MxF Looking for another Middle-earth writer passionate about Sauron and Galadriel

[Alectro]

Thanks for your interest in checking out my request! I'm going to be very long-winded about this whole thing because that's how I am and I apologize in advance. I'm Alectro and I'm tentatively looking for a long-term writing partner who's as passionate about the Tolkien legendarium as I am (more specifically about the Silmarillion, as I'm more interested in Middle-earth as it was before the Third Age), and who also shares my interest in the enormous potential that Amazon's Rings of Power teased out of the relationship between Sauron and Galadriel.

If you happen to be a Tolkien purist, don't give up on me just yet! I'm not exactly a fan of the series. I'm not extremely happy about how the showrunners handled a lot of the lore (Galadriel's characterization above all, but I'll expand on that later because this subject is a core part of my request), but I have to admit they absolutely nailed extrapolating a complex and riveting relationship between Sauron and Galadriel out of a few lines from the books and plot holes in Galadriel's character arc. I believe the chief passage they used to flesh out the relationship we see in the show was this one from The Mirror of Galadriel in The Fellowship of the Ring:

"I say to you, Frodo, that even as I speak to you, I perceive the Dark Lord and know his mind, or all of his mind that concerns the Elves. He gropes ever to see me and and my thought."

If you'd like to read more about this, I cannot recommend enough this in-depth analysis backing up [most of] the events depicted in RoP concerning Sauron and Galadriel with Tolkien's writings. Fair warning that it is a very, very long read! But it's really worth it and rewarding if you're into this sort of thing like myself.

I am wildly interested in the dynamic between these two, and have been trying to find another writer to meet me halfway in terms of passion for the pairing so we can develop and write a canon of our own centered on them. I have great love for both characters and I could honestly write any of them myself, but while I think RoP nailed Sauron and I wouldn't change anything about him, I have a problem with the way Galadriel was portrayed, and it sort of became a point of pride to me to try to fix things via roleplaying. This is why, at this time specifically, I'm requesting somebody interested in writing Sauron against me, so I can realize my vision of Galadriel's characterization (and have fun writing the ship in the process, obviously).

Below goes some of my thoughts on the ship, the characters individually and also my vision in general, in case you're still not sold. This is also an excellent way to make sure we're on the same page lore-wise before we get started.

1. I intend to find a happy middle ground between Morfydd Clark's and Cate Blanchett's Galadriel, in terms of characterization. Generally speaking, I'd like to keep things from the show that I found compelling (like Galadriel having been a Commander and her relentless pursuit of Sauron throughout the Second Age), while mostly keeping to her characterization in the books and movies. In my opinion, RoP's Galadriel didn't do justice to LoTR's Galadriel in terms of writing and that bothered me especially because, apparently, the showrunners's excuse for some of her more questionable attitudes was that the younger Galadriel was reported to have been prouder than the more mature one. As somebody who delights in writing difficult women, I guarantee you she could have been written proud without being made a brat. She's quite dense at times even, and of course I didn't expect her to be as wise in the Second Age as she became in the Third Age, but we're talking about the elf who was already wise enough in her youth to see through Fëanor's bullshit before everybody else, back in Valinor. Sauron himself also considered her his chief adversary, and I'd like her to live up to that in my writing.
2. One of the aspects I'd like us to explore (and that I find tremendously compelling) is, of course, their obsession with one another. I perceive it to be a mutual thing, though they both express it in different ways. I was recently introduced to the concept that Sauron might perceive Galadriel as being more loyal (derogatory) to him than anybody else ever was, on account of the fact that she dedicated centuries of her life and turned down Valinor itself solely to continue to hunt him down, and I was blown away by it. She's defined by antagonizing Sauron, which is the same as to say she's defined by his existence, and I'd love to explore that more. On Sauron's part, I think his obsession with her is entirely understandable on two fronts:
   1. Galadriel is probably the first being in a very long while to not only prove to be up to par with him, but to offer him true companionship and, amazingly, give him hopes that he could ever be pardoned (even if she didn't know it was him when she offered it). And that after having begged the pardon of the Valar and been denied! I think it's understandable that he'd cling to her like a lifeline for that, beyond seeing her as a useful tool at first and then becoming fixated on making her his queen.
   2. This is my own take, but I think enough of Mairon remains in him that he'd find it difficult to resist her physical perfection. He was created to create and worship order and beauty, and I can see him becoming possessive of her over that. To top it off, there's the question that her hair is renowned to preserve the light of Laurelin and Telperion, and I think part of his obsession with winning her over to his side is so that he can retain this last glimpse of the light of Eru. I like to believe that Galadriel is like Sauron's own Silmaril.
3. I am personally interested in roleplaying a redemption arc for Sauron (Mairon, actually), but not doing it is not a dealbreaker for me or anything. If you're more interested in writing Sauron as a Dark Lord through and through, I can work with that too! Just stating my preference. As long as we get good, in-depth storytelling out of our partnership I'm game.
4. One totally canon-divergent thing I'd love to explore with somebody is the possibility of them having had something back when they were still Mairon and Artanis in Valinor. I'm just insanely attracted to the idea that if they had had opportunity to form this bond they have back then, maybe Mairon wouldn't have listened so much to Melkor. But this could be the case of an AU, and doesn't have to be our main storyline. Just throwing this idea out there.
5. When roleplaying this ship with you, I will not factor Celeborn in. I'll do this because I'm not at all interested in love triangles or anything of the sort, it's not attractive to me and I'm more comfortable without them. In RoP so far, Celeborn is presumed dead, but we know he'll turn up eventually because he's very much present in LoTR. Not so here, as far as my Galadriel is concerned: not only does she believe it but Celeborn has truly passed out of Middle-earth and returned to Valinor.
   1. I will factor Celebrían in though. The showrunners apparently confirmed that she hasn't been born yet [in RoP], but according to Tolkien Gateway, she should have been in the beginning of the Second Age so that's what I'm going to go with. At the time my Galadriel and your Sauron meet in the Sundering Seas, she is a widow and mother of a grown daughter.

