#sauron speaks

[saurons-pr-department]

"Twink Sauron isn't canon"

Neither is cishet Sauron. Not enough is said about him to decide one way or the other. So there's zero need to act like fans who enjoy queering the character need to be more realistic.

[braxix]

Elrond: I think I might have just killed Gil-Galad...

Galadriel: What? Oh, good for you I guess.

Elrond: You're not mad?

Galadriel: Gil-Galad is fine, Elrond. This is the tenth time you've almost killed him.

Elrond: Um... It is?

[welcomingdisaster]

don't think anyone gave sauron the name "sauron." think mx. gorthaur "no i need all the black horses" the necromancer probably came up with it himself in the most "the old taylor can't come to the phone right now" move of the age. mairon fucking who bitch

[heyclickadee]

So, my family is rewatching Rings of Power, and since I’m the one in the family that read The Silmarillion (like a masochist), I’m the one who keeps getting asked all the questions.

[general-illyrin]

Personally, I think Sauron's voice sounds exactly like Michael Crawford's in The Phantom of the Opera, with a very clear voice (possibly a lyric tenor?), except that he is able to go much, much higher, able to reach notes higher than any soprano of the Children of Iluvatar could dream of

[cilil]

𝓐𝓝 ~ For my 6666th post, I decided to compile an Angbang appreciation post to (hopefully) spread some joy and positivity for one of my favorite ships of all time. I tried my best to present the things that I love about Angbang in a broad and open manner, so that it encompasses all sorts of takes and welcomes as many fellow Angbangers as possible.

As I will also say at the end of this: You're cordially invited and welcome to share what you love about this ship and/or add aspects I haven't mentioned in this post. Just keep it positive!

Melkor. Ah Melkor, the man himself, the myth, the legend, a prime example for chaotic evil and our resident devil. Throughout the Silmarillion, as well as Tolkien's other writings, Melkor is busy hating pretty much everyone... except Mairon, it seems. He trusts him enough to let him run entire fortresses and taught him a lot of dark magic, which, as mundane as it may seem, is a lot more productive and friendly than Melkor has been to other people, including those who serve him. I - and I think many other Angbang shippers as well - love the idea that there is this one person in the world whom he actually likes and appreciates.

Mairon. The eponymous Lord of the Rings and general nuisance, enough to make Eru himself intervene twice, the Deceiver, professional pretty boy and peerless perfectionist. No other Maia has come close to causing as much drama, and something tells me Melkor will be proud once he hears about the Second and Third Age shenanigans. Mairon seems to hate everyone as well... except Melkor, with whom you could argue he might be a little obsessed. He's both frightening and hilarious and, for better or for worse, an icon both in-universe and outside.

Great ship name. Angbang is both a handy and memorable ship name and an amazing pun. It sure is a funny coincidence that my (to date) favorite ship all time also has my (maybe forever) favorite ship name of all time. And if that wasn't enough: If you take Morgoth x Sauron as the basis, their ship name is Moron which... yeah. No explanation needed. The stars aligned with this one.

Opposites attract. There are fundamental differences between Melkor and Mairon as characters, such as the chaos vs. order dynamic (as @maironite also pointed out), their goals - Melkor wanted to destroy while Mairon was more interested in getting things to run smoothly, though both were keen on enforcing their will - and their approach to handling situations they find themselves in - whereas Melkor is often impulsive, Mairon is more patient and calculating. You can also create an ice vs. fire dynamic, though they share the fire element (Melkor used to be the Vala of Fire and Ice and is still seen using these two elements a lot). It gives them some additional friction and spice to work with.

Similarities. Aside from their differences creating chemistry, Melkor and Mairon also share a few similarities and things they can bond over to balance whatever conflicts might arise. Both seem dissatisfied with the plans of Eru and the Valar, want to create whatever they wish to create without rules being imposed on them, have a questionable moral compass at best, like screwing people over and have obsessive tendencies (more on that later). I like to think that they can nerd out about about science and magic for hours, which likely became the foundation of their relationship in the first place, and that they also engaged in deep and challenging conversations that satisfied both of them in ways other conversation partners hadn't.

