#my slashy valentine

[myslashyvalentine]

❤ MSV 2024 Collection is Open!❤

Happy Valentine’s day!

Congratulations to our new writers who completed their first swap! Thanks as well to all our veteran writers who continue to participate and make this swap a vibrant part of the Tolkien community. 

My Slashy Valentine 2024: The Master List!

AdmirableMonster wrote A Light Beneath Frozen Water for JazTheBard

Aglarien wrote Rosemary for Remembrance for Tethys_resort

Aipilosse wrote Star-kissed for undercat

Ally/steadfastalysanne2022 wrote Always Waiting For You Just to Cut to the Bone for AdmirableMonster

Argleena wrote Coming Back to You for Aglarien

Bird/ingenious_spark wrote Knit Together for raiyana

BloodwingBlackbird wrote Winter glowed on her leaves for HewerOfCaves

bluehair wrote Tell Me No for Aipilosse

Branka/LadywithaQuill wrote New Beginnings for senalishia

ChrissyStriped wrote Sharing Everything for Jade/Elladansgirl

cílil wrote Herald, Hero, Muse for Maironite

Cirilla/FakeCirilla9 wrote Falling star for Ally/steadfastalysanne2022

Cissy/Lost_inMiddleearth wrote If I Could Make Days Last Forever for phyncke

Elentarial/BaccaratBlack wrote The Forlorn for bluehair

elfscribe wrote And With Him Was Elrond for tabru

Elio/eliogardens wrote Uprooting for Kay/seregons

Ettelenë/firstamazon wrote Under Unclouded Stars for mangacrack

Fey/ThatFeanorian write With Song Meant Only For You and I for Torpi

forelevenses wrote to be alone with you for Luciann/Lucigoo89

Frances/Melusine6619 wrote Anniversary Celebration for RaisingCaiin

Gilithlin wrote Crescendo for elfscribe

Heather/indestructibleplum wrote Phantom Pains for Nuredhel

Heather/ohboromir wrote Hope for yletylyf

Helholden wrote Under the Stars, Above the Sun for Katrina/lemurious

HewerOfCaves wrote White Daffodil for IDNMT/I_did_not_mean_to

IDNMT/I_did_not_mean_to wrote Mix & Match for Zhie

IgnobleBard wrote Friendship Like The Holly Tree for Marchwriter

Jade/Elladansgirl wrote One Night With A King for Branka/LadywithaQuill

JazTheBard wrote Five Meetings for Ruinel

Katrina/lemurious wrote Fair They Wrought Us for Helholden

Kay/seregons wrote I Pledge My Heart to Thy Doom for sallysavestheday

Kefi/EclecticKefi wrote Our Gentle Sin for Kit/kitkatkaylie

Kit/kitkatkaylie wrote Youthful regrets for Lilithsea

Kristen/Harp_of_Gold wrote day will come for Chrissystriped

likethenight wrote the distraction or the force for Argleena

Lillithsea wrote The King of the Greenwood for Elentarial/BaccaratBlackLithgaeril wrote What to Make of This for Kefi/EclecticKefi

Luciann/Lucigoo89 wrote Two Lives Will Be Spared This Day for octopus_fool

lynndyre wrote There and Back Again for Ignoblebard

maglor-my-beloved wrote Of Farewells for Ettelenë/firstamazon

Maironite wrote Ready To Fall for Cilil

mangacrack wrote the home where I belong the most for reindeer_pizza

Marchwriter wrote All That Is Gold for likethenight

Mawgy wrote To the Victor Goes the Spoils for Gilithlin

NiennaWept wrote peaches we devour, dusty skin and all for thurinngwethil

Nuredhel wrote The flower and the flute for Whimsy/a_world_of_whimsy

octopus_fool wrote Thrush and Stag for lynndyre

phyncke wrote The King's Cabin for Frances/Melusine6619

RaisingCaiin wrote to warm my bed for Mawgy

reindeer_pizza wrote The King's Treasure for Skaelds

Ruiniel wrote Ára for Verecunda

sallysavestheday wrote Let Not My Love Be Called Idolatry for skywardstruck/tomefaired

