#scribbles & drabbles 2023

[ruiniel]

In Nienna’s Halls, a gravely wounded Melkor kneels, to heal or to beg, or to seethe? What would their conversation be like? What was the nature of their relationship before Melkor openly defied them all and chose his own path? An AU.

New work submitted for Scribbles & Drabbles 2023

@fall-for-tolkien

[heilith]

Never Die

The art and prompt by the very cool Oak_Hawthorn, for the Scribbles and Drabbles 2023

There is a cloaked figure sneaking around in the Elvenking's Halls. They make an effort to remain unseen, but they seem set on a path to the King's treasury. Is it a Man, an Elf, or someone else entirely? What is their purpose here? Are their intentions good or ill?

Enjoy. I myself refuse to read it yet again, so all that might be wrong with it will be corrected later. I hope there are no such things. :) But deep inside I know there are.

@fall-for-tolkien

Never Die.

“A dragon.”

He missed the moment of the intrusion entirely. He harboured no slightest suspicion his Kingdom was a little less than inaccessible. But it was. Not enough for a serious expression of alarm, as he first believed, but quite worthy of some degree of annoyance. 

Giving it a better afterthought now, he couldn’t but admit his vanity had served him a bad turn. The centuries he’d spent keeping the enemy out of the borders of his domain distorted his perception of what he was capable of. Threats turned into challenges, stability – into boredom.

It was only a matter a time until he was outplayed.

“A dragon,” repeated he, still utterly unbelieving. The truth appeared to be so ridiculous he couldn’t build a strategy around it – something that hadn’t happen to him for millennia.

The golden lizard gurgled happily, sucking and gnawing on one his prized silver sceptres.

“You didn’t need that one, Thranduil,” you scratched the creatures head most casually, which only added to the absurdity of the picture, “Eru knows how much time it took him to dig it out of this pile.”  

He felt like laughing. Not because he found your wit deserving of a laugh. Though yes, he did. He wasn’t fooling you and he couldn’t fool himself.

And yet the brainlessness he was witnessing before his very own eyes was beyond any humour.

The little spiky ball of happiness was reeking of evil for miles.

He first sensed it, making his way to the pool chambers. A viscous clot of a stranger aura. He walked into it headfirst and was plunged into the strongest vision he’d ever had a non-pleasure of enduring. A figure in a dark tattered cloak, someone from the outside, someone…

“I should have thought of it.”

Another lie he was forced to utter while searching for the ways to bring together the scraps of his dignity.

“You couldn’t have thought,” you interrupted him with a bold smile. He almost forgot how sweet you could be when you smiled, even if you meant no good, “Who could have dared?”

You could.

Now he could tell exactly why the three times cursed first vision had failed to trouble him enough. Your print on the plane of visions was familiar to him. You radiated the teasing vibes of an old…friend.

The knowing he was still considering you such was bitter.

Another phantom caught up with him a step away from the throne room. The cloak was wrapped around his shoulders this time. A burden in his hands was heavy. He pulled it closer to his chest to keep his balance…In a flash a surge of malicious energy coursed through him. The world blinked. There was no cloak. There was no burden. But the evil was still there.

“What do you want?” the composure was returning to him slowly. He had to stop behaving like he’d become a King two days ago.

“Why, to feed the child…”

The sceptre seemingly forgotten, the dragon spread a pair of ugly webbed wings and toddled to the nearest open chest. His claws were clanking against the floor like fine daggers.

“He cannot fly. Not yet,” you murmured with such tenderness in your voice he took it as a personal offense.  

 “We barely have food to feed ourselves,” he snapped, “And even if we did, what made you think I’d share it with…this.”

“Would you share it with me?”

“Before or after you had joined the ones who were slitting our throats open?”

He sent a mental order to the guards. He should have kept them by the treasury at all times, but who would ever have dared…

You would.

The traps were now everywhere. The shreds of the evil presence were slowly drifting in the corridors, giving him painful jolts each time he was unable to avoid them. The cloaked trespasser was invading his dreams. And no one could not only stop, but even see them.

