#him (and imo all eldar) are too principled for it

[vorbarrsultana]

Honestly, perfect AU dynamic for Finrod/Sauron in my head looks like this:

Sauron, voice oozing with fake sympathy: I only need the name and the purpose of your little quest, elf. Or would you rather watch me skinning your friends alive?

Finrod, with a smile so sharp it can cut through glass: Yes, I would. We will endure it, and then our souls will go to the Utter West or Beyond, and sooner or later we shall live again.

Sauron: ...

Finrod: But you, like your pathetic master, will turn into a mere shadow of your self, struggling to master the matter of Arda which already despises all that you've become.

Sauron: Well, actually...

And then it dissolves into lengthy philosophical argument. Both of them meticulously point out every logical inconsistency in their opponent's worldview with varied level of smugness, until Finrod makes Sauron admit aloud that joining Melkor of all Ainur with the intention to bring order was not his brightest idea.

(It only goes downhill for Team Dark Side from here.)

(The "oh, no, he's hot" moment happens hundred(s) of years later, when now-again-Mairon helps Aulë to fashion Númenor for Finrod's beloved Edain, and Finrod warmly thanks him.)

#finrod/sauron is like... one of the most conceptually interesting pairings for me but i'm so picky with their dynamic in fics i read #mostly because a) i don't see finrod ever deciding that giving in to sauron even a little even to save his friends is a good idea #him (and imo all eldar) are too principled for it #and b) i tend to dislike use r*** as a preffered modus operandi for sauron - he's way more creative give the guy some credit #tolkien #the silmarillion #finrod #sauron #finrod x sauron