From: blakes7-d-request@lysator.liu.se Subject: blakes7-d Digest V99 #87 X-Loop: blakes7-d@lysator.liu.se X-Mailing-List: archive/volume99/87 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 87 Today's Topics: [B7L] Dead Robin RE: [B7L] Flattened Robin Re: [B7L]Why Servalan was so disagreeable Re: [B7L]Why Servalan was so disagreeable Re: [B7L] Penny's Pix re: [B7L] Fannishness Re: [B7L] Flat Robin #34 (Probably) [B7L] Re: Slightly Soiled Robin Re: [B7L] Introvert/extrovert clashes: off topic rambling [B7L] Redemption Re: [B7L] Allure Def? & bits (was Re:Allure, Power Games and Tarrant...) Re: [B7L]Allure, Power Games and Avon the sex beast Re: [B7L]Why Servalan was so disagreeable Re:[B7L]Why Servalan was so disagreeable Re:[B7L]Fannishness [B7L] PD and Avon Re: [B7L] Re: Slightly Soiled Robin [B7L] Zine help? was Re: Mary Sues [B7L] Redemption Con report [B7L] Problem with Robin! :) [B7L] Babylon XI v Blake's XI at Redemption [B7L] Review: The Gilbert and Servalan Songbook [B7L] Review: Solstice Re: [B7L] Re: Slightly Soiled Robin Re: [B7L] Problem with Robin! :) [B7L] Re: Penny's Pix [B7L] Re: Flat Robin #34 (Probably) [B7L] Redemption ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 Feb 1999 22:43:05 -0700 (MST) From: Penny Dreadful To: Lysator Subject: [B7L] Dead Robin Message-Id: <199903010543.WAA05867@pilsener.ucs.ualberta.ca> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Well, I gather one of our participants has dropped out, and no doubt at least one more will be following shortly. And I am sufficiently disheartened by what has transpired that I don't care to contribute further either (and in any case as an eye-enn-tee-pee I should be losing interest in it soon enough in any case). I'd say that's pretty much that, unless anyone else cares to take up the slack. From now on I'll keep my deranged fantasies to myself. Oh don't all start crying at once. --Penny "Brett Easton Ellis" Dreadful ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 08:25:49 +0100 From: Jacqueline Thijsen To: Lysator Subject: RE: [B7L] Flattened Robin Message-ID: <39DCDDFD014ED21185C300104BB3F99F10FB52@NL-ARN-MAIL01> Content-Type: text/plain > Oh no, now I feel all anxious...is it going to be just me and Avona (the > obliviously egotistical INTPs, teehee) valiantly plugging away at this > thing > henceforth? I hope not. > Neither do I. Now that redemption is over, there should be enough good writers on this list with nothing to do who can pick up the slack > Arkaroo said himself his chapter was a silly aside > and was in no way meant either to further or to hinder the Plot...I think > we've > each of us contributed something less than ideal on occasion -- I suspect > nothing would have been said if it had been known it was Arkaroo posting, > so...hmm, maybe I ought to start posting anonymously because I *want* > Constructive Criticism. > Not entirely true. Although less than ideal probably describes this part of the flat robin as well as most of my contributions, this was not the main reason I decided to stop writing. It's just that lately I have found it more and more difficult to write anything at all, good or otherwise. And when a little thing like this can ruin my whole day, I know I've gotten too uptight about it. Unfortunately I can't just turn my feelings off, so the only thing I can do is what I have done: take my distance from the whole thing. I do apologise if this came out as criticism. It was certainly not intended. Jacqueline ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Mar 1999 01:59:11 From: Penny Dreadful To: Subject: Re: [B7L]Why Servalan was so disagreeable Message-Id: <3.0.6.16.19990301015911.248fd9b4@mail.geocities.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 10:34 PM 2/23/99 -0000, Julie Horner wrote: >I have just developed this theory as to why Servalan grew so tetchy. >Listen to the scenes in her office in Space Command HQ. Can you >here that distinctive background noise?... >All I know is that when you have noticed it it is really irritating... Aaahghghghg! I have watched 'Trial', like, a hundred times (I'm a deeply disturbed little penny)...but only the day before yesterday did I find myself for the *first* time going "Jeez, what's that sound?" when Servalan and Thania are talking in Servy's office and only *now* do I realize *you* Julie are the one who made me aware of it. I hope you're happy... --Penny "Resist The Host" Dreadful ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Mar 1999 00:41:32 PST From: "Sally Manton" To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: Re: [B7L]Why Servalan was so disagreeable Message-ID: <19990301084133.27445.qmail@hotmail.com> Content-type: text/plain From: Penny Not-so-Dreadful There is something wrong with doing this? No one told me... Now we just have to come up with a logical (?) reason why the Supreme Commander didn't make them fix the blasted air-comditioning. Maybe she found it soothing? Maybe it put her in the right frame of mind for putting the Galaxy to Fire (and The Sword, of course?). Then we can all ignore it again. