from. She may have been slightly annoyed by him, but she always cared for him deeply, especially if we consider Hera's quote to Kanan about Sabine "Do you remember how hard it was for her to let go of the past and trust us?"

Sabine came to the Ghost family closed, reserved, unreachable because her trust had been broken by Ketsu, her best friend, and worstly by her own family. She slowly opened up to Kanan and Hera because they rescued her and they showed her they could be trusted, but Ezra was a new member, a complete stranger, and yet she spared him, saved him and offered him tenderness multiple times in the first season, when they had barely met, when they didn't know much about each other and when she could only see him as a lost kid, annoyingly seeking for her attention with pick ups.

Once they started living together, on the Ghost, his behavior changed. She showed him that she wasn't this perfect warrior, flawless and unachievable. She showed more of her human traits, and he seemed to be more himself around her, more secure and trying less to impress her with every single move he'd made around her. He was more mature now, and for sure he wouldn't have lost his charm and compliment her, act all goofy and silly around her with jokes and discrete flirts, but now they probably felt more comfortable and confident. And I think that when he stopped trying so much to impress her and started acting more normally and with more subtle flirts and compliment, that's when she probably noticed that It could be more than just a phase, more than just a silly kid crush. I think that's also the time he started winning her over and she developed feelings too, but probably either was too proud to consider them or maybe like Hera, too busy to sit with them and acknowledge their existence. Maybe she could have thought that now his feelings for her were over, but Ezra never stopped showing them, he just changed the way he showed them. And I'm sure it was effective because I believe she noticed.

I think that, like Hera, she believed she could deal with them later and when she least expected, she had to see him be gone in front of her. Like Hera quoted to Chopper while mourning Kanan:

"I believed we had more time"

And that's a great example because Hera and Kanan were already in love, were kissing, sleeping together and being a couple, but they kept it on the low for the others, maybe even kept it low for themselves, because they seemed to never have mutually spoken the words to each other, of how important they were to one another such as "I love you". It's not that Hera didn't love him, but she was so busy fighting for her and the others survival that she couldn't give herself the benefit of stopping the battle to enjoy time with Kanan, she wanted to enjoy this time after they would have won, after they were free again. She just couldn't picture everything she would lose to accomplish that freedom.

Hera and Kanan had grew up with the war happening. Sabine and Ezra were almost literally born during the war, they have never met a reality without the empire on their young lives, which is similar to Kanan and Hera's life but also more intense. Them two fought to get back everything they once had, but the kids fought to get everything they could never live. Fighting was kinda everything they ever knew, they didn't choose that, they had no choice soever. Ezra even tried to run away from the battle after he lost his parents for fighting for him, but sadly he had no choice. Such as Sabine, he never got to know life out of a war. I think this is one of the biggest things that interfered in their relationship. It's really sad, but these 2 couples resemble so much each other, because although they were already a couple, Kanan was shown during the series, multiple times, asking Hera what they really were. I'm sure, totally sure that he knew she loved him, but he wanted her to say it,but she didn't had time. In war, you can't just stop to marry someone (LOL THE REFERENCE HERE) and she seemed to want to settle down before allowing her to live with Kanan, because she couldn't give up the fight for life and live as a fugitive forever, but I feel like Kanan was willing to give up on fighting to just stay with her and the crew altogether. And for Ezra, he and Sabine were never a couple, but I'm sure she went through something similar. Ezra might have thought that maybe he and Sabine could work out someday, and he probably noticed the small changes on her behavior around him, but he wasn't sure. Like Kanan, he wanted her to say it. And like Hera, Sabine was too focused on the war to realize her feelings. Maybe she even knew about them, she maybe even knew she was in love with him, but she, like Hera, wanted to be free, not just ran away from reality to live happily for ever. And I'm sure both Kanan and Ezra, as much engaged with the rebellion as they both were, would both give up on everything if their girls would have asked, because they both lost too much. They were too tired of fighting. Also see a huge parallel with Obitine here, because as much devoted Obi was to the jedi order, if Satine had said the words, he would've gave up everything to be with her. But she, Hera and Sabine wanted to fight the war until its end. They all thought they'd have more time.

Just sketching them too, my beloved ones

(Pinterest reference!!)

I just LOVE this reference SO MUCH bc it fits them too SO PERFECTLY

[pretchatta]

a little bit more of the university au I started here, inspired by @bythevay‘s amazing sweater vest kanan and date night hera. I still haven’t made it to the actual date yet... but it does exist in draft form! I’ll be putting the whole lot on AO3 as soon as I have a title (suggestions are welcome!) but until then it’ll be small sections on tumblr as and when I feel they’re finished.

edit: it’s on AO3!

rating: general; kanan jarrus/hera syndulla; 1.3k words

---

The soft, burbling sounds of the café reached his ears as Kanan pushed open the heavy wooden doors to the library. The foyer was grand, if a little tired, with wood-panelled walls and a polished marble floor that contrasted sharply with the modern security barriers cutting through the middle. Sweeping up one side was the long reception desk that served both sides, though only those with a university ID card could pass through the turnstiles to the café and, more importantly, the university’s precious trove of knowledge beyond. 

Kanan made his way to the desk, not needing to enter the library proper today, absently greeting the old librarian who sat on the other side.

“Morning, Okadiah.”

The human raised a white-haired eyebrow as Kanan reached over the desk to a currently unused library staff computer. “It’s past one.”

“Oh. Good afternoon, then.” He twisted the monitor around to face him and tapped a request on the keyboard in a practised way.

“Someone’s a little distracted,” Okadiah commented. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you were thinking about a woman, but since you’re never off campus and the gender ratio of your department is abysmal, that’s about as likely as you reading my sign.”

The sign in question read ‘DO NOT LEAN ON THE DESK’, and Kanan had been ignoring it since graduation. That had been when he’d started working at the library to support himself through his PhD and learnt that Okadiah was far less formidable than he’d first appeared. Since accepting a permanent position in the School of Chemistry faculty he’d not stopped acting like a member of library staff, and he was pretty sure Okadiah only allowed it because Kanan was still one of the few people who could actually work the library’s archaic cataloguing software. 

“Well, maybe next time I’m here for a book I’ll ask you to call it for me, because this woman… I don’t even know how to describe her.”

“Oh boy.”

“She was incredible. She’d dropped a lab coat, and she had these eyes… I’m telling you, I’ve never seen eyes like hers before.”

"Eyes, huh -- is this her, coming in now? Lab coat, check. Eyes, check..."

Okadiah had no idea what Hera looked like, but Kanan's head whipped around to see if it was her nonetheless. He tried not to look too obviously disappointed at the diminutive sullustan woman in white who’d just come through the doors. Her huge eyes roamed around the room before landing on the desk, which she then made a beeline towards.

"Excuse me," she said, peering up at the librarian. The lanyard around her neck proclaimed her to be a guest speaker from one of the university’s affiliate companies by the name of Zaluna Myder. "I'm meeting someone inside, a member of university staff."

"You'll have to wait here until they arrive," Okadiah replied kindly. “When they do I can sign you in.”

