#Elrond being a bro

[xkatchy]

IT. IS. DONE.

More under the cut...

Sorry for the lack of progress updates. There was an... "incident"... a few weeks back when I tried to attach the roof the first time. Something was a single stud off and it resulted in tragedy. I had to disassemble back about 150 steps and start over from the floor of the main hall. Then my back was irritated and I couldn't do much. But yesterday and today I put pedal to metal and busted out the remainder! I got as far as Helm's Deep in the original trilogy extended editions (probably would have finished both trilogies and then some, but there were quite a few times I was building but couldn't watch). Pic first of "the incident." Then some fun character shots of the main building.

[ellrond]

The lack of nuance around Maedhros and especially Maglor when it comes to Elrond and Elros makes me want to tear my hair out.

It could be argued that the twins were with the Feanorians for as little as five years (from the Third Kinslaying to the start of the War of Wrath). The Feanorian forces absolutely wiped out the Havens of Sirion and forced Elwing to abandon her sons or face certain death. Everyone and everything Elrond and Elros had ever known was burned to the ground by Maedhros and Maglor and those who followed them.

The Feanorians are multi-faceted characters and so it’s incredibly frustrating to see no complex interpretation of their relationship with Elrond and Elros beyond assuming they became a “family”.

[minecraftian1213]

Bro is half-elven and he was so far ahead of them it was hilarious

the 0.3 second shot of elrond absolutely booking it through the woods while his entire company is lagging half a mile behind him is so funny to me. no magic ring or anything, he's just powered by the sheer determination to say I FUCKING TOLD YOU SOOOOOOOOOO

[neyafromfrance95]

my thoughts after trop s2e4:

galadriel HATES not leading the mission and i LOVE it. it's so refreshing seeing a female character not being ok with a man, her friend, being her superior/"boss". we never get that in fantasy! never. she is pissed and thinks she could do a better job and the show PROVES HER RIGHT!

my god, morfydd clark is so beautiful! smn edit her with "alien superstar" song plz! no wonder sauron lost his marbles over galadriel and groped for her for thousands of years.

bro it's crazy how the chemistry is palpable between sauron x galadriel even in a split second long vision 😭

kinda sad that they didn't save calam lynch for celeborn. his look and vibe is so perfect for the role and i doubt they can do better than him.

elrond and celebrian 100% bonded when they'd complain to each other about galadriel mind-skyping the dark lord during the work and the family hours. they would leave celeborn out bc he supported his wife's desire for an open marriage.

the true excitement starts now. can't wait for the prisoner galadriel arc. also, elrond better return nenya to galadriel quick.

[maul-of-shame]

Elrondriel/Galrond people I HAVE A THEORY-

SPOILERS FOR TROP SEASON 2

I find it funny Lord Sauron himself chose to appears as a brunette with soft wavy locks, big trusty brown eyes and appearing as devoted/loyal with a side of stubborness to "hit on/be hit on" by THE Galadriel (bro had access to her mind, knew what her soft spots would be), wonder WHO this reminds me of-

Sure, his hair is a tad longer than Elrond, BUT-

HEAR ME OUT ON THIS-

Sauron is everything but dumb.

Sauron had full access to Galadriel’s mind.

He could literally waltz around in her thoughts like it’s his own personal Airbnb, sipping tea and taking notes on all her emotional soft spots. And who does he channel? A guy who looks a lot like Elrond. Coincidence? I think not.

The two of them (Galadriel and Elrond) are tight.

VERY CLOSE.

They’ve got this deep, decades-long very close friendship (some like myself would say there is an underlying romance there/feelings) where they’re constantly sharing forehead touches, hand holds, and just generally being all up in each other’s personal space in the most tender, “I trust you with my life” kind of way. These two crave contact, and you see it in all the tiny little gestures between them.

Elrond's hands stop shaking as soon as he touches her arms, her hands. His eyes never leave her. He stays even when she's being reckless or stubborn. He cares about her.

Galadriel feels safe enough to relax her guard in front of him, she feels safe enough to cry in his arms, to rely on him. She cares about him.

So now imagine Sauron in his clever little “I’m gonna manipulate this situation” mindset. He knows Galadriel IS close to Elrond, that she trusts him, feels safe with him. That her and Elrond are each other's safe haven.

