bonus findarátos and thoughts on clothing below the cut
some thoughts i have kicked around for some time regarding finrod and how i draw and dress him that i do not know why i have not shared yet.
from both his talent at making friends and getting along with anyone but also his apparent ability to sing himself disguises and other forms to wear, the impression i have of him is something approaching a chameleon. i dont think he is entirely disingenuous and shallow, i think his core personality is consistent and maybe not something that can be hidden away behind niceties or adjustments, but i do see him as someone who changes to suit his environments (and maybe even takes some joy in doing so. and becoming "someone else" for a time). this carries over into the clothing and how i draw him because i wanted some kind of clear visual indicator as to what he was doing and what about him changes. he likes his clothes he likes trying on new things and if this helps to endear him or familiarize him somewhat to new people then thats all the better. i am standing on the line between outright cynicism and acting only for diplomacys sake and genuine aesthetic interest. there is diplomatic cynicism but it is not all that is there.
i feel even before crossing to middle earth clothing and moving between aesthetic conventions is already something on his plate. he is foremost his fathers eldest son, but he is also his mothers? And while perhaps the expectation might be moreso to visually match the former, the latter is still a part of him. he is not just a noldo but in not conforming to one he conforms to nothing. he can get away with more than his elder cousins can, but he has to learn how to meet the expectations placed upon him for how he acts and how he dresses.
another note with this one is his demeanor and posturing. becoming more closed off and rectangular as another layer to his "costume" in this case.
i have to talk about his hair because i bring it up and never elaborate. for all that his demeanor and dress may change he does not tend to change his hair. its out of place in almost every context and almost every outfit he wears and i wanted it to stay as a sort of visual example of that part of him that he cannot change or hide away completely. that he has a loud personality and hes warm and maybe too quick to trust and love. in leaving it down he might come off to an elvish audience as childish or unserious, and maybe he is both of those things on occasion but its not as though hes incapable of taking things seriously. he lets hurts go, forgives quickly, gives the benefit of the doubt far longer than he should, and in another place maybe these traits would be seen as kindness and wisdom, but in the place he finds himself in they are profound weaknesses.
anyways. hes happiest borrowing the closest friend's (adanel's) dress and spinning the skirt in a big circle. arent we all.
