Act 5

Zine
Title:	Act 5
Publisher:	Mkashef Enterprises
Editor(s):	Ann Carver
Date(s):	1985-1986
Series?:	yes
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Star Trek: TOS
Language:	English
External Links:	Act 5 page at Mkashef Enterprises
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Act 5 is a slash Star Trek: TOS anthology fanzine.

Regarding the title: Some sources refer to the full-title as "Act 5, Scene One," but the second part of the title is simply how the different issues are labeled.

This series has a sister zine called Act Five Fantasies.

Original Submission Requests

For issue #1:

A new 'after the end of the episode' K/S zine now in the works. All stories will tie into one of the ST TV episodes. Zine will be photocopied in the style of the classic CHEAP THRILLS zines.

For issue #2:

[The first issue of the] zine is done and printed. It was a lot of work but I enjoyed every minute of it. So much so that I'm already planning issue #2, and a special one-shot too. Any of you who would care to submit for either issue, please do! Hint Hint. For any that are so inclined, a few words on story type - Act Five is an episode related K/S zine. All stories and any long poems must somehow tie into one of the televised 'live' ST episodes. There shall be no violence between Kirk and Spock toward each other. A sock in the jaw or some such is OK if it's needed since that kind of thing was done in the series, but no beatings, rape, etc between them. Anything else is open.

A Complicated Distribution and Publishing History

There are two issues of "Act 5." A third issue was proposed but never got off the ground, as was a fourth issue. There is, however, a sister zine called Act Five Fantasies.

While the zines were edited by Ann Carver, there were problems with the distribution of the zines and several letters of complaint regarding unfilled orders appeared in On the Double.

This zine was discontinued after a personal statement in Datazine #47 in 1987 from Ann Carver in which stated she was gafiating and was settling her affairs:

I have quit fandom cold. This decision was reached with much regret and due to personal attacks... This is to state that no other fan is involved in this nor will any be able to contact me. The only way to prevent others from being unnecessarily hassled is to drop from fandom completely. Neither the editors of California K/S, First Time, Naked Times, On the Double and Daring Attempt have any connection with Ann or I other than having printed Ann's stories and/or articles. They cannot contact me now, nor will they be able to in the future. They have no knowledge of the reasons behind this decision.

In Datazine #57 Mkashef Enterprises announced that they had obtained "the print rights" to issues One, Two and Fantasies and were in no way associated with Ann Carver. Instead they would be making available a completely new print run and thanked fans for "their understanding and appreciate your assistance in helping us bring these zines back to fandom."

In 1999, Dovya Blacque expanded on Mkashef Enterprise's recent acquisition:

Four years ago, both Alexis Fegan Black of Pon Farr Press and Wendy Rathbone (with her own extensive list of zine titles) left fandom permanently. I made them both an offer to purchase all, sole print rights to all their zine titles. They accepted. For the past four years, Mkashef Enterprises has been the sole owner of print rights to NAKED TIMES and all other Pon Farr Press titles as well as CHARISMA and all other Wendy Rathbone titles. In 1987, "Ann Carver" (a pen name), publisher/editor of the K/S fanzine "Act Five", "killed" herself off. I made her an offer to purchase all, sole print rights to her three issues of "Act Five", which she accepted. Mkashef Enterprises has been the sole publisher of "Act Five" since 1987. As with "Act Five", some people had out-standing difficulties with the editors/publishers of these zines. As with "Act Five", upon purchase of these zine titles, Mkashef Enterprises bears no responsibility for past orders or past commitments made by the previous owners of these zine titles. In other words, I have paid a monetary sum for the right to publish all Pon Farr Press and Wendy Rathbone zines from new masters with no obligation to anyone for anything that may or may not have happened before I obtained legal responsibility for these titles.

In 2011, a fourth issue was also proposed: "Act Five, Scene Four: All TV scripts have (or had) four acts. Act Five is a K/S "what happened after the fourth act?" zine; stories about Kirk and Spock‘s reaction to all or some of what happened in the episode or what could have happened, what divergent results might have come at the end of an episode, etc. The limits of the stories are only bound by your dreaming/writing brain! All stories must be episode related." This issue was also apparently benched.

