MoonageMC

Saving my absolute favorite sketch that I did out of the bunch to post on my actual birthday!

King and consort Fili and Ori with their child!

Commission for @badgerandk

Thank you so much for commissioning me! <3

Ori who is an overworked, underpaid artist who makes a lot of illustrations for a large magazine. Not where he imagined his art degree would take him, but his elder brothers had always encouraged him to be both realistic and positive. His life was comfortable enough, he supposed. A dingy, miniscule apartment with a shitty roommate on one hand, but a lovely painting nook in his bedroom with natural lighting and fresh air on the other hand.

...And, every so often, enough pocket change to treat himself to a hot dirty chai. Almond milk with whipped cream, cinnamon on top. Just how he liked it. Just how he’d always had it since he started drinking coffee.

The building Ori worked in was large, modern, and brutalist; filled with people in suits that made Ori feel very out of place. His work didn't force him to dress a certain way but sometimes he felt wordlessly pressured to, his graphic tees standing out like a sore thumb amidst the sea of suits and ties.

The coffee kiosk, however, was an inviting little nook on the first floor. Ori didn't visit more often than once a month but his eyes always slid towards the delightful coffee smell source as he waited for his elevator.

Today was his day. He got to work an entire twenty minutes early to accommodate any kind of line at the kiosk. He didn't care his shoes had gotten wet nearly the moment he stepped outside his front door. He didn't care about his roommate saying he would be late for his portion of rent, again (well, actually, he did care about this part very much! But this could be dealt with later) because today was the day he got his drink!

When Ori got to the front of the kiosk line, he was momentarily stunned by the sight of the barista manning the register. Handsome and tan, he's wearing his golden hair in a ponytail save for two thin braids tucked behind his ears. His ears, which are adorned with several pretty little gold hoops. His smile is crooked and perfectly imperfect and suddenly Ori had forgotten his order.

"Good morning! What can I get started for you?"

"...Good morning." 

Silence. 

What the fuck was his order? Dirty chai. The barista had a pride flag pin on his apron. Didn't mean the guy was single. He also had a bunch of Star Trek and D&D pins. Meant the guy was at least a nerd. Ori’s kind of nerd. Ori wondered why couldn't he be someone who just liked black coffee? Almond milk. There were faint freckles on the barista's nose. Should he start with saying it was hot or cold, or perhaps by saying the size? Whipped cream, he needed to ask for whipped cream. 

Someone behind Ori cleared their throat.

"Have you been here before? Do you maybe want a suggestion of what to order? I know our menu is big." The barista spoke kindly, sympathetic to Ori's hesitation. His name badge said 'Fili' on it, written next to some silly anime stickers.

Decision paralysis was Ori's biggest enemy. Right behind his rent-forgetting roommate. He hated feeling pressured. "Sure." 

"I really like the frosted mocha with banana here! I add sprinkles on top, just because it really affirms to me I'm starting my day with a glorified, caffeinated milkshake. Unless you're more of a coffee purist...?" At the short shake of Ori's head, Fili grabbed a cup and began to write on it. "I'm sure you'll love it then!"

After Ori paid (grimacing that his order was more expensive and nowhere near what he wanted to get) Fili gave him another smile. "I'll get that right out for you."

Ori stood to the side, watching Fili make the drink. He regretted it immensely, wished he had taken just a moment longer to regulate himself and actually order what he wanted. Perhaps next time he would write the order out first and read it directly from his phone to keep his thoughts sorted. Though truly Ori knew why his brain had practically bluescreened, it was the fact that the barista was… beautiful.

Ori was not one to formulate attraction simply off of someone’s looks. Often it took a long time before he felt any sort of spark with someone. It wasn’t as if he was in love with the guy, but Ori was certainly intrigued. Similar interests, pretty face, kind smile. Fili hadn’t seemed like he was judging Ori at all, not for his hesitation or his clothes or even his slight bedhead. It was as nice as it was rare. 

“Large frosted banana mocha for Ori?” 

Ori was pulled back to reality when his order was called out. He was disappointed it was a different barista who was setting his drink out onto the pickup counter, but he took it with a ‘thank you’ anyways. Ori stuck a straw into his drink before he turned towards his elevator, joining the small crowd that was waiting for the next lift up. 

His eyes crept back towards the coffee kiosk. Fili was back at the register. It looked as if he was looking right at Ori…? Surely not.

And yet, he was! He waved goodbye to Ori enthusiastically, his crooked grin bright on his face. Ori gave a small wave of his own back, then lifted his cup in cheers. He still hadn’t taken a sip.

Ori suffered through the long lift up to the sixteenth floor. He always felt a little nauseous on the elevator first thing in the morning, but today he noticed it a little less. Much too preoccupied thinking about the pretty barista. 

He made his way to his desk, a tiny little rickety thing in the west corner of the floor. When he had settled in, his laptop booted up and his drawing tabled at the ready, he braved a sip of the frozen concoction. 

Fili had not been joking. It was a milkshake with caffeine. 