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Mar 1999 01:15:53 PST From: "Sally Manton" To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: Re: [B7L] Penny's Pix Message-ID: <19990301091556.16125.qmail@hotmail.com> Content-type: text/plain From Penny: >Inspired by Lisa (although not a tenth as organised, or navigable, or >discriminating) -- and the fact she said (if I recall correctly) we shouldn't >hold our breath waiting for her to give us 'Gambit' (one of the few >episodes I have in good quality format as opposed to SLP off YTV)... A thousand and three more thanks going to you, Penny - they are WONDERFUL. Aftermath pics one day, Gambit pics the next...what more could we want (what more have you got ???) I'm sorry the Flat Robin's fading - having read not one of the Discworld novels, I didn't feel qualified to comment or contribute, but I was enjoying what you all were writing. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Mar 1999 01:07:16 PST From: "Sally Manton" To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: re: [B7L] Fannishness Message-ID: <19990301090716.24601.qmail@hotmail.com> Content-type: text/plain Probably not if Avon then shoots her...and ENJOYS it. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Mar 1999 03:23:14 -0700 From: Arkaroo To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: Re: [B7L] Flat Robin #34 (Probably) Message-ID: <36DA6A92.49C6@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit If I'd known I was going to be single-handedly responsible for destroying the Flat-Robin, I would have worked on my chapter involving Tarrant and the Teletubbies (I kid you not) and avoided Travis and Blake. I went into it without checking on what everybody else was into, plot-wise, and that was a mistake. So, from now on, I'm not gonna write anything without first running the flagpole up the idea and seeing if it clashes with anybody else. I don't want to cause any more corpses on the streets. >So I will back out of it now. >Jacqueline Noooo! I promise! >this chapter... >is bordering on being Other-list material. Erm. Was it really more filthy than the chapter where Fitzrogers offers to can Pollock (if you know what I mean)? Well, waggling chili-dogs is rather evocative, I suppose. I'm going to keep away from the Blakes 7 characters from now on; I guess I'm better with the Discworld. And I'll minimize the smutty food references. >one more will be following shortly. And I am sufficiently disheartened >by what has transpired that I don't care to contribute further either >--Penny "Brett Easton Ellis" Dreadful I think that's rather extreme. Nothing spectacularly bad has happened; just lack of communication on my part. I want to see this story through to the end, and if I have to write the entire damnable thing myself I will. Eventually. But be prepared, then, for nothing but extended skits involving Andromedans. Speaking of Andromedans --> Helen, there's a wide variety of Andromedans who would die well: the Bo'sun, the First Mate, the Ensign, the Communications Officer... I'm thinking the Captain will eventually be the last Andromedan left standing (or, rather, the last Andromedan left lying there sort of liquidy). He's the one holding them together as a unit. Anyways, where was I? Oh, yes, everybody keep writing. I want to see some Rincewind chapters! Yours Truly, Arkaroo (who is not Penny, and is *always* Arkaroo, no matter what the quality of his writing) P.S. Any mail sent to arkaroo@conk.com won't reach me; the darn thing doesn't work. I can be reached at arkaroo@hotmail.com, or at woollard@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca (which gives away my *real* last name. Eek!), or possibly by chanting hideous invocations and sacrificing marinated tofu stir-fry. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Mar 1999 03:31:09 -0700 From: Arkaroo To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: [B7L] Re: Slightly Soiled Robin Message-ID: <36DA6C6D.3C1F@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Upon further examination of my last chapter, I realize the difference in tone is probably the result of what I read last week, as I was required to read approximately thirteen bazillion noir and noir-oriented works. I've also read 320 pages of 'Gone With The Wind'. Yes, all that for the same class. Spooky. Any thoughts? Yrs Truly, Arkaroo (Frankly, my dear, I don't give a figgin...) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Mar 1999 02:29:36 PST From: "Rob Clother" To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: Re: [B7L] Introvert/extrovert clashes: off topic rambling Message-ID: <19990301102936.29788.qmail@hotmail.com> Content-type: text/plain Avona: >This is probablly a classic extrovert/introvert conflict, and the >very reason introverts like to keep to themselves. I hear what you're saying. Maybe a way to bridge the gap between introverts and extroverts is for each party to find some of the opposite characteristic in themselves. I don't believe that the introvert/extrovert question is one-dimensional. I think it's two-dimensional: a person can be either, both or neither. Sometimes I have asked myself whether I'm an introvert or an extrovert. When I'm sitting around on my own, writing