Issue 1

front cover of issue #1, Marilyn Cole, possibly the edition published by Mkashef Enterprises

another version of the front cover, without text, possibly the original edition

back cover of issue #1, Marilyn Cole

Act 5, Scene 1 was published in December 1985 and contains 154 pages. The art is by Caro Hedge, Pendragon, and C.A. Pierce

From the editorial:

The most amazing part of all this is the rapidity of putting this together. From the time I first thought of the idea and contacted potential contributors to the final printing of the zine was a scant three months. They responded with a speed and enthusiasm which boggles the mind. Hence the dedication — for without their support, it could not have been done.

There is a wide variety of episodes represented within these pages. We have Charlie X, Dagger of the Mind, The Deadly Tears, Errand of Mercy, two widely differing versions of Metamorphosis, This Side of Paradise, and The Way to Eden, plus a special intro vignette by Robin Hood. I made an exception to the episode-related requirement for this piece since it seemed a perfect way to introduce the first issue of the zine. It deals with Kirk's first day on the Enterprise, and therefore is a natural lead-in for all that comes after... I hope there will be something here for everyone. Through no intentional planning, all but one of the stories are first-timer's. And there are no sad stories in this issue, although I do accept them. Warning will he given on any such stories for those fans who do not wish to read them. The beautiful Marilyn Cole covers are signature covers and will be used on all, issues of Act Five so that the zine can be easily recognized. Only the paper color will change. I asked Marilyn to design covers that would not have to be hidden from view in public and she more than fulfilled all expectations. Due to last-minute re-write, the Cilla White story has been held for issue two.

Please do write letters of comment on this issue. These are the only feedback contributors get for their effort and all comments will be forwarded to them.

• Volcano by Robin Hood (2)
• Editorial by Dovya Blacque (3)
• The Hunger by Natasha Solten (4)
• Personal Logs 1 by Robin Hood (5)
• Across Night by Natasha Solten (6)
• Dagger of the Soul by Natasha Solten (7)
• Dagger by Natasha Solten (21)
• After the Rain by Dovya Blacque (22)
• He's My Darlin' by Robin Hood (25)
• Triacus by Tere Ann Roderick (39)
• Wonders & Wings of Wind by Robin Hood (40)
• Of These I Seek by Allison K. (41)
• A Prison Without Bars by C.A. Pierce (58)
• From the Light by Robin Hood (59)
• Pale Dreams by Natasha Solten (60)
• Between the Dark and the Daylight by Tere Ann Roderick (61)
• Colors of You by Mary Woodruff (81)
• An Appointed Hour by Mary Woodruff (82)
• Home from Eden by Vivian Gates (83)
• Winter's Melt by Robin Hood (96)
• Dark Valley by Natasha Solten (97)
• The End of the Old by Donna Vanderlaan (99)
• Could It Suffice? by C.A. Pierce (116)
• Perchance to Dream by Dovya Blacque (117)
• You Had to Be There by Faille (119)
• Basilisk or Balm by C.A. Pierce (126)
• La'Yan (part 1) by Dovya Blacque (127) (from the publisher: "A distress call from Zefram Cochrane turns the ENTERPRISE back not long after having left Cochrane and the Companion. With the Companion burnt out by her contact with the commissioner, Cochrane chooses to rejoin the galaxy. On the way to his new life, some complex and highly personal revelations come about concerning Kirk and Spock, their feelings for one another… and their feelings for their just-found friend." (Part Two of “La’Yan” appears in Shades of Grey #1, part three is in Shades of Grey #4)
• The Raven and the Sun by C.A. Pierce (154)
• Zine ads (155)

• 

  inside page from issue #1

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  inside page from issue #1

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  inside page from issue #1

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  inside page from issue #1

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1

See reactions and reviews for Between the Dark and the Daylight.

See reactions and reviews for He's My Darlin'.

See reactions and reviews for The End of the Old.

See reactions and reviews for Home from Eden.

See reactions and reviews for Dagger of the Soul.

See reactions and reviews for La'Yan.

See reactions and reviews for Of These I Seek.

[zine]: This zine is 154 pages long, not including the ad pages in the back. It has a nice black and white front and back cover by Marilyn Cole and that will be used on all issues. Little interior art, but some nice graphics and calligraphy by Ann Carver.

