Saga Leiamoody's Wordy Words--Writer's Block Challenge-Week 4: Obi-Wan, OC--Updated 12/6

That's actually not a bad interpretation. Maybe this Breath of Heaven acts like a truth serum or something. You don't have to possess the Force, because the midichlorians in the wine possess you. Honestly, I never put that much thought into it. I just expanded upon something that came from Star Wars Galaxies: Breath of Heaven. I thought the idea of having Luke drink some Force infused wine might be a strange thing to write about...but maybe this could be even bigger than I thought.

In other words, I don't think you were overanalyzing things.

 

[Totally off-the-mark review due to reading the Beer Labels recently]I started laughing my head off at the mention of Zeitgeist Brew. I don't know where you get these ideas for weird drinks, but you sure have a talent for it.[/Off-the-mark review]

This was a lovely little story -- nice banter, nice characterisation, and most importantly nice ambiguity as to who "saw" something at the very end

 

Thanks for reading.

I got the idea for weird drinks simply because I'm secretly a frustrated bartender.

Honestly, I've always been fascinated by how cocktails and other mixed drinks come together. I'm not much of a drinker, but I do like a good mixed drink, especially if someone comes up with something that manages to be unexpected and delicious at the same time.

 

Neat, I like how this does show a piece of the future -- but doesn't tell him the rather important events leading to it. Which is always fun! (Well, not if you're the one dueling Vader, but anyway. ) I'd meant to comment on this one before. Like others, I was amused and intrigued at Wedge's little prediction too -- yes, it's logical, not necessarily Force-based, but it's an interesting little coincidence. And Wedge's life does seem to be almost charmed, given all the Death Star runs and other chaos he survives. Somehow it makes sense for him to be the one to come up with that.

 

The whole concept of the Breath of Heaven, with a certain level of Force sensitivity managing to survive the fermentation process, is fantastic.

I believe the villain from my longfic would drink that, as he's a midichlorian vampire.

No, seriously. It is fantastic, plus I am trying to visualise a bottle, as I like how you described it.


"Luck got me this little treasure during a three-day sabacc game on Lacace." Han pulled out a bottle.

"The guy never did say how he got hold of these, but he probably won them the same way I did."

This could indicate that the same bottle has been making rounds around sabacc tables for a long time and that this wine is older than they think. If one gambling addict wins it and then loses it at the next game, that could be a possibility. This could be aged wine.


“Funny, I see a little green Rancor holding a zithar whenever I’m drunk,” Hobbie said.

“Unfortunately I always see you guys,” Janson retorted.

Bwahahahahahahaha!

Sometimes Luke wondered if Solo viewed him as some kind of idiot? Did he really expect Luke to reveal anything that might emanate from the Breath of Heaven? Would he make fun of Luke no matter if the young Jedi took one drink or refrained from letting any of the wine go down his throat?

Assuming that this is happening in 2 or 3 ABY, before TESB, no wonder Luke is feeling insecure around Han.

Luke was just about to reply when a sudden image came into his awareness. A slightly older version of him sat in a darkened room, wearing black…the room felt rather than appeared familiar…was it Ben’s hut on Tatooine? He was engaged in the construction of a lightsaber…telekinetically. Every component of the saber hung in the air like a holofilm in pause mode until the saber was complete. The future version of Luke reached out with an invisible grasp to ignite the lightsaber and reveal the color of the blade: a shimmering, brilliant light green.

Love, love, love, ADORE the tie-in!

Ultimately, I love the alternative representations of the scene where the "muggles" take a sip of this drink. On the other hand, Wedge probably sees a bunch of little Death Stars spinning around his head when he falls, so...another Schrödinger moment here.

 

Thanks for reading, guys.

I liked the idea of the wine giving just a little glimpse of the future because that's generally how the Jedi and other Force folk see the future (except for maybe Anakin in the novelization of The Phantom Menace, who has some long dream that involves heading an army, etc.). Throughout mythology, prophets and seers generally only get slices of visions of possible future events, not entire full color narratives. I don't imagine Force infused alcohol is going to provide anyone with an entire movie of the future, complete with Force infused popcorn.

Wedge was really the only choice to have that little vision of the extra Death Star. Like I said elsewhere, Han and Wedge are the two most charmed characters who just happen not to possess any Force sensitivity, yet they somehow "get" things. It's weird, but maybe the Force pays special attention to the ones who aren't midichlorian gifted but somehow manage to tap into the great and mystical force field. Maybe they're like experiments...

