The Mask in the Mirror

Fanfiction
Title:	The Mask in the Mirror
Author(s):	Kathy Stanis
Date(s):	1993
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:
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The Mask in the Mirror is a Kirk/Spock story by Kathy Stanis.

It was published in the print zine Within the Mirror #7.

Summary

"Kirk considers Spock out of reach until his adventure in the Mirror universe opens his eyes to what, and how, Spock can be."

Reactions and Reviews

1993

This was too alternate universe for my taste.

This delightful retelling of "Mirror, Mirror" from a K/S point of view includes a scene that initially startled me: the scene in Spock's cabin with Spock and Sarek and Amanda. The story paints Vulcans of the Mirror universe as quite different from the ones we're familar with. In a rather, er, intimate way, Amanda and Sarek encourage the Mirror Spock to approach his Kirk with his love. Once I set aside any judgment on the subject of "incest," I realized how beautiful and loving Spock's relationship with his parents seemed. How nonthreatening. The scene is one of love and comfort and total acceptance, and on reading it again, I don't see any "incest" whatsoever. That scene has me wondering what incest ready is and whether it's necessarily so wrong as our culture paints it. In a society like the Vulcan one the author envisions here, clearly it isn't.

This author writes poetically; even her dialogue has a poetic cast to it. And that's one of the key strengths of the scene in the Mirror Spock's cabin. Here's an example:

"Crooning, as he always had, 'My beautiful boy...flower of my love...,'[Sarek]...took both of Spock's hands in his, turning them this way and that, studying, sensitive fingertips to sensitive fingertips."

And:

"[Spock] knew his father's pleasure and satisfaction, and was pleased."

I just melted. I make a point of mentioning this scene because it's so unexpected, so potentially shocking, and ultimately so beautiful.

As for the rest of the story, it's a good first-timer. Kirk's and Spock's dialogue rings true, and the scenes between them are accurately in character, fresh, original, and sweet. And there are some downright wonderful moments: when Kirk collides with Spock in his quarters. When Kirk relates what happened in the other universe, and what he felt - and especially when Spock understands and makes the first move, initiating physical contact between them. A gorgeous story, and one that kept me thinking long after reading it.

If someone had told me that I'd read a story that had a scene in it of Spock and Sarek and Amanda all making love and that I'd absolutely love it, I'd say "You know not what you speak!" or at least, "You gotta be crazy." But I did and I did! (Read it and love it, that is.) It was one of the most creative ways I've ever read to express the caring and love of Spock and his parents. Or the caring and love of anyone. It's sexy, but in a totally sensual and loving way. What a clever idea!

in this story, Kirk gcss to the mirror universe and watches the family via the Tantalus viewer in his alternate's room. His intriguing encounter with the other Spock leads him to love with "our" Spock.

Naturally, this is a much done theme, but here it is so fresh and original it was as if I had never read it before. The author's use of everyday occurrences transformed into intimate moments is quite unique. An example of this is Kirk pacing and Spock getting in his way. Spock holds Kirk to him to keep their balance and Kirk apologizes. All the tension and underlying feeling is expressed in that simple moment.

Another example is when Kirk, McCoy and Spock walking down the corridor of the Enterprise. Kirk imagines the side of his body that McCoy is next to is warm and the side that Spock walks next to is cold. A unique way of letting the reader know how Kirk feels.

There is also wonderful language: "Kirk was shaken from his fugue by a communicator beep..." and a line concerning the Halkans: "...in what they saw as a fruitless gathering of unevolved peoples laboring under an atrophied paradigm." Or this: "...a vibrant energy lit his mind, cast its light in all the dark corners, awakening dreams." And I loved Kirk's answer to McCoy's unspoken question of what happened between him and the mirror Spock: "It's their way."

Truly a careful, precisely written piece with wonderful emotional undercurrents. Highly recommended.

I'm sorry to have to say this, but I thought that showing such happy incest and talking about how wonderful it was for Spock's sexual development without even once pointing out how destructive incest can be, is insensitive to the pain of the incest survivors in fandom who might have been exposed to this story. The story also seemed to imply that mainline Spock's sexual attitudes would have been improved by incest. I really find that offensive. I also wonder if Kathy Stanis thought through the concept of this story. Why would there be a Babel Conference in the Mirror a/u? This implies a democratic political structure that doesn't exist in that universe. Obviously, there weren't conference delegates aboard the Enterprise in the "Mirror, Mirror" episode. I felt as if I were reading an a/u version of an a/u.