Dork Lord al Dente.

OUAT/TROP. Swan. Miv and Charlie.

[fatcatlittlebox]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Grade A 5/5 star Modern Haladriel scrumptiousness. The characterizations! And horses! Intimacy and horses! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🐎

[fatcatlittlebox]

I like to remind myself of this buffoon literally praying "lift the shirt Gal, lifttheshirtlifttheshirt i've been doing HIIT Core" and making this face because her hand casually brushes the pelvic muscle vicinity. But then spends his Annatar era being the Lord of Gifts Who ShaN't be F*cking Touched Or I Will Fu*kinG kiLL YOUuuu. It's just so specific to one person and I'm crying tears of laughter.

[fatcatlittlebox]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Musician Halbrand is a very specific scratch that I need scrutched and this fic is precious and perfect like that. Plus 90’s alt rock!! 🎸 😭😭😭😭.

[fatcatlittlebox]

I want this to be taped to my eyeballs until November.

[galaxyspeaking]

in his dreams, it was always winter ❄️

[galaxyspeaking]

And in the darkness, bind them.

[fatcatlittlebox]

Btw @galaxyspeaking has a hit saurondriel tweet in 2026 year of our lord in just 4 hours. This ship is always relevant. So when I tell you (TROP writers) walk with me…

[fatcatlittlebox]

I'm begging you to keep on haunting me. (X)

[galaxyspeaking]

Nenya wept 🍂

[fatcatlittlebox]

I love this artist. LOVE.

[fatcatlittlebox]

The curliest version of Sauron ever can only be interpreted as the show blessing my spaghetti Maironara eyeballs and my eyeballs alone.

[fatcatlittlebox]

Interesting detail I noticed about the rings in this photo from S3 spoilers. Obviously it’s the fact that there are 2 but also they are made in the same style. Plain band with no stone or adornment. Not like Nenya. And there’s engraved words on both. Two rings that look like the One.

Crackpot theory time! — maybe they’re complimentary. Maybe the One Ring is a part of a pair, just as he always intended. And the words engraved on his are only half of the encantation. Where alone, his ring’s message reads like a dark curse, but together with its partner, becomes something else. A blessing?

Intentional or not. The translated words that we know: "One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them” always seemed rather abrupt and almost like an unfinished thought. Maybe the mate carries the completed idea.

[fatcatlittlebox]

It needn't be said, but this scene in S1e5 is one of my favorites because the direction and multiple layers of visual storytelling are so neat. As we can recall this is one of the most charged scenes between Halbrand and Galadriel. Where here they are accusing each other of manipulating the other. The clear metaphor is chess and using each other like "pawns".

But I think the full view of this scene must be fully appreciated. Let's rewind to how it started:

Halbrand is summoned to meet with the queen and comes upon this— and it appears a chessboard is already set by the time he arrives. The 2 players here are Ar-Pharazon and Galdriel. Between them is Tar Miriel. The quickest and most obvious play for power would be to “take on" the Queen. That is chess. The Queen Regent, and by extension, the King are very vulnerable. The people of Numenor are discontent and there is political unrest. Certainly, that is Pharazon's scheme and Galadriel is not immune to that temptation either. She is also using it as leverage. And it is represented in this scene; the table between them as the game is underway. But Halbrand ignores it and barely pays heed to the Queen:

Would that not be the most decisive and really effortless (for him) play? Two quick moves. Checkmate. Game over. He could take the kingdom, the army and power, SO easily. But he's not looking at Miriel. He's looking at Galadriel.

He doesn't want the easy win. He doesn't want to remove the queen. He wants to crown this one.

Again, Galadriel is quick to point out that Halbrand was using her to appoint himself king. Unknowing that he could have easily done so (as Sauron), were power all that he wanted. But what he does next contradicts that.

It is the anti-chess move -- he takes himself off the board saying "Find another head to crown." It is the opposite of what everyone else at that table would have done. But it is not an empty gesture. It is an emerging pattern. He wants her. This untameable, unpredictable, headstrong woman. An uncrowned queen with no lands of her own, no army and no allies behind her.

I just love watching season 1 all over again for this reason. Because the breadcrumbs are delicious. At first, human!Halbrand's motives appear murky and cunning. And after the reveal, when the audience gains clarity, perhaps the truth is closer to Sauron being a deeply lost and misguided spirit fumbling towards the closest thing to love and light he had ever been chanced to cling to. I get emotional.

[kay-i]

The King of Darkness, the Queen of Light

[fatcatlittlebox]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Yasss queen!! *actually crying*

[fatcatlittlebox]

Sending prayers into the universe that Morfydd Clark has 3 more smiles today than yesterday and 4 more tomorrow on top of that.

[fatcatlittlebox]

I love girly fandom because we’re not complaining about “we used to be a proper country” because they cast a WOC in a fictional movie about mermaids more like “I just 3D printed hobbits to fit on my teacups!” 🫖 🤩