Here are some of my favorite stories: The End of the Old, D. Vanderlaan. It has to do with a type of New Year's Eve party on the Enterprise. Donna's sensitive style and imagery are moving throughout. Something occurs at this party that makes everyone curious. One charade/suggestion card is being refused by all. Spock and Kirk wonder. Later Spock discovers what it was, and is hurt by it. He feels suddenly very alien again. Kirk helps him. It is a wonderful, warm first time story for the more romantic fans. Dagger of the Soul, N. Solten, is based on the episode concerning the use of the tantalus field against Kirk. He is now having horrible after shocks from it, and nightmares. He seeks out the comfort of Spock. Spock is shown as always being there to help. Spock tries tc hide his love for Kirk, but eventually, with one of Solten's usual wonderful endings, she again wraps up the story with an extremely moving end. I greatly enjoyed reading this because it focused on their emotional feelings far each other, rather than their sexual ones. A lot of depth, and the ending was loving and strong. Between the Dark and The Daylight, Tere Ann Roderick. This story connects with the Deadly Years. It has Kirk and Spock considering their experiences after the aging process. Spock sees that Jim will age and die way before he does. Kirk keeps having nightmares about being old, and Spock keeps snowing up when needed to soothe and calm Kirk. It is a first time discovery story (I love them), and I greatly enjoyed seeing the love come out more and more as the story proceeded. Spock enters one of Jim's nightmares and helps bring him out of it. Of These I Seek, Allison K. A romantic story based on Metamorphosis, and a joy to read. A tender, emotional K/S story. Thoughtful and caring. Some very stirring images and wonderful metaphors. She shows the boyish delightfulness of the Kirk character and the tender inner nature of Spock. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I love her word choice. After the Rain, a poem by D. Blaque and The Colors of You by M. Woodruff were my favorites, very moving images, though there are many good poems here. Two stories I did not care for I have not discussed mainly because it would be unfair to do so, since my response is so subjective. I personally am tired of very detailed, very explicit K/S. If you enjoy this kind of story, then you will enjoy these two.

You had to Be There, Faille (explicit K/S) would have been more believable if it had not been filled with exclamation marks. They had the exact opposite effect. In summing up, this zine, to me is worth the price, and has something for every taste. I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it.

[zine]: I was hesitant about ordering ACT FIVE, SCENE ONE because I thought the editorial requirements—all stories must tie into a televised episode—would produce a zine full of three and four page vignettes of sex scenes. Actually, most of the eight features are well fieshed-out. Seven of them are first-timers. The editorial policy does not define what "tying in" to an episode is. Donna Vanderlaan's 'The End of the Old" immediately follows the episode "Errand of Mercy" chronologically, but has nothing to do with the events that took place in the episode. It tells of a New Year's celebration where the Enterprise crew has a big party and everyone exchanges gifts. (Apparently, Christmas no longer exists.) Kirk and Spock each give the other something special; and that, combined with events following the party, bring the two together.

In contrast, Natasha Solten's "Dagger of the Soul" ties in strongly with the events in "Dagger of the Mind," as Kirk is still troubled by his experience with the neutralizer. The episode "Metamorphasis," is represented by two stories, though both are quite different. In Allison K.'s "Of These I Seek" the incident with the Companion causes Spock to reflect upon his own loneliness. In Dovya Blacque's "La'Yan" Spock points out to Kirk that the latter was obviously attracted to Zephran Cochrane. While this story contains the obligatory K/S sex scene, it is not complete} and we are told at the end that a sequel will appear in SHADES OF GRAY (a K/S/whoever zine to be published by MKASHEF Enterprises in April). In Robin Hood's "He My Darlin,'" Charlie of "Charlie X" discovers his sexuality and acts upon his crush on Kirk. Tare Ann Roderick's "Between the Dark and the Daylight" has Kirk worried about growing old (a post-'The Deadly Years," of course), and Vivian Gates' "Home from Eden," Kirk realizes that Spock is his "Eden." The lone established relationship story is Faille's "You Had To Be There," which ties into 'This Side of Paradise" only in that it takes place on Omicron Cetl Three. It is humorous, silly, and fun.

ACT FIVE, SCENE ONE does not offer much in the way of art or poetry, but I found its stories to be a pleasant surprise.

