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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

Thank you 🫂 I look forward to that, too, it'll be a lot of fun

Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

I sincerely hope you're all well, and will continue to be so, regardless of LITERALLY ANYTHING. :D i'm excited for season 3

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

my drafts; but needless to say, I have been—and will continue to be—focusing on real life for a while. (i listened to "Eregion" and "Emissary at the Forge" today for the first time in several months, and i had many feelings, so... yk... thought i'd stop by.)

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

Hi! I thought I'd give a quick (random) update, in case someone was curious about my disappearance. I was really sick at the end of last year, and by Dec. and Jan., it got a little out of control. Since I'm still on the mend, I don't know when I'll be back to finish the theories I have in...

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Alice 💍🪻 @mallornleafling.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been an unprecedented success, with a broad, highly engaged, global fan base." ♡ From Prime Video's official S3 press release (posted by Varking on r/LOTR_on_Prime).

"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of
Power continues to captivate
audiences worldwide, and we're
thrilled that a third season is
underway. The creative team has an
extraordinary vision of what's to
come with stories that have left us
enchanted and enthralled," said
Vernon Sanders, head of television
Amazon MGM Studios. "We look
forward to continuing this epic
journey, for our global customers,
delving even deeper into the
legendary tales that shaped Middle-earth"

"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of
Power has been an unprecedented
success, with a broad, highly
engaged, global fan base. Critics
have praised the series for its epic
scope and production values, and
Seasons One and Two are Certified
Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Season
One remains the biggest TV
premiere in the history of Prime
Video and Season Two the most-
watched returning season by hours watched."

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

I think about this scene on a daily basis.

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Kemedriels wife💍 @galadrielswife.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

I love Rings of Power so much I can get emotional just thinking about it

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Bad vibes. Bad vibes all around. Galadriel (1x01): "But sometimes, the lights shine just as brightly reflected in the water as they do in the sky."

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Me, too. And that's a good point, there are SO many things that put Theo on Sauron's radar

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Same. And you're absolutely right. I love how subtle it is - so far, nothing in the show *says* anything about a darker sigil, but it's there, and the kingfisher was a big deal; which makes me think there will be something said about it at some point, maybe when Men face Sauron's influence in s3.

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

which would be "hopeful" to Sauron) - so I think they do represent the different factions... Bronwyn vs. Waldreg... the return of the "Promised King" vs. the return of the "Beautiful Servant," both of whom turned out to be Sauron... Sauron donning both symbols... There's a lot 💀

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Yeah, I actually agree with Amber, too. The symbols are so distinct from each other, and also have independent meanings - like the kingfisher is hopeful ("fortunes can turn for even the most powerful," which was "grim" to Sauron) and the sword is grim (resembling the hilt made to enslave people

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

the pouch in s2, then in the same ep. that Celebrimbor says Sauron SILENCED the kingfishers, the symbol is changed to the sword (when he messes with Galadriel's mind). Could there be something secretive about it, like in the way Waldreg talks to Theo about the hilt? So the kingfisher is like a mask?

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

haha I'm surprised I even found it! I only vaguely remembered something that looked like it on the scroll. It seems intentional because the sword and kingfisher symbols have coexisted, so to speak. The kingfisher is on the pouch in the same ep. as the sword on Theo's jacket (1x02). It's still on...

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

FOUND IT! There are 2 versions of the scroll we saw in 1x08—the one with the kingfisher symbol, and the one circulated in 2023 with the symbol Sauron had in 2x08 (translated by Hall of Lore on twitter). It's also on Theo's jacket in 1x02. I have thoughts, there's definitely something going on here

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

Yup, it'll probably occupy my mind for most of the day, honestly. 👍 My first thought was: "One used to hear the Kingfishers flying to the river. It is a pity how you've silenced them." So now I'm wondering what it is that he changed it to......

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Lord Halbrand @notsauron.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

On a blurry sidenote, the pendant here absolutely doesn’t look the same as it was before? The kingfisher design isn’t there at all. Or am I losing it? #TheRingsofPower

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

it's been haunting my drafts for a month, so there you go

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

The truth of what happened after Sauron joined Melkor.

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 18/01/2025

I love reading (what I think are) random parts of the book and suddenly seeing stuff like this. (ngl, it happens every time i open it)

Sauron vs. Celebrimbor (2x08) // Saruman vs. Gandalf (LOTR: The Council of Elrond).

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

No seriously, even just before the reveal, his vibe is weird. Compared to 1x06, he's slightly over the top, like his act is suddenly so obvious. (i was very unsettled by it when the episode first came out)

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

friendly reminder that this man can look like two completely different people with the smallest adjustments

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Kemedriels wife💍 @galadrielswife.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

THIS CONCEPT ART HELLO!?!?!?!?

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

Haha wait- you're onto something. He was able to instantly heal himself when Galadriel cut his face. So, either the injury in 1x07 was an illusion, or he refrained from healing himself just long enough to be taken to Eregion, where Celebrimbor noticed the abnormal speed of his recovery.

