#the koon-ut-kal-if-fee is to the DEATH

[trek-tracks]

I think that we all just conveniently forget how extremely funny it is that, in The Savage Curtain, Kirk canonically has no idea who Surak, the most important figure in Vulcan history, is

#star trek #star trek tos #jim kirk #spock #the savage curtain #captain kirk #abraham lincoln #surak #like what if it's incredibly common knowledge actually who spock's parents are #kirk just refuses to read up on anything pertaining to vulcan #these are your PARENTS? #who is surak? #the koon-ut-kal-if-fee is to the DEATH? #JIM IF YOU WOULD JUST READ THE POCKET BOOK ON VULCAN #sorry bones no time #that would make the bones knows about spock's parents post even funnier #bones just...read the briefing

[byrcca]

VORIK: Let me take this opportunity to declare koon-ut so'lik, my desire to become your mate. TORRES: What? VORIK: In human terms, I am proposing marriage. Do you accept? TORRES: This is, er, a little sudden, isn't it? Besides, I thought that Vulcan marriages were arranged. Don't you already have somebody back home? VORIK: She has sufficient reason to consider me lost, and has most likely chosen another mate. It's appropriate for me to do the same. TORRES: And you've chosen me? VORIK: I have come to greatly admire not only your impressive technical skills, but also your bravery and sense of moral duty. All excellent qualities in a prospective mate. TORRES: But you're Vulcan. I am half-Klingon. I really can't imagine VORIK: Perhaps we are not an obvious match. However, our differences would complement each other. You've often expressed frustration with your Klingon temper. My mental discipline would help you control it.

~ Vorik is not a rapist. Vorik is not a rapist. Vorik is not a rapist.

I am, admittedly, a Vorik apologist. (I’m also a Tom Paris apologist, and an Owen Paris apologist. And all without the benefit of a psych degree). Did Vorik assault B’Elanna? Absolutely. Was it motivated by sexual dominance or the desire to hurt her? In my opinion, no. Did he harm her? Absolutely, and he should be sanctioned for his behaviour, though maybe not for his actions.

Unquestionably what he did to her when he tried to initiate a mind meld/mating bond with her, was wrong. He invaded her personal space, stepped waaaaay over the line of subordinate-boss, had absolutely zero right to touch her. Was that face-grab a resultof his anger at her refusal? Partly.

I believe that Vorik’s greatest sin/crime here is not violence, though holy crap his scenes with B’Elanna were shockingly violent for Trek, it was pride (something a Vulcan would never admit to) and arrogance. Vulcans are extremely arrogant. They honestly & truly believe that their emotional control & strict adherence to logic makes them better/more advanced than many other races. And while they can get along with other species, they do appear to look down their noses at them or view them as ‘not quite cooked’ yet.

Vorik may not have been bucking for Chief Engineer but he’d been right there, at B’Elanna’s elbow, suggesting refits she didn’t have time for or tools that might work better than the one she‘s planned to use. That his opinions were correct is another (annoying) matter for discussion at another time. Vorik, in his arrogance, believed that he was right. That any conclusion or decision he’s reached was the best one. He’d weighed the pros & cons, dismissed other female crew members as unsuitable partners, observed Tom & B’Elanna’s friendship/flirtation and come to the conclusion that she had rejected Tom’s awkward (or too smooth) advances and only wanted to be his friend. He truly believed himself to be the superior choice of lifemate for her. Logically, he may even have been right. In his youth & arrogance & firmly held belief in his own superiority - and remember, this is his first pon farr & he’s going it alone - he hadn’t even considered that she would turn him down.

Yes, his initial assault in engineering was spurred by his anger at her rejection, but dude is not human (nor is she) and we must consider his biological imperative at play. Mate (not exclusively ‘fuck’) or Die. Those really were his only choices. If I remember my TOS (and the local newspaper summary: In a mad, mating frenzy, Spock injures Captain Kirk.) correctly, the Koon-ut-kal-if-fee is a fight to the death. Vorik is lucky that B’Elanna’s afore noted Klingon strength enabled her to knock him on his ass! If he’d really hurt her, Tom would have torn him apart

PARIS: You want a fight? You’ve got one!

