All Elfslash stories set in Tolkien's Middle-earth are welcome, with a few noted exceptions.  All Elfslash fic (slash fic with at least 1 Elf in the main pairing) may be submitted; the archivist's personal reading preferences are not a factor.   I do ask that there be no Elf/Hobbit submissions; it being one of my squicks, I couldn't even format one of those for the site.  Other than that, any pairing is fine.  However, no living real person is to be used as a character.  No actors from the movie(s) are to be included as characters in fanfic works included here, nor are other real persons.  In other words, please don't use your ex-best friend as the archvillian, and don't write yourself or your friends into the story (Mary-Sues).  Original characters (OCs) are allowed, but will not be posted if they drift into the realm of the Mary-Sue.  Real life is great inspiration for fiction, but avoiding hurt feelings and libel lawsuits is best for all.

X-Over stories need to be marked as such.    Warnings of content that may be offensive to some readers (such as Character Death (for those characters who aren't *supposed* to die), BDSM, graphic sex/violence; harsh language; het content; etc.) is a good idea.  Warning readers of characters wearing white shoes after Labor Day would be a bit much.  ;-) Telling readers who is involved with who (pairings) can be a good idea, if it is not a spoiler for the story.  In any case, if you need guidance e-mail the archivist after reading this page completely.

All stories are stored on site as text files.  It makes upkeep of this site  simpler, and takes up less space.  Most stories are stored as single files, to make it easier to download an entire story for those readers who have limited access to the web, unless the filesize is too large, in which case the fic will be broken up into parts. WIPs may also be stored as separate files, then merged into one once it's completed.

If you do not want to have your story included, please consider  submitting the url of your site for the links page. If you have an issue with some aspect of the site, contact me with your concerns.  If your story is already on another archive, still feel free to submit the story here. The entire purpose of this site is to make it easier for Elfslash readers to find the stories.  There is no other agenda. :-)

To submit your story, you can either e-mail it to me following the formatting suggestions on this page (and including the archive information, or include "Archive: Melethryn" in the headers of the story on a mailing list that I am subscribed to.  

Title:
Author(s):
Email:
Pairing:
Rating:
Summary:
Series/sequel:
Genre:
Warnings:
Author's Notes:

The title of your story. If this is a new story, you might check that there are no other stories by the same name. Having a unique story name will help readers heading to your story via recommendations from others.  There is no ban from using a similar or the same title, it's just better if your title is unique.  [Back]

Your name or pen-name as well as the names of any co-authors.  If the story is written by multiple authors I need to know I have permission of all authors of the story (each contacting me via e-mail is preferred), and be sure to give e-mail addresses to send feedback to for all authors.  [Back]

Your e-mail address that you want readers to send feedback to. Please, double-check your typing!  And if you do receive feedback, especially positive feedback, it is polite to respond to the sender with a short Thank You note.  [Back]

Pairings are to help readers know which characters are romantically involved.  For example: Elladan/Elrohir, Legolas/Aragorn, Elrond/Glorfindel.  [Back]

Ratings of stories do more than help parents monitor their children's reading. They help readers in choosing the story that best fits the mood they are in to read.

For ratings, I look to the ratings guidelines that have been posted at the Library of Moria site:


G	Very clean, as in no strong language, no violence, and nothing beyond a very innocent kiss or two.
PG	Still pretty clean, with nothing past kissing and implied ('fade to black') sex, but it can contain mild violence or the occasional swear word.
PG13	Sexual thoughts and making out is okay, but no actual sex scenes. Can also contain strong language and non-sexual violence.
R	This is a good rating for fic in which there are full sex scenes, but they're not explicitly detailed. Almost all levels of violence and language can be covered by an R rating.
NC17	The equivalent of the old 'X' rating. You'll probably know when your fic requires an NC17. *g*
	[Back]

Summaries help readers navigate the site more quickly, and can help draw more readers to the story. You want to use this to help give people an idea about what will occur in your storyand to include a hook that will convince them to read it. You must provide a summary if you wish there to be a summary, if you need help ask a friend who has read the story, or your beta reader, if you used one. :)  [Back]

This helps readers with the continuity of your stories.  [Back]

While not necessary, a genre listing is probably a good idea. Examples of genres are: Angst, Drama, Humor, Romance, etc. Genre listings help when the reader has a craving for a certain kind of fic, like humor or angst, and it isn't always easy to tell by the title what genre the story is going to be.  [Back]

These are to help protect you from flamers, and sensitive readers from content they would prefer to avoid at the time they are reading.  For example, if someone close to the reader died, the reader might want to avoid stories where characters die, or if the reader is at work on a break he or she would probably not read a BDSM story. These can also draw in readers who say need a cathartic moment, or want to see a character having a little rough fun.   Some examples of potential warnings are: Character Death, BDSM, graphic sex, harsh language, extreme violence, rape, incest, etc.  [Back]

Please send your stories in text format, with a blank line between each paragraph, in the body of an email.  Text formatting does not allow for the use of italics or boldface font, so use symbols to indicate your meaning, such as: asterisks (*) or slashes(/).   The important part here is to be consistent.  If you are using Word to type your story please turn off automatic formatting (such as smartquotes) before you start to type. 

I am subscribed to many Lord of the Rings lists, so if you have posted your story to a list I may already have a copy. If you included "Archive: Melethryn" in the headers of the story on a mailing list, and I haven't archived it after 2 weeks or so, please e-mail me.  [Back]

As always, I am more than happy to discuss any issues you may have.

Please keep in mind I need anywhere between a couple of days to two weeks, depending on how many stories I've received, to get your story up. :-)

SkyFire (Melethryn Archivist)
Email me! :)