#saurbrand

[steve-needs-a-hug]

literally that scene in ep 6

[wyrd-syster]

I can’t believe this madlad….he simply……walked into Mordor

[gracepureautumn]

“In that time…I’ve had many names.” 🔥

Can’t stop sketching grrrr curse you, hot Sauron.

[charming-merlin]

In that time… I have had many names

you can also follow me on instagram (･ω･)

[trenchcas]

galadriel stronger than me

[ogsynergyfox]

“But Celeborn!”

Ima sit here and ship Celeborn/Galadriel and Galadriel/Halbrand and Celeborn/Halbrand and Celeborn/Galadriel/Halbrand.

[lesbiansforboromir]

Alright listen here’s my pitch for the translated Saurbrand and Adar reunion which I am now also comedically shipping RINGS OF POWER EP SIX SPOILERS!

HE CLEARLY REMEMBERS HIM!! Some of the most emotive expressions we've ever seen Adar make flash across his face in the pause before he says 'no' WHY WOULD HE LIE? Because Galadriel is there! Halbrand literally nods in acknowledgement.

One scene later we get Adar waxing lyrical about how his children have souls, how he killed to defend them! And now Sauron is standing over him, wanting to kill him for it? He's saying 'you betrayed me first!'

HE!! SNIGGERS!!! Because it IS incredibly funny for Galadriel to be asking him this question when Saubrand is RIGHT there.

I'm TELLING you this scene has intimacy, this scene has way more history than just 'oh was I the villain to your tragic backstory' this 'Who are you' and the expression Adar makes when Saubrand remains silent and leaves are LOADED!! 

In the scene with Galadriel and Halbrand she tells him 'whatever he did to you (killed you) whatever it is you did (was sauron) be free of it' and Halbrand says I never thought I could be until today, MOMENTS AFTER SPARING ADAR LIKE!!! I'm shaking them like ragdolls

[buffyfan145]

Saurbrand smiling at those little Numereon girls playing together reminded me of Gandalf. Remember how he would perform simple magic tricks and light fireworks to entertain the hobbit kids when he visited the Shire? I have a suspicion that the Maiar like children and/or fascinated by the idea of childhood. I believe they are born fully-grown (?), so maybe seeing the process of other beings growing and maturing intrigues them? Especially since kids can find wonder and joy in the mundane. Just food for thought...

I agree and I loved those scene with Gandalf and the kids too. Yeah, from everything it does seem like they appear fully as adults so kids probably do fascinate them. Plus, if that's the case makes me wonder if that's part of why Melian wanted to be a mom too.

[rebelrebelwrites]

So I’m rewatching RoP again while doing weekend work to make it less terrible and man, thought I could be chill on Watch #3 but literally the SECOND Gal meets Saurbrand I lost my cool completely 😂

Also, others have mentioned it, but the score is INSANELY romantically coded when Sauron jumps into the Sundering Seas to save Gal

[ewa-jednak-chce-spac]

I've just realized that due to the fact that RoP showrunners:

a) show very little respect to Tolkien's canon

b) have very little practical knowledge about making good stories

c) they were so scared by people's reaction to Saurbrand/Galadriel romance that after the first season's finale they sent Halbrand's actor to claim that relations between these two were platonic

d) and before that they had no problem with incestous undertones with making Sauron impersonate Finrod in order to seduce Galadriel

they're totally able to make "damage control" concerning this subplot by revealing in the second season that Sauron is so interested in Galadriel, because he's actually his father. Either it would turn out she was an orphan found by Finarfin and Earwen, who never told her she's adopted, or that she's Sauron and Earwen's daughter.

Help 😭

[steve-needs-a-hug]

A feminist analysis of the Galadriel vs Sauron confrontation in the finale

After watching the Rings of Power finale twice, I keep thinking about the strong friendship/bond that was forged (hehe) between Galadriel and Halbrand and how much of it is predicated on the theme of power. As we know, this bond has been heavily romanticized by some fans, and while the actors do not exclude this interpretation, I believe the focus on possible romance is obscuring a deeper aspect of their bond - that of power dynamics.

Galadriel is thousands of years old. She has seen and endured much. However, the audience's mixed reception of her portrayal is interesting: some people say they found her unlikable and bossy, she's too arrogant and out of control. These pejoratives are commonly lobbied at women, whether in fiction or in real life, who are clearly strong-willed and ambitious (high in agency) but are perceived to lack sufficient friendliness and social tact (low in communality). The use of the 'Guyladriel' nickname further illustrates that RoP's Galadriel violates some audience members' expectations of how a female Elf behaves.

If Galadriel was male, or even if her appearance reflected the darkness within her, she would most likely be seen as a tragic anti-hero whose trauma adds a sympathetic or even romantic appeal to an otherwise stoic character (as we commonly see with the reception of edgy and/or male characters who display the same traits). She acts like Robert Pattinson's Batman (actually showing a more murderous desire for vengeance at times), but she looks like (for lack of better words) a 'nice girl', smaller in stature with soft facial features, intentionally not dissimilar to the serene and gentle Galadriel we're familiar with from the LotR movies. You can't 'see' her darkness the way that we're used to it being visually coded (dark hair/clothes, brooding, ominous presence, etc), yet it is threatening to completely consume her.

