Malf ✦ 27 completed orbits around the Sun ✦ she/her ✦ bi
A huge space nerd, forever fascinated by cognitive linguistics, in love with the sun and the moon, and obsessed with Elrond. My head has been living in Middle-earth for a long time and I'm not planning to get out anytime soon.
My DMs are open (but MDNI, please) 𖹭
This is a Rings of Power positive blog. All people are welcome to interact but I will not tolerate any pointless and intentionally hurtful hate, and will block accordingly ✖
✦ “I Would Live For You” (Tumblr | AO3)
(Elrond x You | 944 words | angst/fluff)
I’m getting back into Andy Serkis’s audiobook of Lord of the Ring and the fellowship just reached Lothlorien.
Celeborn sees Aragorn and says, “Eight and thirty years have passed in the outside world since last you were here, and the years lie heavily upon you.”
Imagine losing Gandalf, getting out of Moria, escaping the orcs, and finding safety just for your fiancé’s family to be like, “You’re aging TERRIBLY.”
Bernard Hill said once that he came up with the line, “No parent should have to bury their child.” And, no, it’s not canonical, but it’s absolutely what the story needed. It’s what the character needed. Hell, it’s what we needed. It’s a better and more compelling and more relatable and more moving and more empathetic film for having that emotion expressed. It was such a simple idea, but such an important one. And we needed him to get it. May the simbelmynë always bloom on your place of rest, Mr. Hill.
It's @celrondweek! For each day's theme I have written paired drabbles that follow Celebrían and Elrond from just after her torment to his sailing. I will be posting them here each day, and at the end of the week a collation of all 7 on A03. Strap in, today's theme is distance...
Celebrian
“It is only magic,” mother told me, “until one understands how it works. That is all magic is: a mystery unsolved.”
I had thought lightning some sorcery of Manwë’s, channelling light from Varda’s stars. Mother told me of atoms repulsing each other; the parcels of raw energy thrown between them, if forced, until the sky sparked.
“All our smallest pieces hold that power too,” she said.
That is how I know there is distance between Elrond’s hand and mine, less than an atom wide, though it may as well be a thousand miles.
Our bodies do not attract; they repel.
Elrond
There are one hundred and twenty five uncaring miles between Caradhras and Imladris. Four hundred and two frantic strides carry me from threshold to healing rooms. These are not difficult to fathom. I can even quantify desperation, measured in hours at Celebrían’s side, fear of death’s creep turning to prayers like broken glass on my tongue. But the cruel chasm torn between us? That I cannot measure.
Gay and bright she was, stealing one last kiss for the road. Now her brow flinches away from my lips as if they were made of lightning. I know no remedy for this.
okay i read this little drabble nearly a week ago and it has NOT let me go. it sits in the back of my skull quietly until i make the mistake of relaxing and then suddenly my thoughts go hey. remember elrond. so fine. FINE. let me talk about this before it finishes eating me alive
i need you to understand this is Elrond. Elrond Peredhel. THE WISE. the ancient. the one people cross countries to seek counsel from. a walking library. A HEALER whose hands have hauled people back from the brink. a man whose entire narrative function is wisdom, restoration, and knowing what to do.
until this one time HE DOESN’T.
“I know no remedy for this.”
do you understand how BEAUTIFULLY CRUEL that sentence is??? do you understand how VIOLENTLY TENDER it is to put those words in the mouth of someone defined by remedies. CENTURIES of them. the moment a healer of such obscene skill discovers the limit of his healing, ALL healing, while standing there with all the tools in the world and understanding that this is the one thing they cannot touch. i know no remedy for this. this is kneeling in the dark and bleeding politely IN SIX WORDS
anyway. op this is a masterpiece and i am shaking your hand with tears in my eyes. you wrote six words and caused irreversible psychic damage. this is art. i will never forgive you (complimentary)
It's @celrondweek! For each day's theme I have written paired drabbles that follow Celebrían and Elrond from just after her torment to his sailing. I will be posting them here each day, and at the end of the week a collation of all 7 on A03. Strap in, today's theme is distance...
Celebrian
“It is only magic,” mother told me, “until one understands how it works. That is all magic is: a mystery unsolved.”
I had thought lightning some sorcery of Manwë’s, channelling light from Varda’s stars. Mother told me of atoms repulsing each other; the parcels of raw energy thrown between them, if forced, until the sky sparked.
“All our smallest pieces hold that power too,” she said.
That is how I know there is distance between Elrond’s hand and mine, less than an atom wide, though it may as well be a thousand miles.
Our bodies do not attract; they repel.
Elrond
There are one hundred and twenty five uncaring miles between Caradhras and Imladris. Four hundred and two frantic strides carry me from threshold to healing rooms. These are not difficult to fathom. I can even quantify desperation, measured in hours at Celebrían’s side, fear of death’s creep turning to prayers like broken glass on my tongue. But the cruel chasm torn between us? That I cannot measure.
Gay and bright she was, stealing one last kiss for the road. Now her brow flinches away from my lips as if they were made of lightning. I know no remedy for this.
Can't let British people have air conditioning because first they'd call it something twee like "the climate fixer" and then in 20 years they'll call it "the climb" or "the climmy"
French kids would call it "le climot", frustrating language officials who would prefer they call it "machine pour le contrôle du climat froide à l'interieure de l'édifice"
a continuation of this thread — it was getting too long so here’s a new one
hear me out. this was our first date right. he didn’t tell me what the place was or anything just “i’ll pick you up at 4pm” and i was like oh cute surprise dinner or maybe a movie right??
