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crack_van2004-05-28 08:45 am
kraken-wakes.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2004-05-28 08:45 am
Entry tags:
The Elements Series by Lilith Sedai (NC-17)
Fandom: STAR WARS FRANCHISE
Author website: Can't track one down but you can contact her at: lilith_sedai@hotmail.com)
Pairing: Obi-Wan/Qui-Gon
Rating: NC-17
Why this must be read:
This is a massive, four part story (Water, Earth, Air, Fire) in which: Qui-Gon Jinn fails to take Obi-Wan as his apprentice on Bandomeer, so Yoda does instead. After Obi-Wan is knighted, he and Qui-Gon are sent on a mission together and encounter personal conflicts as they attempt to work together.
What to say about it? Well, if you read only one Star Wars fic this year - make it this one. The quality of the writing is superb, the plots are intrieging, there's a full range of compelling and interesting original characters and an astonishing examination of the differences between the Unifying and the Living Force - which is to say, if you know nothing about either of these before you start to read (like me) you will do by the end and a lot of other Star Wars fic will suddenly make a lot more sense - as will the slightly different approaches that Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon have to the Force and their roles as Jedi.
And it's long. And angsty (two excellent qualifications in my book). And it's nice to see them come together as adults and I have a soft spot (generated by this story, btw) for AUs which have both Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan trained by Yoda. And they don't like each other at all. The sex is well written and there are a few genuinely worrying bits (edge-of-the-computer-seat).
This is another stunning story from one of the fandom's best writers.
Go read it now!
Obi-Wan smiled with the pleasure of his serenity, feeling himself begin to float from the floor on the currents of Force that surrounded him. Levitation of self was a most difficult skill, only achieved with perfect peace and acceptance, perfect harmony with all branches of the Force.
Then the sense of another presence intruded and he thumped not-quite-painfully to the deck. Ignoring his own break in control, he opened his eyes. He gazed serenely at a pair of powerful thighs clad in brown leggings before moving his focus quickly up past powerful hips and pelvis, narrow waist and broad shoulders, to a stern face behind a graying beard, untrimmed hair dragged back severely into a long, thick tail that reached past the man's waist.
Very familiar and very alien. The face was older, harsher, its broad planes tight and forbidding, the broken nose still hawklike and dominant, but the sensual, full mouth had grown pinched and hard-set, less generous. Silver highlighted the long dark hair. The keen, deepset indigo eyes were opaque, cold. Any vestiges of kindness that he remembered seemed to have simply been... scoured away by experience and age. Or perhaps they had been merely the misguided imaginings of an innocent boy.
"To what do I owe the honor of this visit, Master Jinn?" Obi-Wan rose with conscious grace, unfolding his body without using his hands.
"We must coordinate our missions." Qui-Gon matched him serenity to serenity, and Obi-Wan nodded his head fractionally, acknowledging the necessity. "We will arrive on Torehir in sixteen standard hours," Qui-Gon stated. "Two days before the royal wedding. That does not leave sufficient time to gather all the prospective initiates before the ceremony."
Obi-Wan nodded noncommittally, leaving his head inclined in a posture meant to lead the older man to continue. He did not take the bait. "And your point is?" Obi-Wan prompted him politely after the silence grew heavy.
"That we should attend the wedding together and then seek out the new initiates." Qui-Gon looked at him austerely.
Obi-Wan carefully tamped down a flicker of irritation at the faint implication that he was unable to handle his own mission alone -- merely gathering and transporting children, at that. He soothed his bruised ego by reminding himself that Yoda had hinted that Qui-Gon, an experienced Jedi Master, would require his help and his balancing influence on this embassy. And despite his irritation, Qui-Gon's decision also raised a flicker of intrigue in him. Why would a confirmed loner -- one who had amply demonstrated his lack of interest in Obi-Wan -- suddenly request his company?
"Jedi typically travel in pairs," Obi-Wan agreed mildly. "The embassy will be the more respectable if known customs are met."
It was Qui-Gon's turn to spend a moment gazing silently at Obi-Wan and the young Knight wondered if the Master was stilling his own flare of annoyance. He could not read the man; his face was perfectly impassive and his shields were thick and firm-set. The young Jedi reviewed his own words and felt a moment of regret for the possibility that his sentence might sound as though he meant to bait the older man and taunt him about his customary solitude, but he had merely spoken the truth.
