Blake/Avon

Pairing
Pairing:	Roj Blake/Kerr Avon
Alternative name(s):	Avon/Blake, B/A, A/B
Gender category:	slash, m/m
Fandom:	Blake's 7
Canonical?:	no, unless you want to take Chris Boucher's comments literally
Prevalence:	one of the most common pairings in the fandom
Archives:	Blake/Avon on AO3, The Library at hermit.org (multi-pairing and gen archive), Liberated.org (multi-pairing and gen archive)
Other:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Although other pairings have been equally or at times more popular within Blake's 7 fandom, over time Blake/Avon has proved to be persistantly the most popular pairing within the fandom. It seems unlikely that much was written before 1983 when the first all-slash Blake's 7 zine E-Man-Uelle was published. By the late 1980s, more slash zines (including Blake/Avon, among other pairings such as Avon/Vila, Avon/Tarrant) were being published than het zines. Hermit Library's index of all known 'Slash and Adult Pairings' in Blake's 7 suggests that over time Blake/Avon came to dominate the fandom.

The pairing is a mix of buddyslash and enemyslash, with Avon taking the role of Blake’s second-in-command/most trusted friend, and that of his chief critic. The tension between the two is largely a result of opposing worldviews: Blake is motivated by wide humanitarian goals, namely bringing down the Federation so that “free men can think and speak”, while Avon maintains that “Wealth is the only reality” and would (so he claims) rather stay alive than help anyone else.

In some fics, this tension between them leads to hatesex. In others they love each other despite of (or because of) their differences. As Sally Manton points out, “[there] are indicators lightly sprinkled through the series that they do like each other, even as they vex and infuriate each other” and even as (at least) Avon denies it.

BLAKE Well, you certainly took your time finding me.

AVON There didn't seem to be any hurry. Anyway, I always said I could manage very well without you.

BLAKE It must have been so dull having no one to argue with.

AVON Well, now, there were times when your simple-minded certainties might have been refreshing.

BLAKE Careful, Avon. Your sentiment is showing.

AVON That's your imagination.

The events of the show’s final episode both serve to further the pairing (with Blake greeting Avon with the words ‘Avon, I was waiting for you’ and Avon reacting in devastation to the idea that Blake has betrayed him), and potentially destroyed the pairing forever (since at least one half is probably dead by the credits, if not both). However, fandom being fandom, this episode has also inspired numerous Post-Gauda Prime fix-it fics, in which Blake and Avon survive their implied deaths. In such fics, they are then (sometimes) allowed to work out their differences. See Tropes/PGP Fics for more details.

Is it Canon?

It is highly unlikely that the relationship between the two main male characters in a 1970s/80s BBC action adventure drama is intended to be depicted as a romantic one, however, script editor Chris Boucher (who arguably understands the characters best) has made the following comments on the record.

I was always careful to make sure that Avon could have an idealistic reason for doing something, and also a totally selfish and cynical one, and you pays your money and you takes your choice. I don't think to my mind the character was really sure of his own motives anyway, I mean as far as Avon was concerned rationally, he always did it for totally cynical reasons. His ambition right from the start had been to get rich and then retire to a place in the sun, but finally, when it came to the last episode, Avon, either despite himself, or because of what had happened to him, believed in Blake's friendship. No, I've sort of skirted round the word, he had come to believe in Blake's love for him, and Blake was the last possible thing he could believe in. Having lost everything that he had ever believed in, there was one last possibility for faith, for belief, for love and when it became apparent to Avon that Blake had betrayed him, he killed him and Avon had absolutely no choice, but to kill him. The final irony of course, was he then realized that he'd made a mistake, he was wrong, Blake hadn't betrayed him at all. Which was basically funny, and which was why, I guess, Avon smiles in the final frame.

CB: So, in the course of the series, he kills the two things he loves. [Avon's canonical girlfriend Anna], and Blake.

PD: Mmm.

CB: God, you were…I mean, I mean, what a pain you were.

PD: Sort of a tragic figure, isn't he?

CB: He is, a totally tragic figure.