He was helpless and brimming with ire.  

“I don’t need food, Thranduil. He doesn’t need it. He feeds on owning things. He’s a dragon.”

The guards had stormed in before he had warned them not to touch you. You were someone he craved for getting even with on his own.

You snapped your fingers with the same come-hither smile. The creature raised its head and stared at the soldiers with three limpid eyes, not a single thought in any of them.

The guards stopped short. Desperate, he was watching them turn away and march out of the treasury, as if a silent voice was shouting commands into their backs.

He didn’t protest, when your hand ran against his shoulder soothingly. He was at a loss.

“And that is how we passed by your watchposts. And your guards. And you – just once,” you spoke in a soft voice, as your fingers kept drawing small curving lines along his arms and up to his neck.

“Why did you leave with them?” asked he hoarsely, “For this?”

“They promised they would spare your son, Thranduil. I couldn’t trust you to protect him.”

“Are you still with them?”

You leaned your forehead into his chest. His arm defied his will, slipping around you like it had done so many times before.

“No,” you whispered, “But I will not return. Don’t worry, we won’t stay here for long.”

“And if I beg?”

You laughed again and lifted your hand again.  

A dry sound rolled across the treasury.

[violecov]

Melkor against the Sharknado!!

Manwe and Ulmo have finally decided to destroy Angband!!

Manwe has the ability to create tornadoes and Ulmo has sharks, so as the result of that pretty much dubious combination, Melkor and all middle earth will have to face the grand Sharknado!!

Drawing for scribbles and drabbles 2023// @fall-for-tolkien that for some reason I don't understand has been claimed by @i-did-not-mean-to . There u go, Is for u XDD.

[ela-draws]

Aredhel on the Road

Submitted for Scribbles & Drabbles 2023 @fall-for-tolkien

[solmarillion]

The Mirror of Galadriel

❝What you will see, if you leave the Mirror free to work, I cannot tell. For it shows things that were, and things that are, and things that yet may be. But which is it that he sees, even the wisest cannot always tell.❞ - Galadriel, Fellowship of the Ring

Drawn for Scribbles and Drabbles 2023. (@fall-for-tolkien)

This piece began as a little sketch I drew in class to cure my boredom, but as I rendered it digitally, it quickly became something bigger. Coloring this was challenging, especially with how complicated Galadriel's hair is, and all of the details I added to the piece. I've always wanted to draw Galadriel in Wind Waker style- I think the aesthetic fits her so well, and I'm really happy with how this piece turned out!

Be sure to read @goschatewabn's fic when the collection is revealed!

[mithrilhearts]

A (Green)House Built for Two

bagginshield | bilbo stays in erebor | 5.7k

I had the absolute honor of getting to write a fic for one of @mulasawala's wonderful Bagginshield pieces for Scribbles & Drabbles this year! I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did, and thank you to @fall-for-tolkien for organizing this amazing event!

Two years after the Battle of the Five Armies, Bilbo begins to show signs of being homesick. Unable to fathom the idea that Bilbo may want to leave the mountain for his Shire home, Thorin takes on a project to bring a little bit of the Shire's greenery to Erebor.

↳ NOW ON AO3

[the-red-butterfly]

Ascension

Elvenking Thranduil (Tolkien universe)

The king is dead and Thranduil must take the place of his father.

Another entry for S&D @fall-for-tolkien an idea that I had originally planed for TRSB but was put in the back burner after a long period of pondering. (Funny then that this one was the first I finished and NOT the ones I should've for TRSB 🙃 Oopsie, hehe.)

I actually really loved how it turned out! I am... dare i say it? Proud of myself??? Yes I am 😌

.

Open for Commissions

[fall-for-tolkien]

The Scribbles & Drabbles Collection is Live! Check out over 300 wonderful fics!

