artoolante

[artoolante]

i sketched two arwen pfps for twitter recently lol. the second one is from today

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russingon kiss

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(a bit) on racism in middle earth

cw// racism, discussion of canonical incest, angband

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here's the thing. i can acknowledge that characters did bad things, evil things. however, i can also acknowledge that the way they are characterized is racially coded (read: racist characterization).

I think the main example of this is the whole idea of the "Dark Elves" while Maeglin and his father. Maeglin's desire for his golden cousin Idril is seen as disturbing and unnatural - meanwhile Galadriel marrying her cousin is considered fine????

I understand Maeglin's desire was unrequited, but as a Dark Elf, making him into someone who went too far, betraying Gondolin and trying to kill Idril's son - in combination to his father the Dark Elf kidnapping his mother, the White Lady of the Noldor, is very racially coded. It's not even subtle either.

Like I hate Eol, but I'm also not going to ignore the problematic way in which he was treated in the literary narrative. As for Maeglin, I think he did deserve to be a more nuanced character than he was, especially because he literally got taken to Angband before betraying Gondolin. Does nobody consider that this may have impacted his moral state or do they just assume it's because he's a Dark Elf. Like Idril "sensed" darkness in him before like wtf?

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sketch of finno kissing nelyo's ear

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aredhel as atalanta

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After a family dinner dissolves into family infighting with their fathers, Maitimo and Findekáno take their brothers and Findaráto for a walk in the woods. Maitimo loves Makalaurë very much, but is not personally compelled to have kids of his own. However, he does wonder if Findekáno wants children watching him with his first sibling - newborn Turukáno. However, even if they can have children together, the society and family dynamics they were born into would never allow them to be a couple openly much less have a family.

After all, have they not all left to escape the yelling and discord at their grandfather's table? Nevertheless, they steal these moments of peace while they can.

Note: I don't want to go down the whole line but my hc is Maedhros is the oldest, then Fingon, a small gap - and then Finrod, then Maglor, then Turgon. I think Maedhros and Fingon are young adults, Finrod is a teenager, Maglor is a preteen and Turgon is a newborn.

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Maglor: To conclude, we have people assigned to each component of the play. I will get the costumes ordered Do we have any questions?

Unnamed Elf: Forgive me if I am overstepping but is Prince Nelyafinwë alright?

[Bottom Box]

Maedhros: Finno didn't have time to meet today and he's barely met this person. What if we never hang out again? What if when we do I have to watch Finno with her? I never expected him to like me back as more than a friend but also wasn't prepared for this

Maglor, unpictured: ...he'll be fine. Not the best day, but he's well adjusted.

The whole comic (thus far) is here.

[artoolante]

Maglor: To conclude, we have people assigned to each component of the play. I will get the costumes ordered Do we have any questions?

Unnamed Elf: Forgive me if I am overstepping but is Prince Nelyafinwë alright?

[Bottom Box]

Maedhros: Finno didn't have time to meet today and he's barely met this person. What if we never hang out again? What if when we do I have to watch Finno with her? I never expected him to like me back as more than a friend but also wasn't prepared for this

Maglor, unpictured: ...he'll be fine. Not the best day, but he's well adjusted.

Page 1 of my Russingon comic.

Fingon enters a courtship, but of course, it's not that simple. Quite a few misunderstandings are at play here, as are quite a few oblivious idiots. They'll figure it out though.

On the opening page, Maedhros decides to accompany Maglor to his musical planning committee after Fingon tells him he's too busy to meet that day. On their way to the theatre where Maglor told his group to meet, they see Fingon and a lady across the street.

I put an image description but the dialogue on this page is -

Maglor : Nelyo -

Maedhros: It's fine, Kano. Finno is - Finno. It was only a matter of time until he entered a courtship.

[artoolante]

old tyelpe w hannibal as a reference. idk i think he's old here because he somehow lived to the third age and is reflecting on annatar?

this is based off a twitter conversation but that's the general situation here.

[artoolante]

Page 1 of my Russingon comic.

Fingon enters a courtship, but of course, it's not that simple. Quite a few misunderstandings are at play here, as are quite a few oblivious idiots. They'll figure it out though.

On the opening page, Maedhros decides to accompany Maglor to his musical planning committee after Fingon tells him he's too busy to meet that day. On their way to the theatre where Maglor told his group to meet, they see Fingon and a lady across the street.

