tolkienrsb

[tolkienrsb]

Sign-ups for the Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang 2024 are now open!

If you’re new here, TRSB  is a Tolkien-fandom-wide event celebrating the talent of our fanwork creators. Participating artists create a piece of art to be claimed by a signed up author. Authors will then write a 5k word fic based on the art they chose.

All sign-up forms are available here!

As well as signing up as an author and/or artist, you can sign up as a beta, cheerleader, pinch hitter, or treat maker.

Explanations of what all of these mean can be found in the relevant section of our FAQ.  Sign-ups for these roles will remain open for the duration of the event and will get you access to the gallery. However, you must be signed up as an author to claim.

Want to suggest a prompt to our artists? Our suggestions form will be open until May 14th.

Want to see what others have already suggested and get hyped with us? Check out our handy spreadsheet.

Questions? Visit our website, which has our FAQ and timeline all set out. 

Please be sure to familiarise yourself with the rules before signing up :) 

The event is open to all characters, genres and ratings, and all canons that fall under the Tolkien fandom umbrella. This includes movieverse (i.e. the LOTR and Hobbit trilogies), lesser known works by Tolkien (such as The Father Christmas Letters), and/or other works with a clear link to his life or creative output (for example, Tolkien's translations and academic texts, the 2019 Tolkien biopic, fan-made films like Born of Hope, and game canons such as The Lord of the Rings Online). Crossovers between two or more Tolkien canons are permitted.

We hope you're as excited as we are! We can't wait to see what you make.

-- The TRSB Mod Team

#tolkien fandom #silmarillion #tolkien #lotr #trsb24 #the hobbit #fandom event

[tolkienrsb]

Sign-ups for the Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang 2024 are now open!

If you’re new here, TRSB  is a Tolkien-fandom-wide event celebrating the talent of our fanwork creators. Participating artists create a piece of art to be claimed by a signed up author. Authors will then write a 5k word fic based on the art they chose.

All sign-up forms are available here!

As well as signing up as an author and/or artist, you can sign up as a beta, cheerleader, pinch hitter, or treat maker.

Explanations of what all of these mean can be found in the relevant section of our FAQ.  Sign-ups for these roles will remain open for the duration of the event and will get you access to the gallery. However, you must be signed up as an author to claim.

Want to suggest a prompt to our artists? Our suggestions form will be open until May 14th.

Want to see what others have already suggested and get hyped with us? Check out our handy spreadsheet.

Questions? Visit our website, which has our FAQ and timeline all set out. 

Please be sure to familiarise yourself with the rules before signing up :) 

The event is open to all characters, genres and ratings, and all canons that fall under the Tolkien fandom umbrella. This includes movieverse (i.e. the LOTR and Hobbit trilogies), lesser known works by Tolkien (such as The Father Christmas Letters), and/or other works with a clear link to his life or creative output (for example, Tolkien's translations and academic texts, the 2019 Tolkien biopic, fan-made films like Born of Hope, and game canons such as The Lord of the Rings Online). Crossovers between two or more Tolkien canons are permitted.

We hope you're as excited as we are! We can't wait to see what you make.

-- The TRSB Mod Team

#trsb24 #tolkien fandom event #tolkien fanart #tolkien fanfic #the hobbit #silmarillion #tolkien #lotr

[tolkienrsb]

We have been getting some questions about fic length from enthusiastic authors. We love to see it! 5k words is the minimum fic length. There is no maximum length, but if you find you have something much longer in mind, as a courtesy you can check in with your artist to make sure they're up for it/prepared, since they are responsible for reading and commenting.

Artists - if you have strong feelings about fic length, you can make a note in your DNWs.

Thanks!

Mod Fishing4Stars

#trsb23 #fandom event #tolkien reverse summer bang #mod post #trsb mod post

[tolkienrsb]

Sign-ups for the Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang 2024 are now open!

If you’re new here, TRSB  is a Tolkien-fandom-wide event celebrating the talent of our fanwork creators. Participating artists create a piece of art to be claimed by a signed up author. Authors will then write a 5k word fic based on the art they chose.

All sign-up forms are available here!

As well as signing up as an author and/or artist, you can sign up as a beta, cheerleader, pinch hitter, or treat maker.

