Dissecting Justice. by Min (NC-17 for violence, no sex)

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

Fandom: BLAKES 7
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Nova Write, part of An Nova Site
Why this must be read: Another Post Gauda Prime story from Vila's point of view (first person this time), where the Scorpio Crew have survived but as prisoners of the Federation. This time the action takes place almost immediately after theend of the final series episode, and it's even harsher than 'Cross The Border'. Extreme hurt with no comfort in sight.

Dissecting Justice.

On the same site is the Marian Mendez penned sequel, for those wanting a happier ending: True Justice

Comments

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised you recced this, as to me that story is a prime example of badfic. Especially with the gratuitous, disgusting, brutal torture just for the sake of it, which smacks of author kink satisfaction, IMHO. I don't like this author very much either just because of the (IMHO) OOC things the characters do to satisfy the author's kinks.

I *do* like the Vila bits. But I find it hard to relate to a lot of the characters, and yeah, I know you and I see them differently. But personally, I didn't get a good angst kick out of this, it merely irritated me. Just my two cents...

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

I prefer the sequel, to be honest. But the sequel wouldn't work without the original, and it's also one of the few B7 fics in which we see torture done for the sake of torture without the unnecessary sexual undertones that most fic writers resort to.

I can also see the motivations behind it, far more than I can with the other straight torture fic I nearly went looking for to rec. Ie make on member of the group an example, leave the others until they think they've been forgotten, then come back and ask for their co-operation. If they don't co-operate, repeat the process on the next member of the group, etc.

Or maybe I'm just ascribing the methods I use when including torture in a story to someone whose mind works in a very different way.

As an aside, do you view my 'The Sixth Thing...' in the same way?

Gina

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

Hm... having had to endure the sexual torture fics too I'd say there isn't that much difference in where you can see the author's masturbatory joy at rolling out a list of cruelties... it's just as bad when it really obscures whatever story you thought they were trying to tell. Shock value and dwelling on violence just for the sake of it are two different things... good torture fic is hard to find--I prefer well-done psychological angst bits to the "oh, character X is pretty, let's make him bleed" thing. It's the Hitchcockian thing of implying horrors instead of showing them, I guess, that works for me. The beginning of Rumours of Death works because the torture isn't shown, we just see a worn Avon.

I don't think I've read the Sixth Thing... but I don't imagine you as writing gratuitous torture, rather than torture with a point and a plot;).

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure you can ascribe authorial intent that easily. And I think there *was* a point to the fic, as I said in my previous reply to you.

Gina

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

IMHO the point was there, yes, but the story wasn't written well enough to illustrate it in the way I see it done in good authors' fics. The wallowing in the torture just ruined the point for me, as if it was screaming it over and over again, *yawn*.

Anyway, I know you and I disagree on authorial indulgence in personal tastes and kinks. I can't say I'm not guilty of indulging in those myself, not by far. It's just that I'm hypersensitive to them when I see them in others' fics, *especially* when the writing is unpolished and probably unbetaed (or betaed but the author hasn't wanted to develop as a writer). It's really a badfic cliche.

[hafren.livejournal.com]

The beginning of Rumours of Death works because the torture isn't shown, we just see a worn Avon.

But nowhere near worn enough, which is why it didn't work for me - they're all saying "you look awful" and he doesn't, not really.

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

I was thinking that too and pondering whether it was something I should ignore because it was due to budgetary constraints, or whether I should just come clean and criticise the episode for not bothering to even do some purple-eyeshaow bruises.

Aside. There was an episode of Enterprise where Archer got beaten up (as often seems to happen) and he was wonderfully battered and bruised. Then T'Pol got hauled off, there was a cut and she was thrown back into her room traumatised but without blood or bruises. That left me confused.

Gina

[hafren.livejournal.com]

I thought "brutal torture for the sake of it" was justified by the simple fact that it's Servalan doing it, and we know that canonically she is rather into that. Also it provides a way for Avon to Atone Via Suffering, which I always like, and the person I most want to edn up dead in agony ends up dead in agony in the sequel.

I don't think she's the best writer, certainly not as good as Marian and I'd agree the sequel's better. It so often is with Marian...

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

I'll agree with all of that except the Atonement Via Suffering, given that my favourite character elsewhere who does that in canon (according to his creator anyway) is the same 'sarky bastard that likes killing' after the suffering that he was before. I don't see Avon being completely unchanged by his experiences but I'm not sure he'd see it as atonement (for anything).

Gina

[hafren.livejournal.com]

Wouldn't it be possible to atone *and* stay the same sarky bastard - just a repentant sarky bastard? In fact I'd have thought, for him, it might make it easier to, on the principle of "right, I've suffered too so we're quits and I can still tell you you're an idiot".

[pinkdormouse.livejournal.com]

That's something I hadn't though of. Shall ponder, ta.

Gina