Blakes7 March 2001

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96 participants
1067 discussions

Jaffa Cakes
by Dana Shilling 08 Mar '01

08 Mar '01

I would be really upset about subverting the artistic intent of the auteurs of B7 if I felt they really HAD one. For instance, they actually paid Trevor Hoyle to do novelizations that are not only unreadably bad but quite sloppy about canonical details. And take (my) A:ATA (please!) --although its existence doesn't obligate Paul Darrow to like, approve of, or believe everything anyone might say about the series, it does prove that he believes that departures from canon can be legitimate in fanfic. I don't think of B7 as a personal artwork, but rather as a factory product, like Jaffa Cakes. That it, it's better than the usual run of packaged confectionary products, which is why it has attracted and kept loyal fans over the years. Some people believe that the Jaffa Cake cannot be improved on, and consume it in isolation. Others like it with coffee, a glass of milk, or for all I know a pint of ESB. Others, however, modify their Jaffa Cakes. There's a large group that favors splitting them and adding a layer of whipped cream, with smaller constituencies for, e.g., peanut butter and raspberry jam, and minority interests in, e.g., Gentleman's Relish. Not to mention h/c Jaffa Cakes (battered) and BUARJC (battered AND deep-fried). The creator of the recipe did not envision anything being added to them...but is not harmed by the subsequent unplanned uses of the article. -(Y)

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Re: [B7L] Blake/Jenna
by Tavia 08 Mar '01

08 Mar '01

Betty responding to Fiona: >I certainly agree that the possibility exists, and that this stuff is >at least mildly suggestive. And I do think that the attraction >on Jenna's part is very clear (although there's no good indication >of just how strong that attraction might be). But I still don't think >any of the physical touching constitutes a solid proof of sexual >interest on Blake's part. *Emotional* concern, yes, but that >ain't the same thing. I'm going to risk jumping in here without having done my homework (I dunno how anyone manages to watch two whole B7 seasons in an evening) so I'm not going to give chapter and verse for all my thoughts, and anyone who objects to this approach can abandon ship now. (However in my defence, I've watched S1&2 through twice in the past 9 months with fanfic intent, so my impressions are likely to be based on something....) There are numerous instances where, IMO, Jenna shows interest in Blake, starting as early as the scene in the transit cell. I wouldn't be 100% sure what her emotions are (I'm not a card-carrying character-junkie and I find interpreting people very tricky). However, there's clear affection, as well as a degree of protectiveness (eg StarOne in her comments to Avon), which almost verges on maternal instincts? Blake and Jenna definitely appear to share a level of intimacy above what we see Blake sharing with many of the rest of the crew. I'm thinking particularly of Vila, Gan, but also even Cally -- I can't recall much *personal* discussion between Blake and Cally, although they (B&C) clearly share discussion of tactical / strategical matters. In part, this might be chance -- Blake and Jenna have quite a lot of onscreen time alone together in stressful situations, eg Duel, the stuck-in-the-capsule-with-the-air-running-out scene (Time Squad), or the torture scene in Horizon. I don't recall nearly as many similar occasions for Blake with Vila or Gan, and, while Blake and Cally have quite a bit of onscreen time (Time Squad, Bounty, Orac), I never catch much of a hint of 'intimacy' -- they're just two colleagues getting on with a (stressful) job. Another factor is Jenna's personality. She tends IMO to empathise with people as one of her default modes of interaction. She's pretty much the only person who has a personal conversation with Gan, for instance (Time Squad). There's also one or two occasions where she has a personal conversation with Avon (Cygnus Alpha, the 'what do you know about guilt'/'only what I've read' conversation in Trial, the cell scene in Redemption). And even the bonding scene with Zen ... Yet another factor is her dress sense. It's difficult not to feel on occasion that she's displaying her charms to the masses with all the low-cut numbers and the leather outfit. So, either she just likes pretty clothes (possible) or she's displaying *at* someone -- Blake being the obvious choice, though I wouldn't rule out Avon, myself. [Avon is after all the only recipient of an overt-look-at me display (Cygnus)]. Actually I think a lot of supposed sexual side of Jenna's attraction to Blake actually might rest in just that last point. I think people would be less likely to presuppose sexual longing if she were other than pretty and attractively dressed (the all-dressed-up-and-nowhere-to-go principle). On Blake's side, I see affection and occasional protectiveness (Duel and Horizon, f'rinstance) and absolutely nothing else. Actually I find it very hard to discuss this because I just see nothing there at all. If I were Jenna I'd be aiming my cleavage at one of the others within a week... Tavia (who's sorry this is so incoherent, but it's the best she can do...)