a program for hours on end, I'm a total introvert. When I'm lecturing, and holding the attention of 60+ students through the force of my personality, I'm strongly extroverted. Maybe introversion and extroversion are skills that can both be mastered, and called upon when the appropriate situation demands it. >I just wanted to say, while I'm still in an utterly vulnerable frame >of mind, that I really love talking to you guys. You give me a lot >of smiles, not just with jokes, but also your capacity for >intelligent discussion and mutual respect. I think a lot of us have been there and back a great many times. We may only be names on screens and silly quotes in signatures (not thinking of anyone in particular, of course), but I do like to think that we're there for each other. >--Avona, or is it Cally's Clone today? Don't know. How many whales have you saved in the past week? -- Rob "Discover your inner self" Clother -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Rob Clother Leeds "Neither holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire" -- Voltaire on the Holy Roman Empire -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 10:17:38 -0000 From: "Alison Page" To: "space city" , "lysator" Subject: [B7L] Redemption Message-ID: <040201be63cf$a2b36b00$ca8edec2@pre-installedco> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Thank you. Thank you to everyone who helped organise this. I had a fantastic time. I may or may not have more coherent comments to make at a later time, but it was so great to see everyone from the two lists. I hope people don't mind me taking up email space to make these thanks public. Alison ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 10:47:34 +0000 From: Russ Massey To: mistral@ptinet.net Cc: B7 list Subject: Re: [B7L] Allure Def? & bits (was Re:Allure, Power Games and Tarrant...) Message-ID: <6xQKtGAGBn22EwEa@wriding.demon.co.uk> In message <36D6B9D8.ADAA8142@ptinet.net>, mistral@ptinet.net writes > Hi, Russ. I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaa-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaack. > >This conversation has been like trying to dance on quicksand . > >Notice, please, how the godmother of the Tarrant Nostra evilly tempted me in >by >offering to lower Tarrant's scores, and than ran away to safety. > >I think I am answering question A), but then it turns into question B), which in >turn becomes C) when I respond to that one. I am *not* accusing you of >doing >it deliberately although I have run into people who use that style almost >exclusively to discuss, because then, of course, one never has to concede >anything. > I'm sorry if that's how I'm coming over - it's a discussion style that annoys me sometimes, as well. If I change the subject it'll normally be because I've conceded the point, but didn't see the necessity to put 'I now agree with everything you say' :) >I thought the quesion was relative sex appeal between Avon and Tarrant? It was. Avon has obviously got the greater appeal, as he has the larger fan following. QED. >Which turned into self-awareness of it? And I believe the arguments that Avon is very aware of his own appeal and Tarrant is less so. >Which turned into use of it? I still feel that Avon is a sexual bully rather than a seducer. Tarrant is just a fluffy bunny rabbit. >Which turned into effective use of it? Avon rarely failed to intimidate any women he got his lips onto. >Which somehow turned into wanting to get something from use of it? Eh? >Which suddenly, for some reason, must draw a distinction between seduction >and >power games? (Both uses of sex appeal, IMO) > Well, power games don't have to involve sex appeal - I was arguing that it was Avon's preferred approach. >Help!!!!!!!!!!! > >To me those are all separate questions. I think I'm answering one, then you >say >yes, but, you haven't answered the other one. You are too clever by half . > >What *exactly* is the definition of sex-appeal in Gurps again? (And isn't what >we >were discussing?) GURPS puts it more nicely, but it's essentially the skill of manipulating someone into having sex with you. As an interesting sidenote it's actually a Health based skill in the game, whereas I'd argue it's a Mental one. Physical attractiveness is already taken account of as a modifier to the reaction role anyway. > >> And aren't we at the evolutionary stage were our conscious >> forebrains can override these atavistic impulses? > >Actually, no. But that's a whole 'nother argument. Let it suffice to say that the >impulses do in fact have to occur first; then you have to be *aware* of them >before your forebrain can take charge. Awareness is the weakest link in the >chain. >A new situation is a new situation; you rarely know what to do. Being in the >arms >of a man like Avon is a new situation for Pella; he's no Hommik. She decides >later, of course, that he's just like them; but I think, really, that having met >in such a way that they were not naturally on opposite sides, she might have >thought differently. I'm not suggesting that she would have fallen for him; >merely >that Avon was quicker to take advantage of the situation than she