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Now on to more roleplay-specific matters. My sincerest apologies for the way this part is going to be worded in certain places. I know I'm bound to come across as a tremendous, raging bitch but I promise that's not the case. It's just that I've been doing this [roleplaying] for a very long time now (more than half of my life, in fact), and I know well where things tend to go when I'm not as exact about what I want and need out of a writing partnership as I can be. I hope I don't put any potential writing partners off for my caution.

1. I'm looking specifically for a long-term, character and plot-driven writing partner who would enjoy talking and digging deep with me. That's my way of engaging with my writing partners, and it's also what reassures me they are as invested in our things as I am. You probably already noticed I enjoy in-depth character development, and I've had experiences in which I was the only one to do so in the partnership. I wouldn't like to repeat it, so I humbly ask you to approach me only if this is your style too.
   1. We don't have to become friends, but odds are I'd feel much more comfortable writing with you if I felt I could talk to you freely (not about anything personal, God knows I only ever want to talk about characters and plots).
   2. I am very, very weary of communication issues online. Like I said, I've been at this for quite some time, and I know what works and what doesn't [with me]. Dryness most definitely doesn't. I mesh well with people who communicate with others as much as I make every effort to do. I'd appreciate being returned the favor, especially in the condition of an autistic woman. We're all adults here, things will flow better if we can be open to each other about what's working and what's not.
2. Style is style, and other people's way of writing aren't dealbreakers to me generally, as long as they put their passion and effort in it. But if you must know about my style beforehand, I write third person in the present tense. My replies are usually between 600 and 1200 words on average. I don't require my partners to match my length as long as they give me something to work with in their turn. My writing style tends to be more poetic than plain and I enjoy playing with form very much, so heads up if that's not quite your thing. In case you need some sort of sample, here's a Mad Max one-shot that I wrote recently.
   1. I don't reply fast (and, consequently, I don't demand it of you), which is the main reason why my writing partnerships need to be planned for the long term. English is not my native language and I'm naturally limited, so it takes me time to compose and proofread my replies. I also don't enjoy writing if I'm half-assing it, so I'll never do it. But I can guarantee you you'll be getting quality writing (at least as quality as my skill can make it) every time I reply, even if it takes some time.
3. Smut isn't my focus in roleplaying, but I'm happy to write it when it makes narrative sense for it to happen! I'm not wildly explicit about it though, I think I could describe my style of doing it as more soulful? In any case, it makes sense [to me] to write it this way between these two, Galadriel having been brought up in the relatively tame customs of the Eldar, and Sauron's Maia nature being more spirit than flesh. But this is an enemies to lovers request at the end of the day, so of course I'd love it if we added some spice in due time.
4. I don't touch elements like animal cruelty and sexual violence (non-consensual sexual activities) with a ten-foot pole. This is non-negotiable and a dealbreaker to me. I'm also not wild about adultery, which is why I've chosen to keep Celeborn out of the picture as much as he can be. If you have any dealbreakers like these, please let me know about them and I'll be more than happy to comply for the sake of your comfort, no questions asked.
   1. Sauron is undoubtedly a villainous character, and this ship is bound to be quite toxic in the beginning, which I enjoy a lot (in a psychological level) and am well aware of. But the way I've found to cope with the horrors of this world in my comfort hobby is by firmly enforcing the concept that even evil has standards in my stories. That means that even the most demonic evil incarnate wouldn't even think of using sexual violence for any end, that it's inconceivable to do it. If anything about this bothers you even a little bit, I must insist that you don't approach me. We are fundamentally incompatible people, and wouldn't enjoy partnership with one another.
5. Despite how I must sound, I don't require my writing partner to be a Tolkien expert or anything. I'm not one myself, I've only just started working my way through the legendarium. That being said, I think it'd still be valuable if we both had a decent amount of knowledge about it (or at least willingness to do some research when needed instead of just winging things), so we're both able to account for the complexities of such a rich lore and do justice to our characters.
6. I'm emotionally attached to Charlie Vickers as Sauron and Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, and would be very happy if you felt the same way so we could use them as faceclaims. However, it's not a dealbreaker to me if that's not the case. I'm sure we can come to some agreement about faces that is satisfying to both parties. What I insist on is that our faceclaims for them are living, real people who are currently in the industry as actors. Using drawn characters as faceclaims isn't compelling to me, and AI "art" is an instant dealbreaker.

That was a lot, I know. But if you've read all this, thank you so much for your time and attention! In all likelihood, you're my kind of person. If you're interested in writing together, you can go right ahead and just PM me at your earliest convenience. I'd love to talk about these two with you and maybe get something started soon.

I leave these two edits that left me completely speechless as parting ship inspo, for your consideration.
I lied, make it three. One will corrupt, two will divide, but with three, there is balance.