The woman nodded. “Very well. I’ll just take a seat here then.” She slid down to sit on the floor at the base of the desk. 

Kanan frowned in confusion, but was distracted by a besalisk with an armful of books arriving at the other side of the desk. 

“You requested this one, Oke?” the woman grunted, passing the topmost one over to him.

“Thanks, Lal, it’s for Professor Jarrus here.” Okadiah took the slim textbook and the library assistant departed again. He glanced at the cover before sliding it over to Kanan. “Hey, this has got to be the fourth Physics book you’ve ordered this term. Is it for that kid again? I don’t know why you don’t just give him Young and Freedman and be done with it.”

Kanan rolled his eyes. “He’s fifteen. I’m trying to encourage his passion for the sciences, not break his spine.” 

“If you’re hoping he makes it to higher education,” came a new voice from behind, “a little strength training maybe wouldn’t go amiss.”

Kanan almost couldn't believe his ears, but there was no mistaking that voice. He turned, and sure enough, there she was. She was wearing different overalls today, but those eyes were the same as he remembered, if not even more beautiful.

Play it cool, Kanan. 

"Hey, Hera," he said casually.

“Kanan, right?” She was smiling at him again, and it made his heart flutter in his chest. “I thought you said you teach Chemistry? Do you often teach extra subjects?”

“Yes -- I mean, no --” He was flustered, and forced himself to start again. “I’m tutoring this kid, and sometimes he gets curious about non-Chemistry topics. Sometimes I worry I’m losing him to Physics, but then I give him a sheet of algebra and he’s back to asking about rates of reactions.”

He felt like he was rambling and stopped himself from saying anything further, but she was nodding.

“I’d be interested to hear more about your teaching.”

“I -- well, you’re always welcome to come by during my office hours.”

He heard what sounded like a disappointed sigh from Okadiah.

“Dr Syndulla?” came a voice from below; the sullustan woman had stood back up. 

“Zaluna!” Hera said brightly, apparently recognising her. “I’ve booked one of the private study rooms for our meeting - unfortunately we can’t use my office today, I share it and my colleague has a tutorial in there right now.”

“If you show me your staff ID, your guest can sign in here and I can grant a temporary day pass to the library,” Okadiah said, bringing out the visitor log book. Zaluna took the pen and started writing as Hera rummaged for her ID card.

Kanan started to feel a little awkward and wondered if he should leave - he had his book now, after all - but he didn’t want to. He wanted to talk to Hera some more, but he didn’t know how to start with Okadiah and Zaluna there.

“There’s a new restaurant that’s just opened up on Gorse Street, y’know,” Okadiah said, interrupting Kanan’s train of thought.

“Huh?” Kanan was momentarily confused, but caught the twinkle in the old librarian’s eyes.

“There,” Zaluna said, finishing signing her name.

“Great, let’s get going. It was nice to see you again, Kanan,” Hera directed the last part to him as she started walking towards the turnstiles with Zaluna.

“Wait!” he called, and she paused to look back. “Do -- would you like to get dinner? With me? There’s a new restaurant…” he finished lamely, gesturing at Okadiah, who covered his face with his hand.

But Hera didn’t seem put off. She smiled at him again, and he didn’t think he’d ever get tired of seeing that smile. “That sounds nice. I’m free tomorrow evening -- meet me under the Illum Bridge at seven?”

Kanan couldn’t help the smile that split his face. “See you tomorrow at seven!”

He watched her walk away, feeling like he was floating. He was taking Hera on a date! Him! And her! For a whole evening, at--

“Wait, what restaurant did I just invite her to?”

Okadiah’s eyes sparkled with mirth over the tops of his glasses. “Luna Cynda has received nothing but rave reviews since it first opened last week, and is fully booked for the next month.”

“What?” Kanan’s heart rate spiked with anxiety. “Fully booked? Where am I supposed to take Hera tomorrow?”

The old man merely smiled at him. “I’ve been meaning to give it a go myself, but since I can’t stand the thought of you taking such a lovely woman on what would otherwise undoubtedly be a terrible date, I suppose you can have my table reservation.”

“Really?”

“Tomorrow at seven-thirty. I’m living vicariously. Treat her well, please.”

---

Continue Reading

[im-auntie-social]

I honestly don’t remember if I got tagged but this looked fun so here we go! Consider yourself tagged if you want to do it for yourself!

Random Character Meme

1. Go to https://www.random.org/lists/ and type in 15 different characters from any fandom (they can be in the same fandom) into the empty box

2. Click Randomize under the box and answer the following prompts:

Your rival: Palamedes Sextus (the locked tomb trilogy) - Yeah, that sounds about right. Certainly sounds like my college experience, surrounded by people way smarter than me who apparently needed less sleep too.

Played 7 Minutes in Heaven with: Murderbot - LOL I’m pretty sure we hung out watching Sanctuary Moon and just told everyone we made out.

Your significant other: Ponder Stibbons (Discworld) - Strangely on-point, as he’s probably the most Unc-y of the people on this list. Ponder is in high-energy magic but he *does* do all the tech support for the aging wizards at UU.

Parent: Kanan Jarrus (Star Wars) - well, if he brings Hera with him to be the actual responsible parent we can talk about this. Historically as a parent Kanan is not so much.

The random person you meet at the bar: Cordelia Vorkosigan - Hell yeah, that’d be a fun evening. Even better if we team up for pub trivia!

Your boss: General Amaya (Dragon Prince) - again I say unto you: HELL YEAH. I’m not super excited to serve in any military but I know Amaya would be the kind of leader I’d want if I had to.

Haunts you: Brienne of Tarth (ASoIaF) - yeah that’s about right.

Drunk singing karaoke with: Mara Jade (Star Wars) - hmm, wouldn’t imagine it’s her vibe, but I guess it’s not mine either so.

Gave you your fave dessert: Kronk (Emperor’s New Groove) - Or maybe just spinach puffs? Either way, I know he can cook and he’s a sweetie so I’m 100% into this.

Your sibling: Trinity (the Matrix) - I think that’s a comfortable relationship with her, sure. I certainly would never want to get in the way of [Matrix 4 spoilers]

Gave you your first kiss: Seven of Nine (ST: Voyager) - Huh. What’s with this list and making me kiss semirobotic humanoids? Are you trying to tell me something? Eh, for my ace ass this works out. She was probably curious or studying something and that’s fair.

Your best friend: Thor (MCU) - THE BIGGEST OF HELL YEAHS. I LIKE THIS DRINK. ANOTHER!

Grandparent: Abigail Pent (The Locked Tomb) - I swear to Jod this is where she came up on the randomizer and I could not be happier. Necrograms!

Proposed to you: Julian Bashir (ST:DS9) - oh god I bet it was thee most awkward proposal since Mister Darcy too

Ex: Gideon Nav (The Locked Tomb) - Yeah, that’s fair. She def needs someone a lot angrier and necromancy-er than me. Also someone shorter.

