Darkstarrydame - Reyla

darkstarrydame - Reyla

More Posts from Darkstarrydame and Others

1 year ago

bro u really tell on yourself when you cope about your AGP so hard...you're not in a place to be speaking to what's normal for women. how tf would you know đŸ€Ą

I'm not sure what you're attempting to communicate by "when you cope about your AGP". I've never heard that phrase before. But I'm willing to understand it, if you're willing to explain.

How do I know what's normal? The same way as anybody else I guess: research, study, experience, getting to know people on a personal basis, being in a state of mind that allows me to see others perspectives, understanding that my worldview isn't the same as everyone else. What even is the definition of normal?

Are you in a place to know what's normal for women? All women or just some women? How tf do you know? 🙃

10 months ago

Hello! Can I respectfully request the promised lecture and Powerpoint about Fingon/Maedhros? I'll be honest here... I just do not see it, and I truly do want to understand. There are other relationships in the Legendarium that I really do think Tolkien deliberately and unequivocally coded as queer, and I've used all those same examples you list to back up my arguments. And I do see the parallels with Luthien and Beren (just as Sam/Frodo has parallels with that). But otherwise, I don't see a lot of queer coding. Which is not to say that I think it's a bad ship, just that I don't really see much in the text to support it or see much indication that it's what Tolkien intended. I would love to be convinced, though! I swear I'm not trying to bash Russingon or provoke anything. It seems like you have put a lot of thought and research into this, and I'm honestly curious, because this is a ship that has always puzzled me a bit.

First, thank you for asking! It’s always a pleasure to talk about my boys and my OTP to end all OTPs

I want to start what’s probably going to be a long series of self-reblogs by saying something that’s going to be important in the long haul: there is a difference between “I personally interpret this in a way that enhances the story, and it’s canonically compliant” and “I think and will seriously argue that Russingon is supported canonically by things that explicitly exist to point toward it being more than friendship”. The line can get kind of fuzzy, but it does exist, and the foundation of any good queer analysis is recognizing that.

So before I get into Sarah Waters, Mary Renault, and what the British legal system has to do with any of this, I’m going to make three lists.

Stuff That Probably Doesn’t Mean Anything, But That Is Fun To Examine From A Shipping Perspective:

Maedhros wears a copper circlet, Fingon wears gold in his braids

Maedhros abdicated the throne in favor of Fingon entering the line of succession

Maedhros stepped into a position of military authority after Fingon took the throne, working closely with him specifically to attack Angband after the Bragollach

Fingon is stated by Tolkien himself to have never married nor had biological children, and Maedhros never married nor had biological children either

Stuff That Is Ambiguous In Intent, But Is More Significant Than The Above:

Fingon clearly still cared enough about Maedhros that despite probably not knowing whether or not he burned the ships, he set out to rescue him alone in a display of loyalty to the rival royal line that put his priorities firmly in the “this nĂ©r whom I love” camp. It’s worth noting that Maedhros’s family are the reason that his sister-in-law is dead, the reason many of his own people froze to death, and the reason his brother is dead. Maedhros’s rescue, and forgiving him, is more important to Fingon than any of that. Why?

Morgoth’s battle plan for the Nirnaeth Arnoediad (as relayed in the Grey Annals in The War of the Jewels) involved forcing Maedhros and Fingon apart and trying to take both of them down simultaneously. Fingon was of course ultimately killed by Balrogs, and Maedhros avoided being killed by allies-turned-spies, but the goal was to keep them apart and incapacitate them both. Why?

Maedhros’s mental stability, willingness to exist in a society, passion for fighting Morgoth, and desire to curtail his brothers’ worst impulses all evaporate after Fingon’s death and Fingon’s death specifically. Why?

Maedhros and Fingon maintain a relationship with each other that is significantly more important to their actions than similar relationships between Finwëan cousins. Aredhel is never recorded as prioritizing Celegorm to the same extent, and Finrod only goes on a hunting trip with Maedhros and Maglor after things between their families are patched up. Why are they different from others in this way?

Stuff That Actually Matters In Analysis:

Fingon and Maedhros, Beren and LĂșthien, and Frodo and Sam all share very nearly the same story at a crucial point. All three feature a situation where a rescuing party feared the one they loved was dead, discovered they were actually held prisoner by Sauron, went alone into peril, and used a song to find who they searched for successfully. Both Maedhros and Beren lost a hand in the course of their journey. Frodo lost a finger, and Sam cut the hand from the orc whipping him. All three pairs were rescued by at least one of the great eagles. Sam and Frodo have on-page declarations of love. Beren and LĂșthien are the self-inserts of the author and his wife. This connection is not accidental; the author explicitly compares Frodo and Sam to Beren and LĂșthien on the Quest for the Silmaril in the text of The Two Towers. If Maedhros and Fingon are being linked thematically with the central romantic relationship of the Legendarium, there is a reason why.

