quigonejinn

In place of the LONGASS post that was here, really, I realized that I only needed a few things to encapsulate the orgy of intense Q/O and Q/X that is the #7 book of the Jedi-Apprentice novels.

"I was so worried," Bant told them. "I hated to leave you, but I didn't have a lightsaber, and--"

"You did the right thing, Bant," Qui-Gon interrupted kindly. "When instincts are as good as yours, don't question them."

More and more Obi-Wan had to wonder if Qui-Gon was interested in Bant as his next Padawan. It certainly seemed that the Jedi singled her out.

Qui-Gon turned to him. "You fought well, Obi-Wan."

Normally, Obi-Wan would have felt deep satisfaction from Qui-Gon's praise. But now he only wondered if Qui-Gon was merely being nice, preparing him for the day he would be left behind.

"But you will not find them."

"Why not?" Garen asked.

"Because we will," Qui-Gon said, putting a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. His eyes glowed fiercely. "We will put an end to this."

Qui-Gon's hand on his shoulder, his steady words, sent a shiver through Obi-Wan. He had been unfair to Bant. If Qui-Gon was encouraging to her, it was only because of his goodness. It didn't mean Qui-Gon wanted Bant as a Padawan any more than it meant that he still wanted Obi-Wan. It only meant that he was encouraging strength where he saw it. Obi-Wan realized it wasn't Bant who stood between him and Qui-Gon. It was Qui-Gon's own feelings. He had known that. He just didn't want to accept it.

[Qui-Gon] knew Xanatos wanted him to use hate and anger. Xanatos wanted more than anything to prove that Qui-Gon Jinn could violate the Jedi Code. That would be his victory.

Qui-Gon found his core of purpose and stillness even as he vaulted, somersaulted, came at Xanatos from one approach, then another. His will collided with that of his former apprentice.

Xanatos flipped backward twice, then changed hands and came at Qui-Gon from a different angle. This was a new skill. Now Xanatos fought with two hands. Qui-Gon would have to be alert for a sudden change in attack. He parried Xanatos' blow with a backhanded sweep, then whirled to jab an uppercut toward the chin. Xanatos stepped back, anticipating the move. But Qui-Gon was already reversing. His next blow missed Xanatos by a hair. He saw the displeasure in his eyes.

"Give up, Qui-Gon," Xanatos growled. "I will outlast you. I will kill you here, then steal the vertex. Your precious Jedi will have to go on without you."

Qui-Gon blocked a sweeping blow. "Your small mistakes have always been your downfall."

"I... don't... make ... mistakes." Xanatos grunted out the words as he took an involuntary step backward under the fury of Qui-Gon's assault.

"Your footwork betrays you," Qui-Gon answered, pressing his advantage with a slashing blow.

"You don't realize how you let me know your next move. Notice how your body is leaning just slightly. You're placing more weight on the ball of your left foot. You're going to move left."

Xanatos shifted his balance, and Qui-Gon, already anticipating his reaction, drove forward. Xanatos nearly dropped his lightsaber as he slammed against the wall.

Ready to push his advantage, Qui-Gon leaped after him. But Xanatos switched hands again, parrying Qui-Gon's blow as he leaped across the room. He landed on a table close to the window. Gripping his lightsaber, he cut a hole in the window that overlooked the tall towers of Coruscant.

The window peeled back. Keeping his eyes on Qui-Gon, Xanatos smiled.

"You will never defeat me, Qui-Gon Jinn. That is your curse." Then he leaped out into thin air.

and:

Qui-Gon staggered both from surprise and an unexpected short strike from Xanatos' left. Was he telling the truth? Desperately, Qui-Gon realized there was no way for him to know. He attacked furiously, delivering a wide arm sweep from the left. The two lightsabers tangled. For an instant, their faces were very close. Xanatos' eyes burned with a strange light. The pale half-circle scar on his cheek gleamed.

"What you revere can destroy you." His voice was soft, yet Qui-Gon caught every word. "Haven't you learned that yet?"

Above him, Qui-Gon saw the lights of the Council room flicker. After the lights, Miro would power up the communications system. Then the repulsorlift engines for the turbolifts throughout the complex. The air circulation would be last.

Qui-Gon calculated that he had only three minutes before the explosion. Maybe four. If Xanatos was telling the truth . . .

"You can't be sure, can you, Qui-Gon?" Xanatos sneered. "Will you allow your precious Padawan to die just to kill me? He tried to get away from you once. Why don't you get rid of him for good?"

. . . in other words, when Qui-Gon's Padawans thinks of him, they touch themselves. They would so totally get down on their knees for him.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

neotoma.livejournal.com

You are having with the JA novels, but I still don't consider them canon. A source of nifty ideas to raid, but not canon.

