Elements

Zine
Title:	Elements
Publisher:	AWITP
Editor(s):
Date(s):	online (1999/2000) then print fanzine (2006)
Series?:	yes
Medium:	online, print
Size:	108,000 words; 464 pages (zine)
Genre:	slash fanfiction
Fandom:	Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
Language:	English
External Links:	Elements (Master & Apprentice) Water, Earth, Air, Fire (SWAL) Water, Earth, Air, Fire (The Writings of Lilith Sedai)
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Elements is a Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan slash series by Lilith Sedai. The first part, "Water," was posted in November 1999. It was followed by "Earth" in December 1999, "Air" in January 2000, and "Fire" in March 2000.

print zine cover by Fuumin

The series was reprinted as a 464-page fanzine in 2006. The print zine includes the original art by Black Rose and new art by L.A. Adolf, with a color cover by Fuumin. s.

The series contains spoilers for Jedi Apprentice 1 and 2.

Parts

The links go to the SWA-L Archive, some of Black Rose's art is embedded in this version. The story length info is from Master & Apprentice.

• Water: 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. First in the Elements Series." (136k, November 22, 1999)

• Earth: Obi-Wan must deal with the unexpected results of Qui-Gon's attempt to heal the Torehiri coral reef. Second in the Elements Series." (135k, December 11, 1999)

• Air: The Jedi Order's main source of lightsaber crystals is drying up. Knight Kenobi and Master Jinn must complete their tasks on Torehir and then investigate the new problem together in spite of unresolved differences between them. Third in the Elements Series." (213k, January 24, 2000)

• Fire: "Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi try to uncover the cause of a serious shortage in lightsaber crystals while coping with their relationship difficulties. Fourth (and last after all, alas!) in the Elements Series." (180k, March 14, 2000)

Sample Interior

• 

  Water, illustration by Black Rose

• 

  Storm, illustration by Black Rose

• 

  Air, illustration by Black Rose. Artist's notes: "Photoshop 5.5 + mouse. Third in the four part Elements set. There's a seen where Obi-Wan dives off of a cliff which inspired it. Since Elements is actually set *after* Obi-Wan becomes a Knight he shouldn't have the Padawan braid - there's two versions of the picture, one with, one without. The braid was added for recognizeability."

Recs and Reviews

Unknown Date

An A/U exploration of the relationship between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, had Qui-Gon refused to take the boy as his padawan. The story is slash and easily a 9.5 on the angst meter.

The 'Elements' series - intense, densely plotted and beautifully written, this series of four AU stories starts with 'Water', 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.

2001

These four Phantom Menace stories are very close to perfect. How do I love them? Let me count the ways.

• The Lovers. Obi-Wan is a wonderful combination of youth and maturity in this series, and Lilith works with this balance beautifully in all four stories. Qui-Gon is rough and dismissive, but in great need of love. Their shared past -- beginning with the rejection on Bandomeer -- affects their relationship from the start, as it must. But neither character is static, and watching them learn and grow and move toward each other is a great pleasure.

• The Master. I love this series for Yoda. He appears extensively in two of the stories, Earth and Air, and he is just so Yoda in every look and word. Also, making Yoda the master of both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon is perfect in this A/U story. Their individual relationships with Yoda add both depth and tension to their interactions with each other.

• The Plot. The four stories blend together to create a gripping, continuous plot that is a great Jedi adventure as well as the perfect setting for the growing relationship between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. There's adventure, terrorism, danger, injury, all providing ample opportunity for the two Jedi to observe and learn from each other. And, of course, to fall in love. All within a plot that really works. You can't really ask for more than that.

• The Avatar. I can't say more. Just read it. You'll see.

The Elements Series by Lilith Sedai. Usually, you can't have it both ways. It's either here or there, fish or foul, entertainment or literature. But once in a long, long while, everything comes together to make happen that all too rare combination of here and there, fish and foul, entertainment and literature. And when it does, you heave a long, sated breath and mutter, "wow, what a read. Blew me away!" I was blown away by the 4 stories in the series. They are drama, thrillers, adventure, romance and above all, bona fide literature all rolled into one work of epic proportions. Set in a radically alternate universe where Qui hasn't taken Obi as his apprentice, who is tutored by Yoda instead. Our boys are thrown together on one perilous mission after another by fate terribly estranged at first. But slowly and surely, they are nudged towards each other by forces beyond their control until an inseparable bond is conceived between them half against their wills. Your classic tale of love-hate torment? May be. But Lilith's imagination is unmatched. Her plot is wonderfully intricate, relentlessly gripping yet highly credible. Her grasp of the characters' psyche is of clinical precision. And her writing is stunning in its intensity and aesthetics. The series is long. At more than 600k, it's practically a novel and a half. But once you get started, you'd find yourself helplessly ensnared until you flip over the last page and pass out from exhaustion. A truly professional piece by a real pro. The stories in the series : Water, Earth, Air, Fire.