Explanations of what all of these mean can be found in the relevant section of our FAQ.  Sign-ups for these roles will remain open for the duration of the event and will get you access to the gallery. However, you must be signed up as an author to claim.

Want to suggest a prompt to our artists? Our suggestions form will be open until May 14th.

Want to see what others have already suggested and get hyped with us? Check out our handy spreadsheet.

Questions? Visit our website, which has our FAQ and timeline all set out. 

Please be sure to familiarise yourself with the rules before signing up :) 

The event is open to all characters, genres and ratings, and all canons that fall under the Tolkien fandom umbrella. This includes movieverse (i.e. the LOTR and Hobbit trilogies), lesser known works by Tolkien (such as The Father Christmas Letters), and/or other works with a clear link to his life or creative output (for example, Tolkien's translations and academic texts, the 2019 Tolkien biopic, fan-made films like Born of Hope, and game canons such as The Lord of the Rings Online). Crossovers between two or more Tolkien canons are permitted.

We hope you're as excited as we are! We can't wait to see what you make.

-- The TRSB Mod Team

[tolkienrsb]

While submitting an art, what informations should go into the " Art prompt number"? And is the email of the mods the one that sends you the confirmation email after sign up?

Thanks for clarifying!

The art prompt number helps us keep track of how many art pieces you submit. So if this is the first piece you are submitting, then write Art #1, and if it's your second, Art #2.

Yes, the email you get your confirmation message from is the same email you can use to contact the mods. [email protected]

Thanks!

Mod Fishing4Stars

#trsb23 #fandom event #mod post

[tolkienrsb]

Hi there,

I had to drop out last year, can I still sign up this year?

Hi anon,

I'm sorry you had to drop out last year! So long as you dropped out before the cut off date and gave notice as we request in the rules, you can still sign up this year.

Would you please reach out to us at our gmail account so we can confirm for your specific situation? We won't share your information with anyone else.

[email protected]

Thank you!

Mod Fishing4Stars

#trsb23 #fandom event #mod post

[tolkienrsb]

Sign-ups for the Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang 2024 are now open!

If you’re new here, TRSB  is a Tolkien-fandom-wide event celebrating the talent of our fanwork creators. Participating artists create a piece of art to be claimed by a signed up author. Authors will then write a 5k word fic based on the art they chose.

All sign-up forms are available here!

As well as signing up as an author and/or artist, you can sign up as a beta, cheerleader, pinch hitter, or treat maker.

Explanations of what all of these mean can be found in the relevant section of our FAQ.  Sign-ups for these roles will remain open for the duration of the event and will get you access to the gallery. However, you must be signed up as an author to claim.

Want to suggest a prompt to our artists? Our suggestions form will be open until May 14th.

Want to see what others have already suggested and get hyped with us? Check out our handy spreadsheet.

Questions? Visit our website, which has our FAQ and timeline all set out. 

Please be sure to familiarise yourself with the rules before signing up :) 

The event is open to all characters, genres and ratings, and all canons that fall under the Tolkien fandom umbrella. This includes movieverse (i.e. the LOTR and Hobbit trilogies), lesser known works by Tolkien (such as The Father Christmas Letters), and/or other works with a clear link to his life or creative output (for example, Tolkien's translations and academic texts, the 2019 Tolkien biopic, fan-made films like Born of Hope, and game canons such as The Lord of the Rings Online). Crossovers between two or more Tolkien canons are permitted.

We hope you're as excited as we are! We can't wait to see what you make.

-- The TRSB Mod Team

#trsb24 #mod post #tolkien #silmarillion #the hobbit #lotr #tolkien fandom #fandom event

[tolkienrsb]

What type of file should art be in? Jpg, png?

You can use any format that can be attached to an email, since that's how art is submitted. jpg and png are the most common choices.

Thanks for the question!

#trsb23 #tolkien reverse summer bang #fandom event

[tolkienrsb]

Can I submit art as soon as the artists/writer submissions open?

Yes you can!

#trsb23 #tolkien reverse summer bang #fandom event #mod answers

[tolkienrsb]

I want to sign up as an artist and an author this year, but I’m not much of a traditional artist. Are moodboards, edits, and photo collabs counted as art?

Yes, you can submit moodboards, edits, and photo collabs! However, please note that AI art is not allowed in TRSB. Please make sure your mood boards and photo edits stick to movie/TV show screen shots, or use images that are available for free use. (Or your own photos!)