First off, if you want your midichlorian vampire to swallow down some Breath of Heaven, have at it. It's actually from SW Galaxies: Breath of Heaven.

It looks like this:

All I did was expand upon the concept, making it midichlorian infused. All the details are located in my fanon post about food and drinks. So have at it.

I like your idea of the same bottle making the rounds from one sabacc table to the next. Only twelve bottles a year are produced, but I never really gave any idea about this particular bottle being new or old. But it does make sense that the bottle keeps getting lost until it winds up in the right company, so to speak.

Timeline wise, this story probably takes place about 0.2 BBY, so it's two months after the Battle of Yavin, very early days, so Han would definitely still be forming an opinion of Luke that might include a not-particularly-flattering notion about his gullibility.

Oh, and "Schrödinger moment:...awesome.

 

Week 5 Prompts Used:
Word Prompts: Spiral, discipline
Quote: “Common sense is not so common.” (Voltaire)

Picture:




[This is a Before the Saga entry, set in 480 BBY. It's meant to be part of a larger, multi-chapter story, and this probably serves as the first draft for one of those chapters...maybe the second one, or the first? The larger story deals with the mysterious origins of how Force spirits/ghosts are created, but also expands into a larger reality within my GFFA about some kind of world after death].

Title: Afterlife Reality

“We have now entered the mystery hour.” Aduman paused long enough in his frenzied steps to look behind him at the young man stumbling up the dirt path. Three o’clock in the planetary morning, and the Jedi Master was plunged into a sudden urge to step away from the wayfarer’s cottage and run down a half-curved path to a spiral labyrinth perched on a stretch of black sand overlooking the sea. Two moons gazed upon the landscape along with the stars (“numerous eyes of the dead”, according to him) from their appointed places above the man consumed by a desperate quest to prove something tangible existed beyond life, and his beleaguered padawan who had been charged to look after the older human in case he did something rash…perhaps something like actually finding out there was another plane that existed for those who said farewell to the flesh/scales/feathers/fur/leaves/bark once they died.

Aduman’s quest had brought the Jedi duo to an Inner Rim ocean planet called Vouroso. They had come to Vouroso in search of a group who supposedly possessed secret knowledge about life after death. True life after death, in a real space where all souls came and went like guests through the revolving door of some celestial hotel. Aduman had become obsessed with finding some way to communicate with a recently deceased senator who sacrificed herself to save others from dying, especially him. He was in search of forbidden knowledge that was officially considered lost by the conservative members of the Order. Certain Jedi among that conservative group questioned the impulses that pushed Aduman…but Master Yoda permitted this “journey of exploration”, with the caveat that his padawan was required to accompany him.

The intention was a two-week pilgrimage that would carry them around several major stopping points along the planet until they reached a community of Whills. Aduman could have made the jaunt easier for himself and Chevor by utilizing the readily available modes of transport such as speeders. But the Jedi Master felt it was necessary to endure a certain level of physical suffering in the form of a walking pilgrimage across the land, although traversing the sea had to be accomplished by jet ferries.

Once they arrived on the islet of Loroa, the Jedi duo’s first stop was finding sleeping accommodations at a little group of cottages nestled underneath a dormant volcano. Once they found two gull-feather-stuffed beds in a single room and wandered into the village center to gulp down some local fishy stew and bitter ale, the unsettled master and his equally perturbed padawan made some attempt to rest for the evening before heading to the mainland at dawn’s awakening.

But the twin demons of grief and obsession pushed Aduman into the sudden pursuit of something unseen.

So that explained why the young man, suddenly half-awake, stumbled behind Aduman down the dusty path leading to a peculiar altar on a raised platform and the weird spiral labyrinth that stood ten paces away. “Could you tell me what¾?”

Aduman flashed the smile of a man possessed by some otherworldly force, or the utterly ordinary guidance of insanity. “You should understand by now that I have absolutely no idea what has pushed me from the second Naima gave away her life to a lost cause.”

Chevor stopped walking. “But she allowed herself to be killed to save you.”

“Ah, but you fail to comprehend the Force tricks you into believing that is true. Sacrifice is noble and a great boon to the Cosmic half of the Great Power. Her blessed essence has now become unified with those other departed souls into the Oneness. All of us cursed to remain in the realm of the living shall become enriched through our midichlorians with the collective presence of those now bound together in that grand ball of energy. Life takes away, the Force gives, or so we have been instructed by delusional mystics who spend years hiding away from the universe.”

