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Apprentice Meme
Master and apprentice. Teacher and student. Whatever you want to call the roles, there's something special about the bond that is shared by a mentor and someone learning from them. Sometimes it's planned, sometimes it develops without either one realizing it's there until one day it just is. This meme is for those moments where that bond is growing, whether the student is learning, or showing what they've learned, or whether the master is realizing just how out of their depth they are trying to teach whatever it is, whether the moments are serious or hilarious. Or maybe things aren't working out so much. Maybe there's a disagreement about something. Is the master or apprentice shirking? Controversial things being taught? Do we need to sit down and have a talk?
Post a top level. Post any preferences or any prompts you want.
Have at and have fun!
Post a top level. Post any preferences or any prompts you want.
Have at and have fun!
Ezra Bridger | Star Wars Rebels
No, really. Use it. Any Jedi Masters applying for this prompt are probably going to have something dropped on their foot when Ezra fails at figuring this whole Force thing out.
2. What does that button do?
Teach him the ways of (your machine of choice). He likes taking things apart, or learning how to drive or fly.
Or abusing the circuitry in stormtrooper helmets. That's never a thing that's not fun.
3. Follow my lead.
Wait, is Ezra the teacher here? What kind of skill did he pick up on the streets of Lothal that he could pass on to you?
4. Fear is the path to the Dark Side.
Ezra's been learning things that aren't necessarily the things a Jedi should do...
5. Wild card!
Give me an idea and I'll work with you!
[1]
[And his patience is even better! He doesn't chide Ezra for nearly dropping a crate on his foot and instead takes a smooth step to the side, arms still chilling out in the sleeves of his cloak.]
Let's try something else.
[His voice is light, even though his tone seemed to always command something from someone, as he strides over and comes to a rest beside Ezra.]
We'll hold off on moving objects for a few moments. I want to talk about what was going through your mind just now, instead.
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Damn it! I almost had it!
He makes a face and drops his hand.]
I was concentrating, I swear.
[He asserts that quickly, reflexively. Even if Qui-Gon's not prone to criticism, there's still a part of Ezra that expects it anyway and becomes defensive accordingly.]
It's just heavy.
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[He arches his eyebrows and regards Ezra with one of his infamous Looks. Qui-Gon is gentle with his admonishment, but the point is made: he won't criticize Ezra for making a mistake, but excuses are not acceptable.]
A mistake when it comes to utilizing the Force can often be attributed to a clouded mind.
Assuming that is the case. If I'm wrong, please feel free to correct me.
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It's not that. At least, I don't think it is. It's...
[He flounders, groping for words. How do you even describe this?
With a frustrated noise, he reaches through the Force again, hand stretched out to illustrate his point. The crate rises, albeit unsteadily.]
Heavy's not the right word. It doesn't want to move.
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[...He might be putting a little bit too much effort into it.]
Then don't force it.
[HAHA. DAD PUN.]
You're putting far too much strain on yourself and on your surroundings. Nothing will react favorably when there's frustration involved.
Let the box fall for now and allow yourself a break. We'll try again in a few moments.
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Don't think he didn't notice that, Master Jinn.]
I don't get it, then. How do you move something without trying to make it move? If I'm not trying hard enough, isn't that going to fail, too?
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[Qui-Gon glances at the crate and, with a slow, deliberate twist of his hand, lifts it easily into the air before settling it down again with a gentle tap against the ground.]
[He then turns to face the boy, his expression absent of any superiority or smugness.]
Work together with the Force, Ezra. Don't try to bend it, and subsequently everything around you, to your will. Listen to it and make an effort to understand what it's trying to tell you.
That is what you should concentrate on.
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It takes an effort of will to drag his attention up out of his frustration and really try to see what Qui-Gon's doing. Ezra's brow furrows as he slips into that odd, almost-listening-feeling mode that always seemed to help back when he thought of the Force as just his instincts. He's found it sometimes helps him get a feel for what his teachers are doing. Sometimes. At least when he manages to achieve it.
A hint of a soundless thrum, for lack of a better word, whispering in the back of his mind, is the only real reward he gets. Ezra sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose.]
I'm trying to listen. I just wish it would speak a little louder.
[He drops his hand, looking back up at Qui-Gon. If nothing else, that moment of feeling that hum seems to have helped settle him down.]
Can you do that again? I want to watch how you do that.