From:

quigonejinn.livejournal.com

Ahah. See, I love the events of the first eight books so damn much that I can't help it. I have to take them as canon -- sure, some of the Qui-Gon writing is a bit unsubtle, but I figure that it's an adaptation made for the kiddies, and am happy to give Jude Watson that.

Any events that you've specifically edited out?

From:

neotoma.livejournal.com

Given that I haven't actually read them, no. It's just my usual reaction -- I don't consider anything but the original works in ANY fandom canon.

In HP fandom, that means if it's not in books, it's not canon, even if JKR puts it up on her website (because if it was important, it'd be in the *BOOKS*). In SW, that means stuff that isn't on the screen is fun, and often a nifty idea to raid but not canon.

SW also suffer from the fact that the books are written by different people -- the post-RotJ has a dozen different writers? The JA stories had at least two -- and that they were later contradicted by what Lucas actually put up on the screen. I think lots of the post-RotJ got Jossed to heck and gone because no one really expected the Clone Wars to have been so that the clones were on the side of the Jedi and things like that

From:

quigonejinn.livejournal.com

Ah, see, well, I haven't found anything in the JA books that I've read so far that's been the least bit objectionable in that way. I'm not sure how on-board I am with some of the later books, but really, nothing to worry about in the first nine.

I think I work with the same theoretical premise that you did, but I tend to incorporate the EU/website stuff when it meshes well with ~~how things ought to be dammit!!!!!!!!~~ canon.

And hey. If you ever want some of the books -- or the Power of the Jedi sourcebook, shhhhh -- drop me a line, and I'll send them on over.

From:

neotoma.livejournal.com

Not objectonable, though I do think you following the EU might curtail nifty ideas that would work equally well. Plus, from what I've seen from other people's comments about them, JA makes Qui-Gon more than a bit of a jerk, and Obi-Wan a bit more needy than they actually appear in the movies.

But sure, I wouldn't mind reading the books. They do sound like fun.

From:

randomalia.livejournal.com

I love Qui-Gon :D He's supposed to be a big serene Master who knows the mysteries of life, and in fact he's all: *sob* My padawan left me!

That bit (I hope this is the right book) where Obi-Wan saves the turbo-lift children and then gets a smackdown from the Council for it, is so wrenching. He thinks he's worth nothing because Qui-Gon left. Meanwhile, Qui-Gon's off having palpitations over the thought of losing Obi-Wan. Aw. Their love, it is insane.

From:

quigonejinn.livejournal.com

OMG yes. It is. The first quote is from that scene, and then there's this one LATER where Obi-Wan pushes Qui-Gon and is like >:/ *QUESTIONS TAHL'S LOYALTY AND WHATEVER and Qui-Gon is like >:/ SHUT UP I KNOW WHAT BETRAYAL LOOKS LIKE.

And Obi-Wan just wilts.

And tthen Qui-Gon feels horrificially guilty, and I love them both so much that it is just overwhelming at times. I love how Obi-Wan has the most INSANE mood swings because Qui-Gon gives him another look; I love how Qui-Gon has the most INSANE internal dialogues where he blames himself for everything up to and including the squishing of some kratta bugs on Durka III; I love them, I love them, I love them.

From:

randomalia.livejournal.com

Yes, the mood swings! And I also love, when they're all discussing TooJay as the possible spy, how Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are just bounding ahead and finishing each others sentences, and poor Tahl is all WTF?

I got my copy out and saw this bit: (Obi-Wan) "I ask myself, if Qui-Gon had rejected me, set me loose after I pledged my life to his, how would I feel? Yes, I would forgive him, but could I join him again? Could I deliver all my trust to him again?"

ARGH foreshadowing of the painful variety.

From:

quigonejinn.livejournal.com

Why, I do believe that's FIC galloping out of the sunset.

Because man. Yeah. I imagine that even though Obi-Wan probably doesn't think that there are going to be trust issues, there're going to be some serious ones, right, when Qui-Gon shows up again. Ex: WHAT THE FUCk HOW THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE CHOSEN ONE YOU REALLY SUCK AT THIS UNIVERSAL SHIT WHAT DID I DO WRONG WHY DIDN'T YOU MANIFEST AND KEEP ME FROM DOING IT ALL WRONG?

So yeah. Viewed in light of that quote, the Q/O relationship post-RotS might be really, really crazy, eh?

From:

randomalia.livejournal.com

Could be really, really crazy, but in a quiet-guilty-reserved-repressed-Jedi way. I mean - how would Qui-Gon feel having Anakin go to the dark side? And maybe Obi-Wan would be angry, but also feel he failed Qui-Gon (Anakin was Qui-Gon's legacy, right?), and perhaps - the clincher - deep down he's still hopeful and wanting of Qui-Gon, as he always has been. Which means he'd also be scared of how things would play out, perhaps.