[scyllas-revenge]

I'm not much of an artist, but it was still a lot of fun participating in Scribbles & Drabbles 2023 (@fall-for-tolkien) this year. It's such a talented, amazing group of people, and I can't wait to see what the incredible authors have put together for my submissions!

Worse than Spiders - what if Mirkwood was crawling with all kinds of other giant creatures?

and

Fly, You Fools! - it's Middle Earth but with flying horses. that's it that's the whole prompt XD

[cilil]

Scribbles & Drabbles overview

An overview of my works for @fall-for-tolkien's Scribbles & Drabbles event!

𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝑵𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝟐𝟓𝒕𝒉 ~ now live!

𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒈(𝒆𝒓) 𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒔

✧˖ "Wings Of War, Beating No More" for @ruiniel

Two Maiar meet after the war, one chasing a long lost lover, the other seeking something else. [Eönwë x Mairon]

✧˖ "Of Secret Shadow" for @ruiniel

A Maia awakens with no memories of who she used to be. Melkor offers her a second chance. [Thuringwethil character exploration]

✧˖ "The King's and Queen's Comfort" for @the-red-butterfly

After discovering the Dwarves and arguing with Aulë, Yavanna seeks comfort from her fellow Valar. Manwë and Varda take care of her until her sorrows and worries are soothed. [Threesome, smut]

✧˖ "Floating World" for @melkors-big-tits

After tedious war meetings at the Emperor's palace, Mairon decides to enjoy himself in the capital's most renowned brothel, the Taniquetil. As he searches for a courtesan to catch his interest, he finds something rather unexpected - something the Emperor himself has attempted to keep hidden... [Angbang, Edo Japan AU]

𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒕(𝒆𝒓) 𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒔

✧˖ "Shrine to Melkor" for @cclumsyart

There are shrines to all Ainur in Valinor, even the fallen and disgraced among them. In which Nienna visits Melkor's shrine and reminisces.

✧˖ "Shrine to Námo" for @cclumsyart

There are shrines to all Ainur in Valinor, even the fallen and disgraced among them. In which a mysterious visitor seeks out Námo's shrine to pray for a loved one.

𝑴𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓

✧˖ "Electricity between both of us" (Glorestor ficlets) for @sortumavaara

✧˖ "Of hunters, horses and other hijinks" (ficlets centered around Aredhel, Celegorm, Oromë, dogs and horses) for @ela-draws and @goschatewabn

✧˖ "Of Fire and Feathers" (Gothmog x Eönwë | Firebird ficlets) for @i-did-not-mean-to

✧˖ "5 times Melkor came for coffee & 1 time Mairon got himself a snack" (Angbang Coffeeshop AU) for @melkors-big-tits

✧˖ "Miscellaneous Melkor Mayhem" (naughty Melkor ficlets) for @melkors-big-tits

✧˖ "Handmaiden's Tale" (Melkor x Tulkas, dead dove - please heed the warnings) for @melkors-big-tits

✧˖ "Brotherly Love" (Melkor x Manwë, dead dove - please heed the warnings) for @melkors-big-tits

𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒔

✧˖ "Silver & Gold" for @welcomingdisaster

Míriel and Indis, silver and gold. A moment of tenderness and passion. [Smut]

✧˖ "Moonrise" for @niennawept

Watching the moon in the sky, Aredhel remembers. [Aredhel x Tilion]

✧˖ "Heart" for @mulasawala

[Modern verse, Bagginshield, Thorin has a band] Thorin comes back from his tour and reunites with his boyfriend.

✧˖ "Sweet Oil" for @z-h-i-e

Maitimo and Tyelkormo cook together. Nothing could possibly go wrong, especially nothing related to suspicious bottles and ingredients not meant for cooking.

✧˖ "A private conversation" for @sortumavaara

[AU in which Nerdanel and Anairë are co-rulers of Tirion after the departure of their husbands] Nerdanel and Anairë discuss the future of the Noldor in Valinor and the challenges they face.

