From: blakes7-d-request@lysator.liu.se Subject: blakes7-d Digest V99 #223 X-Loop: blakes7-d@lysator.liu.se X-Mailing-List: archive/volume99/223 Precedence: list MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/digest; boundary="----------------------------" To: blakes7-d@lysator.liu.se Reply-To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se ------------------------------ Content-Type: text/plain blakes7-d Digest Volume 99 : Issue 223 Today's Topics: Re: [B7L] Another door closes Re: [B7L] Soolin and Avon? Mmmm... Mmmmm... Mmmmm [B7L] Re: Tarrant and Vila Re: [B7L] Jenna and Cally... and the wonderful Jarriere [B7L] Chenie (Was Jenna and Cally... and the wonderful Jarriere) [B7L] Re: Re:Avon & Vila [B7L] Jenna and Cally Re: [B7L] Jenna and Cally Re: [B7L] Re: Tarrant and Vila Re: Avon & Vila (was Tarrant and Vila (was Re: [B7L] Servalan)(long)) Re: Avon & Vila (was Tarrant and Vila (was Re: [B7L] Servalan)(long)) Re: Avon & Vila (was Tarrant and Vila (was Re: [B7L] Servalan)(long)) Re: [B7L] Jenna and Cally Re: [B7L] Lyst Wars/Jenna and Cally Re: [B7L] Re: Tarrant and Vila Re: [B7L] Re: Tarrant and Vila Re: [B7L] Jenna and Cally ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 07:52:46 +1000 From: Kathryn Andersen To: "Blake's 7 list" Subject: Re: [B7L] Another door closes Message-ID: <19990718075246.A22542@welkin.apana.org.au> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii On Tue, Jul 13, 1999 at 06:13:13PM +0100, Judith Proctor wrote: > On Mon 12 Jul, Trevor Gensch wrote: > > Are there contact details for these two fellows? > > > > I am new to the world of online Blake fandom. > > Kathryn Andersen - kat@welkin.apana.org.au However, all Refractions (zine) correspondence should go to refract@welkin.apana.org.au -- _--_|\ | Kathryn Andersen / \ | http://home.connexus.net.au/~kat \_.--.*/ | #include "standard/disclaimer.h" v | ------------| Melbourne -> Victoria -> Australia -> Southern Hemisphere Maranatha! | -> Earth -> Sol -> Milky Way Galaxy -> Universe ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 00:04:07 PDT From: "Sally Manton" To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: Re: [B7L] Soolin and Avon? Mmmm... Mmmmm... Mmmmm Message-ID: <19990718070407.24070.qmail@hotmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Gail wrote: You're not biased by any chance, Gail? As a non-fan of the Auron, I can't agree. The empathy, compassion etc is blurred by a strain of what I see as self-righteousness (Breakdown, Star One, Rumours) and a strong but slightly lazy conscience, both of which, in direct conflict with Avon's selfishness and rather brutal honesty (or exaggeration) about his darker side, would react rather badly IMHO (well, when they did come up against each other - from Children of Auron through to Rumours - the result was not pretty). ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 00:05:19 PDT From: "Sally Manton" To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: [B7L] Re: Tarrant and Vila Message-ID: <19990718070520.28987.qmail@hotmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Mistral wrote: The problem I have with Tarrant's action here is it's soooo daft . I don't believe for one minute he learned this one in military school (maybe they still teach that the captain goes down with the ship - not that Avon's the captain, at this stage they ain't got one - but I don't remember the maxim *everybody* goes down with the ship...) The boy has brains. He's headstrong, self-willed and clearly of the belief that one acts first and thinks later (and then only if it's *absolutely* necessary) but he isn't stupid. So where *does* this nonsense come from????? ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 00:06:20 PDT From: "Sally Manton" To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: Re: [B7L] Jenna and Cally... and the wonderful Jarriere Message-ID: <19990718070627.11779.qmail@hotmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed TigerM wrote: > Gambit, eh? The only reaction I have there is when he calls Jarriere a powder-puff - and said reaction is "that's a bit rich coming from you..." Sally - heading for the bunker...(Joanne, Susan, let me in!!!) ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 00:08:43 PDT From: "Sally Manton" To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: [B7L] Chenie (Was Jenna and Cally... and the wonderful Jarriere) Message-ID: <19990718070843.39553.qmail@hotmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Adam wrote re Chenie: Oh, I agree about the stereotype, but it would still have been fun. Vila would have adored her - I can imagine how he'd take to a bit of mothering plus her skill with mixing drinks...oh, yes. I *can* see her getting on with Cally, knowing exactly how to put a firm but good-natured foot down when Tarrant needed it, protecting my poor little Jarriere (who's quite small enough to hide behind those skirts). And the sheer joy of watching someone deciding that Avon needs mothering, and is going to get it whether he likes it or not, would be.... ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 00:11:21 PDT From: "Sally Manton" To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: [B7L] Re: Re:Avon & Vila Message-ID: <19990718071121.46336.qmail@hotmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Jennifer wrote: . Avon would not consider himself bound by the sub-clause of a contract he never agreed to in the first place. And it isn't as if he didn't make that crystal clear from mid-3rd season onwards... ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 00:12:50 PDT From: "Sally Manton" To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: [B7L] Jenna and Cally Message-ID: <19990718071254.43927.qmail@hotmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Neil wrote: Much preferable, IMO, to the ultra-empathic unsufferably wise earth- mother-cum-agony-aunt I see too much of in fanfic... Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 99-07-18 03:14:07 EDT, smanton@hotmail.com writes: << Oh dear...I just took the view that she was inclined to be narrow- minded by nature (lazy lazy me) which helped with her snarliness to an unusually gracious Avon in Time Squad (just after he Did The Right Thing and rescued her and Blake. And I notice he was never gracious about it again - thanks, Jenna...) >> She did say "nice flying" in a non-sarcastic way, that's as close to a compliment as he'd ever get from her. If the shoe was on the other foot, and Jenna saved Avon\Blake, I have little doubt Avon would hold back the praise. Season 3 Avon might thank her, season 1\2 Avon is too sarcastic and comfortable in a cynical cocoon to give her his thanks. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 01:26:51 -0700 From: mistral@ptinet.net To: B7 List Subject: Re: [B7L] Re: Tarrant and Vila Message-ID: <37918FCA.4802C4D7@ptinet.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sally Manton wrote: > Mistral wrote: > one surviving. Excuse me? To me, *that's scary*!> > > The problem I have with Tarrant's action here is it's soooo daft > . Yes, thanks for saying this better than I did. It's so odd that it's unpredictable; scary in its illogic. Mistral -- "It seems that I'm some kind of a galactic yo-yo." --the third Doctor ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 02:36:39 -0700 From: mistral@ptinet.net To: B7 List Subject: Re: Avon & Vila (was Tarrant and Vila (was Re: [B7L] Servalan)(long)) Message-ID: <3791A027.81AD93D4@ptinet.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Jennifer Beavan wrote: > My problem with Avon's action in Orbit is not the personal one, but that he > breaks the contract - inexplicit though it may be - with his crew. They > agree to follow him as leader - in return for that consent a leader agrees > not to sacrifice his followers to save his own life. Avon panicked and threw > that away - bad Avon! With respect; generally commanders who sacrifice their lives for their men are considered heroic; therefore it's not the norm. In wartime, it's generally the one less valuable to the effort that's sacrificed--a follower. The private dies for the general, not the other way around. Setting that aside for the moment, however; I don't believe that Avon ever considered himself a leader in that sense, or that the others considered him such, either. His comments to Keillor in the previous ep, Gold, indicate this, and Tarrant's to Piri in Assassin back it up; and there are probably others. Avon was leader as long as he had the best ideas and the most vicious snarl, not because he'd been vested with any particular trust, or had made any personal commitment to the welfare of the others. Vila ran as soon as he heard Orac make the suggestion; he didn't expect Avon to feel any responsibility for him. Just IMHO, Mistral -- "It seems that I'm some kind of a galactic yo-yo." --the third Doctor ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 04:40:49 -0700 From: mistral@ptinet.net To: B7 List Subject: Re: Avon & Vila (was Tarrant and Vila (was Re: [B7L] Servalan)(long)) Message-ID: <3791BD40.F9F768D0@ptinet.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Gail, about Avon's greed: > Well, that's one of the reasons I think it is, at least in part, an act, > because worrying so much about money is so illogical. And Avon isn't > anything if he's not logical. :) Don't confuse Avon with Spock. Avon's far more complex. Avon is frequently illogical all the way right out to irrational. His behaviour in Rumors is anything but logical. There are *lots* of examples. Avon has quite a bit of the control freak in him, IMHO. The greed is about that control; a desire not to be controlled by others 'We were going to be so rich no one could touch us.' That's Avon fooling *himself*, not putting on a front for others. > Mistral went on to say: > You see, here's the difference (and maybe it's F/T?). I think > that they could *both* get me killed. I just think Avon would get > me killed for a reason that I could logically agree with. With > Tarrant, I'd always be afraid that I wouldn't see it coming, > wouldn't comprehend the reason, and therefore, wouldn't have > any way to protect myself. > > Hmmmm. Well, my thought on this is that Tarrant's threats are 90% bluff, > born out of a need to establish himself in the pecking-order of the