The Fall of Central
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Fall of Central |
| Author(s): | Bryn Lantry |
| Date(s): | 1990s, 2012 |
| Length: | 29,574 words |
| Genre: | slash, femslash |
| Fandom: | Blake's 7 |
| External Links: | the story on AO3 |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Fall of Central is a Blake/Avon, Jenna/Servalan story by Bryn Lantry. It was written in the 1990s but left unpublished; the author finally published it on AO3 in 2012 after a heavy rewrite.
Summary
Four people stuck in close quarters on a ship: Blake, Avon, Jenna and Servalan. As the revolution happens. What revolution?
Author's Comments
I am in the inebriation of writing. I've found an old story - forty thou words, though not when I've finished with it - that went unprinted because it tried to be but was half atrocious. That was in the 1990s, I'm glad I didn't print it, there are truly execreable sections. But now I know how to fix it. I'm fixing it, I've just fixed the key moment and culmination, and I haven't fixed the ending yet, but I am happy, and drunken, and talking/acting out this story in my flat, it's a rainy day and the windows shut to the neighbours, the music's up, Blake has just stood up and been counted, and -- I am AWOL from the rest of life, I went AWOL from work but don't tell anyone. [1]
Reactions and Reviews
Oh, this is really wonderful, I loved it. I haven't watched or read any B7 for months and months, but long fic from the nineties is basically a dream come true in this fandom, and it's brought back all my Blake/Avon feelings brilliantly. They're just glorious. Jenna was amazing too, but the idea of Blake and Avon just not *needing* to fight any more, and sort of working that out between themselves, is glorious. Also I love anything that locks them up together for a little bit obviously. (And now I'm happily editing in a ridiculously happy ending in my head. Because that is traditionally how I cope with Blakes 7.) [2]
Wow.
That was just so perfectly Blake's 7, from the incredibly apt epigraph from Yeats, to the bleak yet ambiguous ending. Well done!
You were always a dab hand at political arguments, and at galaxy-spanning tales. But you know me: I like best the deft character moments, the humour, the emotion. The nobility, and the truth.
And there were so many such moments along the way that I enjoyed. A concussed Servalan nevertheless quite pragmatically endeavouring to get Blake and Jenna to go save her major's life. The image of Vila talking to his sock when needs must. (I imagine him going the whole hog with the mutual conversation, and wearing it as a hand puppet, doing the sock's voice as it talked back, and so on.) I loved Servalan's very interesting question to Blake the malcontent, about whether he even knew what contentment was. I loved Servalan very neatly, with scary intelligence and logic, getting through to Blake and then Avon - and loved even more that they knew just how to defuse that for each other. Oh, and Servalan being both mannered and vulgar: perfect! Not to mention the people wearing more jewellery than clothing. LOL! You are just so good at succinctly nailing an image that conveys so very very much. I loved Blake being able to recognise and respond to an olive branch even when he's been slapped in the face with it. And oh god what a marvellous metaphor: trying to choose between the oysters and the king prawns! Love it! (And I feel moved to reply to her that the All You Can Eat Buffet features both, and is the best choice of all. Forgive me for being tacky.) I very much like the use of the term 'adaptable', and love the notion of tacking about all over the starchart. Hurrah! I loved Blake's humorous retorts such as, 'Well, you didn't know me then.' And oh poor Avon, not wanting to be understood, even by Blake - though Blake so obviously does, and knows just how to compliment him with 'You never had a textbook brain.' A canny fellow, that Blake. I love that Blake decided to work with his blank slate rather than against it, and make himself up as he went along - and to such delicious effect. The two of them together was just perfect. I blame the enemy, too. But then I'm a die-hard romantic.
I could do with reading jekesta's ridiculously happy ending, I really could. But then I think that you, Bryn, have written this as canonical as it can be, and I love it for that. So very glad that you picked this story up again, and knew what to do! I loved reading the results. Thank you. ♥ [3]
Great characterization and character interaction! I've also enjoyed the political debate between Blake and Servalan. Servalan is really dangerous to keep as a prisoner, and potentially subversive -- she reminded me of the character of the captured Nazi criminal in the movie "The Debt".
The bleak ending feels very much in line with the series. The part where Blake crushes his bracelet in order to share the fate of other revolutionaries is very moving. There are actually subtle and moving details throughout the story -- for instance, the part where Avon watches Blake sleeping (possibly having a nightmare) with "awkward tenderness".
And, this is the first time I've ever commented on a slash story :) I don't normally read slash. But this is just great writing. [4]
References
- ^ on author's lifejournal, April 25, 2012
- ^ Comment on AO3 by jekesta, April 26, 2012
- ^ Comment on AO3 by stew (julie), May 06, 2012
- ^ Comment on AO3 by Natasha, June 21, 2018