Maybe just maybe, by appearing with those same gentle, wavy locks and trustworthy brown eyes, Sauron is trying to tap into that. He knows that if he gives off some Elrond-ish vibes, it might pull at Galadriel's heartstrings. Maybe she’ll see him as a kindred spirit—devoted, loyal, a bit stubborn, just like Elrond.

And boom, she lets her guard down.

Now, obviously, we can say this could be totally platonic. I mean, Sauron could’ve been like, “Hey, I’m just gonna look like this guy because it’s practical.”

But come on… really? This is the dude who’s been lurking in the shadows, scheming for centuries. He knew what he was doing. It’s a classic power move, and he was playing all the angles.

Also, to add to my "he's dedicated" and manipulative thing here... Bro showed he could shapeshift into anyone. Celembribor, Galadriel herself etc.

I find it very funny he chose a look quite close to Elrond.

Also, Sauron’s new look in The Rings of Power is a total departure from what we saw in Season 1.

Gone is that darker, brooding vibe, and instead, we have this version with luscious wavy locks and those big, trusting brown eyes that make him look less like a villain and more like the guy you’d want to confide your deepest secrets to over a cozy fire. It’s almost comical and so very tragic how different he appears, and it feels like he’s channeling some Elrond-esque softness, (probably) because he’s totally seen Galadriel's heart and mind.

Did Sauron take a look into her thoughts and see how close she’s getting to Elrond?

I mean, come on, the kiss (purely platonic or NOT), the forehead touches, the longing looks: they're there for each other. They care about each other. They, on some level, love each other.

And he hates that.

And taps into it because he KNOWS that's what she craves.

Knows that's her safe haven, that Elrond is her safe haven.

It’s no wonder Sauron decided to ditch the scruff of the beard! He probably thought, “Hey, if I’m going to win her over, I need to look more approachable, more relatable. Maybe a bit softer. Oh look, why not take a look close to her bestfriend-” But let’s not kid ourselves; he’s still a far cry from being that sweet, caring dude he could never be.

But Elrond is.

Now, Sauron's like this charming, handsome stranger that’s trying too hard to be good. It’s like he’s thought, “What would Elrond do?” and went all-in on the “deceptive warmth” strategy.

He’s not just trying to fool Galadriel into seeing him as a hero; he’s playing up all those traits that resonate with her—loyalty, devotion, and that stubborn spirit she admires in Elrond. The shift feels strategic; Sauron has his finger on the pulse of her emotions, and he’s using it against her.

You can’t help but think he’s probably mulling over the fact that Elrond’s presence in her life is like this shadow looming over him. That Elrond is everything he, Sauron, cannot be for Galadriel.

That he will never be this for her.

The connection they share must just gnaw at him, knowing that Galadriel is reminiscing about those moments of intimacy, feeling all the warmth that comes from Elrond, that whatever happens she has him. Elrond.

So, what does Sauron do? He mirrors that closeness, trying to evoke those same feelings, all while wearing that new, softer look to lure her in. He's got his finger over her pulse and is ready to crush her with everything Elrond is and that's why Galadriel is devastated because Sauron tried to destroy this image, those qualities.

Tried to destroy Elrond's qualities.

And that's why I absolutely love this ending because the fact is, they have fights yes, but at the end of the day, Elrond and Galadriel still have each other, no matter what.

And it makes him furious.

NB: DM me to get an invite for "A Corner of Rivendell" Elrondriel server!

[distinguisheddwarffriend]

Sooooo, it's been quite a while since I've done a Tolkien-Poll, so here's a weirdly specific one:

Imagine the Council of Elrond, in the middle of the loud and chaotic debate, POOF!

Someone suddenly appears in their midst!

They cannot believe their eyes, that person should be long dead!

(they respawn exactly as they were before they died, only without fatal wounds obv)

Just Imagine....

... A random love triangle between Aragorn, Arwen & Luthien

... Turin being all "haven't is suffered ENOUGH?!"

