An Element of Blank, by Sheila

[darthfox.livejournal.com]

reccer's note: [hand-wave] it is monday, june 14. [hand-wave] fox didn't miss her turn to recommend something. [hand-wave] so tomorrow is wednesday. big deal.

Title: An Element of Blank
Author: Sheila
Rating: PG
Pairing: Q/O
Warnings: The author's warning states "This is fairly intense, folks. A lighthearted romp, this is NOT. In fact, it's probably as far away from lighthearted as one can possibly get. Please be warned!" Character death (again!).
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Author's e-mail, web site and/or LJ id: Sheila@nexet.net
Link to story: http://www.masterapprentice.com/archive/e/element_blank.html
Reasons for recommending: This is a rare thing -- a suffering Obi-Wan that doesn't piss me off. Instead of the poor soul from so many fics who weeps and cries and feels Neglected and Discarded, this Obi-Wan keeps his anguish to himself in a way that (a) I absolutely believe -- the characterization of both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon (and Anakin, for that matter) is absolutely consistent throughout the story; and (b) evokes so much more sympathy than some weepy whiner who tells everybody about his problems at all times whether they want to or not. This is how it's done.

Quote from story: Throwing his feet over to perch on the side of the cot, he thought briefly about getting something cool to drink. It was very late, but he was hot and parched. He often was these days. However, in order to get to the small kitchen and assuage this purely physical need, he would have to go through the common room. He couldn't face that, not just now. Not when the world was at its darkest, not when he was at his calmest, not when he was at the closest he ever came anymore to being at peace.

Comments

[bant.livejournal.com]

I love this story. I found it to be one of the most heart wrenching stories in the MA archive. Although, I think miscommunication has been overused in fanfic as a tragic catalyst. But everyone is so in character and and in keeping with the film. It gets me everytime I reread it which isn't that often.

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

Wow. It's amazing the different reactions people can have. I read this yesterday while looking for my final rec (not having realized you'd recced it already) and had exactly the opposite reaction. It started off with what I thought was going to be stoic!Obi angsting over being rejected for Anakin and it just kept getting more and more over the top until I was ready to tear my hair out. I realize some of the fainting and weepiness was because he was injured, but it was just too much for me.