a-strange-looking-raven
he him, with great hair
107 posts
Latest Posts by a-strange-looking-raven
Me when I'm boyfriend gets back from Japan
werewolves and metaphors
Rare Baltimore win
Good morning Baltimore
are you nerds ready to see TOP SURGERY KIRK??
You're just a mammal. Let yourself act like it. Your brain needs enrichment. Your body needs rest. You feel hunger and grow hair. You need to pack bond with other sentient things so you don't become unsocialized and neurotic. You are biologically inclined to seek dopamine and become sick when chronically stressed. "Hedonism" is made up to place moral value on taking pleasure in sensory experiences. I am telling you that if you don't let yourself be a fucking mammal, as you were made, you will suffer and go insane. No grindset no diets no trying to be above your drive for connection. Pursue what makes you feel good and practice radial rejection of the constructs meant to turn you into a machine. You're a mammal.
when people are like “he’s not even attractive you could find a guy that looks like him at any gas station” i’m like….. well you see there’s beauty everywhere actually
I'd rather hangout with the straight boyfriend than the queer cop who insists they're one of the "good ones" while harassing people of color
I'd rather hangout with the straight palestinian grandma than the queer zionist who keeps insisting that the death of palestinians is the one way ticket to queer liberation
I'd rather hangout with the leather dyke who is a mspec gaybian and uses paw/pawself pronouns than the puritan who makes "callout posts" clearly targeting disabled queer artists
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION (1987-1994) “All Good Things…” (7.25/7.26)
Finding good art on twitter
@roach-works // Melissa Broder, "Problem Area" // Mary Oliver, "The Return" // @annavonsyfert // Koyoharu Gotouge, Demon Slayer // Haruki Murakami, Dance Dance Dance // David Levithan, How They Met and Other Stories // Tennessee Williams, Notebooks
I’m not transgender but I believe in their beliefs
Vulcan Mind Link Analysis – Conclusion
Part 1| Part 2| Part 3| Part 4| Part 5
After taking a closer look at the instances where the touch telepathic abilities of Vulcans are mentioned and or used during TOS and TMP I wanted to sum up the results in one last post on the subject.
The first time the Vulcan Mind Meld is used occurs in the first season episode “Dagger Of The Mind” (S1E11 in production order). Here Spock melds with Dr. Gelder to find out what happened to him. During the series there are a number of occasions when Spock has to meld with someone or something. It is always a last resort and only if there is no better way to solve the problem or handle miscommunication (remember the Horta?).
It took me by surprise to realize that the first Mind Meld with Jim only happens in season three. Episode 56 to be precisely. In “Spectre Of The Gun” Spock melds with the entire crew to convince their minds that what happens to them is not real, in order to save their lives. At first this doesn’t seem to be that much of an indicator for intimacy, but looking at the reactions of the other crew members it does prove interesting. While Scotty and McCoy freeze and seem terrified by having another mind in their head, Jim is comfortable and doesn’t display any signs of distress.
The second time Spock melds with Jim is in “The Paradise Syndrome” where he has to find Jim’s buried memories of his real self, due to a serious case of amnesia. It’s an intense scene and probably a much deeper meld than the first time, not only because of the duration of the contact, but also because Jim’s distress is visibly bleeding into Spock.
After everything is said and done Spock compliments the captain: “His mind. He is an extremely dynamic individual”. Which tells us that he delved deep enough to get a good look at Jim’s innermost thoughts, his mind, maybe even what constitutes as Katra in Vulcans. There is a reason for one of the five principles of Vulcan philosophy to be privacy. If you possess the ability to look that deeply into someone else’s mind, be the intentions as they may, you have to honor the privacy of each individual for society to work.
But I think it can be established that from this (admittedly otherwise whacky) episode that Spock knew Jim’s mind and, as we see a bit further down, is able to recognize it by a mere touch alone.