❤sallysavestheday wrote Op. 1: Serenade for Bow and Axe for red_lasbelin

Senalishia wrote Cut Straight to the Heart for starlightwalking

Skaelds wrote you better not kill the groove for Elio/eliogardens

skywardstruck/tomefaired wrote show me the limits of your deceit for Tathrin

starlightwalking wrote Lazy Day for forelevenses

Tabru wrote Elrond and the King for visitor/lonelyvisitor

❤Talullah Red wrote Snowflight for BloodwingBlackbird

Tathrin wrote A Testing of Wills for Kristen/Harp_of_Gold

Tethys_resort wrote Two in Shadows for NiennaWept

thuringwethil wrote between my fingers, she leaves, then she lingers for  Cissy/Lost_inMiddleearth

Torpi wrote Ripe Fruit for Fey/ThatFeanorian

undercat wrote Comfort from a Heavy Hand for Heather/ohboromir

Verecunda wrote All the Luck in the World for Heather/Indestructibleplum

visitor/lonelyvistor wrote one whole with my other for Lithgaeril

Whimsy/a_world_of_whimsy wrote In the beginning for Cirilla/FakeCirilla9

yletylyf wrote Another Way for Bird/ingenious_spark

Zhie wrote Minuet for Basalt_Serpent

❤Zhie wrote His Father's Son for maglor_beloved

❤ Zhie wrote Very Welcome Visitor for Indestructibleplum

—————

❤ denotes a pinch hit or a treat. Thank you to our pinch hitters, Talullah Red and Zhie; they made sure everyone got a Valentine's Day story (or two). Sallysavestheday also wrote a treat for me!!!

If you need a link to the entire collection, it is right here: 2024 My Slashy Valentine

[sallysavestheday]

Love is In the Air...also axes and arrows and suchlike, if you prefer

For those interested in a little Valentining, I can offer you for your reading pleasure:

A strong, red Turin/Orodreth, my main My Slashy Valentine piece (Let Not My Love Be Called Idolatry: M, 2,000 words).

A smooth whiskey burn of Legolas/Gimli, a My Slashy Valentine treat (Op. 1: Serenade for Bow and Axe: T, 700 words)

A light, sweet Glorfindel/Ecthelion (Centripetal Force: T, 500 words).

Enjoy, in whatever manner you prefer!

[demonscantgothere]

Under the Stars, Above the Sun. Fëanor/Melkor. T-rated. 6.2k one-shot. [Complete.] Entry for My Slashy Valentine fic exchange. For lemurious.

After being captured by Melkor in Dagor-nuin-Giliath, Fëanor has to come to terms with the many threads of his own fate in this world.

“ . . . I hate that name, Fëanáro,” murmured the dark, glistening stream as it trickled somewhere in the back of his mind like a tickle of cool water poured down his spine—and yet also at the forefront of his vision, clear, white waters gleaming with a faint trace of light despite the darkness surrounding it, flowing beneath the caverns low and deep within the earth—but it felt so close to him, cool water sprinkling his face like a fresh spring rain in the morning. He could taste it. He could feel it—but it was not truly there, was it?

Was this what dying felt like? How his mother felt—as he came into this world, and she left it?

“Death is too good for you, Fëanáro,” he whispered, a voice so low it felt no more than the distant rumble of a crumbling mountain.

Keep Reading

[solmarillion]

show me the limits of your deceit

Pairing: Annatar/Celebrimbor/Narvi Rating: Explicit Wordcount: 5,902 Summary: In an effort to worm his way into the ranks of the Gwaith-i-Mírdain, Annatar makes moves to seduce Celebrimbor and his partner Narvi, hopefully without the other's knowledge. Things don't go according to plan… or do they?

Written for @tathrin, for @myslashyvalentine 2024. Thank you so much for the wonderful prompt!

Preview: “How long have you—” “How long have I been wanting you, Tyelperinquar? Perhaps from the moment you opened your gates for me, or from the first time you weaved my Song into your craft... Surely now you see, what we could become, the greatness we could achieve, our hearts and minds in perfect alignment?” asks Annatar, taking control of the conversation, the temperature, drawing out Celebrimbor’s deepest dreams: an Eregion as grand and fair as Tirion upon Túna, even Valimar, where all like-minded folk could work in pursuit of its prosperity. A dream Celebrimbor holds so closely, that he swears he can feel tears forming in his eyes, mixing with sweat and the waters from the baths as the blood rushes to his loins. And this beautiful Maia, though he may have fallen from grace, is the key to all of it. Celebrimbor wants Annatar more than he can voice aloud, if it would even be right to do so. He thinks of Narvi, of Galadriel, and Gil-galad, until the thoughts fade to the will of his heart. Read on Ao3

Cosplayer: @solmarillion Costume made by @voldadivnaya Photo by photopersuasion

[lucigoo]

