Rebel Destinies

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Zine
Title: Rebel Destinies
Publisher: Peg Kennedy & Bill Hupe
Editor(s): Peg Kennedy
Date(s): 1994-1995
Series?:
Medium: print, e-zine
Size:
Genre:
Fandom: Blake’s 7
Language: English
External Links:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Rebel Destinies is a gen, het and slash Blake's 7 anthology with two issues.

Issue #2 is especially notable in that it was one of the earliest fanzines offered as an e-zine format.

Issue 1

front cover of issue #1, TACS
back cover of issue #1, Anne Hamilton
a December 1993 flyer

Rebel Destinies 1 contains 335 pages and was published in January 1994.

The art is by TACS (front cover), Todd Parrish, J.M. McClure, Whitby27, Leigh Moto'oka, Jane Mailander, Marian Mendez, Pam Whitelark, Leah Rosenthal, Karla Taylor, and Anne Hamilton.

It first started asking for submissions in 1991 and had a on original publication date of 1992.

From the editorial:

I won't bother boring you with the lengthy list of things that caused me to repeatedly push back the final deadline for the zine that you are at long last clutching in your hands. The largest problem however, was the lack of submissions; for a long time I was afraid that Rebel Destinies was never going to reach the hoped-for goal of 300 pages plus. And so I waited. . . To those few of you who eagerly sent me a submission only to wait for it to see the light of day, I apologize and thank you for your extended patience. And while I'm not sure what caused so many of you to be shy, I am ever-so-grateful that you all finally deluged me with your stories, poems, filks, cartoons, and art!

Now comes the pitch for Rebel Destinies 2. I truly enjoyed the variety of stories sent; Blake's 7 fans have clearly got some fresh ideas and plenty of tales left to share with the rest of us. So please, keep them coming! I really would like to be able to put out a second issue, possibly for summer '95. But my hands are tied without you. I do have several stories promised me and that is motivation enough for me to want to make number 2 a reality.

I would also like to hear from the readers. That's right, this means Letters of Comment. We all intend to jot down a few lines about that story or two that struck a chord inside us. Then, suddenly moths have rolled by and we're sure such a letter would be old news so we don't bother. WRONG! All of the hard-working writers and artists found in the pages of this zine and most others, have no deadline for those important LoCs. Many of us will go on to other projects, sometimes even other fandoms when a letter finds its way to our mailbox commenting on a piece long forgotten. It gives us a special feeling and just maybe, that boost to our ego will encourage us to write that story that 'we-just-didn't-have-time-for- but-we-really-would-like-to-write' . Yup. One of those little LoCs could make the difference to someone and I don't mean only those filled with praise (although we all love to get them!) Honest critique is a valuable tool for the writer who wants to continue to learn, and from my experience there appears to be plenty of those dear souls out there. Please keep this in mind as you turn the final pages and prepare to tuck your zine into the shelf and go on to the next one.

Enough said. Again, I thank all of you who helped in this long endeavor, old and new, and look forward to seeing those submissions in my mailbox soon.