“You are lacking in certain important elements right now.”

“What, O Grand Sage, am I unaware of within this moment?”

“You’re lacking the proper amount of rest, nutrients, and control over your emotions.”

“Plus a healthy dose of common sense as well?” Even under the watery moonlight filtered through nimbus clouds, the older man’s face was pale like Aeitheran marble. Brown eyes were burned across the empty space between master and padawan, by the anger which motivated this late night pursuit for the unseen and possibly immortal was unable to disguise the fatigue which had become a regular companion in those months since Naima allowed herself to be murdered by the terrorist group called the Abyss Society when she, Aduman, and other members of a delegation were taken hostage on Knosce. Her act of sacrifice was born not only from loyalty to her comrades, but preservation for the man she loved for almost a decade. Of course they were both aware of the prohibition against relationships that the Jedi Order had imposed millennia ago. But the Jedi had become complacent in the five centuries after the Ruusan Reformation. They had become insular, paying less attention to the practical daily affairs of the galaxy and placing their focus upon disagreements over matters of philosophy. Debates centered on the nature of balance, meanings behind certain prophecies, and other esoteric subjects that were better suited to the contemplations of anchorites occurred within the Temple.

Aduman gazed up into those celestial eyes of the long ago and recently deceased. “All creatures are infused with midichlorians, and those are conduits to that cosmic power which supposedly keeps the galaxy and universe in perpetual communication with all unfortunate mortals.”

Chevor slapped a pesky island creeper away from his neck. ““All of us return to the Cosmic Force once we depart our physical forms. We’re joined together at its heart in the Oneness.”

“We are born from dust and go back to dust.” Aduman crossed his arms over his chest. “Nothing more than remnants from the galaxy’s creation. If our atoms originated during the formation of planets and comets or the byproduct of asteroid collisions into lunar surfaces it does not…” he choked on a laugh “…matter, indeed!”

“But we are supposed to focus upon the immaterial. The luminosity of our true selves doesn’t lie in the flesh.” Chevor bit down on a sudden realization that perhaps everything he was taught was a finely woven untruth. Generations of younglings had been taught only the Living Force was vital to understanding the balance which allowed Light and Dark to exist within the physical universe. Becoming part of the Oneness was the ultimate goal of every padawan, knight, or master.

It should have been possible for every living being to join after death in the Oneness. Wasn’t it true that all living creatures possessed midichlorians and were connected to the Force? So why couldn’t they become part of that great mass of light energy which lay at the center of the universe?

“They forgot what is real,” Aduman said. “There is something greater which awaits every living being after the end of physical life. This was commonly accepted for millennia until many beings, including Jedi, decided it was inconvenient to believe in what cannot be seen.”

“Blame that on the Pius Dea zealots.”

“Eleven thousand years have passed since they were removed from power. Surely the Jedi could have found their way back to the right path within those centuries.”

“Perhaps they don’t feel it’s necessary to believe in something more than life. We serve the Living Force, and that should be enough.”

Aduman glared at his padawan. “There are two sides to the great mystical energy field. The Living Force allows us to perform magic tricks, but the Cosmic Force holds the universe together while utilizing energy from the Living half. But the Cosmic part is the translator between the midichlorians and us. Both sides need each other, just as the Two Worlds need each other.”

There was no use debating his master on the isolated beach in the middle of the night. Aduman had never been a Jedi who always followed every tenet of the Code, but he always managed to remain within the confines of respectable practice. After Naima’s assassination he lost any reason to care about duty. He became obsessed with the possibility of some hidden world where he could find some remnant of his dead lover. In the past six months Aduman had uncovered lost knowledge from different civilizations and eras. None of the accumulated knowledge came from the Jedi Archives, but was acquired in unexpected places. One visit to a historian on the upper concourse of Coruscant led to a journey halfway across the galaxy to a remote planet called Xaan Doro where Aduman uncovered evidence of a lost nomadic group called the Whills. The Whills once spread messages about the existence of some realm that existed past the world of the living. Not only was there a three-dimensional afterlife, but the Whills also preached that everyone who ever lived could survive after death with a complete extraphysical identity.

“Beings evolve in stages. They often make huge strides toward a better understanding of the larger world, but will inevitably retreat back into familiar territory that is supposedly understood but really not comprehended by any of them.”