I put an image description but the dialogue on this page is -

Maglor : Nelyo -

Maedhros: It's fine, Kano. Finno is - Finno. It was only a matter of time until he entered a courtship.

[artoolante]

this is part of my russingon comic i'm making but here's a maedhros and maglor sketch.

note: i think their height difference is greater but for the sake of the space in the layout maedhros is visibly taller than maglor but not the extent i imagine him to be actually if that makes sense.

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quick russingon sketch

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For me, Thranduil is...not over the Kinslayings, of course not, but he does not hold his grudges as tight as Celeborn. This is not that he does not think the Kinslayings were wrong. In my fic, his mother actually dies at Sirion.

However, all things considered, Thranduil simply does not have the time to sit around and ponder the past. He does not have a Ring of Power, yet he is the one with Sauron living in his Wood. He doesn't know it's Sauron but he know's there's Dark Forces, and the literal tower of Dol Guldur and its army. Thranduil really does not have the energy to expend about tragedies long ago.

If he can barely save the time and energy to consider how his father and a third of his people died in the Last Alliance, how does he go back to the First Age when there are so many pressing issues for him in the Third Age?

This same argument also goes for why he is not as "engaged" in others' affairs like Elrond or Galadriel. It is a privilege to be able to spare time for the concerns of others, a privilege provided by the Ring that let the people of Lorien and Imladris live in relative peace.

The Elves of Mirkwood are not sitting around thinking about others because they're fighting for their own lives every single day under the shadow of Dol Guldur.

Anyways, so in one of my fics, I thought about whether or not Thranduil should be more furious than he was depicted when Maglor shows up in his wood. And it's not that he's not, but he's more pragmatic about it I guess. Which is why his most pressing concern is whether or not Maglor is a threat in the Third Age, if he can be trusted in the Third Age. The First Age was bad yes, but the Third Age is bad for him too, and they haven't yet made it out of the Third Age which is their current challenge.

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wip

i'm not even 10% way done with this finrod wip and it's taken me at least as long as my galadriel sketch did lol. but if i did a more serious galadriel drawing it would take longer so idk

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on maedhros and maglor's trip with finrod

Ok so first,

Finrod finds out about the Men while on a trip with Maedhros and Maglor; they were friends. While Finrod taking in Celegorm and Curufin could be considered an act of mercy to shelter them during wartime, this trip was a choice that he made because he just wanted to hang out with them.

However, what about the Kinslaying at Alqualondë? As far as we know, Maglor participated at Losgar too. How does he just go back to hanging out with them, especially in the middle of the woods where literally anything could happen. I want to say that there must have been some awkwardness/distrust but the circumstances imply that Finrod did trust Maedhros and Maglor a lot there.

Which brings us to the next point of Finrod disappearing. Obviously this was not their fault, but it would have looked really bad for Maedhros and Maglor, kinslayers, that their - half-Telerin, prince of Alqualondë, grandnephew of Thingol - cousin just vanished while in their company in the middle of nowhere. It's not just about the family drama, but the larger ramifications of Maedhros and Maglor possibly returning without Finrod given that they are Kinslayers

Also, while the last part was my analysis of what happened, my headcanon is that in Valinor Fingon went camping with Maedhros, Maglor, and Fingon. Obviously there's Russingon but I feel that Maglor and Finrod would be more than fine with him joining them especially because things were a lot less complicated in Valinor. Idk I just think he would fit in there, even if he wasn't on the canon trip, there was a lot going on and maybe he was busy.

Also, given the nature of their fathers' relationship, Maedhros and Fingon probably had the most freedom outside of Tirion. I feel like out of all the brothers, Maglor would be the least likely to tell on Maedhros and considering Finrod was fine with his younger sister marrying their maternal cousin, I don't think he'd have issue with russingon.

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Maglor: We can bake these cookies at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or 4,000 degrees for 1 minute

Maedhros: No, that’s not how you make cookies

Amras: FLOOR IT!

Maglor: How about 4,000,000 degrees for 1 second?

Maedhros: You’re going to bURN THE HOUSE DOWN!!

Maglor: I’M GOING TO HARNESS THE POWER OF THE FUCKING SUN TO MAKE COOKIES!!!

Amrod: DO IT!!

Maedhros: NO-

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Maglor: What can therapy do for me that 30 minutes of screaming in my car can’t?