TORRES: If anyone’s going to smash your arrogant little face in, I will! I take your challenge myself!

BONUS COLLAGE of B’Elanna knocking Vorik on his ass!

#ensign vorik #vorik vednesday (go with it) #Blood Fever #crappy screen shots #I❤️Chakoteya.net

[v-thinks-on]

Pon Farr

Warning: Dubious consent due to the nature of pon farr, though no one actually has sex.

The one thing James Kirk could say for the Vulcan mating cycle was that it was predictable. It happened every seven years like clockwork. Therefore, he was not surprised when Spock bolted up in bed in the middle of the night and declared, “It is time.”

Jim didn't have to ask what he meant. He contacted the bridge straight from their quarters and ordered, “Set course for Vulcan, as fast as she'll go.”

He turned back to Spock and declared with a wry smile, “It looks like we're finally getting married.”

Spock frowned, his expression already exaggerated beyond his usual restraint. “I maintain that it is too dangerous,” he insisted, anger flashing in his brown eyes. “I will go down alone.”

Jim rubbed his partner’s shoulder in an attempt to soothe him. “I'll just be there for moral support.” Jim's expression hardened. “And if it doesn't work, I'm not letting you die just to spare me a rough night.” He squeezed Spock's shoulder for emphasis.

Spock's frown remained but he nodded in assent. “You have suffered too much on my account already.”

“I could say the same about you.” Jim tried to meet Spock's eyes, but his partner's gaze was fixed upon the floor, so he settled for brushing his hand over Spock's knuckles, sending as much comfort and affection through the contact as he could.

“It'll be nice to have you in my mind all the time,” Jim mused. “They think we’re the best command team in the fleet now, but they haven't seen anything yet.”

Spock quirked a skeptical eyebrow at him, finally meeting Jim's eyes.

“That's more like it,” Jim declared with a soft smile. “Now let's get you to sickbay so Bones can keep an eye on you and make sure you're not doing any worse than you should be.” He could not wait for this whole ordeal to be behind them.

“Dr. McCoy will not be pleased to be awoken at this hour,” Spock remarked.

“He'll live,” Jim retorted and made to call the doctor's quarters.

The Vulcan sun beat down on Jim's shoulders. His formal uniform itched against his sweaty skin. The thin air made his head feel light despite the shot of an actual tri-ox compound that Bones had given him in preparation for beaming down. He tried to brace himself for the ceremony.

“How are you holding up?” Bones asked, his eyes narrowed as though he was waiting for Jim to start displaying the same symptoms Spock was.

Jim and his wedding party of one were waiting on the edge of a rocky outcropping overlooking the place of Koon-ut-kal-if-fee; a circular arena ringed with stone structures, connected to the surrounding plateau by narrow stone bridges. Spock was already standing on a raised dais in the center, ready to begin the ceremony.

Jim shrugged. “I don't have too much to complain about; Spock has it a lot worse than I do.” His partner - soon to be bondmate - was feverish to the touch and undoubtedly in pain, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. His behavior over the past week had been erratic to say the least, egged on by alien hormones.

Bones shot Jim a skeptical look.

“Don't worry, we're not going to fight to the death this time,” Jim said with an attempt at a wry smile.

“You're damn right,” Bones exclaimed. “I won't be able to save you from him this time.”

“You haven't forgotten any monitors, have you?” Jim tried to keep his tone light, but he could hear his nerves sneak into his voice.

“You're both hooked up to everything I could possibly think of and then some,” Bones confirmed. He hesitated. “I just hope his crazy idea works. I don't want you two moping around for the next seven years.”

Jim shook his head, but before he could reply, the sound of a gong echoed in their ears.

“That's my cue,” Jim declared with an attempt at a grin.

T'Pau and her entourage led the way down the path, followed by Jim, and Bones took up the rear. Jim stopped at the edge of the rock-lined arena as T'Pau's assistants lowered her chair onto the dais. Spock stood before her, his body wracked with tension, almost curling in on itself. His hands were tented before his face as though in an attempt at mediation.

His eyes met Jim’s and his fiery gaze seemed to bore into Jim's skull. Jim took in a deep breath to steel his nerves, but the air was still too thin and he was only left feeling out of breath.