  • Editor's Comment by Peg Kennedy (2)
  • Listen to the Madman (filk, King Herod's Song, from Jesus Christ Superstar) Alicia Ann Fox (3)
  • Intersection, fiction by Shayney Laurence (5)
  • Moonlight and Necrophilia, fiction by Sandra Basham (12)
  • Shake's Seven: A Sonnet Apiece, poem by Jane Mailander (16)
  • Sorcerer, fiction by Jean Graham (17)
  • The Date, fiction by Jane Mailander (33)
  • Understanding, fiction by Jennifer Smallwood (38)
  • Carefully Taught, fiction by Cami ("Tarrant's training as a soldier serves him well, teaching the young pilot to survive at all costs & feel nothing ... until his introduction to the other survivors aboard Liberator.") (39)
  • The Nightmare, fiction by Roxie Ray (Star Trek movie crossover) (46)
  • Fools and Children, fiction by Patti E. McClellan (49)
  • Friendship's End, poem by Jacqui Topp (52)
  • Cross of Gold, poem by Melissa Mastoris (52)
  • Fear, fiction by P.R. Zed (53)
  • Pilot Program, fiction by Marian Mendez (won a 1995 FanQ) ("Two young workers for the Federation meet for the first time, strangely it seems as if they've met before. Stranger still, they seem to be having the same dreams concerning nameless faces. And two years of their lives are a total blank") (71)
  • Principles, fiction by Alan Moravian (95)
  • Final Theft, fiction by Jane Mailander ("Vila is dying but there is one final thing he must steal from the Federation in those last precious seconds ...") (98)
  • The Choice, fiction by Jane Mailander (sequel to "Final Theft;" Kill the Dead crossover) (101)
  • Alarms and Excursions, fiction by Jean B. Hubb (reprinted from Eleventh Sector #2) (108)
  • The Terrible Case of C.U.T.E., fiction by Jennifer Smallwood (118)
  • Bounty, fiction by Pat Patera (127)
  • In Theory, fiction by Maggie Alexander (152)
  • The Blake Comes Back, fiction by Catherine Stewart(narrative poem; parody, The Cat in the Hat Comes Back) (156)
  • Other People's Hearts: A Gauda Prime 'What If...?', fiction by Sondra Sweigman (This is a prequel to Beloved Adversary. It is also Sweigman's first story published in an anthology, see below.) (163)
  • Reviewing the Situation, fiction by Rebecca Ann Brothers (171)
  • Instant Karma, fiction by Rebecca Ann Brothers ("Vila had jumped ship and stumbled into an old travelling companion. When Avon & Tarrant begin searching for the thief, Vila's rescuer goes on his own hunt and a series of dangerous & surprising events are put into play") (174)
  • That Little Voice in My Mind, poem by Alicia Ann Fox (201)
  • Terminal Conception, fiction by Jane Mailander (202)
  • Roj Blake, fiction by Daisy Leung (206)
  • The Unexpected, fiction by CarolMel Ambassador (207)
  • Behind the Mask (filk, Behind the Mask, by Christine McVie) by Roxie Ray (210)
  • Dead Man, poem by Melissa Mastoris (211)
  • Where Rumours End, poem by Jacqui Topp (213)
  • Prolific Propensities, fiction by Lorna B. ("Zen has been defaced by indelible markers, the food dispensers programmed with laxatives, the Kool Aid stains may never come out of the cushions on the flight deck & Orac is oozing with porridge. The good ship Perambulator is bursting at the seams with tiny new crew members and from Avon's expression the population is not the only thing about to explode!") (214)
  • A Difficult Mentor, fiction by Patti E. McClellan (222)
  • Reaching the Wall, fiction by Karla Taylor (225)
  • Crisis of Conscience, fiction by Rebecca Donahue (234)
  • Don't Pay the Ferryman, fiction by Alicia Ann Fox (337)
  • Black Angel, poem by Melissa Mastoris (338)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1

[Other People's Hearts -- comments by the author]: My own (as of now one-time-only) experience [with zine eds] has been positive. My first story will be appearing in "Rebel Destinies," and the editor, Peg Kennedy, has dealt with me in much the same way you deal with writers submitting to your zine. She did suggest a number of changes, both stylistic and in characterization. I accepted most of the stylistic ones (because I thought they constituted improvements), but rejected all the proposed changes in characterization. And Peg accepted my position on that graciously. As my story is being retyped, I expect to receive page proofs in advance of publication for a final check. I'm sure all will go well... [1]

[Other People's Hearts -- comments by the author]: Alone with Orac in the forest of Gauda Prime, Avon accidentally triggers a previously undiscovered program of Ensor's, designed to engage the user in a psychotherapeutic dialogue with himself. Using the program, Avon gains insight into his true feelings for Blake, and as a result, is able, despite Tarrant's accusation of betrayal, to hear what Blake is saying to him when they confront one another at Blake’s base. After the two men reconcile and Avon introduces Blake to the rest of his crew, Deva rushes in with the news that the base is under Federation attack. Aden pulls a gun on everyone, disclosing that she is a Federation officer. Blake, however, has been wise to her from the start and has secretly removed the ammunition from her weapon. He disarms her, and the rebels leave the base by way of a secret escape tunnel - Blake and Avon narrowly managing to avoid capture by Federation troops when Avon insists on going back for Orac and Blake insists on waiting for him. [2]