The third time happens in “Requiem for Methuselah”, which in itself is a very special episode and famous for McCoy’s often quoted dialogue with Spock. It’s one of my personal favourites for its portrayal of love and the different facets that make up this complex emotion. In Methuselah we see Flint’s obsession with his creation. Rayna, who never saw another living being before and develops an innocent crush for our charming captain. Jim himself is manipulated into caring for Rayna, but he still likes her. In the original post I called it infatuation on his side and I think that still makes sense, because I don’t think love can grow over one afternoon. And then, of course, there is Spock. Who is the only one to show love as a selfless want for the wellbeing of another person. Because when Jim is heartbroken over Rayna’s death, he makes him forget her. And that is a VERY IMPORTANT point here! Spock is Vulcan. He is INSANELY private and he still deletes Jim’s memory of the android, although every Vulcan principle tells him not to. He does it, because he is helpless otherwise, doesn’t know how to make Jim feel better.
Ironically, this is where he proves Bones wrong, only minutes after the doctor left Jim’s quarters.
The last instance in the Original Series concludes the third season in “Turnabout Intruder”. This episode is another personal favourite, because not only does Spock recognizes Jim’s mind IN AN INSTANT, when everything else tells him that this has to be a fraught, but he also holds Jim’s hand for almost two minutes, while he protects him. And we all know how casual Vulcans are when it comes to hand-holding *insert sarcasm here*.
What did I take from those reoccurring mind melds throughout the series?
I think by the time the 5-year mission ended those two had an unacknowledged mind link. A link that established itself without conscious decision, something that’s NEVER supposed to happen. However, since Spock is not only repeatedly exposed to Jim’s mind, but also progressively comfortable with this kind of intimacy I regard this as a possibility.
And Gene Roddenberry, ever the helpful cheerleading ghost that he is, practically hand-delivered me the arguments for this theory in the novelization of the Motion Picture Movie.
The very first thing the reader of the novel gets to see, before the author’s note, before anything, is the prologue, which happens to be Spock saying goodbye to Jim. Why is he saying goodbye? Because he is about to pass the trials of Kolinahr that will “purge all his remaining emotions”. Spock never intends to go back to earth at this point.
Now let’s take a step back here and ignore Spock calling Jim his T’hy’la for a moment (I know it’s hard), because I sure know that my favourite question of all time always resurfaces at this part: Why?
WHY?!? Why would Spock try to purge all emotion? Why did he come back to Vulcan after the five-year mission? Why would he return to a place that he left because he couldn’t stand how it made him feel? Why give up an extraordinary career? WHY WOULD HE EVER LEAVE THE SIDE OF NOT ONLY HIS TWO BEST FRIENDS, BUT ALSO OF THE PEOPLE THAT BECAME HIS FAMILY?
It will forever remain an enigma because Gene decided to be a horrible tease about it.
The fact is: We just don’t know and are left to speculate.
But there is this little something that doesn’t quite leave me alone and that I want to present. The only hint we are ever given regarding Spock’s decision is this tiny, seemingly unimportant remark:
Spock was in pain. Now the reader can either choose to interpret this as: “The raging war between his two halves finally takes its toll” or “Why does it hurt so much to be in the company of humans/one specific human”. In my understanding it’s a bit of both. Yes, of course Spock’s human half had to fight all its life to not be squashed by its overbearing Vulcan counterpart, but this is something Spock is actually used to. He even says so himself in “The Enemy Within”.
Which leaves us with option Nr. 2. Spock is canonically in possession of an extremely sensitive mind, which seems to be the nature of all Vulcans, hence the extensive mental shielding they are taught from an early age. When applying the afore-mentioned theory of an unacknowledged mind link the entire situation could not only drain, but actually be painful to Spock, if he is not aware of it. WHICH HE IS NOT.
The exact same moment: POV Jim on earth (above) and POV Spock on Vulcan (below).
As is shown in the book. The second Spock has to open his mind for master T’sai he is hit by Jim’s thoughts, and I mean HIT. It’s apparent form Spock’s reaction that this comes completely out of the blue. He isn’t even sure if they are Jim’s thoughts for a second, before he recognizes them and that’s the thing that trips me up. At this point Spock is more sursprised than the reader to realized the connection. I mean how can that even be possible? To be this close to someone without noticing?
It’s highly probable that Spock repressed his human half so completely, even before running away to Vulcan, that the link to Jim and all the emotions bleeding through were buried with it. Maybe he felt too close to him thanks to the link and it scared him or the bleed-through began to throw him off balance.
But in order to finally achieve the state of total logic he HAD TO open his mind entirely. So in this moment he had to let go and not even a heartbeat later he hears Jim thinking about him.