Within the show, it's also interesting to consider her reactions to the way people treat her. I'd like to make one thing clear: her soldiers, Gil-Galad, and Elrond were objectively quite justified in their reactions to her behaviour. She is clearly blinded by her singular focus on bringing Sauron to justice. My aim here is not to excuse her behaviour, but to offer an interpretation of her distress when she feels dismissed, disrespected, and not taken seriously by others.

While it is the greatest honour and reward an Elf could receive to be granted passage to Valinor, it was also a simple solution to Gil-Galad's problem - Galadriel. Her insistence on finding Sauron had become a nuisance at best, a danger at worst. And in Númenor, where she expected to be treated with reverence, it quickly became clear that Elves were being held in contempt rather than in high esteem. The Númenoreans mock her and want to send her back to where she came from. This undoubtedly worsened her feelings of everyone being against her. She expresses the isolation of being 'the only one who knows' to Míriel in the hopes that someone will finally believe her when she says the threat of Sauron is real.

TL;DR: Galadriel, who would be expected to command awe and respect, feels disrespected and cast aside. Halbrand, on the other hand, is effortlessly charming and persuasive. Although he has the appearance of a common 'low man', a grimy Southlander, Galadriel (and the audience) quickly begin to sense that there's more to him than meets the eye (comparisons to the rugged-yet-heroic Aragorn ensue). Galadriel sees potential for greatness in him, and uses it to her advantage for her own goals. He knows full well that she's using him, and her own ambition reawakens his ambition to rule over people.

In their big confrontation scene in the finale, he expresses that he wants to 'redeem' himself by healing what he helped ruin, and he wouldn't be a Dark Lord if Galadriel was by his side, binding him to the light. He is seeking moral legitimacy for his ambition to rule. It could be argued that Saurbrand is playing on age-old heterosexual narratives: The wayward man who needs to be reformed by a virtuous woman.

In exchange, he offers Galadriel what he believes she is seeking: authoritative legitimacy. While it's true that as an ancient and legendary being Sauron is literally more powerful than her, he also offers her a form of credibility, the chance to change how people see her and treat her. The alliance that Sauron proposes to her is based on the assumption that Galadriel will never be respected on her own. "All others look on you with doubt; I alone can see your greatness...your light." He preys on her feelings of isolation and being misunderstood, and tells her she needs him. As his Queen, she would be obeyed without question, loved and feared. She recognizes that despite her desire for respect, tyranny will not be the solution she needs.

Rather than complementing or completing each other, Galadriel and Halbrand are remarkably similar - they seemed to recognize each other as kindred spirits, for a time. Their confrontation in the finale really revealed where they differ on what matters most.

In summary, Saurbrand offering Galadriel access to power while wanting access to Galadriel's virtue mirrors the classic tropes of an ambitious woman who won't be taken seriously without the help of a man, and an ambitious man who needs his rough edges softened out by a good woman. These gendered power games are far from romantic in my estimation, but I'll leave that open to individual interpretation ;) Thanks for reading.

[wyrd-syster]

dig up the bones (but leave the soul alone) Chapter 1

The Rings of Power Fanfiction Pairing: Galadriel | Sauron Rating: M Chapter: 1 of ? Word Count: 4,686

READ ON AO3

Balance. This world demands balance.

The words taste of oleander petals and belladonna berries, poisoned sweetness that coats her mouth; like bitter hemlock and sour monkshood.

“Then by all means,” Galadriel says, her throat tight. “Let us rule together.” . . OR . . To stop the spread of evil, there is nothing Galadriel won't sacrifice – not even herself. And so, she accepts Sauron's proposal to rule at his side, to balance his darkness with her light.

(Special thanks to @onyour-right and @scriberated for their tumblr posts that helped inspire the direction of this story, as well as @mrspettyferr and @orcas86 for tagging me in them!)

[gracepureautumn]

Ok I couldn’t help it…. Decided to sketch The Dark Lord

[botpalette]

If Saurbrand makes the orcs kill Adar in the next season i will cry also in the dog au (i guess??) Sauron clippes his ears when he decides to be eViL again. And his eyes go orange becouse he's **extra**

[honeyfarts666]

You’ve put a Firefly Rings of Power AU in my head now :) I did a short one for Game of Thrones a while back and it was so much fun!

Omg I will have to read your got one!!

But yeah, the rop au is stuck in my head too. I'm envisioning a take on the Mrs. Reynolds episode. Gal as Mal (the name similarity is too much lol) and Saurbrand as Mr. Reynolds!!

Tell me this doesn't fit perfectly!!!

[alicuntisms]

The real question will be Saurbrand call Gal "my Queen" or something else, by analogy of the Darkling with "My Alina"or "Little Saint". I want pet names from the Dark Lord. However, he already call her just "Elf" during s1 lmao

that would be the dream wouldn't it? idt he'd call her "mine" in show but calling her "little elf" isn't outside of the realm of possibility!