... Hurin being a confused potato, having lost his marbles some time ago, becoming a Radagast/ Luna Lovegood Crossover

...Fili & Kili banding together with Merry & Pippin

... Feanor being a Wanda Maximoff -kind-of- Wildcard

... Celebrimbor bein like "bro, you STILL haven't fixed this shit?"

... Durin IV turning absolutely FERRAL once he hears what happened to Khazad Dum: "Fuck this evil blingbling I'll do a one-person-takeover someone give me an axe!!!!"

... Isildur being an almost suicidal, self-sacrificing Faramir 2.0 because of Guilt TM, with some occasional Gollum - Moments

... Elendil dying of second-hand embarrassment/ guilt & probably joining the Grey Company to hide

... Thorin being TERRIFIED of the Ring, refusing to go near it, but joining the Fellowship out of Spite TM "of you think I'm not keeping an eye on Thranduil's spawn with such an important mission you've got another thing coming!"

... Elros teaming up with Glorfindel, Elladan & Elrohir to make his brother's life an absolute NIGHTMARE. you think you have seen pranks? You have seen NOTHING

... Niënor bonding with Arwen about the joys and sorrows of MEN

... Luthien single-handedly destroying the Ring before tea-time if we're being real

[rey-jake-therapist]

I notice some fellow mutuals disappointed with the answer from the AMA and while I have my own interpretations from the reply they gave, I think it should be proposed that we don't really know how Sauron's 'seeing' powers would look like yet, from his pov, if that makes sense. He did see Adars army from afar from his tower in Eregion, but they were a greater distance compared to Gal and the bottom of the cliff. Maybe he didn't really need special vision because his eyesight was that keen. The thing we DO know is that he was looking down in her direction for several long moments, and right at the end, his eyes widen and his whole expression changes to look like he discovered something. The very next shot we see of Galadriel is GG and Elrond finding her. Idk if that means he saw those two figures approaching from afar, or what.

I understand the disappointment that the "non answer" given by JD Payne and Patrick MacKay caused, but at the same time, I wasn't surprised by their non answer at all.

I think at this point, they want to see how people react to the ending and the theories they're coming up with. Unfortunately, I'm afraid they read mostly Reddit, though the way keep pushing Haladriels for engagement on Twitter and Instagram tells me they're interested in what's being said there as well. Reddit is the lore-bros place, but it seems Twitter is full of Haladriels. I guess they ignore that Tumblr even exists, sadly.

I consider the fact that the Reddit person picked this question as win, in a way. Even if they didn't have a real editorial intent regarding this camera effect, such as saying, "it was Sauron watching Galadriel", now they know that it's a theory which is "very popular". And JD seemed to find the idea interesting, or at least he didn't immediatly dismiss it as he did with the idea that the Dark Wizard is Saruman.

So, let's say that it wasn't their intent, that in Patrick McKay's words, "it was just a neat shot" (that they also used when Galadriel woke up, but whatever), they know that this idea's floating around, and that many fans would find it very cool. It could be a good sign for us :)

[fatcatlittlebox]

I want the last scene of Season 2 to be Galadriel and Elrond reuniting and her being like, “Bro WTF. Why did you meet with Adar?? I told you the keep the ring safe!” And for him to be confused and say “WTF are you talking about? I never met with him because of that reason.” And then close with her looking like

[valar-did-me-wrong]

Rings of Power S2|E4 reactions

💍

Artanis alert!!

Them bickering shouldn't matter this much to me ಥ _ ಥ

The LOTR Jogging Routine™

Hi personification of our hopes & dreams for Celeborn in S2 :3

boy did you break some hearts!

The absolute beauty of Robert Aramayo in curls ❤️‍🔥

Angy Elrond is a VERY sexy Elrond ngl

Sauron hearing his Engagement Ring being called a "Trinket"

So that's the infamous goat!

TOM BOMBADIL has freaking arrived!!!

may the dude bros die mad 🙏🏽

fuck that must hurt!

awwwwwww....

Hobbit Love!

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Nobody knows how to count ¬‿¬

Fucking GANDALF!!

GRAND-ELF FUCKFUCKFUCK FUCK FUCK

Clean Girl Esthetic Middle Earth edition

Manwë unable to do anything about the Varda slander:

They need stronger soaps in Rhûn, that man is still dirty af

Avengers Assemble

etc etc

Elrond saving Galadriel's ass like

Internal plumbing in MiddleEarth?! I need to edit my fics now

That was brutal Arondir!

