#😔 i think it's lothlórien for me

[southfarthing]

lotr on the brain again.....

[warrioreowynofrohan]

🌟 🕶 👑 ⚙ for the Middle-earth asks?

🌟starlight: you're allowed to live in one of the Elf Kingdoms of Middle Earth, which one are you picking?

I mean, visually Nargothrond is deeply appealing (I imagine parts of it being like Lechuguilla, with delicate shimmering crystalline firmations everywhere, and other areas being fantastically carved), and Finrod is there! but on the other hand I’d have to be around the Nargothrondim 😔.

Despite all the glories of the First Age, I still lean towards Lothlórien or Rivendell. Everything about the way Lothlórien is described is so beautiful to me, the mallorns, and living in trees, and the overall ferl of history. Rivendell is appealing for the combination of natural beauty is books and lore abd song and friendly elves. But I can’t sleep in the treetops there; I think I have to choose Lothlórien.

🕶 i care not: what common complaint about the movies or novels doesn't bother you?

They were right to cut Bombadil and, even mote controversially, they were right to cut the Scouring of the Shire. An action movie just doesn’t work the same way as a book does - you need to have a clear arc to the plot, you need to have climaxes and rising and falling actions at certain points. The book gives you time to breathe before the Scouring, that’s why it hits as such a shock - fully a third of ROTK (the book) happens after the destruction of the Ring. You can’t have two-thirds of an action movie be denoument if you want it to work dramatically, and they had even more to fit in it than the book did (everything in Shelob’s Lair) because the different sections of the plot are necessarily happening simultaneously in a movie, not sequentially as they do in the book. Sam’s rescue of Frodo from the orc-Tower happens at the same time as the Battle of Pelennor Fields.

Yes, I would have liked to see it, but not at the cost of the movie working as a movie. Different mediums are suited to different thing; a good adaptation, the best adaptations, don’t just reproduce everything verbatim, they translate it as best they can.

👑the silver crown: the war is won, the world is saved, the king has been crowned. Who are you partying with at the coronation?

Being a third wheel to Faramir and Eowyn and making everything very uncomfortable.

Probably hanging out with the hobbits.

⚙ technology: everything is exactly the same but you can give one character a modern invention. Who is it and what are you giving them?

Oh wow! what do I do?

I do think that in the First Age, the Elves could do many things, through what we would call ‘magic’ and they would call just being themselves, that we can do through technology, and do them more beautifully. So it’s hard to think what the modern world has that would improve upon it. The thing about Tolkien’s world is that it’s in a state of technological decline, not technological progress; there are many things from the First Age (and before) and even the Second Age that we would have no idea how to create. And I don’t really want to play Connecticut Yankee in Middle-earth.

On top of that, most modern technology is dependent on modern infrastructure. I almost said I’d give Aragorn antibiotics and vaccines after his coronation to share around Middle-earth, but the challenge is that without reliable, controlled-temperature refrigeration and freezing, what you can do is more limited. Ditto for anything dependent on electricity or global telecommunications systems or regular maintenance. Whereas in Middle-earth you can bury a sufficiently good sword in the ground for centuries to millennia and it’ll still be sharp.

I’d put together a collection of the best fanart and give it to the Hobbits when they’re finishing off the Red Book of Westmarch, how’s that? It’s nice and they would like it.

[deepspaceelf-writes]

[Haldir x Reader/OC] Mortal Heart

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45209101

Summary: A mortal Reader in Lothlórien wonders why Haldir, an elf, chose her over an elleth, but Haldir assures her that love is more important than lifespan or beauty.

Word Count: 743 POV: 3rd person Reader Info: She/her, unnamed (could also be read as an OC) Warnings: none

A/N: Still working on my "new" writing style, sorry if it's a little clunky. 😔

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

It was a beautiful day in Lothlórien. The sun’s rays danced between the leaves of the tall trees as birdsongs echoed through the treetops. Spring had come to Lothlórien, allowing its inhabitants to wear lighter garments. A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of blossoms as the elven warriors completed their training in a glade at the heart of the forest.

Haldir watched them with a critical eye, but his attention was drawn to the woman seated some distance away, mesmerized by their graceful fighting and especially Haldir's fluid movements. Though they had been together for some time, she was never tired of watching him.

Once the training was over, Haldir walked over to an elleth of his team to discuss something. His mortal lover watched, not jealous yet with a heavy kind of sadness in her chest. Though she knew Haldir's love was hers alone, in moments such as this she couldn't help but wonder why.

Why had Haldir chosen a mortal woman when he could have chosen an ageless elleth who would fit him to much better? They could offer him eternity and true understanding of his kind, whereas she had but fleeting years remaining.

Love, she reminded herself. Their bond was forged of love, not mere beauty or lifespan. Yet doubt lingered.

An elven woman could offer him far more than a human ever could. She, with her long lifespan, would possess far greater wisdom. She would truly understand what it means to live as an elf. Her beauty would far surpass that of any human woman.

So deep in her thoughts, she didn’t notice that Haldir had walked over to her. “Melleth,” his soothing voice broke her train of thought. “May I escort you to the dining hall?” He offered her his arm.

She looked at him, and the gentle smile on his face fell when he saw her sad expression. “Melleth-”

“It’s fine,” she interrupted him. “I’m sorry, but I’m not hungry at the moment. I think I should lie down a little.” With that, she turned around and left the training field without looking back.

“What was that?” Rumil asked his brother as they both watched her leaving form.

“I do not know, brother, but I will find out.”

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

As she walked back to their shared tallan, she tried to quell the doubts that had been plaguing her. She loved Haldir with all her heart, but sometimes, she couldn't help but feel like she paled in comparison to the other elves in Lothlórien. Their ageless beauty and wisdom made her feel small and insignificant.

Just as her head touched the pillow, and the tears started to burn behind her eyes, she heard the door to their shared tallan was opened. She quickly swallowed the lump in her throat and sat up. Not a moment later Haldir entered their bedroom. “Haldir, are you not hungry? You have trained for hours!”

He went to her side and took her hand. "You seem troubled, melleth. May I be of service?"

She shook her head with a wan smile. "It is nothing, my love. Merely idle thoughts of no import."

Haldir studied her face, reading hints of sorrow and insecurity that belied her words. He cupped her cheek in his hand. "Your thoughts are of import to me. Please, share your burden."

She sighed and leaned into his touch. "Forgive me. I cannot help but wonder at times why you chose a mortal woman when an elven maid could give you so much more."

"You have given me your heart, as I have given you mine," Haldir said gently. "Our bond is forged of love, not mere longevity or comeliness." He kissed her forehead. "Yet I perceive this doubt still lingers. How might I ease your mind, melleth?"

"I know you speak truth," she said, "but the thought still troubles me at times. I fear I cannot give you all you deserve."

"You need not," Haldir assured her. "You have given me a love more precious than the slow march of endless days. That is gift enough, and more than any elven maid could offer."

His gentle gaze and soothing words eased her troubled heart. She rested her head against his chest with a quiet sigh, though a hint of sorrow remained.

"Forgive me," she whispered into his chest. "I don't know why-"

"Hush," he soothed. "Do not ask forgiveness for your feelings. Even elves, perhaps especially elves, know emotions can deceive."

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thanks for reading! ♥