Blakes7 December 2001

blakes7@lists.lysator.liu.se

67 participants
252 discussions

Re: [B7L] Accidental avatars
by Mac4781＠aol.com 20 Dec '01

20 Dec '01

In a message dated 12/17/2001 9:16:39 PM Eastern Standard Time, avona(a)jps.net writes: > Is there anyone good at spotting non-Avon avatars who'd like to weigh in > on this? Not much free time now, but Tarrant avatars abound. The archetype is the free-spirited hero/knight-errant/wuxia. Important values include honor, loyalty, and individual justice. The archetype can (and often does) operate outside the law. There are a few lines in the book "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon--A Portrait of the Ang Lee Film" that could be a blueprint for Tarrant: "Like the Arthurian legends of Europe, the wuxia promoted a conception of knightly virtue. The roaming hero was not only strong and skillful; he or she also had an obligation to right wrongs, especially when the situation seemed dire. The hero fought for yi, or righteousness--not for rights in the abstract or for society as a whole, but for fairness in a particular situation--usually seeking retribution for a past wrong." Carol

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Re: [B7L] RE: B7 spin-off books
by Bizarro7＠aol.com 20 Dec '01

20 Dec '01

In a message dated 12/19/01 9:33:50 AM Eastern Standard Time, mistral(a)centurytel.net writes: << I would be considerably gentler if we were talking about a beginner instead of a supposed pro; but I've come around to the opinion that when one put's one's art in the public eye, one had darn well better be able to take criticism. And that goes quadruple when one is expecting the audience to pay money for it. The arts need to be subject to peer review in order to maintain credibility, just as science is. I suppose I think that honesty is kinder to everybody in the long run. For one thing, there is no way for the artist to correct problems that s/he isn't aware of; for another, the public shouldn't have to suffer incompetence if they have a chance to avoid it by being told the truth. >> The internet has created some peculiar circumstances, in this respect. I know of a couple of instances where pro series scriptwriters are hanging around on fannish mailing lists, in search of egoboo and self-promotion. It gets sad when they inevitably collect a bunch of sycophant fans who try to shield these demi-celebrities from any possible critique of their work. In the case of STARGATE SG-1, it's particularly sad. The 'good' writers departed about 3 years ago, to be replaced by a couple of untalented individuals who have actually confessed that they have trouble writing for 2 out of the 4 main characters. The upshot of their efforts is that one of those main characters has quit, a second isn't going to be on the show 1/3 of the time next year, and the fans are actually sorry the series has been renewed for a 6th season. The scriptwriters, unhappy at the fan feedback online, have actually taken to haunting the lists in the guise of anonymous fans, 'shilling' and praising their own work. It's very sad. Leah

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Accidental avatars
by Helen Krummenacker 20 Dec '01

20 Dec '01

Is it my own Avon-centric p.o.v., or is there a reason it seems that Avon is the easiest to find 'avatars' of in other fiction, followed, probably, by Vila? I'm thinking it is just the brooding INTJ male appeals to writers. Snape from Harry Potter; Zelgadis from The Slayers; all the deliberate avatars created by fans in tribute; Mr. Darcy; and I can't remember how many others I've spotted. In contrast, Blake seems more difficult to find eqivalents of, possibly because he is less of a type? He's often compared to Robin Hood. Maybe King Arthur could be another avatar. Vila is an Artful Dodger, and can be found in lovable rogues throughout many stories. Dayna is of the Diana/Belephe female huntress type, which is avatared fairly infrequently these days. Is there anyone good at spotting non-Avon avatars who'd like to weigh in on this?

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Re: Accidental avatars
by Helen Krummenacker 19 Dec '01

19 Dec '01

> Snape is him, but Avon was rather clearly written >first. Talking of Snape, a friend tells me that Alan Rickman wears black silk pyjamas in the current West End production of Private Lives. (Do I mean Private Lives? Which ever Coward play has Elyot and Amanda in it.) She also tells me that he doesn't wear black pyjamas (unless they're under his dressing-gown) in the Harry Potter film, but my hopes are raised. Surely, now J. K. Rowling knows that Alan Rickman is playing him, she will include a Snape-in-black-silk-pyjamas scene in a subsequent book? I believe I remember him wearing a nightshirt when he was up in the middle of the nigiht before. I don't know that the color or material was specified, however... I *like* the idea of Severus in black silk.

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Re: [B7L] Gambit odds
by Ellynne G. 19 Dec '01

19 Dec '01

On Wed, 19 Dec 2001 16:54:09 +0000 Steve Rogerson <steve.rogerson(a)mcr1.poptel.org.uk> writes: > Just been watching Gambit. The Big Wheel is basically roulette. Vila > is betting on single numbers. The odds at roulette for single > numbers > are about 30 to 1. Vila at one point has 0.5 million credits, then > four million credits and finally five million credits. This doesn't > work unless he's gambling only part of his winnings each time. The > only reason he would do that would be if Orac could sometimes get it > wrong. Yet we know he has six straight wins at least. All this > doens't > add up. If I had to make a theory, Orac understood Avon's instructions to be how to _successfully_ pull off the scam. This meant not just winning but winning and one of them getting out alive with the money (I'd say all of them, but then Avon's letting Vila play speed chess would be partly based on Avon believing this fit in with Orac's calculations, greatly reducing the chance to discuss Avon's moral failings in risking Vila's life). Anyhow, Orac might have figured better survival odds for them all with a less there's-no-way-they-can-be-doing-that-something's-rigged strategy. So, Vila is instructed to hold some back, make mixed bets, or make bets with less dramatic odds (so much for red to win or possibly some bet variations that haven't been invented yet in our time). After all, if they'd been more suspicious, Vila might have just been jumped in a dark alley instead. Ellynne ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.