They weren't kidding about the mud in those interviews I see (• _ •)

nor about the creatures | ◉ ͟ʖ ◉ |

He is so ready to be a dad goddammit!!

This Hobbit origin story is legit the best part of this show

I literally feel nothing about this loss

Beardless Halbrand!?!!

preposterous

Isildur building his anti Casting out habit, one day at a time!

Thranduil's elves always being ✨Perfection ✨ is exactly what Tolkien would have wanted!

I'm crying & so are you! 😭

Ent wife my beloved 💚

That heartbreak would have been my villian origin story too!

Elrond having no chill this season is one sad coming of age story ˙◠˙

Cue the name changes from

Adar to Maglor ❤️‍🔥

like Southlands to Mordor in S1

S2|E1 S2|E2 S2|E3

[writerthatcannotwrite]

This came to me after school, yall.

Elrond: so you're just to accept three rings of power---that are shiny---made by Fëanor's grandson, when the three shiny things Fëanor made led to the deaths of thousands of people?????

Gil-Galad, Círdan, and Galadriel, who were all directly affected by Fëanor's Crazy: I mean, come onnnnn. What could POSSIBLY happen??

Elrond: *flashbacks to his dads arguing about some shiny rocks over dinner* ORPHANS AND SUICIDES COULD HAPPEN, THAT'S WHAT

Cause yall. Bro has firsthand experience of what shiny metals/rocks/jewelry does to the brain. His mom, his adopted dads, like the whole shebang. And all these people that Elrond looks up to, and likely sees as close family/friends, are just being stupid!!!! ALL OF THEM lived through the First Age, so there's no reason for this tomfoolery!!

Yes, I know that they were deceived by Annatar, and I know that no one is infallible, but guys!!!! Three objects of power!!! You gotta wonder were we saw that last! 🤔

[short-wooloo]

LEGO LOTR IS BACK!

Rivendell!

https://www.thebrickfan.com/lego-icons-lord-of-the-rings-rivendell-10316-officially-announced/

REVEALED: LEGO ICONS THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RIVENDELL, THE ONE LEGO SET TO RULE THEM ALL

7th February 2023: The LEGO Group, in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, today announced the much-anticipated LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell set, inspired by the award-winning film adaptations. This highly detailed, 6,167 piece set features the iconic Elven stronghold from Middle-earth and comes complete with 15 minifigures.

Home to the house of Elrond, Rivendell is a key location in Middle-earth and events of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, as the place where the Fellowship was formed and the quest to destroy the One Ring began.

The LEGO The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell set is packed with fan favourite moments and Easter eggs, and can be built in three sections including; Section one, featuring:

• The Council Ring – complete with a semicircular ring of chairs for the council and the plinth where the ring is first revealed and the Fellowship discuss how to destroy it • Frodo’s Bedroom – with a desk and chest where the young hobbit recovers following his rescue by Arwen from the hands of the Nazgûl, before being reunited with Bilbo • Elrond’s study – with famous paintings from the history of Middle-earth

Section two, featuring: • An elven tower – featuring five Elven statues of unnamed famous warriors from the past

Second three, featuring: • Gazebo, river and bridge – to recreate the scene where the Fellowship departs Rivendell.

The set also comes with 15 minifigures – including all nine members of the Fellowship; Gandalf the Grey, all four hobbits (Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Merriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck and Peregrin “Pippin” Took), Legolas, Gimli, Boromir and Aragorn. They are joined by minifigures of Elrond, Arwen, Bilbo Baggins plus additional elves and a dwarf (Gloin) are also included.

LEGO and The Lord of the Rings fans alike will also receive several new LEGO elements from the world of Middle-earth, including: Bilbo’s sword, Sting, the broken shards of Narsil, Aragorn’s ranger sword, Boromir’s sword, as well as numerous dwarven axes and elvish blades to ensure the Fellowship are well armed for their quest ahead.