[obwjam]

ok but old man Rex finding a tiny on the Ghost/Rebel ships and taking them in and caring for them not only because they're vulnerable, but because he used to have a tiny kid during the Clone Wars and last time he wasn't there for them they disappeared, so he's not letting that happen again.

PLEEEEEASE ugh i’ve been sent asks like this before but i love and cherish every single one of them because i just adore old man rex...... so here have some writing :)

------------------------------------------------------

He wouldn’t stop staring at you. You thought you were going insane.  Every time you nudged someone to say, ‘Hey, look, I’m not crazy,’ he would immediately look away. The worst part is that when you tried to talk to him, he would stare at the floor and clench his jaw and fail to find his words.

“Ezra? Ezra!”

You reached up to tug a lock of your friend’s hair to get his attention. They called their ship the Ghost, so you referred to them as The Ghost Crew. They had found you on Lothal just a few short weeks ago, smack in the middle of an empty field that you were laboring to trek across -- fleeing the city had been difficult enough as it was. Ezra, understanding the struggle of not having any family, offered you a place on the Ghost until you could find other borrowers to stay with.

But these people didn’t know how to stay out of trouble. You happily supported the rebel cause, but kept your distance from the action. The Clone War had taken too much out of you already. Hera was happy to have some company on the ship, anyway.

“Ow! Hey! What, what is it?” Ezra groaned, rubbing his head gingerly.

“Shh! Look. He’s doing it. Watch, watch!”

Everyone seemed to trust this clone. Fulcrum -- ahem, Ahsoka -- spoke highly of him. He was willing to help and knew a lot about everything. Even Kanan had some respect for him, though he would never admit it.

So why did he act weird only around you?

Ezra tried to discreetly glance at Rex, but Ezra was about as discreet as a Star Destroyer. Rex locked eyes with Ezra, confused, before his gaze wandered down to you. Less confused.

“Eum... this is awkward,” Ezra said, joining in on the staring contest. “I see what you mean now, (Y/n).”

At that, Rex flushed red. He didn’t think he was being obvious, but apparently it was worse than he thought. He swore the more he stared at you, the more you looked like...

“Everything okay in here?”

Kanan was standing in the threshold, wondering what exactly the stand-off was for. He immediately sensed something was off, and when he turned to Rex, the alarm bells were ringing loud.

“We were just leaving,” you spoke up, hoping Ezra would respond quickly.

“Hm? Oh, oh yeah. We’re, uh. We’re leaving now.”

You rolled your eyes but grabbed on tight as Ezra spun on his heels and headed back up to his bunk. He still wasn’t very in tune with the Force, but even he could feel your apprehension.

Rex sighed. He couldn’t keep flubbing like this. He was a grown man. A very grown man. He made a mistake; one among many. He didn’t need to keep beating himself up about it. There was nothing he could do to change it. Maybe that was the worst part.

“He’s really been doing that the whole time?” Ezra asked, scooping you up off his shoulder and placing you on the bedside table as he flopped down on his bed.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!” you sighed, exasperated. “I don’t get it. It’s like he has it out for me.”

“Do you think he’s gonna do something? Like, kidnap you and turn you in to the Empire?”

“Ezra... I don’t think he’s secretly Empire.”

“Well, maybe borrowers are highly valuable to some Imperial general! Maybe Rex just wants some extra credits.”

“You’re really not helping right now.”

“Okay, sorry, sorry.” Ezra looked over at you slumped over with your head in your hands. He frowned. “Why don’t you ask him?”

“Ask him? Are you crazy?”

Ezra shrugged. “I mean, it couldn’t hurt, right? If you don’t think he’s bad.”

You opened your mouth to say something, but found you didn’t actually have a counterargument. Sometimes Ezra stumbled his way into a half-decent idea.

Rex wasn’t in the mood to deal with Kanan scolding him for no good reason, so he quickly retreated back to the guest quarters that he called home on the Ghost. Maybe he should just go back to Seelos. Maybe getting involved in this rebellion was a bad idea. Maybe--

“Um. Rex?”

Rex froze. He looked up toward the door, wondering if maybe he was just hearing things, before realizing who exactly was speaking to him. Almost afraid, his eyes flickered to the ground.

“Oh. H-hi, (Y/n),” Rex stuttered. His face had gone cold.

“Can I...?” you asked, jerking your head forward and trying to keep your cool. Rex was sitting, but you rarely liked to walk around by yourself on the Ghost. Looking up at everyone and everything made you sweat.

“Oh, yeah, yeah,” Rex nodded, weakly gesturing for you to come in. “Why are -- what’re you doing here?”

“I, uh. I wanted to -- just ask you something. If that’s okay.”

“Of course, kiddo,” Rex said, suddenly grimacing when he let that nickname slip. “Do you, uh, do you need me to...” He glanced to his hand resting on his knee. You nodded awkwardly and took a small step backward as Rex took a knee and placed his hand in front of you. The silence was deafening in the several seconds it took for him to bring you from the floor up to the table.

Once back on solid ground, you shuffled your feet, barely able look at the very person you were supposed to be speaking to. You didn’t think this would be easy, but you couldn’t even find a word to grab onto and vocalize.

“Is... everything alright?” Rex knew why you were here, but someone needed to say something.

You pursed your lips. Here goes nothing. “I... I’m sorry,” you started. Rex raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry if I did something wrong, or -- or if I said something stupid to make you mad. Ezra and I, we like to joke around, I swear, we didn’t mean anything by it--”

“Stop.”

You froze. Great, now he’s really mad.

Rex was wringing his hands, having just as much trouble finding the right thing to say as you were. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I’ve been acting strange, and you deserve an explanation why.” He stole a glance at you. You were just waiting.

Rex sighed, his breath quivering slightly. Here goes nothing. “Believe it or not, you’re not the first borrower I’ve met. Back during the war, I knew... well, let’s just call them a friend. Found them rummaging through camp on some backwater planet. They were scared, and -- and had nowhere to go. So we took ‘em in -- me and the boys in the 501st. It took ‘em a while. They were really frightened to be around us and it took forever to get their trust. But we were inseparable.” He laughed faintly at some old memory. “The kid was always getting into some kind of trouble. Drove Dogma crazy. I think Echo and Fives encouraged ‘em to mess around, just to make him mad. Huh, annoyed me too. But I couldn’t get mad at them.” Rex shivered and closed his eyes. Why was it so cold in here now? “I... I don’t remember exactly where we were. Some ice planet, it was horrible. Cody wanted to see me, and they didn’t want to be left alone. I shouldn’t have let them come... but they insisted. I thought I had them... no, I know I had them with me. But it was windy, and the snow was blinding. We looked everywhere for them. I swear we scanned the entire planet. But the blizzard was so bad I couldn’t even retrace my steps. Felt like I was walking in damn circles, calling their name until I lost my voice...”

Rex trailed off. He was completely out of words. He had used up all his energy, and all he could focus on right now was breathing.

You could barely process what you just heard. It was all eerily familiar. “Rex...” you started. You needed to take a breath of your own. “I’m--”

Rex cut you off. “You don’t need to say anything. It’s okay. You just... well, you just remind me so much of them.”

