aerefyr:

poplitealqueen:

Gandalf was a dick who didn’t give a single fuck about reclaiming Erebor. Dude just wanted to make sure *a* dwarf (I say *a* dwarf because Thorin Oakenshield just happened to be the only one willing to even try, I’m convinced he wasn’t Gandalf’s first choice) got their hands on the Arkenstone, which they would then take before all Seven Houses of the Dwarves to convince them to Kumbaya together, thus giving Gandalf some extra cannon fodder for the war against Evil.

Thorin was the one that thought getting the Arkenstone = getting the support necessary to reclaim Erebor. Gandalf never ONCE talks about reclaiming Erebor. All he’s concerned about is the pretty rock Smaug is sleeping on, because what he needs is a symbol, not a giant bloody battle.

I’m not saying Gandalf doesn’t have the best intentions of Middle Earth. He does – but that’s the only thing he has the best intentions for. He cares about people as an idea, a whole, an aspect of Middle Earth, but when it comes to individuals? Psh! He’ll sacrifice individuals left and right if it means his plans succeed! When he saw that Thorin surviving the Battle of the Five Armies would have led to strife with the humans and elves nearby, which would have made them eventually working together against Evil that much more difficult to achieve, he did what he had to do. The Arkenstone might have worked for other Dwarves, but not Men or Elves. Gandalf needed to find a new symbol that would bring everyone together, in time.

There are few symbols better than a King that tragically died protecting the home he had only just reclaimed, and one that seemingly “beat” the madness which plagued his lineage at that?! Just sayin.

This isn’t wholly Gandalf’s fault. It’s simply his nature. He is a lesser god, after all, and the short lives of a few folks start to not mean much when you’ve lived for ages, unless you have a particular investment in them (i.e. Mahal and the dwarves).

I like Gandalf. He’s a funny guy, hella badass, and he does care about others. If it was up to him, nobody would die. But it’s not, and Gandalf doesn’t fight against fate; he enforces it.

i honestly think he just wanted them to deal with smaug so he wouldnt align with sauron, but you make excellent points here too like…

Gandalf is a goddamn dick tbh