Cyberdreams (Star Trek: TOS zine)

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See also Cyberdreams (disambiguation).

Zine
Title: Cyberdreams
Publisher: Beyond Dreams Press
Editor(s): Jenna Sinclair and D'Anne
Date(s): 2003-2005
Series?: Yes
Medium: print zine
Size:
Genre: slash, m/m
Fandom: Star Trek: TOS
Language: English
External Links: Cyberdreams 1 at the publisher's page, Cyberdreams 2 at the publisher's page
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Cyberdreams is a K/S slash anthology that reprinted stories previously posted on the net.

About: From the Editors in 2007

Even today, there are fans who will not read fan fiction on the computer screen for any number of reasons. With some truly wonderful K/S being written online, this strikes me as being a real shame. I’ve always thought that K/S exists to be shared; so many of us are hungry in a very visceral, difficult-to-explain way for tales of Kirk and Spock! So the concept that someone might not be willing or able to read great K/S seemed unacceptable to me. That’s why my co-publisher and I came up with the idea of CyberDreams: she came up with the name, which I really like. We chose the best unpublished K/S from the net and put those stories in CyberDreams 1 and 2.

The concept of the CyberDreams series did present a challenge to us. D’Anne and I have always participated in an editing process with the writer, to try to help make the story the best it could become. But the stories for this zine series were already very familiar to their audience—and beloved in many cases. We couldn’t do any global editing at all: whether a scene or a character could be improved didn’t matter, we made the decision that we wouldn’t touch the basic story in that way. We were also very limited in what we could do in line editing. When readers were quoting each other lines from the story, it seemed impossible to modify wording much at all. So D’Anne put the stories through a much-reduced line editing that emphasized clarity and that was about it. The stories are probably 98% the same in our zines as they are online, but hopefully with a subtle improvement that makes them indistinguishably easier to read and enjoy. We also made the decision to invite one cyber-artist to illustrate the entire zine. Virginia S. provided the CGAs for CyberDreams 1 and Lovin’JamesT illoed CyberDreams 2. They worked specifically from the stories, too, which I think always enhances the zine better than a generic piece of art. Choosing the stories for each zine was a challenge. There is so much material online! We asked for suggestions for the first CyberDreams and got quite a few. It was fascinating to see the many different nominations; tastes in fandom run the gamut! At first I was dismayed and despaired of working through the selections to reach a consensus. But then I decided to be guided by the nominations and then use my own taste to choose those to be printed. The process became a lot easier. It was such a pleasure reading the candidates as we made our final cut! What a great job zine editor is .

I don’t know if we’ll have a CyberDreams 3. Although those who have bought the zines in the series have expressed their gratitude for access to good ‘net stories in print, the zines have not sold nearly as well as others published by Beyond Dreams Press. So the future is uncertain. [1]

Issue 1

cover of issue 1, Virginia Sky -- "Two simple photos, one of Kirk and one of Spock, but put into this artists hands they become a piece of art I don't know anything about the CGA techniques used, but the slight fading and shading adds a new dimension, as does the colorful background. A great cover for this new zine." [2]
"Virginia has an interesting technique for her CGA, in which she colors the photo manipulated picture with pastel pencils. She had some wonderful pictures for sale at Shore Leave that she created using this technique, and the cover of CyberDreams 1 incorporates color to make the cover pictures of Kirk and Spock even more beautiful. Photographs of Kirk and Spock’s faces have been subtly altered in this cover illustration. It’s hard to describe, but the photos have been smoothed out somehow, so that the pictures look like paintings rather than photographs. This cover is a very effective composition : I like the way the picture of Kirk overlaps that of Spock a bit, I like the frames around the pictures, and I also like the way “CyberDreams 1” is on a diagonal; much like the slash in K/S! In fact, I like everything about this cover. Really nice work, Virginia." [3]

Cyberdreams 1 was published in July 2003 and has 183 pages.

From the editorial of issue #2: "In the first issue of CyberDreams, to our perplexity we found ourselves printing three sets of two stories. Do K/S stories by their very nature go in pairs? The same thing happened this time with Arrows and Targets by Dread Nought; one excellent story simply could not be printed without the other, and we hope you enjoy them both."

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1

See reactions and reviews for Unintended.

See reactions and reviews for Another Country Beckons.

See reactions and reviews for Still Amok.

See reactions and reviews for Coals of Fire.

See reactions and reviews for What the Heart Remembers.

See reactions and reviews for Wanting -- Having.

See reactions and reviews for Just Be a Friend.

See reactions and reviews for Wednesday Morning, 3 a.m..