Paul Darrow's face suggests that Avon is devastated at the thought Blake could have betrayed them... or rather, him in ep.4x13 'Blake'

While Boucher certainly seems to believe that the two had a very close relationship (romantic or otherwise), Paul Darrow (Avon) seems to believe the opposite, despite his own performance strongly suggesting that Avon cares for Blake in some way. The following quotation (one of a number of similar quotations) is taken from his autobiography You're Him, Aren't You?

[In series 3] we were looking for the not certifiably dead Blake. Each character had his or her reasons for this quest. As far as Avon was concerned, I decided that his search for Blake was to make sure. That he was dead, that is.

It is possible (perhaps even probable) that Darrow writes about Avon's relationship with Blake with some irony, but he sounds serious when he says on the bonus material for Big Finish full-cast audio Warship:

You do wonder what happened to Blake [at the end of series 2] - I don't suppose Avon did, I don't suppose he was bothered, but for anyone watching it it's quite a good idea to give some kind of an explanation.

As Boucher says, "you pays your money and you takes your choice."

Fandom History

Blake's 7 zines had been available from 1977, but almost all were exclusively gen or het until c1983. The novella Mindfire (privately circulated/bootlegged from 1979, and "officially" published in 1998) is thought to be the earliest instance of the pairing, which is here presented as part of a Blake/Avon/Cally triad although Blake and Avon do agree they'd stay together even if Cally died.

Other contenders for the first Blake/Avon fic in a zine include E-Man-Uelle, the first all-slash zine and "A Fate Worse than Death" by Ann Johnson & Jane Carnall published in Touched #3 (1984), which is the earliest B/A fic listed in Hermit.org's list of all known A/B stories.

Notable anthology zines containing Blake/Avon fics include: Fire and Ice (all Blake/Avon), Oblaque, Resistance, Avon Calling and Southern Lights/Southern Comfort.

Blake's 7 fandom went online in 1992. The first mailing list was called Lysator and was named after the "Lysator Academic Computer Society", one of the first Internet-connected sites in Sweden. [1]

In 1995, Space City, a slash mailing list was spun off to allow discussion of slash and adult topics without controversy. This was superseded in 1999 by Freedom City.

The Hermit Library archive was founded in 2000 by Judith Proctor and has not been updated since c2008. It hosts around 150+ stories that feature Blake, Avon and a M/M pairing at least 'thinking about sex' with each other. Some fic was uploaded to Fanfiction.net from 2001 onwards, but mostly before the 'filter by character' option was available, so it is difficult to tell how much is Blake/Avon. Hip Deep in Heroes was founded in 2008 by Nicola Mody, Van Donovan and others - it closed in 2013.

Fandom moved onto Livejournal in 2003, although the lists and archives continued to be used. Within the year, communities such as b7_rpg were founded. There does not seem to have been a pairing-specific Blake/Avon community. Other homes on LJ for Blake/Avon fic include b7fic and B7 Friday.

Fans began uploading old and new Blake/Avon stories to Archive of Our Own in 2009. As of July 2013, Blake/Avon is the most popular Blake's 7 ship on AO3, with 267 fics (the next most popular is Avon/Vila with 32!).

Controversies

Slash (including Blake/Avon) was blamed for relations between BNFs and the actors 'imploding' in the 1980s. Although this connection was later disproved, it does seem that the actors were uncomfortable with their characters being slashed, with Paul Darrow reputedly asking, 'Why is Gareth [Thomas] always raping me?'

In the 1990s fans on B7 lists and newsgroups were forced to defend their slash-preferences against new fans so often that the Generic Slash Defence Form Letter was drawn up. See The Generic Slash Defense Letter for more information on this letter.

Also see the 'Slash Appears' on the main Blake's 7 page for more details.

Fanfiction and Popular Tropes

Given that Blake leaves the Liberator crew at the end of series 2 (meaning that he and Avon are separated), most Blake/Avon fics are set either in the first two series or Post-Gauda Prime after they have reunited. (For more info about PGP fics see below).

The way the pairing is portrayed varies enormous across the fandom, ranging from schmoop to darkfic, based partly on how the author views Blake and his motivations, and partly on personal preference. The dichotomy can be loosely expressed as Floods of Tears vs Oblaque.