Just gazing at the older Jedi gave him an uncomfortable sense of disharmony; tendrils of discord were winding between them palpably even after such a short and uneventful interaction. This was a comradeship that had been doomed to failure from the beginning, Obi-Wan admitted to himself realistically. If they had failed to connect when Obi-Wan was young, malleable, and desperately anxious to obey and please, there was even less chance they would arrive at a mutual understanding now that he had developed his own mind, his own style, and been granted the authority of his own Knighthood. Yoda had often called him willful; Qui-Gon did not seem the sort to appreciate that particular quality.
Obi-Wan steeled himself in spite of his misgivings. He must not allow personal resentments to come between himself and the efficient performance of his duty. He would be wise to indulge the Master's ego, give him the respect that was due his rank and experience. However, even with that resolve, he still wasn't prepared for what came next.
"Yoda sent you to watchdog me on this mission," Qui-Gon spoke abruptly, eyes flashing. "Your swift agreement to attend the wedding instead of pursuing your own responsibilities is transparent. Tell your Master that I do not require the supervision of a new-raised Knight who hardly knows a field assignment from a training exercise."
The young Knight blinked mildly, taking a moment to seek his center, letting the accusation and insult slide over him like water. "I am sure that you do not," he agreed calmly. "As I do not require the supervision of a Master to gather a dozen toddlers and shepherd them back to the creche." Point, and counterpoint.
That was definitely a flicker of anger in Qui-Gon's eyes, though Obi-Wan had deliberately neglected to return the insult he'd been given. Obi-Wan read contempt in that hot blue gaze and it ignited a forbidden spark of genuine anger deep inside him. What had he ever done to be despised so deeply? He hadn't been granted a fair chance, not from Qui-Gon's first word to him as a child. Obi-Wan suddenly remembered battling draigons with no hope of survival, fighting as a full Jedi before ever turning thirteen or even becoming a Padawan. He remembered preparing to surrender his life for the older man's, and remembered being spurned afterward as though his achievements and offer of sacrifice had been utterly worthless.
"Let's make our plans quickly," Obi-Wan heard the chill in his own voice.
Qui-Gon silently accepted the proffered datapad and together they began working out a formal schedule of appearances.
It did not go well.
The Elements Series: Water by Lilith Sedai
The Elements Series: Earth by Lilith Sedai
The Elements Series: Air by Lilith Sedai
The Elements Series: Fire by Lilith Sedai
Author website: Can't track one down but you can contact her at: lilith_sedai@hotmail.com)
Pairing: Obi-Wan/Qui-Gon
Rating: NC-17
Why this must be read:
This is a massive, four part story (Water, Earth, Air, Fire) in which: Qui-Gon Jinn fails to take Obi-Wan as his apprentice on Bandomeer, so Yoda does instead. After Obi-Wan is knighted, he and Qui-Gon are sent on a mission together and encounter personal conflicts as they attempt to work together.
What to say about it? Well, if you read only one Star Wars fic this year - make it this one. The quality of the writing is superb, the plots are intrieging, there's a full range of compelling and interesting original characters and an astonishing examination of the differences between the Unifying and the Living Force - which is to say, if you know nothing about either of these before you start to read (like me) you will do by the end and a lot of other Star Wars fic will suddenly make a lot more sense - as will the slightly different approaches that Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon have to the Force and their roles as Jedi.
And it's long. And angsty (two excellent qualifications in my book). And it's nice to see them come together as adults and I have a soft spot (generated by this story, btw) for AUs which have both Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan trained by Yoda. And they don't like each other at all. The sex is well written and there are a few genuinely worrying bits (edge-of-the-computer-seat).
This is another stunning story from one of the fandom's best writers.
Go read it now!
Obi-Wan smiled with the pleasure of his serenity, feeling himself begin to float from the floor on the currents of Force that surrounded him. Levitation of self was a most difficult skill, only achieved with perfect peace and acceptance, perfect harmony with all branches of the Force.
Then the sense of another presence intruded and he thumped not-quite-painfully to the deck. Ignoring his own break in control, he opened his eyes. He gazed serenely at a pair of powerful thighs clad in brown leggings before moving his focus quickly up past powerful hips and pelvis, narrow waist and broad shoulders, to a stern face behind a graying beard, untrimmed hair dragged back severely into a long, thick tail that reached past the man's waist.