“You mean the Jedi don’t truly understand the Force.”

“Yes, or much of anything, just like every being who currently exists. Including us.”

“Don’t speak for me, Aduman.” It was the first time Chevor had ever called his master by his first name. Considering he hadn’t passed his Trials of Knighthood yet, that would be considered a serious infraction that could lead to disciplinary action. But master and padawan were at the first crossroads on a unique path toward an impossible destination. New modes of behavior were necessary if they were to enter a new reality.

Aduman laughed. “The fool always believes he knows everything.” He pointed to the spiral monument. “Those men believed stone rectangles placed in a circle underneath the sky would lead them to truth. Individuals across eons in faraway places suffered from different variations of the same delusion.”

“Of course you know truth is a small world that encompasses a large concept.”

“Like the Great Serpent who swallowed the Mountains of Morenna.” A brisk wind swept across the dark sea and caused Aduman to shiver. “Maybe our interpretation of truth begins here.”

Chevor noticed a flicker of silver light across the ocean. The shimmering beam might have emanated from a lighthouse, except there had been no lighthouses along the shores for centuries. Was the light a spectral remnant from ancient sailing vessel or from a long-gone coastal beacon? Were these imprints on the Force left behind from Vouroso’s past that showed themselves like holofilms at random moments?

Maybe something else…someone else…truly existed in some three-dimensional netherworld where the dead truly resided and gazed upon the affairs of the living. If there was anybody in something called “the Afterlife” watching over this space called “the Living World”, those beings guided Aduman and Chevor toward this planet where the last known sect of Whills resided. Maybe yet another set of mysteries might be set in motion, with a new set of questions that needed to be asked, and a new set of answers yet to be discovered.

 

Thanks for the review. There will be more at some point, a longer fic called Another Reality. I just need to write up the prologue, then the section included here would count as the first chapter, and then others follow. It's meant to be a pilgrimage across the planet of Vouroso in search of a small group of Whills shamans who hold the secrets to the Afterlife, including that whole Force ghost thing.

When it gets posted, if you want to be updated, please let me know. Thanks.

 

Week 4 Prompts Used:
Phrase: Let the cat out of the bag. - to share a secret that wasn't to be shared

Idea: An anonymous gift. Your character(s) can send it or receive it. It could be a romantic gesture, a joke, something sinister, or any other way an anonymous gift could be sent or received.

Character: Obi-Wan

(This is yet another long fic intended to provide some insight into my AU GFFA's version of an afterlife. The character Sibylla Orien first appeared in the second fic I wrote in this thread, Fortune.)
******************************************************************************************************"Not Yet Remembered"

“Someone wants you to have this.” The Cathar bartender slid a fresh mug of lum in front of Obi-Wan with his left paw.

“I did not ask for another drink.”

The feline purveyor of alcoholic beverages shrugged. “Not my place to refuse. The lady over there said you’d appreciate it.”

Obi-wan glanced over to a shadowed corner of the cantina. A woman of indeterminate age, though she appeared young, sat in the booth. Dark brown hair surrounded a pale face that belonged in some aristocratic setting instead of a seedy cantina on Tatooine. She wore a dark colored (brown or maroon) cloak dotted with small gold squares, an uncharacteristic costume for anyone on the desert planet.

He reached into the unseen energy field that surrounded and permeated all living things. Using the Force was tricky now, since the Empire began hunting down anyone cursed with an overabundance of midichlorians, but the present situation required answers. Obi-Wan quickly realized there was a strange aura that surrounded the strange woman…her presence was ephemeral, yet her interior self radiated a brilliance he never detected in any other being, like a supernova veiled by a bank of clouds.

The bartender tapped on Obi-Wan’s right arm. “I’ve got other customers.”

Obi-Wan knew there were only four patrons in the cantina: two Duros in the back arguing over a game of Holdout, himself, and the woman. The Duros were in their booth when he first entered the establishment ninety minutes ago. He didn’t know when the woman arrived. He briefly pondered asking the bartender if he noticed her coming in the door, but realized the Cathar was not in a cooperative mood.

“I will take that lum.” Obi-Wan grabbed the mug, then looked over at the booth again. A placid smile rested on the stranger’s lips, but her gray-blue eyes radiated impatience. If he wanted answers, it was necessary to cross into her domain.

Obi-Wan took a long swallow of the chilled lum. The strange woman’s Force aura was unique, alive and radiant. She was a tangible manifestation of the Force’s…heart? Yes, that was the only way to describe the vibration of midichlorians in conjunction with the expanded presence that radiated from her.

