Depression is More than a State of Mind
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Depression is More than a State of Mind |
| Author(s): | Marian Mendez |
| Date(s): | 1998 |
| Length: | 8476 |
| Genre: | het |
| Fandom: | Blake's 7 |
| External Links: | online at AO3; online at Hermit |
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Depression is More than a State of Mind is a het Blake's 7 story by Marian Mendez. The pairings are Avon/Cally and Blake/Jenna.
It was published in Pattern of Infinity.
Reactions and Reviews
This is one I liked. Vila and Gan as a pair of thieves pick up a down and out Avon and take him to the care of Cally who runs a small mission with Blake's help. While the background to the story has echoes of 'The Way Back' (Blake was framed for something he didn't do), this is not a carbon copy story, it takes it's own way, develops the characters in ways that feel right and has an ending that I really enjoyed. There's an Avon/Cally romance and an amusing relationship between Avon and Blake. Jenna as a feisty cab driver who's in love with Blake also apealed.[1]
This is good. This is more like it. Best one so far in the zine. Setting spot on, characters spot on, story spot on. [2]
Why this must be read: On the one hand, this fic (written in 1996) is not exactly the sort of fic Willa Shakespeare is best known for (see, Divide and Conquer, recced back in 2004, for a more typical example - and an excellent fic). It's het, there's no sex, and it's a historical AU. But on the other - it is. Willa is very good at ensemble fics where everyone gets something important and interesting and probably amusing to do, but these fics are still primarily based around the romance arc. Willa believes you can have an exciting plot and a romance (and often sex) in the same fic - which is a combination I love, particularly when it's done this well. She's great at awkward people romances (now she writes Tony Stark, rather than Avon) and plausible mega-happy endings. The term 'HEX' was apparently
I would also say that one of her primary motifs as a writer is the re-use and re-purposing of existing material to provide structure and create comedic and narrative tension. In some cases this takes the form of a fusion (the plot 'Much Ado About Nothing' used for B/A) or a crossover. In this case (unusually) it takes the form of a historical setting, specifically 1930s 'Guys and Dolls' America. It's a somewhat an unusual choice for a historical!AU in general, but I think a clever one for these characters and their concerns. And it's fun. Willa fic is almost always lots of fun.[3]of her coinagecoined to describe her work.
References
- ^ review by Judith Proctor at her site
- ^ by Kathryn Andersen Pattern Of Infinity posted to Blake's 7 mailing list (22 Sep 1996)
- ^ from Crack Van, recced by Aralias, posted December 17, 2012