I love the way you used the river stone. Especially as it was from the river of light, wasn't it? It just feels like such a Qui-Gon thing to do - say something really profound through a *rock* and if you don't know him, you won't understand what it means. And even if Obi-Wan didn't know what it meant, it was still important to him, because it came from Qui-Gon.
The fact that Qui-Gon didn't tell Obi-Wan is heart-wrenching, but rings true, regardless of canon events. Qui-Gon would have angsted over the idea of people surviving intact in the force. And, you know, even if Qui-Gon had told him, would Obi-Wan have been able to do it at that point? Or did he have to come to a place where he had everything stripped away and could see things differently?
Man, when I finished writing this, I was like :/ Everybody is going to think that Qui-Gon hated Obi-Wan when he just LOVED HIM TOO MUCH and WANTED TO PROTECT HIM and JUST DIDN'T WANT TO THINK THAT OBI-WAN WOULD EVER NEED IT.
See, that's the beauty of this. You read it and see how he teaches Anakin and is so detached and you think, argh, Qui-Gon, don't you realise what you're doing? Can't you throw him (us) a crumb of emotion even now? And then the ceremony, and he shuts me up with his actions and the stone. And it's far more eloquent and powerful because of that silence and distance. Because it's SO MUCH feeling that he has, and it's such a restrained outlet of it. Augh, painful.
Re: wanky rambling is one of my favourite things.
The fact that Qui-Gon didn't tell Obi-Wan is heart-wrenching, but rings true, regardless of canon events. Qui-Gon would have angsted over the idea of people surviving intact in the force. And, you know, even if Qui-Gon had told him, would Obi-Wan have been able to do it at that point? Or did he have to come to a place where he had everything stripped away and could see things differently?
Man, when I finished writing this, I was like :/ Everybody is going to think that Qui-Gon hated Obi-Wan when he just LOVED HIM TOO MUCH and WANTED TO PROTECT HIM and JUST DIDN'T WANT TO THINK THAT OBI-WAN WOULD EVER NEED IT.
See, that's the beauty of this. You read it and see how he teaches Anakin and is so detached and you think, argh, Qui-Gon, don't you realise what you're doing? Can't you throw him (us) a crumb of emotion even now? And then the ceremony, and he shuts me up with his actions and the stone. And it's far more eloquent and powerful because of that silence and distance. Because it's SO MUCH feeling that he has, and it's such a restrained outlet of it. Augh, painful.
♥
Thanks so much for this.