The Fall. We love fallen angels and a good corruption arc. Mairon's origins as a respected member of Aulë's household - who is still remembered for his skill despite his dark deeds - and moments where he could have potentially been redeemed are documented in the Silmarillion and the subject of many interesting discussions and fanworks. However, while less pronounced and presented as far less likely in the narrative, the same applies to Melkor. Even he started out as "good" and his motives, at least early on, are also understandable: He was dissatisfied with his inability to create freely and completely on his own. You could even say he's a bit of a failed artist which... is painfully relatable. As much pain and grief as both of them have caused, it's also tragic that they couldn't overcome their pride and choose a better path, for the sake of others as well as their own, and that Melkor ended up dragging Mairon down with him; both of them would have had the ability to do truly great things if this hadn't happened.

Philosophical aspects. To read Melkor and Mairon as a couple and their fates as a tragic love story creates interesting parallels with other star-crossed lovers in Tolkien's legendarium and raises fascinating philosophical questions. Can evil love? Can love be evil? Could love have been their road to redemption or was it - at least on Mairon's part - his doom? If I had to summarize my personal take on this, I would say that Melkor unwillingly corrupted love by genuinely being in love.

If you'd like to read a (more concise) take on this aspect which also touches on some other things mentioned in this post, I highly recommend this thread by @naruthandir.

There are just so many things you can read into this relationship and themes to explore, which I appreciate so much. It never gets boring and I always find new ideas to have fun with.

Power dynamics. Now, let me preface this by saying that I'm aware that some of you prefer it one way, some of you prefer it the other way, some see the Vala/Maia power imbalance as inherently unhealthy and like to take that as a central theme of their relationship and some prefer to interpret these two has having a fairly equal relationship. However, I'm not here to debate which take is "right" or "better", nor do I have any interest to. I think that, whichever way you choose, it's an interesting concept to play around with. Did you know that Estë used to be a Maia? I honestly think it would be cool if she still was, just to bridge the divide between Valar and Maiar a bit more. Nevertheless, I think we can all agree that especially Melkor isn't interested in what other Valar think is proper or appropriate and that Mairon, ambitious as he is, probably also likes having a Valarin partner/spouse. It's also interesting as a contrast to Melkor's usual arrogance and thinking that he's above everyone, and if you need something to prove that he wouldn't categorically say no to being with a Maia, look no further than his attempt at (forcibly) marrying Arien in other versions of the story.

Kink. Well, we've talked about power dynamics already, so let's not beat around the bush. We have some hot evil gay sex on our hands here. Super freaky too, if that's your thing. This ship is, in my opinion, excellent for BDSM and was what allowed me to discover and enjoy kink for the first time (though, again, none of this is a must if you prefer other takes). You can play with their existing power dynamic, subvert it, have them live out their sadistic urges, have them do elaborate roleplays, make use of all the creepiness and weirdness of the Ainur, particularly evil ones... they even have a convenient dungeon in their basement! There's so much good and sexy Angbang smut out there and I'd like to take a quick moment to thank everyone who wrote these fics that inspired and entertained me for years - and will do so for years to come.

Queerness. There are a lot of gay ships in the Tolkien fandom and fandom in general, but I still feel like it's important to mention this aspect. In fact, if you'd allow me to share something personal: Angbang was my first contact with queer content and, while this may seem strange considering that I am a woman, it also started my journey to discover my own queerness and I will forever appreciate that (I suppose it was "femboy" Mairon in particular alongside Melkor being a raging bisexual disaster - just my headcanon, not trying to push this on anyone - that finally allowed me to break out of compulsive heterosexuality and heteronormativity). I don't know if anyone had similar experiences with Angbang, but, well, I thought if I'm making an Angbang appreciation post, this might just be the time to include it.

Obsession. Melkor is obsessed with all things bright and beautiful, and this might very well include Mairon. As far as I'm aware, him being a fire spirit like Arien and the Balrogs are is fanon, but he's at the very least associated with fire in canon (on that note: kudos to whoever came up with the "little flame" nickname, it's so cute). Meanwhile, Mairon loves power and, as mentioned above, is obsessed with Melkor and his legacy enough to not only continue what they started, but also create a religion all about him. I like to think that both of them are also very jealous, which certainly ended up being the doom of a few innocent bystanders. They're just angry and evil and insane together and it's endlessly entertaining to me.

