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crack_van2013-12-22 12:03 pm
aralias.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2013-12-22 12:03 pm
Touching Life by Vanessa Mullen (NC-17)
I meant to post this yesterday on GP Day, but ran out of time...
Fandom: BLAKE'S 7
Pairing: Blake/Avon, with background Avon/Servalan
Length: Pretty long - about 10k
Author on LJ: I have suspicions as to whose pen name this is, but I don't know if they want their journal linked to this fic, even if they are who I think they are
Author Website: more on Hermit (N.B. the bit of 'As Time Goes By' posted here is only a third of the actual story)
Why this must be read: It's the year 2000 and the sixth edition of Blake/Avon-only zine 'Fire and Ice' has been published - it ends with this story. Quick discussion of the zine before we move on: I find it bizarre that there weren't more single-pairing-only zines - in B7 the only other example I can think of is the .75 editions of 'Southern Comfort', which are all Avon/Vila. I don't think of myself as a 'slash' fan, or even as a 'non-gen' fan - I'm a gen and B/A fan, who occasionally reads other pairings. Unfortunately, the practicalities of getting enough stories together to make a print zine mean that you can end up purchasing a whole 300-page zine for 30 pages of your pairing. So, I'm grateful for the existence of F&I, particularly because (in my experience) it's mostly excellent from edition 3 onwards.
'Touching Life' (which, like 'All in the Mind', is a PGP where Avon has to choose between beautiful Servalan+power+security and Blake+danger+uncertainty) is pretty much my favourite Blake/Avon fic of all time, although there are some other strong contenders, some of which I can't rec because they have been recced already. Alas.
The Avon of 'Touching Life' is about to marry Servalan and has done terrible things under the pretense of not feeling anything, even after knowing Blake, but the fic makes it clear that he's worth redeeming and can be redeemed. And whatever he's done, I still feel sympathy for him. That's some fantastic and compelling characterisation. And then there's Blake - who is old and weary (which is notable because I love that Avon still fancies him, and that we are shown through Blake's actions how strong and attractive and desirable he still is, even if he is not physically desirable), and still fighting and angry and so innately good. I love the plot and its themes. And, as I've intimated, I think this is one of the best depiction of both characters to be found in the fandom. Cracking dialogue, too. Very, very strongly recommended.
Excerpt:
Link: Touching Life
Fandom: BLAKE'S 7
Pairing: Blake/Avon, with background Avon/Servalan
Length: Pretty long - about 10k
Author on LJ: I have suspicions as to whose pen name this is, but I don't know if they want their journal linked to this fic, even if they are who I think they are
Author Website: more on Hermit (N.B. the bit of 'As Time Goes By' posted here is only a third of the actual story)
Why this must be read: It's the year 2000 and the sixth edition of Blake/Avon-only zine 'Fire and Ice' has been published - it ends with this story. Quick discussion of the zine before we move on: I find it bizarre that there weren't more single-pairing-only zines - in B7 the only other example I can think of is the .75 editions of 'Southern Comfort', which are all Avon/Vila. I don't think of myself as a 'slash' fan, or even as a 'non-gen' fan - I'm a gen and B/A fan, who occasionally reads other pairings. Unfortunately, the practicalities of getting enough stories together to make a print zine mean that you can end up purchasing a whole 300-page zine for 30 pages of your pairing. So, I'm grateful for the existence of F&I, particularly because (in my experience) it's mostly excellent from edition 3 onwards.
'Touching Life' (which, like 'All in the Mind', is a PGP where Avon has to choose between beautiful Servalan+power+security and Blake+danger+uncertainty) is pretty much my favourite Blake/Avon fic of all time, although there are some other strong contenders, some of which I can't rec because they have been recced already. Alas.
The Avon of 'Touching Life' is about to marry Servalan and has done terrible things under the pretense of not feeling anything, even after knowing Blake, but the fic makes it clear that he's worth redeeming and can be redeemed. And whatever he's done, I still feel sympathy for him. That's some fantastic and compelling characterisation. And then there's Blake - who is old and weary (which is notable because I love that Avon still fancies him, and that we are shown through Blake's actions how strong and attractive and desirable he still is, even if he is not physically desirable), and still fighting and angry and so innately good. I love the plot and its themes. And, as I've intimated, I think this is one of the best depiction of both characters to be found in the fandom. Cracking dialogue, too. Very, very strongly recommended.
Excerpt:
You must touch the life you take.
The sentiment was clear, no matter how much he might happen to disagree with it personally. Touching life was precisely what he tried to avoid. Emotional involvement was deadly. Fortunately, he was now immune to it.
If he was immune, logic insisted, then he should go and supervise Blake's interrogation. He knew Blake's weaknesses. His presence would undoubtedly speed up the process.
Had he the strength to watch a former friend suffer?
Yes.
Because if he had not, Blake would have been proved right.
Link: Touching Life
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i don't think i will ever buy a multimedia zine - which means that i will just have to miss out on the potential wonders within...
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Also, on a bibliographic point, conzines tended to be multimedia, I think I have at least one fic in a conzine like that.