#honestly they could be melded together and still turn into a '''fake date'''“ scenario

[linddzz]

My brain is on human Dreamling again where everything is pretty much the same as the Red Flags AU but instead they meet when Johanna forces Morpheus to go to a pub with her because she's sick of being the more emotionally stable one since his divorce and then the crashed and burned rebound with Thessaly. He needs to get social and get his shit together so it can be her turn to have a breakdown damnit.

So she takes him to The New Inn, where she actually likes the bartender and knows the dude would make friends with anything. Hob Gadling is an unstoppable force of chill friendly vibes and charm. Either he is going to get her bitchy friend out of his shell a bit OR it's going to be a fun night watching Morpheus play the confused and alarmed cat being confronted with an unstoppably friendly golden retriever. Win-win.

And she knows...she knows that it's a risk introducing Morpheus to an intelligent person who has a charming smile and big dark eyes. There is a huge risk that Morpheus will find out the bartender is also a history professor who likes Medieval literature, and he's going to get that keen hungry look to him.

But hey, Morpheus only really gets interested in people if they go after him first. And he's pretty but his fucking attitude is great at sending the red flags hot mess signals to every other adult around. Hob's a smart one. He's friendly but generally flirty and charming with everyone, and he's seen enough hot mess types at the bar to know what the signs are. So this should be safe.

Right????

And at first it does go fine! Morpheus has shoved himself into the far edge seat at the bar and been a huge bitch the entire time because he's been forced out by Johanna. He's sneering at every attempt by Hob to engage in friendly chit chat, already stole Johanna's drink, threw a fit and outright said "I am not above making a scene" when she took his phone so he couldn't read one of his e-books (he pulled an actual book out of his bag right after), and is overall being fucking awful. This is a man in his 30s and acting like this. He is a father. All is well. He had surely scared off any initial interest his pretty face got him. Johanna can rest easy that no one is going to make any moves that Morpheus can then fixate himself on and start working himself into spiralling fantasies of soul mates and wistful sighs.

Cue the comedy beat where she turns around for ONE SECOND and when she looks back she sees;

Hob, elbows on the bar and chin in his hands entirely up in Morpheus' space: hey ;)))

Johanna: ......fuck

Morpheus: ...................................*closes his book*

Johanna: FUCK!!!!!!!!!

#GOD FUCKIN DAMNIT GADLING #GADLING NO ITS LIKE FEEDING A FERAL CAT YOU CANT GIVE HIM A SCRAP #I THOUGHT YOU WERE SMART GADLING WHAT THE FUCK #Dreamling #human au #the dynamic with Hob and Morpheus is pretty much the exact same as the hot mess au #honestly they could be melded together and still turn into a '''fake date'''“ scenario

[kinetic-elaboration]

June 13: 2x22 By Any Other Name

I remembered By Any Other Name not being so good but either I enjoyed it more this time or I was actually thinking of another episode not really doing it for me. Because I really enjoyed it this go!

Ah ha, another mysterious distress call scenario.

But it’s just an excuse to freeze them and conquer them! I will say the aliens froze Spock and McCoy in the most hilarious and appropriate positions: McCoy arguing and Spock looking curious and lightly skeptical.

Teleplay by D.C. Fontana, okay, maybe it will be all right.

Kelvans you say!!! Kelvans?!

Kirk’s like “We don’t do invasion and colonialism in this house.”

Spock hears about all this advanced science and is very interested.

The inter-generational ship concept is (always) very interesting.

“We rule.” Sure you do, stuck on some rando planet. You’re winning for sure.

And despite all this, Kirk still wants to help them.

Huh, so they are not really humanoid. Verrrry interesting.

“We are creatures of outer space.... We must return to the comforting closeness of walls.” Hmmm, lot to unpack there. I wonder if this is related to their real form and/or home planet experiences or (imo more likely) it’s specifically about their generation. They, specifically, were born in space. That’s what they know.