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[In an attempt to provide more of a model for Ezra, Qui-Gon takes his time, his eyes fluttering shut as he focuses on the Force and allows it to flow through him. He lifts his arm, guiding the crate along and allowing it to hover in the air as he explains further.]
When you learn to quiet your mind, you'll hear it perfectly clear. I promise.
[The crate lowers to the ground with an ease that almost suggests it's moving of its own accord.]
Try again. This time, don't think about how you can make it go where you want. Clear your thoughts as best you can, and listen.
Once you hear something, let me know. Don't rush--I'm not timing you, and it's not a race.
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And Ezra's only half-listening anyway. Not distracted, exactly, but focusing intently on what Qui-Gon is doing, trying to follow along with every sense he has. When Qui-Gon reaches through the Force for the crate, Ezra's hand moves, almost unbidden, in an unconscious mirror. He's not trying to exert any influence on the crate himself. He's just trying to feel the currents in the Force.
It's a mark of Qui-Gon's mastery that those currents are so smooth. Ezra feels a twinge of envy again, mixed with admiration. Someday, he wants to be that good.
He doesn't even realize when he closes his eyes.]
Does the Force ever sound like... like a hum to you?
[He thinks he can hear it again.]
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At times, yes. It doesn't speak to us as we speak to one another. It's more of an instinct--a push in a direction that is up to us to follow, fight, or ignore.
Don't fight it, Ezra. Listen. Let it flow through you and work together.
[He falls silent, allowing Ezra to focus more.]
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It's more of an instinct.
His instincts... Ezra already knows how to listen to them. That's something he had to learn years ago just to survive on the streets, knowing when to run, when to take another street, who to pickpocket and who to not, and all sorts of little things he could never explain but turned out to be good ideas. He'd figured out fast that he got into trouble far more often when he ignored the feelings in his gut. Putting the Force into the light of following that feeling makes this suddenly feel like something he knows.
With a slow breath in and another one out, he reaches out, this time following the thread of instinct in his gut, listening for its familiar warnings and suggestions. This time, when he touches the crate with his mind, he's listening first, then responding. A nudge, a whisper, and he follows it, fingers twitching with a suggestion of lifting up.
And in that moment, the Force feels like it flows. The crate rises, slow but steady, then hovers instead of dropping.
Heart racing, Ezra opens his eyes.]
Master Jinn! Look!
[The crate wobbles with his excitement, and he has to focus to catch it, but still! Look at that! He did it!]
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1
Which is why, on one of their fuel and supply stops, he's taken his apprentice out into a field with some heavy crates littered with various items: com links, spare parts, clothes or empty boxes. Anything Kanan could drag out in a short time, he has. ]
You have to focus, Ezra. Find yourself in the Force, and listen to it. Now, try again.
[ He has an array of things to try and lift and pull to him. Kanan might just regret giving him these options. ]
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Ezra grimaces and deadeyes the toolbox that's been stubbornly resisting his will. He's almost, almost tempted to see if scowling at it affects anything, but it's early enough in their training session that he hasn't quite lost his patience yet.
Instead, he blows out a breath, trying to will out his emotions with it.]
Right. Focus. I'm focusing.
[Another breath, and he closes his eyes, stretching his hand out again. Feel the world around him, feel where he touches it, then stretch that feeling out... As his mind stills, he can almost hear Kanan's voice again, teaching those early lessons. Can hear again that patience, and that quiet confidence that he can do this.
He still hears it in Kanan's voice now.
Because I can. I can do this. Bolstering his confidence, he reaches through the Force for the toolbox again. Again, there's that sense of something "catching," his will in the Force tugging on something that resists. Ezra furrows his brow, but resists the urge to look. He's trying to rely on other senses here.]
I have it. I think? Like I have it in my hands, but it won't move.
[It wobbles as he tugs on it again.]
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[ Kanan's voice is calm, tempered even though they've been at this a little while now. He can remember the times Master Billaba patiently guided him through exercises, letting him fail when it was necessary to learn a lesson. It's no different here, and though he questions his skill as a teacher, for he is no Jedi Master himself, he cannot help but feel the swell of responsibility, of pride. ]
Take a deep breath. [ He takes a step closer to Ezra, folds his arms over his chest as he examines the tool box. ] Forget everything else, even me. That toolbox might save your life, you need to retrieve it.