'Floods of Tears' basically refers to the reaction Blake and Avon have to discovering the other's love for them/other emotional events in the fics within this school. These fics are likely to be PGP fics that take place in the wake of the Federation's downfall - thus allowing Blake and Avon to focus on their relationship. Blake is generally portrayed as a good-hearted hero.

• Careless Whispers by S Lewis. The definitive 'Floods of Tears' text.
• The Last Best Hope/The Long Way Back by Melody C.
• 'New Day Dawning' by Imajiru Mackenzie in Fire and Ice #3

Oblaque is a Blake's 7 slash zine, which generally focuses on darker characterisations and scenarios. CB writes "Undercurrents of power, domination both social and sexual, abuse and violence permeate the eroticism of many of these stories, and the tone is generally dark, not so much hurt/comfort as anguish, desperation and a little bit of comfort if you're very lucky. Suffering, whether emotional or physical, really means suffering. " In such stories, Blake is more likely to be manipulative and a relatively dark character. Tropes include BDSM and hatesex.

• Cat's Cradle P1 and P2 by Sebastian
• The Truth Will Out by M Fae Glasgow
• Flow Gently, Sweet Afton by Leigh Graham
• Code of Silence by shimere277. BDSM; not Oblaque
• 'Castle in the Air' by Phillipa Scott in Southern Comfort #6.5. With Blake/Jenna and Avon/Anna. BDSM; not Oblaque

Of course, many other fics fall somewhere between these two extremes!

Tropes

In her 2004 ship manifesto, Executrix identified the main tropes of Blake/Avon fic as follows:

One common pattern in B/A stories is for the sexual relationship to act as a catalyst that forces Avon not only to recognize but to admit otherwise unacknowledged or unspoken emotions. In other words, Blake gives sex to get love. Avon gives love to get sex. Which makes Blake the girl.

However, because Avon is noticeably shorter than Blake (although not, as some fanon would have you believe, in need of toe shoes to go down on a hobbit), there’s a certain amount of Smaller Man characterization in B7 fanon. Probably the central item of B/A fanon is that Blake has a larger endowment than Harvard, and he does display a certain easy confidence that implies a sense of security. I rather think that Avon Regrets that he has a small Part of Life.

In B7 fiction, it is never safe to go downplanet to a festival, or to attempt to recruit a planet to the rebel side, because odds are they’ll follow Athenian customs and require previously heterosexual rebels to engage in public displays of affection that soon become private. It is definitely not safe to blow anything up, because Blake and Avon will get trapped in the rubble. Like any other fandom, “cave” is not followed by “canem” but by “shag.” There are a lot of First Time backrub stories; a lot of after-the-battle First Time stories follow Roger Ebert’s formula (“We’re alive! Let’s kiss!”)

Fandom would be nowhere without issues of Trust and Betrayal, and B7 offers rich seams for mining. However, the theme of the Bad Father seldom pops up, and indeed Family in B7 is a bit of a Shortest Thesis in the World joke.

Jenny Pausaker’s questionnaire for her B/A survey identifies the pairing’s tropes as caves; aphrodisiacs; sexual slavery; Avon crying; “Blake being hung like a bull”’ Avon in black leather; and a "rescue from a brothel.”

Well, the black leather is canon, the tears are highly anti-canonical, and even though there aren’t any explicit brothels in canon (I wouldn’t bet on what services are available at either Freedom City or Space City) there is an episode where Servalan buys Avon in a slave market.

Jenny’s typology for story endings are a statement or implication that the sexual relationship will continue--or that it won’t; either the resolution or intensification of their previous antagonism; angst all around; or recognition that Blake has more power in the relationship--or that Avon does. No wonder there are so many stories, given the plethora of possibilities.

The tropes identified by executrix (including cave stories, aphrodisiacs and Pretend Couple) are perhaps particularly popular in this ship because Blake and Avon have a naturally antagonistic relationship and presumably many reasons for not wanting to be in a relationship with each other. Avon canonically denies even liking Blake as a person, although his actions suggest otherwise. Tropes that force them to act on their feelings and/or talk about them are therefore very useful in engineering a first time.