crew, > while if Avon said he would throw me out the airlock, I'd take him more > seriously. Actually, the idea of that kind of bluff scares me even more. It's exactly what I'm talking about. If somebody could bluff me that effectively, it would mean I couldn't predict what he'd actually do, well enough to feel safe. It seems to me that you're saying (correct me if I'm wrong) that you'd trust Tarrant because you *didn't* believe him, and not trust Avon because you *did* believe him. For me, that's unfathomable. Re Orbit: > But Avon, at this point, was putting his own survival above all things. Not > only did this ruin his relationship with Vila, one of the few people left > that he could relate to, but it also must have sickened his already sick > soul. And he would have to live with the guilt. Furthermore, since Avon was > putting himself first at this point, I don't think he would have said to > Vila, if the situation had been reversed, "Oh, that's okay that you tried to > kill me. After all, you were just being logical." Rather, it would have > made it impossible for Avon to trust Vila and perhaps would have caused some > sort of retaliation. You're confusing predictable with nice, logical with moral. I'm not asking you to become a T, Gail, just understand that Avon's not an F. Moreover, as far as we know, a T without any religion or moral philosophy that leads him to think it's better to put others first. Of course he put himself first when faced with *certain* death; he always does, (except for Anna and Blake). Which makes this behaviour predictable, and therefore, to me personally, less scary. I didn't say I agreed with it. > Then Mistral says: > OTOH, in DotG, Tarrant decides that none surviving is better > than one surviving. Excuse me? To me, *that's scary*! > > Well, its fine if others die so that someone can survive, but it must be > their own choice! ??? Okay, I'd understand this if you'd put it after my Orbit comments, but what has it got to do with DotG? Avon putting on the space suit *doesn't* put anyone in more danger than they're already in, isn't sacrificing someone else in order to live; whereas Tarrant trying to drag the suit off him doesn't accomplish anything except insuring that Avon dies. To me that seems selfish, pointless, stupid, Scary. > Any decision to let others die so I can live, especially > if I cause their death, is nothing but murder. And by doing this, I really > murder the inner-me. It would be better to all die than live with this > spiritual death. Okay, now I really can't sort out where you're talking about Orbit, and where you're talking about DotG. Maybe simpler if I just say that those are not Avon's values; look at Stardrive. I didn't see *anybody* throwing themselves off Scorpio in sympathy for Dr. Plaxton. Try out this analogy: Two dogs, one consistently vicious, the other friendly and affectionate sometimes, vicious sometimes. Which is the more useful dog? The vicious one is perfect for a guard dog. The other one doesn't make a good guard dog *or* a good pet. :) I think perhaps you're saying you'd rather put your faith in Tarrant's noble nature than Avon's nasty one? Whereas I'd rather trust in my ability to understand one or the other; and Tarrant confuses me because I can't find the pattern. Grins, Mistral -- "It seems that I'm some kind of a galactic yo-yo." --the third Doctor ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 09:23:29 EDT From: Mac4781@aol.com To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: Re: Avon & Vila (was Tarrant and Vila (was Re: [B7L] Servalan)(long)) Message-ID: <38928d6c.24c32f51@aol.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Jennifer wrote: > My problem with Avon's action in Orbit is not the personal one, but that he > breaks the contract - inexplicit though it may be - with his crew. They > agree to follow him as leader - in return for that consent a leader agrees > not to sacrifice his followers to save his own life. Avon panicked and threw > that away - bad Avon! Strong agreement from me. And I believe agreement from Avon. His later actions suggest someone who found his ORBIT behavior to be reprehensible. Not that the situation didn't appear to be that only one could survive and there was no reason for both of them to die, but that he unilaterally decided that *he* should be the one to survive. Avon's reluctance to leave Tarrant to die on Scorpio is one of the examples that suggest (to me) Avon's not happy with his behavior in ORBIT. But Tarrant chases him off with "So get the hell out of here, will you? There's no point in both of us dying." In this case, Tarrant is the pragmatic one and Avon the one who is letting his emotions guide him. A nice reversal that was, and more than ever indicative of complex humans vs. caricature. Humans are not robotistically consistent and predictable. It's Avon's regret that allows me to still like him after ORBIT. As I've often said, they all made mistakes, it made them more human. I wouldn't like any of them if I couldn't accept that they are going to make mistakes. Mind you, in Vila's shoes I wouldn't be any more forgiving than he is. He has every right to feel outraged over Avon's action. Carol Mc ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 12:56:31 +0100 From: "Neil Faulkner" To: "lysator" Subject: Re: [B7L] Jenna and Cally Message-ID: <000d01bed14b$d8c9aa80$674a8cd4@default> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Adam wrote: ><guilt-ridden traumatised wreck struggling to salvage some delusion of >identity from her self-imposed exile from home.