Spock and T'Pau greeted each other, their right hands raised in the ta’al. He approached and she touched one hand to his face in a brief meld.

Then, she turned to Jim. “Thee art no longer a stranger to our ways.”

Jim nodded in response.

“James Kirk, does thee accept the mating according to our laws and customs?” He could see concern hidden in her unwavering Vulcan eyes.

Spock convulsed and began to croak out a word of protest, but T'Pau motioned for silence.

Jim gave another solemn nod. “I accept.”

He did not challenge, of course, and so Spock rang the gong again.

“Step forward, James Kirk,” T'Pau instructed. “I will now bond thee to thine mate.”

“Good luck,” Bones whispered.

Jim stepped forward to join Spock on the dias. That, at least, was where he belonged; at Spock's side.

“Initiate the meld,” T'Pau said.

Spock reached out, his whole arm shaking. Still, somehow he managed to gently place a hand on Jim's face, his fingers pressed against Jim's psy points. As always, Jim leaned into the touch and reached for Spock's mind with his own.

For an instant, he felt a desperate apology and then he was overwhelmed with pain that he knew was not his own. His skin burned everywhere except for the tips of the fingers touching his own face. His blood seemed to course like fire through his veins. It was all he could do to remain upright and not collapse on the spot.

Before he could begin to attempt to think through the haze, it faded as another hand rested on each of his faces - one on Jim and one on Spock.

“Parted from me and never parted, never and always touching and touched,” the three recited in unison.

“The bond is complete,” T'Pau declared, withdrawing her hands.

The pain surged back full force. Jim did not notice that Spock had pulled away until they were ushered out of the sun, into a tent prepared for them to complete the ritual.

Jim breathed a shaky sigh of relief. Inside, in the comparatively cool shade, he could begin to think clearly. The pain was Spock's, not his own. He could feel the distance even as it burned across his skin and through his body.

He only had an instant of warning as the pain heightened to an unbearable peak and felt a flash of intent before Spock grabbed him by the shoulders so tight it hurt more than the ghostly burn, and forced him to the ground. His heart raced and panic rose like bile in his throat - they had failed already. Spock loomed over him, his face distorted with rage and pain, ready to do anything to ease it.

And then he saw his own face through the bond, his eyes wide with fear. He felt a surge of disgust and Spock threw himself backwards, away from Jim.

Jim lay there a moment longer, attempting to catch his breath as Spock watched him through wary eyes, bright with fear and pain. The burn was becoming unbearable again.

Jim forced himself upright and inched toward his partner, crouched over so that their eyes were at the same level. He tried to project as much calm as he could through the new bond.

“Can you meditate?” He asked when they were less than a foot apart, his voice as level as he could make it.

Spock forced his eyes closed and nodded. Slowly, he straightened his legs and crossed them in front of him. His back remained bent, hardly his usual perfect posture.

“We'll get through this,” Jim muttered, as much to himself as Spock.

Spock's muscles were tense and his breathing ragged as he fought the pain, fought the one thing that he knew would banish it.

There was only one thing Jim could think to do to help his partner - his bondmate. He circled around Spock, projecting his intentions as clearly as he could, and sat down right behind him. Then, with an aching arm, he began to rub circles into Spock’s back, slowly massaging out the tension. The rough material of his uniform was too much against Spock's sensitive skin, made more sensitive by the fever, so Jim reached below it and began to work at his burning back.

Spock immediately relaxed into his touch. Through the bond he could feel his cool hands chasing away the fever. The rest of Spock's body still burned, but it was enough. Spock focused on the cooling sensation and meditated on it, let it fill both their minds until the pain only lingered in the remotest corners.

Jim massaged his bondmate, his hands traveling the course of his back thousands of times, until his arms ached and his hands grew numb. Eventually, the heat of the day faded outside, leaving them in darkness.

At long last, the fever waned. Jim felt a burst of relief and guilt and then Spock collapsed where he sat. Spock’s exhaustion combined with Jim’s own crashed over him, but Jim forced his eyes to remain open long enough to untangle Spock's legs and lay him out on his back.

