Questions for the Learned and the Wise (and a link or two)

!.  In the first LotR movie, who is the person, seen at 2:28 in this scene  (four and half minute video clip) sitting at Elrond's left hand (between Elrond and the steps) ? He's the only person (other than Elrond and the Hobbits - even Gandalf's up there shouting and gesticulating) who doesn't join in the standing argument.  Is he someone in particular, and if so, who?  (also - is Elrond's pronunciation of 'Gloin', at 0:30, right?  But then - there's no right or wrong with accents, I guess.)

2.  How does one link to someone in ao3?  There's automatic linking when it's a matter of making a gift of a work to someone, but what's the system when it's simply mentioning them in notes?  Solved!  It's the old simple HTML system, with href in it.:)

3.  In Les Miserables, a character is described thus:  "Everything failed him and everybody deceived him; what he was building tumbled down on top of him. If he were splitting wood, he cut off a finger. If he had a mistress, he speedily discovered that he had a friend also. Some misfortune happened to him every moment."  I don't get why the friend is a misfortune.  Can anyone explain?

Good news department: The doctor dances.  (Not that Doctor. BBC link with 69-second video.)

Highly cute department:  Shy Octopus  (Youtube video, 2:30 minute video)

Old but interesting - blind painter  (BBC video, four and a half minutes)  I really like his work.   :)

Editing:  I fixed the first link!  Thanks, Phillipos, for alerting me!