(Another note, we do not accept direct outputs from Picrew and Dollmaker games and plain screencaps from games and films.)

Thanks for the ask!

#trsb23 #tolkien reverse summer bang #mod answers

[tolkienrsb]

Suggestion form 2024 is live

Hey everyone!

The TRSB 2024 prompt suggestions form is now open. You can access it here!

We can’t wait to see all your ideas for this year! 

If you’re not familiar with this form, this is to submit ideas for art for this year, which artists can look through for inspiration. There’s no guarantee anyone will pick up your idea, and you’re not obligated to try to claim art that matches a prompt you submitted. 

We look forward to reading all your great suggestions and seeing your art - soon!

If you’re looking for the suggestions, this is the sheet for 2024!

~TRSB 2024 Mods

We loved hearing everyone’s responses to the question we asked last week about picking prompts! You are very welcome to keep adding to those answers. Here are some takeaways and themes we noticed:

Writers really want to work on ideas that their artists are excited about! Make art that you want to read stories about. Get ready to share your enthusiasm in September at reveals, if not earlier depending on collaboration level. 

Writers that replied were trending towards focusing on: 

Length. Keep in mind that writers need to write a 5k story for TRSB. This is 2x to 4x longer than what many people might consider a ‘one shot’. The idea needs to have some meat. On the other hand, complex AUs or stories with many characters might inspire stories that authors felt would need to be very long to get right. It looks like multiple writers are looking for story ideas between 5k and 20k words.

Favourite characters.

Fit:

Ideas that leave room for creativity but give an idea of whether they might vibe well with an artist. (Including notes in the DNWs and ‘must haves’.)

Artists with matching desires for collaboration levels. Writers’ preferences cover the whole range from hands off to high collaboration. The more open-ended a prompt is, the more collaboration it will likely require.

Writers that replied were not concerned about the following. (This is a very welcoming event for artists at all skill levels!)

How ‘good’, ‘polished’, ‘complex’, or ‘advanced’ a piece of art is. 

Digital versus traditional art.

#trsb24 #tolkien fandom event #tolkien #silmarillion #lotr #the hobbit #middle earth #tolkien fandom #tolkien art #fanfiction

[tolkienrsb]

Suggestion form 2024 is live

Hey everyone!

The TRSB 2024 prompt suggestions form is now open. You can access it here!

We can’t wait to see all your ideas for this year! 

If you’re not familiar with this form, this is to submit ideas for art for this year, which artists can look through for inspiration. There’s no guarantee anyone will pick up your idea, and you’re not obligated to try to claim art that matches a prompt you submitted. 

We look forward to reading all your great suggestions and seeing your art - soon!

If you’re looking for the suggestions, this is the sheet for 2024!

~TRSB 2024 Mods

We loved hearing everyone’s responses to the question we asked last week about picking prompts! You are very welcome to keep adding to those answers. Here are some takeaways and themes we noticed:

Writers really want to work on ideas that their artists are excited about! Make art that you want to read stories about. Get ready to share your enthusiasm in September at reveals, if not earlier depending on collaboration level. 

Writers that replied were trending towards focusing on: 

Length. Keep in mind that writers need to write a 5k story for TRSB. This is 2x to 4x longer than what many people might consider a ‘one shot’. The idea needs to have some meat. On the other hand, complex AUs or stories with many characters might inspire stories that authors felt would need to be very long to get right. It looks like multiple writers are looking for story ideas between 5k and 20k words.

Favourite characters.

Fit:

Ideas that leave room for creativity but give an idea of whether they might vibe well with an artist. (Including notes in the DNWs and ‘must haves’.)

Artists with matching desires for collaboration levels. Writers’ preferences cover the whole range from hands off to high collaboration. The more open-ended a prompt is, the more collaboration it will likely require.

Writers that replied were not concerned about the following. (This is a very welcoming event for artists at all skill levels!)

How ‘good’, ‘polished’, ‘complex’, or ‘advanced’ a piece of art is. 

Digital versus traditional art.

#trsb24 #tolkien fandom event #silmarillion #lotr #the hobbit #tolkien fandom #tolkien reverse summer bang

[tolkienrsb]

Suggestion form 2024 is live

Hey everyone!