He was about to go and find a doctor, when the flaps of the tent opened and in stepped a Vulcan healer.

“Is he alright?” Jim demanded.

She surveyed Jim and Spock for a long moment before she asked, her eyes wide in disbelief, “He succeeded at overcoming it?”

Jim nodded. “Is he okay?” he asked urgently.

She stepped over to Spock and waved a compact scanner over him, not too different from the ones Bones used on away missions. Finally, she reported, “He has sustained minimal damage. There is a ninety nine point nine seven percent chance of a full recovery.”

She turned to Jim and waved the scanner over him, lingering on his bare shoulders - Jim hadn't even noticed his shirt tearing.

“You have sustained minimal damage. He has achieved a remarkable feat of logic,” she said.

“It was his human side that saved me,” Jim couldn't help but reply with an affectionate glance back at his sleeping bondmate.

“Perhaps his human heritage weakened the blood fever,” she assented, almost sounding a little smug.

Jim was too tired to argue. He just shook his head and let her go. Finally, he lay down on the ground beside Spock and succumbed to sleep.

Jim awoke in an unfamiliar location, in a hard bed molded to the contours of an alien body. He could feel Spock beside him, sleeping soundly. He reached for Spock's side and felt the reassuring heartbeat in his hand, faster than a human’s even in a deep sleep.

Jim was just thinking of going to look for a doctor to check on Spock, when guilt and reassurance answered his concern through the waves of exhaustion emanating from the bond. Jim tried to convey relief and reassurance of his own, and it seemed to work as Spock’s mind quickly returned to sleep.

Jim shifted in bed, searching for a comfortable position so he could give in to the sleepiness coming from within and without, but the bed was moulded in such a way that he could only sleep on his back and he wasn’t quite tired enough to just surrender to it. His stomach growled insistently, unwilling to let him sleep even if he could get comfortable. He rolled his aching shoulders and forced himself out of bed.

Jim was sitting in the living room of Spock’s parents’ home on Vulcan, reading, when he felt a sudden burst of sensation - Spock was finally awake. A wide grin spread across his face. He put the book aside and hurried back to the bedroom as Spock stood and began to dress. He had donned his robe by the time Jim entered.

He was struck with the peculiar sensation of seeing himself open the door and step into the room. Everything in his mind seemed to echo through the bond, making it hard to think clearly.

“May I?” Jim heard the question before Spock asked. He both felt and saw him extend his arm for a meld.

“Of course.” The words echoed in both their minds.

They both stepped closer, as though propelled by the same thought, until they were nearly touching. And then Spock closed the distance and their minds collided with nothing to hold them apart.

They drifted in freefall, unable to tell where Jim ended and Spock began, unable to fathom that they had even once been separate beings, and not merely two parts of a single whole. It took the recollection of the events of the other day - so close to the front of both their minds - to disentangle them enough for Spock to gain a handle on their newly formed bond.

Slowly they faded apart until only a quiet surface stream of thoughts and sensations crossed between them. Only then did Spock step back, though the connection between their minds remained; parted and never parted, never and always touching and touched.

“Thanks,” Jim said with a shake of his head to clear it. “That's a lot more manageable.”

“It is not logical to thank,” Spock said calmly, but Jim could feel the guilt behind his words.

“I don't think I could ever thank you enough,” Jim said with a smile.

“You are the one who saved my life,” Spock replied, cutting to the point.

“Just returning the favor.” Jim grinned and put a hand on his bondmate's shoulder.

Spock frowned, due to the remnants of pon farr or because of the link between their minds, Jim did not know. “I lost control. I know your shoulders are damaged, and you are fortunate it is not worse.”

Jim pulled off his shirt, exposing his dark purple shoulders. “It's just a bruise.”

Spock reached out to touch them and Jim flinched away without thinking. Jim’s eyes widened as he realized what he had done.

“You are certain you do not wish to absolve the bond?” Spock asked.

“Of course not,” Jim exclaimed. He took Spock's hand and placed it on his shoulder for good measure. His warm touch began to soothe the dull ache.

“I have betrayed your trust,” Spock insisted and pulled his hand away.