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So instead he takes a breath and tries to do what Kanan says, focusing on the toolbox and pushing everything else away. Just him and the toolbox. Just him and the tool he needs. He needs to get at the wrench that's in there, needs to reach out and feel it. He knows what the wrench feels like, the size and shape and weight. He can picture it in his hand easily.
The toolboxes shudders, then starts to rise, though a little erratically, tilting like Ezra's got it by only the side handle.
Or like maybe he's lifting a tool inside the box and not the box itself. Still, progress is progress, right? Ezra cracks an eye open, then breaks into a smile.]
I got it! Kanan, I-!
[Aaand back down it drops, lid rattling as it thumps on the ground.]
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But Kanan watches his apprentice with bated breath, feels the way the Force moves around them. It's something he's getting used to still, as he had long shut out the Force for so long, denied its presence completely. The toolbox begins to move, however, and Kanan is mildly impressed. He hadn't expected him to get it so quickly. ]
Ezra, foc--
[ The toolbox drops and he can't react fast enough to prevent it from crashing open, a heavy weighted bit driver falls out onto his foot. He lets out a curse, something quiet and garbled as he hops back away from Ezra. ] Ezra.
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[Ezra cringes, and it's not just because of surprise. Because the box had been dropping and he'd panicked and pulled and-
-and it might be entirely his fault that that particular tool flew out and landed on Kanan's foot.
Wincing with sympathy and guilt equally, the teen starts to reach for Kanan, then aborts. It's easy for him to hear what he thinks is anger in Kanan's voice.]
Kanan, I- I'm sorry. It was an accident!
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He hops around on one foot for a moment or two, trying to get the pain under control ]
It's fine, it's fine that's why we practice.
[ Maybe just not on his foot next time. He runs a hand over his face once before he raises it to the air, focusing briefly to put the toolbox and all of its contents back in their spot. ]
Just gotta be confident. [ He's screaming inside, really. ]
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Kind of puts a damper on things not only to fail, but to fail with consequences.
Ezra glances at the toolbox, shoulders hunching a bit. Kanan makes it look so easy, like it's nothing.]
Maybe we should take a break from practicing. So you can sit down.
[He is absolutely not trying to avoid the problem here.
Besides, he really is a little concerned.]
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[ More like a broken one, no less but he can have Hera look at it later. He's not about to interrupt this training time because of something like this. He can feel the nerves coming off of his apprentice, can feel the confidence wane and he knows he can't stop.
He is worried for the rest of his limbs, though. ]
Let's try again, all right. Why don't you focus on trying to open the box first. Small things. Just get the lid up and hold it there. It'll be easier to visualize.
[ Kanan smiles at Ezra, a little bit of a wince in it, but he grips the boy's shoulder. ] Every Jedi has to learn this, and it does not always come as easily to some as it might to others.
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Kanan's his master. He can't learn from him if there isn't any trust.
Pulling in a breath and releasing it, Ezra tries to push his worry out. (He's not very successful, but at least he's trying.) That comforting grip on his shoulder helps, giving him a concrete reassurance that Kanan is there, that he's not just going to leave with the first mistake Ezra makes. He's willing to stick around to help Ezra get this.
That means a lot to him.]
Alright.
[He closes his eyes, concentrating. He's done small things like this before. Just the lid by itself isn't that complicated. Not like a whole box with other things inside. Stretching out with the Force once more, he latches onto the lid. Just the edge. Just the side he wants to lift. Already unlocked, there's nothing resisting.
The toolbox rattles a little, but this time at least he has more success. It opens. Tries to close, but he catches it.]
I've... got it? I think?
[A little unsteady, but he's holding it up!]
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He slips back to reality, leaving behind cold, dangerous streets and bounty raids to instead focus on his apprentice. Kanan smiles. ]
Hey! You've got it! Watch out for my feet, though. [ It's a light jest, a sort of teasing jab. He can still feel his toe throbbing, but that's the price of teaching, isn't it? ]
You're doing great. Try to close the lid now. Focus on the parts, how they work together. You can do this, Ezra.
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Maybe you should watch your feet. They're your feet, you know.
[Speaking of the price of teaching a teenager...
But no, sass aside, he's going to do as Kanan asks, lowering the lid instead of just letting it drop. That's the easy part, though. Getting the lock to close is something else entirely. That requires focusing on one part separate from the rest, on slipping the latch into place. Such a small thing, but the effort shows on his face. Up and over and down and in...
It feels like an eternity, even if it's only just minutes, but the latch finally slides into place.]
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