The TRSB 2024 prompt suggestions form is now open. You can access it here!

We can’t wait to see all your ideas for this year! 

If you’re not familiar with this form, this is to submit ideas for art for this year, which artists can look through for inspiration. There’s no guarantee anyone will pick up your idea, and you’re not obligated to try to claim art that matches a prompt you submitted. 

We look forward to reading all your great suggestions and seeing your art - soon!

If you’re looking for the suggestions, this is the sheet for 2024!

~TRSB 2024 Mods

We loved hearing everyone’s responses to the question we asked last week about picking prompts! You are very welcome to keep adding to those answers. Here are some takeaways and themes we noticed:

Writers really want to work on ideas that their artists are excited about! Make art that you want to read stories about. Get ready to share your enthusiasm in September at reveals, if not earlier depending on collaboration level. 

Writers that replied were trending towards focusing on: 

Length. Keep in mind that writers need to write a 5k story for TRSB. This is 2x to 4x longer than what many people might consider a ‘one shot’. The idea needs to have some meat. On the other hand, complex AUs or stories with many characters might inspire stories that authors felt would need to be very long to get right. It looks like multiple writers are looking for story ideas between 5k and 20k words.

Favourite characters.

Fit:

Ideas that leave room for creativity but give an idea of whether they might vibe well with an artist. (Including notes in the DNWs and ‘must haves’.)

Artists with matching desires for collaboration levels. Writers’ preferences cover the whole range from hands off to high collaboration. The more open-ended a prompt is, the more collaboration it will likely require.

Writers that replied were not concerned about the following. (This is a very welcoming event for artists at all skill levels!)

How ‘good’, ‘polished’, ‘complex’, or ‘advanced’ a piece of art is. 

Digital versus traditional art.

#trsb24 #tolkien fandom event #silmarillion #lotr #the hobbit #tolkien fandom

[tolkienrsb]

TRSB 2023 Gallery Opening

& 2024 Schedule Premiere

It’s almost time for TRSB 2024! Sign ups for artists for TRSB 2024 open in a month. The full schedule for 2024 can be found here.

To start getting excited for this year’s event, please enjoy the opening of the TRSB 2023 Gallery (and the completion of the TRSB 2022 Gallery!) Many thanks to @usuallysublimepenguin for doing the lion’s share of the work to get both galleries ready and online and to @fishing4stars for supporting that effort!

Before the suggestions form opens on March 24th, we want to invite veteran participants to share their wisdom about the event. If you were speaking to someone curious about participating in TRSB for the first time, what would your advice be on picking what to draw? Or, as an author, what do you look for in a prompt? 

The mods have given their own answers under the cut. We can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

~TRSB Mods 2024

Mods answer the question:

Fishing4Stars (roles: artist, writer): As a writer I look for prompts that either give me a clear inspiration that I think matches the artist’s idea - or that leave me enough flexibility to write something I find inspiring. Either works! I do get inspired by my favorite characters, but the underlying idea can be a great source as well. I had a blast writing a story focused on Thorin last year even though he’s not a character I normally write for because the underlying prompt, about being an outcast and having a complex identity, inspired me. I loved working closely with the artist on this - I will probably make my ‘involvement level’ preference this year more specific, because I’d love to do that again.

I think my biggest takeaways as an artist after participating last year were: 

(1) Be a little selfish when picking prompts: As an artist, I’m responsible for supporting my writers and their works - whether cheerleading, brainstorming, beta reading, or hands off, my writer deserves for me to be excited to read their work in September and give them comments. So it’s to both our benefit for me to pick something I like and want to read. Last year I picked a prompt off the suggestions list that I normally wouldn’t have. It actually turned out really well and I had tons of fun reading it, but it did make me think about maybe giving slightly more personalized prompts this year. 

(2) Leaving room for collaboration can be fun: Both of the works I submitted last year were in mostly finished form. The bit of collaboration I got to do to adjust the work to the writer’s story was really fun, though. So this year I’m thinking about leaving some room for the writer to weigh in on the art.

Usuallysublimepenguin (role: artist): I’ve participated as an artist for a few years now and can warmly recommend joining, as it’s been such a joy every time.