It was… disgusting. Much too sweet for Ori’s taste, and again he felt the sharp sting of regret. If only he had spoken up, he could have had his hot chai right now. What a waste of eight bucks- plus tip! 

With a sigh, Ori began his workday. He drank the drink, more so to avoid wasting food than out of a particular liking for the drink. 

When it finally was empty, Ori went to throw away the cup. The only thing that stayed his hand was his eye catching upon some writing on the plastic. 

‘Next coffee on me?’ It was written in fine, neat handwriting, then followed by a phone number and a doodled smiley face. 

Ori could hardly believe it! He dared a look across his office space and when he found no one was looking, he pulled out his phone. 

‘Hello’ read his first text. Then Ori’s brain caught up with his fingers and he realized how strange that text was alone. 

‘This is Ori.’ He continued to type, ‘I was your customer this morning. Thank you for the suggestion.’ 

No immediate response came. Eventually Ori was able to focus on his work, falling deep into his current assignments until a few hours had passed. Finally, his phone buzzed. 

‘Hi Ori! It's Fili. Thanks for trusting me. How did you like the mocha?’

Ori considered what to say. Often his brothers told him that he needed to work on his tone while he was typing. He didn’t disagree with them, he had heard that particular feedback often enough to know. He had to walk the fine line between honesty (He hated the mocha, every sip of it) and kindness (he would absolutely still try more of his suggestions in the future!) 

Finally, he shot a reply back that he thought was sufficient.

‘Why don’t I tell you about it when we get coffee?’

……………………………………………………………………………

(Two years, one month, and 6 days later…)

“Good morning sleepyhead,” Fili purred, draping himself over his still sleeping boyfriend and kissing him awake. 

“‘M up, ‘m up… Wha’s goin’ on?” 

Fili laughed, finding Ori terribly adorable when he was still half asleep. Ori was sleep-warm and wearing nothing but Fili’s oversized shirt from his football days, his hair messy. Just how Fili liked him. 

“Happy second anniversary, sweetheart. Got something for you,” Fili singsonged.

When Ori opened his eyes, he groaned. Fili had set a large frozen mocha on his bedside table. He sat up, reaching towards the drink.

“I’m kidding, that one’s mine,” Fili chuckled, and stopped Ori’s hand gently. Instead, he pressed a warm paper cup into Ori’s hand. His chai. “Just how you like it.”

“I love you,” Ori happily sighed. 

Maybe Ori meets Kili first in a shared class (college AU?) naturally Kili is a friendship magnet so he invites Ori to join his D&D group as they are about to start a new session! Not having made many friends yet, Ori agrees to join.

He meets Tauriel, Kili's girlfriend. Ori gives a shy wave and instantly feels welcomed by her grin. She's the group DM, so she sets into giving him the rundown on character creation while fiddling with a braid in her hair. "It's session zero, so we are just laying the groundwork for the story and getting your characters ready. What role do you like to play?"

Tauriel's foster brother Legolas watches over Ori's shoulder, giving pointed bits of advice that sounded a little rude but was friendly enough. It helped the advice was genuinely sound, guiding Ori on his statblock.

When he's just about set, Ori notices Legolas sit back and lean against Gimli, his boyfriend. Gimli also happens to be Kili's cousin and he's focused on rolling his dice to 'get all the bad rolls out'.

They can't play yet. "Fee is running late," Kili explains. "He said you can use some of his dice, just wait 'till he gets here. He's got a bunch of cool sets."

Ori doesn't really notice the dice though. Nevermind the homemade felt dice bag or the sparkly collection of dice, no. Ori is too busy looking at how pretty Fee- well, Fili- is. His wavy hair in a partial ponytail, his sweatshirt framing his shoulders nicely.

Hi Fíliori nation!

So, in true Hobbit fashion, it is my birthday this week and so, I commissioned my dear friend @youbetyourbuttons , who is an AMAZING AND STELLAR artist to do a piece based off of the version I wrote of Fíliori in Tender, With Teeth. Now, we have here the finished product, which is just the best thing ever and they did the most WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL job. If you haven't checked out their other work, please do!!!

(Buttons is also responsible for the Fem!Fíliori Little Mermaid AU art I commissioned back during Tolkien Sapphic September, too.)

Thank you so much @sunnyrosewritesstuff for creating this game, and for the tag! :)

Rules: Rec 3 completed works, 2 WIPs, and tell us about 1 new idea you have! Then tag 6 writer friends to do the same. (Note: if you have less than any of the required numbers, post what you have!)

3 Completed Works

For this, I chose one of my favorites from each of a range of word counts. I started with the largest word count and descended from there. :)

Tender, With Teeth

Rating: E

Word Count: 87,935

Summary:

What begins as Ori only intending to share a bed roll with Fíli for warmth one night, eventually turns into the acquaintances becoming curious about each other after, then falling in love over the course of the quest despite others wishing they would just leave each other be.

Meanwhile, Thorin is doing his best to be a good example for his eldest sister-son and not act on the urge to let himself be wrapped around one specific Hobbit Omega's fingers. However, he fails spectacularly.