Your heart skipped a beat. You weren’t expecting that.

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have -- I’m sorry.”

“Rex. You don’t need to apologize. It’s okay.” You didn’t entirely mean that, but it’s what he needed to hear. It took a lot to admit what he did, and you knew it.

Rex sniffed a laugh. “It’s really not okay, but, thanks.”

You sighed. Rex’s hand, which was now resting on the table, was shaking ever so slightly. Once you took the first step, it was easy. You shuffled over to Rex’s hand and placed your own on his finger. Rex flinched and looked down in surprise. Slowly, his hand stopped shaking.

“You’re not the first clone I’ve ever met, either. I’ve lost a lot of people, and’ve had a lot of people lose me. It’s... normal. I’ve never really had a place to call home. Can’t even remember how I got to Lothal.” You took a breath. “I guess what I’m trying to say is... your friend was really, really lucky to have you. It’s rare for borrowers to find people to care about us. That kind of friendship, no matter how short, is worth a lifetime of happiness.”

You felt a spray of water hit your arm, and you looked up. Rex had let a tear fall.

“Thanks, kid. That... really means a lot.”

Rex forced a smile down to you, but there was a hint of relief to it. You beamed back up. He kept staring. You laughed nervously.

“What?”

Rex shook his head. “Nothing. I-it’s nothing.”

“Hey, if you just told me that, you can tell me anything,” you joked, trying to lighten the mood. Rex just grimaced. “Just say it. It’s okay. I promise.”

“Well...” Rex wiped his eyes. “Hera was telling me they were trying to find a home for you.”

You nodded curiously. “Yeah. The Ghost crew has been really nice to me, but I can’t be in the middle of all this action. Not again. We’re just trying to find a nice, quiet planet.”

“I... don’t want to impose. And you can say no. But me and a couple of old friends have retrofitted an old AT-TE on Seelos, way out in the Outer Rim. That’s where I was before Ahsoka asked me to help out the crew here. But I’m too old for all this action... I’ll help where I can, but--”

“--are you asking me to go back with you?”

Rex’s face flushed red. “Y-yeah. That’s exactly what I’m asking. It’s real remote. You’d be safe.”

Still leaning against Rex’s hand, you looked down at your shoes as you thought over his proposal. You really liked the Ghost crew. They were nothing but kind to you, barely ever making you feel like you were small. But even though it had only been a couple weeks, it felt like there was no safe world in the galaxy, and definitely no world the Ghost could travel to without being followed.

And as weird as it was, there was something endearing about Rex. He was different than any clone you had ever met. They weren’t exactly known for their emotional vulnerability, but Rex had shared with you a story you suspect he hadn’t told to anyone in decades. That counted for something. A lot of somethings, actually.

“Yeah.”

Rex paused for a moment and blinked. “What?”

“I’m taking you up on your offer,” you smiled. “I’ll go to Seelos with you.”

“You... you’re serious?”

You nodded with a small smirk. “I’m done running and hiding. I just... want to relax.”

“I’m serious, you don’t have to say yes--”

“--I am serious! I said yes! So don’t make me change my mind.”

For the first time in a while, Rex let out a genuine laugh. “Okay, okay.” 

You only got a moment to bask in this newfound feeling of content when Sabine came running into the room.

“Rex, we’re leaving! Kanan and Ezra are waiting in the Phantom!”

“Be right there,” he called out. Sabine left without even noticing you were there.

Rex gently shook you off his hand and flipped it over, allowing you to situate yourself in his palm. “You want me to bring you back to Hera?”

You thought for a moment. “Why don’t I tag along with you this time? Someone needs to keep the Phantom warm while you’re away.”

Rex didn’t say anything, but found himself grinning as he stood up, grabbed his helmet and made his way to the shuttle. This was a good start.

[asterian]

Hi! I loved your Ezra fic, and I was wondering if you could write a dating Ezra bridger hc?

Thank you so much, luv 😍❤️. Of course here you go, please enjoy some hc with blueberry boi

Dating Ezra Bridger would include...

Awkward boy

Before you started dating, he used to get really nervous and awkward whenever you were around. That's how you knew he liked you.

When trying to have a normal conversation with you he would panic and end up saying the wrong things or in very unusual order of the words. He'd facepalm himself in his mind but you would always find it adorable how nervous this smol boi can get.

You were the one that asked him out, since he was shy to ask.

He would be the sweetest boyfriend ever. Always looking out for you and cheering you up when you're feeling down.

Sometimes he would unconsciously grab your hand whenever you're in a briefing, in a mission or just when you're near.

Going on a mission together would probably end in disaster. Ezra would be so easily distracted knowing it's just you and him, you would have to remember him to concentrate on the mission without much success

Though most of the times the missions are chaotic you do make a great team, perfectly coordinating your moves he'd cover you from the blasters with swift moves with his saber as you shot the troopers down.

Being mad at him for cutting his hair because you loved to run your fingers through it, but secretly liking the way the short hair seems to you let see more of his handsome features.

You were also the first to kiss him. 

The Ghost crew would absolutely take any opportunity to tease you. Zeb in particular would never stop coming up with new ways to annoy your poor useless boyfriend

Hera being the supporting space mom she is would always smile when she see you together, seeing the same shine in your eyes she has every time she looks at Kanan

Sabine would definitely paint something in honor of your love as well as a symbol on Ezra's helmet that would match with the one on you

In free times he would teach you how to use his lightsaber, that always ended up with his arms around yours to help you hold the saber the "correct" way.

Cuddling would be another good option to spend some time off mission. He is the perfect human pillow to rest on while you tell him stories about your homeworld or just chill.

He would take you to his tower in Lothal to see the sunset and watch the loth-wolves running in the grasslands.

Sometimes he talks to the hologram of his parents about you and how much he wished they knew you.

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

you know what? if they're still open, may I have a sw rebels ship? Either gender. I'm an Aquarius, INTP, Gryffindor, and I'm described by others as cute, high energy, mysterious, kind, funny, eclectic, and patient. I'm not the mom friend by a long shot but I am the therapist friend, who also has major bde. My hobby is drinking tea and for fun I'm currently researching parrots. I ship you with Mara Jade. She's proud and tough but also kind and I feel like you'd mesh well with that

Oi, I just remembered you’re straight. I mean, I’m sure you’d still be great friends with Mara Jade. But as far as romance goes, I ship you with Din. He’s an angel and while he’s a little awkward you two would make a really cute couple

I ship you with Kanan Jarrus

It has been well established that Kanan is attracted to people who can not only kick his ass, but do so upon requests; if not physically than at least verbally. He brings a calming presence to your otherwise high strung personality. At the same time when he's going through his own personal crisis he knows he can lean on you for support and advice. You'd probably be seen in your down time drinking tea and just shooting the shit while making each other laugh. He might not get the need for a parrot, but he won't deny you for long.

