#trsb promo post

[curiouselleth]

I'm thrilled to to share my @tolkienrsb collaboration with @naryaflame! Narya's fic features "elven social history, in-world meta, and an OC scholar learning more than he bargained for!" It is absolutely AMAZING, check it out!

A chance encounter in the library leads a young scholar to friends and discoveries he didn't expect.

Rating: Teen and up audiences

Warnings: No archive warnings apply

Relationships: Minor or background relationships

Characters: Original character(s), Caranthir, Finrod

Word count: 6,054

Read it here on Ao3!

And you can find the full artwork, "Untitled Map of Beleriand" here!

[i-did-not-mean-to]

TRSB24 - The Hunt

Artist: @ismeneee (Art Link; go comment and reblog!!!)

Author: @i-did-not-mean-to

Rating: T

Words: 5,1k

Pairing: Celegorm & Curufin

In a mad dash through the forest, Celegorm and Curufin do their best to win the familial hunting contest. Will their ingenuity and complicity prevail?

A story of fraternal trust, self-doubt, and ambition focusing on these two sly savages.

Link: The Hunt

(The fics will be revealed on the 6th of September, please be patient)Hint

[maironsbigboobs]

View the full art by @bloodwingblackbird here!

from flowering niphredil

- a @tolkienrsb fic by ohboromir (@maironsbigboobs)

and there in the forest of Neldoreth Lúthien was born, and the white flowers of niphredil came forth to greet her as stars from the earth Lúthien, and how the world sees her.

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 7015

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen & F/F

Relationships: Lúthien & Melian ,Thingol & Lúthien, Galadriel/Lúthien, Galadriel & Lúthien

Additional Tags: Character Study, Light Luthien/Galadriel

[searchingforserendipity25]

LESSONS OF THE SEA | by @searchingforserendipity25

Art: Sun-Kissed | by the wonderful @maglorslostsilmaril

for: TRSB23 @tolkienrsb.

Rating: General. 15,598 words.

Characters & Main Relationships: Elrond & Finrod & Maglor, Elrond/Celebrían, Elrond & Elros. Ulmo.

Warnings: Grief, mentions of character death.

Newly arrived to Valinor, Elrond Peredhel reunites with his family, meets distant cousins and takes up sailing. (Far away in Ulmo’s forbidden waters, rumours of a strange song and a stranger light have grown through the centuries. It is perhaps time to put the past to rest, or at least prove the mariners' legends wrong or right for once.)

[darthrevaan]

Title: when you’re lost, you’ll be at home Rating: G Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Tags: Worldbuilding, First Meetings, Getting to Know Each Other, Falling In Love Relationships: Aredhel/Eöl Characters: Aredhel, Eöl Word Count: 5.6k Summary:

Lost in the darkness of Nan Elmoth, Aredhel comes upon the secret, quiet halls of Eöl. As she explores the depths of the forest, she discovers the unique ways of the people here - and of their master.

Read the fic here on AO3!

See the full art here on tumblr!

Fic by platinum_firebird

Art by @toastedbuckwheat

Created for the Tolkien Reverse Summer Big Bang! @tolkienrsb

[an-eldritch-peredhel]

The Icon of Eönwë- TRSB Process Post

See the promo post here!

Above the cut is a relatively brief explanation of symbolism, design choices, and everything re: the text. Under the cut is the full (long) story of how I managed to create my magnum opus, + process pics!

Very early in my days as a Silm fan I read a silly summary of the Silmarillion and in the summary of the maiar I somehow completely misread it as saying Eönwë had indigo skin and my Eönwë has been blue ever since. The bird characteristics followed naturally from his service to Manwë, though I kept him fairly humanoid because I imagine as herald he interacts more with Incarnates than other Maiar.

His hair and the color of his wings mostly stemmed from my vague annoyance that he's rarely depicted in a "traditionally (religiously) angelic" way, so I gave him the features of the angels in my church. Floofy hair and golden brown-red-blue wings. The armor and clothing followed from this, with the bonus of the scale armor continuing the feather motif.

