An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 2/?
Fandom: Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: A New Dawn - John Jackson Miller
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla
Characters: Kanan Jarrus, Hera Syndulla, Sabine Wren, Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios, Ezra Bridger, Cal Kestis, CT-7567 | Rex
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Hockey, Daddy Issues, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Hera Syndulla, Kanan Jarrus Needs a Hug, POV Hera Syndulla, POV Kanan Jarrus, he falls first and harder, Tags May Change, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, there will be smut, Enemies to Lovers, Promiscuity, Let’s just call it what it is Kanan is a manwhore before Hera tames him
Summary:
Hera Syndulla, the daughter of a legend, tries to make a name for herself on her own merits in the Galactic Hockey League, but her efforts are thwarted at every turn by the star of her team, Kanan Jarrus, who is running away from his own demons.
I'm still on a historical Kanera kick, this time paper dolls in the style of the Tom Tierney fashion books of my childhood, made for the absolutely wonderful @jellyfishforest135
Printable pdf of the base dolls and outfits here, also on Ao3, details on the clothing and sources below the cut!
The Underwear:
Kanan wears braies - long, loose underwear similar to boxers or shorts usually made of linen. He would also wear a long-sleeved loose shirt that, with the braies, could easily be washed to protect the more delicate outer layers from sweat or body oils.
While usually in the medieval period Hera would be wearing a shift (a long, loose shirt/dress likely made of linen) with long sleeves to protect the fabric of her gowns, it doesn't work for paper dolls. This sleeveless shift is loosely based on the clothing worn by bathhouse attendants throughout the high and late medieval eras. In a world without stretchy elastic, Hera wears garters tied below the knee to hold her stockings up.
Sources: Interpretatio Nominum Graecorum, Interpretatio Nominum Hebraeorum; Pseudo-Antoninus of Piacenza, De Locis Terrae Sanctae, 2nd half of the 12th century. Add MS 15219, fol. 12r, British Library.
Two bathing women in underwear. Late 14th or early 15th century. Codices Vindobonenses 2759-2764, Osterreichischen Nationalbibliothek of Vienna, Austria.
1200AD, The Age of Robin Hood
Kanan wears two tunics; the brown undertunic has longer, more fitted sleeves while the green overtunic is slightly looser, and both are trimmed (decorated) with gold fabric at the cuffs. Such tunics for men could be as high as the knees or go down to the ankles. Beneath, he wears hose (tightly-fitted very long socks) that would be tied up at his waist.
Hera’s red overdress is called a bliaut (blee-ow), a flowing gown that laces tightly at the sides to create little folds in the fabric. Beneath is a yellow underdress with closer-fit sleeves. Before hot running water for easy washing, many women throughout history wore their hair up or styled in some way to keep it clean and protected. Here Hera’s lekku are treated as braids, wrapped and worn under a veil.
Sources: Auguste Molinier. (CGM 31), Manuscrits 1-1928, 1898 (Catalogue général des manuscrits des bibliothèques publiques de France).
Codex Guta-Sintram, 1154, f° 36v. ms. 37, Bibliothèque du Grand Séminaire.
Miscellany on the life of St. Edmund. ca. 1130 MS M.736 fol. 8r, Morgan Library.
1350, Knights & Ladies
Kanan wears two tunics; the brown undertunic has longer, more fitted sleeves while the green overtunic is slightly looser, and both are trimmed (decorated) with gold fabric at the cuffs. Such tunics for men could be as high as the knees or go down to the ankles. Beneath, he wears hose (tightly-fitted very long socks) that would be tied up at his waist.
Hera’s dress is called a bliaut (blee-ow), a flowing gown that laces tightly at the sides to create little folds in the fabric. Beneath is a yellow underdress with closer-fit sleeves. Before hot running water for easy washing, many women throughout history wore their hair up or styled in some way to keep it clean and protected. Here Hera’s lekku are treated as braids, wrapped and worn under a veil.
Sources: Auguste Molinier. (CGM 31), Manuscrits 1-1928, 1898 (Catalogue général des manuscrits des bibliothèques publiques de France).
Codex Guta-Sintram, 1154, f° 36v. ms. 37, Bibliothèque du Grand Séminaire.
Miscellany on the life of St. Edmund. ca. 1130 MS M.736 fol. 8r, Morgan Library.