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Re: [B7L] Gambit odds
by Jerry Davies 19 Dec '01

19 Dec '01

Don't forget, Orac was under the influences of "molecular reduction" so may not have been as sharp as he usually would. At 19/12/01 16:54:00, you wrote: >Just been watching Gambit. The Big Wheel is basically roulette. Vila >is betting on single numbers. The odds at roulette for single numbers >are about 30 to 1. Vila at one point has 0.5 million credits, then >four million credits and finally five million credits. This doesn't >work unless he's gambling only part of his winnings each time. The >only reason he would do that would be if Orac could sometimes get it >wrong. Yet we know he has six straight wins at least. All this doens't >add up. > >-- >cheers >Steve Rogerson >http://homepages.poptel.org.uk/steve.rogerson > >Redemption 03, 21-23 February 2003, Ashford, Kent >Celebrating 25 years of Blake's 7 and 10 years of Babylon 5 >http://www.smof.com/redemption > > > > >

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Gambit odds
by Steve Rogerson 19 Dec '01

19 Dec '01

Just been watching Gambit. The Big Wheel is basically roulette. Vila is betting on single numbers. The odds at roulette for single numbers are about 30 to 1. Vila at one point has 0.5 million credits, then four million credits and finally five million credits. This doesn't work unless he's gambling only part of his winnings each time. The only reason he would do that would be if Orac could sometimes get it wrong. Yet we know he has six straight wins at least. All this doens't add up. -- cheers Steve Rogerson http://homepages.poptel.org.uk/steve.rogerson Redemption 03, 21-23 February 2003, Ashford, Kent Celebrating 25 years of Blake's 7 and 10 years of Babylon 5 http://www.smof.com/redemption

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Blakes Seven Film
by Jerry Davies 19 Dec '01

19 Dec '01

New to the group (or back after a long absence) so please excuse what must have been asked before. I started writing a set of scripts for series E a while back for a bit of a laugh (if anyones interested, they're at http://freespace.virgin.net/jerry.davies/b7docs/blakes7.htm) but stopped working on them when I heard that Paul Darrow had bought the rights and intended making a film. According to the NNTP list alt.fan.blakes-7, the stories about this film are bogus and Darrow has never expressed an interest in making a film. Does anyone know what the score is with this - whether there is a film in production or not? And if so - is Gareth Thomas in it? Thanks Jerry

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RE: [B7L] RE: B7 spin-off books
by Nicola Mody-Nikoloff 19 Dec '01

19 Dec '01

Mistral wrote: > Nicola Mody-Nikoloff wrote: > > > In her avatar list, Judith mentions a western novel > ("Darrow's Law") with > > the two main characters called Darrow and Keating. I > actually read it out of > > curiosity and it was pretty light-weight and forgettable, > but the sheriff > > and his deputy were definitely Avon and Vila. > > Either you're being very kind, or I'm simply too demanding. I went to > the trouble and expense to order a copy of this from Amazon.co.uk and > found it to be *the* most unreadable piece of pro-fic I've ever > encountered. Nobody in this book *says* anything - they all snarl, or > spit, or expostulate it - and the sentence rhythms are atrocious and > grating. I tossed it away in disgust after only a cursory skim. Trying > to salvage the expense, I loaned it to my dad, who goes > through westerns > the way some people go through chocolates, and even he couldn't finish > it. > > On the upside, after trying to read _Darrow's Law_, I was able to view > my own fanfic with a somewhat less jaundiced eye. But consider this a > plea for anyone who's interested in reading it to try to borrow it, or > get it on interlibrary loan; don't waste your money. It is, > IMO, beyond dreadful. Yep, I was being kind. I hate to bad-mouth someone else's writing (maybe I'm scared of criticism myself), but I do wonder sometimes how some books get published. Nico *** This e-mail is privileged and confidential. If you are not the intended recipient please delete the message and notify the sender. ***

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avatars
by Julia Jones 19 Dec '01

19 Dec '01

The second-hand bookshop down the road from me often has copies of the various avatar novels - I got not one but two hardback copies of _I Strahd_, for a start:-) I'm willing to buy books for people, although be warned that even though the books are second-hand, by the time you add international postage it will cost as much as a new book. It's not worth it unless you're after one that's out of print, or a specific edition (and no, I've never seen a copy of the Daw edition of _Kill the Dead_ with the to-die-for cover art). If it's in print, get it from Amazon or from the guerrilla bookshop owner known as ppint. Only don't ask just yet because I'm about to be away for a while. -- Julia Jones "Science is not about building a body of known 'facts'. It is a method for asking awkward questions and subjecting them to a reality-check, thus avoiding the human tendency to believe whatever makes us feel good." - The Science of Discworld

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Blakes7 December 2001