Karmen Ghia: What are you working on these days?

Kaki: I've got about 10 stories partly done. The two I think will turn out the best are an academy story and the de rigeur Pon Farr story. I've also got one story mostly done that is specifically avoiding any sex; hopefully very sensual though. Those and the Tuppertrek ones are the majority of the typed up stories I have.

KG: Okay, I'm sorry for the mundane questions but how long have you been in the Star Trek fan community?

Kaki: I started watching TOS in reruns in about 1969. I missed the originals by not living where they were broadcast. I was hooked quickly. I've been a fan ever since. In terms of any organized fandom, though, I am a relative newcomer having found fandom on the web only about 3 years ago. My first ST con was Shoreleave 1998.

KG: Have you stayed mainly in TOS or do you do other genres?

Kaki: I watch and read in a number of other fandoms, but only write in TOS. I'd consider TOS my main fandom, but I'd hate to give up my Duncan/Methos (HL), Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan (SW), or ...

KG: How did you decide to start writing what was in your head? What was your motivation?

Kaki: I think we have to blame Judith Gran for that. I sent her comments on Terminus (the on-line version: wonderful story, go read it) and did some beta-reading on the last bits of that one. She told me she thought I should try writing. I, of course, told her I had no imagination, no creativity, etc. She disagreed. Some time later (weeks, I think) the idea for the first section of "Mission to Neverias" hit me and insisted on being written down. Then the next. It was pretty much a mess. I learned a lot rewriting that one. POV and verb tenses, etc. So, when the next idea hit, it just had to go down on paper.

I guess the primary motivation was to get the ideas to stop exploding in my head. Once written they are a lot easier to tame. Later, I got to where I felt like my ideas were worth sharing, so that now I write to share as well as to satisfy the muse.

KG: How did your first story come about? Can you recall the decision to write it or did you just wake up one day, face down on the keyboard, and there was the first 3,000 words? (This happened to me, that's why I'm asking.)

Kaki: See above for a good bit or this one. The ideas for "Mission" had pretty much been floating around in my head for 20 years, since I first read that K/S existed back in the late 70s/early 80s. Honestly, I thought up the cave idea long before I read any K/S. Guess that's why it is such a cliche in K/S, we all thought it up! For me the story came out in fits and spurts, on paper by hand, on the computer. Probably in 100-200 word spurts and little outline type bits.

KG: What writers do you feel have influenced your slash writing?

Kaki: Two ways to answer this. Obviously Judith influenced me to write. Killa, T'Jonesy, Judith and others I can't remember names for initially made me fall for the idea of K/S, so they got me into the mindset. All the folks on ASC/EM that have given feedback and written slash I've enjoyed have certainly influenced me to enjoy writing slash. Also, the print zines I have read have influenced me; some have inspired, others led to the Tuppertrek stories.

I couldn't say who has influenced what I write or how I do it (unless you want to count the first guy I kissed or some other more recent inspiration of that sort).

KG: Who is your favorite character in slash to write about? Read about? And why?

Kaki: My favorite is Spock for both. However I write about Spock from Kirk's perspective, so I actually write Kirk's POV more often. Why do I love Spock: smart, sexy, strong, a bit of an unknown, his voice, his eyebrow, his ears.... Seriously, I think he is fun to read and write because he is the alien in the show. He allows writers (both on the show and in fanfic) to explore human issues from a different perspective - what I'm into SF for!

KG: Do you have some special technique for writing slash? (For example: I listen to really loud techno music. What do you do?)

Kaki: No. Mostly it just requires really needing to do something else.

KG: Do you have any thoughts on the future of K/S?

Kaki: I hope it continues and think it will. I suspect the popularity will rise and fall as it has in the past. I hope both web and zine versions will continue.

KG: Me, I'm just a webizen so I know nothing of the printzine community, except for a brush or two with certain members. What is with those people? Are they really as uptight, narrow minded, hyper critical/sensitive and condescending as they seem or am I really just too fucked up to see their good points?

Kaki: Most or the print folks I know are really great. Some of them are locked into a set way that K/S should be written and some are literally afraid of the net/web. However, I think the major clashes between the web and print world are just based on a few individuals. That said, I still tend to be wary around print folks until I find out what their perspective is.

KG: What's your thinking on chicks with dicks and Tupper Trek? I don't find it interesting, but my tastes are more, um, graphic. (I actually have trouble figuring what's going on [sexually] in much of K/S, it's way too subtle or something for me.)

Kaki: I might be the wrong one to ask about this. My parodies of these types of K/S have been posted (and will continue). I got so annoyed with the stories of happy romance a al Harlequin, the stories where Spock is too out of touch with himself and Kirk magically has the answer in his humanity (as opposed to they work together to solve problems), the ones where Spock is essentially a little wifey, the ones where they are so, so ashamed to be 'gay' etc. that I wrote "A Printfan's Nightmare" after discussing the issues with friends didn't resolve the annoyance. In my parodies of Tuppertrek, Spock is the fairly rational 'adult', with Kirk as the homey wifey. They are much fun to write.

