#rop s2e1

[valardynasty]

Adar kill Sauron. #1 #3

THE RINGS OF POWER S2E1 • DURNOST

[valar-did-me-wrong]

S1E1 of ROP sets up the theme of "Nothing is evil in the beginning"

This is a true to life imo & nuanced take on evil.

The show expands on it by showing us Sauron in his repentance phase where he is trying to return to his beginnings when he was still good.

S2E1 gives us the theme of the season "To be forgiven one needs to choose good everyday"

Again a very nuanced take on goodness, individual responsibility & willpower.

The show expands on it by simultaneously showing us Adar & Sauron starting on the same side & choosing different paths in the end.

This season shows us Sauron not choosing good, actively harming others and letting his decisions be based on greed & selfishness.

While Adar who's character's evil side was already established in Season 2 with the abuse of Southlanders gets his origins & motives fleshed out and then gets presented with the choice where he chooses good.

This show puts a lot of effort into nuances, complex topics like the cycle of abuse and dark characters that are very human & grounded in reality.

To imply that Magic Ring = Evil Eraser in a show like this imo diminishes the hardwork put into it & all its characters who have their own minds, motivations & challenges. (the very things we praise ROP Galadriel for having)

[elronds-meleth-nin]

Snow Kisses

It's snowing here, and I have no impulse control, especially when it comes to the Adar thoughts. Really, I just wanna kiss him in the show. Y'know...for the warmth... 😇

Cross-posted to AO3 here.

~*~

Adar (RoP) x Reader

[A/N: This is just fluff.]

Warnings: Established relationship, kisses, hand holding, reader can be any lotr/rop species, I tried to be nonspecific in that regard, picturing him in the cloak from s2e1 btw.

~*~

It arrived as quietly as a whisper, laying across the landscape like a blanket. With gentle hands, it caressed tree branches and riverbanks, setting everything aglow with glistening crystals. Snow had not fallen on Adar's Uruk camp in quite some time, but as he looked across the hillside in the early morning light, a smile touched his lips, for he knew what his lover's reaction would be.

She adored the snow, and as her family had resided in the hottest region of Middle Earth, she did not often experience this sort of weather. The flakes were no longer falling, but it laid thick enough over the world that it would likely be there for several days.

"Adar!" As if he'd summoned her, she called happily out to him from the doorway of the small building in which they'd been staying. The abandoned village had provided many homes for his children, for which he was grateful, but he was incredibly relieved that his lady would not be forced to sleep in a tent in the winter. As she stepped outside, there was a quiet crunch of compacting snow beneath her feet. She looked down with a joyful smile, then back up at him. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"It is, my love," he murmured in the stillness, though, truthfully, he meant it more in reference to her. As she approached, he held out a gloved hand to her. His cloak kept him decently warm despite its age, but being near her would warm him immensely. Her smaller fingers laid gently atop his as if she was about to dance with him out in the cold. The utter joy radiating from her smothered any sort of subconscious frustration about the cold. "Are you warm enough?"

She nodded her head and stepped closer to him. Their breath came out in small cloudlike puffs as Adar grasped her waist with his free hand.

"Would you walk with me?" She asked, and the Uruk agreed before he even realized that he had. He would do anything for her. A walk through a frozen, snow-laden forest was no hardship.

So, they set off hand-in-hand, wandering through the trees. Although they knew the area well, it looked very different covered in snow. Everything felt lighter...perhaps even gentler. As he escorted his lady through the woods, Adar happily allowed himself to follow her gaze whenever she pointed out a sight she found particularly lovely. A branch with icicles lining its underside, a bush that looked like a snowdrift, sparkling ice crystals atop an interestingly-shaped rock...she viewed everything with such wonder. He could not help but share in her infectious joy, albeit in a bit more subdued of a manner.

Eventually, they came upon a hill beside a frozen waterfall, and as beautiful as the world looked like this, Adar's eyes were firmly fixed on his lover. He'd seen snow thousands of times before - such was the nature of his origins as an Elf-turned-Uruk - but she had no such vast experience. Her wonder was so exquisitely radiant that he could not help but observe her as she walked carefully over to the frozen waterfall and craned her neck upwards.

As she did, a snowflake landed on the tip of her nose, drawing an incredulous laugh from her throat and a quiet chuckle from his. It was snowing again. Large, fluffy white snowflakes floated gently downward, settling atop the already thick layer of snow on the ground and in their hair.

"Are you cold?"

"A bit, perhaps," Adar answered, and she favored him with a lovely smile. They'd had this conversation before - the first time she'd admitted her feelings to him, in fact.

"Allow me to chase away the chill, then." His lady stepped closer to him, wrapping both of her arms around his waist and pressing a tender kiss onto his lips, just as she had the first time. Cupping the back of her head, Adar kissed her back. The warm, gentle caress of her lips against his was an intoxicating contrast to the snow around them.