Weekly Round Up: 11th Feb - 18th Feb

Hope everyone had a good week. I had no internet for a few days and had nothing to do but write I guess. I managed 24,917 words with 6 fics updated to A03. As always, rec's first. Alien; Little Queen - Lady_Fenikkusu - Alien (A girl turned into a xenomorph Queen) Sweet Synthesis - Ticklesivory - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, another craker from @tickles-ivory, with Cyborgs!) A Passion For Mushrooms - Chrononautical - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, beautiful world building and pining idiots) Behind the Money - SunnyRose - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, @sunnyrosewritesstuff wrote an adoarble tea ahop AU)

No Small Amount of Courage - SunnyRose - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, another wonderful fic from @sunnyrosewritesstuff where Bilbo loves so hard its enough) A Hobbit's Gamble - CQueen - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, Arranged Marriage Au in Erebor, and its precious, from start to end) Hope you enjoy at least one <3

Now for my fics: 1) My love is vaster than all of Arda - The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, Part of my Bagginshield-tober fics from @smolestboop's prompts, pre relationship in Lake Town) 2) Flowers and Gems -The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, also part of my Bagginshield-tober series, Bilbo takes Thorin on a date in the mountian and writes him a poem.) 3) Two Lives Will Be Spared This Day - The Lord of the Rings (Boromir/Theodred, part of the @myslashyvalentine, Boromir leaves the Fellowship in Lothlorian and goes to save his lover instead) 4) The World Is Ending and Yet I Smile - Harry Potter (Sirius/Remus, The moon is broken and the world ending and all Sirius feels is relief, part of the @flashfictionfridayofficial) 5) Wait, you're the wolf? - Harry Potter (Sirius/Remus, Succubus Sirius, Werewolf Remus on a full moon night, paart of the @hpknotfest 6) Alstroemerias and Germinis for Forgivness: With a Bouquet for your Heart -The Hobbit (Bilbo/Thorin, after the battle and Bilbo and Thorin are finding their way to one another. Another part of my Bagginshield-tober series)

[gardensofthemoon]

Uprooting - eliogardens - The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien [Archive of Our Own]

Rating: Teen | CCNTUAW

Pairing: Beleg/Túrin

Word count: 1,7k

Tags: Angst, Pining, Forest Imagery, Implied Character Death

Summary:

The wind whispers through the foliage of the old birch trees bordering the northern marches. The leaves rustle, unsettled; a song of precarious quiet. — Beleg arrives with the snow.

My submission for My Slashy Valentine 2024!

[maeofthenoldor]

Pry Your Hands From My Decaying Body

Amarië is barred from leaving with the exiles, who now waits alone and abandoned in Valinor by her betrothed in the land she wished to forsake. Betrayed and wrathful, she leaves her family in the midst of the endless night, to swear to her most worshipped Vala as one of her elf-maidens, in hopes that her family would never find her in the sanctuary of the evergreen gardens. However any thoughts of it being paradise is quickly crushed, for there is something dark stirring in the woods, and it does not help that she is utterly entranced by the lady she now serves.....

Vana-The Ever-Young.

a gift for @kimaracretak on ao3 for the @myslashyvalentine 2023 event! Thank you to all the mods who helped plan and create this wonderful event; and thank you to Keiliss who is in all of our thoughts.  

Rating: T| Not rated 

Relationships: Amarië/Vana

Charachters:  Amarië, Vana, Melyanna, mentions of Finrod and original female charachters.

Word count: 19.6k

Tags: Surrealism, Body Horror, Self-Destruction, Childhood Trauma Forbidden Love, Religious Guilt, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Dancing and Singing

Read It On Ao3!

[maironsbigboobs]

Hope (ao3)

Rating: M Relationships: Sauron/Eonwë Words: 2650

Summary:

Eonwë wondered when the last time anyone had offered him friendship had been. He wondered whether Sauron’s heart had always been hard, or if service in Angband had hardened it. - What if Sauron’s surrender had gone differently?

My @myslashyvalentine gift for @yletylyf. Happy Valentine's everyone 💖

“You expect me to believe a single word you say, master of lies?”

The wind whipped at the feathers of his pauldrons, bitter and cold as his heart. Eonwë stood on the rocky planes of the battlefield, looking down at the kneeling maia before him. Manwë’s gaze was upon this meeting. There was a familiarity to him; pride, beauty, the cold sharpness of his bearing that Eonwë had never seen in any other. He set his jaw and held the point of his spear to Sauron’s throat. He must not let memory overcome him. This was not the same maia of Aulë who he had once known, but a shadow of him.

