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Description
Augh! This piece killed me -- I still don't like it, but I can't seem to perfect it so just take it. XP

ABOUT THE SERIES:
Read the gallery description here.

ABOUT THIS PIECE:
Kirk & Spock

Transcendence

First, let it be known that I am not a slasher -- I don't like slashing characters together just for the sake of "omgthey'resosexytogetherSQUEE!!!!" For example, any Avengers, Harry Potter, or Bleach slash? Not my thing. I don't even really ship Sherlock/John and they were the focal point of my last nouveau piece.

That having been said, Kirk/Spock (also known as K/S, Spirk, Space Husbands, the first slash pairing, etc) is pretty much tied with IchiRuki as my ultimate OTP. Let me explain why.

If you're looking at the piece from the standpoint of only having seen the new Star Trek films from J.J.Abrams, I highly recommend that you watch some of the original series and/or the original movies because you cannot grasp the full extent of the Kirk/Spock relationship until you've seen it.

Gene Roddenberry (the creator of Star Trek) made a Vulcan word to describe their relationship; they are t'hy'la - "friend, brother, lover." He explained that there is a "deep love" between the two men, that the writers "never suggested, in the series, physical love between the two," but that "the affection was sufficient," that it was the "particular style of the 23rd century."

K/S is about transcendence. Transcending worlds, transcending social limitations, transcending traditional conceptualizations.... They are more than just "friends," more than "brothers," more than "lovers," it extends beyond those titles into something even deeper. And the love that exists between them transcends traditional concepts of love, it is not necessarily sexual -- a concept which is novel even by today's standards, let alone the 60s'! And then there's the obvious standards of heterosexuality vs homosexuality. There's a brilliant analysis of the Prime Universe Wrath of Khan death scene by Dr. Henry Jenkins. It is most famous for the line, "slash is what happens when you take away the glass," where, he explains, the glass which separates Kirk and Spock amounts to the traditional concepts of masculinity which block physical intimacy and strong emotional displays between two men.

Within the context of the actual characters, the transcendence lies in how Kirk and Spock become better men through each other. It is only through having known Kirk and knowing friendship, intimacy with him , that Spock is able to finally come to terms with who he is and transcend the imposed definitions of what it means to be "Vulcan," or "Human," or a "half-breed." And Kirk's brazen impulsiveness is always balanced by Spock's logic and reason, his racism toward the Klingons is a major example of this from the Prime Universe. And in the Alternate Universe (the J.J.Abrams films), the two of them learn to make decisions that the other would have done -- the logical thing and the cunning thing.

And then, of course, they transcend time and space. Spock "has been and always shall be" Jim's friend. Even after he falls out of the Prime Universe and finds young Jim in the Alternate Universe. And then of course even the Alternate Universe Kirk and Spock slowly find their friendship. And outside of the series, there are those who appreciate the power of their relationship nowadays (myself included) just as there were at the beginning of slash fiction in the 70s.

In summation, everything about this pairing is beautiful and I love it to death. I can't convey to you the depth of the emotions of I feel when I watch the two of them together. There is absolutely an overwhelming sense of infinite, quiet intimacy.

Symbols

The pose - reminiscent of Wrath of Khan and all subsequent iterations of the scene, the two men's hands press together in what may very well be the clearest show of emotion between them. But the overall pose is more like what they had together aboard the Enterprise in the Prime Universe -- this easy camaraderie, casual touches and tender smiles.

I used a bunch of designs from the series in this one: the insignia badge, the symbols for command and science, the laurels and star pattern from the United Federation of Planets logo, and the Vulcan IDIC symbol.

Also, the frame is the Enterprise. Because the frames in Art Nouveau pieces pretty much follow that same shape. (You cannot unsee it!!!) XD

MORE IN THE SERIES

CREDITS
Paper textures ~Knald
Star Trek & all related characters, designs, and concepts (c) CBS, Gene Roddenberry
art (c) anifanatical

Description
Augh! This piece killed me -- I still don't like it, but I can't seem to perfect it so just take it. XP

ABOUT THE SERIES:
Read the gallery description here.