✧˖ "The Meadow" for @ruiniel

[AU in which Míriel and Indis are engaged, no Finwë in sight] Míriel and Indis, strolling through Valinor together.

✧˖ "Ascension" for @the-red-butterfly

The king is dead, and Thranduil has to ascend.

✧˖ "Checking In" for @fishing4stars

Galadriel and Celeborn enjoy a game of chess.

✧˖ "Play, Pleasure & Passion" for Lferion

Nerdanel and Fëanor get ready for a night of passion.

✧˖ "Jelly and Gemstone" for @i-did-not-mean-to

A certain suspicious gem has turned up once again, and Ossë chases down a mischievous little water spirit to get it back.

✧˖ "The Start of the Journey" for @elennalore

Fëanor and Nerdanel, after their first journey together.

✧˖ "Alliance" for @goschatewabn

A chance meeting between Fëanor and Indis leads to something Finwë didn't expect.

✧˖ "Northern Lights" for Anne_Wolfe

How Arien lost a loved one and how northern lights came to be. [Arien x Mairon]

✧˖ "Only one bed (and a Balrog on it)" for @i-did-not-mean-to

A Balrog and a vampire are looking for a place to nap. Unfortunately, there is only one bed. [Nári (OC) & Thuringwethil]

✧˖ "Ever upon the shores" for @searchingforserendipity25

Wandering upon the shores, Maglor wonders if the powers that used to be his allies have utterly forsaken him. [Maglor & Ulmo, Ossë, Uinen]

✧˖ "You have mail (delivered by the Lord of Dreams himself)" for @i-did-not-mean-to

Irmo has a gift for Melkor. Melkor is not happy.

✧˖ "A New Age" for @ruiniel

[Dark cyber!Valar AU in which Melkor won the Dagor Dagorath and the Valar were captured, trapped in their fánar and twisted into new forms] They all were changed by Melkor's dark arts, and everything seems lost. Nienna, however, still has her brothers.

✧˖ "The Sorrows of Young Maedhros" for @goschatewabn

[Set during Maitimo's awkward teenage years] In which little brothers are exhausting, Fëanor and Nerdanel are trying their best and Maitimo just wants to keep a secret in peace.

✧˖ "Ineffable, Inconceivable Future" for @i-did-not-mean-to

Námo has a gift for Manwë - though is it quite what it appears to be?

✧˖ "They Loved Him For His Beauty" for @the-red-butterfly

Eärendil loses his ship during a storm, yet somehow wakes up very much alive. Who saved him? And how will he get to Valinor now?

✧˖ "Delightful Secret" for @sortumavaara

Celebrían has been turned into a man and intends to make use of it. Elrond finally admits to a certain secret fantasy he's always harboured. [Smut]

[niennawept]

Moonrise

Aredhel having a wistful moment under the stars, thinking of an earlier period in her life when she had more freedom.

(Maybe a touch of my Aredhel/Tilion agenda is showing here)

Submitted for Scribbles and Drabbles 2023 @fall-for-tolkien Do not copy or repost.

[elennalore]

The Start of the Journey

It is said that in her youth, Nerdanel loved to wander far from the dwellings of the Noldor.

My art for @fall-for-tolkien Scribbles & Drabbles 2023.

[heilith]

Sage Blossoms

Another something for Scribbles and Drabbles 2023, for this stunning piece of art (clicky) by @clumsycopy. This one suddenly grew into a longfic, so yeah...it's just the beginning. Buckle up, have a pleasant ride.

@fall-for-tolkien

Sage Blossoms, Part 1

Miserable and soaking wet.

Half-dressed. And sorely regretful no one was there to hear the cheerful rhythm your teeth were making in vain attempts to meet.

You could do with a laugh.

Or with an embrace.  

The drawbar had always been too heavy for you. You’d never been able to budge it on your own, not with your ludicrous bony hands.

The horses behind the thick oaken door were still raging. You prayed it was not a rat this time. That last incident with a parton’s horse cost the inn twice your yearly wage. You hadn’t had a new piece of cloth on you since.  

