[ SECRET POST #2378 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2378 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 059 secrets from Secret Submission Post #340.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 1 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

07. http://i.imgur.com/5izx6pY.jpg

[transcriptanon]

[Picture is the wizard Saruman from movie series "The Lord of the Rings". He is holding a magical orb in his hand and smiling at it greedily. He is an older man with white long hair and beard and a graying mustache. He is wearing white robes.]

I feel like I'm the only person in this fandom who likes Saruman as a character. What little fic I've found is mostly bad lolrandom humor where he gets bagged on by everyone else. I mean, he's horrible, but I think he's also interesting and deserves better stories than that.

It's especially annoying because I find people constantly joking or talking about hypothetical fics about him they'd apparently read, but nobody will write them. (I cannot write to save my life, or I'd do it.)

[(Anonymous)]

I'm not in the fandom (and not a writer, so no fic from me either), but I agree that he is a pretty damn interesting character.

[elaminator]

He's not a favorite of mine, but I agree about him being interesting.

He probably does deserve better stories but tbh most of the fic I've seen in the fandom has been shipping fic, and unless there's some Saruman/Grima Wormtongue out there (and there SHOULD be; I don't want to read it, but it should exist) then I'm not surprised.

[vethica]

...Meanwhile, I do want to read it. >_>

[elaminator]

Heh, no judging!

I might read it as long as it wasn't smut, actually...

[(Anonymous)]

It exists. At least, it did circa 2004-2006, when I read a lot of LotR fanfiction, including anything Grima-centric at all.

[(Anonymous)]

na

You, um, wouldnt happen to have any links handy, would you?

[elaminator]

Why am I not terribly surprised? My faith in fandom still stands!

[(Anonymous)]

The thing that annoys me about him (the movie version, specifically) is the fact that he was portrayed as Sauron's lackey rather than making a bid for the Ring and power in his own right. IMO it massively detracted from the guy's rightful menace. Being of the same race as Sauron and arguably of a higher base power level, he probably would have fought longer and harder against being subverted to Sauron's will than anyone else in Middle-Earth if he'd actually gotten his hands on the Ring. It just didn't make any sense that he'd totally roll over for him just from using the Palantir.

OP

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah the movies definitely had some characterization issues with him and how his role related to Sauron's; he wasn't really on anyone's side but his own. I also disliked how they basically ignored the fact that he's extremely charming, which IMO is a big part of what makes him a scary antagonist. (I thought Christopher Lee was wonderful as him regardless, though.)

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

I agree with you there, it really detracts from the complexity of the sides in the war making him side with Sauron.

I also find, when considering their backgrounds, that Saruman and Sauron actually come from the same place - they both served Aulë originally, before Mairon was subverted by Morgoth and became Sauron and Saruman got ambitious for his own power and the Ring. It kinda makes me feel sad for Aulë for losing two of his Maiar to ambition and evil.

[nightscale]

I'm with you OP in finding him to be an interesting character, I've never read any fic with him in though so I had no idea he got particularly shafted. That's gotta be annoying.

[(Anonymous)]

I have to admit I never quite cared for him as a character. I didn't hate him but I also wasn't that interested in him - until the movies. Christopher Lee's performance was great even though they played the character down a lot.

That one scene where he's shaking, looking almost overwhelmed by his own evil deeds and the orcs come in. That scene is so powerful. Back when I saw it the first time it gave me goosebumps. Or when Saruman shows his and Sauron's army to Grima and there's a tear in Grima's eye.

Just small bits like that made me almost root for Saruman X)

[(Anonymous)]

That scene always really struck me and I never understood why it never got mentioned in reviews and stuff. Perfect, subtle, chilling little moment.

[rbhudson]

I wrote a lot about him in my Tolkien seminar; my final essay was a comparison of him and Gandalf.

[dwell_ondreams]

I think he's an awesome character too, OP.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

I can really only think of one fic that really treats Saruman seriously - my pet favourite epic series, which does huge wonders for complex plots, including portraying Saruman as rightfully persuasive and out for his own power (though it does have that he's been allied to Sauron, but even Sauron has been suspecting him of treachery, and sent an Easterling commander (one who has become something of a darkhorse favourite of the fic) to investigate and sabotage Saruman's efforts).

[jazmin_firewing.livejournal.com]

That sounds really cool! Do you have a link?

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

http://archiveofourown.org/series/36072

Basic premise is, in the first fic: Kili survives the BoFA but Dain takes the throne of Erebor. 75+ years later Boromir is on his way to Rivendell, and through misadventure, meets Kili. They become friends and Kili gets involved in the War of the Ring.

Second fic: Kili is suffering an old bloodline curse, and the only way to save him is for Boromir to go back in time and break it. Boromir joins the Company and goes on the quest with them.

Third fic: The interim years between the Erebor quest and the War of the Ring. Lots of conspiracies and plots abound as they try to rebuild.

Fourth fic: The War is starting and Kili heads for Rivendell, ending up joining the Fellowship.

Fifth fic: A side fic about an event in Boromir's past (as of the fourth fic).

I will say this for Valandhir, she is very good at rewriting events to take into account the presence of characters who were not there in canon, and the effect of changing the course of events. The fourth fic may, at first glance, sound like a repeat of the first, but it isn't, because a lot gets changed due to the things that happen in the second and third fics.

The most significant appearance of Saruman is in the fourth fic, but the whole series is epic. (It's also very gen - the focal relationship is a freindship. Not that it stops me from getting shippy over it.)

[jazmin_firewing.livejournal.com]

Awesome! I can't wait to get started! Thanks for the link!