Thanks for the catch! Mara is probably way too cool to be my friend, but it would be nice. I love Din, so it all works out in the end. XD

(23/30)

[katierosefun]

Just got “Sad Dad (honorary)” on your latest quiz (so many kudos for those quizzes btw they seriously give me life) and am very proud of being an (honorary) Sad Dad but now I am Very Curious™️ what the “Sad Dad (disaster)” result description was. Din Djarin immediately comes to mind. I guess I’m just glad I haven’t been marked as a disaster (yet lol).

aaaaah i’m glad you enjoy the quizzes, because i certainly enjoy making them!! 

and while i’m at it, i think i’ll just list all the options that you could have gotten, including sad dad (disaster)!!! (and lol yes, din djarin was.....def. sad dad (disaster) in my head sdafdsf) 

sad dad (disaster): dude. you're probably right up there in the ranks with characters like din djarin and lowkey kanan jarrus. as in, you've got a lot of stuff on your plate already, and you're just doing your best. you put on a brave face and you're kind of awkward, but you've got a heart of gold and just wanna make sure everyone's okay and protected. you're doing your very best, and i see you. love you, sad soul. people love you too.

sad dad (honorary): you probably vibe with characters like plo koon and obi-wan kenobi, as in,,,you're just dad shaped. kids love you a lot for some reason, but that's okay, because you love kids too. you're very soft and gentle, and you're a big fan of giving love and comfort when needed. sometimes it feels like you're the only one ever giving love or comfort or hope or whatever it is people turn to you for--and that can be hard sometimes, because you're human too, and you deserve someone to look out for you every once in a while too. anyways, love you. i'm the one looking out for you today! i hope you get all the love you give returned. have you had something to eat yet? maybe you should take a nap.

GayTM: like it says. you're the certified gay cousin. sabine wren and you would vibe. also luke and poe. they would just vibe with you. you've got a rebellious spirit and there's no one else like you, and not just because GayTM vibes, obviously, but just because you've seen enough of the world and just kinda shrug and go "okay cool but im gonna do my own thing", and that's very cool of you. you probably have excellent fashion and music taste because duh. keep being cool, dude.

spunky child who outlives everyone: you're cool by default because i was thinking of ahsoka tano and ezra bridger when i wrote this answer. you're the kiddo who everyone adopted and there's probably people out there who think you're overrated but they're lame and just saying that to look cool. you're awesome. you're brash and loud and got a lotta things to do and a lotta people to see, so keep doing you. can't wait to see whatever the heck you do later, because i know it's gonna be awesome.

Mom-shaped: ily. you're the best. that's all there's to say. you give great advice (even though your own life can sometimes lowkey be in shambles), but you've got a good head on your shoulders. you're nice to people and you're hella good at planning things, but also you're not afraid to go off the rails a little bit. someone hurts someone close to you, and game's over for them. you also regularly check in on people because, see title: you ARE mom-shaped, but also good mom. solid mom friend who's nice to everyone but also would not be afraid to cut a man. good for you.

chaotic bastard who we mostly love but jury’s still out: simply put, you're the hondo ohnaka of the family. stupid chaotic person who keeps dragging the rest of the family into trouble and may be morally grey but it's fine because you have good stories and tell good jokes and deep, deep, deep, DEEEEEP down care a lot for your family / friends, but god help the world if you ever have to actually ADMIT that ohhh no you just cover everything up with jokes and a good time. that said, MOOD, and i hope you're having a weird, fun, chaotic day, you stupid bastard.

Certified Big Brother: idk whether you're rex or anakin or zeb, but you fit in that category of chaotic big bro who kinda is sometimes dumb but is actually super smart and actually gives good advice despite NOT FOLLOWING IT THEMSELVES. you're very fun to be around, very supportive, would not hesitate to punch someone's lights out if they're bothering your family / friends. kind of a disaster. kind of has a lot of deep down sad stuff, but you're working on it. love you, big bro. you can barge into my room and shout "NERD" at me anytime, and i'll do the same because ily.

[the-hawks-rye]

Tbh... I love Star Wars Rebels

[yubsie]

Something in the Air

Summary: Hera has her own ways of knowing how Kanan is feeling. Or, five times Kanan's pheromones were a problem and one time they weren't.

Notes: Okay. So this one actually seems like I should explain myself.Victory's Price casually mentioned Hera detecting human pheromones in the middle of a Zoom meeting. This has certain implications. And then Rogue Podron screamed "Fanfic prompt! Yubsie!" in the middle of an episode.Never underestimate my willingness to write fanfiction on a dare.

Rating: T

AO3 Link: Should you prefer

1. Attraction

Hera knew that Kanan was attracted to her when she invited him on board. She thought she knew what she was getting herself into.

She wasn’t quite ready for him being attracted to her when all the air circulated within the ship. Maybe she could improve the filters in the life support system. She hadn’t really thought about human pheromones when she was setting the standard parameters.

The flirting was one thing. It was entertaining enough some days, even if she had far too much work to do

It was the realization that he was still attracted to her when he  wasn’t  flirting that was going to drive her up the wall. They were just supposed to be eating breakfast. The basic porridge accompanied by their vastly different mugs of caf might just be the least sensual meal imaginable.

And yet, every pheromone screamed that he was thinking about her.

She wanted to say something. But what could he do? It wasn’t like he had conscious control over any of this. She could send him to take a shower, but that wouldn’t help for long.

The fact that he wasn’t flirting meant he was trying to avoid turning mealtime into an awkward situation. He couldn’t help that every pore betrayed where his true attention lay right now.

“We’ve got a job today.” Hera took another bite of the porridge. Maybe if she just focused on how incredibly beige the cooked grain was it would get both of them back down to a sensible level.

“What are we looking at?”

“Imperial fuel delivery. Should be enough to keep us flying for a few standard months and still pass on plenty to my contact.” And, of course, the further advantage of making life just a little bit more complicated for the Empire. A delivery that made this much of a difference for them was barely a rounding error to the Empire as a whole, but they were particular about these sorts of things. The local despot would still have some accounting to do for this. It might slow him down a bit.

“We hitting them in orbit?”

Hera shook her head. “We’ll be taking the Phantom down. They’ll be vulnerable in transit.”

In open air. She hadn’t planned it for this reason, but she was going to take advantage. Set the scrubbers to run an extra cycle

2. Discomfort

There weren’t many good places for a clandestine meeting on this planet—none of their usual seedy cantinas or crowded marketplaces. The spaceport wasn’t the bustling sort of place where they could do a drop in passing.

But the Empire did so like building its museums. They had a vested interest in spreading around their particular version of history. The local populace was encouraged to visit to learn the splendor of their overlords. And conveniently enough for people who were barely scraping by as a very small rebel cell, admission was free of charge for all to come learn.

She didn’t need to pick up the pheromones to know that Kanan was uncomfortable. She’d done her best to arrange the meeting as far from any Empire Day-related exhibits as she could but... it wasn’t that big a museum. He hadn’t said much when the date crept by last month, but it troubled him enough to know this was a bad idea. Who in the galaxy didn’t have their share of scars if they were old enough to remember that time?