ABOUT THIS PIECE:
Kirk & Spock

Transcendence

First, let it be known that I am not a slasher -- I don't like slashing characters together just for the sake of "omgthey'resosexytogetherSQUEE!!!!" For example, any Avengers, Harry Potter, or Bleach slash? Not my thing. I don't even really ship Sherlock/John and they were the focal point of my last nouveau piece.

That having been said, Kirk/Spock (also known as K/S, Spirk, Space Husbands, the first slash pairing, etc) is pretty much tied with IchiRuki as my ultimate OTP. Let me explain why.

If you're looking at the piece from the standpoint of only having seen the new Star Trek films from J.J.Abrams, I highly recommend that you watch some of the original series and/or the original movies because you cannot grasp the full extent of the Kirk/Spock relationship until you've seen it.

Gene Roddenberry (the creator of Star Trek) made a Vulcan word to describe their relationship; they are t'hy'la - "friend, brother, lover." He explained that there is a "deep love" between the two men, that the writers "never suggested, in the series, physical love between the two," but that "the affection was sufficient," that it was the "particular style of the 23rd century."

K/S is about transcendence. Transcending worlds, transcending social limitations, transcending traditional conceptualizations.... They are more than just "friends," more than "brothers," more than "lovers," it extends beyond those titles into something even deeper. And the love that exists between them transcends traditional concepts of love, it is not necessarily sexual -- a concept which is novel even by today's standards, let alone the 60s'! And then there's the obvious standards of heterosexuality vs homosexuality. There's a brilliant analysis of the Prime Universe Wrath of Khan death scene by Dr. Henry Jenkins. It is most famous for the line, "slash is what happens when you take away the glass," where, he explains, the glass which separates Kirk and Spock amounts to the traditional concepts of masculinity which block physical intimacy and strong emotional displays between two men.

Within the context of the actual characters, the transcendence lies in how Kirk and Spock become better men through each other. It is only through having known Kirk and knowing friendship, intimacy with him , that Spock is able to finally come to terms with who he is and transcend the imposed definitions of what it means to be "Vulcan," or "Human," or a "half-breed." And Kirk's brazen impulsiveness is always balanced by Spock's logic and reason, his racism toward the Klingons is a major example of this from the Prime Universe. And in the Alternate Universe (the J.J.Abrams films), the two of them learn to make decisions that the other would have done -- the logical thing and the cunning thing.

And then, of course, they transcend time and space. Spock "has been and always shall be" Jim's friend. Even after he falls out of the Prime Universe and finds young Jim in the Alternate Universe. And then of course even the Alternate Universe Kirk and Spock slowly find their friendship. And outside of the series, there are those who appreciate the power of their relationship nowadays (myself included) just as there were at the beginning of slash fiction in the 70s.

In summation, everything about this pairing is beautiful and I love it to death. I can't convey to you the depth of the emotions of I feel when I watch the two of them together. There is absolutely an overwhelming sense of infinite, quiet intimacy.

Symbols

The pose - reminiscent of Wrath of Khan and all subsequent iterations of the scene, the two men's hands press together in what may very well be the clearest show of emotion between them. But the overall pose is more like what they had together aboard the Enterprise in the Prime Universe -- this easy camaraderie, casual touches and tender smiles.

I used a bunch of designs from the series in this one: the insignia badge, the symbols for command and science, the laurels and star pattern from the United Federation of Planets logo, and the Vulcan IDIC symbol.

Also, the frame is the Enterprise. Because the frames in Art Nouveau pieces pretty much follow that same shape. (You cannot unsee it!!!) XD

MORE IN THE SERIES

CREDITS
Paper textures ~Knald
Star Trek & all related characters, designs, and concepts (c) CBS, Gene Roddenberry
art (c) anifanatical