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

Exactly, that's a good point! So, you're thinking that the worm's attack on the boat wasn't Sauron's doing, but its attack on the raft was? Because if so, I'm right with you. That stare-down definitely demonstrated Sauron's ability to manipulate it.

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

...seeing the same things in s1 should really make us wonder.

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

...difficult to conclude--UNTIL 2x06, when we see Sauron injure himself in a similar manner to further his purposes. The same goes for the storm in 1x02. People would call it purely speculative to say he caused it UNTIL we see him create one in 2x02. S2 showed us what Sauron can and will do, so...

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

I think about it a lot, too; I currently lean towards the worm and the storm being sent by the Valar, BUT I go back and forth between them and Sauron because- It was Charlie who said (in 2022) he injured himself to be taken to Eregion. If he didn't say that, I think it would've been more...

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

And I don't always announce things, so in case you're ever curious about what I'm working on, I have an Updates portion on the home page.

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

Concerning Titles— I wanted some continuity between old and future posts, so I've gotten rid of the "Chapters" section, changed all the Chapters' titles, and moved them to "Meta." Therefore, Chapter 6 is now called "Sauron: The Perfect Inverse of Beren." beyonddarkness.blog/2023/12/25/s...

beyonddarkness.blog

Sauron: The Perfect Inverse of Beren

The following is an attempt to unravel the mysteries of Sauron’s past. His designs begin to branch in two paths around the time of Finrod’s death, so I have created two parts: Part 1 br…

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

It's nothing crazy. I just had problems accessing them. So, I copied and reformatted them into new posts (which have kept the original publish dates, of course), and, again, reworded a few things to make them easier to read. Here's the Meta Preview: beyonddarkness.blog/2023/02/15/b...

beyonddarkness.blog

Beyond Darkness Meta Preview

All of the following skims the very surface of what I want to talk about (and there are still things I want to cover that are not even mentioned in this post). If you would like an idea of the kind…

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

BLOG UPDATE— I've finished reformatting all of my blog posts! I made some minor wording adjustments for clarity and flow, but none of the actual content has changed (besides pictures). Most importantly, Chapter 6 and the Meta Preview have new links—their old links won't work soon.

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

Sauron after he injures himself to be taken to Eregion, and Galadriel can still be useful. vs. After he injures himself for the Nine Rings, his work is nearly complete, Eregion is on fire, he's ready to abandon it and condemn it to burn, and Celebrimbor has almost "proven his worth."

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

You can dive as deep as you want and never reach the bottom. And the best part of it all is, it's not just for kicks:

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

The details of Elrond's mother's fate don't need be spelled out for us to understand why Elrond was pained when Celebrimbor mentioned her. But knowing the details adds infinite depth (a.k.a. pain) to his reaction.

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Not many people would see this scene and instantly think it foreshadows the King's Men sacrificing the Faithful in the Temple of Morgoth. (I know I didn't.) Yet there it is.

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

You don't have to know that Sauron slaughtered Barahir and his company, sent armies against Beren, and later imprisoned him without knowing who he was. But the history is in Sauron's face.

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

You don't have to know that an earlier version of Celebrimbor's story had him as one of the greatest smiths in Gondolin who survived its downfall. But a story can be there, if you wish to view it as an extra vice Sauron used to torment him. (Why else would Sauron specifically mention Gondolin?)

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

One of my favorite things will forever be that every frame in the show is so unbelievably deep; like a regular person wouldn't think twice about a bunch of ships sailing to Middle-earth. But the story is there.

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

BONUS: Finrod, who is still central to the story, defeated Sauron in the same way. He lost the song contest, but never gave Sauron the information he wanted. "Sauron had the mastery," but Finrod's will was the mightier.

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

The Warg (and/or Waldreg) lost the game. Celebrimbor was killed, but he didn't yield; he made Sauron lose control. Galadriel was physically bested, but she had the stronger will. —Sauron lost.

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

Their contest lasted all through s1 and beyond, while Sauron tried (and will continue to try) to break Galadriel's will: "I told you I found it on a dead man." "I told you that I had done evil, and you did not care." "Are they not the seeds you planted?"

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

Galadriel chose to leap from the ship and continue her search for Sauron. She couldn't "let it lie." She picked a fight with him and wouldn't stop. Sauron: "Why do you keep fighting?" Galadriel: "Because I cannot stop!"

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

Celebrimbor chose to give Sauron no choice but to torment him to bring the Rings into being. He chose to sever his own thumb; he chose to conceal the Rings' hiding place. Sauron: "I am but a victim of your obstinance, and you, the true author of your own torment."

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Beyond Darkness 💍 @tropbrainstorm.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

He tried to break his opponents' wills by saying they caused their own suffering. Celebrimbor: "And after all that, you would still choose to inflict the same pain upon me?" Sauron: "No. You chose it." The Warg chose to pick a fight. It chose to take the bone.

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