Home of Delusions

One of the biggest phenomena in Rings of Power is the Halbrand and Galadriel storyline. Loved and shipped by most of the fandom, hated by the rest. Liked or not, it is certainly an interesting storyline, very character-driven and providing conflict, motivation, and character development for both sides of the ship, and of course, providing the shippers of the fandom with entertainment. Those who dislike the pairing usually bring Celeborn as a reason or say that Halbrand, or Sauron, as a Maia is incapable of love. I have a different thought, about why, I believe they were never truly in love in its purest form. I do not believe that just because he's a Maia, Halbrand cannot feel love. It is a notion blatantly disproven by Melian. I believe that Halbrand loves Galadriel. But his love doesn't seem as simple as just romantic affection. To me, Halbrand seems more in love with the idea of what Galadriel can do for him, than Galadriel herself. He always seemed to like her, but the affe...

  This essay is my attempt to assess Rings of Power Haters’ behavior. Few things to get out of the way. First, I wasn’t always part of fan groups on social media. I joined those 2-3 months after the show had aired (though I watched the episodes as they came out). Because of this, I haven’t seen everything. I will only talk about what I personally have seen or heard happened from someone in the fandom. Second, when I say “Haters”, what I mean is inconsiderate assholes who hate and hate only, people who are horrible to the show, those working on it, and those watching it. There are certain behaviors I mean that will be clear as I go into detail about how they act. There are people who are respectful of the show and its fans even if they don’t like it. They are not who I talk about here. Third, I have taken to referring to these hateful people with “Haters”, as if I was referring to a different species. This is not my intent nor am I trying to dehumanize these people, it is simply a w...