was. Sexual >power games were nothing new to him, but they almost certainly were to her >(differentiating them, of course, from outright war between the sexes). That's a good point. Pella would have had no experience of the sort of male petty points scoring that all women in a mixed society learn to deal with as a matter of course. Then again, are all female groupings automatically nitvana? I expect that you still get jealousy, back- stabbing, one-upmanship and power politics in same-sex communities too. > > >Sorry, Russ, not by half. You are too much a sensitive 90's kind of guy, >whereas I >have been bullied and brutalized by the best of the atavistic tradition. I >consider Petruchio a romantic old softy, and Avon's practically a puppy. I >love >the smell of testosterone in the morning. I find it makes the cornflakes soggy. > > =========== > >Responds in kind, actually. Avon is IMHO, basically a gentleman. See the new >Avon/Vena thread for that argument. Anna, on the other hand, could swallow >Avon >whole and spit his bones out to impale passersby. He is an amateur in every >way to >her, when it comes to manipulation. He was only alive at the end of Rumors >because >she was thinking, and he was so much on edge that he could do no more than >react. I'm willing to go along with that view. > >> >3) The Combination Plate (most common): > >> More or less my own take on Avon. > > I'd have never expected you to take such a pedestrian view. > Pedestrian does not necessarily equal wrong :) I can argue any viewpoint you like, but when it comes to writing for 'my' Avon the default setting is a mixture of conflicting motivations and emotions. Humans are complicated. Only maniacs have a single reason for doing something. > >> >5) Male Mental-Pause: >> Avon begins to get in touch with the _Wild_Man_That_Is_Kerr_! >> > >> I'd go along with this except for one thing. He's not wild enough! He's >> always urging caution, complaining about the risks undertaken and >> generally being very careful with his own life. > >Tries to tango with an asteroid? Goes to Malodar with a gun but no >*bracelets*? >Walks into the slave camp himself, and alone? Goes to Terminal alone? Goes >after >Shrinker, then Servalan? How many risks do you want him to take? Point taken. The arguments for a subconscious death-wish certainly have a lot of corroborating evidence. He used to tick Blake off for taking far less risky actions than the ones he does. You notice though, that most of them only involve direct risk to himself, whereas Blake's schemes tended to involve the entire crew. > >Tarrant flirting: > >> I seem to remember he gives Cally several appreciative glances in a >> few early episodes. I might be projecting :) > >You are :) I'll take that as a challenge - I'm sure I remember thinking that Tarrant was turning on the charm to Cally at one point - I'll try to find the scene I'm thinking of. > >Jenna in Breakdown: > >> And she's very grumpy about being asked to 'prostitute' herself by >> Blake ISTR. > >But she still does it. Hmmmm? Could that be construed as Blake using his own >sex >appeal effectively on Jenna? Naw - Blake appeals to her nascent idealism, not to her glands. -- Russ Massey Sirius Games, 161 Montague Street, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 3BZ (01903 217334) http://www.wriding.demon.co.uk ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 10:27:07 +0000 From: Russ Massey To: Julie Horner Cc: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: Re: [B7L]Allure, Power Games and Avon the sex beast Message-ID: In message <01be60e2$481bcf10$170201c0@pc23.Fishnet>, Julie Horner writes >Russ replying to J Horner: > >>> If he does flirt at all in this scene I think it is just to be >polite. > >>He's never gone out of his way to observe the social niceties with >>anyone before. Perhaps he was trying to make Soolin jealous :) >> > >But he wanted to have Muller on his side so he might think it >politically expedient to be "polite" to Mrs Muller. I've rewatched the scenes in question now. I don't see much evidence of attraction on Avon's part. He's somewhat disturbed by Vena's reaction to Muller's death - after all he can empathise with what she's feeling - and perhaps he's only disturbed *because* it dredges up his own memories of Anna. > At the same time >it would hardly make a good impression if Muller came home > to find himself cuckolded so I don't think there would be any attempted >seduction going on. Avon is just trying to be sufficiently charming to >keep Vena happy but certainly not enough to cause any embarassment. > Agreed. It may be that some of his amusement derives from seeing some of himself in Vena. She's a survivor, using what skills she has to achieve some small measure of independence while also being dependant on another. Ring any bells? Not that I actually believe that, but I could write it convincingly if I had to. > > >>>Not interested? What about that look in "Trial" when Jenna tells him >>>to "Suggest something". >> >>Umm. Remind me of the context. > >I think I mean "Trial". Blake has gone down to the surface and the >others are wondering what to do. I can't remember what Avon