See reactions and reviews for On the Edge of the Mountain.

[zine]: I’d read all these stories before, but I was still excited about buying them in zine form. Even though I save all the K/S stories I like that have been posted on the net, I find that I rarely go back to reread them. For me, there’s nothing like pulling down a zine from my bookcase and settling back in a comfy chair. So that’s exactly what I did. With my new copy of Cyberdreams 1, I kicked back and once more savored some of the best stories to hit the net. And though there are some I might not care for because of content or characterization, the writing is all of the finest quality. Since these are probably new stories for several readers, I’ve tried to not give away too much... [see individual reviews on each story's page] [4]

["Treasured" facing page 39, by Virginia Sky]: Oh, I love this! Nothing erotic is going on here—well, unless you count the fact that both men have nothing on from the waist up. Spock’s face isn’t even visible, tucked as it is into Kirk’s neck. All we see of him is his bare back, arms and one elegantly pointed ear. The picture captures them in the midst of an embrace. It’s the look on Kirk’s face that’s worth the price of admission, and it is absolutely riveting! There’s possession there and protectiveness, quiet passion and pride. This piece just seethes with emotion and draws my eye time after time. The swirling background and off-center arrangement are very effective composition elements. I’ve seen this on another cga artist’s website...same pose, but Spock’s and Kirk’s heads are reversed. I like this version so much better. I bought a copy? print? of this—I’m not really sure of the terminology with cga—at Shore Leave that is slightly different than the illo in the zine, and it has rapidly lived up to its title; I treasure it. [5]

Issue 2

front cover of issue #2 by Lovin' James Kirk, the title is Adoration

Cyberdreams 2 was published in February 2005 and has 181 pages. All of the art is by Lovin James T. (referred to as "LTJ" twice in the editorial, perhaps a typo).

From the editorial:

Welcome to CyberDreams 2. As the first issue did, this zine presents excellent K/S that was initially posted to the internet. When we were first confronted with the need to sift through the possible stories to print, the task seemed daunting. There is a lot out there! But after a few discreet inquiries among friends, and taking a look at what we ourselves had saved over the years in our hard drives, we had a list of stories that had excited the imagination and stirred the hearts of those who had read them already. We began that arduous process of reading, reading, reading K/S, day and night, with no end in sight.... How awful! How absolutely invigorating!

[...]

One story we knew would be in the zine from the beginning, and that is Mimor VI by Jesmihr. That story won the K/S Online Novella Challenge that ended in January 2004. Jenna and Dusky and kira-nerys challenged online authors to write for length and complexity, with a minimum word count in excess of 20,000 words. We offered cash prizes along with the promise that the winner would be published in CD 2. Congratulations to Jesmihr for a richly-plotted, fulfilling K/S story!

In the first issue of CyberDreams, to our perplexity we found ourselves printing three sets of two stories. Do K/S stories by their very nature go in pairs? The same thing happened this time with "Arrows" and "Targets" by Dread Nought; one excellent story simply could not be printed without the other, and we hope you enjoy them both.

It seems appropriate that a cyberartist illustrate the stories in a zine dedicated to stories drawn from cyberspace. At the KiScon 2004 art show and auction, the work of Lovin' James T. (or LTJ, as she is known) drew a lot of attention, and so we asked her if she'd like to take on the project Just look at these results! Originally there were only going to be two color pictures, one cover and one interior piece, along with three black & white pieces, but we took one look at Spock in black silk pajamas and knew that would have to change! Even our printer, an older woman who after six years of printing K/S is pretty blase about it all, made special mention of

that picture. Thanks to LTJ for her striking cover and memorable interior illustrations.

  • Sensate Focus by Lyrastar ("Things are not as they seem on Altair, nor between Kirk and Spock after the events on Vulcan and Spockʼs pon farr.") (1)
  • Targets by Dread Nought. The art for this story is by Lovin' James T., and titled: Bulls-eye (80)
from issue #2, the artist is Lovin' James T., the title: Bulls-eye. Note: Marked as sexually explicit; minimized.
  • from issue #2, the artist is Lovin' James T., the title: Merry Christmas, Jim

    from issue #2, the artist is Lovin' James T., the title: Merry Christmas, Jim

  • from issue #2, first page of "Christmas Gifts... or Blue Seduction"

    from issue #2, first page of "Christmas Gifts... or Blue Seduction"

  • from issue #2, the artist is Lovin' James T., the title: Rhapsody in Blue

    from issue #2, the artist is Lovin' James T., the title: Rhapsody in Blue

  • from issue #2, the artist is Lovin' James T., the title: The Winning Checkmate?

    from issue #2, the artist is Lovin' James T., the title: The Winning Checkmate?