Kirk and crew figuring out the aliens aren’t humanoid.

Ah, yes, the good ol’ Vulcan Mind Probe. Melding with the wall... And a reference to A Taste of Armageddon!

Bones holding on to Spock way more than necessary after he falls.

The sproing sound when they freeze people is rather hilarious.

Oh no, what a way to go... turned into a cube and then crushed to dust. These aliens are very cruel.

“I saw a series of bizarre and exotic images.” And tentacle aliens. I’m discerning another alien sex fantasy...

“Immense beings with a hundred tentacles would have difficulty operating the turbo lift.” Sure, they would.

“Mr. Spock! I love you!”

Or not quite. The urgency was there though. I like when Kirk has a plan that involves lying and Spock doesn’t immediately understand it.

Kirk sure knows a lot about Vulcans. Suspicious.

Pure rest is more relaxing than “your so-called vacation.” Please Spock, we all know you like your camping trips.”

I can’t believe this dummy. He takes a few moments to prepare to enter his trance but doesn’t bother to sit down or even warn anyone that he’s about to fall right the hell over.

McCoy’s a good actor! This man’s about to die!!

Lol at Spock opening his eyes too soon and then having to close them again.

Spock 100% snuck out of his parents’ house as a teenager and left behind pillows under the blankets in the vague shape of a body.

I really like this scene with the alien discovering flowers. She likes them! It really merges the way she’s getting used to the human body, and the accompanying aesthetic values of it, getting used to being outside of the ship, and feeling nostalgic for her own planet, even though she’s never seen it.

Also, Kirk, look, she will be susceptible to her charm! Use your charm on her!

This ship goes to 11.

It’s always fun when Spock and Scotty work together. Spock is so good at engineering. He probably does more engineering than science lol. I also like when he talks about “the Captain.”

The “nah-celles.”

“Are you mad? I can’t just explode the ship! Unless it’s the only way to save Spock’s life, in which case, to hell with the ship!”

When Rojan started talking about the food synthesizers not being able to produce enough for everyone, thus necessitating the need to turn the crew into cubes that don’t eat, I legit thought he was going to suggest eating the cubes. As in, the synthesizers won’t produce enough food, so we need another food source.

Everybody’s turning into cubes! You’re a cube! And you’re a cube! And you’re a cube!

The cubes are kind of funny actually.

Wow, only 4 essential personnel. Kind of insulting, isn’t it?

“They’ve reduced the whole crew!”

When the alien told McCoy to “assist” him with the food, I thought he meant, like... feed it to him, put it in his mouth.

They’re going to defeat the aliens by distracting them with the pleasures of the human body, aren’t they? In a non-sexual way.

Or possibly a sexual way.

Looks like they’re eating some kind of weird fruit salad with like... blue alien fruit.

So the aliens are super duper smart but they had to give up everything else in exchange, including sensations, senses, and emotions. Vulcans on Crack.

“They’re taking human form and are therefore having human reactions.” That actually is fascinating.

“If he keeps reacting like that, he’s going to need a diet.” Lol Bones he’s had 3 pieces of fruit, I think he’s okay.

Brainstorming ways to stimulate the sense and Scotty IMMEDIATELY goes for the booze lol; so on brand.

The decorations in Scotty’s room... a kilt... a knight’s head...

And Kirk’s like “and I shall be the honeypot in this scenario.”

“Kissing is meant to express warmth and love.” That is actually very romantic and adorable.

“We enjoy it.” / “Literature?” If this is not me.

Hilariously, this is the second episode in which the Enterprise teaches aliens about sex.

Little Scottish jig as Scotty and the alien keep drinking.

Spock lol... He’s such a mean girl under that Vulcan facade. Trying to bait Rojan into being jealous. This scene almost reads like the start of a romcom in which two aliens team up to break up a couple so they can both date one half.

“It’s... it’s green.” Thank you Scotty.

The alien calling McCoy out on his use of the royal “we.”