“You gave me a bit of a fright,” Jim admitted, “but you weren't yourself. As soon as you realized what was going on you stopped and pulled yourself together. It's not your fault - you didn't even want me to be there in the first place.”

“Next time, you will not accompany me,” Spock said. Jim could feel his voice resonating with emotion.

“What are your chances of survival if I'm not there?” Jim demanded.

Spock did not need to answer; Jim sensed his initial estimate through the bond.

“That settles it,” Jim said. “I didn't go through all of this just for you to die in seven years.” He held Spock's gaze and he could tell that Spock felt his determination.

At last, Spock nodded. “I would feel the same if I were in your position,” he admitted.

“Good,” Jim said. A smile slowly crossed his lips.

He felt Spock's intent before he even began to raise his arm.

“Go ahead,” Jim said, though he didn't need to say it aloud.

Spock reached out an arm and slowly placed it on Jim's bruised shoulder. Again he felt a rush of warmth and their bond intensified with the skin to skin contact. He could feel Spock's guilt pouring out with his affection. He put his hand on Spock's and sent out his own comfort to meet it.

Spock met Jim's eyes and gave him a weak, very small smile, that was pretty big by his standards. His eyes shone.

“We ought to celebrate our marriage properly,” Jim remarked with a grin.

“You intend to celebrate our bonding?”

“Of course,” Jim said. “What do you say? Will you marry me, Mr. Spock?”

“I am already bonded to you for life. If you wish to be married according to the human custom, then I have no objection.”

“I promise it'll be much more enjoyable, though it's just a legal agreement and a party, so it doesn't come with anything as nice as the bond.”

The next time there was a lull in their voyage, the senior staff and as many officers as could fit crammed onto the narrow observation deck of the USS Enterprise. At the far end of the room, a little removed from the crowd, stood the captain and his first officer. Captain Kirk wore his formal best and First Officer Spock was a rare sight in Vulcan robes. Behind them was Dr. McCoy, also in his formal uniform, officiating.

Jim surveyed the crowd with a smile, before turning back to his bondmate. Spock's gaze was fixed on him, his bemused expression only brushing the surface of the emotion Jim could feel pouring through their bond.

Spock knew it was illogical to gather in such a formal manner to announce the formation of a personal relationship which already existed and all present were already aware of. However, there was something surprisingly gratifying in the sight of all their friends and colleagues cheering them on with such enthusiasm, celebrating something they did not even fully understand.

Jim grinned and brushed his hand against Spock's, just to savor the warmth and the full force of their bond.

“Hold your horses!” Dr. McCoy grumbled, though his smile ruined the effect. “You’re not supposed to kiss yet!”

Jim hastily removed his hand as the gathered officers laughed. Spock's cheeks flushed a pale green. They would never be able to get away with sneaking contact on the bridge again, but Jim found a little teasing was a small price to pay.

#v writes #Star Trek: The Original Series #Spirk

[goldenworldsabound]

Spock I ALWAYS love coming in here to ask you stupid questions. Please, tell me, if you prefer pirates or ninjas. ~heart-stealer-hope 💖

@heart-stealer-hope

I am always pleased to speak with you, Hope. As for your question, I should hope the answer is obvious, as it is quite a logical one.

Pirate -  a person who attacks and robs ships at sea.

Ninja -  a person skilled in ninjutsu.

Now, while both pirates and ninjas tend to be thought of as violent, the nature of the violence is different. Pirates are almost always violent in a negative way that seeks to harm others for self gain. Ninjas may be violent for a righteous cause, which, while I still do not condone violence, is substantially better than selfish motives.

...of course, in all honesty, ninjas across the universe are just as often committing violence for the sake of selfish reasons as pirates. However, Vulcans have a variety of ritual arts that are quite similar to ninjutsu, like the  koon-ut-kal-if-fee, or fight to the death, which has intricate rules and specific battle stances. The Vulcan Nerve Pinch also comes to mind as a way to stealthily disarm an enemy.

Thank you for the question, Hope.

#faves take tumblr

[spockandthings]

Imagine

If in aos Trek Spock gets his Pon Farr on the second five year mission and they have to go to New Vulcan cause T'Pring is still alive, so that means they're still betrothed and the kal-if-fee need to happen. So as in Amok Time, T'Pring calls the koon-ut-kal-if-fee and choses Kirk as her champion.