Amnesia/Mindwipe

Blake's 7 is a fandom that canonically includes the possibility of mindwiping someone (in the first episode it is revealed that Blake, at least, has been mindwiped at least twice, and Vila numerous times). This theme can be explored for angst with Blake wondering who he really is during series 1 and 2.

• 'Continue to Continue' by Northwest Smith in Southern Comfort 6.5
• The Treatment by Bryn Lantry

Alternatively, amnesia or mindwipes can occur after Gauda Prime or otherwise during the show. Again, this use of the trope is likely to produce angsty fic, but it can be used to bring Blake and Avon together, since they no longer remember their difficult past together.

• Flow Gently, Sweet Afton by Leigh Graham
• The Ghosts of Gauda Prime by Natasha Solten in Fire & Ice #3

Perhaps the most common use of the mindwipe trope is in fics that posit that Blake and Avon knew each other before 'The Way Back', the first episode of the show (consequently such fics are sometimes called 'Pre Way Back' fics) and now no longer remember their 'relationship' (or only one of them remembers it). They may have known each other while working on the Aquatar Project together or at meetings of Blake's political group 'The Freedom Party'.

• The Last Best Hope by Melody C.
• Urban Panter by Willa Shakespeare ('gay pulp novel' fic)
• Images by Linda Norman

Aphrodisiacs

Fairly self-explanatory.

• Automatic Reactions by Predatrix
• Three Times Daily by Julia Stamford
• The Biter Bit by Nova

Avon's Incredible Beauty vs Blake's Force of Personality

Despite him being played by a 40ish-year-old British actor on British television in the 1970s (and thus arguably not being conventionally attractive), Avon's physical beauty is often explicitly referred to in Blake's 7 fic, particularly Blake/Avon fic. In some cases, his beauty is even used as the instigator for the plot i.e. Avon's desirability makes him an ideal candidate to pretend to be Blake's hired 'companion', or Avon's beauty gets the crew into trouble/puts him into a compromising position i.e. he might be sold into sex slavery or captured and forced to work in a brothel.

• Gorgeous by R. Olivia Brown

Conversely, Blake's physical charms are usually more objectively appraised by the narrative and by Avon.

Blake is not, technically speaking, a handsome man. His attraction derives from the force of the presence that animates his features. Asleep, with his mouth half-open and his eyelids twitching, he looked more than a little ridiculous. So, when my heart convulsed painfully at the sight, I realised that Blake's diagnosis and my own suspicions were indeed true. Apparently I did love him, whatever that might mean.

This is true even in extremely romantic and fluffy fics, with Anna S's review of 'Floods of Tears' classic Careless Whispers noting that:

Blake's description is unflatteringly realistic and that's nice. Avon, unsurprisingly, seems to come off (heh -- sorry) a lot better than his beloved 'battered rebel'. He gets a nice flat stomach, without benefit of corset, even. Maybe it's all the suffering and pining he's been doing. Apparently, brooding on balconies is good for the abs.

However, there are a group of fics (reputedly produced and influenced by writer London Bates) that stand as an exception to this rule to this rule. Sarah Thompson identifies these fics as:

[The]London Bates category of Superstud Blake stories, in which Blake is the one who is so desirable that everyone wants him.

Backrubs

The episode 2x4 'Horizon' states categorically that Avon has a bad back and that the rest of the Liberator crew are suffering from severe stress. Since Blake's holiday plans are basically non-existent or lies, backrubs are often medically necessary...

• Someone to Watch Your Back by Belatrix Carter and its sequel Back-up Disc by Executrix
• 'Morning After' by Mistral (Blake/Avon/Cally)

Blake's Child-Molesting Charges

In the first episode, the Federation conspire to discredit Blake as a political figure by fabricating charges of child molesting. The children involved all have their memories modified so that they believe what happened really took place. The show never referred to these charges again, but fanfic mines it as a rich source of conflict. Many Blake/Avon fics explore Blake's horror and worry that there might be some truth in these charges and/or experiencing sexual disfunction, either as a result of his disgust or as a result of Federation conditioning to stop him 're-offending'. Other fics introduce the Liberator crew to the other people whose lives were affected by these charges.

