@sallysavestheday tagged me to share the closing sentences of my ten most recently posted fics -- a change from the usual opening lines game. This was fun to look at!

1. 'Slowly, I am borne by the mercy of cloud-gathering Manwë who rules on Taniquetil, as the isle of light is smoothed away, its song smothered by my song and the rhythm of the waves.' (Siren Song, 0.4k, Maglor)

2. No longer. (King's Ire, 0.3k, Elros & Maglor)

3. He stands, unheedful of the sharp pain in his leg, and makes for the stables. (Two Half-Kings and Full Lake Between Ch. 7, Fingolfin & Maglor)

4. It is not his silks, but Daeron for whom he hungers; Daeron who is his luxury, his comfort, his home. (His Luxury, 0.3k, Daeron/Maglor)

5. In a dark and distant voice, he said, “If I had held to our Oath, as they did, as our father made us swear, I would not have saved Elwing’s sons. I would have destroyed them.” (And Love Grew Ch. 4, WiP)

6. As he stands, his cheeks are streaked with the salt trails of his tears, blown back by the beat of the Eagle’s wings. (Not in Vain, 0.3k, Fingon)

7. “No, dear friend. You did not err. She and her descendants are worthy bearers of that blade.” (Worthy, 0.4k, Turgon)

8. “No doubt,” he said, “but it’s nice to hear it.” (Every inch of my love, 2.8k, E, Fingon/Maedhros)

9. Long after Maedhros’ car had rounded the street corner, Fingon stood, protected by his umbrella, staring at the glassy shimmer of the water on the street and breathing the fresh, damp scent of the beginning of spring. (Oh everybody waits so long, 8.1k, M, Fingon/Maedhros)

10. Ah — what poetic logic, Curufin thinks, and returns to his work. (What the Songs Say, 0.1k, Curufin & Maglor).

Patterns... not really sure. I think I end with dialogue more often than is perhaps "usual" in this fandom? I did notice two of these contain the fic title in the closing line :D.

1. There is no night without day nor day without night. (Of the Sun and Moon, 434 words, G, Arien & Tilion)

2. Nolofinwë smiles and kisses him. “I feel it in my heart, my love. This time, we will witness victory.” (Under Unclouded Stars, 2.2k, M, Fëanor/Fingolfin)

3. “Or everything.” Nolofinwë breathed out slowly. “If that is so, we must go at once. Let us not give word a chance to spread.” (Half-brother in blood, full lover in heart, Ch. 42, M, Fëanor/Fingolfin and Finwë's family as a whole)

4. Fëanáro hummed again and stood up without another word. He left as silently as he had come, but Nolofinwë didn't mind. His brother was special, he knew that. Nolofinwë fell asleep holding his new toys, which he treasured more than any jewels. (Tropical Latin American Advent Calendar, Ch. 25, G, Fëanor & Fingolfin)

5. Mistletoe grew all around the Last Homely House, and gentle snow started to fall, carpeting the valley in white, and making it very easy to call for mulled wine to chase off the cold. (Sleepless in Imladris: A Faerie Advent Calendar, Ch. 25, G, Rivendel & Mirkwood cast)

6. Con tanto que Nolofinwë se salvara, a Fëanáro no le importaba nada más. (Volver a empezar, 4k, E, Fëanor/Fingolfin)

7. “Nolofinwë and I were summoned to the Mahánaxar tomorrow eve.” (The dining room, 8.7k, T, Celebrimbor & Sons of Fëanor)

8. But Fingolfin didn’t answer. (Before the storm, 3.1k, G, Fingon & Fingolfin)

9. If this were to be Nolofinwë’s fate, it would also be his. (Faithfully, 2.6k, G, Finrod)

10. They definitely hadn’t seen the end of this! (Four is a feast, 5k, E, Anairë/Nerdanel/Fëanor/Fingolfin)

Tagged by @grundyscribbling

Not so sure right now about what my last ten works are exactly, to be honest, but let's just go by "last posted to AO3".

1. Finally, / let us go home to the Valley. (Come back to the Valley)

2. Erellont looks sideways at Aerandir’s rapt face and realizes she will be returning alone. (The Wave Warbled Under)

3. Oblivious, Telchar is not thinking of them, only of making Narsil the best of blades. (Tink-Tink)

4. Oderen cannot smooth any other roughness—the painfully jagged feelings of the survivors of the Second Kinslaying—but he can do that. (A Partial Smoothing)

5. An anniversary like theirs—twenty years since their first meeting—deserved to be celebrated with a gift and Celebrimbor had just the right nook in Narvi’s favourite cave in mind. (Such lamps as once shone in Khazad-dum)

6. It had been such a hot day, even in the Forostar, that the evening breeze revived rather than soothed. (Numenorean Lullaby)

7. ‘A coronet—no, thank you, I just want to learn how to make them!’ (Early Encounter)

8. He sang the memory of that old pain to rest. (A Special Find)

9. Their sights are set on the conquest of Valinor. (Do you cut down down blossoming trees in the spring for firewood?)

10. ‘Dwarf friend, can you ride?’ (Wingfeet: Racing across Ard-galen)

[I skipped Utumno here, because you can't really use a poem about fragmenting speech for this challenge.]

I suppose you can see that I used quite a lot of present tense recently and that I don't shy away from dashes, but I am not sure you can see anything that my closing lines have in common specifically?

SELFISH MACHINES // CLOSING LINES

Closing lines are just as important as opening lines, in my opinion, because this is the final chance for the author to leave an impression on the reader. You can have a phenomenal book but if the ending is garbage, your readers will be disappointed and every time they talk about the book, they’re likely to say something like, “It was good, but the ending was disappointing.” It’s like eating a…