says >to Jenna but she replies "Suggest something". He gives her a >brief and very over-acted look of delight, a sort of "Oh now if >you really mean that ..." sort of look, oh heck I can't seem to describe >it very well but you will know it when you see it. I know the scene you mean now, but I can't remember the actual look. Another one I'll have to rewatch. -- Russ Massey ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 10:56:58 +0000 (GMT) From: Iain Coleman To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: Re: [B7L]Why Servalan was so disagreeable Message-Id: Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Mon, 1 Mar 1999, Sally Manton wrote: > Now we just have to come up with a logical (?) reason why the Supreme > Commander didn't make them fix the blasted air-comditioning. Maybe she > found it soothing? Maybe it put her in the right frame of mind for > putting the Galaxy to Fire (and The Sword, of course?). Then we can all > ignore it again. It's actually music, but uses the same psychosensory compression system that makes lengthy official reports look like a bunch of random rectangles scrolling on a screen. Iain ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 13:52:04 -0000 From: "Julie Horner" To: Subject: Re:[B7L]Why Servalan was so disagreeable Message-ID: <01be63ea$b07187c0$170201c0@pc23.Fishnet> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sally said: >Now we just have to come up with a logical (?) reason why the Supreme >Commander didn't make them fix the blasted air-comditioning. Maybe she >found it soothing? Maybe it put her in the right frame of mind for >putting the Galaxy to Fire (and The Sword, of course?). Then we can all >ignore it again. It was an anti-Federation plot requiring far more subtlety and patience than anything Blake ever dreamt up. The agent responsible got in to Servalan's office one day when the light bulb blew disguised as a fourth grade menial. He replaced the faulty bulb with a bulb that had a special whiny gadget embedded in it. This was no ordinary whiny gadget however, but one whose frequency and pitch had been specially calculated to have a gradual deranging effect upon the Supreme Commander. It would have been specially atuned to her brain patterns such that she was unaware of the sound (though everyone else probably came out saying "What the hell is that awful noise in there?") Given time she would have become so debilitated by the effects of this planted bulb that she would have started suffering increasingly severe symptons - migraines, coloured blobs in front of the eyes, nausea, panic attacks etc. that she would have either been classified unfit for service or retired of her own free will. Of course, the same whiny devices would have been planted in the offices of every high-ranking official in the Federation. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 13:55:09 -0000 From: "Julie Horner" To: Subject: Re:[B7L]Fannishness Message-ID: <01be63eb$1ee9b650$170201c0@pc23.Fishnet> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sally said: >Probably not if Avon then shoots her...and ENJOYS it. Or what about if she was a close female relative, e.g. mother, sister, daughter - would that still count as a Mary-Sue? Julie ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 07:18:08 -0800 From: "Ann Basart" To: "Blake's7" Subject: [B7L] PD and Avon Message-Id: <199903011519.HAA00669@mercury.dnai.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Someone on the list conjectured that Paul Darrow didn't really understand Avon. Sounds like the beginning of a very interesting new thread. What was Avon _really_ like? How _should_ PD have played him differently? Ann abasart@dnai.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Mar 1999 09:49:16 -0700 From: Helen Krummenacker To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: Re: [B7L] Re: Slightly Soiled Robin Message-ID: <36DAC50B.3EBB@jps.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit As far as I'm concerned, the Flat Robin ought to be able to continue. Jacqueline is in a non-writing mood, and I understand that. But I want to keep it going, myself, even if I haven't been writing much lately. Yes, Arkaroo, the influence of what you've read lately altered your writing style sufficiently that I thought a new person had joined in without warning. And Penny is right-- if I had realized it was one of the original writers, I would have simply emailed you and Jacqueline off list asking you if you could sort out which would be the 'official' scene for the story. I actually enjoyed both in their own way, but I don't offend as easily as some, and believe me, your chapter was far more risque than the slash story I refrained from doing because I was requeseted not to post it here. Nonetheless, since there hasn't been much in the way of complaint, we could let it stand. Let's keep going, please? ------------------------------ Date: 1 Mar 1999 08:15:14 -0800 From: "Ma.James" To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: [B7L] Zine help? was Re: Mary Sues Message-ID: >> I just read a lovely story in FORBIDDEN STAR TWO that is from Soolin's >> viewpoint. "Cold