• Rosetta Stone by M Fae Glasgow (posits the charges were based in reality, daddy games)
• 'As Easy as Falling Off a Bike' and 'Hot Tub' in Fire and Ice #7 by Helen Patrick (posits Blake has been conditioned)
• 'Though Memories Die, Love Remains' by Leah S in Fire and Ice #3 (one of Blake's 'victims' has fallen in love with him and has tracked him down)
• Things We Said Today by hafren (Blake is unable to have sex because he's so horrified by what happened to the children)

Brothels

While there are no brothels shown in canon, episode 2x11 'Gambit' is set in a place called 'Freedom City' ruled by a man called Krantor, who boasts: "Discretion and delicacy are the very watchwords of my organization. Just tell me your requirements and I will see that you are provided with the most sophisticated -- and subtle -- forms of satisfaction", while in another scene of the same episode Jenna (in part of a fake fight) calls Cally "a cheap little space tramp... a ten-credit touch". It therefore seems likely that there are brothels in this universe and that our heroes might come into contact with them.

Blake/Avon fics set in and around brothels can a) use it as a source of conflict (based on a past one of them would rather forget) b) use the brothel as a device to force the characters together, with either both of them being captured and forced to have sex for someone else's amusement, or one of them being captured only to be rescued (generally after a sex scene) by the other or c) used as a place to find someone to take their mind off the other i.e. Avon finds a man who looks like Blake or d) the two of them agree to share someone so they can be together.

• Something to Live For by Sean Charles (Avon captured)
• Avon at the Window by Nova (Avon's past)
• Freedom City Follies by Willa Shakespeare (Blake and Avon both captured, along with the rest of the crew)
• Against the Wall by M Fae Glasgow (Blake and Avon have sex with the same man)

'London' Fic

Blake and Avon (presumably) meet for the first time in episode 1x2 'Space Fall' on board a prison transfer ship called the 'London', which is on route to the planet Cygnus Alpha. Although the action of the episode seem to suggest otherwise, it is clearly stated that this trip will take eight months and thus, presumably, at least several months have passed with all the prisoners in close confinement before Blake, Avon and Jenna board the Liberator. Some fics posit that Blake and Avon became lovers during this period.

• Angels and Devils part of Bend Me, Shape Me by Nova

Other fics, such as Careless Whispers or Nova's 'To Tell the Truth', simply posit that Blake and Avon fell for each other during the journey, but chose not to act on their attraction.

PGP Fics

Post-Gauda Prime fic is a major genre within Blake's 7 fic. Not all PGP fics posit that Blake and Avon both survived, but many Blake/Avon PGP fics do, for obvious reasons. The other characters in the tracking gallery may or may not have survived, with some fans extrapolating the possibility of life or death for characters based on which guns they were shot with, and others choosing to ignore the events depicted on screen and writing an active AU.

Hafren posits that the popularity of PGP fic:

presumably reflects the mass gut reaction to the canon end. Myself I've always thought it worked dramatically, yet that's never stopped me wanting to continue the story and my own proportion of sequel fic is about 37%. I don't think this is just the age-old desire for a happy ending to the story, given that a lot of sequel fic (certainly mine) is as determinedly miserabilist as the series. I think it was more that people weren't ready for it to end, in any way, and felt the characters were a long way from being done with yet - had the series ended with the revolution triumphant, I suspect there'd still be loads of sequel fic (probably describing how it all went wrong and the Federation rose again, in the tradition of a fandom where there are always bad times just around the corner).

This genre is so large that it has its own set of story tropes/reoccurring story elements.

Blake as President

In many fics, Blake becomes the new president of the Federation, often with Avon as his chief advisor. The two men may already have realised their feelings for each other as a result of the events of Gauda Prime (or earlier events), or may gradually realise their feelings while working together.

• Careless Whispers by S Lewis
• Gemini Rising by Suzann Lovett (gen)
• The Last Best Hope by Melody C. (pre-slash)
• Looking For Gold by hafren

Guilt and Remorse

Some writers attempt to excuse Avon's choice to shoot Blake by attributing it to an external influence (for example, Servalan conditioned him or otherwise began controlling him during 'Terminal').