Just imagine how it'd crush Spock, thinking his captain has died a second time because of him. James, this golden man, his captain, has died once again and all because of Spock. If Kirk's first death pushed Spock to bloodlust and rage, what would his second death do?

But then, as in Amok Time, Kirk would not be dead, but just imagine, how much it would've crushed Spock if Kirk had truly died by his hand.

I think that's the moment Spock really realized how much Kirk meant to him. Realized that they were t'hy'la

#dayum im sad now #just imagine #poor spocko #imagine #start trek aos #spirk #me rambles

[silverbird-simphony]

The koon-ut-kal-if-fee (lit. marriage or challenge) is a revocation of an unwanted arranged marriage on Vulcan, resulting in a challenge to the death between the betrothed and a champion of the other betrothed’s choosing.

#simblr #ts4 #star trek sims #amok time #happy 50th amok time #my edits

[textsfromstarfleet]

I never advocated murder. I advocated self defense. T'pring was trapped in a system that gave her two choices: the khalifee or rape. She chose not to be raped. Simple as that. To implicate that she shoud've put the men's well being (which, tbh, she didn't give a fuck about and RIGHTFULLY) over her bodily autonomy is unthinkable. If someone tries to rape me and I have the choice between being raped and pushing him off a nearby cliff, I'LL PUSH.

She wasn’t pushing Spock off a cliff, though. She was forcing him to fight his best friend/captain to the death. She knew Kirk couldn’t win and only chose him because she knew that if Spock killed him he wouldn’t want to marry her anymore.

Plus we don’t know if the Vulcan culture would count pon farr as rape. We don’t know if T'Pring would count it as rape. We don’t know if T'Pring’s only option was koon-ut-kal-if-fee or if she was just banking on the fact that Spock was half-Vulcan and would never go through pon farr (which he expressed as an option when he first started going through it) and if Spock didn’t mate with her HE’D DIE so he didn’t have much choice. Neither did Kirk, as refusing to fight Spock would have meant his death.

The only one with any choice in the matter was T'Pring. Vulcan is a matriarchal society. T'Pring COULD have done a million other things, including letting Stonn fight Spock as was INTENDED but she would rather kill an innocent human than risk her lover dying or getting hurt.

If someone had a gun to a stranger’s head and said “you can either let me kill this man or be raped” I would choose rape because losing my own body autonomy (which I’ve experienced multiple times) is better than an innocent man losing their life.

This isn’t male vs female either. If Spock had been in T'Pring’s place, do you think he would have picked an innocent human to fight T'Pring? Uhura maybe? No. He would have done what was expected of him or figured out a way to peacefully end things without anyone DYING.

MURDER. IS NOT. PREFERABLE. TO RAPE. RAPE. IS NOT. PREFERABLE. TO MURDER.

Both are TERRIBLE but T'Pring wasn’t risking her OWN life or anyone she cared about. She wasn’t even killing anyone herself. She was letting Spock do the dirty work so she could run off with Stonn.

AT NO TIME does she bring up not wanting to mate with Spock, by the way. She just didn’t want to be his wife. She even said “if you ended up marrying me I would get your name and your land and still sleep with Stonn once you left” which doesn’t seem like a woman afraid about being raped, more like a woman who was so bigoted she didn’t want to be paired with a half-human Starfleet commander.

This was also filmed in the 60s where the definition of consent was very different. I HIGHLY doubt Gene Roddenberry meant for pon farr to be construed as a rape scenario. T'Pring was VERY CLEARLY put in the role of antagonist in that episode. Not anti hero, not damsel in distress, she was the bad guy. Her actions are SUPPOSED to be seen as bad. It was WRITTEN that way.

Which brings me back to the fact that THIS IS A FICTIONAL SHOW and you are harassing an ACTUAL PERSON WITH ACTUAL EXPERIENCE IN THESE THINGS because they don’t agree with a FICTIONAL CHARACTER’S ATTEMPTED MURDER.