The ruby on the sword pommel is there because there was no other red in the composition besides the wings and it looked unbalanced. This icon was painted prior to the War of Wrath, so it isn't necessarily Manwë's sword that he uses during it.

The position his hand is in is a priest's blessing, though people in the @tolkienrsb discord mentioned it reminded them of Buddhist hand forms as well. Interpret it however you will within the meaning of "Peace be unto all".

The Sarati was deliberately chosen as the older form of writing, to be more traditional, and the words are Valarin as I think suits a religious artifact. The transcription reads:

Mayâz Manal Iȝônowêz (Maia-holy Eönwë -> Holy Maia Eönwë) Akesa Baradâš Mânawenûz-iyôz (Voice-raised/high Manwë-of -> High Voice [Herald] of Manwë)

It all started last March, when (instead of doing all the overdue assignments I should have been working on) I decided to draw Eönwë for no particular reason. I further decided that I was going to draw him in the style of Eastern Orthodox/Byzantine icons, because the style is unique, thematically relevant, and frankly very underutilized in fanart (I would soon learn why that is).

(I also found it funny to draw a character made by Tolkien- devoted Catholic- in the Orthodox style.)

I kinda-good-enough finished it over spring break, desperately ignoring the sword and the wings, and was reminded of the existence of TRSB. I wanted to participate, knew I wouldn't have the energy to write, and had no other art in a good enough state to submit. I've long wanted to explore the weirdness of religion in Arda, and this was the perfect opportunity.

The lovely @goschatewabn claimed my sketch and I was off! And then I wasn't.

I decided that there was no way to do my vision justice without painting it, that my cheap sketchbook would not hold up to that, and that I would rather stab myself than transfer the drawing to a canvas.

"Hmm" I thought, "Icons are traditionally painted on wood. Maybe I should get a piece of wood from the neighborhood workshop, cut out the sketch, and glue it on there to paint."

"That's a brilliant idea, me," I thought, "But what about the wings (which you haven't drawn) and the sword (which you haven't drawn)?"

"I'm in denial," I thought, "So please shut up. That's a problem for future me."

("Fuck you," thinks future me, repeatedly and with great vigor, ever increasing in wrath as I must spend ~20 hours sketching out and then painting the wings before I do anything I actually want to do because I need to glue Eönwë down over them.)

The wood is successfully found, cut to size (shout out my father for his help), sanded, and conditioned over the course of an afternoon. White acrylic paint and modpodge are obtained from the craft store (shout out my mother for going, I asked for gesso but they didn't have any), and the wood is generously modpodged to seal it because I didn't want to shell out the money for sealant.

See above for my suffering re: wings. I wanted to violently destroy every art supply in the house rather than go through sketching the individual feathers. I bravely restrained myself, and allowed myself the brief reprieve of figuring out how to do the halo.

Not wanting to buy gold acrylic paint, and with my metallic markers working poorly on the wood, I came to the solution of mixing mica powder (that my sister had in excess from her slime-making phase) mixed with modpodge. The result is very very golden and shiny and exactly what I was looking for, though it's difficult to get an even and smooth consistency.

"Hmm," I thought, as I cut out my sketch and glued it down, "maybe it would be a good idea to sketch out the sword now, before I start painting,"

"I'm in denial", I thought, "And besides, we just suffered through doing the wings. We deserve a little break. That's a problem for future me."

("Fuck you," thinks future me, repeatedly and with increasing desperation and devastation as I must sketch out a decent looking sword, fold it to cut it out to be symmetrical, and line it up with his hand so I can perfectly cut out a section of the handle, and the two pieces must then be glued on perfectly.")

It's now relevant to mention that traditionally, icons are painted dark to light. Symbolically this represents the triumph of good over sin, etc, but practically this is a key to the style, as the previous layers build up undertones and also allows for the signature shading style. It also takes much more work to build up a good color, even using fairly decent paint.

