The Gorn Story
| K/S Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Gorn Story |
| Author(s): | Shelley Butler |
| Date(s): | 1996 |
| Length: | |
| Genre: | slash |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: The Original Series |
| External Links: | at AO3 ("I wrote a version of this story a long time ago. But it deserved some serious rewriting before being posted here. So much has been rewritten, including the ending.") |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Gorn Story is a sorta Kirk/Spock story by Shelley Butler.
It was published in the print zine Within the Mirror #11.
Summary
"Kirk is abducted and raped by the Gorn he defeated when forced to fight by the Metrons."
"In the Mirror universe, Captain James Tiberius Kirk is kidnapped by the Gorn. In this universe, Kirk had saved the Gorn's life, a supreme dishonor in the Gorn world. The Gorn must reclaim his position and his honor. How that is accomplished, remains to be seen. But this is also a story about the intense connection between Mirror Captain and Mirror First Officer. A connection of passion. A connection of love." [1]
Author's Comments
A few thoughts: First, a reiteration of the rape versus ravishment discussion concerning my Gorn story. I did not mean to show or imply that Kirk liked what that ol' nasty Gorn was doing to him. I tried to make it clear that Mirror Kirk likes sex a whole lot and that his body is extremely responsive. As an added incentive, he was thinking powerful thoughts about Spock. I want to make it totally clear that I know the difference between rape and surrender/ravishment and I would never even think of writing Kirk or anyone enjoying being raped. I repeat: I know what real rape is — I did not, nor would I ever — write anything about anyone being raped and liking it.
But let's say, for the sake of argument, that I wanted to write about Kirk being raped and liking it because I'm an ignorant fool who doesn't understand what rape is really all about and I think it's fun. Isn't this what we all get to do? Isn't this what K/S is all about? We should have the freedom to express to the absolute fullest whatever we want. After all, lest we forget, K/S itself is considered extremely subversive and pornographic by most. We become complacent and think it's fine and dandy and nobody minds—but they do! I found that out at World Con loud and clear. [2] Many people are deeply offended by K/S.
So if there is a subject matter within K/S that offends you, that's not a good thing, but hopefully there will be LOCs that will steer you away from those stories. And I'll put myself on the line again...I can't believe that some years ago I actually wrote a story that involved a whip handle up Kirk's ass while he was on stage in a big sex show. Not exactly on your best taste list, but I was allowed to express it and it didn't hurt anyone except cause me mucho embarrassment. But I'm glad I wrote it and I'm also glad it's in Mr. Atoz's vault to be sure. [3]
Reactions and Reviews
1997: The Original Version
I had to smile when I saw the title of this piece. Smart move on the part of the author since she knew that people would call this the Gorn story whatever title she decided to give it.Kirk is kidnapped by the Gorn captain of Arena who believes that by having sex with his adversary he and his crew will regain their lost honor. The whole affair will be seen in it's entirety by a what amounts to live-via-satellite broadcast to the Gorn home world.
Leave it to our Shelley to come up with a new and...uh...unique scenario. She takes us along for the ride with a blow by blow (sorry...couldn't help myself) description of reptilian intercourse including twenty-one things you can do with a lizard's tongue to amaze and excite your lover, and foreplay that involves basking on a rock.
There are some very funny lines here, such as Kirk calling the Gorn "an oversized iguana" and "a fucking polite lizard."
I'm not crazy about public sex, even by way of a view screen, and I doubt Kirk would get turned on in this situation, even by imagining Spock doing to him the things the Gorn is doing, but...hey, what the heck, this story is not about reality. It's about an author having a good time writing a story with her tongue (unlike the Gorn's) held very firmly in her cheek.
Shelley, I can't wait to see what you'll come up with next. [4]
I went 6 years without seeing a story featuring a Gorn as a sex object! This month I read two such stories! Horny Gorns, what a concept. Actually, it was a very interesting idea. Shelley wisely used the mirror Kirk as the object of Gornish ravishment. Such language coming from our Kirk! Shocking.The plot? Who cares, but there was one and it made sense. The Gorn had been bested and thereby embarrassed by Kirk. To reinstate himself in Gorn-hood, he must avenge himself in a public show of dominance over Kirk. Need I say that he chooses a sexual manner to deliver his message.
I loved the little reptile touches like the Gorn's heat rock! It raised his temperature high enough for all the activity yet to come. Keldar the Gorn needed all the energy he could raise because this Kirk was one feisty devil. I loved some his comments. Very funny, very mirror Kirk. How does Spock fit into this tale? Read it and see. You'll have a good time. [5]
Whoa! Talk about a story that's in your face! I positively squirmed as I read this tale of the mirror Kirk kidnapped by the Gorn. The Gorn, defeated in battle, must save face. Must save face while all the other Gorns on his ship and his homeworld watch. Must save face by sexually savaging the Federation Captain....I must confess to something here. My reaction to this story is anything but logical. You see, I have this aversion to reptiles. Snakes make me nauseous, lizards turn my stomach, crocodiles give me the screaming meemies. Spock would be ashamed of me, but there you are.
The author did an excellent job of turning the Gorn into a genuine sexual being, with all the sexual attributes one would expect, and my skin positively crawled as a result. Which is a compliment to the author, I think, since I was convinced this lizard-thing was going to go after Mirror Kirk. It's passages like this that really got to me -"The monstrous organ reached toward him in all its wet, glistening, fleshy splendor. Hung like a horse came to Kirk's mind.... The thing bobbed in front of his face.... The Gorn knelt down on the pillows. Kirk felt something wet and pebbly trail over his ass and thighs. The Gorn was caressing him with that giant slug-thing erection." Yech! A turn-on for some, I am sure, but to me, still Yech! And the tongue! I don't want to go into a description of the Gorn's tongue. I'm feeling faint...