“If you’re not feeling well, I can do this one on my own.” Having a crewmate had definitely made a lot of things go smoother, but she’d done missions on her own before. She could get out of this situation if she had to.

“No, I want to have your back. I’ll be okay.”

Every subtle signal in the atmosphere said otherwise. She was getting used to ignoring every indication that he was attracted to her. That managed to fade into generic background radiation for their lives. This feeling wasn’t just new, it was more intense. “Look, I can read you too.” She didn’t know how often he actually used the Force for that. Certainly it had been months since she’d seen him do anything flashy, but pheromones only told her so much.

Kanan sighed. “I’m not saying I like it here. But I’m not going to leave you hanging.”

“Then I’m going to need you to actually focus.” It wasn’t the first time she wished she could just send him to take a long shower. That was an even less practical solution than usual

“Let’s just get in and out.”

Hera scanned the room again, looking for the most boring exhibit possible. There had to be something full of dull economic numbers instead of numbers that turned painful events into dry figures.

The glorious cabbage industry of this planet was just what she needed. She rested a hand on his elbow and pointed him over. As an added bonus, it wasn’t very popular.

“Don’t look at any of this. Just look at me.” Maybe she could get him back to being attracted to her. That seemed to be more or less his default state. Change the balance of the feelings. “Talk to me. About anything.”

3. Anger

The seedy cantinas had problems of their own, but she was used to them. She wouldn’t have needed pheromones to be on guard against the men in these places. She knew what they saw her as. She could handle them, she’d handled them plenty of times.

It was nice to have someone else along with her though. Sitting at a table and discussing podracing while waiting for the contact to approach was a definite improvement over sitting at the bar and fending off advances.

“It’s all about having the engines perfectly in tune.” It wasn’t Kanan’s preferred form of entertainment, but he was managing to say something that sounded like he actually paid attention and wasn’t just choosing a topic of conversation that sounded innocuous to prying ears.

He was wrong, but that was perfectly acceptable in a cover story. She wasn’t going to let him just keep being wrong, though. It wouldn’t look good, for one thing. “It’s about the pilot. Give a novice too much machine and they won’t be able to handle it.”

The two humans who approached weren’t interested in subtlety. “I like a girl who knows her racing.”

Hera suppressed a sigh. This might be the usual setting for meeting their contacts, but these situations were always going to be annoying. “Not interested.” She’d been dealing with this her entire adult life and for a few years before that. Every Twi’lek girl was warned about it from a young age.

She didn’t need the stink in the air to tell her what brought them over to this table. Just eyes to see the way they both leered. “Come on sweetheart, you can do better than him.”

“Not interested.” Telling them he wasn’t along like that would only make them more persistent.

“Ah, come on. We all know you girls are just looking for the right man. Place like this, you’re looking at him.”

She was ready for most of what she faced in a cantina like this. But she suddenly realized this hadn’t happened since Kanan had joined the crew. She suddenly detected a set of pheromones behind her that she’d never felt from Kanan before.

She’d experienced Kanan irritated plenty of times. But never angry.

“I’m just here for a drink. Which I have.” She rested a hand on Kanan’s arm. She didn’t think he’d do anything rash but.... this was new. Very new.

“I’ll get you a drink.”

Like she was ever going to take a drink from a strange man in a seedy cantina. Twi’lek girls were taught about that one from the time they could speak. They had to be.

She was used to it. Kanan wasn’t. “The lady has her drink.” She could see his hand twitch into a fist from the corner of her eye.

She should have prepared him better for this. Made a plan. Because right now, what she was sensing in the air was enough to make  her  want to punch someone. That would just mean leaving without the information. She kept her hand on her drink (just good sense) and pulled closer to Kanan. “I’ve got this,” she whispered.

They were particularly irritating, but she just needed to fend them off until their contact showed. That meant making sure she and Kanan weren’t the ones the bartender wanted gone. She’d need to get another drink eventually just to make it worth the owner’s while, but she’d navigated this situation countless times.

“You’re really picking him? There’s better quality humans all over this place.”

It shouldn’t matter if she was picking Kanan or picking to sit and drink in peace. But she needed them gone.

The sense of anger wasn’t going down. Maybe she could solve two problems at once. She slipped into Kanan’s lap, draping herself over him in an altogether familiar way. She felt the ripple of surprise through his entire body at the move. “I really am.”

Kanan pulled her drink closer to them. Very thoughtful. And she could be pretty sure he wasn’t about to start any barfights with her sitting on top of him.

“If you don’t mind, we’re busy.”

There were other pheromones in play now, but maybe she didn’t mind those ones so much after all.

4. Fear

They spent so much time getting into fights in dark alleys. It was one of the true constants of their relationship, from the very beginning. It should almost start to feel routine.

All they could do was duck. Fire. Duck again. Get another shot off.

Hera would have preferred the handoff go smooth, but a lot of things happened that didn’t necessarily align with her preferences. She could still keep the situation under something resembling control. Or at least she could keep her head.

The actual job was already done; that should count as a win. They didn’t have any suspicious packages on them. By all rights, they shouldn’t even be the interesting targets right now.

And yet. They were the ones getting shot at.

“I don’t think these guys like us, Spectre One.” They didn’t look like they were Empire. Not directly, anyway. So maybe they’d personally annoyed them somehow.

“Getting that impression, Spectre Two.” Kanan rolled behind a large trash bin and kept firing back.

They needed to find a way out of here. Hera backed as far behind cover as she could manage and pulled out her commlink. “Chop, we need a pickup five minutes ago!”

Chopper warbled some rude comments about the nature of linear time, but she trusted him to get over there as fast as actually possible.

Meanwhile, their opponents kept closing in. Did they just want them dead, was that what this was about?

Bounty hunters would want them alive. There weren’t any specific bounties on them last any of their seedier contacts had heard, but the Empire would always pay to get their hands on rebels. People who couldn’t cut it up against the big name targets might want to go to this much trouble.

Or they could have just stolen the cargo and gotten a much easier payday. Their plan didn’t make a lot of sense, and yet it was still making things incredibly difficult. “Persistent.”

They could analyze the motivations once they survived this.

A blaster bolt flew way too close to of her lekku and she had to dive on top of Kanan to avoid it. For all the flirting she never had to worry about him taking anything the wrong way in a fire fight. They both knew where they stood when they were in mortal peril. Everything got simpler then.

So she wasn’t expecting any pheromone spikes, no matter how cozy they’d just gotten. He did have  some  sense of the right moment and this was about as far as it could get from that.

They’d had plenty of time to get used to being around each other since Kanan first came on board. Kanan attracted was just a reality now.

Kanan afraid was brand new. “I’m okay. We’re both okay.”

She moved quickly, shooting back at their charming pursuers. She tried to push everything else out of her mind.

Chopper needed to hurry up.

5. Attraction, Again

The seedy cantinas were never a particularly pleasant experience, but at least they were familiar. Hera knew what they were getting into, knew the dangers and how to blend in.

These fancier events were foreign territory for both of them. The people who attended them were just as dangerous as the ones at the seedy cantinas, but they sparkled. They would still kill you if you were in their way, but they were never quite so honest as just a blaster in a back alley.