Regarding the prompt list, I can certainly echo Fishing4Stars: draw something that you like! The list is great for sparking ideas, but be careful of picking the very specific ones; they might be something the prompter would want to read but not necessarily write. So, if it’s not something you want to draw, do not pick it. Use the list for inspiration, or if the list is too dauntingly large, go for something completely different from your own head.

My prompts have gone from quite detailed "Lothiriel, a new bride getting to know Éomer" to very open "here's one or two characters in a pose I wanted to draw; please fill in the blanks" or "Here's a landscape; please fill in the details." Keep in mind that the open prompts require quite high levels of collaboration, and that the stories might take you to new places you never even thought existed - but for me that works very well. Every single story that came from these prompts are dear to me. 

Ettelenë (roles: writer, sometimes artist). Since I am mainly a writer who sometimes draws, I tend to pick prompts that suit the characters or stories I want to tell. The first time I participated as a writer, it was with a prompt/character I never thought I would write about (mermaid Voronwë!), and, surprisingly, it was not the most challenging time. So, to start, writing or drawing something completely out of our comfort zones can actually draw people in. Nowadays, though, as I don't have much time to write a fully complex story with worldbuilding etc, I’ll go for the prompts that I am 100% sure I can bang 5k in the blink of an eye. As for drawings, I usually stick with what I do best, which is watercolor. And curiously enough, the two times I did art for TRSB, it was about the Valar, characters I mostly never write about, but who always spark my artistic creativity.

Raiyana (roles: writer): I have a tendency to fall in love with a piece or an idea and fall HARD… so far, happily, the artists have been pleased to have me write for them ;) And then I find that weird secondary prompt in the gallery, generally during second claims, that tickles Something. I usually filter out characters/ideas I definitely can’t do and then something or someone (often a co mod, actually) will challenge me to come up with a way to do a prompt and spark another fire of creativity ;). 

I never thought I’d be able to write a streamer script version of FoG, but here we are…

Lathalea (roles: writer, artist): When I joined TRSB for the first time, as a writer, I definitely felt overwhelmed with the size of the event and the amount of prompts, and then art pieces. It wasn’t easy to pick just one, so many of them screamed “pick me!”. I managed to narrow them down and mull over them for some time. I asked myself what ideas and parts of the Tolkien legendarium spoke to me the most, what “blank areas” of Middle Earth I would like to fill with my works, and how I wanted to do this. What I learned back then is that it worked for me best to focus on a very particular and narrow theme so that I could delve into proper worldbuilding – which is something I live for when it comes to Dwarves and their culture.

Finally, I chose the one that sparked the most creativity in me that year. I feel that for writers who decide to work on a specific art piece, prompts can be a great help, making you enrich your story or add a detail or two that you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. As a bonus, you get at least one very happy reader: the author of that specific prompt! 

One year later, I decided to submit art for TRSB because I liked the prompts so much – I just had to create a piece of visual art inspired by them. It resulted in a great cooperation that explored a completely new subject that I always wanted to focus on but never had a chance to do properly before.

Feel free to surprise yourself and pick prompts or ideas you haven’t worked on before, you never know what way your creativity will go!

Legolasbadass (roles: writer, artist): There are always too many great artworks, so I usually make a list of pieces I’d be most interested in writing for to help narrow down my choices. I look for ideas and characters I am most inspired by and comfortable writing about — though it can also be fun to step out of your comfort zone and try something new! Another really important thing for me is the collaboration level. I really enjoy brainstorming with the artist, sharing my progress with them, and getting regular feedback, so I tend to avoid choosing artists who prefer a less collaborative experience. 

When looking for inspiration for art, I usually look at the answers to the suggestions form as well as my personal list of prompts and pick an idea that I’d be most excited to share with someone. The collaborative aspect of the event is what excites and inspires me the most, so I tend not to submit an idea I feel too possessive of. I like working closely with an author and letting their vision inspire my art as much as my art will inspire their story.

#tolkien fandom event #fandom event #trsb23 #gallery #fanart #fanfic #tolkien #tolkien fanart #tolkien reverse summer bang #tolkien fanfiction

[tolkienrsb]

TRSB 2023 Gallery Opening

& 2024 Schedule Premiere

It’s almost time for TRSB 2024! Sign ups for artists for TRSB 2024 open in a month. The full schedule for 2024 can be found here.