OTOH, I do think that much of the fiction I am objecting to may have been needed to develop K/S to where it is today. In the 70s and 80s some of the issues that really bug me may have been cutting edge and I simply lack the perspective.

Just a note to Karmen - Printfan is a bit graphic. :)

KG: You've had experience in the printzine community and the webslash community. In what ways do their inherent strengths cause them to be inherently antagonistic? Or do I think that because I'm an asshole? (Okay, it's an awkward question, rephrase at will.)

Kaki: In addition to the thoughts above, yes, I have some experience with the printzine community. I have subscribed to the K/S Press for a year and a half, I borrow and read zines from their library (love many of them), have one zine published story, and have been to two KS Press parties at Shore Leave. So, not a long acquaintance, but some. Hopefully everyone reading this knows about ASCEM, so I'll just say that's my home away from home.

I'd recommend to everyone that being a part of both worlds is good.

I think that the two worlds clash, at times, for a number of reasons. For one thing, people who are in one world or the other (and not both) sometimes feel excluded from the camaraderie. Also many printfen aren't comfortable on-line and many on-line folks have no idea how to get to the zines (I remember being there not so long ago). Plus net fen are used to having their K/S (and other slash. I'm not involved in any non K/S off-line activities involving slash) easy to access, free or cheap, and with a public forum for commentary, feedback... Print folks are used to limited feedback at longer intervals, edited material, buying the zines (and keeping often well-produced zines for years), and being fairly well hidden from public view. I think print fans are afraid that the public access will be bad for them or for fandom, also that the net may make it hard for off-line fandom to survive. Net fen, OTOH, tend to want their 'fix' faster and not be quite so ready to accept an editor's choice in stories.

KG: I was recently reading an article in diary form about filmmaker Roger Nygard latest project. This 'feels' partly true to me (even I'm sure there's more to K/S than this) but I'm wondering if you have any reaction to this quote from the article: "March 22, 1997, Pasadena: Today we interviewed two writers of underground, homoerotic Kirk/Spock stories at the Pasadena Convention Center. These stories are typically written by and for heterosexual women - women who want to read sexual stories about Kirk and Spock but don't want to imagine them with other women." (LAT Magazine 6/20/99)

Kaki: I'm sure this is true for some slashers, although probably not often in the way I suspect LAT meant it. Part of the appeal of K/S is that there are no women in the series that really work with either man. One can make a case for Kirk/Uhura, but the camaraderie they share seems to me that it might be from a past relationship, not a current one. And of course, some like Spock/Chapel, but that relationship is no where near as compelling as the K/S one (YMMV). So, perhaps, women write slash because they don't want to see K or S with any of the available ST women. And don't get me started on Mary Sues. (Note there are some good K or S with women stories out there).

Mostly I think LAT missed the mark. K/S is written/read mostly because they have such a powerful on screen relationship, because the men (or at least one of them) are sexy to many women, lots of us like to see relationships without the traditional m/f roles and inequalities, ... really, it just works, can be sexy as anything I've ever read, and is a good platform for exploring many issues/situations that we enjoy reading about.

KG: What is the motivation to write slash? One can't sell it; one can't even eat it.

Kaki: Writing it makes the muse be quiet for a few days. It is fun to write. It is fun to get feedback. It is fun to be part of the community.

Also, writing can be a way to work out personal demons or simply to explore new ideas. My story "Trust" (not K/S or even slash) was written when a guy I was dating turned out to be a smuck (or should I say another guy). I was in a bad mood for days and finally decided that writing might get it out of my system. It did. Plus it turned into a fun on-line experience.

Plus, writing about sex is a turn-on, so, perhaps, it serves a purpose that way.

KG: Do you have any thoughts on the future of Slash on the Web?

Kaki: I hope it continues. It seems like slash in general is growing by leaps and bounds. The Master/Apprentice site had almost 700 stories last time I checked. And the Highlander fic is growing... I suspect more shows will come along and be slashed.

KG: Do you have a webpage and would you like to put the address here? Would like to put some recommend URLs, too?

Kaki: I want a web page, but am too ignorant. Someday I hope to have one. Sileya is putting together a Tuppertrek Insanity page at TSU, so some of my stuff will be there.

KG: And one final question - in your opinion, who's bigger? Kirk or Spock?

Kaki: Overall, Kirk is farther around, Spock is taller. Neither is very wide or overly short or tall. And both seem to know how to handle themselves well, whatever their relative size/shape/mass.

KG: Thank you, Kaki.

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