Imaging Flames

Fanfiction
Title:	Imaging Flames
Author(s):	Sue Denim
Date(s):	1997
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:
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Imaging Flames is a Kirk/Spock story by Sue Denim. It is a sequel to Within the Circle of Flames in T'hy'la #6.

It was published in the print zine T'hy'la #19.

Summary

"Kirkʼs mind is pulled to Spock on Vulcan when he uses the firepot in Spockʼs cabin to reach for him."

Reactions and Reviews

1997

I love this exploration of the flame—Dakkra and its embodiment of All Vulcan, material and immaterial. I also loved its interaction with Kirk and Spock—its danger and its attraction.

I’m looking forward to the next installment of that exploration.

Very nice beginning as Kirk and Spock, four months after V’ger, are newly bonded and are engaging in sex along with a meditative experience called the “Dakkra”—however I’m not quite sure exactly what it is. I’m assuming it’s the spiritual meditation level that they share, but it could also be the statue and the shrine with the flame. At any rate, Spock will be going away to Vulcan for two weeks and Kirk expresses fear of losing him again.

There are lots of love and nicely expressed feelings during their lovemaking. But I know I shouldn’t have noticed, but I did—Kirk sucked Spock after Spock had penetrated him and there wasn’t a mention of any bathing or washing.

Very nice moment when Kirk smells Spock’s scent and imagines himself with Spock as he journeys on Vulcan. Also nicely mystical as Kirk gets in touch with their bond or the Dakkra. But after Kirk gets all drawn into it and all excited, he bumps his “butt against the edge of Spock’s bed”?

When we see what is happening with Spock, Amanda says Spock “looks thirsty and famished”. How does one look like that?

I finally got a little bit impatient with Kirk’s continual complaints that he didn’t go with Spock. Enough already when he thinks: “And so it figures that I’m stuck back here while he leaves me behind, instead of going with him like I wanted to do....” Stuck back here? What? Commanding the Enterprise? Except that he was supposedly too busy to go with Spock, but not too busy to go camping with McCoy.

Spock goes to T’Pau’s private office and finds out that T’Pau wants him to be the heir to the Vulcan General Council. Spock reminds her that Kirk is his bondmate, but she tells him that he’s got to break the bond with Kirk. This is a really good scene with lots of nice tension. I liked T’Pau’s language—very Vulcan. She wants him to choose someone more appropriate to his standing—a very good story idea.

They have a lengthy discussion about Vulcan society and traditions. I rather enjoyed this for the most part and I liked how Spock was strong and stood up to T’Pau. Spock says Vulcans should choose their own mates because then pon farr would be “a far more relaxed affair”. I’m not so sure about that, but I liked that he wants to show other ways of life by his bond with Kirk.

Meanwhile, all kinds of terrible things happen to Kirk as he gets drawn into the spiritual flames that at times are physically real. McCoy is there to try and help him and I laughed as McCoy, in his typical sardonic way, refers to the Dakkra as a “pseudo-incense-burner”.

Later, T’Pau dies but still tries to separate them. But they prevail.

There’s no sex or lovemaking here except: “They joined with mutual desire, their reunion filled with the pleasure of each man wanting more ....” I wanted more, too.

Overall a very imaginative idea and I really enjoyed the Vulcan mysticism. Also I liked Kirk and Spock’s mental landscape journey—that’s one of my favorite things with their bond.