>> > >I can see that in Time Squad, through Mission to Destiny or Duel, but you >don't think she began to change after that? Or she just learned to bury the >guilt? Joining the Liberator would offer her a chance to come to terms with herself, yes, so the guilt would be allowed to take a back seat. Blake's struggle, as a cause she could identify with, would be something she could comfortably throw herself into, as a means of exorcising Saurian Major and giving substance to her own identity as an exile. Neil ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 12:56:56 +0100 From: "Neil Faulkner" To: "lysator" Subject: Re: [B7L] Lyst Wars/Jenna and Cally Message-ID: <000e01bed14b$da289e40$674a8cd4@default> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sugar wrote: >I'll have to start watching Cally with Neil's description in mind. Even if >I'm not able to like her, perhaps I'll begin to be able to find her tolerable. That last statement might explain why I find some of the character analyses and associated defence statements so exasperating. I have no trouble tolerating any of the regular characters. I like them all, whilst loving none of them. One of the more positive aspects of B7 for me was the way all of them were flawed one way or another. So Tarrant's bullheaded egotism (or whatever you want to call it), Blake's fanaticism (if that's what it really was), Dayna's brattishness etc etc help to deepen the characterisation. So I like all the characters -because- of their shortcomings, rather than preferring one or the other -in spite of- their less redeemable aspects. The only character that grates with me is Servalan, and then only half the time. I end up seeing two Servalans - the real one, and the incongruously dressed vamp, which I blame on the scriptwriters. Neil ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 12:52:00 +0100 From: "Neil Faulkner" To: "lysator" Subject: Re: [B7L] Re: Tarrant and Vila Message-ID: <000c01bed14b$d74f3f80$674a8cd4@default> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sally wrote: >The problem I have with Tarrant's action here is it's soooo daft >. I don't believe for one minute he learned this one in military >school (maybe they still teach that the captain goes down with the >ship - not that Avon's the captain, at this stage they ain't got one - >but I don't remember the maxim *everybody* goes down with the ship...) Ships on the ocean might go down, thanks to gravity, but surely -space- ships go -up-? With as many spectacular explosions as the budget can cater for. Neil ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 13:45:51 -0500 From: Lisa Williams To: Subject: Re: [B7L] Re: Tarrant and Vila Message-Id: <4.1.19990718134341.012cff10@mail.dallas.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Neil Faulkner wrote: >Ships on the ocean might go down, thanks to gravity, but surely -space- >ships go -up-? Only during liftoff. Once they're out in space, there is no "up" or "down". Then, they just go. - Lisa _____________________________________________________________ Lisa Williams: lcw@dallas.net or lwilliams@raytheon.com Lisa's Video Frame Capture Library: http://lcw.simplenet.com/ From Eroica With Love: http://lcw.simplenet.com/Eroica/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Jul 1999 04:46:02 PDT From: "Sally Manton" To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: Re: [B7L] Jenna and Cally Message-ID: <19990719114608.18050.qmail@hotmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed After I wrote: Adam replied: It ain't the lack of thanks I was thinking of (though do play fair, he says thank you bee-yoo-tifully to Fearless Leader in Pressure Point. Doesn't thank Gan for catching him, but ). It was the sarcastic, not-quite-joking and quite unecessary dig about "not sounding too sure..." How she got *that* from his tone of voice I don't know, but given what happened in Cygnus Alpha maybe she just wanted to find it. Comes down to my version of Jenna (just like Neil said ) She'd got him pegged as a self-serving s o b who'd ditch them all (well, definitely Blake and herself) at the first chance he got. And he - err - didn't. She doesn't understand, she doesn't understand why *Blake* does seem to understand, and she's a bit peeved (no, not to the point where she'd rather he proved her right, but still...) I just see her as someone who likes people to fit neatly into her preconceived notions. Gan does. Blake and Vila seem to (emphasis on the word seem). Cally, as an alien, and Avon, who is hardly the world's most predictable creature at the best of times, don't. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com -------------------------------- End of blakes7-d Digest V99 Issue #223 **************************************