He glanced at her. She pointed at the empty space across the table from her vantage point in the booth.

This wasn’t his first encounter where introductions occurred through gestures rather than words. A long ago mission to Lorrd was particularly memorable due to a four-hour banquet conducted entirely through kinetic communication, including the polite conversation necessary at any formal gathering. But Obi-Wan had no basis for comparison to form educated reactions in this particular circumstance. He would let the Force guide him through this unfolding great mystery.

He stepped forward and sat down in the booth. He took another swallow of lum, set the mug at the center of the table, then folded his arms over his chest.

The strange woman leaned back into the grubby woven cloth of the booth seat. “A long, long time ago; upon the sea of Celestine; moonlight shone down on the heads; of the knight and his queen.”

Kenobi realized her utterance was song lyrics, although he did not recognize its source or understand what it represented for this meeting. Yet the words seemed…familiar, like a clarion across the hidden distance of time. “Have we met before?”

“Yes, although it was so long ago you’ll never remember it. Even I can barely recollect that lifetime.”

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows. “Excuse my ignorance, but—”

“We lived and died together. The Candorian plague got us both seventy-three years before the Ruusan Reformation. It was the most catastrophic outbreak in recorded history.” She laughed again. “I must apologize for sounding crazed. I haven’t inhabited a corporeal form since…” she raised her eyes to the ceiling and bit her lip “…it’s been around five hundred years, give or take a century.”

Obi-Wan frowned. Either the lum was contaminated with some hallucinogenic or she was truly not in possession of her sanity. Yet she lacked the characteristic imbalance that a disturbed being usually possessed. “Why have you sought me out here?”

“It would have been too easy arriving on your doorstep.”

“How could I anticipate your arrival?”

“You have known something greater lay underneath the surface of your perception ever since Yoda’s encounter with Qui-Gon’s spirit. Once you discovered Yoda had been in communication with him, your unconscious was prepared for a new learning phase.”

“Based upon your particular theory I am supposed to be ready for something beyond imagination.”

“The greatest horror and wonder to be encountered by all living souls.”

“Perhaps I should avoid this new discovery.” He finished the remainder of lum that had turned room temperature.

The woman nodded. “That is wise. But logic will not shield you from the inevitable.”

Obi-Wan stared into the empty mug. “You cannot escape destiny.”

“Not when you are trapped within its grasp…which has been true ever since you were placed in charge of the Chosen One.”

Obi-Wan winced. It was only five months since his final confrontation with Anakin. That encounter on Mustafar was the inevitable result of an overpowering darkness that could not be overcome by no amount of Light shining upon through the enduring strength of not only him but also others. Fighting against darkness had become standard operating procedure on a daily basis in the past three years. But it was impossible to fight against darkness when it annihilated someone he cared for. Leaving Anakin’s wrecked body on those molten shores was the only solution way to ensure he could never come back into the galaxy. “If failure is part of some grand plan of the Force I would rather not be involved.”

“I felt as you do back when I was trapped within the cycle. But I didn’t understand there was something more important than myself that needed to be understood. The process of reincarnation requires amnesia and I forgot to remember my chosen role in something greater than anything the galaxy has ever witnessed. Just like you have forgotten through choice about your part in the events which have transformed the galaxy into this plane of darkness.”

“Anakin chose to follow the Sith way—”

“But the Jedi never realized the Dark Lord was also the same man who ran the galaxy.”

Obi-Wan glared at her. “The Dark Side is formidable. Sidious hid everything from us because he drew from some hidden ancient source.”

“Yes, since nothing catastrophic occurred in a thousand years the Sith had apparently retreated. The Rule of Two was obviously literal and of course they could never find themselves in the midst of that great silent era. No possibility lost secrets might be uncovered then passed down until they reached the intended Dark Lord who finds the prophesied apprentice.”

“The prophecy was misunderstood.”

“That is a dead certain understatement. Your sect believed the proportion of balance would fall inevitably toward the Light without considering the alternative.”

Kenobi frowned. “Should I concede defeat on behalf of the Jedi?” He tossed the empty mug onto the floor. “Am I the representative of our collective failure to detect a hidden threat which has now engulfed the galaxy?” A rare surge of anger flowed through him, not unlike the rage that pushed him toward destruction of Darth Maul. It was not his responsibility to assume blame for the downfall of the Jedi and Republic. Yet this…creature…dared to blame him for not perceiving the Sith Lord hidden in plain sight…or not understanding the young man who became the Sith Lord’s acolyte.