Every moment spent with his lover was special, but they both had a special place in their hearts for snow kisses.

~*~

Taglist:

@asksizworld @bigblissandlove1 @gandalfthepimp @horta-in-charge @zoya-olenko

[flameunquenched]

there's something there about how all three times someone tries to get sauron to, you know, acknowledge the fact that he is sauron, his answer is "i have many names."

one to galadriel in s1e8. one to celebrimbor in s2e7. one to glug in s2e8.

in fact, thinking VERY carefully, i am pretty sure he only ever says the name sauron (in present day, not counting s2e1 flashback) twice in the entire 16 episode series so far.

once in s1e8: "sauron lives because of you."

once in s2e1: "sauron has returned in a new form."

it is an interesting divorce to his identity and i think a really interesting bit of character development with regards to sauron as rop is portraying him. there's been talk of how there wasn't a true 'repentance' arc but what if his refusal to self-identify himself definitively as sauron is part of it?

it's interesting how he seems to be actively attempting to utterly disassociate himself from the name sauron. it is my headcanon that neither melkor nor mairon can use their original names anymore, hence the usage of morgoth and sauron, but i wonder if even after centuries, there is a small part of sauron who is trying to pretend that he is not abhorred.

maybe i'm reaching but i wonder if we may finally see him claim his name in s3.

edit: yes, i know what 'sauron' means. yes, sauron is evil and bad. keep adding stupid comments and i'll keep deleting them and move to blocking next.

[edennill-archived]

RoP S2E1 reactions:

Why is Sauron already pretty? What does he even need that for with orcs? I doubt he's that interested in good looks when he's not trying to trick elves or men.

Okay... that speech is ridiculous; what is he even trying to convince the orcs of? Although I guess they did serve morgoth under duress so maybe he does need to gain either their confidence or fear.

The speech makes a poor impression overall. Neither intimidating nor frightening, makes a B-movie impression.

"Many of you will die" xd

Sauron combing his hair back though lollll

Why, oh why is Sauron kneeling!!!?? This is not an European monarchy. That orc is no one to him.

I will admit that the setting of this conversation in the Forodwaith is logical. Figures the remnants of Morgoth's armies might be lying low in the North.

Ides of March!

Oopsie. Now he desintegrated.

What would Sauron even need to have blood for?

"What's that" "Probably the Watcher in the Water (wrong but nvm)" "Phew I thought it was a spider" "I'd prefer a spider" "Maybe you're right"

"I've done evil." Oh wow. Genius, are you.

You wouldn't be that understanding if you knew it was Sauron lol.

Chosing good /s

Lil bro: Did they just gallop all the way from Eregion??

Not-gil-galad my beloathed

"archhhh" lol :/

"Last leaf will fall" bullshit

Poor attempt of paralleling Elwing imo, but kudos for trying .

Sauron caught by orcs? Ridiculous, but good riddance at least.

Are you Moses or something

"There is some evil upon this land that fools our path." Or you're just bad at finding one. "Panic is the fools meal..." (Who just brought up some mysterious evil? The full quote is ridiculous btw.)

You don't have to eat — ah, okay. The wolf trick is smart enough.

Cirdan isn't half-bad. For once.

"You do your father proud" 🥲

Eeesh the wandering song was integrated into the plot so clumsily...

Nori has a good actress but I hate the Harfoot plotline.

Don't bastardise the words of Galadriel's song :(((

The elves have neat clothes though. Except the strange veiled women.

WHY is the tree glowing??? I don't think I have to explain why this is so weird in this context.

Phew, it stopped.

Is Mirdania even a plausible female elvish name? Seems like Mirdan with a weird ending.

[permanentlyexhaustedpigeon88]

Not me, watching RoP S2E1 (again), and drooling over Adar (again)...

And also tearing up when Gil-galad sings because evidently I am all sorts of emotional tonight.

I can do both at the same time, right??? It's totally fine 😅

[elrondriel-events]

Sauron had returned, Elrond’s mission to Ost-in-Edhil had failed, Galadriel could not forgive him, and they were all leaving Middle Earth forever. But at least Galadriel was not gone to Valinor, to dwell apart from him for centuries, perhaps millennia. --- As the elves prepare to leave Middle Earth, Elrond is grateful that at least he has not lost Galadriel, as he would have if she had remained on the ship to Valinor. And then Cirdan arrives with the rings...

Set during ROP s2e1

Elrondriel Week Day 6: Farewells

[thegaylinguist]

elven kings under the sky

venomgoop!sauron ??!!