To start getting excited for this year’s event, please enjoy the opening of the TRSB 2023 Gallery (and the completion of the TRSB 2022 Gallery!) Many thanks to @usuallysublimepenguin for doing the lion’s share of the work to get both galleries ready and online and to @fishing4stars for supporting that effort!

Before the suggestions form opens on March 24th, we want to invite veteran participants to share their wisdom about the event. If you were speaking to someone curious about participating in TRSB for the first time, what would your advice be on picking what to draw? Or, as an author, what do you look for in a prompt? 

The mods have given their own answers under the cut. We can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

~TRSB Mods 2024

Mods answer the question:

Fishing4Stars (roles: artist, writer): As a writer I look for prompts that either give me a clear inspiration that I think matches the artist’s idea - or that leave me enough flexibility to write something I find inspiring. Either works! I do get inspired by my favorite characters, but the underlying idea can be a great source as well. I had a blast writing a story focused on Thorin last year even though he’s not a character I normally write for because the underlying prompt, about being an outcast and having a complex identity, inspired me. I loved working closely with the artist on this - I will probably make my ‘involvement level’ preference this year more specific, because I’d love to do that again.

I think my biggest takeaways as an artist after participating last year were: 

(1) Be a little selfish when picking prompts: As an artist, I’m responsible for supporting my writers and their works - whether cheerleading, brainstorming, beta reading, or hands off, my writer deserves for me to be excited to read their work in September and give them comments. So it’s to both our benefit for me to pick something I like and want to read. Last year I picked a prompt off the suggestions list that I normally wouldn’t have. It actually turned out really well and I had tons of fun reading it, but it did make me think about maybe giving slightly more personalized prompts this year. 

(2) Leaving room for collaboration can be fun: Both of the works I submitted last year were in mostly finished form. The bit of collaboration I got to do to adjust the work to the writer’s story was really fun, though. So this year I’m thinking about leaving some room for the writer to weigh in on the art.

Usuallysublimepenguin (role: artist): I’ve participated as an artist for a few years now and can warmly recommend joining, as it’s been such a joy every time.

Regarding the prompt list, I can certainly echo Fishing4Stars: draw something that you like! The list is great for sparking ideas, but be careful of picking the very specific ones; they might be something the prompter would want to read but not necessarily write. So, if it’s not something you want to draw, do not pick it. Use the list for inspiration, or if the list is too dauntingly large, go for something completely different from your own head.

My prompts have gone from quite detailed "Lothiriel, a new bride getting to know Éomer" to very open "here's one or two characters in a pose I wanted to draw; please fill in the blanks" or "Here's a landscape; please fill in the details." Keep in mind that the open prompts require quite high levels of collaboration, and that the stories might take you to new places you never even thought existed - but for me that works very well. Every single story that came from these prompts are dear to me. 

Ettelenë (roles: writer, sometimes artist). Since I am mainly a writer who sometimes draws, I tend to pick prompts that suit the characters or stories I want to tell. The first time I participated as a writer, it was with a prompt/character I never thought I would write about (mermaid Voronwë!), and, surprisingly, it was not the most challenging time. So, to start, writing or drawing something completely out of our comfort zones can actually draw people in. Nowadays, though, as I don't have much time to write a fully complex story with worldbuilding etc, I’ll go for the prompts that I am 100% sure I can bang 5k in the blink of an eye. As for drawings, I usually stick with what I do best, which is watercolor. And curiously enough, the two times I did art for TRSB, it was about the Valar, characters I mostly never write about, but who always spark my artistic creativity.

Raiyana (roles: writer): I have a tendency to fall in love with a piece or an idea and fall HARD… so far, happily, the artists have been pleased to have me write for them ;) And then I find that weird secondary prompt in the gallery, generally during second claims, that tickles Something. I usually filter out characters/ideas I definitely can’t do and then something or someone (often a co mod, actually) will challenge me to come up with a way to do a prompt and spark another fire of creativity ;). 

I never thought I’d be able to write a streamer script version of FoG, but here we are…

Lathalea (roles: writer, artist): When I joined TRSB for the first time, as a writer, I definitely felt overwhelmed with the size of the event and the amount of prompts, and then art pieces. It wasn’t easy to pick just one, so many of them screamed “pick me!”. I managed to narrow them down and mull over them for some time. I asked myself what ideas and parts of the Tolkien legendarium spoke to me the most, what “blank areas” of Middle Earth I would like to fill with my works, and how I wanted to do this. What I learned back then is that it worked for me best to focus on a very particular and narrow theme so that I could delve into proper worldbuilding – which is something I live for when it comes to Dwarves and their culture.