Very familiar and very alien. The face was older, harsher, its broad planes tight and forbidding, the broken nose still hawklike and dominant, but the sensual, full mouth had grown pinched and hard-set, less generous. Silver highlighted the long dark hair. The keen, deepset indigo eyes were opaque, cold. Any vestiges of kindness that he remembered seemed to have simply been... scoured away by experience and age. Or perhaps they had been merely the misguided imaginings of an innocent boy.
"To what do I owe the honor of this visit, Master Jinn?" Obi-Wan rose with conscious grace, unfolding his body without using his hands.
"We must coordinate our missions." Qui-Gon matched him serenity to serenity, and Obi-Wan nodded his head fractionally, acknowledging the necessity. "We will arrive on Torehir in sixteen standard hours," Qui-Gon stated. "Two days before the royal wedding. That does not leave sufficient time to gather all the prospective initiates before the ceremony."
Obi-Wan nodded noncommittally, leaving his head inclined in a posture meant to lead the older man to continue. He did not take the bait. "And your point is?" Obi-Wan prompted him politely after the silence grew heavy.
"That we should attend the wedding together and then seek out the new initiates." Qui-Gon looked at him austerely.
Obi-Wan carefully tamped down a flicker of irritation at the faint implication that he was unable to handle his own mission alone -- merely gathering and transporting children, at that. He soothed his bruised ego by reminding himself that Yoda had hinted that Qui-Gon, an experienced Jedi Master, would require his help and his balancing influence on this embassy. And despite his irritation, Qui-Gon's decision also raised a flicker of intrigue in him. Why would a confirmed loner -- one who had amply demonstrated his lack of interest in Obi-Wan -- suddenly request his company?
"Jedi typically travel in pairs," Obi-Wan agreed mildly. "The embassy will be the more respectable if known customs are met."
It was Qui-Gon's turn to spend a moment gazing silently at Obi-Wan and the young Knight wondered if the Master was stilling his own flare of annoyance. He could not read the man; his face was perfectly impassive and his shields were thick and firm-set. The young Jedi reviewed his own words and felt a moment of regret for the possibility that his sentence might sound as though he meant to bait the older man and taunt him about his customary solitude, but he had merely spoken the truth.
Just gazing at the older Jedi gave him an uncomfortable sense of disharmony; tendrils of discord were winding between them palpably even after such a short and uneventful interaction. This was a comradeship that had been doomed to failure from the beginning, Obi-Wan admitted to himself realistically. If they had failed to connect when Obi-Wan was young, malleable, and desperately anxious to obey and please, there was even less chance they would arrive at a mutual understanding now that he had developed his own mind, his own style, and been granted the authority of his own Knighthood. Yoda had often called him willful; Qui-Gon did not seem the sort to appreciate that particular quality.
Obi-Wan steeled himself in spite of his misgivings. He must not allow personal resentments to come between himself and the efficient performance of his duty. He would be wise to indulge the Master's ego, give him the respect that was due his rank and experience. However, even with that resolve, he still wasn't prepared for what came next.
"Yoda sent you to watchdog me on this mission," Qui-Gon spoke abruptly, eyes flashing. "Your swift agreement to attend the wedding instead of pursuing your own responsibilities is transparent. Tell your Master that I do not require the supervision of a new-raised Knight who hardly knows a field assignment from a training exercise."
The young Knight blinked mildly, taking a moment to seek his center, letting the accusation and insult slide over him like water. "I am sure that you do not," he agreed calmly. "As I do not require the supervision of a Master to gather a dozen toddlers and shepherd them back to the creche." Point, and counterpoint.
That was definitely a flicker of anger in Qui-Gon's eyes, though Obi-Wan had deliberately neglected to return the insult he'd been given. Obi-Wan read contempt in that hot blue gaze and it ignited a forbidden spark of genuine anger deep inside him. What had he ever done to be despised so deeply? He hadn't been granted a fair chance, not from Qui-Gon's first word to him as a child. Obi-Wan suddenly remembered battling draigons with no hope of survival, fighting as a full Jedi before ever turning thirteen or even becoming a Padawan. He remembered preparing to surrender his life for the older man's, and remembered being spurned afterward as though his achievements and offer of sacrifice had been utterly worthless.
"Let's make our plans quickly," Obi-Wan heard the chill in his own voice.
Qui-Gon silently accepted the proffered datapad and together they began working out a formal schedule of appearances.
It did not go well.
The Elements Series: Water by Lilith Sedai
The Elements Series: Earth by Lilith Sedai
The Elements Series: Air by Lilith Sedai
The Elements Series: Fire by Lilith Sedai