We are talking very vivid writing here, or I wouldn't have had anything close to the reaction that I did.
But there was a whole lot more to this story that I did enjoy. First of all was Kirk's bravado through his initial capture. It's a wonderful characterization of the defiant captain who doesn't always think before he speaks. (Although I wonder how such a careless individual could make it to the captain's chair.) I really chuckled at lines such as "Fuck, you'd be luggage now if it wasn't for me!" and "Yeah, Gorn? Well, my name means don't fuck with me. Return me to my ship!" and my special favorite, when the Gorn shows him his penis (previously described!), Kirk replies, "Lucky me." Our picture of Mirror Kirk is very clear in this story, he's very different from the mainstream Kirk, and I appreciate the author's ability to make the character come to life.
It takes quite a while before Mirror Kirk catches on to what the Gorn intends to do. Keldar ties him up on pillows, face down, and Kirk starts to fantasize about what he'd do to Spock if he ever managed to get the Vulcan in the same position. (I got the impression this man is perpetually horny.) Suddenly it dawns on him that he is in that position, and the Gorn wasn't very friendly. The moment of revelation is a riot, and I loved it.
The moment of rescue is entwined with almost-dreamlike reflections of how Kirk had never told Spock of his love, and I thought that worked extremely well, but it's coupled (!) with the Gorn's beginning rape, and it's almost more than I could bear to read. For me, the whole scenario comes very close to bestiality, and I guess my ingrained taboo circuit cut in.
After all this, the final segment on the ship with Spock struck me as anti-climactic. It couldn't carry any of the same intensity; I was just relieved to be able to read an ordinary sex scene! I wonder if this were the case just with me, or whether this was truly a pacing problem with the story. Perhaps the author would have been better served not to write the obligatory Kirk-and-Spock-have-sex scene, and given us something that contrasted sharply with the Gorn-and-Kirk-have-sex scene instead. I'm not sure, since my perspective on this story is anything but clear.
I did have a small problem with the way Kirk became aroused against his will during the Gorn's advances. It's not something new in K/S, it's been written before. This is essentially a rape, and I find it highly unlikely that an individual in Kirk's position would react this way, even as randy as the author implied Kirk typically was. Are women aroused when they are raped? Isn't rape a violent act with almost nothing of the sexual in it? This comes too close to a man's justification for raping a woman because she "needed the sex," and "she likes it even rf she doesn't admit it" for me to feel comfortable with it. But I've got to admit that the way the author wrote it, Kirk's reaction was mostly funny. In the heat of imminent battle, Mirror-Kirk is thinking hot stuff about his first officer. Then he is captured by the Gorn captain, who must revenge his dishonor due to their previous encounter, in ways you might imagine. And still Kirk is thinking about Spock.... [6]
Kirk's feelings for Spock, and about his own sexuality, are extremely beautiful and also sizzling; and not only that but we also get such rich depth of feeling later it made me cry.... So it's an odd story one I might at first think is just for fun and sexiness, but it works on a deep feeling level also.A nice moving pace, drew me right along, when Kirk is bound up in the Gorn's bed. And now we understand Shelley's fascination with her scaled boyfriend; his huge, wet, pebbly-snake erection, god; his extremely long and multi-talented tongue, god; even his fingers.... Written so raunchy, I just love it when she does that.
Except the horny toad joke falls flat a lizard isn't a toad. Maybe this Kirk is a dunce in the natural sciences. Besides, it's homed toad, not homy toad. I love how Kirk just can't help himself fantasizing about Spock, and thus getting aroused, to his consternation, by the Gorn's ministrations. So this is the payback for his uncontrollable libido? Hilarious.
But juxtaposed with this raunchy stuff, and Kirk's Mirror bravado, were some truly beautiful passages, his thoughts of love and sex with Spock as he thinks he will die at the Gorn's hands; regretting Spock will never know of his love....
And back on the ship, such good Mirror-character dynamics. Kirk fighting his feelings yet also wanting to offer them to Spock, but Spock is maintaining the accustomed distance.... This tortured softness we see in Mirror Kirk is beautiful.
And vividly shown when it all blows up between them and then gets resolved. And gorgeous, slow, meaningful sex, and a meld. I cried over Kirk's feelings in the meld; and I'm very happy for these Mirror men for what they've found in each other. [7]
2023: Revised Version
What a great idea about having the Gorn come back to seek vengeance for his humiliation of being spared. And totally appropriate for the Mirror Universe. [8]
Oh my gosh! This is so intense! I am amazed at how you manage to portray the brutal side of both Kirk and Spock keeping them in character yet making their vulnerable moments so believable. And the Gorn! Wow I was even sorry he was blown up - you made him such an interesting character. Great story! I didn't want it to end! But was so relieved when they both admitted their feelings. Excellent! [9]
i am not crying...you're crying. Well that was fabulous!! You nailed mirror kirk. Gosh how i wanted more of mirror kirk!! Didnt show enough of that side in the episode. Wow the smart devil may care attitude that you nailed it. How delighted that you combined 2 wonderful episodes. Mirror verse and Arena. Then the mushy love confessions at the end well as mushy as mirror verse can be. Had in tearing up!! Bravo!! [10]