2004

As I said before, I think we need a pick-me-up. These stories are very engaging. They are well written adventures that you can get lost in. Lilith is a very good at keeping a story moving at a good pace. The action is well done and the detail is just right. This is a fun AU made for those of us who are not only slash fans but science fiction fans. [...] I love the detail Cara gives to the love scenes in this story. It makes the passion crystal clear and moving. Some might see it as too full, but I love it rich. It's like the Irish coffee of slash fiction!

2005

Four parts, titled "Water," "Earth," "Air," and "Fire" respectively, complete the series. Very AU, and very different style, with a good deal of angst

– T.O.T.O.

2006

The Elemental Series (Water, Earth, Air, Fire) by Lillith_Sedai -- I'd say that this is the classic AU in the SW:TPM fandom. Qui-Gon didn't accept Obi-Wan as his Padawan Learner after the events of Bandomeer; instead, Obi-Wan was taken as Yoda's apprentice. Years later, they meet again. Adventures and smut and plot all happen making this a long and interesting journey for the reader. (Warning: there is a not-fully-consensual sex scene between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon in the second story, Earth. I usually detest non-con yet I managed to still make it through this section without being squicked AND without disliking the characters. Take that for what it's worth.)

2009

I have a series on my list that I keep thinking I should reread before I rec it, especially as a superstar, but the fact that my impulse is that it's a superstar made me decide to just go ahead and make the rec. The series is Lilith Sedai's Elements series (TPM Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan) - in order: "Water," "Earth," "Air," "Fire." It qualifies as a superstar for a couple of reasons. First, I've loved it for a long time, and it's one of those stories I come back to and reread every so often. Secondly, the plot is awesome. It's an AU where Qui-Gon never took Obi-Wan as his padawan and they meet at a later date when they have to work together. They're attracted to each other, and they butt heads. Later, they're reluctantly bonded to each other. The kink aspect is that their first sexual encounter is dubiously consensual: Qui-Gon's possessed by the Force and Obi-Wan gives himself over as a sacrifice to it.

Yoda takes Obi-Wan as an apprentice when Qui-Gon refuses to do so. Thirteen years later, newly knighted Obi-Wan finds himself on a mission with the Jedi who rejected him as a youth. Action, angst, and bonding ensues.

This was the first Star Wars fic I ever read and might just be my favorite SW fic ever, not surprising as it manages to encompass bonding, undercover gay, undercover sex slave, *and* aliens force-energy made them do it. It's like someone took all of my favorite genres, rolled them up together with a hefty dose of angst and hurt/comfort and presented them to me with a bow on top.

Even better (and despite the frivolousness of the preceding paragraph), The Elements Series manages to rise above the typical cliches of each of the Harlequin-ish genres it utilizes: Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon do not fall in love because of the situations in which they find themselves in. Rather, they fall in love *despite* their circumstances, and the fallout from each situation takes time and patience to overcome. As popular as the '[fill in the blank] made them do it' genre is, it is also a euphemism for dub/non-con, and that fact is not glossed over in this fic. The undercover situations are also not played for humor or quick resolutions; rather they are practical plot and characterization developments that give them a gravitas that you almost never see in these genres (which, I have to admit, fills me with utter glee).

As for characterizations, Star Wars does not cater to the notion of the One True Character (as I can attest, having been unable to find any two stories by differing authors that characterize Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon the same way), so I judge SW characters on a story-by-story basis. The characters in this fic are fantastic, especially Yoda (who I never particularly liked until reading fanfic) and Qui-Gon (who is both repressed and an asshat, but who manages to grow a lot over the course of the series). The OCs are also extremely good, and I was highly impressed with the detailed worlds that Sedai created. It's rare that a fanfic can match the layered depths of world-building that is found in published novels, but she manages to make it look easy.

In the end, The Elements Series is a satisfying, well-written, and highly entertaining fic and is a great choice for anyone entering the Star Wars (Prequel Trilogy) fandom for the first time or anyone just looking for a layered and interesting adventure story.