The rainwater was meandering down your face, sprouting new and new rivulets. The skin it touched was quickly turning numb.

The smell came first… A strange blend of dead embers and no longer living flesh. For an instant it seemed to you it was oozing from between the doors to the stables.

The thought of fire was far scarier than the thought of rats.

A horse inside let out a high-pitched shriek, making your hair stand on end.

You shrank back and choked on a short outcry at finding yourself locked between a pair of arms, reaching for the drawbar.  

The presence you’d collided with let out a sound, too, a something you could hear coming out of a mouth curled up in self-ridicule.

Strange as it was, it calmed you down.

A dozen years of serving lord and vagabonds had taught you to know a danger at the first syllable it sent in your direction.

The look you ventured at the man did nothing but add to your surmise. If anything, it was his slouching countenance that reassured you completely. That, and his eyes, the best feature on an otherwise unhandsome face.

He was holding your gaze silently, perhaps, waiting for you to be the first to say something.

It was hard to look away, no matter how troublesome a feeling the expression in his eyes was giving you. He knew exactly how much he had scared you, and what measure you had measured him with, and how by now you had no doubts that unsettling smell was coming off him, after all. And he was jeering at you, you could tell it for sure, in a way a wiseman could jeer at a baby trying to read its first word.

“Why you?” said he at last.

His voice had the same ashy quality to it as his whole self, as if his throat was burnt.  

“The grooms won’t return till the morning.”

The question brought you to the reality where your nightgown and the poor excuse of a shawl were still dripping with cold water and the horses were still going insane, shut in four walls with something that had scared them to death.

“I’m sorry, I have to…”

He didn’t let you finish.

The drawbar came out of the slots without a spare hitch. You couldn’t expect him to dispose of it with enough care, but he did, leaning the thing against the jamb in a weirdly habitual manner.

The dark mouth of the doorframe had swallowed him before you could utter a word of protest.

The beasts screamed so loud you jumped back faintheartedly, giving up the intention of following him.  

A century had passed in feverish struggle with yourself. You had to be there, and you had no courage to step over the threshold.

Your senses were strained to the limit that didn’t seem possible.

To your relief, little by little the clamour started dying down. The horses were falling silent one after another. First there were four of them, then two, then the last one sobbed quietly and all you could hear was a monotonous raspy whisper. Eventually it trailed off, too, leaving the rain the only thing to beget any sound at all.

There was a fresh cut on his cheek, when he stepped out into the yard again. In the scant moonlight the streaks of blood looked almost black to you.   

“Go back to bed, child,” dropped he without any feeling, “You do not wish to die in sickness.”

His breath was coming out weary, too weary for you not to put down your guard once more. With the sense you could find no name for you felt that whatever he had done had cost him more than it was worth.  And you deemed yourself guilty for that.

It was a silly move.

An obvious mistake.

The way his whole body convulsed at the touch of your shawl against his cheek made that clearer than daylight. In that brief moment your eyes met his again, there was such fury in them it made you nauseous.  

But you went on with it till you wiped away all the traces of blood and dirt and could be sure the wound was clean at least by the look.   

“Take care of it, please,” you said firmly.

The stables remained unlocked.

But you didn’t even think of it, as you turned away to leave.

[ruiniel]

Old-old-old Aragorn charcoal doodle submitted for Scribbles & Drabbles 2023

@fall-for-tolkien

[ela-draws]

The terrific duo and their immortal magical dog

Submitted for Scribbles & Drabbles 2023 @fall-for-tolkien

[solmarillion]

Annatar? More like...

Nyannatar ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ

Since catboy Sauron is pretty much canon, here's everyone's favorite little meow-meow Annatar in a cute pose for Celebrimbor, complete with a maid outfit!💕 How can anyone resist?

Drawn for Scribbles & Drabbles 2023 (@fall-for-tolkien). Look forward to reading @i-did-not-mean-to's fic when reveals are live!🐈