#cw rape #cw murder #ask #anon #answered

[apassionatearchive-blog]

Vulcan Mating

Pon Farr

The Vulcan time of mating and major reproductive cycle for the species. It occurred approximately every seven years during adulthood in both sexes, generally starting in the thirties, though living off world could delay the on-set of pon-farr drastically *. During pon farr, a Vulcan loses all emotional control and must either mate or die due to the fact that Vulcans in the throws of pon farr underwent a neurochemical imbalance which took on the form of madness until it developed into plak tow. 

Unless satisfied, a Vulcan would die within eight days of the process beginning. Another technique to overcome pon farr was to meditate through the madness, but even those with the strongest of minds had difficulty with such a method.

The mental imbalances of pon farr, in some instances, could be transferred to another species through a telepathic mating, such as Romulans, even though Romulans themselves no longer went through pon farr themselves due to removing the neuroprocessor responsible from their genome through  genetic engineering after the Sundering.

Given the private nature of pon farr within Vulcan society, outsideers were not told of it and Starfleet doctors only began to learn of it in the 23rd century, though by the 2370s, medical knowledge about pon farr was still scarce outside of Vulcan.

Plak-Tow

Known in standard as ‘blood Fever’, it refers to the final stage of pon farr. Common factors during this stage of the the Vulcan Mating Ritual is highly combative behavior, a high, and the inability to think or speak clearly. The fever can only be broken through the successful completion of the marriage ceremony or through combat.

Bonding

Typically part of the marriage custom that involved a telepathic link that connected the husband and wife after the official ceremony. Without it, no Vulcan marriage was complete, as it bound the two parties to a greater level than simple custom.

This isn’t to be confused with the ancient rite that remained lost for centuries prior to the 24th century. That rite was done between young helpless infants and their parents during a time when Vulcans were first harnessing their telepathic abilities and believed it easier to meld with blood relatives than distant relatives or friends. This was considered a sacred, very powerful act that linked parents to their family more firmly.

Kal-If-Fee

The Vulcan challenge of kal-if-fee is claimed by a female if she doesn’t want to be with the male she was betrothed to at childhood, or there is a male challenger for her hand. After kal-if-fee was declared, the betrothed male would fight to the death with the challenger, the female’s chosen defender or the female herself using traditional weapons such as the lirpa (an unusual that consists of a stafflike shaft measuring about 160 cm with a crescent shaped plan on one end and a weighted club on the other.) or the ahn-woon (a thin leather strip about six feet in length that sometimes had a leaden weight at the end. Used as a noose or a whip traditionally, it could also be bunched up and for use as a crude, but flexible club).

Koon-Ul **

At the age of seven, Vulcans are ceremonially bonded telepathically with their betrothed in an ancient practice once used to establish convenience and alliance between families. Done before puberty to help minimize irrational behavior and channel social cohesion instead of rutting madness, it is overseen by the parents of the children, as well as representatives from the Surak School or other religious order, to oversee the marriage contract. However, this practice is mostly undertaken by old, wealthy and/or influential families

Koon-Ut-Kal-If-Fee

Meaning “marriage or challenge”, it’s esentially part of the marriage ceremony, where, in most cases, the female accepts the proposal made by the male’s parents and there are no challengers for her hand which allows both parties to proceed without the need for combat. However, if there is a challenger or the female rejects the male’s proposal, it will lead to kal-if-fee

Koon-Ut-So’lik

A ritual marriage proposal, it could be conducted when, or even before, the Vulcan was in the grips of pon farr and generally preceded the koon-ut-kal-if-fee ritual. This practice was for vulcans who wished to choose their own mate and generally weren’t bonded to another at a young age through the practice of Koon-Ul, leaving them free to invoke koon-ut’so’lik

Rel-San-Vek

An ancient ceremony performed to dissolve the bonding between two Vulcans. It requires both parties to be present on Vulcan in order to take place.

Shon-ha’lock

Known as ‘the engulfment’ it is a less traditional manner for an individual to acquire a mate at the proper time. They rely on the start of pon farr to direct them to a mate at the right time. Similar to the human notion of ‘love at first sight’, it’s seen as a dangerous, but necessary experience, much like the kahs-wan.

* Information taken from the book, Sarek

** Taken from The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans RPG Manual

#knowledge from the high masters ( references )