• The Last Best Hope by Melody C. (pre-slash)

Other stories focus on themes of guilt, remorse and possible atonement, with Avon regretting his actions to the extent that he sometimes attempts to commit suicide and/or engages in 'floods of tears'. Blake is often depicted as intractable and vengeful:

• 'Finally Come Home' by Irish and 'New Day Dawning' by Imajiru Mackenzie, both in Fire & Ice #3.
• Several of Hafren's fics also deal with this idea. For example, Sentence (gen), which is part of the Atonement Cycle (also includes fics by Willa Shakespeare and Nova)
• Else the Universe by shimere277.

Blake can also be instantly forgiving:

• Body & Soul by Nova
• Nothing I'd Rather Do by Willa Shakespeare

Blake's Clone

In 2x3 'Weapon' it was revealed that Servalan had cloned Blake. The clone has some but not all of Blake's memories, and ends the episode alive and apparently in a romantic relationship with the ex-slave Rashel. In some PGP fics, it is revealed that the man Avon shot on Gauda Prime was actually the clone, rather than the real Blake. In others, Avon actively or accidentally encounters the clone and forms a new 'relationship' with him.

• Fealty by Bryn Lantry
• 'Avon, My Avon' by Vanessa Mullen, published in Fire & Ice #3
• Shane by Judith Proctor (gen)
• Doppelganger by Suzan Lovett (gen, and actually pre-Gauda Prime, but clearly informed by those events/set in around the same time-frame)

Pretend Couple

As Executrix says, this trope is usually excused as part of a plot in which Blake needs to convince some rebels/potential rebels to help the Liberator crew or otherwise join the fight against the Federation.

• Fire & Ice #3 has no fewer than four fics that use this trope (although 'Though Memories Die, Love Remains' by Leah S has Blake/Avon as the real relationship, and Blake/Jenna as the fake one). One of them is Gorgeous by R. Olivia Brown
• Five Easy Pieces by Nova

Slave Fic

Blake/Avon is a pairing about power dynamics and Blake canonically orders Avon around. Slavefic, much like BDSM, is a consequently popular as a way of extending/inverting this relationship.

• Retraining by hafren (gen. Avon is Blake's slave. Unusually his duties do not include sex).
• Nor Iron Bars a Cage by R. Olivia Brown (Avon is Blake's slave)
• 'Once More into the Breach' by Emily Ross in Powerplay #1 (gen. Blake is purchased by Avon. Picked as one of Sally and Jenny's 50 Favourite A-B Gen Stories)
• 'The Gift' by Pat Terra in Fire & Ice #3 (Blake is Avon's slave)

Trapped in Rubble/Trapped on a Planet

Otherwise known as cave stories. Typically a result of a mission going wrong.

• Fanatics by Bryn Lantry
• Frozen In Hell by Julia Stamford
• All Flannel and a Yard Wide by Willa Shakespeare and Blakefancier

Interactions with Other Characters

Many fans believe that Jenna is sexually or romantically interested in Blake in the series. Consequently, in stories where he pairs up with Avon, this can often lead to a trope known as Jealous Jenna. In some cases, this can be OOC, and Michelle M. has called 'really bad' examples 'misogynistic'.

• Checkers by Pat Patera (gen)
• 'Take My Heart' by Irish in Southern Comfort #9.5
• Divide and Conquer by Willa Shakespeare

The Blake/Avon relationship is also often featured in the background of Avon/Vila fics, either as a past relationship that Avon is now glad to be rid of, or as a relationship he wishes he could be in while he is with Vila. Alternately, Vila's interest in Avon (or Blake) may lead to a threesome, which could potentially devolve Blake/Avon. Cally is also sometimes featured as the third corner of the triangle, but more rarely.

• Bittersweet by Sebastian (Blake/Avon/Vila, into Blake/Avon)
• 'Morning After' by Mistral in Southern Comfort #6.5 (Blake/Avon/Cally)
• Mindfire by Ermentrude Postlethwaite-Smythe (Blake/Avon/Cally)

Vila may also be portrayed as "the wise Delta - who sees all and knows all without being told".

