Blood Ties (Blake's 7 story)

Fanfiction
Title:	Blood Ties
Author(s):	Willa Shakespeare
Date(s):	1999
Length:	21,000 words
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Blake's 7
Relationship(s):
External Links:	Blood Ties at Archive of Our Own
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1999 STIFfie Award certificate for Best Blake's 7 Novella.

Blood Ties is a Blake/Avon story by Willa Shakespeare. It is a vampire story.

It was published in Fire and Ice #5. It won the 1999 STIFfie Award for Best Blake's 7 Novella.

Reactions and Reviews

Be careful if you don't like rape-love stories (where an apparent rape turns into a love affair), as she occasionally writes these (see One I'd Love, Blood Ties, or Outwitted). I don't mind these, as I'm always aware that such stories use rape as an image for loss-of-control or being forced to admit desire, but caveat lector, if necessary.

"Blood Ties" by Willa Shakespeare introduces another element dear to fannish hearts, postulating that the bat-bite Blake suffered in "Duel" infected him with what amounts to classic vampirism. There's one major difference, though. In most vampire stories, blood-sucking is a substitute for sex, but here they go together, as Avon finds out the hard way PGP. Eventually, though, there's a happy resolution, in which the entire Scorpio crew participate. Fans of Dayna, Soolin, Tarrant, and/or Vila may want to borrow the zine just to read this story, which has a strong adventure plot involving all the characters, as well as the A/B romance.

Blood Ties (A/B) -- Willa Shakespeare: Another go at an angsty Blake-as-vampire story--it's been done before, but I quite like Willa's stuff. PGP. Like one of the stories in F&I IV by the same author, this has B raping A (for being an obnoxious little bastard) after which he seduces A very gently and A realises he loves him. She doesn't fill in the characterisation properly (one para in A's POV suggesting he has a desire, which he is ashamed of, to submit to B, doesn't quite work for me), so I think it's just a kink of hers. That said, I quite like the story, although I don't think it's her best work. Watch out for the bit on the last page with Orac--howls of laughter from me. The Tarrant Nunquam (hi, Harriet) will like the bit where T thinks A couldn't be bi because he hasn't come on to T!

This isn't at all a bad fic, but it's not one of my favourites of hers. I hear Vampire!Blake is a thing, but I can only think of about three. There should be more, as it's a fun way of getting out of GP, although I do also wish that 'being a vampire' wasn't the instigator for the sexual/romantic relationship (Avon is, again, not gay, and it's not clear whether Blake goes for him just because he's peeved that Avon shot him). There's some capture and torture by Servalan and some fun business with a rescue by the Scorpio crew. Also, good dialogue as always, but - not my favourite at all.