The Grey Annals tells us that Fingon rescued Maedhros “and their love was renewed”. That’s a direct quote from the text, not an exaggeration. This is more canonical proof of love than we get for some married couples (notably FĂ«anor and Nerdanel, who are never stated to love one another in the text).

Laws and Customs Among the Eldar explicitly states that half-first-cousins are allowed to marry without it being considered incestuous, so long as their parents aren’t close. That seems like an extremely odd standard, until you remember that there is an unusually close pair of half-first-cousins whose parents don’t get along.

(Obligatory note: the published Silmarillion does state that Idril and Maeglin are too close to marry. The published Silmarillion’s treatment of Maeglin is also almost certainly invented by Christopher Tolkien - Maeglin in the drafts written by JRRT himself is wildly different than how he appears when Chris writes him. Tolkien himself avoided making any such statements about cousin marriage and Turgon opposed Maeglin marrying Idril because he didn’t think it was a love marriage.)

The Grey Annals also discusses one of the histories of the green elfstone that Aragorn receives from Galadriel as a wedding gift - in this draft, it was made by FĂ«anor, and Maedhros gave it to Fingon. When Aragorn receives it, it’s been set in a brooch in the form of an eagle. Here we have another thing that passed between Maedhros and Fingon that is explicitly linked to romantic relationships between two characters echoing Beren and LĂșthien. This is once again not accidental.

Fingon’s harp is almost certainly a reference to the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, which also heavily inspired LĂșthien pleading for Beren in Mandos. Yet again, we have deliberate intent by the author to position this relationship in a light that reflects romance above all else. You could even go further and point out that there are parallels between Thingol’s hostility toward Beren and FĂ«anor’s distrust and hatred of the NolofinwĂ«ans. TĂșrin and Beleg, who get to kiss on the page, are also echoes of Russingon - early bliss marred by a kinslaying, a hopeless quest alone armed with a bow, an injury that results from freeing the captive party.

The fact of the matter is that none of this is accidental. Tolkien was deliberate in his worldbuilding, his parallels, his setups and his plot choices. There is a reason that Fingon and Maedhros are linked to so much romance, a reason that they are positioned on equal footing with other more clearly queercoded ships, a reason that it’s their relationship that shapes the First Age. When you accept that none of it happened accidentally, that allows you to broaden your scope, and look at Tolkien’s inspirations, his life, his friendships, cultural influences, and why he might have been so cagey about his M/M ships when they aren’t just important but vital to the text. (After all, Sam and Frodo’s happy ending comes after Sam’s time in heteronormativity, and TĂșrin and Beleg fall apart in a similar fashion.)

It’s just - it’s not crazy or insane or Shipper Goggles to say “these relationships matter, and the stories actually don’t make sense without them”. That’s all.

(Next time, if you like, we’re going to talk about historical fiction, and there will be lesbians.)

1 year ago
The cover page for a digital comic. A trailhead information board stands in a lush green forest, with a trail map, and two signs pinned to the wood. The text on the signs read: "BY BECKETT JONES" and "THE TRAVELER'S WARNING."
Three comic panels on an off-white background. Objects depicted in the negative space of the page include a work boot, a leather-bound journal, a compass, and a colorful rock bracelet. 

The first panel is a Forest Service gate on a dirt road, slightly ajar. The road goes out of sight into leafy green shadows. There is one wooden sign nailed to a tree, and two white and green signs secured to the gate. The text on these signs reads:
"TRAVELER, STOP! 
IF YOU TAKE THIS ROAD YOU WILL BE 
FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED
FOR BETTER OR WORSE."

The second panel is a crumbling concrete barrier in gray, driving rain. There are evergreen trees in the background. There is a hand symbol pointing to the right engraved into the barrier, and text that reads:
"YOU WILL RETURN FROM 
THIS JOURNEY 
IRRECOVERABLY ALTERED 
IN WAYS" 

 The third panel is a waterfall with conifer trees, behind a glossy red sign with "no swimming" symbols. White text on the sign reads:
"YOU CANNOT COMPREHEND 
BEFORE YOU UNDERGO 
THIS TRANSFORMATION."
Two comic panels on an off-white background. An espresso machine portafilter is pictured in the negative space in the page. 

The first panel is of a red rock slot canyon, with a rushing green river at the base. A rusted yellow sign stands in the water, with a flash flood symbol and text that reads:
"NO ONE ON EARTH 
WILL UNDERSTAND THE 
METAMORPHOSIS"

The second panel is a wooden sign hanging from the eaves of a roof, in front of a snow mountain scene. Stars twinkle in the night sky. Warm red text on the sign reads:
"EXCEPT THOSE WHO EXPERIENCED IT 
WITH YOU. THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE YOU." There is an arrow symbol and two foamy mugs also depicted on the sign.
Two comic panels on an off-white background. Objects depicted in the negative space of the page include a key ring, a pocketknife, a stuffed toy mountain bluebird, and a bandana. 