(What brand, you ask? Well it came in an art kit I got when I was like 15 and forgot about until the start of the summer. So no idea.)

Was it worth the work? Yes. The final piece looks cool as hell (Valinor?). Am I mad about it? Also yes.

Painting the individual scales of the armor was an exercise in patience and withstanding torture for extended periods of time. It was done over the course of three days, totaling around 10 hours. I mixed mica into the paints and then sealed it with a less intense mica-modpodge mixture, which is very difficult to appreciate in photo but looks fantastic irl.

The clothes were difficult because I had to work with a different style than I had been. Feathers are typically rendered in a more graphic style, as in my piece, and while hair is usually shaded more typically I found a few examples of this style, and the armor was similar. But now I had to do folds and actual shading, which is very difficult when you have a large area and very fast-drying acrylic. On the other hand, I was finally free of all the golds, browns, and yellows. I was so sick of them by then.

(The way I got around the fast-drying on the palette was by DIYing a wet palette. They're magical. You just stick wet paper towels in a tupperware and cover them with a layer or two of parchment paper (or wax paper in a pinch, although I poked some holes on the bottom layer because it's more water-resistant) and it will keep the paint wet for ages- even for a few weeks in my case with the lid on.)

It's at this point that progress halted because I had to pack for returning to college, and get a tattoo, and get horribly sick with a headcold, not in that order. My event partner was very patient with me, which I appreciate more than I can say. Once I was settled in to my new environment, though, I got right back to working

The skin was not extremely difficult to paint in and of itself (the shading and color mixing was fairly straightforward), but all the tiny, finicky details were very stress inducing. I used a teeny tiny nail art brush for details, and even that felt too big at some points (cough EARS AI VALAR THE EARS WERE SO HARD cough). Going around all the tiny feathers on the face and ears was an exercise in holding my breath and using every possible technique to steady my hands. Getting the hand right was also difficult, but fortunately they already look weird in the style, so it was just a matter of making them look weird in a deliberate-looking way.

Besides the text (and last-minute inclusion of the ruby in the pommel- I woke up and decided it needed the contrast) the eyes were the last thing I painted. It felt fitting. I poured my blood (achey back+hands+legs) sweat (I sanded the wood outside on a very hot afternoon) and tears (stress) into him, and in return on this 9"x13"x1/3" sheet of wood he came alive for me, and hopefully for you too. He isn't perfect, there are a few things that in retrospect I would've done differently, but he's the best I've got. I hope I did the High-Voice of Manwë justice.

[sortumavaara]

TRSB23 PROMO TIME #45 Insomnia/Break

First of my trsb arts of this year

Fic "I won't let you fall tonight" by ThatOneTimetraveller on ao3 (it's great shh) -> LINK

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Fandoms: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types,The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien,The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien Relationships: Erestor/Glorfindel (Tolkien),Elrond Peredhel & Erestor & Glorfindel Characters: Erestor (Tolkien),Glorfindel (Tolkien),Elrond Peredhel Additional Tags: TRSB2023,art#45,Insomnia,Burn Out,Enemies to Friends to Lovers,Nightmares,Idiots in Love,Anxiety,Sleepwalking,Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD,blizzard imagery,Dissociation,references to reincarantion,Sharing a Bed,Cuddling & Snuggling,Panic Attacks,Feelings Realization,Denial of Feelings,Ambiguous/Open Ending,Fluff,Angst,Hurt/Comfort

The prompt: Glorfindel suffers from nightmares after being returned and becomes afraid to fall asleep. One night it gets too much. Erestor finds him. Glorfindel finds he can't let go. I'd like if they'd end up sharing a bed/Glorfindel discovers he can't sleep alone without nightmares (but just E keeps the nightmares away adjkds)

@tolkienrsb

[mint-tea-frog]

Here's my (art) contribution to TRSB 2024 (I blame you guys for this, you know who you are).

