#ecthelion

Here's a little eldritch doodle dump featuring the Gondolin crowd! Something tempted me to draw Hurin and Huor with Turgon, which turned into a whole thing of their first meeting with the king to their last meeting at the Nirnaeth :''') The beautiful Glorthelion designs are by @ecthelioffd! <333

This was my first time designing eldritch Idril and Maeglin; Idril incorporates some Vanyar fashion into her layers, which I imagine are very frilly loll So when I finally get around to designing the Vanyar, they'll have lots of pretty frills and lace! hahaa

Here is what we know: When Denethor was a young man, Aragorn served as a captain in Gondor under the name Thorongil. He was so skilled and wise that he soon became invaluable to Steward Ecthelion, which made Denethor jealous.

So here's today's headcanon: Ecthelion wants to keep Thorongil close while Denethor is constantly trying to edge him out, which means Aragorn is just constantly around. And Finduilas, as we know, is very, very lonely. She's alone in a world of grim, older military men, she dreads being so close to Mordor, and her husband has no emotional fluency. So when Thorongil speaks kindly to her and holds genuine conversations with her, it's one of the only friendly anchors she has. She sees him as closer to her in age--though he's not--and feels like he actually values her for more than just being a quiet, dutiful wife--because he does. He's there throughout her first pregnancy and when she goes into labor with Boromir.

Meanwhile, Denethor's attention has been on being valuable to his father. He's been hoping and praying this baby will be a son, because he thinks it will be what he finally needs to wrest Ecthelion's favor away from Thorongil and back to himself.

But while Ecthelion adores his grandson, he still relies on Thorongil's skills and leadership, and Denethor only grows more jealous. Recognizing this, and perhaps also recognizing that he's become a wedge between Finduilas and Denethor, Aragorn surprises everyone by making that abrupt decision not to return to Minas Tirith after the battle of the Corsairs.

TO BE CLEAR, I don't hc that Boromir and Faramir's parentage is anything other than what's laid out in canon. I'm just saying THERE'S A LOT OF MATERIAL TO WORK WITH HERE.