At this point the unacknowledged mind link theory can be addressed as canon, because when Jim wishes to speak to Spock and Spock can hear him 10.6 light years away, it can’t be anything BUT a mind link. Again, Vulcans are TOUCH telepaths, so reading minds while touching? Check. Reading the mood of a room? Check. Melding with someone over the distance of a few meters or through a wall? Check. Hearing someone entire systems away? Nope. It doesn’t usually happen, if we are not talking about something like hundreds of telepaths dying (The Immunity Syndrome) or the appearance of a powerful entity a.k.a Vger. And Jim is neither. This is a completely singular occurrence. As far as I know it never happens again between two regular(-ish) people.
I will be mad at the movie for not including this particular dialogue into the triumvirate-scene after Spock comes back on board as long as I live. Spock admits to being able to hear Jim’s thoughts and it’s a shame that we don’t get the captain’s thoughts on this revelation. BUT we get Bones, which is better still.
Bones is not surprised, not even the slightest, that those two have a connection between them. His medical knowledge throws me a bit though. Not because I don’t think it’s plausible, but because this is the only instance we ever hear of a connection like that.
But “telepathic rapport between Vulcan and human only in cases of EXTRAORDINARILY close friendship”? This line is gold. Those two are so close to each other that they know each other’s thoughts, they can sense the other one blind. They risked their lives time and time again to save each other. So yeah…extraordinarily close is how I would coin them too. Hence my undying love for the term T’hy’la, that Gene generously gifted us with. Friend. Brother. Lover. There is no “or” in between those words, it’s not “choose the correct meaning” it’s all three of them, together forming one untranslatable word and friend is only a third of the concept.
Also: Bones is still pissed about how Spock denies even the tiniest display of friendship towards Jim, which makes for an interesting discussion about what happened after the Five-Year-Mission to split the trio up.
So, to sum this up:
During the Five-Year-Mission Spock has to meld with Jim more than once (at least four times are documented).
The melds increase in intensity up to the point where Spock alters Jim’s memory.
At the end Spock can tell Jim’s mind by a simple probe. He knows him “better than anyone in the universe” he “knows his thoughts” (Jim’s words)
There is an established mind link between them that neither know about.
The link seems to be the root of the pain that drives Spock to Mt. Seleya to pursue Kolinahr.
Spock can hear Jim’s thoughts from 10.6 LIGHTYEARS away, when he finally opens his mind for the first time after three years. (I like to stress this, because it’s absolutely unique.)
Bones is not even fazed by this revelation, maybe because he suspected it ever since “Turnabout Intruder” when Spock was the only one to believe “Janice Lester’s” story.
“It was common knowledge that telepathic rapport between Vulcan and human was possible only in cases of extraordinarily close friendship.” - official medical assessment.
Your honor, I rest my case.
Puki how do you feel about @therealjacksepticeye being named the King of Tumblr by the official Tumblr account? Do you feel your throne is threatened?
I WAS FUCKING SNUBBED! HE’S BARELY A TUMBLR USER. HE IS A YOUTUBER! He came crawling back from twitter when that site turned into a Nazi Germany. I don't blame him for that, but this has long-since been my home, I am a man of the people. He doesn’t NEED these HAND-ME-DOWN TITLES!!! The Academy is filled to the brim with limp-dicked WORMS.
Hey, don’t cry. Free online database of Japanese folk lore
Hey, don’t cry. Free online database of Japanese folk lore
what do you mean elon musk did a nazi salute on live tv at the united states presidential inauguration twice and is now erasing the evidence off the internet by replacing the footage with the crowd cheering instead?
would be a shame if people reblogged this, wouldn’t it?
STAR TREK IS NUMBER ONE ON TRENDING ITS TIME TO BONESPOST
REBLOG IF YOU ARE A TRUE BONER
Reading like the monster The Monster at the End of This Book, thrilling.
Bed against zero walls: You're a freak
Bed against one wall: Acceptable, but you can do better
Bed against two walls: Perfect
Bed against three walls: Do you live in a closet?
Bed against four walls: How???
Bed against five walls: What? That makes no sense...
Bed against six walls: Stop...
Bed against seven walls: I said stop!
Bed against eight walls: What are you doing?! That's too many walls!
Bed against nine walls: We've gone too far, I don't think we're in normal reality anymore...
Bed against ten walls: Hello? Is anybody there? How are there walls all perpendicular to one another?