Talking about the set, LEGO Design Master, Mike Psaiki said, “We know many of our fans have been anticipating a set like this for a long-time – but a great LEGO The Lord of the Rings set is never late, it arrives precisely when it means to! It was important to us that we created something really special in this recreation of Rivendell. We aimed to add as much detail as possible and create an engaging experience throughout the build to delight fans recreating scenes orproudly displaying Elrond’s home. We are really pleased with the final design and how we have brought Rivendell to life in brick form.”

The LEGO The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell set is RRP £429.99/$499.99/€499.99 and is available exclusively for LEGO VIP members from 5th-7th March 2023, along with a free Frodo and Golum LEGO Brickheadz set (40630). It is free to become a LEGO VIP member and you can find out more at www.LEGO.com/VIP. From 8th March 2023 the LEGO The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell set will be available at LEGO Retail stores and www.LEGO.com/LOTR.

[seagull-energy]

"Suddenly into view below came a white horse, gleaming in the shadows, running swiftly. In the dusk its headstall flickered and flashed, as if it were studded with gems like living stars. The rider's cloak streamed behind him, and his hood was thrown back; his golden hair flowed shimmering in the wind of his speed. To Frodo it appeared that a white light was shining through the form and raiment of the rider, as if through a thin veil."

GLORFINDEL!!!!

This took a whole two days because horses are difficult to draw (this pose was copied directly from a reference to save time) but here is the golden boy at last :)

Actually I have a few thoughts about Glorfindel and how Conspicuously Not Hidden he is. Others have pointed out before how he doesn't need to go in secret because of who he is, hence the bells and sparkles, but I would actually add to that and say that not only is he so powerful that he doesn't need to hide from the Nazgul, he is purposefully declaring himself to the Nazgul as a threat.

Think about it; he's riding openly on the Road (which he was specifically assigned to, despite it being the most obviously dangerous path, which I think says a lot about Elrond's faith in his abilities) on a bright white horse will bells and (probably) gems on its harness and his hood thrown back to expose his very blond, very famous hair. Sure, he's looking for the hobbits along the Road, but by riding along it he's also letting the Nazgul know that it's under the protection of Glorfindel, reincarnated Balrog-slayer and hero of the First Age, and they probably don't want to get in his way.

I'm not sure if that was coherent at all but tldr Glorfindel is really cool and probably doing the elvish equivalent of telling the Nazgul to 'come at me bro'. Also I love him a lot <3

[conundrumoftime]

Cat, what do you think Galadriel’s role will be from now on? I’ve heard so many disheartening opinions that she’ll just settle as the wise and distant and passive Galadriel from the movies. While I’m afraid of that and don’t really trust tv writers anymore, I can’t see them going down this route so soon. They showed already they’re not giving into the tolkien bros, I don’t see why she wouldn’t keep her role as commander.

I love this question! I have been thinking about this so much. My short answer is that I don't think they'll do that. My longer answer:

I've talked before about how I think people are mistaken about where Galadriel's canon story ends up, and a short version of why I don't think TROP Galadriel will end up as the 'lady of light [passive, retired]' figure people remember is that she never really existed; even for film Galadriel, people are remembering a version filtered by pop culture history of a story where she's a minor character. (As are all the other powerful elves of Middle-earth at this point - Glorfindel, Elrond, Círdan - it's not b/c they've settled down and got married now, it's b/c this is the hobbits' story we're seeing through the hobbits' eyes and the big mythological figures need to take a back seat.)

So here's my predictions for what they will do with her story:

She'll still be a main character. It's an ensemble show, but they have set up a main antagonist and main protagonist and built the whole idea off one of her lines in LOTR about him.

Her temptation will continue to be linked to Sauron. Partly as a convenience of visual TV storytelling (harder to have her do a speech to camera about how she desires power and realms to rule in the abstract); partly to tie into what the show has already established for two seasons; and partly because the show does so love visual callbacks to the films, in which we get this Galadriel:

recognise the dress?

(second one there is the official concept art by Julian Gauthier. We had a whole year of people saying "her hand is NOT on her stomach as if she was pregnant in that scene, you foolish Haladriels!" and then this came out and who's laughing now, eh? Who's laughing now. Anyway!)