1460 - Disney's Sleeping Beauty
Kanan's linen undershirt can just be seen at the collar, covered by a doublet - a more tailored and fitted jacket compared to the longer and looser tunics of before, with padded shoulders that puff out and up. The purple outer layer is very short with large, full pleats and is lined in dark fur, with slits in the sleeves to allow him to wear it in different ways depending on the weather. Hose are still worn, but they are now fitted and sewn to a waistband like leggings rather than socks. On his feet he wears poulains - shoes that have very long points that turn up at the ends. The hat is called a bycocket, a popular style throughout the medieval era.
Hera's teal overdress, lined and trimmed with grey fur, is called a Burgundian gown by historians, after the place in Northern Europe where the fashion was often seen. Beneath it is worn a copper underdress we see where the long overdress is lifted up. The hats in the 15th century could be quite dramatic,, including the long cone we often see worn by princesses in art. This version is called a truncated henin, slightly shorter and not coming to a full point. This is covered by a crisp, sheer veil that flutters behind. Her shoes match Kanan's with long points.
Sources: Courtiers in a Rose Garden: Four Gentlemen and Four Ladies, c. 1440–1450, Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Petrus Christus. Portrait of a Female Donor, c. 1455, National Gallery of Art.
The Emperor Sigismund Arriving in Siena, 1460–1470, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.
I saw the prompts "illuminated manuscript" and "medieval marginalia" for Kanan/Hera & Jacen and may have gotten obsessed with metallic paint. I need to gild everything now
Text transcription of the aurebesh and research below the cut
Text: When in times long gone in lands far far away did greatest of heroes live, whose stories now we tell. Of wise and loving Kanan, Knight of Jedi, and his beloved Hera, great battle leader and swiftest in flight, and of their crew of the Ghost, who with wit and will, blaster and blade, did save Lothal and strike such blows to the Empire that their names yet echo throughout the stars.
Inspiration: I looked predominantly at late 13th century and early 14th Psalters and Books of Hours, especially The Psalter Hours from The Morgan Library & Museum, the Codex Manesse from the Heidelberg University Library (especially for Kanan's hair), and the Luttrell Psalter from the British Library both for the design for the border and in general how to depict faces, animals, and clothing. Zeb and Kallus's fighting stances were taken from a German combat treatise, the poses for the Loth-cats were inspired by cats from the Workshop Bestiary, and I changed the usual leaves on the decorative vines to be heraldic wheat to represent Lothal's grasslands.
Materials: Acrylics, ink pen, & alcohol markers, on paper I washed with watercolors to look more like old vellum.
Made as my Candy Hearts entry on Ao3
This took forever but was a ridiculously fun project! I am in love with metallic paint now. Pic of the wolf in different lighting so it shows
Alright, Tumblr writers. Sit down. Drink some water. I’m back with more writing tips I learned the hard way, usually at 2am while questioning every life choice I’ve ever made. Take what helps. Leave what doesn’t. Argue with me in the comments if you must.
1. Your tone doesn’t have to stay consistent to be good.
You can be funny and devastating. Soft and brutal. Whiplash is sometimes the point. Life doesn’t stick to one genre — your writing doesn’t have to either.
2. Trauma shouldn’t only explain behaviour; complicate it.
If a backstory only makes a character quieter, sadder, or “stronger,” it’s underused. Trauma creates contradictions: wanting closeness but flinching from it, craving stability but sabotaging it. That tension is the point.
3. If you’re exhausted by your own story, take that seriously. Burnout while writing isn’t a sign that your story is bad — it’s usually a sign that something is off in the process. You might be editing while drafting, forcing the plot to go somewhere it doesn’t want to, or circling the same emotional beat without letting it change. Before you delete anything or decide you “hate” the story, step back. Distance fixes more drafts than starting over ever will.
4. If you suddenly lose all motivation halfway through a scene, don’t push — jump.
That drop usually happens right before an emotional beat you haven’t figured out yet. Instead of forcing filler, jump past it. Write the aftermath. Write the reaction. Once you know where the scene lands, going back to fill in the middle is way easier.
5. Don't be afraid to kill your darlings.
Sometimes, you write a line or a scene that you love, but it doesn't fit the story. It's okay to cut it. Maybe it can be used elsewhere, or maybe it just needed to be written to get you to the next part. Your story will be stronger for it. But make sure to save it somewhere else for later.
6. Let characters surprise you.
Sometimes, a character will do something unexpected. Don't fight it. Let them surprise you. Maybe they'll reveal a hidden side or take the story in a new direction. Trust your characters—they might know where they're going better than you do.
7. If your dialogue sounds stiff, check how the character answers.
Real people dodge, deflect, misunderstand, and answer questions with different questions. If one character asks something important and the other responds clearly and honestly on the first try, it can feel fake. Add friction. Let them avoid the point. That’s usually where the tension lives.