Revolution" by Loulou Harris. It's an excellent story >> and has some nice Avon/Soolin action. I've always thought they made >> such a great couple. >kat@welkin.apana.org.au >Okay, so I'll revise that to "any *gen* stories". Not that I would >have known, since I only read gen stories. I apologize. I didn't understand that you were only discussing gen stories. But this *is* an excellent story and has some nice interaction between Avon and Soolin (and I don't mean just sex). Candace ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 16:35:13 +0000 (GMT) From: Iain Coleman To: B7 list Subject: [B7L] Redemption Con report Message-Id: Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Short version: a great con, many thanks to all involved. Long and roughly chronological version... Friday Afternoon: Rachel and I arrived about 5ish. Rachel's not a fan - she was coming to stay at the hotel and go visit some old friends in Canterbury while I did wierd scifi things. After (eventually) locating our room we went to the bar and bumped into assorted reprobates from the list. Neil remarked that he wouldn't have argued with me so much if he'd realised how tall I was. I suspect it would take more than that to cramp his style, though. Friday evening: Several pints and a quick meal later, the opening ceremony. The scavenger-hunt thing was a good ice-breaker, though it says a lot about fandom that the hardest type of person to locate was the lager drinker. I got 26 points for being 26: If I'd realised the context, I'd have claimed to be 547. There followed a bar quiz (and more drink), then off to... Friday Night: ...The Space City party, hosted by Una and Alison. I'd like to tell you more about this, but I'm afraid I was very, very drunk. Saturday Morning: Mouth like a badger's jockstrap and eyes like pissholes in the snow. Saturday Afternoon: Some really good discussions. The hotel has a couple of boardrooms, big enough for a couple of dozen people. These are the locations for some lively and interesting meetings. I enjoy them all, but particularly the one on whether or not "Animals" is the worst B7 story. We really must produce that ideal episode sometime, if we can find a quarry with a gasworks in it. Then off for a cabaret rehearsal. This is a technical rehearsal, and as such involves the performers sitting around doing bugger all for a couple of hours, then spending a few seconds standing on some marks. We repeatedly inform whoever is running the rehearsal that we'll need a table on stage for our performance. Saturday Evening: Some B5 movie is shown, but I'm too busy getting stressed. I have no confidence that the table we need will be organised, and there are a million other things that could go wrong. After the movie there's a bit of a lull in the main hall while things are set up for the masquerade. Matthew and I go direct to the stage crew with our furniture requirements and they couldn't be more helpful, even giving us an opportunity for a proper run-through. My stress levels decrease to merely insane levels. Saturday Night: The masquerade is great fun, with some really entertaining costumes. Jason and the Cyberpunk are particularly fun. Then it's the cabaret. We're first on, and to my pleasure and relief it all goes more or less according to plan. Matthew, Una and Alison perform splendidly. I then sit down, have the quickest pint in living memory and settle down for the rest of the acts. The cabaret as a whole is of a very high standard - even the filking, which I usually hate but Judith's solo and Steve, Jenni and Fi's piece are top notch. I even have the honour of a dance with the Supreme Commander. Finally, there's the disco. Loads of fun. The best thing about fandom is its spirit of uninhibited exuberance, and that is much in evidence. Sunday Morning: Wisely, the organisers have scheduled nothing totally unmissable for this morning. I wander around the dealer's room, passing by the Dr Who vids (35 quid? Somebody is taking the piss.) but picking up a copy of Chris Boucher's "Star Cops" novel (which is very good, I'll post a wee review later). Sunday Afternoon: A couple of discussions. I organise a small workshop on dodgy science in B7 which is good fun with thought-provoking contributions from all who join in. I even make an apology to Neil, but that's a matter for another post. Then there's a discussion on Fantasy and SF, which turns out to be a fascinating exploration, with everybody bringing in different perspectives. I certainly found a lot of food for thought there, and I think other people did as well. Sunday Evening: Back home. Both Rachel and I have had a great weekend, and it's hard to take in the fact that what is conventionally referred to as real life has to begin again. Rachel in particular was somewhat apprehensive about sharing a hotel with a bunch of freaks and wierdos, but by now is a convert to fandom, describing you all as a great bunch of really cool, fun people. So there you go. Thanks to everyone who organised and helped out at a terrific con. Special thanks to Judith for her assistance and advice before the con, and to Steve, who helped me organise various last-minute things