She'll play a role in the Battle of the Last Alliance. They might put her on the battlefield - Tolkien doesn't say she was there, but on the other hand Tolkien doesn't specifically say she wasn't, soooo - but I think it's more likely they will bookend that conflict with some other kind of confrontation, like a mindbattle raft vision during the fight. My bet would be they will also do something with repeated images of water/the sea/Nenya/calling back to what Peter Jackson called the 'drowned Galadriel' look and that we'll see that s1 raft again - the showrunners do love mirroring and repeating and echoing.

They will make Celeborn and their marriage interesting. I am less confident about this one because they certainly don't have to and it's always possible that they'll just parachute him in at the last moment like "yay! husband back now :) well done :) off you go back to the forest" and God only knows I've been burned before on interesting 'female characters + marriage = boring, lesser, unimportant' on TV shows. However! I have a reasonable degree of confidence, like say maybe 65%, that they will make him and their marriage interesting.

Celeborn is probably another post so short version of why is: she is still the main protagonist and him being back gives the writers the opportunity to show more of her journey, not because husband = destination but because you can learn a lot about characters in how they relate to loved ones; and they've set him up in a way that introduces conflict (where's he been, how have they both changed from the younger idealised versions of themselves they remember) that makes for good storytelling.

They will link her back to Numenor somehow for that storyline: again I'm less confident on this one and I have no clear ideas on how they'd do it, but it feels like too good an opportunity to pass up when she's already been there once.

Her storyline will have something about learning compassion and pity - which I think people do not like the sound of if (like me!) they like her angry and violent, but it is such a Tolkien-y thing and it's already been set up in what we have seen. Note: I don't mean this in a "she'll be sweet and calm and exist to pat the male characters on the head" way; I mean it in the sense we already saw in s2 with Adar. And who else did she have a really angry, inflexible, "nothing you do will ever be enough to be forgiven" line with in season 1? hmmm...

Her getting and learning how to use her Mirror will be a big thing in some upcoming season. It's such an intriguing question mark in canon - we don't really know anything about where she got it from, how it works, even how she personally uses it - but we know it's important in the future. They will definitely do something with this.

[neyafromfrance95]

so re: my favorite new delusion that the kiss will somehow be adar kissing galadriel to bait sauron, I remembered this scene happens at some point, either ep 6 or 7.

So Sauron is indeed reacting to stuff happening down on the battlefield during the day. Granted, a lot happens he could be reacting (slightly smirking) about. But the possibility is there. Maybe we're due for another controlled fury moment like he had when those numenoreans told him he wasn't good enough for her lol.

Honestly it's like... Based on story momentum, if Galadriel kisses someone romantically it either has to be Sauron or it's a kiss that's somehow still *about* them (which an Adar kiss would be if he's trying to taunt Sauron in a quick moment on the battlefield).

Or it's simply not a romantic kiss and just a cheek, forehead or hand kiss and this was all just a rumor that spiraled simply because Morfydd teased it.

There can't be other romantic kisses unless Celeborn appears out of thin air. Elrond planting one on her and revealing surprise romantic feeling that ultimately can't go anywhere would be a jarring, momentum killing story turn when the season is meant to be about a "collision course" between Galadriel and Sauron in the finale. If it happens in ep 7 as they're insisting, then the audience is suddenly confused and wondering what that was about instead of focused on the suspense building to Galadriel and Sauron's meeting.

Also notably, they never paired up Rob and Morfydd for the press tour, despite how much screen time Elrond and Galadriel shared this season.

(I truly think this wouldn't even be a conversation if the incel lorebores didn't have a habit of badly interpreting scenes like the face touch in the trailer)

oh nooo, don't feed my delusions even more, they will grow! (please do feed my delusions)

his reaction to the numenoreans joking that maybe one of them is more suitable for gal needs to be talked about more! bc it was the first and only time his mask slipped off and he was about to lose it! bro saw her ankle on that raft and it was jover! suddenly, a mere suggestion that she might in theory be with smn else made this ancient being skilled in deceit almost reveal his true nature! like, when i saw his reaction for the first time, i thought it was so weird and uncharacteristic! then he beat those same dudes to a pulp!

sooo, what i'm trying to say is that, if sauron were to see his warrior queen caged and then kissed by the orc that they both blame their misfortunes on, ohhh boy. it'd be jover for the middle-earth.