Gen as Slash

In addition to the fics where slash is implied or actively present, Blake's 7 fandom contains a great deal of gen fic that focuses on the intense relationship between Blake and Avon to the extent that, like the show itself, it can be read as slashy. Such fic is known as Blake-Avon or "A stories (smarm), which focus on an emotional but not explicitly sexual relationship between Avon and Blake", rather than Blake/Avon. The Space City Blake/Avon recs list features several stories that are "actually gen, but are still picked as favourites by slash fans because of the intensity of the relationship and the quality of the writing."

Kindkit has commented:

I think their relationship is a case where it's quite difficult to draw the line between "gen, in the sense that they're no more emotionally intense about each other than they are in canon" and "slashy." It is canon that Avon and Blake are obsessive about each other. Fics that reflect the fraught emotional tone of their interactions are often going to seem slashy. And I think they may seem particularly slashy/shippy to people who don't like the pairing and want to avoid it.

The main resource for this genre is a list compiled by Sally Manton and Jenny Pausacker's epic list: Sally and Jenny's 50 Favourite A-B Gen Stories.

Examples include:

• Suzan Lovett's five A-B stories, particularly The Road to Hell, which includes such classic slash tropes as naked huddling for warmth and a variation on the Cave story (minus the cave, plus sewers).
• Checkers by Pat Patera
• Rogues by Teri White
• A Christmas Canto by Sally Manton
• Beloved Adversary by Sondra Sweigman

Other Example Fanworks

Meta

• ThreePursuitShip by Executrix for ship_manifesto (Sep 2004)
• Blake & Avon essay; copy by Sally Manton
• The Beginner's Guide to Blake's 7 Slash; copy by Manna (fic)
• Carnell Knowledge; copy: Carnell examines the Blake/Avon relationship to find out whether they were having sex.
• you complete me // you had me at 'is it true? have you betrayed us?' (a ship manifesto that focuses exclusively on Blake's feelings for Avon) by Aralias
• Romancing the Slash by Sarah Thompson

Fanfiction Rec Lists

• Space City rec list
• Sally & Jenny's 50 Favourite A-B Gen Stories (with 50 bonus extras)
• Blake's 7 recs at LJ community crack_van (not all B/A, but many are)
• Katy & Molly's 77+ Favourite A/B and A-B Fics

Example Fanart Gallery

• 

  Suzan Lovett is one of the best-regarded Blake/Avon artists, known for highly detailed, idealised slash images (often in fantasy settings). This image, Sleeping Beauty, was originally published in Avon Calling #3 and features an unusually gentle portrayal of the relationship.

• 

  Other fanart, such as this Fire & Ice #2 cover by Phoenix, depicts the more confrontational aspects.

• 

  Interior art by Randym for Careless Whispers shows the level of stylisation at the other end of the spectrum to Lovett.

• 

  Manips became more prominent in the 2000s. This image is interior art by Pat Fenech is from Fire & Ice #9 published in 2005.

• 

  NSFW. Some publishers refused to print sexually artwork. Fire & Ice #6 had a particularly high number of explicit images, including this one by Whitby27. Note: Marked as sexually explicit.

Fan Comments

Kerr Avon/Roj Blake from Blake's 7. Two more different characters you couldn't meet. Blake's passion and emotionalism is in perfect counterpoint to Avon's cool, laconic detachment. I found the relationship between them intriguing even as a teenager when the show first aired. It seemed to me that Blake wanted Avon's support and respect. Avon on the other hand 'appeared' to want or need nothing from anyone. My mom and I argued all through the first season who was the sexiest, Avon or Blake. I'm afraid to say I was won over and even today I still go weak at the knees at the sound of Paul Darrow's voice. Looking back on ti now, thanks to the UK Gold Channel, being older and wiser, there's definitely something going on I certainly didn't pick up on as an innocent adolescent. Just look at the costumes, they speak volumes! Avon's all in black leather and studs while Blake sported the soft velvet look. If that's not a hint I don't know what is.

Other Resources

• List of all known A/B stories. Last updated 2 February 2003.
• List of all known A-B stories. Last updated 2 June 2001.
• A/B Slash: A Chronological Listing by Nova (mirrored on DW). Last updated 2005.