Noise (Star Wars TPM story)
| Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Noise |
| Author(s): | Sleeps with Coyotes |
| Date(s): | |
| Length: | |
| Genre: | slash fanfiction |
| Fandom: | Star Wars: The Phantom Menace |
| External Links: | http://ciceqi.slashcity.com/Noise.htm (defunct, Blood, Love & Rhetoric) |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Noise is a Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan story by Sleeps with Coyotes.
Summary: If love is what you want, can anything else suffice?
Recs and Reviews
Noise by Sleeps with Coyotes is a very satisfying relationship-angst story. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon are physically intimate but at cross-purposes emotionally, and the misunderstanding almost pulls them apart. I like this self-assured and capable Obi-Wan very much. I also like Qui-Gon angsting all over the place. So sue me. I like to see him hurting. :-)[1]
I think the fact that Ladonna has garnered two recs already, even though half her TPM stories aren't even up on the M-A archive, speaks volumes for how popular a writer she is. Basically, she can hack the angst, and if that doesn't get you a readership, writing hot sex will. As for the plot, her notes say it all: [Written] In response to Dixiebell's turning-the-tables challenge where Qui-Gon is the one hurting over Obi-Wan for a change... Ladonna is a very specific taste, but it just happens to be one that appeals to a lot of people. As you might be able to tell, I'm a bit ambivalent about her writing, but this is one of two of her stories that I regularly return to (oddly, neither have yet been recced). For the chair sex alone, this story is worth the retread, even though the ending doesn't quite have the punch of the journey towards it.
I have two problems with this story and Ladonna's writing in general, and neither are her competence, which is undeniable. Indeed, that's part of the problem: somehow I feel almost manipulated by her, even when she's making me laugh or cry (which she often does). I've been dragged to the trough and my nose held in it, in the most delightful way. All of which implies that my suspension of disbelief is rather more conscious than it ought to be, and the author's hand a little too clear, perhaps.
The other problem is that, rather more than most good writers, her characters divide into the 'one loved' and the writer's avatar. Who is which between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan varies from story to story, but in Noise Obi-Wan is the 'one loved' and Qui-Gon the writer's avatar. Which is emotionally gorgeously angsty no matter which of the two characters you prefer - except I don't quite buy the characterisation that we land up with for Qui-Gon: he's rather too passive, rather too liable to self-sacrifice and self-doubt. (I'll accept the former, but I have problems with the latter.) In many senses Who Will Not See, which shares a similar division of roles and focus, is a finer story with truer characterisation for both Qui and Obi.
But this one's hotter, and the angst is angstier :)
If you like Ladonna, by the way, you might also want to check out the TPM section of her site, which not only has Q/O stories not on the M-A archive, but also has her collection of Qui/Maul stories, from a period when she and Diana Williams were virtually the only two writing in this rare pairing[2]
Qui-Gon aches for Obi-Wan. Possessive!Qui-Gon at his best. (88 k)[3]
"Noise" is one of those first-time stories I keep for multiple re-readings on quiet evenings. It has some Qui-Gon angst, as he agonises over wanting his Padawan for more than just sex while Obi-Wan appears to be perfectly happy with things as they are. There's some h/c thrown in as well and a satisfying resolution for all.[4]
Not only does she write great disclaimers (Way down South in the land of Slashdom / The leather and studs means they're slaves of fashion / Look away! / Look away! / Look awaaaaay / Lucas-man!), Sleeps With Coyotes has written some stories that leave you aching: Noise asks the question "If love is what you want, can anything else suffice?" This one's angsty folks, but beautifully written.[5]
Don't miss Ladonna King's story Noise. Lovely miscommunication, delightful resolutions, just 100% yum.[6]
References
- ^ Jan and June's Slash Recommendations: The Jan and June Slash Weblog, 03 September 2001. (Accessed 10 April 2015)
- ^ gloriana in tpm_flashback. Noise by Ladonna King, 03 October 2004. (Accessed 16 April 2015)
- ^ Trinityslash: Recs. (Accessed 21 April 2015)
- ^ veronamay. The Phantom Menace recs: Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan, 29 July 2005. (Accessed 22 April 2015)
- ^ Heather's Ginchy Page o' Recs. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace(Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan unless otherwise noted). (Accessed 22 November 2015)
- ^ Rosa's Recs. Fandom du Jour, via Wayback: 05 March 2001. (Accessed 25 November 2015)