The woman sighed. “It doesn’t matter now. What mattes is the reason I came back into the Living World.”

“And that reason would be—”

“You detected the erratic presence of my borrowed midichlorians. They do not register in the same fashion as those which belong to someone physically alive.”

“So you’re a ghost?”

The woman laughed. “Oh, ‘Force ghost’ should become part of the instruction manual once the future gets settled.”

Kenobi stared into her blue-grey eyes. That familiar sensation returned…the lyrics she recited struck deep into his unconscious. The amused gleam in her eyes reminded him of…a sunny day in the midst of brilliant colored wildflowers walking along a cobblestone path…sitting in a fancy restaurant with polished chromium fixtures and mirrored walls, laughing about…

“It was ridiculous in retrospect,” she replied. “I wanted to get off Lianna and go to some other planet with trees, mountains, and clean air instead of that bloody world. But you had to point out it was impossible to leave because—”

“It was the Republic Dark Age. Even though we had jobs and money unlike others around us, we were still isolated from the rest of the galaxy because travel had become expensive since Lianna was so far away from the Core.”

“Then came a pestilence which had struck other worlds, although it seemed more virulent in the Rim. Candorian plague worked quickly on most of us—”

“I died first.” His declaration felt strange because he spoke about the end of another person’s life…yet that person had somehow been him. There was no immediate connection to the vague memory of a red-haired man laying in a hospital bed gasping for breath; yet Obi-Wan had been that same man in some unknown manner soon to be discovered. “My name was…” the vowels and syllables came together, found their way into his mouth “…Enlil Moirae?”

The woman closed her eyes. “Yes. I was called Sorana. Every name used to matter when the lifetime was over. After twenty-one incarnations one tends to forget such a trivial detail.”

The lingering memory of that dying man bothered Obi-Wan far more than anything else he’d experienced during his years as a Jedi, including the Clone Wars and his battle with Anakin. If he was meant to discuss life after death with this woman, it was better to have the conversation with the assistance of alcohol. “I’ll need something stronger than lum.”

She nodded. “Do you still fancy Commenor brandy?”

He smiled. It was a definite favorite in this lifetime, and may have carried forth across centuries and bodies. “Indeed.”

“It’s all on my credit, since I brought you here and am forcing you to discover matters normally left better forgotten.” She pointed to the empty seat he abandoned on the other side of the booth. “You really need to sit down for this. It’s a long and ridiculous explanation about matters that will affect everyone, particularly the Jedi.”

Obi-Wan slid back into the seat, then placed his elbows on the table. “Of course before this grand explanation begins, I would like to know what name you prefer to be called.”

The woman once known as Sorana shrugged. “I’ve possessed the names Laodina, Lyra, among other identities. It was during my incarnation as the latter when I first accessed every lifetime I had up to that point. It was during my final rotation as Nellith Kaido when I realized it was necessary to pass on knowledge of the Afterlife to others in the future, especially the Jedi Order. So I was guided toward a master and padawan who agreed to become part of this undertaking after they were done the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. I contacted Qui-Gon during his quest, and now I will guide you through the discovery of things forgotten.” Her smile was now mischievous. “You may call me Sibylla.”

He nodded. “Very well. I don’t suppose it’s necessary to introduce myself.”

“Of course not. Although you might be interested to know why you decided to choose the name ‘Ben’ for your current alias.”

“It’s from another lifetime.”

Sibylla laughed. “Of course. But that explanation will come later. Your introduction to the Afterlife comes first.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Canon

Fanon

 

Very, very good, leiamoody; very good.

A unique take that I have not seen before. Nice descriptions of the environment, the pub.

First time I have encountered a Cathar not used as a protagonist. Normally the species is exotic enough, that if one goes there, he or she is pretty central. I liked your usage.

 

Thanks for reading.

I decided to use a Cathar as a minor character based upon this guy. I'm not 100% committed to him as the bartender working in the Anchorhead Cantina (the timing of events in my story vs. Myhr Rho's appearance in The Holiday Special would depend upon the aging process of the typical Cathar). But Rho's background does fit into story ideas I have for the use of Tatooine in the future, especially the Skywalker Tour concept.