[Other People's Hearts]: One of the rare authors who likes Blake as much (if not more) than Avon. These are Fifth Season stories where Avon, after accidentally triggering a therapeutic program in Orac, understands himself well enough to refrain from shooting Blake. Instead, the two of them carry on both the fight against the Federation (with Sondra allowing Fearless Leader to do so intelligently, thank you) and the all-important fighting with, against and for each other. Jenny sometimes find the smarm too smarmy but Sally loves the fireworks between Avon and Blake, the sense of their friendship and the vivid (if not always beautiful) suffering they both undergo in a good cause. [3]

[Bounty]: An alternate 'Blake', as showy and lush as CHECKERS. Avon is cold, savage and almost panther-like; Blake is a grizzled, dangerous bear of a man (though still retaining his noble streak). The other Scorpio crew members don't fare as well - Dayna is somewhat irritatingly jolly-bloody-hockey-sticks and we suspect Tarrant fans won't go for it at all. But Jenny thinks the idea of Avon refusing to return to Blake until he has "...what? A dowry?" should become fanon. [4]

[Final Theft] and [The Choice]: A pair of stories which are so well written that they actually had me believing in the reality of a strong A-V bond. And I must disagree here with Pat, who felt that the 2nd story diluted the impact of the 1st. The 2nd story is of a different "texture" than the 1st, but I found it beautifully complex and deeply moving. It is, in fact, an "after-death" story--and I usually find those silly and wholly unbelievable, but this one is in a class by itself. [5]

[Final Theft]: Short Avon-Vila PGP. Not happy, but with a lot of impact and right in character for both men. For some reason, I didn't care for her sequel, which I thought diluted the impact of this short shocker. [6]

[zine]: This is a megazine loaded with stories, poetry and art.

Deeta Tarrant meets Soolin in S. Laurence's "Intersection"; Avon's reverie upon searching Terminal's ruins for Cally comprises "Moonlight and Necrophilia" by S. Basham; J. Graham's "Sorceror" posits Avon, Vila and Gan trying to survive on Cygnus Alpha. Avon and Servalan compare homicidal notes in J. Mailander's tongue-in-cheek "The Date"; C. McCoy's "Carefully Taught" gives Tarrant a vengefully plausible reason for stalking Klegg's death squad; Avon's "Nightmare" in R. Ray's story of the same name will be strangely... familiar to ST fans. Not long after Malodaar, a sleep-walking Vila shoots Avon in P. McClellan's "Fools and Children".

P.R. Zed's "Fear" gives us a Vila reasonably electing to desert Avon after Malodaar; in "Pilot Program" by M. Mendez, a mind-wiped Tarrant & Dayna begin to recall their pasts after GP; A. Moravian's "Principles" delivers a humorous but insightful lesson on class discrimination; "Final Theft" by J. Mailander is a gory 2-pager set minutes after the GP massacre; "The Choice" is its sequel, an after death/reincarnation yarn with an end twist Tanith Lee fans will appreciate.

A pleasant re-read is the reprint of J. Hubb's "Alarms & Excursions," in which a teleport malfunction puts Vila in touch with the missing Blake; J. Small wood gives us an amusing outing with "A Terrible Case of C.U.T.E." (Tarrant's sex appeal explained at last!); P. Patera's "Bounty" is a smooth, suspenseful account of the Scorpio crew abandoning Avon; a rare tender moment between Avon & Soolin is the focus of M. Alexander's short "In Theory"; C. Steward parodies Dr. Suess with "The Blake Comes Back"; and Sondra Sweigman's revealing "Other People's Hearts: A Gauda Prime What-if' allows Orac the chance to psychoanalyze Avon - with rather surprising results. (See 'Beloved Adversary' for a sequel to this story)

"Reviewing the Situation" by Rebecca Ann Brothers is a short what-if with Vila jumping ship after Malodaar (can you blame him?), and from the same author's pen (er, word processor) comes "Instant Karma," a sequel to the above with a well-plotted alternate Gauda Prime scenario. Jane Mailander's 'Terminal Conscience" wrenches a biologically bizarre twist from Cally's death in 'Terminal.' "Roj Blake" by Daisy Loung is a one-page conversation between Avon and Vila, apparently as both are awaiting execution for Blake's murder. On the heels of Auron's destruction, Avon comforts Cally - and reveals a secret - in Carol Mel Ambassador's "The Unexpected."