A proper promo/overview post will be shared soon, but I cannot drop this without mentioning the absolutely amazing fic my dear friend and collaborator @a-world-of-whimsy-5 has written for me. In it, we see Varda becoming the Queen of Stars and Lady of Light we know her as today, securing her position, getting to know her favorite bird man, some early troubles with Melkor, how the Ainur lived in the Timeless Halls and some fun cameos from other Valar and Maiar (including my girl Nári). It's such a wonderful story that is everything I could have ever asked for and more and honestly also more than I deserve.

Link to the fic is here; it will show up as a mystery work until reveals on September 6th. Be sure to come back for it; it's a must-read for all Ainur fans and also those interested in worldbuilding around them and Lost Tales enjoyers.

Depicted is our Lady and Savior Varda in space, creating celestial bodies and wearing a more... ethereal space fána. Oh and there's a black hole. Because I like them :)

[tolkienrsb]

Farewell We Call

Right then, lovely TRSB-ers – the promo posts are reblogged, the paints are away, the caps are back on pens, and the mods are all collapsing with treats and beverages of choice.  Thank you and well done to all participants; that is (almost) a wrap on this year.

Why do I say almost? Because sadly a few of our artists were let down at the last minute by their authors, and we have some utterly heroic post-deadline pinch hitters working on fics for them.  These will be reblogged as and when they are ready.

On a personal note – this year, it really is goodbye from me.  I've run this event with my wonderful co-mods for the last five years, and it's time for me to step away.  I have loved watching TRSB grow from its humble beginnings into the behemoth it is today; I have had an amazing time making fic and art for the event, and I've met (and collaborated with!) the most brilliant people.   TRSB will go on without me, as these things do, but I wanted to say to each and every one of you – thank you for making the event what it is.  It's been a joy.  

Namárië.

~ Mod Narya 

[nolofinweanweek]

TRSB Reblogs!

TRSB-ers! If any of the Ñolofinwëans appear in your stories or art, tag your promo posts with 'Nolofinweans' so we can reblog here.

[unnamedelement]

A collab with art by @corbie-quaesitum and fic by @unnamedelement for @tolkienrsb. You can find the art and story in the TRSB 2021 collection on AO3 HERE. (See A/N for more information and additional warnings.) A “soundtrack” for the fic can be found here.

Info from the images as text beneath the cut!

Fic details: The fic is rated M and is slightly over 15k. It features Maeglin, Aredhel, and Eol. Warnings include implied rape, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, ethnocentricism, and character death.

Summary: Chroniclers will claim–above all else–that Maeglin left Nan Elmoth for desire of lordship alone. While we all know how the story ends, before that there was more: a mother and her son and a dark dark wood; three lives and three deaths, and the dazzling sunlight in between. This story is a portrait of the why behind the flight: family violence and a woman under siege, a child grown to adulthood in lonely darkness, learning to fight with only the tools provided him. It is a tale of childhood nightmares maturing into something more–manipulated by heart-darkened fathers and gently used by desperate mothers–until living becomes surviving and reality is a dream… Excerpt: “Put out your arms as if you could fly,” she whispered. But he stretched them wide before bringing them in above his head as if he could—instead— dive , and he leant so far forward that the sun kissed his shade-pale face, and he sighed. She held him there for hours, and he leaned like a sapling too crowded by its older brethren; as the sun crossed the sky, his young face followed it like a flower.

[piyo13sdoodles]

art for this year’s @/tolkienrsb, partnered with @mxmia!! (who can be found on ao3 at mxmia) I had a blast drawing this glorfindel-returns-to-middle-earth story, and the fic is incredible! so watch this space for a link :) EDIT: link is here and goes live on the 10th september!

[i-did-not-mean-to]

TRSB24 - Si tú no vuelves se secarán todos los mares

Artist: @the-red-butterfly (Art Link: Go like and reblog!!!)

Author: @i-did-not-mean-to

Rating: T

Words: 5k

Pairing: Thranduil & Thorin

After the battle, both Thorin and Thranduil are grievously injured. By chance, they find one another in their respective states of distress. Can they put their differences aside to live?

