#sansael

So, from Tolkien we know that Nori is the middle brother. The daddy Ri died when they were young. How I'm not sure. I don't really have a headcanon for it (shockingly). It was hard on their mom to be a single mother of three. She was out a lot working so Dori kind of ended up becoming mom at home, even more so when their mother got sick and died one winter. Dori's childhood ended that night and he became mom, dad, and big brother. He did his best so his brothers would have a childhood, but after watching his parents die, he became rather overbearing. It was this overbearing that caused Nori to start acting out. At first it was normal kid stuff like staying out past curfew, being a brat, etc. The crime came later.

Personally, I see Dori being willing to do anything to give his brothers a roof over their head and Ori an education since the little boy was so smart. And I mean just about anything. Nori found out about some of the stuff Dori did and just how tight their purse is the wrong way. He never told Dori what he saw. During his rebellion years, he learned to sneak quite well to get out of the house and also how to quietly filch things. While Dori never let his little brothers go hungry, Nori did have nights where he wasn't as full as he would like. He didn't see any harm in taking from the rich. Why should they have such easy lives and do so little to help the poor? So, when he realized how bad off they really were and how hard Dori worked to keep them afloat, he did the only thing he could think of: turn to a life of petty crime.

And with that and a lot of determination and motivation he became the best thief in Ered Luin. There isn't a safe or a house he can't break into. There isn't a pocket he can't pick. But, of course, stealing from the rich is going to raise some alarms. Dwalin was put on the case when absolutely no one could identify let alone find or catch the infamous thief. It helps that Nori learned how to be a master of disguise. You don't do your hair like that or have Dori as a brother without learning how to do amazing hair styles and ones that can alter face shape. Sure, he's been caught a few times but he always gets away and when he's caught in disguise no one is the wiser.

But Dwalin is a different animal when it comes to crime. He is stubborn and determined. Eventually, he starts putting together Nori's patterns, which are very erratic on purpose but even chaos has a pattern. And the supposedly uncatchable thief gets caught several times by Dwalin. Nori honestly enjoys the thrill of the chase and, I mean, he thinks Dwalin is pretty damn hot, so he allows this cat and mouse game to go on. He is absolutely in charge of the game.

Nori is the one who makes the first move. He starts flirting with Dwalin during chases or while he's in jail. The flirting winds Dwalin up. Finally, one time when Dwalin has Nori pinned to a wall after catching him (which Nori totally allowed) when Nori makes his move. Dwalin is so shocked Nori is able to get away. It happens again and again (all through Nori's planning). Dwalin is honestly confused both by Nori and his own reactions. He's always thought of himself as a ladies man. Zero problem with women, long string of exes. He never clicked with any of them enough to marry them, but he never considered trying to date men. So having physical (and emotional! not that he'll admit it) responses to Nori confuses the hell out of him.

Dwalin gives up on the idea of actually catching Nori. The catch and...release method is perfectly suitable for both of them. Until the quest for Erebor. Then things change. The two of them spend a lot more time with each other in the company of others. Until then both of them have only known the basics about the other. Dwalin knows less about Nori than Nori knows about him. Nori totally has spies everywhere. In the decades of being a thief, he set up a thief network that includes training newbies. It helps keep the thieves safe and helps lessen the chances of any turf wars. But they honestly don't know anything about each other. The quest actually allows them to get to know each other.

It's definitely Nori who reaches out first. Dwalin hasn't told anyone, anyone about what's been happening. At first it's really awkward but Nori is a smooth talker so he manages to keep things going when Dwalin turns to stone (he's freaking out inside). Nori helps Dwalin through his emotional confusion when Dwalin lets him. By the time they reach Erebor they have a very awkward and tentative relationship. The grief sex after The Battle of the Five Armies is amazing.

I KNOW

OH BOY OH BOY

So I had a big argument with someone last year on Discord about this. Turns out the series was recruiting for a person to oversee nude scenes (I can’t remember the name of the specific job role, but they are there to make sure the actors/extras are comfortable/not being exploited during nude scenes) which is obviously a GOOD thing. But the point I kept trying to make to the person who was chewing my head off about it was that nudity=/= sex. There are multiple reasons nudity would be in a film. Heck, does everyone forget that THE HOBBIT had nudity in it? All the dwarves were bathing in Elrond’s fountain and making Lindir age in realtime.

Shea Whigham, to be clear. Let's see...

- Star Trek Beyond - The Wolf of Wall Street - First Man - Vice - Joker

My friend I am sadly here to lower your expectations and shield you from disappointment. With the before and after maps for the show showing Khazad Dum becoming Moria, I think it highly likely they will push back the Balrog’s appearance and Khazad Dum’s destruction into the second age which means we will be getting the full undiluted misery of the ‘Dwarves are greedy and the balrog is their fault’ narrative. Because, as I’ve said before, Dwarves are allowed literally no other storyline other than gold bad??? Greed bad??? No further comment.