But yeah. There are a few fics around that deal with the scenario where Qui-Gon didn't die in the first place, and they have similar issues that are pretty fascinating. But I haven't seen one that makes me go YES, that's how it would have gone.

From:

citizenjess.livejournal.com

asdgkal;h must simply express general love and adoration for JA #7. SO MUCH LOVE AND ANGST AND XANATOS, OMG. I think it is probably my favorite in the entire series - though the first Special Edition looks at the same chain of events even more in-depth through a court trial that Obi-Wan is forced to attend per the 'request' of Bruck's family, which is delicious in and of itself.

Also, plz tell me I'm not the only one who gets jittery at Xanatos sneeringly calling Obi-Wan Qui-Gon's "precious Padawan".

From:

quigonejinn.livejournal.com

PRECIOUS. PADAWAN. When I read that for the first time, my brain just fell out, and I was completely incapable of reading for about a minute because OMG. The implications of that! Sure, Xanatos might just be PULLING STUFF OUT OF HIS ASS to make Qui-Gon angry, but man oh man. He knows that Padawans are such a spot to needle the man on, and easdlfjgdf *brain explodes*

I did not know that about the Special Edition. OMG.

From:

citizenjess.livejournal.com

das;kgha I think 'fics where Xanatos uses Obi-Wan to get to Qui-Gon are just so fantastic, because OMG, it's canon! Have you read Keelywolfe's "Any Port in the Storm" and the sequel? I can dig up links for you - they are totally my favorite Xanatos/Obi-Wan 'fics ever.

OMG SPECIAL EDITION. Okay, for JA there are two: "Deceptions" is the one involving Bruck's family and "The Followers" takes place a little after JA #18. Both of them have half of the story set during Obi-Wan's apprenticeship, and the rest set about a decade later with Obi-Wan and Anakin where they meet up with old 'friends'. With JQ, there's only one SE, but Jude has a couple of other books using the characters that aren't part of any series but whose backstory you glean from JA/JQ.

OMG I AM SUCH A DORK.

From:

quigonejinn.livejournal.com

See, as much as I <3 the fact that Xanatos is such a smooth, strangely sympathetic bastard in that fic, I can't get over the WTFWTFWTF moment that happens when Xanatos and Obi-Wan actually start making out and there's no, um, non-con involved with Xanatos putting his penis up Obi-Wan's butt.

Xanatos having hotass fantasies about pinning a willing Qui-Gon to the bed? Obi-Wan fighting off a hardon because of Xanatos? The scene with the hair-combing and all that? Superhot despite the flashes of those Herbal Essences ads whenever they talked about Qui-Gon's soap, but I just can't buy the sexual dynamic that comes out of all that. I just really can't buy the idea of Obi-Wan being that :D LET'S DO IT :D to, and the complete lack of TOTAL PANIC FREAKOUT on Obi-Wan's part after-the-fact kinda seals the not-for-me-deal.

But it's still a really cute fic, though. OMG. Them doing the ochre! And there are ten thousand dirty ficbunnies spawning over hte idea of Obi-Wan brushing out his master's hair.

I know you were TOTALLY looking for this long blathering about somebody else's fic when you recc'd it to me. :D

From:

citizenjess.livejournal.com

The hair-brushing sold me, omfg. I loved it hard; and ... I guess the eventual sex scene has varying degrees of believability for people. I personally found it a nice balance between stories where Xanatos just out-and-out rapes him, and those where Obi-Wan just randomly turns to the Dark Side because Qui-Gon is omgsomean. Those ones kind of make me roll my eyes, really. Keelywolfe's are guilty pleasures stories for me, I guess - the hair-brushing and Obi-Wan pretending to be a prostitute in the sequel and all that. :>

From:

quigonejinn.livejournal.com

Ahaha. Dude, yeah. I totally understand the guilty-pleasure fic thing -- Dilly stopped speaking to me for a while when I told her that I had somehow SERIOUSLY gotten into that fic where, um. There's no Force, and Qui-Gon is a teacher at this ritzy private school, and Obi-Wan is this gifted, troubled student, and AHAHAHAHA XANATOS DIED OF AIDS AND HAS A PATCH ON THE AIDS QUILT AND I CANNOT LIE I LOVED THIS FIC DEARLY.

I have this fic, man, percolating in the back of my head about a similarly TOTALLY OFF-BASE alternate reality fic where Qui-Gon is a knight, Xanatos is his squire, and Obi-Wan is kind of the page at the fringe of things. Mostly, I think it's an excuse to get a somewhat friendly, somewhat hostile, deeply emotionally complicated Xanatos - Obi-Wan dynamic somewhat like in Keelywolfe's fic.

So really. I think I win the plebe X/O awards.