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Re: slash
by Steve Rogerson 08 Mar '01

08 Mar '01

Fiona said: "But it was actually Steve Rogerson (who seems to have been taking a pro-slash line) who brought up the topic this time round" Much as I'd like to take credit, my first post on this topic was a response to something by Shane. -- cheers Steve Rogerson http://homepages.poptel.org.uk/steve.rogerson Redemption: The Blake's 7 and Babylon 5 convention 21-23 February 2003, Ashford, Kent http://www.smof.com/redemption

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FW: Inga (was Re: [B7L] Re: slash (fairly short)
by Tavia 08 Mar '01

08 Mar '01

I think this was meant for the Lyst: On Thu, 8 Mar 2001 14:53:59 -0000 Tavia <tavia(a)btinternet.com> writes: > Dana wrote: > >Of course, the scriptwriters probably figured that the audience > >would be more involved if the hostage were a pretty young woman > >than Blake's old granny. > > Inga has to be the least sexy woman of the four seasons, so I don't > think that can be it. If I was forced to come up with an explanation for their relationship, I would guess either Inga had some kind of childhood crush (the six year old who declares someone is her prince charming, etc) on Blake that he played along with in a Platonic way (putting the kiss under the heading of the old storyline cliche where the guy meets the now grown up woman who had the childhood crush on him that has blossomed into something else but he remains thick-headedly oblivious), OR Inga hasn't aged (she's an android double for the original Inga who died or else they have really good wrinkle cream on that planet). 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/tagj.

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Re: [B7L] Stock Equalisation Act (1980s record producers?)
by Ellynne G. 08 Mar '01

08 Mar '01

Slow as I am to sometimes see implications, it just hit me. Yes, Stock Equalisation may sound offensive - but that could just be the Federation's name for the old policy, much like the names used for a few hot button political positions where the name someone uses for a position lets you know which side they're on. Since the Federation doesn't want to continue this policy, using a name that implies it was insulting to the people concerned makes it that much easier for them to discount it. 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/tagj.

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Re: [B7L] Atomic war
by Ellynne G. 08 Mar '01

08 Mar '01

For what it's worth, I suppose they had WW Nth at one point or another. Britain (and perhaps other parts of Europe) either managed to stay mostly out of it or else already had at least one domed city in place. It wouldn't even have to be such total devastation. If the aftermath put other countries in a position where they weren't able to keep up key technologies or where people with needed skills and knowledge weren't passing them on, then the country that was able to preserve these should have a natural edge. Of course, maybe it's the other way around. Maybe the U.K. was completely devastated and English became the official language precisely because it was a dead language that could be used without playing to local nationalism. Imitation of British culture (or what was perceived as British culture) was the in thing, especially for the upper class (with French and imitation of perceived French culture becoming the natural way of rebeling and getting wild in Gambit). 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/tagj.

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Re: Blakes7 digest, Vol 1 #187 - 17 msgs
by Steve Rogerson 08 Mar '01

08 Mar '01

Shane said: "Slight misunderstanding here, I think. Cheryl has just said that there's no evidence for gay relationships between these characters within the canon. If that's the case, how can such scenes be "within the boundaries of canon?"" Something can be said to be within canon if it doesn't contradict canon. The fact that it gives us something new doesn't mean it is not within the boundaries of canon. -- cheers Steve Rogerson http://homepages.poptel.org.uk/steve.rogerson Redemption: The Blake's 7 and Babylon 5 convention 21-23 February 2003, Ashford, Kent http://www.smof.com/redemption

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Re: [B7L] limiters
by Marian de Haan 08 Mar '01

08 Mar '01

Mistral wrote: >Trevor Hoyle notwithstanding, I'm not sure I buy the experimental technology explanation. Kayn, who was not a Federation scientist, recognized the limiter, its purpose, and knew how to repair it - that suggests to me it wasn't new or experimental stuff.< It's been some time since I saw the episode, but I seem to remember that repairing the limiter wasn't the problem. Probably Avon or any skilled technician could have done it. The problem was reaching the limiter. Wasn't Avon saying something like "You've got to get into his head first."? And after the repair, Kain was showing the X-rays of the repair to Avon, which seems to indicate that he at least could recognise the technology. Marian

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Puffins
by Andrew Williams 08 Mar '01

08 Mar '01

Neil wrote: >From: Ellynne G. <rilliara(a)juno.com> >> Neil, did they ever appear in a B7 episode? And were they working for or >> against Servalan? > >Nope, no Puffins. A full list of birds heard can be found in the >Sevencyclopaedia under 'Birds'. Actually, there was a puffin in B7. It was in a locked cupboard on Egrorians base in "Orbit". Other birds missing from the list include the albatross around Avon's neck (worn under his clothes, of course), the penguin hiding under Servalan's desk in "Trial", and the egret kept on the flight deck of the Teal Star by its pilot. There was meant to be a tern in "Dawn of the Gods", but since the galactic monopoly game was cut short, Orac waited for it's tern in vain. There was probably a moose in one episode as well. Andrew.

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Re: [B7L] Hurt/Comfort and all that
by Helen Krummenacker 08 Mar '01

08 Mar '01

Re> Did hurt/comfort in B7 get its origins from American ST fanfic... > Ah, but the Americans learned about drama from the English, years before the > invention of the television :). > > Shane > It might be argued that h/c has its origins pre-television, too. For example, Bram Stoker did a number of melodramatic stories where a strong heroine rescues and comforts the hero (Dracula itself begins with Johnathan's victimization by vampires, and we appreciate Mina's strength from her ability to comfort Johnathan and her friend Lucy). Jane Eyre certainly could be classified as h/c. I'm sure I've read manly adventure stories where explorers or soldiers have bonded while getting the injured one back to safety, but I can't come up with specific ones at the moment. In the Secret Garden, a platonic friendship forms as Mary helps Colin gain a stronger constitution. There is nothing new under the sun. Don't blame it on the Americans.

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Blakes7 March 2001