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 2

See reactions and reviews for Sensate Focus.

See reactions and reviews for Missing in Action.

See reactions and reviews for Idol.

See reactions and reviews for Christmas Gifts -- Blue Seduction.

See reactions and reviews for Arrows.

See reactions and reviews for Targets.

See reactions and reviews for Rhapsody in Rain.

See reactions and reviews for In Check.

See reactions and reviews for The Chess Game.

See reactions and reviews for The Merry Month of... Mistletoe?.

See reactions and reviews for Mimor Six.

Don’t miss this remarkably good K/S – it and the artwork are well worth the price of the zine! [6]

[art by Lovin' James T.]: Cyberdreams 2 arrived! I ripped off the envelope, pulled out the fat, slick zine and..."Oh my god!!" I spontaneously ejaculated (which is how old- fashioned authors used to express it when a character verbally exploded, suddenly confronted by something fabulous). My eyebrows shot up, a satisfied smile appeared on my face and a sigh I must've been holding for months and months escaped me. I could hardly believe the beauty I held in my hand. That cover! Wow! Wow! Wow!

Mesmerized by the two perfect profiles of James Kirk and Spock of Vulcan, I was immobilized for more than a moment, my eyes tracing the purity of male beauty presented to us by the Image Manip, Lovin' James T. How great is that name?! How great the product of LJT's creativity The beloved characters harmoniously balanced in a way that evoked so many exquisitely subtle emotions. To make my heart swell, eyes mist up and, not least, to satisfy my soul. I was possessed by a hungry madness to see and absorb more. So I didn't linger there longer. I had to find and savor each artistic piece and one by one go over them to my heart's content. What met my eyes was beauty sensitivity, imagination and, to my mind, a precious eternal truth. Einstein said that imagination is more important than intelligence. I think he was right. But here, in these art pieces we have both, and much more. Jenna was totally on the mark in her admiring dedication page. First of all, Spock, gleaming in his black silk pajamas(dear Lord!), lit by the glow of a background fire and yule tree lights beside him. His regal composure (which can only be ruffled by Jim), those steady eyes full of a singular love and devotion. Magnificent! A sensual gift presented with the knowing innocence of those dark, dark eyes, that level, challenging gaze. Yow, he looks so sexy! And we know who he's looking at! I think it's time to admit that I've never read K/S on- line, I've never seen photo-manips except for those in BD zines. Now, because of Jenna, Dusky and their colleagues, here in CD2 they were presented to my wondering eyes. The choices Jenna and her co- editors made, brought the photo-manips to the top-of- the-line. How can I describe--and not appear more insane than I already do--the other art pieces--what emotions they wrenched from me? Sure it had to do with my mood, how needy I was at the time. But my reactions also had to do with my basic, unwavering belief in the exclusive love of these two compelling characters. Love. I've always loved them and always will. That love I harbor is made fascinatingly into flesh by the art in this zine. The photo between pages 82 and 83 was too hot to handle! Jim lovingly pleasuring his t'hy'la, the scene set seductively in black and white, just like a movie still from some feature motion picture I'd always wanted to see--in a theater! In my dreams!. I nearly flipped! Gorgeous! Needs to be framed on my wall and will be! The one between 92 and 93 of Jim letting it all hang out is something else. Makes me hope that he was just standing there, unashamed, when Spock walked in on him. Talk about 'in all his glory'! Somehow I love the b&w photos. And last but not least, the two men, the very picture of sated happiness, lying together, I think, after making love. Strangely, Spock is so tired he's deep in slumber, while Kirk's eyes, half closed, send with his smug, self-satisfied smile the message that all is well between his star-crossed lover and himself. I love the background of this piece, the etchings suggestive of hearts and flowers, a cup of coffee, a chessman lying cradled in the hollow of Kirk's bare chest. What sweetness, what glory, their ethereal beauty laced by their quintessential, explicit and implied eroticism. Spectacular!

Please do yourself a favor, buy this worthy zine, get an eyeful of hot, tender K/S and then dive into the exciting stories, which I'll try to report on later. Thanks to all involved in it's production! Love! [7]

References

  1. ^ from Blurring the Lines: Online or in Print, It's Still K/S
  2. ^ from The K/S Press #90
  3. ^ from The K/S Press #84
  4. ^ from The K/S Press #83
  5. ^ from The K/S Press #84
  6. ^ from The K/S Press #105
  7. ^ from The K/S Press #104
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