and listen, so far the writers haven't given me a single reason to doubt them. even if galadriel is married to celeborn, a sudden switch to their romance would be a poor writing, since the show was about sauron x galadriel relationship from the very start (literally, finrod's speech alluded to it and then celebrimnor's one about silmarils)! same goes with elrond.

also, the whole "the light reflecting your hair reminded me of the love of my life who is lady galadriel, of course" thing was so bold??? i can't believe they did that. so, i'm 90% sure they aren't chickening out after pulling something so sick and obsessive on his part.

so yeah, either it has to do with sauron, or it's a platonic peck that was overblown by the fandom.

and agreed, we wouldn't be wasting our energies on the half of the discourse happening rn if it wasn't for the incel lorebros forcing these conversations to divert the attention from sauron x galadriel.

[anghraine]

I decided to watch Rings of Power and I still like it! General thoughts on the first episode:

This episode does a lot of heavy lifting to introduce everything in a somewhat rough and often disconnected, but engaging enough way.

The voice-over exposition at the beginning is obviously echoing the PJ FOTR one, but it's more awkward and sort of generically high fantasy. I still like it better because a) no Númenóreans were harmed in the making of this voice-over, b) retaining the Finrod-Galadriel age gap while simultaneously leaning into their sibling bond is really cute, c) Finrod using a heavy-handed metaphor in which the greatness of SHIPS figures largely seems entirely in character and also very Telerin (Eärwen's son!!!), and d) the overall story of how Valinorean Elves ended up in Middle-earth is so highly editorialized that it feels like the self-serving Noldor version of the story, which amuses me.

I enjoyed the introduction of present-day Galadriel. She's clearly the most impressive and competent person in the company she's leading while also being kind of unhinged, which I appreciate in a female protagonist. Good for her.

And I like that she's clearly this ancient being and her fixation on FIGHTING EVIL FOREVER is, in part, a product of being old and immortal and stuck in a singular mode of being. However, she's also right and the comparatively young people around her are being condescending assholes (like Gil-galad, but especially that one guy who semi-mutinied against her and is prodding her on the ship).

(Oh, and she has great hair. I actually don't care if the entire wig budget went to her specifically.)

The only one who seems to really feel bad about their dismissive treatment of her is Elrond, which tracks. The hints that he isn't seen as quite an equal ("Elf-lords only") feels silly, but it's not a huge deal for me. And I like that he and Galadriel are bros alongside the tension in her relationships with basically everyone. S2 Celebrían plssss

I still think the complaints about costuming/hair, and incessant comparisons to costuming in PJ!LOTR/WOT/whatever are largely pretty absurd. I particularly liked Arondir's armor and how dissimilar it is from the aesthetic of the Lindon Elves, everything Galadriel wears, and the weirdness of the ritualistic armor removal as they approach Valinor. The Elves spontaneously bursting into unsettling song was odd but extremely on-brand for Tolkien, so it was fun to see it actually done onscreen.

I also think the show is quite beautiful in general and a pleasure to simply look at (no, not only because of the budget).

I don't like how heavily and visibly made-up the main female characters are, however, especially Bronwyn (who also has my least favorite costuming of any of the mains tbh). It reminds me a bit of how Padmé Amidala's heavy and perfect make-up in her death scene in Revenge of the Sith always distracts me from the pathos of the scene. God forbid she wasn't hot as she died, you know? I don't care about middle-aged and older men being cast as Elves, but I'd like to see more older actresses, too!

The Harfoot stuff has an interesting mixture of cuteness and underlying menace. It doesn't interest me as much as what's going on with Galadriel, Elrond, and Arondir/Bronwyn, but I like Nori quite a bit and the whole aesthetic they have going, so I don't mind spending time with them, even though it's kind of detached from what's going on everywhere else.

Speaking of Arondir, the Southlands stuff is interesting because there's so little to work with in terms of canon (even if they had rights to everything) and the canon that does exist wrt them is super racist. So having the textual racism towards Southrons actually be brought up in-story, and rejected by an Elf protagonist who is being played by a Black man, is like ... there's a lot going on there and other people are probably better equipped to talk about it.