WRONG.
this man. this absolute menace. drove me to a FREAKING CERAMICS CLASS.
i’m standing there in the doorway like some confused npc while he’s just smiling all proud like “surprise :)” and i’m like ???? sir ???? what is happening right now
so we spend the next hour covered in clay and there’s so much laughter and mutual bullying and like. he’s actually GOOD at it??? and when i asked if he ever did this before he just goes “i watched a few youtube videos to impress you” he did WHAT NOW??
ANYWAY. we each make something. or he makes something. i make what can only be described as a sad clay blob trying its best but then he looks at my tragic creation and goes “i’ll drink my morning tea out of it” and i’m like SIR??? THAT’S CUTE??? also since WHEN are we exchanging our failed ceramic projects??
and THEN. oh my god. the instructor goes “you’ll have to come back next week to glaze them” and without missing a single beat he just says “guess that means i get to see you again” and i swear my soul LEFT my body. like of COURSE he picked an activity that REQUIRES A SECOND DATE. what am i supposed to say to that. “yes pottery husband see you then” ???
but WAIT because it gets worse (better)
we’re driving back, we grab some tea, i’m rambling about how awful my mug looks and he’s like “don’t worry i think it’ll look better once it’s fired they always do” and i go “doubtful” and he says “nah. i’ve got good taste.”
and then he LOOKS. RIGHT. AT. ME.
this is maybe a good time to tell you that he’s actually INSANELY gorgeous. like. 5’9”, not bulky but you can tell he works out, dark brown chocolatey eyes, light brown hair that literally turns gold in the sun, soft beard. not too long. just perfect. like how dare he
so... yeah. i’m not saying i’m in love but i’m also not not saying that yk
so remember date one, right????? the ceramics thing????? yeah. since then we’ve had date two, three, four (I KNOW), and we already agreed on date FIVE this weekend.
date two was glazing the absolute abominations we called mugs. adorable. chaos. somehow even messier than the first one. we laughed so much and even made friends with some of the regulars there (who definitely think we're a couple). the staff told us to come back in a few days to pick up the mugs, and we both didn’t have time for a proper date then, so we just met for a quick exchange (his idea!!!). and that was that.
date three. last friday. the night before, i’m complaining to him about how stressed i am because of this huge client meeting at work. normal stuff. comforting boyfriend-adjacent texts. nothing suspicious. right. and then at 7am the next day, my phone rings. it’s him. OUTSIDE MY BUILDING. telling me to get ready and to bring my mug. i’m like ??? sir ??? i have capitalism to attend to, what do you mean. but fine. pottery husband gives commands, i obey.
he drives us out of town to a lake. A LAKE. with tea in a thermos. yuzu tea. because this man apparently remembered that one (1) random story i told him about that one seaside café that served yuzu tea that a friend took me to over the summer. like??? who does that??? we sat there, drank tea (which was amazing btw), watched the water, and i swear time didn’t exist for that one hour before work. i could’ve died right there and been fine with it
here’s where it gets criminally clever (!!!). while we’re sitting by the water, i tell him about this little challenge i made for myself when i moved here: to visit all the lakes in the area (there are 11. or so i thought...). cool. we talk about them, normal stuff.
and because apparently one date per day isn’t enough for him DATE FOUR HAPPENED THE SAME DAY. after work, he texts me “wanna start the weekend right?” and i obviously do (duh), so we go for a walk in this park i’ve been to a million times. except on the way back, he insists on taking a different route and somehow we end up at a lake i didn’t even know existed. and THEN he just stands there all smug and quiet, because this man clearly planned this the moment i listed the lakes i’ve already been to LIKE AN ABSOLUTE STRATEGIC, SMUG, SNEAKY MASTER OF ROMANTIC WARFARE
anyway. this weekend’s date five (we’re trying that new korean place since that’s his favorite cuisine), but i haven’t seen him since friday and… okay fine, i might’ve started missing his stupid face (ugh). so i sold my soul to the devil (my manager) at work to clock in an hour later and pulled a me-level surprise.
the catering room at my old job is technically on -1 but opens to ground level on the other side (yeah, i know, weird building layout). i texted my old coworker to sneak me in through that outside door since i don’t have a pass anymore. grabbed some food, waited in line, and when he saw me———OH MY GOD. I SWEAR IF I COULD BOTTLE THIS LOOK. the way his face lit up. he was slightly shocked, slightly “are you serious right now” but also definitely trying not to smile like an idiot. he goes, “did you change jobs again just to get your favorite croissant?” and i say “no, i just missed your face.” and then he GRINS LIKE I HANDED HIM THE SUN. a point for me!!! (finally!!! justice is served!!)
we talked a bit, i gave him the cup of coffee i got for him on the way, he then gave me a ride home, and when we said goodbye it definitely looked like he wanted to kiss me (WHICH, HOW HAS THAT NOT HAPPENED YET??) but didn’t (sadly. i would’ve let him.)
and now it’s evening and we just facetimed because he had to show me his “god-tier scrambled eggs” (they looked suspiciously average but i didn’t have the heart to tell him that.....). anyway, saturday’s going to be our first evening date, and something tells me things are about to get even more interesting so STAY TUNED FOR THAT
