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crack_van2005-05-22 10:39 pm
malabud.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2005-05-22 10:39 pm
Entry tags:
The Magic Lamp by Marnie (G)
Fandom: STAR WARS
Pairing: Gen
Length: 4,500 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: The Borrowed Ones
Why this must be read:
The summary the author provides for this story is really the best description I can think of: "Luke Skywalker finds a buried holocron at Ben's house, and lets a Jinn out of the lamp."
Luke accesses the holocron, but finds that Master Qui-Gon Jinn is not like other Jedi holocrons. Qui-Gon's holocron ponders, argues, and does not switch off when asked to do so. In short, he has a mind and will of his own, and he forces Luke, in his kind but stern manner, to examine some hard truths about the Jedi Order, Anakin Skywalker, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Qui-Gon's explanation to Luke about the destruction of the Jedi and why the Jedi were a religion and not just keepers of the peace rings very true, but also fits nicely within Obi-Wan's definition of truth, "from a certain point of view." Qui-Gon is very much in character, as is Luke, and their conversation is full of surprises. This story is brief, but it makes a impact on the reader.
For a fresh perspective on the saga as a whole, I highly recommend this story. It will certainly get you thinking.
* * *
"You're a hologram." And you've obviously never been accessed before, Luke thought, with a prickle of something dark. Not a warning; a kind of delicacy that didn't seem appropriate in dealing with a machine. Ben's teacher. And Ben buried it. He never spoke to it once.
"I know. I'm trying to find out what that means."
"You're recorded information. You're supposed to answer my questions."
But still Luke wondered, thinking of his student Nichos. Slowly dying of an incurable disease, Nichos had been gradually moved into a wholly mechanical body. The result had not known itself whether it was a duplicate or the original, human or droid, alive or dead. How much information did it take to replicate the spirit?
"I would be a very inaccurate copy if I only did what I was supposed to do."
Humour? It was nice to know that even in the legendary past a Jedi Master was allowed a small joke at his own expense. Luke got up and turned the lights down to half power. Full strength made the image too ghostlike for comfort.
This was not going as smoothly as he had hoped. He had been sure he held the past firmly in his gloved palm, to be used as he pleased. He had not expected it to come with its own agenda.
But this is how it is. Focus on what is, not on your wishes. He moved to get the kettle. "Do you mind? It's a bit weird."
The large hand withdrew, tucked itself inside a long sleeve. "You know who I was. Who are you?"
It was taking the initiative now. He should feel.... He didn't know what to feel, only curious. "Jedi Master," Can I call myself that? Who's going to stop me? "Luke Skywalker."
Now he found himself on the receiving end of some careful scrutiny, and the flash of a smile like that of a different man -- roguish, undignified. "Skywalker? Any relation of Anakin?"
Luke's prosthetic hand tightened, folding the metal of the handle into finger-shaped curves. To hear his father's name spoken with such carefree fondness!
The Magic Lamp
Pairing: Gen
Length: 4,500 words
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: The Borrowed Ones
Why this must be read:
The summary the author provides for this story is really the best description I can think of: "Luke Skywalker finds a buried holocron at Ben's house, and lets a Jinn out of the lamp."
Luke accesses the holocron, but finds that Master Qui-Gon Jinn is not like other Jedi holocrons. Qui-Gon's holocron ponders, argues, and does not switch off when asked to do so. In short, he has a mind and will of his own, and he forces Luke, in his kind but stern manner, to examine some hard truths about the Jedi Order, Anakin Skywalker, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Qui-Gon's explanation to Luke about the destruction of the Jedi and why the Jedi were a religion and not just keepers of the peace rings very true, but also fits nicely within Obi-Wan's definition of truth, "from a certain point of view." Qui-Gon is very much in character, as is Luke, and their conversation is full of surprises. This story is brief, but it makes a impact on the reader.
For a fresh perspective on the saga as a whole, I highly recommend this story. It will certainly get you thinking.
* * *
"You're a hologram." And you've obviously never been accessed before, Luke thought, with a prickle of something dark. Not a warning; a kind of delicacy that didn't seem appropriate in dealing with a machine. Ben's teacher. And Ben buried it. He never spoke to it once.
"I know. I'm trying to find out what that means."
"You're recorded information. You're supposed to answer my questions."
But still Luke wondered, thinking of his student Nichos. Slowly dying of an incurable disease, Nichos had been gradually moved into a wholly mechanical body. The result had not known itself whether it was a duplicate or the original, human or droid, alive or dead. How much information did it take to replicate the spirit?
"I would be a very inaccurate copy if I only did what I was supposed to do."
Humour? It was nice to know that even in the legendary past a Jedi Master was allowed a small joke at his own expense. Luke got up and turned the lights down to half power. Full strength made the image too ghostlike for comfort.
This was not going as smoothly as he had hoped. He had been sure he held the past firmly in his gloved palm, to be used as he pleased. He had not expected it to come with its own agenda.
But this is how it is. Focus on what is, not on your wishes. He moved to get the kettle. "Do you mind? It's a bit weird."
The large hand withdrew, tucked itself inside a long sleeve. "You know who I was. Who are you?"
It was taking the initiative now. He should feel.... He didn't know what to feel, only curious. "Jedi Master," Can I call myself that? Who's going to stop me? "Luke Skywalker."
Now he found himself on the receiving end of some careful scrutiny, and the flash of a smile like that of a different man -- roguish, undignified. "Skywalker? Any relation of Anakin?"
Luke's prosthetic hand tightened, folding the metal of the handle into finger-shaped curves. To hear his father's name spoken with such carefree fondness!
The Magic Lamp