Sauron raised his head. His face was gaunt and smeared with battle blood. There were dark circles under his eyes. But his gaze was fierce, blazing. The memory of their intensity stirred his heart. He is trying to get under your skin; you know what they say of him. You know him.

“Do you think I would submit myself to this if I was not sincere? Herald of Manwë, you know me. I do not suffer bruised pride needlessly.”

“Know you? You were always clever with your words.”

How could he forget? Sauron - Mairon, then, though that name did not fit him any longer - had always had a sharp comment or witty remark; his humour had been dry and refreshing after a long day surrounded by the formalities of the King of Arda’s court.

In the moment, his mind wandered to another meeting, from a better day:

***

In fair Almaren, a gentle breeze carried the scent of the first Spring flowers. Under the branches of a blossoming tree, it tangled Eonwë's hair as he dozed against the trunk. He had been waiting for Mairon to join him, but the hours had passed with no sign of him, and eventually the waiting had lulled him to sleep.

Only when he felt the heavy thud of someone sinking down next to him did he open his eyes.

He frowned. “You’re late.”

Mairon was never late. With just a glance, Eonwë could tell something was not right. There was a brooding look in Mairon’s eye, and he seemed... dulled. Dimmed, like a faltering lantern.

“I am never late.” Mairon answered, and then his smile was back, sharp as ever. “I always intended to arrive now. You are simply early.”

“Sometimes I think you are too clever for your own good.” Eonwë rolled his eyes affectionately, taking Mairon’s hand. His fingers were cool, not warm from the forge like he had been expecting. “Where were you?”

“I have a new project.” But his gaze flitted away to the horizon. When he looked back at Eonwë, he still seemed distant.

Perhaps he should have asked more, but Mairon talked enough about his work without prompting. That was not what they were here for. Eonwë pulled him into a kiss, swallowing his protests. “Leave your work behind.”

Mairon relaxed against him, and Eonwë turned them until he was straddling Mairon’s hips. Mairon reached up and undid his own bun, shaking his hair out. It fell to his shoulders in curls of molten flame. As Eonwë kissed him, Mairon’s face grew just as red, his head falling back. Eonwë felt the heat of him; it almost burned his lips as he left open mouthed kisses down the pillar of his throat.

“Eonwë, you’ll bruise me, what will my lord -”

“Worry not for what Aulë says.” Eonwë slipped a skillful hand beneath the waistband of Mairon’s trousers. “He has so many maiar. He will not notice.”

Mairon laughed; it was such a beautiful sound. “No, Aulë will not notice my absence. You are right.”

“That is more like you,” Eonwë triumphantly divested Mairon of his trousers entirely. “Relax, my jewel, and let me do the work now.”

“Ah, Eonwë...”

***

It was not Aulë he had been worried about that day. The realisation froze his blood - or perhaps, he had always known it, and only now it became undeniable. Darkness had been in his beloved’s heart even in those blissful days. Sauron was speaking, but above the reeling of his mind he could hear little. His forced himself to focus.

“I repent of all my deeds, of my service, of my malice and cruelty. I beg you, Lord Eonwë, grant me mercy.”

Eonwë remembered how to speak. “I cannot do that.”

Sauron’s eyes flashed with fear and rage. Eonwë continued, his tongue heavy.

“I would if I could, but it is not my place to give it. You must plead your case before Manwë.”

He saw the horror on Sauron’s face. He could not blame him. He could not picture Sauron on his knees before Manwë, humbling himself. It seemed impossible; Sauron had never been deferential, even when he had served faithfully.

“Do not be afraid, Sauron.” The name tasted foul. But Mairon was no more, and no other name was any more complimentary, or more neutral. “I will stand with you, I will vouch for you. Swear to me you mean your words, and I will speak for you.”

“You promise me that?” Sauron arched an eyebrow, unconvinced. “You would stake your reputation on me, of all people?”

“I would.” For everything they had once had. For love, for hope, deep desperate hope that some part of the past might be reclaimed.

“Then, I accept. I will go with you.”

Eonwë withdrew his spear and held out his hand.

Sauron stared at it. Eonwë wondered when the last time anyone had offered him friendship had been. He wondered whether Sauron’s heart had always been hard, or if service in Angband had hardened it. He wondered if it even mattered - perhaps it was like the the maiar of Manwë often said: you cannot have an Eagle without an egg, nor an egg without an Eagle.

