Personal Endeavor

Fanfiction
Title:	Personal Endeavor
Author(s):	Amanda Fox
Date(s):	1999
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:
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Personal Endeavor is a K/S story by Amanda Fox. It has art by Nefertari and Marianne Mueller.

from First Time #50, by IM Mueller -- "Very nice K/S piece of Kirk and Spock together in bed, faces and tops of chests. I wouldn't mind owning this."

"Another favorite is the drawing of Spock and Kirk embracing drawn for the story "Personal Endeavor" by Amanda Fox opposite page 126. The drawing is so elegant that it has an almost photographic quality to it and it is tender and sensual without being explicit. I could look at it forever. Why, oh why can't one put such images up and display in one's home? No, unfortunately, I'm not that brave, (rueful sigh)."

"It’s at the very end of “Personal Endeavor” and it’s a beauty. This piece is absolutely gorgeous. Ms. Mueller is such a good artist and this knocks my proverbial socks off. It’s a close up of Kirk and Spock in bed and Kirk is leaning over Spock and gently kissing his forehead and softly stroking his hair. Wow. The Spock face is beautifully done and the Kirk face is melting. The light and shade are so strong which this artist excels at. The hands, also, are wonderful."

"The likenesses are good and the details are great: I love the way that stray lock of hair has slipped down over Kirk’s forehead, just as we all know it must when he’s making love to our favorite Vulcan. The expression on Kirk’s face is soft and loving and he looks as if he’s just about to lean down and kiss Spock. Spock’s head is resting against Kirk’s chest and shoulder. The Vulcan’s mouth is turned down just a bit at the corner (he’s in profile so we don’t see his entire mouth), his shoulder is lifted off the bed just a little, and his hand is resting on Kirk’s chest, staying just clear of the nipple. This really feels like a first-time encounter: Kirk looks a little awestruck, as if he can’t quite believe what’s happening, and Spock seems a little tense and maybe a bit uncertain about letting his fingers stray to that nipple. But we all know that when Kirk leans down for that kiss, Spock is going to forget all about those Vulcan inhibitions."

It was published in the print zine First Time #50.

Summary

"After confessing their feelings for each other as they reunite from the separation caused by Kirkʼs fear and anger, Spockʼs mind is attacked during a Romulan raid."

Reactions and Reviews

2000

I'm missing a whole chapter or even more than that. Something more has to have happened between Kirk and Spock than disobeying his orders (wherein fact we later learn that Spock had been given the okay to deal with it) for Spock to transfer and for Kirk to still be mad as hell after all that time.

If Kirk was against a timetable to save that planet, how come he still had time to dally with Delva? So much so that he didn't even remember having told Spock to deal with it. A decision which apparently led to them falling apart and to Spock's and McCoy's transfer. Irresponsibility! That just doesn't sound like Kirk. I'm sony, but I can't believe that any CMO would let Kirk's anger run rampant, especially if it threatened the working relationship between its CO and the officers and crew. Secondly, it's very hard to believe that Kirk would lack the insight and discipline to keep his temper in check and let it affect the smooth running of his ship to such a degree. Thirdly, if Kirk couldn't have kept his temper in check, it would've come out at officers' training or in a psychological test and he wouldn't have been given command of a starship. Lastly, when all these transfers from one vessel in such a short period of time crossed Starfleet's desk, don't you think they would figure out something was seriously wrong and they would start an investigation?

I like the meld, their coming together, and Spock's assertiveness. He's often portrayed as the weakest link, but in his own way he's as strong as Kirk is.

I like the art that goes with this piece. Both Nefertari and Marianne Mueller did an outstanding job, if I may call it a job. It feels very alive and fresh. A free expression of Kirk and Spock, and I like it very much.

I truly enjoyed Amanda Fox's "Personal Endeavor". It was interesting in the way it started out. I thought it was a truly novel idea to start out a story with Spock almost dying, far from the Enterprise and his crew- mates. The way Amanda also put Spock and Kirk at odds with each other was interesting. Kirk's way of dealing with his feelings for Spock and subsequently acknowledging them and finally begging Spock's forgiveness was very well-written. Of course, that wasn't the end of the story. It is a mini-novella I'd say about 100 pages long, and it was hard to put down. I thoroughly recommend it.