McGuffin go fetch my plot slippers

Though nobody knows where, there’s a stone fountain in Taeguksa temple. It jumps and bird sings from the carved mouth of a marble lion turtle. Some say it will taste wine or beer in a solstice day. Some others would state it cures anything. Star eyed professor Bae Woo Jin discovered a sewn bound claiming it would turn immortal anyone who drank it. I, foolishly in love, I have decided to grab my suitcase and follow the gentleman.

MCGUFFINS AND PISTOLS

Right. The McGuffins and pistols on scene, ain’t slippers. They’re more like pumps. Once you believed you had them under your toes, you go get yourself in a rocky pavement and get your façade smashed against ground.
From the opening little tale, I can’t, anymore, discern which is the McGuffin. The professor? The fountain? And… I’m running to fast since I have to start with the most trascendental of the questions:

WHAT IS A MCGUFFIN?
McGuffins are unimportant objects (or beings)…. Or so said Hitchcock. They are the object ( fountain of the immortality)/ being (professor Bae) which motivates the main character into the chase. We won’t really care about the fountain if professor Bae is to end up death and little damsel in distress has to free herself from these sectarian guys who hold said fountain in their keep. Neither we will care about professor Bae if he turns tails on the first bonny face once in Taeguksa…
Indeed, George Lucas¹ is of the opposite opinion. For him, we have to care for Yoda when Luke goes to bring him to the resistance. Yoda does matter. The McGuffin is important.
So… What is a McGuffin? Really.

THE OBJECT IS THE WISH

A MCGUFFIN IS THE STARTING GUN SHOOT. Important or not important,they come about at some point in the beginning of the plot and represent the desire. They can completely disappear to reappear in the climax. They can cause a city to be put inside out. Or they can become a totem hero object.

A magic sword, phoenix tear, death’s hollow, Maltese falcon. This objects are the justified desire of the character. Either a main or a secondary character. Remember, no character is secondary to their selves. They will always believe themselves the most important the same way we do.

For Maltese gilded falcons will have the detective chasing the falcon through all San Francisco city until the damn gizmo isn’t to be a useless damn, for the detective has fallen in love with the girl.

WHAT ABOUT MAGIC?

Magic can be a McGuffin. It can be an important one or an unimportant one.
In case of importance… Magical systems are developed. And in such cases I’ll need a tutorial to learn about mana, HP and point deduction… Yes, I have no idea about that kind of stuff.

Enjoy your McGuffins. Pasto Kalo.