At least in the seedy cantinas, she got to wear comfortable clothes. She belonged in a flightsuit. Too bad that would make it look like she was some sort of rebel interloper here to cause trouble at the party.

Which was ridiculous; she was just a rebel interloper here to collect an intelligence drop at the party.

Fancy people at fancy parties wore slinky dresses. And if they were rebel interlopers, they tried to make sure the length could tear free to get her knees available to run in an emergency.

She could tell that Kanan was uncomfortable before he even made it out of his cabin. At least that made two of them. They’d had to borrow the formalwear from their contact. It was the right look, even if they were going to feel ridiculous the entire time.

And then he actually saw her and the pheromones became overwhelming.

“You look...” The way that men looked at her at the fancy parties would be the same as at the seedy cantinas. But coming from Kanan, she knew it was all genuine.

It was still going to be incredibly distracting. More so than from anyone else. “Like I wandered off from somewhere else.”

“I’m just saying. I’d never ask you to wear this getup, but you pull it off .” The look in his eyes finished that sentence just fine.

“You don’t look half bad yourself, you know.” Was that as distracting in the Force as the scent of human pheromones in the air were for her?

Could she even really blame it on the pheromones when she would have been interested anyway? There was more than one reason to want out of these ridiculous outfits right now.

“Trust me, no one is going to be looking at me.” Which was, of course, part of the plan. Keep every nefarious eye on her while Kanan actually took care of the handoff. She wasn’t above exploiting those exasperating tendencies wherever she went. It was a good plan. She just wanted it to be over with.

“And that is why I need you to focus .” If only so she could focus.

She was fully prepared to ditch these ridiculous shoes if she had to. Boots weren’t going to fit this look at all. Until this actually went south, she had Kanan playing the gallant escort, helping her up the step while she wrangled the skirt.

She assumed the way that he flexed his fingers after letting go was meant to be some part of the act. Kriff, that man could make it hard to focus on a job. How was  he  going to get anything done if he was projecting such an overwhelming feeling into the atmosphere?

The Force probably could do that. You certainly didn’t hear stories about the great Jedi getting distracted from their mission by a pretty face or a set of legs. They must train for it.

She, on the other hand, hadn’t. Especially not for tuning out attraction from someone she actually did feel the same toward.

“Focusing. Thinking about nothing but boring things. TPS Reports. The colour beige. That terrible holoseries Zeb loves. X-Wing fuel consumption rates.”

Not exactly sweet nothings, but having him whisper irritation in her ear was the most thoughtful thing he could have done in the moment. Endearing, but she could work with that.

And One Time They Weren't

The job had not gone well. By any stretch of the imagination. It was going to be one hell of a debriefing to work out all the specific ways it had gone wrong because she couldn’t just write “everything” in her report and call it a day. It was accurate, but it wasn’t useful.

The intel was bad. The Empire was ready for them. Their contact wasn’t where they were supposed to be. Even the weather had suddenly turned against them. Someone  not her  was going to have to figure out the particulars of how  all  of that had managed to happen at once.

For now, she just needed the kids to stop fighting. Bad enough that they were crawling through the mud trying to get back to the Ghost, it didn’t need to happen with a soundtrack. It probably wasn’t anything any of them had done that was behind all this. The mission had been doomed going in.

“You didn’t have to tackle me into the mud puddle!” Zeb did look quite the fright with his fur standing on end. She was going to have to give him first dibs on the shower, he was worse off than the rest of them.

“I could tell Sabine’s bomb was going off too soon, you’re welcome for keeping you from getting blown up!” Ezra said.

“I told you to get clear!” Sabine yelled.

Hera pinched the bridge of her nose. “All of you stop. We got through it. That’s what matters.” Not asking the kids to help with the report, that was for sure. She didn’t need their theories on who’s specific fault it was. “Go get cleaned up.”

It was going to be a pain to get the seats clean again, but she needed to get them in the air and out of here before any more company showed up. If the kids didn’t stop squabbling soon, she would set them to scrubbing it down. Or possibly the entire ship. With toothbrushes.

At least their unexpected company didn’t seem to have friends in the air to continue their ridiculous day. A few clever moves later and they were safely off the planet. Zeb was going to be in the shower for a while. Ezra and Sabine were going to be fighting for a while and Chopper would probably wade into the fray. She was just going to stay right here until they worked it out and it was her turn for the shower. No sense tromping mud anywhere else on the ship.

She felt the flicker of air as the cockpit door slid open. She didn’t need any other senses to realize who it was. For one thing, there was no accompanying argument.

Kanan slid into the co-pilot’s seat. “Well, that was a day.”

That about covered it.

There was always that standard background radiation of her life. It had been a long time since she’d actually needed pheromones to pick up on Kanan’s moods. But she still noticed them every now and then. And right now, she couldn’t help laughing. “Really? Even now?”

They were exhausted. They were covered in mud. They had bruises in places they were both going to question in the morning. The kids were at each other’s throats.

And yet, he was still actively attracted to her in this specific moment.

Apparently that was a challenge, because he decided he didn’t need to be collapsed in the seat after all. Not when kissing was an option. “Every moment you’re around.”

[rebelsofshield]

Star Wars Resistance: “The Escape” - Review

After two years, Star Wars Resistance comes to a close in a strong episode that can’t quite carry the burden that has been placed upon it.

(Review contains spoilers)

The First Order has stepped up its reign of galactic terror. In an effort to punish those who assisted the Resistance, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren has ordered the destruction of civilian targets, including the water world of Aeos Prime. Witnessing the carnage that her allies are committing, Tam Ryvora decides that she has had enough and decides to officially return to the Colossus. Kaz and Yeager make a desperate leap of faith to rescue their former friend. However, doing so will put them in harm’s way and may risk everything they have fought hard for.

This is it everyone. Star Wars Resistance has ended. This oddball little series has finally reached its conclusion, embodying its main hero, Kazuda Xiono at every step: well intentioned, energetic, colorful, occasionally very cool, and clumsy as hell. Fans and critics alike will likely spend years debating whether Resistance was cut short or if this one hour season finale was always intended to be the endpoint for this show. “The Escape” lends credence to both sides of this argument, but ultimately, at this point debating this only does so much. Our show has ended and it’s time to reflect on its big finale.

On its own, “The Escape” is the most tense and action packed episode that Resistance has ever turned in. Writer Brandon Auman and co-directors Steward Lee and Brad Rau concoct a story that is split into three dramatic acts, each with its own narrative goals and genre. We begin with a story of forgiveness and reconciliation in Tam’s flight from the First Order and her reuniting with Kaz and Yeager. We transition into a cat and mouse game in the halls of a First Order Star Destroyer. And we close out with a rallying cry of defiance against galactic tyranny. It makes for an episode that feels more consequential than almost any that this series has accomplished and it is filled with great action and character beats throughout.