Sauron took his hand and rose to his feet.

Perhaps there was hope for him yet.

***

He bound his hands and gave him his cloak, to shield him as much as possible from the eyes of Elves. If any of them saw Sauron, Eonwë knew they would clamour for blood, and they would riot at the sight of him going freely among them. He could not blame them for that, and Sauron took the burden quietly, for once not eager to draw attention to himself.

It almost worked. It would have worked, if the elf-kings had not been waiting for him in his tent.

“Why have you brought him here?” Finarfin’s face was murderous, and Eonwë could not fault that, either. He placed himself between the elves and Sauron.

“He is my prisoner.”

“Your prisoner?” Gil-Galad mocked him with a laugh. “His crimes were against elves and men - we should judge him, not you.”

“I am not here to judge him. That is Lord Manwë’s place.”

Finarfin’s scowl deepened. “Manwë would grant him mercy. He deserves none. I should cut his treacherous head from his body myself, for my son - but he is a snake, ever growing more. He should be thrown to the darkness with his master if he is such an eager hound.”

Behind him, Eonwë felt Sauron bristle. Do not speak. Valar, keep him silent. I will not be able to calm them if he riles them up.

“King Finarfin, please, have faith in me.” he implored, “We have fought and bled together. Trust me; I would not have him escape unpunished.”

Gil-Galad interrupted. “We have faith in you, Herald. It is him we do not trust. Who knows what he will whisper in your ear? Even the wise can fall victim to a clever tongue.”

“Gil-Galad is right. He will lie to you - he has probably lied to you already.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sauron move, and open his mouth. He subtly stamped on his foot. Quiet.

“My lords, I understand your concern. But this tent is well guarded. You may set your own guards if you wish. But I swear by the Stars that he will not leave this tent save to board a ship to Valinor.”

The two elf-kings looked at each for a moment. The air was thick, simmering rage and pain in the air. Finarfin’s glare did not fade. But Gil-Galad relented, and Eonwë knew Finarfin would not break their united front here.

“Very well, Herald. But if he escapes punishment, there are many who would look to you to suffer in his place.”

With that, he bowed, and left the tent. Finarfin lingered only to give his own cold farewell, and to scowl at Sauron.

When they were gone, Eonwë ordered the door guards to let no one else in or out. Sauron sat on the stool by the low cot, still wrapped in Eonwë’s cloak. His expression was strange, lost in thought.

“Thank you for defending me.”

Eonwë closed the distance between them and unbound his hands, kneeling before Sauron and holding his hands in his own. Those long, nimble fingers were so familiar - but now they had wrought such agony and torment.

“I only did as I promised you.”

“Still.” The gentleness of Sauron’s voice made him look up. His face in the lantern light, he looked almost ... vulnerable. Soft.

Eonwë gave in to temptation. He kissed him.

His lips were as soft and warm as Eonwë remembered, and Sauron fell forward into his arms as if they had never parted. Their kisses grew fiercer, a clash of lips and teeth and eager hands. He pulled Sauron to the bed, the cloak cushioning them. Their bodies crashed together, never apart for more than a moment.

Sauron’s hands found his belt, and it was no challenge for him, and Eonwë let out a soft sigh as he stroked him. It had been so long, so very long. He wanted to give in to the pleasure, to take everything Sauron was willing to give him.

“Ah, Eonwë...” Sauron pushed him onto his back, the bed creaked, and then sank down before him, lips brushing against his inner thigh. “I have missed this. I have missed you. I craved you for so long...”

Gil-Galad’s words came back to him. Who knows what he will whisper in your ear? Was this all just another lie? Another seduction? Was he just one of Sauron’s toys, to be used to get what he wanted? He went still beneath Sauron’s caresses.

“Eonwë?” Sauron paused, and he looked up through his lashes. Eonwë mourned the loss of the warmth. “Is something wrong?”

He did not answer. Sauron frowned. There was still the same crease in his brow that Eonwë had always teased him for.

“You don't trust me, do you? You think this is part of my game. That I am wrapping you around my finger.”

He pulled away, his hands falling to his lap. “I cannot blame you for not trusting me.” He sighed, “It does not matter. We should not be doing this.” He started buttoning his shirt again.

“No.” He caught him by the wrist. If this was a lie, it was one he wanted to give into. Let the elf-kings rage and swear. He wanted to indulge the heat of Sauron’s touch, to feel the sweet caress of his lips, to hear the fevered beating of his heart. If he woke to him gone, so be it!