[valardynasty]

Adar kill Sauron. #2 #3

THE RINGS OF POWER S2E1 • DURNOST

[valar-did-me-wrong]

So I know Adar was HOT 24/7, but why was he so damn HOT in 2.01? Like every single frame he was in? Breathtaking hot. How, just how?

You are SO correct! S2E1 Adar with a cape, slicked back hair & clean tunic with delicate intact embroidery during the coronation scene is hotness personified!

If I remember correctly from some interview, that was his first day of shooting too so I think he worked extra hard to (in the words of the wise @thequeensjester ) bring frontman energy to his Adar in basically his ROP introduction scenes!

Though in this household we love both Adars & I absolutely cannot imagine anyone else do S1 Adar justice like Joseph! His was a desperate, cornered, almost mythical being of an Uruk that demanded attention in his own right.

Where as Sam's take on Adar is just as you said, breathtakingly hot & confident in every clip❤️‍🔥 though there is still a deep sadness beneath it imo, as a homage to Joseph's Adar 🫶🏽

[valar-did-me-wrong]

ROP S2E1 single handedly made me a fan of Jack Lowden!

He is SO GOOD at Mairon/red head Sauron!! His expressions his mannerisms!! I want him in EVERY SEASON!!! The fact that it can go hand in hand with getting to see Sam as Adar in first age flashbacks & potentially Morgoth too!! 👩🏽‍🍳💋

We need to start demanding ROP prequel shows from Amazon & the Estate rn!! (I've got a presentation already made Jeff just give me 1 sec please!)

I'm actually obsessed with Charlie Vickers as Sauron, in a way I haven't been obsessed with an adapted character in a long time. And I love Charlie's portrayal of Sauron in his various forms, Halbrand, Annatar.

But Jack Lowden of Sauron was something I didn't know I needed and now I can't help but need it more and more. Jack's appearance in the prologue of season two only deepened my obsession with Sauron in the days of Angband.

And I keep thinking about how many stories Prime Video could give us. I like the representation of the characters in the series so much, that I could watch exclusive movies and series of each character and never get tired.

After watching the first episode of the second season, I spent every day that followed thinking about scenes that could be presented from Sauron's past in Angband. Prime Video, I am at your gates begging for new scenes of my red-haired Sauron!

[valardynasty]

Adar kill Sauron. #1 #2

THE RINGS OF POWER S2E1 • DURNOST

[valardynasty]

S02E01 | The Rings of Power

[flameunquenched]

i saw a giftset last night right before i was heading to bed of sauron seeing the warg for the first time and the caption was something like 'he looks so scared' and with all due respect to the original poster...what?

do...do you know who sauron is?

if this were still season 1 where we were by and large viewing sauron - or halbrand, pick your preference - through the lenses of a) galadriel and b) an audience who was still unaware of who he truly is, then i might be willing to grant it as a ploy to veil his true self. but...that's categorically NOT what that scene is.

i have seen and watched that particular moment many, many times since s2e1 came out. for that scene, we as the audience are aware that he is sauron. there is no reason for there to be any pretense or feigning as to who he is. in fact, i just went and rewatched it so that i was sure that i was remembering correctly.

that's not fear on his face. it's recognition. in fact, i'd go so far as to call it something like excitement. he leans forward. he leans forward towards the warg. when you are scared of something, you recoil, you try to retreat, you look away, you make yourself small. you don't lean forwards towards the thing that you're afraid of! in that moment, sauron is seeing what essentially amounts to one of his great-great-great-great...great grandchildren, in a way.

sauron was known as the lord of werewolves. whether you ascribe to the fanon that he literally created them (i do, personally) or not, there is no way on this earth or middle-earth that he would be afraid of a warg. it would not happen. saying that he is 'afraid of' a warg does a disservice to his character in a grossly incredible manner. it strips him further of the terrifying sorcerer he was when morgoth still walked beleriand.

i get that rop as a whole has not really leant in more to the fact that sauron can be very goddamn scary but let's not strip that away any more from him by saying he's afraid of a warg. a warg that, in a continuation of that very same scene he commands in black speech and gains total control over.

[valar-did-me-wrong]

1. Stop putting words in my mouth please.

My statment "..to give every other character's traits, arcs, achievements and plot points to Sauron.." doesn't imply I don't want Sauron to be important.. it just means stop making other characters less important to try and highlight a character who is already a main villian for 2 whole ages of the world.. Sauron doesn't need to be in Adar's tent disguising as Elrond for a kiss to be important in the story of middle earth.. he already is pretty darn important as himself!

2. Celebrimbor was a High Elf.. I've seen atleast 2-3 people already try and tell you that high elves have powers innate to themselves..