Personally, I would have liked to see Arondir fall in love with Bronwyn rather than being presented with it as an established thing, especially with the conversation about how this almost never happens etc. His actor does a great job with what he's given, though, and I laughed at the other Elf who is like "do you know how rarely romances between Men and Elves ever happen? do you know they always END TRAGICALLY?!"

Arondir: mmhmm

Other Elf: THEY DIED, ARONDIR

Arondir gives off big "distracted by drawing hearts around Bronwyn's name in his Trapper Keeper" vibes in that conversation and, idk, it was just really entertaining to me.

Bronwyn herself is all right thus far. I did really like the moment when she's talking about how she's from the allegedly creepy village and the people there are her relatives and friends. By and large she seems the most normal person in the cast, honestly.

I also enjoyed how deeply ominous the "approaching Valinor" music was, lmao. A bit overkill by the end, but I rather like the idea of Valinor being scary if you're not supposed to be there.

ETA: cutting between the different plots via the Middle-earth map is a bit silly as well, but functional enough. Interesting to see Calenardhon on the map before Gondor even exists!

[elrondapologist]

RoP Episode 7 spoilers

Messy thoughts about what the-, and musing on theories

SO THAT WAS THE KISS. I need to admit I was disgusted more than a little looking at it xD. But Galadriel's face in the end kind of made up for that. But fr, Elrond. You had no other idea to give her lockpick unaware than to _kiss_ your future mother in law??? (Who is also apparently married, just with no husband in sight???) Can't deny it worked, but...

And... Did Arondir just... died? Like that? I was so hyped after the last scene that I kind of brushed aside in my mind and now I am like hum??? Did he? He can't just be forgotten like that, I love him :C. But many good scenes this episode. I highly enjoyed the siege, as it was both kind of nice to look at - you know, as far as killing everything in sight can be nice to look at - but also had this weight to it, the danger. I liked that we can see Elrond get more and more tired as the fight progresses. I expected problems with dwarves, and yeah, I got it... Although I am not sure how it happened that as Narvi said one dwarf, even with an axe and being a king, decimated an army?????? What? But like honestly generally what is happening there with the dwarves and Disa xD I sincerely hope no one touches her tho or I am going to riot! I liked the progression of Celebrimbor's plot. I was afraid that realising Sauron's deception will be end of his agency, that they will make him passive, but I love that he has his last stand. I soooooooooo winced at the whole finger situation cause what the actual-. I was at the same time like yes (fight him!) and no (aua). I also loved and despaired at the scene with Galadriel - it was the best possible option, Celebrimbor was giving all he had, and he was going into torture and anguish knowingly, willingly and head held high despite the fear. I didn't even know I needed Celebrimbor like that until I saw him. And the thing with Mirdania? I think her death, for that is kinda undeniable I am afraid, proved without a doubt she was not Celebrian - which is kind of a pity, I must admit. There was something there that could develop nicely, as well as it is the case with Adar = Maglor, which I also think is highly unlikely now, as Elrond did not acknowledge the possible connection in any way. But if I am mistaken, please let me now! Also, I applaud Elrond for not giving the ring for Galadriel's life. Despite the whole weird kissing scene xDDD. I liked to see him take his commander role seriously and as an orc said - holding his own better than expected (or sth according the lines xD). It is a win for nerds, I think. Lord Elrond "according to the lore" Peredhel. Leading a siege. Feel old yet? Anyway, the dwarves will come (when Durin finally usurps the throne, I am afraid) and Celebrimbor and Elrond will be totally fine because I am delusional :).

P.S Also, Gil Galad in an armour. In an armour. P.P.S There this whole slow motion scene in one place that has in a foreground just an elf running away from an orc. Slay, bro. I laughed, tho, not gonna lie. P.P.P.S The last stand of Gil Galad and Elrond's army was suprisingly... Not to use the word... There were really like ten elves left? From the whole army? I know they said orcs unnumbered them, but that took me by surprise. P.P.P.P.S I was happy that Gil Galad's armour was not very visibly that much different from the rest of the elves - you know, like some shows have this whole ass target point basically by giving the commanders extremely weird and visible armours. Shoot here. I like Gil Galad here, even if Elrond kind of outshined him xD.