“I want this.” He wanted, oh, how he wanted! “I want you. I want you how I always have, terrible as you are.”

“Your dirty talk has not improved.”

Eonwë laughed. “Put your clever tongue to better use.”

Sauron took that instruction to heart. He settled himself between Eonwë’s legs, his burning kisses leaving reddened skin on the inside of his thighs. Eonwë was aching with need, curling his fingers in Sauron’s hair to guide him - his mouth was hot, eager, and they both groaned as Sauron sank down, swallowing him entirely.

This was the physicality he had missed; repressed for so long. The sweet tension building up in his gut, the burn of lust in his veins, the slick sounds of sweat and skin. He tried to keep quiet - tent walls were thin - but he could not stifle his moans and praise. Oh, so good, so perfect, made for him - his desire flowed effortlessly as the Sea.

When he spilled, it was with blinding pleasure; his hands clenched tightly in his bed covers, eyes screwed shut as he bit his lip to keep from crying out Sauron’s name - Sauron, who took everything he was given with a soft groan and smug look in his eyes, who then sat back and wiped his mouth with Eonwë’s cloak and tucked Eonwë into the bed before folding himself up beside him without a word. Sauron seemed to want nothing for himself, pushing away Eonwë’s touch and closing his eyes.

“Let me enjoy this. It may be the last moment of peace I have.”

Eonwë relented and lay back on the bed, curling his fingers through Sauron’s hair. The other maia slept peacefully against him, warmth enough that he did not miss the blanket. His doubts had not faded; as he lay in the dark, they returned anew. He could wake in the morning and Sauron could be gone - he might not wake in this bed in the morning at all, if Sauron decided to eliminate a threat.

It is done now. For better or for worse.

He closed his eyes, and tried to sleep.

***

The Sun was setting across Valinor, her rays scattered through the stain-glass windows, as Eonwë made his way to the secluded chamber of Aulë’s hall, whistling as he walked.

This part of the hall was well-guarded, but the guards knew his presence and made themselves scarce awhile. His visits were frequent, though he rarely arrived at such a beautiful hour.

He knocked on the chamber door. There was a pause, the sound of tools on a workbench and booted feet, and then several locks being undone. And then a smiling face was revealed.

“Annatar.”

A new name for a new life; something untarnished by past lives and past deeds, the promise of an unclouded future.

“Come in, I am just finishing up for the day.”

Sometimes it felt like Annatar had never left these halls. This chamber was locked and secluded; but unlike the cells of Mandos, it was homely and bright, with little touches of Annatar here and there: stacks of books by the bed, blueprints spread out on the table, little chunks of metal and ore arranged artfully on the windowsill.

“You work too hard.” Eonwë protested, taking his arm. Annatar scoffed: he was only permitted to work on approved commissions, and Eonwë had heard many times how he wished he had more to do. Some things did not change. “It can wait.”

He half-dragged him to the seat by the window, silencing Annatar’s half-hearted protests with a kiss. Once he had him in his arms, Annatar gave up the pretence, curling against him like a cat. The Sun bathed them in her evening glow, casting a golden light over them that made Annatar look holier than he had ever been.

They spent hours there, talking about nothing in particular: Annatar’s projects, Eonwë’s latest duties, whatever the latest gossip was in Tirion, whatever else came to mind. At some point Annatar closed his eyes, half asleep as Eonwë continued to talk.

“I love you.” he whispered against the crown of Annatar’s head. Annatar made a soft noise, turning to look up at him. His eyes shone.

“I love you too, Eonwë. Now keep talking. I want to hear more about Curumo’s visit to Ilmarin. I hope he made a fool of himself.”

Eonwë laughed, and launched into the story.

The future was better than he could have ever hoped.

[ruiniel]

"What are you doing this week?"

"Yes."

[a-world-of-whimsy-5]

Pairing: Melkor x Mairon

Others: Aulë | Yavanna

Themes: Soft | NSFW | Corruption

Warnings: Kissing

Wordcount: 2.8k words

Summary: Melkor, after having found Mairon and learning of his skills, is determined to win him over to his cause.

Giftee: FakeCirilla9 For: @myslashyvalentine

Gift prompt: Melkor seducing (maybe not so) innocent Mairon long ago when the world was young

Minors DNI | 18+ | You are responsible for the media you consume

Every tale has a beginning. Even this, no matter how dark and dreadful it was in the end for all involved, had a beginning of its own.