So yes I know Celebrimbor without Ainur power is amazing and layered.. because he is a high elf & the grandson of the Greatest Elven Smith in the Legendarium.. who made Silmarils that even the Valar (literal GODS higher than Sauron) couldn't make & who made the Palantir that's in Numenor rn. Celebrimbor himself is the best elven smith in Middle Earth in 2nd age & he's a Freaking Feanorian, ofcourse he's amazing and complex, all of them are in their own rights!

But he also is more than half the maker of the 3 elven rings in the show, you cannot take it away from him without making the whole story of middle earth stop making sense..

Feanor made the Silmarils (the things that could have revived the Two Trees themselves, the cause of all the problems of the first age & that affected even Melkor) without any Ainur or Valar's aid, all by himself! His grandson can damn well make 3 magic rings mostly by himself.. especially if Galadriel can make the Phial & Mirror.. unless you want to make all of Galadriel's powers and creations not her own too?? Because those two are the same kinda of elves and family of Feanor, whichever rule applies to Celebrimbor applies to Galadriel & Feanor too!

3. Sauron is NOT Morgoth's slave. This again many people have tried to explain to you before, pulling out line after line from all the books..

"..Now Melkor knew of all that was done; for even then he had secret FRIENDS and spies among the Maiar whom he had converted to his cause, and of these The Chief, as after became known, was Sauron, a great craftsman of the household of Aulë.." -Morgoth's Ring, Vol.10

Sauron joined him willingly because he was impressed by him and because he agreed with Melkor's worldview. And when Morgoth was captured for Centuries by the Valar, Sauron ruled over his fortress in Middle Earth and experimented with breeding orcs.. the only Morgoth's slaves (and sauron's too) in ROP are Adar & his uruk.. maybe he was even a sex slave for all we know..

- Morgoth's Ring, Vol 10.

Sauron was a whole demi god in his own right, who defined 2 whole ages of Middle Earth all by himself.. imo calling him a helpless slave is reducing him, his achievements and ambitions too. Because whatever his dynamics with Morgoth had been, even the ones implied in the show, they weren't slave & master and Morgoth didn't take him and tortured him from Mairon into Sauron, he himself became Sauron by choosing Melkor over Eru!

4. Despite all this^ I've never said I want Sauron to be 100% unredeemable.. I am from a culture and religion where there is no hell, because we don't believe anyone is unredeemable.. you have your Karma and it is in your hands and you get infinite chances/rebirths to do better.. you just need to work on yourself without expectations in return to actually be a good person..

..which Sauron currently isn't doing in most part of these series.. and he's doing the exact opposite since S2E1, despite Diarmid telling him a simple and true way to be good.

So I don't see anything wrong in calling a villain a villain, when he is doing villian stuff unapologetically despite getting another chance 🤷🏽‍♀️ he's even proud of his work, I don't know why you all aren't tbh! I'm very proud of his manipulation skills growing from the days of flimsy Ginger Mairon of S2E1 to cunning Annatar in Eregion!

And I am not saying this villian thing about Sauron because I hate him or something and have a personal vendetta against him, a fictional character 😂 the only fictional character I HATE and have all the personal vendetta against is Danzo from Naruto 🍥

And here in lies the problem you see.. imo you didn't read my previous reblog & try to understand it, but just skimmed it and typed a response based on your preconceived notions that I'm "anti- this or that".. just like you might have done with all those 2-3 other people before me who have tried to explain Tolkien's lore to you on other posts many a times 🤷🏽‍♀️

And Tolkien lore is important to the show in some ways because it's based on that lore and exists in between the first and 3rd ages of that lore so it has to make some sense in context with those things!

"This is perhaps an unpopular opinion, but I'm getting tired of this Elrond!Sauron theory. I'm all for discussions and headcanons, but it irks me how fans are quick to demolish Elrond's personhood only to have Sauron kiss Galadriel. Elrond is as kind as summer, but summer can be scorching hot, and we saw that on the battlefield. His family always opposed Morgoth and Sauron. He has that fire in him. Also, Sauron disguising himself as Lúthien's descendant, living reminder of his past humiliating defeat? Would he really do that? I can see Sauron going to taunt Galadriel in Adar's camp as himself, not as Elrond. He was so confident during the siege that he left Celebrimbor unsupervised."

[flameunquenched]

my dad is the one who really got me into lotr when i was younger. i have tons of memories watching the extended editions with him and asking every question you can think of.

tonight after dinner we watched s2e1 of rop together and it was so nice. we don't get to spend much time together anymore so just being able to put aside an hour to watch it was really, really special to me.

he thinks halbrand looks like aragorn and it makes me smile bc i completely agree lol.

anyway, i'm gonna try and write some. my bestie is asleep cause she has an 8hr drive tomorrow so i expect tonight to be pretty lonely so if anyone wants to keep me company, i'd appreciate it.