The entire background of the fic is unique because I'm throwing an unusual concept into the GFFA. Reincarnation and the afterlife have been mentioned in other fics, but I'm trying to provide a unified reality of everything in the GFFA, including a valid explanation for Force ghosts and a practical life after death...for everyone, not just Jedi.

 

Untitled story (the most recent one):

T...that was trippy. Not sure if it's equally trippy to your Prisoner story, less or more, but they're close in the level of EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! Me likey.

At first, I wondered if this woman was just a random admirer. Then I wondered if she was a prediction of death, especially given that her robes look like a fancy and eccentric take on Jedi robes. And then, as each skin of this was unfolding, like on some odd red nebula onion, it got so complex that I tossed all my guesses into the water.

Currently, it seems like Sybilla is there to blur the lines between light and dark and show Obi-Wan that life is eternal. Makes me wonder if Plagueis was searching for something that was there, all along. What if they all have eternal lives, with the only catch being that it takes a visit from somebody from one's previous life to even be able to recall it?

Love it how you incorporated a reference to Lorrdians into this, too!

Can't wait to see what happens next.


Afterlife Reality

(fixing up my notes for October, as I'm...not sure what I wanted to say, October was weird!)

 

Afterlife Reality

Aduman's comment about the "mystery hour" made me intrigued right off the bat. Not sure what he meant by it, but it's a neat expression. I can only imagine poor Chevor's feelings at the moment -- when your mentor starts talking about the "eyes of the dead", it's worrying. Interesting that the Council saw fit to send them on this mission. Kind of seems like they're just trying to keep Aduman from going off on his own without any support. I'm half sure that Yoda expects that Aduman needs to confront the finality of death and get over it -- and half sure that he knows there's something else...

Liked the integration of the mysterious Whills into this, and that the world chosen for this exploration is home to a community of some sort. Possibly a coincidence, but I like how this pilgrimage mirrors the one that used to be made across Tython by students in the Je'daii. (That's described in Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void -- http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Dawn_of_the_Jedi:_Into_the_Void.) Whether they know it or not, they're harking back to something very, very old there.

Do you think, maybe? On the one hand, Aduman seems like he's on a strange path. On the other hand, he can still joke about it.

This was a very intriguing piece of the story, and since Chevor seems to reoccur in your other work I hope we'll see more about what happens someday!

 

Well, that was amazing. I'm so glad that Ewok Poet linked this in another response! Reading your work is like being transported. You are so lyrical.

The idea of a Living Force that is literally alive, experiencing human emotions and the daily struggles of existence, is pretty incredible, and to put Obi-wan into that category is brilliant. I love how at first he dismisses her as unstable, then his own deep, distant memories from that lifetime begin to emerge. Now I'm wondering about his name "Ben" and the comment that it is from another lifetime - could it be that he is named for someone who is yet to be? Oh, so deliciously trippy!

 

Late review time! As I told you elsewhere, it always take me some time to digest your stories before I can review, and this story was no exception.

I was happy to see Sibylla back for this story, with an entirely different vibe from Fortune. I guess that by the time she met Han, she had gotten used to being in a corporeal form again

I know that you don't normally write canon, but this story fit right in the concept of Force ghosts as depicted in the SW films, and I actually enjoyed the idea that it contributes to that aspect of the storyline. Although I didn't expect the reincarnation element for all living beings -- now I'm going to have to re-read your other afterlife fics to fill a few gaps there.

This was truly a pivotal sentence for me in this story: the moment when Obi-Wan acknowledges that he has to accept the challenge of the woman's mere presence. It comes across as his first step away from the standard Jedi dogma to which he has adhered so far, and of course Qui-Gon would have to be mentioned as he starts his journey into this new world -- Obi-Wan would have done well to remember his master's unconventional approach to the Force earlier on.

I really liked the dialectic between memory and forgetfulness that you have established here as a means to understand events of the distant but also the more recent past. Obi-Wan's introduction to the afterlife doesn't only have to do with dealing with events of his previous incarnations, but also with his life as a Jedi and as Anakin's master, and like in Prisoner you are showing here that one can have a foot in the Netherworld while still alive. I am extremely interested to know how previous incarnations are to play a role in future developments, and I am hoping that there will be a sequel of sorts to this -- either as another short story, or as a reference in another one of your fics.

As usual, this was wonderfully disturbing and intriguing, and I'm looking forward to reading more about this concept.

 

Thanks to everyone who read this story and took the time to leave detailed reviews.