And it started with one of the Vala, no less. Melkor was the mightiest of all of his kin and second to no one, save for his own creator. And above all things, Melkor craved power and glory and subjugating all of Arda to his will. He sought little else, and worked secretly toward realizing his ambitions. He refused a great many things in his quest for absolute power, even going so far as to deny the hand of many an Ainur when it came to marriage. He searched for servants who would aid him and pass on to him all that they saw and heard, and who would willingly follow him wherever he went. This was how it was, and this was how it continued, until he called on Aulë and espied the smith’s apprentice toiling at the far end of the Great Forge on Almaren.

Read the rest of the story here:

Image from Unsplash-Fazil Abi

[myslashyvalentine]

My Slashy Valentine 2024: Sign-ups Open!

From the Years of the Trees to the Fourth Age, from sultry tales of the Silmarillion to romances in the Ring Wars … sound familiar? That’s right, Slashy Swaps are back and it’s once again time to make your Tolkien fanfic dreams come true.

My Slashy Valentine is a hand matched slash fiction exchange focused on the people of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Sign ups are now OPEN so spread the word, recruit your friends and fellow authors, and get ready for MSV 2024.

Sign-up Period: December 7th to December 21st Assignments distributed: by December 28th Deadline for first time participants: January 31st, 2024 Deadline for veteran participants: February 7th, 2024 Archive opens: February 14th, 2024

Take a look through our rules and faq – or on AO3 if you’re on the mobile app, because Tumblr – and then come along to our SIGN UP PAGE and share the adventure.

[verecunda]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Frodo Baggins/Sam Gamgee Characters: Sam Gamgee, Frodo Baggins Additional Tags: Fluff, Love Confessions, First Kiss, hand holding Summary: Even after the Quest is ended, Frodo and Sam both find it hard to sleep.

Fics for 2023 My Slashy Valentine: For Keiliss are revealed, and here’s my entry, written for forelevenses. Some cosy Sam/Frodo fluff for the occasion! 💝

[demonscantgothere]

Y'all, I'm about to go on a reading spree after work and read every single fic posted to the @myslashyvalentine gift exchange. Wish me luck. 🫡

It's only 70 fics. No big deal.

[feanope]

Any moment might be our last    

My contribution for @myslashyvalentine 2023 -- a gift for @awesome-bluehair-universe who asked for some spicy surprise

“Fate is inevitable. Neither brave man nor coward can escape it, and during times of war, it becomes very obvious. Any moment might be the last." If the past has taught Glorfindel anything, it is that he doesn’t want to leave this world with regrets; with chances never taken.    

Pairing: Elrond/Gil-galad, Elrond/Gil-galad/Glorfindel, various past relationships mentioned

Rating: E

Word Count: 8.5 k

Additional Tags: Last Alliance, established Elrond/Gil-galad, filed under: your OTP isn’t monogamous, nsft, resolved: why Gondolin really fell, humor, actually: inappropriate humor, misuse of Aeglos (but not in the way you’d think)

Deep in the land of Mordor, doom lingers—and will, as long as Evil is still alive.

It will fester and spread, corrupting what is still left of freedom in this world. But above all else, it will deceive for there are many who wish to be deceived. Those who will fall to the Evil’s whispers and lies of a better world yet to be made so easily. Manipulation takes so little, and yields so much.

No one knows better about that than Glorfindel.

*continue reading on AO3*

[z-h-i-e]

It's My Slashy Valentine round-up time. Here's the three new stories I have gifted to specific individuals through the magic of MSV, but also, are out there in the world for all to enjoy.

The New Shadow: Chapter Two Saelon/Herumor

Thirst Fëanor/Melkor

Orchidelirium Finrod/Glorfindel

If you'd like to know more about each, like how each one came to be crafted and silly notes from me, keep reading:

First up: The New Shadow: Chapter Two

I like to pride myself in my swift turnaround times; this, to my knowledge, was the first submitted of anything for the exchange this year, written at the end of last year after a lot of consultation with things I hadn't read in over a decade. I still remember the picnic table I sat at when I would have read these bits of the histories, but I digress. Tolkien envisioned a sequel to The Lord of the Rings, but stopped after rougly the first chapter, when it came to his attention it would be dark--like, cults and dark lord summoning dark--and he shelved it.

Every good chapter deserves a second chapter.

This piece goes into exactly what it was that happened to the missing sailors, what Saelon was up to, who the heck is Herumor, and why Borlas would have been better off if he had stayed at home. If you're looking for fluff this Valentine's Day--this is not the fic you're looking for. But if hot post-murder sex in the same room as the corpse is your jam, this is it. (With thanks to AnnEllspethRaven for betaing during the holidays so that I could get this up by the first of the year.)