8. If you get a sudden burst of inspiration for a totally different scene, write it immediately.
Don’t worry about continuity. Don’t worry about spoilers. Don’t worry about “doing it out of order.” That excitement is your brain handing you something important. You can always stitch it in later — you can’t always get the feeling back.
9. If you ever catch yourself thinking, “I should probably explain this,” pause.
That urge usually shows up right after you’ve written something subtle and start worrying the reader won’t get it. Before you add explanation, ask: is the clue there? If the emotion, action, or detail already points in the right direction, trust it. Over-explaining often flattens moments that were already working.
10. If you don’t know how to start a scene, start a few seconds late.
Writers often open scenes too early — characters entering rooms, greeting each other, settling in. Skip that. Start where something is already happening: mid-conversation, mid-thought, mid-tension. Readers will catch up faster than you think. (A LOT of my writing starts like this, but lots of people like it... so it works I guess.)
11. If you write your main character as “normal,” don’t abandon that the second they're thrown in a difficult situation.
If you establish a character as ordinary — awkward, untrained, unsure — they shouldn’t suddenly start moving smoother, or reacting like a seasoned fighter the moment things get hard. Stress doesn’t usually make people cooler or more competent; it makes them messier. If you want them to survive a difficult situation, let it be through panic, luck, instinct, help from others, or small, clumsy decisions. The moment they act like a different person, they stop feeling real — and readers will notice.
12. If your redemption arc starts with instant forgiveness, it isn’t redemption.
Redemption requires effort, discomfort, and time. The character should change before they’re accepted again — not after. Forgiveness is a result, not a starting point. Saying the character did some bad things but the second they apologise everything is forgiven (or to an extent) not only sounds unrealistic, but simple too.
-
Okay, that’s it. No more tips. I’ve run out of wisdom and it’s past the hour where good decisions are made.
If even one of these made you go, “oh. that explains a lot actually,” then this post did its job. You don’t have to use all of them. You don’t have to agree with me. Writing isn’t a checklist — it’s trial and error and accidentally discovering your best scenes while doing something “wrong.”
So write out of order. Let the tone shift. Let your characters be complicated and a little inconvenient. Skip the boring parts. Trust the moment before you explain it to death.
And if your draft feels messy or unfinished or emotionally confusing?
Good. That usually means you’re close.
Go write something that surprises you. Something that hurts a little. Something you’ll reread later and realise you were braver than you thought.
You’re not doing it wrong.
You’re writing.
by writingwithoutconfidence (you all make me more confident <3)
Write for yourself. I think sometimes we forget why we started writing our projects and it was because of an idea that came to us for us. When we start sharing it with the public, we might start anticipating for that feedback whether is likes/kudos, comments, follows, people sharing it with others, etc.
And yes, that feedback is so important because it motivates us to continue writing. We have an audience that looks forward to. It is so valid to continue writing because of one person or a group of people who are hyping your fic. But you can’t forget to who you wrote it first and that was you.
Because sometimes people can momentarily stop reading or indefinitely. Anything can happen. Whatever the reason is, you can’t stop writing your wip. This is your project. Start it and finish it for yourself.
1. Repeat an object or detail — not the meaning.
Don’t explain the symbolism. Let it build.
“Every room in the house had a clock with a crack down the middle.”
2. Tie symbols to emotion, not plot.
A raven doesn’t have to foreshadow death — maybe it shows up every time your character lies.
3. Pick something small and let it haunt the story.
Examples:
• matches that never light
• the sound of a kettle whistling too long
• a single glove always left behind
4. Reveal the meaning late — or not at all.
Readers love the “OHHH” moment, even if it comes chapters later.
5. Use symbolic opposites for character conflict.
Fire vs ice, silence vs noise, locked windows vs open roads.
Internal tug-of-war, external world.
Subtle romance tension without the cheesiness
If you don’t want cheesy YA romance, try these.
1. Let their emotions leak through contradictions.
“He refused to look at her — but passed her the warmer mug.”
2. Use body language like dialogue.
• brushing hands
• standing too close
• pretending not to notice
3. Create micro-moments of choice.
Do they reach for the door… or wait for the other person to catch up?
Do they touch their shoulder… or pull back?
4. Let silence do emotional heavy-lifting.
“She didn’t answer him. She didn’t have to. The way she held the blanket was enough.”
5. Play with pacing — slow burn, fast heart.
Long sentences for swelling emotion.
Short ones for impact.
“He swallowed. She noticed.”
