character asks: Celebrimbor
favorite thing aboutthem: Oh my, where tobegin? First, I think he was a completely unapologetic Fëanorian (point incase: the star on Durin’s Gate), but he believed that their cause was just andfought with everything they had to make it so. He maintained his decency, firstin Nargothrond, then in Eregion where he tried to build a new future for hispeople alongside Galadriel and Celeborn. He truly tried to do the right thing.He fucked up royally in the process (and I like that too because it makes himrelatable), but when he realized his catastrophic error he took theconsequences upon himself and stood up to Sauron to the bitter end.
His rings did helpto bring Sauron down. Elrond’s comments in LotR make very clear that the elvesheld him in high regard.
Obviously, Ilove his close friendship with the dwarves, which shows a remarkable lack ofprejudice. The Doors of Durin are a statement to that friendship and to his ownidentity as a descendant of Fëanor. (Which he claimed, probably, as a thing of pride. Fëanor was the greatestcraftsman of the Noldor, and Celebrimbor wanted to rival him.)
least favorite thing about them: Not listening topeople who had a bad feeling about Annatar… including perhaps his owninstincts. I second this post by lintamande. He probably had a streak ofarrogance, too much pride, and a tendency to overrate his own abilities as aleader. He must have clashed viciously with Galadriel, which was probably his fault alone (with the generous assistance of Annatar, but that is no excuse).
favorite line: “Speak,friend, and enter” is probably a joined invention by him and Narvi, and one ofthe few genuinely funny parts of LotR. They must have had a fine sense of humor. (This is totally how it happened.)
brOTP: I thinkCelebrimbor had a close but complicated relationship with Galadriel. They wereamong the few surviving Finwions and developed an almost fraternal bond afterthe War of Wrath: Galadriel sort of adopted him as the little brother she neverhad, after all her brothers had died. Unfortunately, this dynamic also includedsibling rivalry, which led to an epic fall-out when he found her sensibleconcerns overbearing and patronizing. Things weren’t improved by Celeborn’santi-Fëanorian reservations. But they reconciled before the end, when Celebrimborbrought her Nenya for safekeeping.
OTP: I adore Celebrimbor/Narvi, as elaborated inthis post. I see no reason why there shouldn’t be epic elf/dwarf romances,since we know that elves do occasionally fall in love with mortals… and thisone is based on friendship, mutual respect, and shared interests. I wantCelebrimbor to have something good among all his tragedy.
That said, Ihave seen the odd well-written Celebrimbor/Maeglin and found that I could wrapmy brain around it. It’s not my OTP, but enjoyable.
nOTP: Sorry, dear Silvergifters. Truly, I’ve given this ship a chance, exposed myself to it and readseveral well-written fics, but it still makes me viscerally sick. I just can’tsee Sauron being in any way invested in this relationship – or not beyond gratification through power – and that gives the whole thing adynamic I find extremely upsetting. Not to mention that Celebrimbor’s fate isterrible enough without adding toxic and utterly hopeless romance into the mix.So no. Get thee gone from my gate, thou servant of Morgoth.
I don’t usually talk about this on my blog out of consideration for the shippers, and withtumblr being tumblr, I’ll add that I don’t mind people shipping it (although thepopularity of it makes it difficult to avoid). I don’t think it’s “problematic”.I mean, I even read the occasional incestuous Celegorm/Curufin trainwreck, soit’s definitely not a moral issue. It’s just that I can’t deal with it.
Oh, and I don’t like Celebrimbor/Galadriel because, truly, we know how awesome Galadriel is without piling more unrequited-love angst on her ill-fated cousin.
random headcanon: He didn’trepudiate Fëanor’s deeds, but Curufin’s specifically. For one, he admiredFinrod; he also thought that Curufin’s actions were a disgrace to the House of Fëanor and feared(correctly) that they would cause further trouble for his family down the road.He cut ties with his uncles after Doriath, but still carried the FëanorianStar.
For a lighterheadcanon, I like to think that Celebrimbor wasn’t all that serious when he hadthe chance. I’m not sure how it happened, but somehow my version of him acquireda few (book canon) Holmesian traits: especially the impish humour and theunconventional ideas. He, too, would find it extremely amusing to turn up in the living room splattered withblood, with a harpoon, “for an experiment, I have no idea why no cab would takeme”. His tools probably also appeared in the butter dish “or in even lessdesirable places”. And he could alsoturn very dangerous in the blink of an eye.
unpopular opinion: Apart from silvergifting?I don’t think he was particularly gentle, and especially not naïve. Hisrage, when provoked, was entirely Fëanorian.
song i associate with them: Coward byTrillium for his showdown with Sauron. It might be stretching things a bit tocall Sauron a coward, but Finweans have never bothered much about that while insulting Dark Lords. Thesong captures what I imagine to be Celebrimbor’s attitude right to the end andis also somewhat prophetic.
Angels Fall Firstby Nightwish could be a Celebrimbor & Galadriel friendship song. “Yesterdaywe shook hands, my friend; today a moonbeam lightens my path, my guardian.”Tissues, please.
favorite picture ofthem