Issue 2

cover of issue #2, Marilyn Cole

Act 5, Scene 2 was published in April 1986 and contains 168 pages. The art is by Marilyn Cole (front and back covers), Carol A. Pierce, Caro Hedge and Shellie Whild.

A fan in The LOC Connection #9 writes a LoC in which she mentions that there was a "supplement" to Act 5, Scene 2, one which contained a version of The Air is the Air. In the "hand out" the author, Vivian Gates invited fans to write a continuation of her story. Dovya Blacque took her up on her offer and wrote, "Compensation" which she published in As I Do Thee #5 along with a reprinted version of "The Air Is The Air". Dovya obtained permission for both the sequel as well as to reprint the original.

• One Man's Nightmare is Another Man's Dream by Cyrni Asher 2
• Editorial by Dovya Blacque 3
• Desert Heart by Andrea Arat 4
• Personal Logs 2 by Chris Waken 5 (Commander Spock is about to meet his new captain for the first time.)
• Web of Love by Tere Ann Roderick 6
• Transporter Control by Donna Rose Vanderlaan 7
• Shattered Spirits by Robin Hood 8
• Half Notes in Vulcan by Carol A. Pierce 9 (The disastrous trip to Vulcan for Spock's bonding ceremony is over, and the command team has just begun to explore their feelings for each other when Spock begins acting irrationally. It's not a recurrence of the pon farr, so what could it be?); (Returning from Vulcan after his Pon Farr, Spock begins to show definite signs of mental illness. McCoy works to understand what is happening to his friend and to help.)
• Refiner's Fire by Tere Ann Roderick 23
• Saved by Berla Bowlby 24
• Riddles by Faille 27 (The Enterprise discovers a planet that just might be the homeworld of the Preservers.)
• Mourning Has Broken by Lisa Joas 42
• Very Much Alike by Alexis Fegan Black 43 ( When Spock meets John Christopher he quite naturally compares him to his captain and begins to contemplate thoughts he had never previously allowed himself to think.)
• Vulcan by Romilly Kerr 45
• Reflections by Faris Vincent 46
• Where Have All the Playthings Gone? by Alice Mills 47 (Trapped on Miri's planet without access to either the ship's computers or their communicators, the captain's condition worsens. Spock is forced to watch as Kirk's life drains away, and there is only one person who can help.); (We learn of additional violence that occurred on Miri's planet. Spock's involvement in this violence troubles him months after their return to the Enterprise. Kirk turns to McCoy to ask for his special kind of 'old fashioned country doctoring'.)
• Whispered Words by Romilly Kerr 68
• Only Spock by Donna Rose Vanderlaan 69
• Death by Inches by Chris Waken 70
• Privacy Time by Robin Hood 71 (The flames of pon fan-have returned. Kirk saves Spock, but the cost is tremendous. Burdened with guilt, Spock wills himself to die.)
• Storm Lover by Natasha Solten 83
• Knowing by Noelle Harrison 84
• Beyond the Curtain by Tere Ann Roderick 87 (It was only when Spock conversed with the image of Surak on Excalbia that he understood that his feelings toward his captain extended far beyond friendship.)
• Little Things Mean a Lot by Roberta Haga 109 (vignette)
• Lost in Forever by Tay Garian 113 (Starfleet has ordered Kirk, Spock and McCoy to return to the Time Planet to discover the origins of the Guardian of Forever. The captain is tempted to use the Guardian to return to Edith, but it is Spock who steps through the gateway and becomes enmeshed in his own past.)
• Admonition by Tere Ann Roderick 138
• Spacemen and Matadors by Merita Seda 139 (When the Enterprise discovers a planet ruled by Khan's descendants, Kirk and Spock are forced to perform as matadors in the bullring for the Emperor's pleasure.)
• Regret and Renewal by Faris Vincent 168

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 2

See reactions and reviews for Where Have All the Playthings Gone?.

See reactions and reviews for Half Notes in Vulcan.

See reactions and reviews for Riddles.

See reactions and reviews for Privacy Time.

See reactions and reviews for Beyond the Curtain.

See reactions and reviews for Lost in Forever.

See reactions and reviews for Spacemen and Matadors.