The rest, as some say, is history.

2. Risen; Not From Ashes, But From Stone (Don't Worry Darling, I'm Coming Home)

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 35,435

Summary:

Lobelia befriends Bilbo after noticing that he isn't quite himself anymore, following his return to the Shire from his extended holiday away.

It is then that she realizes he's in mourning. While she could let that go, she decides instead to use a bit of hobbit magic to bring one dwarf king back from the dead.

3. Only You

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 9,105

Summary:

The line of Durin, save for Princess Dís, is considered to be quite ugly. King Thorin and Prince Kíli are happily married though, and so it is of little consequence to them both, years after the events of the Battle of the Five Armies.

Crown Prince Fíli, however, is another matter. He is unwed, and has been secretly pining for his best friend, Ori.

Ori, who along with his siblings, is considered to be the height of beauty. This mattered very little to the Master Scribe, until he overhears a few unsavory dwarrow speaking ill of the line of Durin, especially Fíli in particular. Fíli, who is his best friend, and a long held secret love of his.

Though not fond of large events, particularly balls, the youngest 'Ri decides it's finally time for him to go to one and attempt to save his best friend before it's too late.

2 WIPs

(This was a really hard choice for me, personally, because I have around 10 active WIPs posted on AO3, and I love each one of them for various reasons, or I wouldn't be writing them. However, I ended up choosing 2 that have wildly different word counts and scopes, for variety.)

Let Me Be Your Fire

Rating: E

Word count: 290,125 (32/75 chapters posted.)

Summary:

When Thorin's rule as King Under the Mountain comes into question 13 years after Erebor was reclaimed, Fíli alongside Ori step up to assure their restless kinfolk of the future of their reclaimed kingdom by offering to marry and produce the next in line to the Throne Under the Mountain.

While having known each other since they were pebbles, both Fíli and Ori will realize they have a lot to learn if their nascent friendship and arranged marriage have a chance of making it at all.

Can love grow amidst duty and remain, or was their idea all for naught?

ACT I: Twin Flames Coalesce - COMPLETE.

ACT II: Sparks Ignite - Chapter 33 to be posted on March 1st, 2026, as all of my open WIPs are paused for Fíliori Fest, in February. Further details in Ch. 32 author's note. Update schedule to slightly differ from there. Hope to see y'all then! <3

(Fic playlist is listed in the author's note in Chapter 1, for those interested. It is continuously updated with each new chapter posted, weekly.)

(Fanart now exists for Chapter 11, courtesy of usuallysublimepenguin on Tumblr! It is linked below the author's note in Chapter 1, and the image dropped at the end of Chapter 11 itself. <3)

2. Just A Kiss

Rating: M

Word Count: 5,985 (6/10 chapters posted. It's not meant to be a long fic.)

Summary:

A conversation in Bag-End before the Quest for Erebor occurs in earnest, leads to Ori's and Fíli's first kiss together.

As the journey continues on, that first kiss isn't the only thing that's unexpected.

OR: The Quest for Erebor, told through different types of Fíliori kisses.

(FANART is now linked at the end of Chapter 1, thanks to the amazing @Raithwithwings57 on Tumblr, and here on AO3!!!!!)

(I realized after making my list, all of the fics I chose have fan art attached to them. That was not intentional, but here we are. <3)

1 New Idea

Hooo boy. Okay. So, I have A LOT of these, all of the time.

However, one I have not yet mentioned here on Tumblr though was a bit of a brainchild from me discussing Fíliori and Kíliel related fics in the Acorn & Oak Leaves Discord server with Kaylessa, and from that I came up with a Ground Hog Day fic centered on platonic love between the brothers and their Ones; romantic love with Ori and Tauriel respectively.

So, the fic would be solely from Kíli's and Fíli's POVs, as they navigate constantly repeating a certain span of time. Only they know, but if either of them OR Tauriel and/or Ori dies, then everything resets.

Honestly, in general, centering more rarepairs, and fics with Fíli and Kíli is very important to me, so I am going to keep doing it. <3

they fell asleep by the campfire <3

big shoutout to @skatesfullofsunshine for cheering me on during every stage of the process for this drawing and a lot of my other stuff AND for being the supreme leader of the filiori nation (imo)

no colour ver. and ref under the cut :)

Fact: Fili got his flirting techniques from Thorin

Narcissa and Rabstan being besties cause like "our families are shit but like you're not too bad"

Frank and Alice being besties and everyone thinking they're dating but they're both really really gay.

Cissa and Alice simping for eachother while arguing while Frank and Bas are just standing there like "really??? In front of my cereal???"

Frank and Rabastan being like "my bestie is in love with your bestie so let's get along" and end up falling in love

Narcissa being forced to Lucius and Rabastan comes to the wedding and he fucking sobs, but not because "aww they're getting married" but because "fucking hell what about alice? What your love?" And Narcissa just fucking cheats on Lucius with Alice the entire time they're married and her and Lucius end up getting divorced sometime after Draco is born

Frank and Rabastan being the Fun Uncles