If anything, it feels like “The Escape” maybe tried to bite off more than it can chew. Not everything gets the focus that it should, especially for a series finale, and it’s easy to see some fans walking out of this finale a little disappointed. Poe Dameron and other iconic Resistance members never appear. Synara is limited to just a few lines of dialogue and her former pirate family never appears. The orphans of Tehar are just kinda there. Only a few of the Ace pilots get a moment to shine. (Poor Bo Keevil and Freya Fenris feel like they never really got their moment in the sun.) The show makes a point of allowing the Colossus and its many denizens to rally against the First Order, but it feels more like a cameo parade than anything of weight. For a show that spent so much time this season stopping to explore different aspects of its ensemble and universe, many of them really feel like they didn’t amount to much at all. There’s really only so much you can do in forty four minutes, but it does make the moments of goodbye feel a little bit hollow and incomplete.

This is not to say that “The Escape” is a poor finale. It is far from it. It without a doubt struggles from being overworked, but there is quite a bit that Auman’s script does that is very successful. In particular, Tam Ryvora really gets the opportunity to stand out. Tam’s story of fear that turned to selfishness is without a doubt the most potent thing that supervising director Justin Ridge and his team ever managed to accomplish in this series. To turn a supporting cast hero into a traitor was a big step and the emotional landscape that the writers and Suzie McGrath pulled together for her journey is commendable. It’s fitting then that “The Escape” closes the book on this in stellar fashion.

“The Escape” feels like Tam’s story, and in a way that feels appropriate. The rift that Tam’s betrayal made last season remains one of the deepest emotional scars in this little family of characters and no conclusion would be complete without an attempt at healing it. Auman and Lee create a stellar first act that sees Tam’s frustrations and fears towards the First Order finally boil over and manifest in a great game of subterfuge between her and her superiors. When Tam finally escapes and makes contact with her former friends, it feels suitably cathartic and earned. The wounds are still there but all sides are willing to make amends and it sends a great message to its younger audience. People you love may lose their way and they may do terrible things, but if they come back to you and want to do the work to do better, it is good to accept them and welcome them home.

In this manner, Yeager and Kaz mostly spend the episode as the family members that are willing to risk their lives to welcome Tam back. They don’t have much of a character arc of their own to speak of, but how they fit into their friend’s own journey is utilized effectively and feels earned.

Once Team Fireball is together again, they don’t have long together before they are once again in the clutches of Commander Pyre and Agent Tierny. Auman sets up a fun dynamic that sees a trio of heroes (Tam, Kaz, and Yeager) face off against a trio of villains (Tierny, Pyre, and Rucklin). It makes for a fun series of encounters as all sides scramble to capture and outwit one another. The introduction of Kylo Ren at the outset (no matter how goofy and awful Matthew Wood’s Adam Driver imitation is) adds added stakes for the baddies too. Their lives are on the line in this too and any attempts to capture The Colossus and its heroes will be their last.

Resistance sets a Stormtrooper blasting record here as our heroes sprint through First Order corridors, blazing through bucket heads and dodging villains. (Jarek Yeager is a real badass here. Guy, slipped back into rebel hero mode in no time at all). Rucklin gets a much deserved punch in the face and that’s how we leave him, which is delightfully fulfilling, and our heroes try their best to assist the Colossus in their final stand. Pyre and Tierny meet fiery ends and the First Order machine is dealt an explosive blow that feels suitably populated with explosions. So many explosions.

While it is all certainly thrillingly shot and dazzling in its execution, it does end up feeling a little too neat though. Despite the apparent stakes at hand, our heroes get out pretty much scratch free. That melancholy joy felt at the end of every great Star Wars story is absent here. It’s great that our heroes end up happy and the citizens of the Colossus are safe, but there is no real sacrifice in their victory. Even if Star Wars Rebels’ only heroic death in its finale was aging clone commander Gregor, the death of mentor figure Kanan Jarrus still propelled the series into its final moments and series protagonist Ezra Bridger still took a heroic step into an unknown fate to save his friends and family. “The Escape” lacks that gravitas and it ends up sporting a sweet and spectacle filled finale, but not a whole lot more.

In the end, maybe that’s fitting. Resistance always seemed content to show its viewers a fast paced and colorful time in the Star Wars universe and for the most part never really bothered to shoot higher. Its finale feels content to keep that up while also wrapping up its longest running and most fascinating character arc with a message of forgiveness and hope. It’s as fun, pretty, and awkward as ever, but at this point what could you want. It ends with a group hug and a toast to heroism and honestly, maybe that’s just fine enough.

Score: B+

[love-live-stars-imagines-au]

Class 3A

buckle up cause everything goes wrong

Dia

Oh my god. She gets mad so often, you wouldn’t believe it.

Has the same mindset as Keito and Eli, except she isn’t student council. But she carries a paper fan.

Once whacked Eichi for being too chill with student council and then got whacked by Keito. (You probably shouldn’t talk, Dia…)

Sometimes talks with Izumi and Shu about perfectionism. You can hear them complain from across the hallway.

Dia was invited to watch a Knights performance, but she politely declined.

Frequently goes between both classes to lecture people on proper behavior.

Was caught (with Nico) by (most of) the third-years at a Ra*bits show. Embarrassed for life.

Refuses Chiaki and Madara’s attempts to help her with anything in the Classic Dia Way. They keep coming back, so it goes in a loop.

Seriously not okay with Kaoru for some reason. She can feel something dangerous about him.

Kanan

Friendly to everyone. The Class 3A mom.

Chiaki: “team mom team mom”

Gets along with Izumi over water…?

Nice, but doesn’t hesitate to call out anyone in the class (mostly the 3A trio).

Sometimes asks Kaoru, “Why are you in my club again?”

Friends with Chiaki and Eichi. Would invite them to the pool but a) Eichi. b) Kanata is probably there first and it gets really awkward because the whole Marine Life Club is probably there too.

Gets a little frustrated with Shu over his over-artistic, over-perfection shows. She thinks it’s fine but he should probably chill.

On sports day, she dragged all the third-years with her to Jogging hell Heaven.

Not exactly fond of Keito, in fact far from. She just doesn’t wants to be paper-fan whacked.

Assists as a tutor and keeps the class out of trouble. Most of the time.

Seriously freaked out by Mademoiselle’s presence. (If a doll stared at you from five feet away, what would you do….)

She’s resident crowd control.

Eli

Eli and Dia in the same class. Good decision.

She’s softened up a little, but still similar to Dia: strict with the class, even her friends....kind of.

Speaking of friends, Madara and surprisingly Kaoru are hers. Eli has decided to trust them, which is a good call. (cough dia please be like eli)

Unknowingly gives Kaoru tips on how to hit on girls. Eli’s poor oblivious mind doesn’t understand guys...yet.

Is okay with Shu’s eccentricity. Likes Mademoiselle better than him.

Sick of Izumi and his constant complaining about his underclassmen. (Doesn’t know about Makoto yet.)

Supports Chiaki and Eichi.

She actually doesn’t think Eichi’s work ethic is half bad; it’s just that Keito (probably) needs to chill.

Always stuck with cleaning duty.

meanwhile as dia walks into 3b with a megaphone