Lorna B. sends up all those profligate progeny zine stories (you know, the ones where everyone not only survived Gauda Prime but married and lived happily ever after in a nice house with a pretty picket fence, a flower garden and at least 12 insufferably darling children apiece???) with her hilarious story "Prolific Propensities." Avon calls Blake to task for planting that bomb in the Ortega's hatch in Patti E. McClellan's "A Difficult Mentor."

"Reaching the Wall" by Karla Taylor outlines Servalan's cruelly macabre plans for Avon after the Gauda Prime massacre. Rebecca L. Donahue's novella "Crisis of Conscience" puts together a credible alternate storyline from the end of "Warlord," saves Zeeona and a few others who originally died, then sets off on a number of missions - including catching up with Blake - and Servalan. The final short entry is Alicia Ann Fox' "Don't Pay the Ferryman," in which Orac has a little surprise in store for Servalan. Whew! There's a lot packed into this zine. [7]

[zine]:"Just received a copy of "Rebel Destinies", a 300+ page zine from Peg Kennedy and Bill Hupe. It's pretty good-- the most impressive thing in it is by Jane Mailander: she wrote a sonnet for each character, and some of them are INCREDIBLE. MAN WAS I IMPRESSED!!! There are also several pieces of fiction by Mailander which I enjoyed, a Rebecca Ann Brothers, a truly hysterical piece called "Prolific Propensities" by ur mailing list's own Lorna B., and a story called "Principles" (Alan Moravian) about class status that I found excellent. It's worth buying I think, and I would tell more but have to be in rehearsal in ten minutes."[8]

[zine]:

Here's a quick and dirty review of Rebel Destinies. I'm just going to mention the stories, etc., that I particularly enjoyed or especially stuck with me.

Nice color covers; front is an Avon by TACS.

INTERSECTION by Shayney Laurence is fairly short but well drawn. I find it especially interesting as it focuses on Deeta Tarrant and an episode from his days as a mercenary. Nicely done.

SORCEROR by Jean Graham. Jean always delivers, and I enjoyed this. Events on the London are changed a bit, so Avon didn't board Liberator and escape with Jenna and Blake. Gan and Vila toil away with the other monks/inmates on Cygnus Alpha for months after Avon mysteriously disappears. Meanwhile, Blake and Jenna travel to the penal planet for a belated rescue attempt. Well-written, as Jean's stories always are, with a wonderful twist ending. I wish Jean would follow up, as I'd like to know what happens next!

PILOT PROGRAM by Marian Mendez is a take on post GP that I've never seen before. Tarrant and Dayna are happy Federation officers until dreams (or memories?) of a past life start filtering back. Good plot and characterization, some nice scientific touches, and well-done dialogue. I usually like different twists on often-done themes, and I quite liked this one.

FINAL THEFT by Jane Mailander. Short and sweet tale of Vila's and Avon's last few moments on GP. Pretty good, with one killer sentence that I loved.

ALARMS & EXCURSIONS by Jean B. Hubb. Tarrant and Vila are separated from one another by a teleport glitch during a supply-buying foray. While Tarrant enjoys the company of a local lady, Vila runs into an old, familiar friend. Meanwhile, those on Liberator try to decipher the teleport problem while facing possible danger from a space-going cloud of colorful fibers. Fun, fast-moving vignette, effectively utilizing all the Series 3 crew.

REVIEWING THE SITUATION and INSTANT KARMA by Rebecca Ann Brothers. The former story is a short set-up for the longer INSTANT KARMA: A fed-up Vila stows away aboard Scorpio during the initial trip to Betafarl and disembarks during a stop-off on Gauda Prime. INSTANT KARMA takes off from there, with a very reasonable and well-done plot following and eventually weaving together Avon and Tarrant (who crash-land on GP while returning to search for Vila), Blake and Vila et al., Sleer, Arlen, and a couple of surprising blasts from the past. This story covers a lot of ground in under 30 pages. Avon and Tarrant work well together, Blake is thoroughly believable, and Sleer is as nasty as she ever was. I wish Dayna and Soolin could have had more coverage, but they aren't entirely neglected and what there is involves some nice character background, especially for Soolin.