quickly and without fuss. I had a great time, I hope everyone else did too, and I look forward to seeing you all again soon. Iain ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 22:38:06 +0100 (MET) From: "Jeroen J. Kwast" To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se (mailing list) Subject: [B7L] Problem with Robin! :) Message-Id: <199903012138.WAA12358@pampus.gns.getronics.nl> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi, I would like to contribute to it but I'm still at 14 or 15! I have a dictionary with me at all times just to read the stuff, the good stuff takes even more ! ;) Don't get me wrong, I like it but I don't think I could make such a standard by 20 story as you have done. Maybe we could make different catagories? like easy , med & hard? or short and long? I am working on something with time stuff and different sf series. Bye! Jeroen ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 16:54:28 -0500 From: Harriet Monkhouse <101637.2064@compuserve.com> To: Space City Cc: "Blake's 7 (Lysator)" Subject: [B7L] Babylon XI v Blake's XI at Redemption Message-ID: <199903011654_MC2-6C52-FDB5@compuserve.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Cricket newsflash - fuller report to follow when I've recovered from a good weekend (thanks, everyone). At the Drazi Home World, March 27, 28. Blake's XI won by 196 runs. Toss: Babylon XI. Blake's XI 231 (Jenna Stannis 52, Soolin 55, Dayna Mellanby 32; Lyta Alexander four for 64, Michael Garibaldi three for 48) and 286 (Jenna Stannis 119, Dayna Mellanby 39, Cally 34; Susan Ivanova five for 159, Lyta Alexander three for 81); Babylon XI 210 (Londo Mollari 41, John Sheridan 55, Lennier 39; Soolin five for 77, Dayna Mellanby three for 75) and 111 (Jeffrey Sinclair 33; Soolin six for 60, Dayna Mellanby four for 51). Woman of the Match: Jenna Stannis. Harriet ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 17:56:38 EST From: Mac4781@aol.com To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se, space-city@world.std.com Subject: [B7L] Review: The Gilbert and Servalan Songbook Message-ID: <4fc6a3c.36db1b26@aol.com> Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit The Gilbert and Servalan Song Book by Chris Blenkarn Take over two dozen Gilbert and Sullivan tunes, mix them with the wicked humor and rhyme of the demented author, and you get a series of filks that had me choking on tea and laughing until tears came out of my eyes. The zine includes filks for all seasons and about all of the crew. Highlights include Blake's crew singing: We've made it very clear That we'd rather not be here But he needs an expert crew Then later Avon's crew: His glare it is like ice Doesn't like explaining twice And he doesn't like that name Chesku Meanwhile, we learn of Vila: He's partial to a shot or two Of Adrenaline and Soma And prone to miss a rendezvous While feigning deepest coma. While "Three Very Youthful Rebels We" sing out: Three youthful rebels lead from Xenon On a wild goose chase by Kerr Avon The songbook also includes the dramatic presentation of "The Pirates of Gauda Prime" or The Cast is to Die (crossed out) The Die is Cast. This is one of the most visually stunning zines I've ever seen. The front and back covers are bright yellow and fully laminated. The zine is held together with little double sets of circular wires. I don't know what that type of binding is called, but it appears to be a superior type of spiral binding. It's the large size British paper (I never remember the official name for those paper sizes). Forty spiffily laid out pages. Front and back covers and inside cartoon illustrations are by the author's son Michael. The cartoons are a delight and it's hard to pick out favorites. The angst addict in me loves the battered bunch in the holding cell (though I was sorry not to see a battered Tarrant among the group ;-). Avon appears to be offering his armpit for Vila to sniff or inspect in "Kerr Avon's Lament." And I adore Tarrant's big gun in the "Three Little Rebels" illo. How cunning of Tarrant to label his gun "super soaker." I'm sure that catches many a Federation baddie off guard. Price 5 pounds UK, 5.70 pounds Europe, 6.50 pounds or $11 cash USA, 6.80 pounds Australia. Orders: Judith Proctor, 28 Diprose Rd, Corfe Mullen,Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 3QY The songbook can also be purchased through Pat Fenech (Australia) and Maverick Press or Linda Knights (USA). Information on those orders can be found on Judith's web site: http://math.idbsu.edu/gas/html/opera_index.html Carol Mc ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 17:56:40 EST From: Mac4781@aol.com To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se, space-city@world.std.com Subject: [B7L] Review: Solstice Message-ID: Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Faster than a speeding bullet, my copy of "Solstice," the sixth interview tape from Sheelagh Wells, arrived in my mailbox today. I could scarcely believe it since I just mailed the check to England on February 20. The guests for Solstice are Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, Pennant (I wish they had asked him