The first panel is a road with a center stripe in a sagebrush plain, with big orange clouds in the sky. A coyote slinks across the road. A big green highway sign with white arrows reads:
"MAY CEASE TO TRULY KNOW YOU. 
WALKING BACKWARDS 
WILL NOT HELP YOU"

The second panel is of a high alpine wildflower meadow, with a glaciated Mount Tahoma in the background. A wooden stake reads:
"WALKING FORWARDS" 
Three comic panels on an off-white background. Objects depicted in the negative space of the page include a headlamp, a trowel, and a plant sprig in a ziplock bag. 

The first panel is a wildfire sunset above a barbed wire fence, surrounded by blooming fireweed and evergreens. An orange wildfire hazard sign reads: 
"IS INEVITABLE 
YOU CANNOT STAND STILL" 
A gray jay sits on the top of the sign, eyeing the viewer. 

The second panel shows a dilapidated wooden shack, covered in moss and white and orange mushrooms. Evergreens and leafy undergrowth surround the structure, and a Pacific gray tree frog sits on a leaf in the foreground. Text carved into the wood reads: 
"YOU MAY NO LONGER RECOGNIZE 
YOUR HOME" 

The third panel is a chinook salmon run in a green forest. Underwater reeds flow on the river. A white sign nailed to a tree trunk, with water symbols and text that reads:
"IT CANNOT STAND STILL
EITHER."
Three comic panels on an off-white background. Objects depicted in the negative space of the page including an ammonite fossil on a leather cord, a green nalgene, a peach, and a pulaski. 

The first panel shows a gray ocean storm, with waves crashing against big, dark rocks. A tsunami hazard zone sign reads:
"IF YOU SURVIVE THIS" 

The second panel shows a round orange bouy floating in a sea illuminated by bioluminescent plankton. Stars glitter overhead. Text on the bouy reads: 
"YOU WILL BECOME PART  OF A WORLD"

The third panel shows a pair of dolphins in the water, adjacent to a white boat. A red sticker on the gunwhale reads:
"THAT DOES NOT YET EXIST"
Three comic panels on an off-white background. Objects depicted in the negative space of the page include a pair of sunglasses and a machete. 

The first panel shows a dessicated Greater Frigatebird cradled in the branches of naupaka shrubs on a sandy shoreline. Pink flagging has been tied to a branch, and black handwriting reads:
"IF YOU DIE HERE"

The second panel shows a blacktip reef shark swimming on a coral reef. And underwater sign affixed to steel chain shows a skull and crossbones, and text that reads:
"YOU WILL COME BACK"

The third panel is a GPS unit held up to the sky, showing a GPS track and text that reads "WRONG." Seabirds fly overhead. 
Three comic panels on an off-white background. Objects shown the negative space of the page are a snickerdoodle cookie and bright flowers threaded on a string. 

The first panel shows a pair of hands holding a sooty tern with a radio tag. Another pair of hands write in a notebook, and handwritten text on the page reads:
"TRAVELER
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED" 

The second panel shows the leg of the sooty tern, which has been fitted with a birdband. 

The third panel is a pair of fingers holding the birdband so that engraved text faces the viewer. The text reads "AND NOW YOU MUST GO." 

A short comic I made about my experiences as a seasonal worker, and the way places change you.

Prints & PDF

1 year ago
Posts That Make Me Want To Rip My Heart Out Part 5
Posts That Make Me Want To Rip My Heart Out Part 5
Posts That Make Me Want To Rip My Heart Out Part 5
Posts That Make Me Want To Rip My Heart Out Part 5
Posts That Make Me Want To Rip My Heart Out Part 5

posts that make me want to rip my heart out part 5

11 months ago

"Aphrodite loves terfs" do you really think a goddess of love formed from a literal penis and the mother of Hermaphroditus, an intersex god who was associated with androgyny and feminine men, fucks around with transphobia?

she is a literal trans icon and to deny that will get you smited by all the gods

1 month ago
Two Women Kissing In Nature (b. 1859)

Two Women Kissing in Nature (b. 1859)

— by Georges Rochegrosse

1 year ago

Birthday I guess

Birthday I Guess

Is birthday. I honestly debated mentioning that at all but, Maybe it’s a bit of self care to admit that I don’t have to be rich , or free from Oklahoma, to celebrate surviving another year in these nightmarish circumstances.  Ramble over, enjoy the bat. 

5 months ago
Just A Handy Little Info Chart On The Spectrums Of Sexuality.

just a handy little info chart on the spectrums of sexuality.

2 months ago
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Helicopter mechanic. Witchy. Granola. Gamer. Mother. GSXR750. Trans-Lesbian switch. 40+yo.

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