me: i hope i dont get any jump scares for april fools

me, seeing an earnest and serious “celtic zodiac” post: AAAAAAAA

David Wire, 1970.

At some point I really do need to write that article that both highlights the flaws in O'Donnell's anti-homoerotic argument and argues with Sheehan about what makes CFD homoerotic.

Every time I reread O'Donnell's book, I'm struck by how he presents his argument only by shutting down the possibility of an alternative reading. I realise why he does that, contextually, but I think it does nobody any good to pretend that multiple readings (normative and queer alike) can't coexist. "This is not homoerotic." This is not necessarily homoerotic. That doesn't mean the possibility for homoeroticism is non-existent, and that's a tension I wish people in this field were readier to acknowledge.

It's also reductive to assume that everybody exploring queer possibilities is operating "within a critical lens in which all love is sexual", or to use the term "sexual reading" as though it's synonymous with "queer reading" or "homoerotic reading". After all, not all queer love is inherently sexual, although that is often an important facet of it; when I suggest a queer reading I'm by no means automatically assuming that everybody involved is banging.

As I've said before on my blog, a queer reading is about opening up new possibilities and new ways of exploring texts, free from the limitation of assuming everybody in the story is cishet or conforms to modern expectations of gender and sexuality. It's about looking at how gender and sexuality and affection are constructed within that cultural and literary context, and how certain elements of a narrative transgress, undermine, or question those norms -- not about ignoring context or making claims about authorial intention or believing you've stumbled upon the secret, sole truth about a story.

As such, I don't think there's anything incompatible about Sheehan's reading of the scene as homoerotic, and O'Donnell's reading of it as normative affection between foster brothers. Those two readings can -- and should -- exist alongside each other as different layers and lenses.

At the same time, I have serious problems with building a homoerotic reading only on the foundation laid by the gae bolga and the manner of Fer Diad's death -- equating homoerotic tensions with an act of grotesque violence. While I don't deny that that can be a starting point, I don't think it's the end of the story, and I'd like to focus more on other elements, as I think that's been overly dominant in discussions to date.

I'd also like to incorporate Fer Diad's poem from Stowe, the 'leth mo chroidhe' verse and the part where he expresses a desire to be buried with Cú Chulainn, because I think those contribute usefully to the discussion here, but are usually left out, because most discussions don't include Stowe.

But I am quite busy and tired and I don't know if now is the right time in my career to write an article that's basically arguing with everyone, so I guess this will remain on my to-write list forever, and never get written.

when u dont like ur art take a deep breath and remember u created it from nothing, like a god

For every claim about Pagan survivals in European / North American folk traditions and holidays, it's important to remember that there are at least three layers of cruft on top:

Mist and rays of light on the Enbara River // 癒しの自然風景 ♡

i feel like a lotta people are wildly unhappy and resistant to the concept that the answer to most things is "well, it depends"

Look at this beauty. ❤️ A stained glass piece by my friend Emily, inspired by the medieval Old Gaelic poem, Pangur Bán. It was by a monk who would work tirelessly at his studies as his cat, Pangur Bán, faithfully hunted mice. She doesn't have a website for her work yet but if you are on Bluesky you can follow her there, https://bsky.app/profile/stonkers.bsky.social.

At the River Clarion, Mary Oliver

Eight of Cups and The Lovers

You thought you were getting away from all the weirdness, only now you seem to have wandered into a nudist colony.

How is anyone supposed to be normal after that. G-d looked back at me for a minute

[ID: Four images of the 2024 solar eclipse in different stages; the first three are partial while the fourth is in totality. End ID]

Eid Mubarak…

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eid mubarak to everyone who celebrates!! may it fill your hearts with joy and peace 🤍🤍🤍