A love letter to a friend who's been by my side through some gnarly shit. A profoundly gen story about fear, pain, the pressure of being king, and the indomitable will to live (well)!

It's a story about how friendship (even a friendship you can't accept, especially a friendship you don't think you deserve) can save your life. Sound familiar?

What can I say other than "I love you"? Thank you for being my friend even though we are so different in our tastes. I've tried to write something that will make you feel my love and deep respect for you.

I know you said I shouldn't PH this, because it's not my style, but I've given it my best shot for you.

You're so beloved, my queen, and I hope you can feel it through every word.

Link: Si tú no vuelves se secarán todos los mares

(The fics will be revealed on the 6th of September, please be patient)

[mithrilhearts]

Also I know that technically you haven’t posted it yet, but can you give us a small sneak peek type of behind the scenes summary for your TRSB fic? 👀

Haha I should have answered this before I posted my promo post as that has the summary on it already, but here we are!!

King Thorin Durinson has only held the throne for a few months after the death of his greedy predecessor. When Shire Inquiry journalist Bilbo Baggins is brought in to observe a meeting of powers, it's quickly made apparent that Thorin's sheltered and strict lifestyle has him completely disconnected from those he rules, as well as his family. It's up to Bilbo to show Thorin that the world is worth exploring and that not everything is as it seems.

Since the fic is revealed, can I offer you some behind the scenes information about it??? (and yes, I waited until you read it to post this to avoid spoilers for you even though you may already be aware of some things.) Throwing my small commentary under the cut for those who haven’t read it yet!!

Read the fic here!

This fic went through a lot for the ending. Originally it was supposed to be 7-8 chapters long, but reviewing some of the content I had planned, it just didn’t add up or make sense. It was like...a reversal of what I wanted. So I ended up reworking some things, cutting unnecessary content, and ended up with something I’m proud of.

Initially we were going to see Bilbo steal the ring - yes, I know, that’s bad, but it was like big Arkenstone vibes, and then Thorin was going to fall into a more goldsick-like state. But considering the reasoning behind stealing Thror’s ring...it didn’t make sense for Thorin go fall into a darker state without the ring, rather than with it. So that was all cut, I can save that angst for another story.

Goldsick had some head nods here, but I don’t think it really had a good place, even if it could have provided an interesting twist - or maybe something akin to the One Ring’s impact, where when it’s taken away, the ringbearer gets aslkdjaslkdj, you know? Another time. This is what gave me a big block in the writing process until it got revised and reworked.

Another fun fact is I have a sequel already planned and know a good chunk of what I’m going to do with it!

Who knows, maybe @mysandwichranaway will join me on yet another Bagginshield adventure??? 

[darthrevaan]

Title: On Autumn's Pyre Rating: M Warnings: Canonical Major Character Death, Sibling Incest Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Threesome - M/M/M, Politics, Just Lots And Lots Of Politics, Slow Burn, Seduction, Implied Sexual Content Relationships: Curufin/Celegorm/Finrod Characters: Curufin, Celegorm, Finrod Word Count: 26k Summary:

Immediately upon being accepted into Nargothrond, Celegorm and Curufin begin their manipulation of the city's political landscape, ever aiming for a more advantageous position for themselves and their people.

Their plan to seduce Finrod starts as nothing more than a political game - but none of them will escape being entangled in each other's tragedy.

Read the fic here on AO3!

See the full art here on tumblr!

Fic by platinum_firebird

Art by @ismeneee

Created for the Tolkien Reverse Summer Big Bang! @tolkienrsb

[mothdalf]

Celebrindal

My contribution to the Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang 2020! During which I teamed up with the fantastic FactorialRabbits and she has written a beautiful corresponding fic!

This was my first time participating in the TRSB or anything like it and I can’t wait to do it again! I’m so pleased with the end result and incredibly honoured to have someone inspired enough by my art to write something!

To learn more about our work check out the promo post here!

And to read more fantastic fics inspired by gorgeous art check out @tolkienrsb or the #trsb20