Ever watch The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs? If this fic was a film, it would be featured there. Probably. Actually, maybe not, most of those films have a lot of boobies and this does not have those because slash, but… anyhow. Remember that time I wrote the Werewelf!Finrod Choose Your Own Adventure, and people thought that was dark? It definitely has a friend now. And this is that friend. Which would sacrifice that fic to Sauron in a heartbeat if this new fic thought it would bring the dark lord back. All this to say, if you squick easy, keep scrolling, and if this is intriguing, then come on down to the murder shack today!

Next piece: Thirst

This pinch hit came in right after I had recovered enough from the one-two punch of covid and bronchitis to get back to upright and writing again. There were a couple of options, but the idea of putting Fëanor and Melkor together was too interesting not to try. The summary is a good explanation of what you'll find here.

An Elda and an Ainu walk into a bar…and eventually stroll out into the back alley for canoodling. No on-screen sex, just a lot of banter about what they're going to do (or not going to do) or did do later. Because these two are 0% shy about that discussion at the pub.

There's a barmaid OC in this one who I simply must invite to another fic in the future. I also have to give a shoutout to cílil, because my usual betas were all busy when I got this one finished, and I had to do that thing where you post in a beta channel on discord and then cross your fingers and try not to look back every five minutes and start to think you're just going to have to volley it out into the world with potential typos. Much appreciation on the beta read!

This selection reads a little like a couple of D&D adventurers at a bar, mainly because I used D&D generators to get the right feel for the place, so I guess they were two D&D adventurers in a way. And like so many D&D adventures I've DMed, two characters ended up in an alley for adult funsies (and yet, I didn't make these two roll for it; I was feeling generous).

Last but not least: Orchidelirium

This is not the fic I intended to write. There's actually the start of a much, much different Glorfindel/Finrod fic, where Finrod and Glorfindel fall in love right before Glorfindel heads back to Middle-earth, and then Finrod pines and worries in Valinor and lives on the couch in Angrod and Eldalótë's house. But that story ended up being this oversized plot bunny of far too many chapters, and then the other night when I was trying to figure out how to dig myself out of the rabbit hole I was in, Fila told me about orchidelirium, this historical mania over orchids that happened during the Victorian era. Jokingly, I started to freeform brainstorm ideas on how this would translate to Middle-earth, and who would be involved, and Orchidelirium was born, with a very different premise.

In this story, Finrod has been growing and selling orchids, and is the president of a fancy orchid society. Glorfindel shows up back in Valinor, and brings his collection of orchids along, which are basically his flower bebes. Promptly, Finrod steps in and tries to buy them all, ala Cruella Devil ("I simply MUST have those orchids!" And now imagine Finrod in a long, fabulous fur coat smoking a long cigarette--it's not that hard). Galadriel is the VOICE OF REASON (tm), Saeros is THE VILLAGE JERKFACE (tm), and cameos by a handful of others in a Fëanorian free fanfic (try saying that five times fast). Also, the best sex I've written in a while. It's two old elves with nothing to lose, and a business venture that would make that one Fëanorian in the middle jealous, guided by AnnEllspethRaven's ability to beta and keep me from falling off the deck when writing ship lingo at the same time.

And behind every speedy writer, there's probably some cheerleaders, so the help from lferion, Ann, Fila, Smaug, and Red to keep me on task and motivated through what was the worst January in a long time helped immensely. <3

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!

[backgroundelf]

Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Celebrimbor | Telperinquar/Maeglin | Lómion, Elrond Peredhel/Erestor, Past Erestor/Maeglin Characters: Celebrimbor | Telperinquar, Elrond Peredhel, Erestor (Tolkien), Maeglin | Lómion Additional Tags: Second Age (Tolkien), Maeglin Survives the Fall of Gondolin AU, Blood, Epistolary, Celebrimbor Abuses Parentheses, Erestor is from Gondolin, Celebrimbor has Complicated Feelings About his Family, What is the Gondolin Accent Anyway?, MSV 2023, My Slashy Valentine 2023, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, No One Quite Understands Erestor and Celebrimbor's Relationship Summary:

A mysterious new smith has arrived in Ost-in-Edhil. Celebrimbor is smitten, but what will happen once the stranger's identity is revealed?

This is the story I wrote for @maglor-my-beloved for My Slashy Valentine 2023