Virtual Reality

Fanfiction
Title:	Virtual Reality
Author(s):	Sebastian
Date(s):	1993
Length:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Blake's 7
External Links:	online here
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Virtual Reality is a Blake's 7 Avon/Blake story by Sebastian.

It was first published in Oblaque #6 and has been archived online.

M. Fae Glasgow wrote a companion piece to this story called E-Male.

Reactions and Reviews

1993

So I ask you, is love a necessary component of a slash story? Sebastian wrote an Avon/Blake piece called Virtual Reality that includes desire, obsession, and sexual perversion, but nothing approaching normal love. And M. Fae followed this story up with a vignette (E-Male) that provides the missing 'perverted' video (holo?) sex scene. Change the names and the piece could easily be included in any serious collection of gay porn you care to name. But is it slash?

2017

MUSE OF FIRE RESPONSIBLE: Sebastian

HAS POOR VILA BEEN DRAGOONED INTO THIS SHITSHOW? —

WHY ARE BLAKE AND AVON DOOMED THIS WEEK? The ending is a bit ???, but they are deeply (and damagingly–it makes both of them do unwise, risky, morally dubious things) in love with one another, and even though it can be a very bad idea Blake seems to get that there’s no back-button on this, it’s something they have to work with (I kind of wonder whether they’ll try some of Avon’s Things now, and whether that’ll make Avon, at least in the moment, SUPER pleased–though was it the VR that was losing its charm versus Actual Blake, or was it *being* the sadist in the equation?)

EDITOR’S NOTE: ‘Here is a chain of events, of interlocking actions that, once begun, lead to a promised ultimate doom’ ahahah oh Oblique, that’s everything you do p much/same

PROSE: actually very good

OVERALL: So Avon’s sadistic and makes himself virtual-reality fan videos about Blake, who he’s kind of obsessed with. Vila finds out and there’s social awkwardness/tension.

I really like Avon’s reaction to Vila finding out, that’s consistently well done.

Nice writing. Especially great physicality for Avon.

One saving grace of this fic is that it doesn’t think Blake’s dumb. That just FORCES the fic to go better directions. Interestingly the narrative voice is unusually loud, and unusually with Blake.

Time/event-flow is a bit awkward in this. How long have they been fooling around before Blake watches the tape?

I don’t really have a problem with Blake watching the disc–they’re dating, he’s been told it’s About Him, he’s expected here, he wants to watch it to make Avon happy–feels like an honest mistake. Though I have real trouble with the idea of Avon’s pornography as equivalent to a physical violation? The fic takes that contention fairly seriously.

I really like ‘I was supposed to be enjoying it, was I?’/’Didn’t it look as if you were?’ There’s a sort of–wistfulness to that. All along the back of this fic I sort of feel an intense emotional craving, maybe two-way: it works for me. The whole axis of ‘normal’ sexuality is interesting here, as is Avon’s comment about inadequacy, and the fact that he’d *say* it. The closing conversations end up being really powerful, even if I do think–everyone in this fic acts like fairly hardcore sadism is CRAZY RARE, rather than… something within the compass of imagination/practice?

I could do with a bit more thought/emotional arc from them re: WHY they are crazy in love.

I enjoy this story and think it does valuable things in the fandom even if it’s not *exactly* my cuppa.