And Scotty keeps the old whiskey IN the knight. Of course. Where it’s safe. I want to know what he was saving it for.

“And I haven’t seen Scotty in hours!”

McCoy is way too gleeful about drugging that guy.

That cute little way Spock hit McCoy to get his attention. “Stokalne, I said!! Stokaline!”

“The cultural mystique surrounding the biological function.” Got to work that into my vocabulary.

...I’m pretty sure her “secondary reading” was erotica.

“Hanar, go to your room.”

Honestly, Spock is such a catty pot-stirrer. “Hmm, I seem to recall seeing your girlfriend. With Captain Kirk. Alone. Maybe she just...likes him more than you? I don’t know, just a possibility.”

Scotty successfully drank the alien under the table.

And of course he has bagpipes too.

Captain Kirk, out to steal your girl. “If you can’t keep her, that your problem.” This is the closest to a bad boy that he has EVER been.

Oh no, he slapped Rojan, now he has to kiss it better. Really would have been fun if someone had suggested Kirk “apologize” after the fight.

Omg, he just pushes Kirk right into the arms of his two besties, and Kirk says “I’m stimulating him,” and then they just push him right back. And the expressions on their faces. Absolutely perfect moment.

I feel like Keliinda is like Quinn in Daria: “Oh no, they’re fighting over me, how awful!”

“You’re stuck in these bodies. You and your descendants for 300 years.” Wow.

I like how Kirk has him in a headlock and is like "You will submit to DIPLOMACY. You will let the space U.N. solve your problems!!!!!!"

“You would accept invaders?” / “No, but we would welcome friends.” Now kiss.

Spock knows a bit about establishing his own destiny.

Robot ship! Robot ship!

Oh well, guess Kirk didn’t steal his girl after all. He seems pretty relieved about that. The charm can be a gift and a curse after all.

And McCoy is so happy! That little toe raise thing he does! Smiling so big! Look Spock, we fixed it!

That was actually a really great ep. Maybe I was thinking of a different one. I liked all the triumvirate + Scotty moments. There was some pretty scary stuff and some truly hilarious stuff. Loved the alien concept. Great Kirk command ep. Interesting Spock and McCoy moments sprinkled in. Rollicking adventure. The ending was a little abrupt (we don’t see the crew returned from cube form, which feels weird...and how are they gonna get back through the barrier?) But all in all, quite interesting and fun.

I especially like the aliens. That these particular individuals have never known their home land, but are just fulfilling this mission, with the expectation that they will not even see the conclusion--like Spock says, just a link in the chain. That’s rather touching in and of itself. Even if they do see themselves as conquerors. But then when you combine that with their use of the human form... the idea that the form changes the personality because it provides different sensations and abilities, and that one form may be more necessary than another, or ultimately more pleasurable than another. They would have to be humans, as Kirk says, to use the ship--and then their children would also have to be humans! So in what sense will their descendants be alien? Are they not most definitely human? And would they ever be accepted by their people again? What is the plan actually going forward? If they returned to the planet they landed on before, one assumes they could go back to tentacle form. But they also don’t seem to want that. Will the other aliens colonize an empty planet as tentacle beings or as humans? And finally, think of it from the other side... imagine sending out humans on a multi-generational mission to search out other planets, and while they’re gone, they and their descendants take on an alien form, prefer it, and then return! As aliens! That would be wild.

On a completely unrelated note,. I am convinced that Spock has faked sick before. He was probably always doing stuff like that to sneak out of his parents’ house as a teenager. I thought this in The Menagerie Part One, also, when he was using that recording of Kirk’s voice to steal the ship. Like... he has experience in these kind of cons. (Even though in this ep, it was Kirk’s idea. But he took to it well.)

Next is The Omega Glory, which Amazon says I’ve watched, but which I have no memory of. Could it be the disappointing ep?

#the year 2021 #2021: star trek #star trek tos #2021: fandom thoughts