Finally, I chose the one that sparked the most creativity in me that year. I feel that for writers who decide to work on a specific art piece, prompts can be a great help, making you enrich your story or add a detail or two that you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. As a bonus, you get at least one very happy reader: the author of that specific prompt! 

One year later, I decided to submit art for TRSB because I liked the prompts so much – I just had to create a piece of visual art inspired by them. It resulted in a great cooperation that explored a completely new subject that I always wanted to focus on but never had a chance to do properly before.

Feel free to surprise yourself and pick prompts or ideas you haven’t worked on before, you never know what way your creativity will go!

Legolasbadass (roles: writer, artist): There are always too many great artworks, so I usually make a list of pieces I’d be most interested in writing for to help narrow down my choices. I look for ideas and characters I am most inspired by and comfortable writing about — though it can also be fun to step out of your comfort zone and try something new! Another really important thing for me is the collaboration level. I really enjoy brainstorming with the artist, sharing my progress with them, and getting regular feedback, so I tend to avoid choosing artists who prefer a less collaborative experience. 

When looking for inspiration for art, I usually look at the answers to the suggestions form as well as my personal list of prompts and pick an idea that I’d be most excited to share with someone. The collaborative aspect of the event is what excites and inspires me the most, so I tend not to submit an idea I feel too possessive of. I like working closely with an author and letting their vision inspire my art as much as my art will inspire their story.

#tolkien #silmarillion #lotr #the hobbit #tolkien event #middle earth #jrr tolkien

[tolkienrsb]

Hi! I didn't see this in the FAQs, but I wanted to ask if you are allowing AI-generated works, either for artists or authors? As an artist, I'd like to know that authors will be putting the effort to a collaboration themselves, not handing it off to a computer to do it for them. Could this be clarified in the rules? Thanks!

Thanks for the question, anon! We absolutely agree: neither AI fic or AI art will be allowed to be submitted to TRSB. We'll add that to the rules and FAQ so that's clear. Thanks for the suggestion!

#trsb24 #tolkien reverse summer bang

[tolkienrsb]

TRSB 2023 Gallery Opening

& 2024 Schedule Premiere

It’s almost time for TRSB 2024! Sign ups for artists for TRSB 2024 open in a month. The full schedule for 2024 can be found here.

To start getting excited for this year’s event, please enjoy the opening of the TRSB 2023 Gallery (and the completion of the TRSB 2022 Gallery!) Many thanks to @usuallysublimepenguin for doing the lion’s share of the work to get both galleries ready and online and to @fishing4stars for supporting that effort!

Before the suggestions form opens on March 24th, we want to invite veteran participants to share their wisdom about the event. If you were speaking to someone curious about participating in TRSB for the first time, what would your advice be on picking what to draw? Or, as an author, what do you look for in a prompt? 

The mods have given their own answers under the cut. We can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

~TRSB Mods 2024

Mods answer the question:

Fishing4Stars (roles: artist, writer): As a writer I look for prompts that either give me a clear inspiration that I think matches the artist’s idea - or that leave me enough flexibility to write something I find inspiring. Either works! I do get inspired by my favorite characters, but the underlying idea can be a great source as well. I had a blast writing a story focused on Thorin last year even though he’s not a character I normally write for because the underlying prompt, about being an outcast and having a complex identity, inspired me. I loved working closely with the artist on this - I will probably make my ‘involvement level’ preference this year more specific, because I’d love to do that again.

I think my biggest takeaways as an artist after participating last year were: 

(1) Be a little selfish when picking prompts: As an artist, I’m responsible for supporting my writers and their works - whether cheerleading, brainstorming, beta reading, or hands off, my writer deserves for me to be excited to read their work in September and give them comments. So it’s to both our benefit for me to pick something I like and want to read. Last year I picked a prompt off the suggestions list that I normally wouldn’t have. It actually turned out really well and I had tons of fun reading it, but it did make me think about maybe giving slightly more personalized prompts this year. 