how he got his name) Roberts and Mary Ridge. I'm a great admirer of Mary and was so very pleased to see her listed for this tape. She was every bit as entertaining as I expected, and I especially enjoy her story about the difficulties of filming in chalk quarries on rainy days. Among other things, the wet chalk mess didn't make them very popular at the hotel where they were staying. I cheered when Mary pointed out that the Scorpio crew weren't necessarily dead in "Blake." They might have been only stunned. Pennant Roberts had his own quarry story. They had to pull up plants (I couldn't catch the name; maybe one of you British gardeners can tell me what it is--it sounds like something I might want to plant) from one section of the quarry during a shoot, because the plants were attracting butterflies, and butterflies didn't seem to go with the alien planet look they were trying to achieve. The tape was dedicated to Vere Lorrimer, and included a number of Vere anecdotes. Vere favored action, and he was known to cut away from long speeches to shots of space ships flying by, etc. There's also an amusing story of how "Hamlet" might have been changed if Vere was directing it. Paul reported on how Steven Pacey liked to set up their door crashing and gunfight scenes so that the two of them resembled space-age versions of "Starsky and Hutch." And Gareth shared how "Blake" ended up with a pigtail. The four participants (and Sheelagh's cat) are featured on the photo cover, and all of them look absolutely splendid. I think Avon fans, in particular, should find the photo to be very appealing. Price: I'm not positive about this, but I think the UK price is 8.25 pounds. $15-US price. US fans may pay by dollar check made out to Sheelagh J. Wells. Orders: Sheelagh J. Wells, 20A New Road, Brentford, Middlesex TW8 0NX. Carol Mc ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Mar 1999 17:52:24 -0700 From: Arkaroo To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: Re: [B7L] Re: Slightly Soiled Robin Message-ID: <36DB3648.4D3C@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Helen Krummenacker wrote: > I actually enjoyed both in their own way, but I don't offend as easily > as some, and believe me, your chapter was far more risque than the slash I've got some good ideas with regards to this for the Flat Robin. The Gods of Collaborative Fiction are going to make an appearance, have a little internal commentary. Hee! > > Let's keep going, please? Yes, lets. For the record, I was thinking of writing a chapter dealing with the Bursar getting possessed by the Andromedan Purser. Ridcully et al will hopefully appear; if anybody has any concerns or ideas, pleeeeease tell me. Arkaroo ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Mar 1999 18:06:36 -0700 From: Arkaroo To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: Re: [B7L] Problem with Robin! :) Message-ID: <36DB399B.374D@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Jeroen J. Kwast wrote: > > I would like to contribute to it but I'm still at 14 or 15! > > Don't get me wrong, I like it but I don't think I could make such a > standard by 20 story as you have done. > You could always write little tiny chapters -- I think that small appendices to the large chapters could be very funny. Little cut-scenes that tie things together, y'know? Just an idea, if you want to participate. TTFN - Arkaroo ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 20:48:46 -0500 From: Harriet Monkhouse <101637.2064@compuserve.com> To: "INTERNET:blakes7@lysator.liu.se" Subject: [B7L] Re: Penny's Pix Message-ID: <199903012049_MC2-6C5D-3271@compuserve.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Penny directed us to: >http://members.tripod.com/~Space_Scum Thank you, Penny, thank you! At last I have pictures of Jarriere to gaze at! Harriet Jarriere's Always Discriminating Enthusiasts ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Mar 1999 20:48:16 -0500 From: Harriet Monkhouse <101637.2064@compuserve.com> To: "INTERNET:blakes7@lysator.liu.se" Subject: [B7L] Re: Flat Robin #34 (Probably) Message-ID: <199903012049_MC2-6C5D-3268@compuserve.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit woollard@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca wrote: >`Have you ever really... *looked* at your hands, >man?' asked the first shape in the darkness, a >chubby man in a tasteless naughahyde tunic. Oh my god! You throw in a Sartre crossover! My mind is so boggled I'm starting to feel slightly... nauseous? Harriet ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Mar 1999 06:40:30 -0000 From: "John C. Elliott" To: blakes7@lysator.liu.se Subject: [B7L] Redemption Message-Id: Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT I would like to thank everyone involved with running the con for a great weekend. Now back home and now recovering from a fun packed weekend. ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< mailto:herbie@tesco.net Old age is preferable to the alternative. ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< -------------------------------- End of blakes7-d Digest V99 Issue #87 *************************************