The Party (Blake's 7 story)

Fanfiction
Title:	The Party
Author(s):	Steve Rogerson and Paula Robinson
Date(s):	2001
Length:
Genre(s):	gen
Fandom(s):	Blake's 7
Relationship(s):
External Links:
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The Party is a Blake's 7 story by Steve Rogerson and Paula Robinson.

It was printed in Steve and Paula Go Down the Pub.

The completed story is a response fic to discussion on the Freedom City Mailing List regarding a fan's private comments about a different story, Blake's Se7en, that had been forwarded to the list. Some of these comments, and ensuing discussion, are used as dialogue in the story, "The Party."

The Story's Introduction

After Blake's Se7en was published on the Freedom City email list, a post appeared from Joyce Bowen saying how much she hated the story and containing a lot of personal and inaccurate speculation about Paula and Steve. She later said she had meant to send that post privately to a friend and not to the list. This brought a number of posts of sympathy for Joyce from people who, despite it being explained to them, failed to understand why saying things behind people's backs that you are not willing to say to their face is wrong. Paula and Steve wrote this story in response, and some of the later dialogue contains almost direct quotes from the discussion on the list at the time. Paula and Steve would like to add here a thankyou for all the messages of support they got from people on the list and after this debate.

Excerpts

"I absolutely hated Vila and Cally's party piece," Blake announced. "I thought it was disgusting and Vila was just doing it to be weird. I think he's one creep of a person."

The other goggled at him, but there was more.

"And what's Cally's excuse? If I recall she has done some things in the past that were very nice -- but I can't name anything specific, of course. Is she Vila's girl friend or something? Isn't this an unlikely pairing -- Vila, always looking for redemption in our eyes, and Cally, who I believe was wearing that big wig on Horizon. I am so far extremely disappointed with the party. I haven't found anything of interest."

There was a stunned silence. Everyone looked at each other.

"Er, Blake," said Gan. "I'm not sure that you meant all of that, but don't you think you're being rather harsh?"

Blake got to his feet again, looking embarrassed. "Well," he said, "Is my face read or what? My worst nightmare coming true. I have pulled a major goof and spoken my private thoughts to all of you, which was not my intention at all. It was an error. I had no intention of ever making my thoughts public. This was a private conversation I meant to have with Jenna, with whom I regularly bitch, and somehow my curly headed stupidity and big fat gob did me in. I won't apologise for private feelings and opinions,. I do apologise for making them public and thereby needlessly embarrassing the people I was talking about. I frankly did not care for Vila and Cally's party piece, but I would never have been so rude as to say that in real life. This anniversary, my love of the rebellion has take a drastic nosedive. And I don't know what's happening. I still can't believe I did this. There's nothing else I can say. I am sorry. Very sorry."

Avon walked over to Blake, passing a fuming Vila and a sobbing Cally en route, and patted him on the shoulder. "There, there," he said. "You have my complete sympathies Blake. You must be feeling awful at the moment. I don't think it's necessary to for you to have to leave the flight deck. Your statements were harsh, but you apologised for saying them here, and it was an accident. And you have every right to call Vila a creep, you have met him after all. Saying rude and personal things to the wrong audience is something that any of us could do very easily, and many of us have. Those who haven't have either been very vigilant or very lucky. There's no way to fix a mistake like this, true, but apologising is all you can do, and you've done that. I think you probably feel pretty terrible about it, you poor thing."

"Eh?" said Vila and Cally simultaneously, unable to believe their ears.

Gan joined in. "My strongest sympathies, Blake, for slagging people off to their faces by accident when you meant to do it behind their back. I have done that more times than I would like to remember, and I truly know how one feels afterwards. As a Blake admirer, rather like yourself of course, I would prefer if you don't leave the flight deck because of this."

"Er, what about us?" Cally said, her voice shaking.

"What are you moaning about?" said Avon. "He's apologised. It's Blake we should feel sorry for."

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