Look at me trying to make as many variations of black hair and grey eyes as possible. Gonfdolin would be one of the places where I would consistently give most characters some kind of makeup. I just feel like they were all fairly vain and had enough security to start expressing themselves through makeup/fashion and jewelry more like their kin in Hithlum and Himring for example.
The 2025 year´s Yule winner was @holy-marmalade, who wanted Egalmoth and Rog, and I could go wild with the costumes, with the colours being requested to be inspired by a cecropia moth for Rog, and Swallowtails and/or Queen Alexandra’s birdwings, and some Lunar Moth too if I felt like it, which I had to include, for Egalmoth!! I had so much fun with their clothes, espessely Egalmoth´s, and has included this clothes design for him into my own headcanon! It is Marmalade´s headcanon that he is moth inspired, and I love that^^
Here are my character starters for the Lords of Gondolin, which will really only become important once I get around to my *Fall of Gondolin* comics and *Gondolin Days* slice of life comics before that.
But regardless... here... look... I did them. Do you have a favorite?
All these gentlemen were drawn as part of the Gondolin Gang series for intea (my deep gratitude for this opportunity and inspiration ♥). Of course I will draw the remaining two, but now I want to show the finished ones 😃
I tried to draw different but stylistically similar and simple outfits, hairstyles and faces, so that one could believe that they live at the same time and in the same place, being in an everyday (medieval) environment - most of them had small bags for small things and clothes whose fit is regulated by a belt and not by patterns.
Egalmot got the most complex background - there's a cat there, did you see it? 🐈
Who do you like the most and who has the coolest handbag? 🙂👀
Rog and Maedhros know each other, and really really well. Not that either of them would ever admit it, because then there would be questions that cannot be answered, not in a way that anybody beside Rog and Maedhros could relate to.
They know things about one another that nobody else (and I mean nobody, not even Fingon) knows about them, and of what they don't know, they can take educated guesses with horrifying accuracy.
They never meet again, later. Because they would see so clearly all the time and effort spent on pretending, on making things palatable for those around who love them and whom they love. And they can't afford that.
I've been saying I was working on this forever, but they're finally done! I started working on this in either July or August, and it took a lot longer than I meant. Life gets in the way and I paused this for various fandom weeks. Like, they'll be a bit of a clear style difference between Galdor and Tuor, I think there was about a month or two in between them. But, I got through! And I'm very happy with them.
I've known I wanted to do this since I got the request for Salgant earlier in this year. I wanted to explore the idea of a Gondolin that was a mix of cultures and people.
First up Rog Lord of the House of the Hammer of Wrath! I honestly didn't feel satisfied with my last attempt at him. I had a vision in my head for him and it just didn't turn out. I wanted to convey warmth, strength, and confidence. This second go around is more what I wanted.
Chag Sameach, Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays for whatever you celebrate.
For: The Underrated Characters Event run by @doodle-pops
Warnings: Very mild blink and you might very well miss it angst.
Wordcount: 700 + words
Summary: Underrated character as a sworn shield
He is conscientious about his duties and refuses to ever step beyond the bounds of a sworn knight and protector. If he feels an attachment stronger than one of leal service, he will take care to keep it well hidden.
He will follow you wherever he is permitted to follow, his sword hand ever ready to reach for his sword. He will arrange the household guard around your doors, but he will walk by from
time to time, to ensure that they are carrying out their duties. Sometimes, he will take over the watch around dawn, just so that he can greet you in the morning.
“There is temper in the air, my lady,” he begins, “and the clouds are dark and grey. Would you consider an hour or two in the library after you have broken your fast?”
“Can we go to the conservatory afterward?” You say, eager to begin the day. “I hear a flower not seen by anyone else in this kingdom has already begun to bloom.”
“I will gladly take you there, my lady.”
- Erestor, Turgon, Gwindor, Galdor, Beleg
Bold, gallant, and ever ready for a fight, he will gladly face any danger heading your way with a smile on his face. But only after securing your safety first.
“Stay over there, my lady,” he will cry, “and do not leave until I say it is safe.”
He will fight off the danger, then come fetch you when you are safe. When you declare he is hurt, he brushes away your concerns with a wave of the hand.
“Tis but a scratch,” he will tell you. “All will be well, princess; just you wait and see.”
Once he is rested and healed from any injury he received, he will resume his usual duties.
Sometimes, he will teach you how to better ride a horse. Other times, he will indulge in your entreaties and give you rudimentary lessons in swordplay, laughing quietly to himself while you slash about like a lord deep in his cups. And then there will be the times when he will just sit or stand by your side, his gaze drifting toward you when your attention is elsewhere. There is more than duty in his eyes, but he tries his best to restrain it. Sometimes, he cannot, and he will resort to carefully couched teasing and flirting, wondering if you will ever notice.
- Amras, Elladan, Aegnor, Egalmoth, Argon
He is the sworn shield with an arrogant nature and a quick tongue. Nevertheless, he fulfils his duties with great meticulousness and care, and not a single aspect of your safety is left to chance. He will watch the others and immediately step in when they try to get too close or become too familiar with you.
“Lady Y/n must make her leave of you for the present,” he will say in a manner that is considered out of turn before you could even get a word in, “but she will return once she is finished with performing her courtesies to the others. Pray excuse us.”
No one would dare go against him, though, given his willingness to draw his sword for your sake. So they will bow and walk away, and he will walk you toward a quiet corner, far away from the prying eyes of others, so that you can compose yourself.
“That was unnecessary, sir,” you tell him. “What if they objected?”
“Only a fool would dare object to me. Are you well?”
“I am. Thank you for getting me away from them.”
It is the only way he can show his affection, for a union with you is forbidden to one such as him. Still, he does not give up, seeking a way that would bring you into his world as more than just the lady he had been charged to protect.
- Curufin, Amrod, Elrohir, Angrod
He will serve you as the grave, dutiful knight whose eyes discreetly follow your every move. He is forever courteous and never oversteps his remit as a protector. He shows due respect for the position you occupy, but sometimes—not always—but sometimes, it is hard for him to do so.
Nevertheless, he will bite his tongue and perform his duties without betraying a word of his true feelings.
“It is time for your audience with the ambassador, my lady,” he says. “I was told he would be waiting for you in the solar.”
“Ah, yes,” you reply stiffly. “My father’s efforts to see me wed to this Crown Prince minstrels wax poetic about.”
“It will be a most joyous occasion, my lady,” he says, his voice betraying none of his sadness. “And one that would be spoken about for years. Shall we go in?”
