Benchmark
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Benchmark |
| Author(s): | Jane Mailander |
| Date(s): | 1992 |
| Length: | |
| Genre: | slash |
| Fandom: | Blake's 7 |
| External Links: | Benchmark |
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Benchmark is a Blake's 7 story by Jane Mailander.
It was published in Pæan to Priapus #4 and is online.
It has a sequel called Hindsight in Liaisons #2.
Discussion of Sex Writing in the Story
The use of words in the sex scenes in this story was criticized in the essay Man Bits and Woman Bits: the discourse of sex in fanfic and litfic by Sheenagh Pugh, resulting in the following discussion:
entropy_house: One tiny point I'd like to make-- in Mailander's story, 'Benchmark', (all the following is IMO, of course) the character was *deliberately* using fluffy language because his partner was sexually fixated on only accepting pain and abuse, while the 'rosebud' speaker preferred love-making gently and without pain. Out of deference to his partner he had never done it his way before and when he finally had an opportunity to do so, he wanted to make it clear why he was doing it. The 'rosebud' remark wasn't humorous, or a euphemism chosen to avoid more direct words- it was a characterization, showing how with a single word, Character V could tell Character A entire volumes about how his wishes had been neglected in their relationship.
sheenaghpugh: While that's a possible interpretation, I wonder myself if the character is, at the time, in a state to be quite so calculating in his language, and I do think that she gets that particular character's tone wrong at other points in the story. And even supposing that *is*, as it still might be, what she meant, it still made me as a reader collapse in unseemly giggles... that's one of the problems with this whole business; you have to consider not just "is it right for them" but "what effect will it have on Joe Reader".[1]
Reactions and Reviews
I *Highly* recommend the A/V story in the Paean to Priapus 4--it subverts the entire top/bottm concept and turns it totally sideways.[2]
Why this must be read: It's another session where Vila carries out Avon's prescribed program of humiliation and pain...and then Avon outsmarts himself (or does he?) by bringing back a deluxe piece of bondage equipment from yet another revolutionary mission. Bound, gagged, and helpless, this time Avon can't prevent Vila from getting what Vila really wants....The Vilaphiles in the audience are no doubt saying that it's about bloody time we had an A/V rec. I'd also like to steer your attention toward the Oblique archive, which reproduces Oblique's extensive library of slash paperzines (updated as recently as this April, with a Smallvile zine). Oblique concentrates on darkfic, and "Benchmark" sounds like it's going to conform, but then takes a sweet detour Curtain-wards.
In the generally hostile and distrustful world of B7, (most of the time) Avon and Vila like each other, and they have enough similarities (although Blake has a predilection for the criminal element, Avon and Vila are the only two thieves in the operation; they're also the two most self-conscious verbal artists) and enough differences that *don't* become a matter of contention (there's no argument that Avon is smarter than Vila, and Vila has nil interest in achieving a higher place in the ship's hierarchy than Avon) that they're a plausible sexual and perhaps romantic couple.
Dunno if I believe it, but "Benchmark" is an example of a common fanfic take on A/V: Vila is more emotionally intact, or at least more emotionally expressive, so that provides something that Avon can learn from him.[4]
References
- ^ see the comments to the essay
- ^ Lysator, Sandy Hereld, dated May 4, 1993.
- ^ 2006 comments by Predatrix
- ^ from Crack Van, posted by Executrix, October 23, 2003