Tolkien's accidental "evidence". This could probably be its own post (which I might do in the future, though I'd do some additional research for it), and I want to make it clear that I'm not trying to "prove" to you that Angbang is canon or anything like that, I just find it funny when canon gives me tidbits that I can use for my "agenda". First of all, there's the infamous seduction line that has singlehandedly spawned countless fanfics and most likely raised a few eyebrows:

"In the beginning of Arda Melkor seduced [Mairon] to his allegiance (...)" The Silmarillion

One of my personal favorites is also the fact that, in the Lay of Leithian, Mairon starts ranting about how cool Melkor is - after only briefly mentioning Lúthien - and gets mad at Beren and the others for not stanning his boyfriend master hard enough. To make sure everyone knows exactly how awesome Melkor is, he later made sure people pray to him and perform human sacrifices which, since even any positive effects it might have couldn't reach Melkor in the Void, was apparently just for shits and giggles and to troll some mortals. Now that is what I call commitment! There's also Melkor's trust in Mairon and his fire spirit kink, but I've mentioned that already.

Aesthetics. Spiky black armor is incredibly sexy. Then we have peak hell and hellfire aesthetics. We have crowns and rings. We have fallen angels and fire and ice, as mentioned above. And we have two incredibly hot (literally) angels kissing. You could make them fuck in an erupting volcano. It's just... yes.

To conclude: We love villains, we love dark lords, evil is fun!

What I discussed in this post is pretty much just everything I could think of, with my friends and fellow shippers giving me a few additional keywords to mention, so there's definitely more. I hope this post made some of you appreciate this ship as well, maybe sparked or rekindled some love for it, and I invite you to add on and/or share what you love about Angbang. However: I'm going to have to politely and respectfully ask you to remember that this is an appreciation and positivity post, so I don't want to see any negativity, complaints about the way other people enjoy this ship differently or shade. Time and place. Alright? Alright.

Love you!

"Whom do ye serve, Light or Mirk? Who is the maker of mightiest work? Who is the king of earthly kings, the greatest giver of gold and rings? Who is the master of the wide earth? Who despoiled them of their mirth, the vain Valar? Repeat your vows, Orcs of Bauglir! Do not bend your brows. Death to light, to law, to love; cursed be moon and stars above; may darkness everlasting old that waits outside in surges cold drown Manwë, Varda and the sun; may all is hatred be begun and all in evil ended be in the moaning of the endless Sea!" Lay of Leithian, Canto VIII

[crown-and-stallion]

Tevildo, prince of cats.

This guy is from a really early draft of Beren and Luthien. He acts as a servant to Melko and keeps Beren captive after he's found searching for the silmarils. This character eventually evolved into Sauron. Of course, Sauron was later associated with wolves rather than cats, but I like to imagine this design as one of the forms Sauron can take as a shapeshifter.

[elektranhatcios]

happy

greek independence ❌

destruction of the one ring ✔️

[vamprlestat]

thinking a lot about isildur today

[crowscroll]

so I was traveling for vacation last week and on our way there i had an asthma attack in the airport - not a bad one (which is good because my inhaler was in my checked luggage, kolya you're an idiot) but bad enough that I was wheezing weirdly and had to sit down for a minute my dad looks at me and quips, 'i hope you're not turning into gollum' I look down at my hand I am wearing the same ring I always wear Which is The One Ring tl;dr I am turning into Gollum

[sauroff]

I was reading some basic wiki info about Lucifer for reasons, and there was a text in particular that caught my eye. It's a text that's supposedly about a king, but also about Lucifer, making parallels between them. And boy, it just screams Mairon everywhere.

Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

(it's Ezekiel 28:12-19, if anyone is curious)

I know that parallels between Lucifer and both Melkor and Sauron are constantly being made, but this text in particular feels so Mairon-ish to me, even the end. Like, the part about being covered in precious jewels (now I love @toastedbuckwheat design for Mairon even more) and jewelry (the spanish version said something about earrings that I'm not sure it's there because I'm bad at this english). Walking "up and down in the midst of stones of fire", having lived in Eden (Valinor). The last part, about being transformed into ashes in front of everyone is not so different on how things ended.