Dialogue tricks because dialogue is 90% subtext
1. People rarely say what they mean.
Not:
“I’m scared you’ll leave.”
But:
“Are you going out again tonight?”
2. Cut hello/hi/bye unless the rhythm needs it.
Open in motion:
“You’re late.”
3. Let characters talk in their own ways.
Nervous: fragmented, apologetic.
Angry: clipped, sharp.
Tired: fewer words, softer ones.
4. Add quiet gestures between lines.
“Yeah, sure.”
He kept folding the same corner of the map.
This gives tone without telling.
5. Interruptions = realism + tension.
“I said I didn’t—”
“Didn’t what? Care?”
Little ways to build emotional weight without being overdramatic
Emotion doesn’t need violins!!
1. Show the aftermath, not the moment.
“The letter lay open. She hadn’t moved in ten minutes.”
2. Let small details break the reader.
“He set two plates out. Then put one back.”
3. Guilt speaks through habits.
“He checked the locks twice tonight.”
4. Don’t explain the emotion — show the fracture.
Instead of “She missed him”:
“She kept reaching for a second mug.”
5. Use long sentences for grief, short ones for pain.
Grief lingers. Pain hits.
Scene description that doesn't overwhelm
Description is seasoning, not the meal.
1. Pick two details that define the space.
“A crooked picture frame and a single, flickering bulb.”
2. Filter everything through the character’s mindset.
A paranoid character notices shadows.
A romantic notices warm colours.
3. Let the environment influence behaviour.
“The cold tiles made him fidget.”
4. Use description to hint at conflict.
“The chairs were too close together.”
5. Sprinkle details throughout — not all upfront.
Tension-building without action scenes
Tension isn’t violence — it’s expectation.
1. Give the character a secret the reader knows about.
Instant anxiety.
2. Break the rhythm.
One sentence too short.
One beat too long.
3. Make characters behave too normally.
“He smiled. Too easily.”
4. Use the wrong detail in the right moment.
“Why were the keys in the freezer?”
5. Let the setting react.
“The wind died as he stepped outside.”
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: A New Dawn - John Jackson Miller
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla
Characters: Kanan Jarrus, Hera Syndulla
Additional Tags: Valentine's Day, Porn with Feelings, there might be a plot if you squint, Can There Be Yearning And Longing If They Are Actively Having Sex, Cause Kanan Is Longing, Kanan Jarrus Loves Hera Syndulla, Idiots in Love, Shower Sex, Cunnilingus, Sexy Times, Hera Just Admit Your Feelings Already, Dual POV
Summary:
Kanan Jarrus is in love with his Captain so he does the only logical thing he can think of - celebrating the Twi’lek Day of Love.
Get out your crayons, markers, colored pencils, or tablet! It’s time for our first mini event of 2026, Kanera Coloring! Download the coloring page, color it however you like, and upload your masterpiece with the tag #kaneracoloring
This account will be reblogging all submissions on Saturday, Feb. 14th (Valentine’s Day)! Happy coloring!
Files beneath the cut.
JPG for printing (8.5”x11”)
Transparent PNG (lineart only if you want to color digitally)
“We may have failed to defeat the Sith. However, I did make it with a hot alien babe. And in the end, is that not what man has dreamt of since first he looked up at the stars?”
Once upon a time, Google "wasn't evil." Now it's too big not to be. When a company has this much power—too embedded to boycott, too rich to punish, too essential to regulate—it becomes a monster of itself, mowing down anything that stands in the way of profit.
This year we switch. We know, we know: deGoogling's a chore. But, like cleaning your room, we promise you'll feel much better when it's over. (The difference is, cleaning your room could never, you know, save the world…)
As motivation, we'll be showcasing Google's (staggering) assortment of evil deeds this month. From privacy and data misuse, to environmental and social malfeasance. It's all good (bad).
Today's post asks... Did we ever really choose Google? And when did it get so… gross?:
Read the full post over on the blog.
- the Ellipsus Team xo
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: A New Dawn - John Jackson Miller
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla
Characters: Kanan Jarrus, Hera Syndulla
Additional Tags: New Year's Eve, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Star Wars: Rebels, First Kiss, Slow Dancing
Summary:
Kanan and Hera have a mission, but don’t realize the planet they are on is celebrating the New Year.
Happy New Year’s Eve Kanera friends!! Reposting this fic from last year since I didn’t have the time to write one this year. ❤️
"you're the writer, you control how the story goes" no not really. i wrote the first sentence and then my characters said "WE WILL TAKE IT FROM HERE" and promptly swerved into an electrical fence.