Bed against eleven walls: We're definitely not in normal reality anymore
Bed against twelve walls: I think we're the only ones here. Just me and the bed.
Bed against thirteen walls: It's weirdly... cozy over here.
Bed against fourteen walls: Could this have been what I wanted all along? Solitude?
Bed against sixteen walls: Wait, Did you see that? We skipped 15.
Bed against twenty walls: No, this is definitely too much. Somebody get me out of here!
Bed against twenty eight walls: The skips are getting bigger, the walls are closing in...
Bed against forty walls: They're suffocating me...
Bed against sixty walls: Help...
Bed against one hundred walls: ...help.
Bed against two hundred walls: ...
Bed against five hundred walls: . . .
Bed against one thousand walls: . . .
Bed against five thousand walls: . . .
Bed against twenty thousand walls:
Bed against one hundred thousand walls:
Bed against five hundred thousand walls:
Bed against one million walls:
Bed against one billion walls:
Bed against one trillion walls:
Bed against one quadrillion walls: . . .
Bed against one quintillion walls: . . .
Bed against one sextillion walls: . . .
Bed against one nonillion walls: ...good night.
spirk using telepathy to keep each other alive. kirk, desperate, psy-null and untrained, reaching clumsily into spock's dying mind and pulling, dragging spock's essence into himself, wrenching him forceably from the very jaws of death and holding him there through sheer strength of will, saying you can't die, i won't let you, you can't leave me, i need you, and binding him to life and to himself until it's impossible to fully separate them. spock, more skilled, carefully managing each one of kirk's vital signs - keeping his heart beating steady, his lungs drawing breath, his temperature within a safe range, all while suppressing kirk's pain, and at the same trying, vainly, to keep their minds from tying themselves inexorably together, but they're pressed too close and he can't, and he hopes that kirk will forgive him, for bonding them like this (he will, of course he will), but the alternative, letting kirk die, was - unthinkable.
I am not a mcspirker but that doesn't mean I don't care about Bones or think he's close to them. He's family.
You can play a lot with the dynamics. The one I like best is where Jim and Bones are best friends, then Jim starts getting close to Spock and Bones feels jealous because he fears he's losing his best friend spot. So they hang out together with this obvious competitive air, putting each other down for the benefit of Jim, trying to prove to Jim that they are the best friend and the other isn't.
And then Bones gets it. Spock isn't after his spot. He wants to be something very different to Jim; he wants a romantic relationship. At which point Bones gradually quits with the competitive shit and wingmans each of them to the other. Complaining all the while that they're giving him gray hair with their slow burn nonsense. He's the first to congratulate them when they finally get together.
By the movie era he is genuinely like a brother to both of them, confident in his place in the family.
This is all yet another manifestation of my "romantic love isn't by definition closer than platonic" hobby horse. Kirk and Spock don't love Bones less. They love him differently.
*takes drag* but that's just, like, my opinion, man. Those of you who do ship all three together, I get where you're coming from.
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) dir. Leonard Nimoy
Shooting Stars
Thinking about how ds9 came out on the tail end of the AIDs crisis. How Garak and Bashir represent two very different types of gay men in that landscape: an older gay man who has watched so many people die, is riddled with guilt and PTSD; and a young man just finding himself, bright and full of hope.
How Garak looks at Bashir and sees everything the world has stripped from him: his ability to trust, his hope, his gentleness. How Garak has been forced to harden himself to survive. How he looks at all of Bashir's goodness and is terrified for for him. And how much of that is how I feel when I look at younger gays.
Anyway this is Garak.
The way Trek cast members react to their characters being shipped with other characters is fascinating to me. Shatner ping-pongs back and forth between being homophobic and being Spirk’s #1 supporter so fast it gives you whiplash. Mulgrew has her hands over her ears going “LA LA LA LA LA I CAN’T HEAR YOUUUUUU JANEWAY IS A STRONG INDEPENDENT WOMAN WHO DON’T NEED NO MAN but like I guess if we absolutely must then she should be with Chakotay” meanwhile, Alex Siddig and Andrew Robinson are begging the writers to let them kiss, with tongue
I’m going to hold onto my community, friends, and loved ones as tight and as close as I can. We have to be there for each other. We are all we have, and that is the most important thing to me.