(2) Leaving room for collaboration can be fun: Both of the works I submitted last year were in mostly finished form. The bit of collaboration I got to do to adjust the work to the writer’s story was really fun, though. So this year I’m thinking about leaving some room for the writer to weigh in on the art.

Usuallysublimepenguin (role: artist): I’ve participated as an artist for a few years now and can warmly recommend joining, as it’s been such a joy every time.

Regarding the prompt list, I can certainly echo Fishing4Stars: draw something that you like! The list is great for sparking ideas, but be careful of picking the very specific ones; they might be something the prompter would want to read but not necessarily write. So, if it’s not something you want to draw, do not pick it. Use the list for inspiration, or if the list is too dauntingly large, go for something completely different from your own head.

My prompts have gone from quite detailed "Lothiriel, a new bride getting to know Éomer" to very open "here's one or two characters in a pose I wanted to draw; please fill in the blanks" or "Here's a landscape; please fill in the details." Keep in mind that the open prompts require quite high levels of collaboration, and that the stories might take you to new places you never even thought existed - but for me that works very well. Every single story that came from these prompts are dear to me. 

Ettelenë (roles: writer, sometimes artist). Since I am mainly a writer who sometimes draws, I tend to pick prompts that suit the characters or stories I want to tell. The first time I participated as a writer, it was with a prompt/character I never thought I would write about (mermaid Voronwë!), and, surprisingly, it was not the most challenging time. So, to start, writing or drawing something completely out of our comfort zones can actually draw people in. Nowadays, though, as I don't have much time to write a fully complex story with worldbuilding etc, I’ll go for the prompts that I am 100% sure I can bang 5k in the blink of an eye. As for drawings, I usually stick with what I do best, which is watercolor. And curiously enough, the two times I did art for TRSB, it was about the Valar, characters I mostly never write about, but who always spark my artistic creativity.

Raiyana (roles: writer): I have a tendency to fall in love with a piece or an idea and fall HARD… so far, happily, the artists have been pleased to have me write for them ;) And then I find that weird secondary prompt in the gallery, generally during second claims, that tickles Something. I usually filter out characters/ideas I definitely can’t do and then something or someone (often a co mod, actually) will challenge me to come up with a way to do a prompt and spark another fire of creativity ;). 

I never thought I’d be able to write a streamer script version of FoG, but here we are…

Lathalea (roles: writer, artist): When I joined TRSB for the first time, as a writer, I definitely felt overwhelmed with the size of the event and the amount of prompts, and then art pieces. It wasn’t easy to pick just one, so many of them screamed “pick me!”. I managed to narrow them down and mull over them for some time. I asked myself what ideas and parts of the Tolkien legendarium spoke to me the most, what “blank areas” of Middle Earth I would like to fill with my works, and how I wanted to do this. What I learned back then is that it worked for me best to focus on a very particular and narrow theme so that I could delve into proper worldbuilding – which is something I live for when it comes to Dwarves and their culture.

Finally, I chose the one that sparked the most creativity in me that year. I feel that for writers who decide to work on a specific art piece, prompts can be a great help, making you enrich your story or add a detail or two that you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. As a bonus, you get at least one very happy reader: the author of that specific prompt! 

One year later, I decided to submit art for TRSB because I liked the prompts so much – I just had to create a piece of visual art inspired by them. It resulted in a great cooperation that explored a completely new subject that I always wanted to focus on but never had a chance to do properly before.

Feel free to surprise yourself and pick prompts or ideas you haven’t worked on before, you never know what way your creativity will go!

Legolasbadass (roles: writer, artist): There are always too many great artworks, so I usually make a list of pieces I’d be most interested in writing for to help narrow down my choices. I look for ideas and characters I am most inspired by and comfortable writing about — though it can also be fun to step out of your comfort zone and try something new! Another really important thing for me is the collaboration level. I really enjoy brainstorming with the artist, sharing my progress with them, and getting regular feedback, so I tend to avoid choosing artists who prefer a less collaborative experience. 

When looking for inspiration for art, I usually look at the answers to the suggestions form as well as my personal list of prompts and pick an idea that I’d be most excited to share with someone. The collaborative aspect of the event is what excites and inspires me the most, so I tend not to submit an idea I feel too possessive of. I like working closely with an author and letting their vision inspire my art as much as my art will inspire their story.

#tolkien fandom event #trsb24 #tolkien reverse summer bang #tolkien fanart