There is a lot more there, but I don't have the ability to put it too words. I just thought this was interesting.

[pursuitseternal]

You will be “Pinned” in place waiting for this next update for “Tamed by Light.”

From the “Her Dark Wolf” series… affectionately known as the “Lord Woofron” stories 😂🐺. Read part one.

Before the gates of Angband, it is surely madness to face Carcharoth, but there is little left for Sauron in this cursed wolf form. Except her. And he must protect her.

1st Saurondriel | Explicit | 4.2K

From chapter 3: “Pinned”

…“Whatever the circumstances,” Sauron forced a laugh, “I have brought Galadriel to you just as I promised.” He needed to lay down, to lick his literal wounds and ask for treatment himself. Not get into a pissing match with this bitch. But he stayed strong, just favoring his paw a little as he sat. “Must I remind you which one of us faced down Carcharoth and sent him flying into the pits?” He shook his head and rolled his orange eyes.

Finrod sniffed. “Only because you would want to defeat a lesser monster than you. Only because you fear death, servant of the dark one.”

Sauron couldn’t help it. He was in pain and at the end of his limited patience. He growled, low and rumbling, hackles raised as he postured toward Finrod. That stupid elf reached for his weapon, and instinct blinded his reason. He pounced, flattening the Noldorian King in one jump. But through the red veil over his vision, his wound finally began to take him as well.

Growl faded to whimper, whimper widened to cry as Sauron rolled off of the elf’s chest. Hugging his right paw tightly to his body, Sauron limped backwards. And just as Luthìen cradled Beren’s head gently, tending to his ghastly stump, Galadriel pulled him into her lap. She didn’t care whatever grumbling Finrod or Luthìen did now, she whispered into his pointed ear, “It’s going to be okay,” and, “I told you not to die a hero’s death now, Dark Lord.” She pulled her athelas poultice out again, trying to rub it in. But her eyes darted to her friend across the way, to the dying mortal in her lap as Luthien’s hand stroked over his pale and stubbled face. She looked down at Sauron, a puddle of black fur and heavy body draped over her knees. His breath began to weaken, his heart beginning to race. The venom was working even on his cursed Maia form.

“I told you, remember me for the good I tried to do,” he whispered, for her ears alone. His vision swam, her face with those deep bright eyes with tears beginning to wet their corners, her perfect mouth pressed in a line of worry… that would be enough for him to let his soul leave at last. He felt his paw lift, her face bending down. Her lips’ brush on the bites of his ankle barely registered in his flesh, the sucking on his wounds a final effort to keep him in this realm. And with one last sniff of her scent, the perfume of light itself. Then his world turned to black. As black as his soul surely still remained.

Dun, dun, duuuuun

🎨 credit to @marimosalad for her drawing I will forever use in these moodbords

[direful]

if no one presents a paper on maeglin we riot

[aspiringnexu]

AU of LOTR and the Hobbit but from the Ring’s perspective. Basically a snarky commentary the whole way.

*Ring get cut off of Sauron’s hand*

*Freeze frame*

“Yep that’s me, you’re probably wondering-”

*Ring abandons Gollum after it gets sick of hearing his voice senses an opportunity and is found by Bilbo, the exact same creature that just had it but uncorrupted and clothed*

“Oh for fuck’s sake. Please tell me you don’t like fish. Or living in dark wet caves for centuries.”

*Bilbo reunites with Thorin’s company and Gandalf, the only Maia for miles*

“Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck, keep it calm keep it cool, don’t you DARE SAY A WORD YOU HOBBIT SNITCH!”

*The first leg of the Journey*

A running reel of the Ring attempting to tempt every member of the Fellowship with dreams and visions and growing more and more frustrated as it’s promises of power and glory don’t seem to do much.

*Tom Bombadil*

The Ring slamming it’s metaphorical head into the ground, “Make. Him. Stop.”

[welcomingdisaster]

you guys know how “tom marvolo riddle” was anagram for “voldemort?” well halbrand is an anagram for “blah! darn.” so. 

[zeb-z]

Leo :(