I Was Looking Through The Timeline For Something Else, And Just-- You Mean To Tell Me There's A Ninety

I was looking through the timeline for something else, and just-- you mean to tell me there's a ninety year gap between Celebrimbor going "wait shit we've been had", and the war actually starting? Somehow I've never noticed that, somehow I'd convinced myself the time was shorter

That actually changes a lot of how I've been imagining it! Like, ninety years is plenty of time to actually sit down together and plan things. The attack didn't come with barely the time to prepare enough to send a warning to allies and send the Rings away. Everyone must've seen it coming way off, enough to actually prepare armies, prepare their cities and strongholds, and their people, for sieges and battles. (I wonder how many civilians in Eregion took that as their chance to get somewhere away, or at least send their children away, while they had the time to do it somewhat on their own terms, choose what things to bring with them, etc. And how many thought that surely Eregion was strong enough to stand, surely it would be fine if they stayed here, in the home that was so dear to them. It might suck for a while, but it'd be fine, right? In the end, surely Eregion would survive, surely they wouldn't have to leave... right?)

And Sauron still wiped Eregion out like nothing! And then proceeded to drive the rest of the elves into a really tight corner, and come damn near to wiping them out, before the Númenorean army got there to help!

Like, that's... kinda scary to think about. Like not that Sauron isn't a serious threat anyway, but there is a difference between taking someone near completely by surprise with a swift attack and so wiping them out, and wiping someone out who knew you'd be attacking and had decades to prepare

Galadriel: Celebrimbor, this Annatar character's claims don't add up. He's using his charm and his knowledge to manipulate you. Celeborn: There's only one thing to do with honey-tongued, two-faced outsiders. Throw him out the window. Galadriel: That's...a bit excessive. Celeborn: Toss the dwarves out too. I don't know why you keep dealing with them. You can never trust a dwarf, you know. Celebrimbor: And *that* is why you have trouble making friends, Celeborn. You are too suspicious. You need to embrace new opportunities. Be more open-minded! Galadriel: Yes, but within reason. You worry me, Celebrimbor. Celebrimbor: *sparkling with creative ambition* *not listening*

Reminds me that random strangers we meet are more likely to be civil, and even helpful, than the vitriolic media culture leads us to fear

something absolutely lovely about especially the first half of fellowship is that the hobbits keep meeting random kind helpful strangers - the elves, bombadil, butterbur, aragorn (also farmer maggot and his wife, though they're not strangers) - until the book solidifies in you the feeling that these are not really instances of random luck, but rather the inherent nature of the world. kind people are everywhere, and no matter where you are, there is surely someone closer than you think that would offer help if you needed it. it's such a beautiful theme across all of LOTR, and it's very sweet to me that it starts from the very beginning of the journey, on such a 'small' (comparatively), everyday scale

I wish they had brought Celeborn in somewhere, but I can see where the story elements he would bring (resentment and distrust of outsiders, for example) might conflict with other key plot threads, such as the relationship the show builds between Durin IV and Elrond. The bigger issue, though, is that he doesn't fit into the character arc created for Galadriel.

In tRoP, the goal of finding Sauron and avenging her family is the compass of Galadriel 's life: she doesn't understand how to live without that purpose driving her. With no one to effectively counterbalance her, she's more vulnerable to Sauron's manipulations, and unwittingly facilitates his return.

In my opinion, tRoP Galadriel seems more like Gil-Galad's headstrong and impetuous niece than his father's cousin. However, if the show had included Celeborn alongside a wiser Galadriel, I would have loved to see the two of them opposing Sauron in Eregion.

Galadriel: Celebrimbor, this Annatar guy is using his charm and his knowledge to manipulate you.

Celeborn: I've seen enough two-faced strangers. Throw this one out the window.

"but Celeborn would add nothing to the plot and would be boring" "he's just galadriel's boring husband" "Celeborn would make Galadriel less interesting she should just marry-"

i am now begging you to please read a book

Oooh, halls that imitate the heavens. The Golden Hall of Noontide. The Corridor of Dusk. The Treasure Chambers of Midnight.

Day 5: Stars Durin's Folk star lamps inspired by their architecture in the books (did you know that they like to carve their pillars in the shape of trees? )

Prompt list: