Red Rose (slash fiction zine)

Zine
Title:	Red Rose
Publisher:	Red Rose Press (UK), sold by Oblique Publications (US, Canada)
Editor(s):
Date(s):	1994-1998
Series?:
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	multimedia
Language:	English
External Links:	Red Rose Press (gone, not wayback-able)
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cover of issue #1

Red Rose is a slash multimedia zine series.

While several issues of the zines were released during the Red Rose Convention held in the UK (likely organized by some of the contributors/creators of the zine), it is not a con zine.

About

From the editorial in issue #1:

We have tried hard to give the discerning slash fan a wide range of relationships and styles, ranging from the gentle to the extreme, from the passionate to the clinical.

We aim to present explicit slash without apology or fudge. We wallow in romance but do not fear the lash. There is room on the shelves for the Marquis de Sade and Barbara Cartland!

We have worked hard to give you the highest possible production standards available within our budget. This is a first publishing venture for us; the triumph of optimism over common sense.

We named our press Red Rose because of our strong ties to the red rose county. Red roses are often given as tokens of love, and symbolise passion, lust -so many things. We hope we've reflected a few of these.

[...]

Red Rose will never publish fan poetry or death stories

Issue 1

Red Rose 1 has the subtitle, "Because Roses Have Thorns..." and was published in 1994 and contain 100 pages (65,353 words).

• Nor Iron Bars A Cage by R. Olivia Brown ("Avon is captured by Domo Slavers but just who is the mysterious buyer? And what does he want? This is an absorbing and explicit tale of slavery, domination, surrender and passion. Definitely for adults only.") (Blake's 7) (2)
• Two Lions Couchant by The Royal Prerogative ("King and Chancellor together in a tender story of gentle lust.") (King Henry II/Thomas Becket) (30)
• End of Shift, New Beginnings by Lavender Blue ("Traumatic events bring two friends closer than ever before.") (Casualty, Julian/Ash) (40)
• Below the Surface by Tara ("Discoveries, lies discarded and truth revealed. Staker and Foster break through the facade and reach for the reality of the passion that was always hidden below the surface.") (UFO) (47)
• Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder by Gloria Lancaster ("A first timer for the hopeless (and hopeful) romantics out there.") (The Professionals) (59)
• Wilderness by Tara (Blake/Avon) ("Stranded on a desert planet, two are victims of heat and dust and passion.") (Blake's 7) (68)
• This Feeling Between Me and You by the Romantic Celt ("Guy and Harry are apart due to circumstances, but Guy returns unexpectedly and finds surprises pleasant and otherwise. His journey takes him from Cumbria to Bedfore Square, from suspicion and despair to trust and hope.") (Perfect Scoundrels) (75)
• Deadly Nightshade by Pendle Darke ("A short adult story that features extreme sado masochistic practices." From Cassie Ingaben's Pros Database: "Despite fighting the need, D has to go to an S&M club to be a bottom. He is approached by B -- who is not there to arrest him, but to be his top. Their wildest desires become real, they go and start a dark, strong relationship of dominance and submission.") (The Professionals) (96)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1

[Deadly Nightshade]: Written like a fairy tale in simplistic language that hides a wealth of complexity under the surface, this story was a delightful surprise for me when I read it for the first time in July 2004. One of my favourites in this genre, with especially effective use of style to enhance the overall impact, the story's more concerned with the emotion of the experience than the acts. As I generally find emotion more erotic than sex acts, this story is highly erotic to me.

Issue 2

Red Rose 2 was like published in 1996.

• Hinter den feindlichen Linien by Cerise (Desert Peach)
• The Dawning of the Day by Cerise (Desert Peach)
• unknown X-Files content

Issue 3

Red Rose 3 was published in 1998 and contains 110 pages. It went by the title 'Dark Roses - Red Rose III.' Fiction word count: 118,142. (50,000 of which is Eroica and 33,000 of which is Desert Peach).

• We'll Always Have Paris by Cerise (Desert Peach) (Peach/Rosen: "A thought provoking exploration of characters against the vividly portrayed landscape of occupied Europe, at war and peace. Does ultimate evil taint everything? Are good intentions enough?")
• Prodding Avon by Julia Stamford and Predatrix (Blake's 7)
• The Beginner's Guide to Blake's 7 Slash by Manna (Blake's 7)
• Labyrinth, by Gloria Lancaster (Blake's 7) (Blake/Avon and Avon/Vila. "A disturbing alternate universe: a futuristic prison, a brutal regime. What does it take to survive - and is survival worth the cost? Contains violence, forced seduction, drug abuse.")
• The Grey Light of Morning, by Violet Nightingale (Sherlock Holmes) (Holmes/Watson: "A delicate declaration of love. Sinfully romantic.")
• A Modern Morality Tale, by Cerise & Vardek (Eroica) ("The Major faces his most difficult case - and his feelings for Eroica only complicate matters.")
• I Love it when a Plan Comes Together, by Gloria Lancaster (X-Files) (Skinner/Mulder: "A lonely road, a stormy night. What better way to pass the time than at little seduction? But the best laid plan of mice and Mulders.")
• Tender Hands, by CJ (Blake's 7) (Avon/Vila: "Everyone needs someone, sometimes. Avon and Vila find solace together in the aftermath of Gan's death.")
• Whatever It Was, by Gloria Lancaster (X-Files) (Skinner/Mulder: "A journey from hell but Mulder finds the best in-flight entertainment of all is Walter Skinner.")
• Avon, by the Window, by Nova (Blake's 7) (Avon/Other and Avon/Blake: Post Gauda Prime. "Blake is injured and only Avon can save him.")
• Gilded Cage, by Gloria Lancaster (Prince/Swan: Inspired by [Swan Lake (Bourne) the all-male production of Swan Lake].)

• other fandoms: (Harry Potter), (Sentinel)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 3

[The Beginner's Guide to Blake's 7 Slash]: (Sex? Implied) The Blake's 7 characters get their hands on a manual for slash writers. Their reactions are great fun to read. Avon kicks up a fuss about all of the suffering he must endure and claims that there's no evidence in canon that he's interested in men. 'What about Duel? Pressure Point? Rescue?' his associates ask. Funny stuff! Useful, too, if you want a quick overview of some of the tropes of the fandom.

Issue 4

Red Rose 4 was published in 2000.

Issue 5

Red Rose 5 was published in 2002.

It was released at the third Red Rose Convention.

• Shadow by Deanna Gray. (Kirk is haunted by a bizarre nightmare image.) (Star Trek: TOS, K/S) (reprinted in T'hy'la #23
• other unknown content