DON'T PAY THE FERRYMAN by Vickie McManus. A one-page GP with a truly evil twist. I just sat there mentally screaming: "Why didn't I think of this? It's wicked! I love it!"

POETRY: Jacqui Topp has a couple of very nice poems. The showpiece is Jane Mailander's SHAKE'S SEVEN: A SONNET APIECE. Well-done poems for every character, even Zen, Slave and Orac. I only wish they had been set off with some artwork. Oh well.

Not much of the artwork grabbed me particularly; I did particularly like Leigh Moto'oka's cartoon for THE TERRIBLE CASE OF C.U.T.E. and Leah Rosenthal's cartoon to a story I submitted, but admit to extreme prejudice in both cases.

REBEL DESTINIES has a nice layout and easily readable text, although some of the stories are in different fonts. There does seem to be rather a lot of typos--not horribly glaring, but a tad irritating, especially in these days of spell-checkers. But that's a minor gripe. The zine weighs in at 338 pages and is comb-bound.

There are many more stories and poems than the ones I've mentioned; basically, this zine appears to have something to suit everyone's taste, from

Tarrant-Fancier to Avon-aholic, and those in between... [9]

Issue 2

Rebel Destinies 2 was published in 1995. It was available both in as a print zine and, in 1996 by New Leaf Publications, on a disc, making it one of the earliest fanzines offered as an e-zine by distributor.

front cover of issue #2
front cover of issue #2, different publisher
back cover of issue #2

It appears that this issue was published by two different publishers.

Fiction:

Nonfiction:

  • Peg Kennedy, "From the Editor"

Poetry:

  • Melissa Mastoris, "Avon's Blessing"
  • Sandi K. Almany, "Christmas at Blake's Place" (filk, various Christmas songs)

Art:

  • Whitby27 (front cover)
  • Anja Gruber

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 2

"Ask Me No Questions" is a delightfully inventive tale of Avon and Vila imprisoned by the Federation. Avon suffers in new and strange ways which I cannot recall being used against him before. Great fun.

Post-Star one, "Songs that Bind" has Avon and Blake meeting unexpectedly and reassuming their previous ambivalent relationship, while helping a planet with an unusual problem. This is an interesting story which nevertheless lacks intensity, given the protagonists.

"More than A Fool" is a short, well executed account told in the first person by Avon. It reveals a pre-series relationship with Vila, and centres on Avon's misunderstanding of earlier events.

"Loyalties" is by far the longest story in the zine. It is a PGP in which Vila has rescued Avon and picked up a apprentice en route. The story begins on their planetary bolthole, which they leave in search of Orac. Subsequent adventures have them seized by a dangerously vengeful Avalon; Avon suffers, but ultimately things are set to rights. Deva, Bek and Veron feature strongly, and Vila has a substantial role.

Liberator answer a distress call from a Federation ship in "Different Prisons", and finds a mystery which brings back childhood memories for Avon. This is a good Avon-with-a-heart story.

"Last Will and Testament" is a simple, effectively told message from Blake to Avon, which Orac plays to him after Terminal. [10]

References

  1. ^ from Sondra Sweigman in The Neutral Arbiter #5 (June 1992
  2. ^ comments by Sondra Swiegman in Beloved Adversaries (1994), this story's sequel.
  3. ^ Sally and Jenny's 50 Favourite a-B Gen Stories
  4. ^ Sally and Jenny's 50 Favourite a-B Gen Stories
  5. ^ Lysator, Sondra S., dated September 6, 1994.
  6. ^ Lysator, Pat Nussman, August 31, 1994.
  7. ^ a review by Jean Graham at Judith Proctor's site, accessed October 10, 2012
  8. ^ Subject: Blake and Avon set-up on GP by Vickie M on Lysator dated Jan 24, 1994.
  9. ^ Subject: Zine Review--Rebel Destinies by Lonra B on Lysator dated April 10, 1994.
  10. ^ review by CB at Judith Proctor's Blake's 7 site
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