Echoes of Love

Fanfiction
Title:	Echoes of Love
Author(s):	J.R.
Date(s):	November 1994
Length:
Genre:
Fandom:	Blake's 7
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Echoes of Love is a Blake's 7 Avon/Blake, with Avon/Soolin and Jenna/Cally, story by J.R..

It was published in Southern Comfort #8.5.

Part of a Trilogy

• Beyond the Far Horizon (Avon/Blake) ("Avon and Blake are surprised to realize that they are hopelessly in love...even though they can't seem to get along for more than an hour at a time!") (16 pages)
• Echoes of Love (Avon/Blake, with Avon/Soolin and Cally/Jenna) (33 pages)
• Coming Out of the Dark (Avon/Blake, with Cally/Jenna, Blake/Jenna and Avon/Cally) (36 pages)

Reactions and Reviews

In thirteen of the thirty stories, the f/f element is fairly peripheral - or extremely peripheral [snipped] Similarly, in Jamie Melody Randell's 'Echoes of Love', the f/f component rates two lines in a 32 page story.

'Never mind that Cally was by then comfortably shacked up with Jenna, Blake was insanely jealous [of Avon and Cally].'

Ugh, and then there's this, which is a sequel to the aforementioned, in which it's revealed that even though PP showed him that Avon was literally always right, Blake couldn't keep to his promise to listen to Avon, because he's a fuckwit. So Avon leaves him... and teams up with Soolin, and they have sex and a baby and what have you, and become 'modern day Robin Hood' types (his words, not mine). Meanwhile Blake is bumbling around the galaxy, unable to do anything right because he doesn't have Avon any more. Eventually they both wind up at GP (where Avon has a cunning plan to help poor people or whatever) and Blake - who has been tracking Avon and now thinks Avon has betrayed him - shoots Avon, who fortunately survives long enough to make Blake feel really guilty about being such a fuckwit.

And I hate this so hard, because Blake is not rubbish - and because the specific actions of a) going crazy and going to Terminal even though it is really dangerous and there's no benefit except saving his beloved and b) going crazy and going to GP even though it is really dangerous and there's no benefit except saving his beloved are the actions of Kerr 'personal vendetta first' Avon, not Roj 'self-sacrifice' Blake. When Blake goes crazy and reckless it is for the revolution, not generally for Avon or the others. The only parallel I'll allow is that Blake does insist on rescuing Cally in SLD (and, if you like, I'll also add his staying on Albion for no reason and giving up the power cells that will kill the Decimas to save Avon). But where Avon is obviously walking into a terrible situation on both Terminal and GP and knows it, in SLD Blake has tonnes of information over his opponent and makes a cunning plan that isn't just 'show up and see whether they will hand over Blake'. He also feels personally responsible for Cally's capture and wants to set that right - he's not just desperate to track her down and get married establish her as the figurehead of the rebellion.

So, not only have we mutilated Blake's character by saying that he is rubbish at everything, but we've mutilated him by turning him into a more rubbish Avon. I'm not saying that Blake didn't want Avon to come to GP, that he wasn't waiting for him, because he was and rather beautifully he not only went crazy in front of Deva (embarrassing for everyone) at the thought Avon was coming, but also said he was waiting for him right in front of Avon.

But he also had another plan going on in the background i.e. he had plenty of spiffy rebels being groomed for Federation-overthrowing business. He was getting on with his life and his rebellion and yes, going a bit crazy and missing Avon terribly, but he wasn't just moping about because Avon wasn't there. Blake's life doesn't revolve around Avon (and I say this as a shipper who wishes that it did).

Anyway, for some reason, even though this Blake is genuinely pathetic (he's an embarrassment to the rebellion now, and all his crew hate him - Blake has become a synonym for failure), Avon still loves him and wants to be with him. And forgives him for the shooting or whatever, because he was confused and stupid.

I just... I stopped reading eventually, and things were better. Robin tells me the ending is OK and that Blake is allowed to save Avon from something (Fezzik? You did something right), but I just can't bear the thought of going back.

Overall I enjoyed the three stories, but I do have some complaints. If I wanted to read K/S, I'd pull out one of a zillion K/S zines I own. Blake is bashed in this. Hey, this Blake is so totally untrustworthy and so stupid that everyone, including Avon, wonders why Avon loves him. And this Avon is rather "off." I guess I just don't see him cooking up a storm, talking babytalk, and weeping hysterically....

[This story] is still good, but getting weird. I like Soolin very much in this.