Back to Middle-earth Month

Yesterday we had our first bingos reported!

Starlightwalking(AO3)/arofili(Tumblr) reported our first bingo and LindaHoyland (DW/LJ) reported our second. Congratulations to both of you!

Does anyone else have a bingo or are getting close to one?

We need several graphic makers to create banners and icons for us, both participant and winner. When you create them, please email all banners to b2mem.mod@gmail.com.

Graphics:

~ Must have "Back to Middle-earth Month 2019," "B2MeM 2019," or "B2MeM '19" somewhere on them.

~ If you wish to work with it, our theme this year is "Bingo Bash Redux."

~ Any size banner is acceptable. Icons should be 100 pixels by 100 pixels or smaller.

~ You must have permission to use any artwork or photography that you use on the banner/icon. This means that any artwork or photography used must satisfy at least one of the conditions below:

• The artwork/photography is your own work, or you own the rights to the work.


• The artwork/photography is in the public domain.


• You have written permission from the artist/photographer to use her or his work, including making modifications, such as cropping or adding text.


• The artwork/photography is clearly labeled with permission to use the work for nonprofit uses, including making modifications, such as cropping or adding text.


• Screen captures from the movies are acceptable.

~ Any artwork or photography used must be suitable for all audiences, i.e., it should not include nudity, blood/gore, or anything more than mild sexuality (hugging, kissing, etc.).

~ Files should be saved in .JPG, .PNG, or .GIF file formats. Please use the Save for Web feature (or its equivalent for your software), if available, to keep file sizes manageable.

We've received a couple of questions in the past few days.

1. Can multiple people claim one card?

Yes!

2. Did I have to submit a card in order to play?

No! The card submission was a completely separate way to participate. You can do one or both.

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Given that there's 206 cards, which can be a tad overwhelming, we decided to make a list of cards separated by theme.

FORMATS, GENRES, AND SHIPPING

( Short and Sweet (comments and true drabbles) )

( Art and Graphics )

( AU, Crack, and Crossovers )

( Different Formats )

( Difficult or Controversial Topics )

( Hurt/comfort )

( Light and Fluffy )

( Poetry )

( Potentially Darker Subjects )

( Shipping (generic prompts) )

( Shipping (femslash) )

( Shipping (relationships not femslash) )

SPECIFIC SUBJECT

( Generic Prompts )

( Colors )

( Languages )

( Song Lyrics, Poetry, and Quotes )

( Water )

( Worldbuilding )

CHARACTERS

( Character (general) )

( Single Character )

( Character Groups )

( Ainur )

( Dúnedain )

( Dwarves )

( Fëanorians )

( Elves (not Fëanorians) )

( Gondorians )

( Hobbits )

( Original Characters (human(oid) and animal) )

( Rohan )

( Women )

LOCATIONS AND AGES

( Locations )

( First Age )

( Second Age )

( Third Age )

What is says on the tin! January 31 is the last day to submit cards, either through the form or by emailing us cards you've made.

For more information about submitting cards, please see this post.

Back to Middle-earth Month is an annual challenge that honors Tolkien’s universe and encourages creativity based on it. All Tolkien-based creative work is welcome, whether movie- or book-based. This year, Bingo Baggins has reopened his bingo hall! Bingo players will choose themed bingo cards to play with, each square of which contains a different challenge.

Below, you will find the rules for the game, which will begin on March 1 and run through the month. Please note that if you played the bingo game in 2012, several of the rules have changed. As we prepare for this year’s event, however, we hope that the B2MeM participants will first help us in other ways.

We need your help to create a range of diverse and fun bingo cards! We already have 105 bingo cards available and we’d love more. Each participant will be able to submit one card idea through the form. If you have the graphics skills to make your own cards, we welcome as many as you want to make provided you do not number them (we’ll handle that part!). The link to the submission form is here and more information about submitting and making bingo cards can be found here. The final day to submit cards is January 31.

There will be text-only versions of all of the cards for those participants who need or prefer them.

2019's cards can be found here.

We need help getting the word out! B2MeM is a challenge for the entire Tolkien fandom, no matter what site you participate on. All formats, genres, eras, characters, and ratings are welcome. If you know other writers, artists, fanwork creators, or groups that might be interested in the challenge, pass the word along-- the more the merrier. (Please be a good citizen on your group and make sure it’s okay to make promotional posts before posting about B2MeM on other groups.)

If you own/moderate a group, event, or challenge and would like to become a B2MeM affiliate, contact the B2MeM moderators at b2mem.mods@gmail.com.

B2MeM 2019 Rules

1. Start by claiming your bingo cards. You may choose anywhere between one and ten cards. Ten cards is the maximum. There is no deadline to claim cards. Card claiming will begin on February 15.

2. Each day beginning March 1, we will call a number. There is no card stamping this year, though will we provide a stamp for those who wish to do it themselves. You do not have to post the fanwork for it to count as a completed challenge; this event works on the honor system and you determine how much work you feel is appropriate to count. Every person who gets a bingo will receive a banner.

3. You may work on as few or as many fanworks as you wish. You may combine prompts into one fanwork. You may use one prompt to create one fanwork. You may use B2MeM prompts to continue WIPs. You may use B2MeM prompts in fanworks created for other fandom events.

4. As always, we trust participants to decide for themselves what counts as filling a prompt. There are no rules regarding minimum word counts, time spent on the project, et cetera. There are no deadlines.

5. You may combine or ignore prompts as you see fit. For example, if you have three cards and the number called is on all three, you may use one, two, or all three prompts in however many fanworks you choose to work on that day.

6. You may not claim stamps for existing, finished pieces. You must use the day’s stamp(s) to create something new (starting a new piece from scratch or adding something new to a work in progress).

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Instructions on how to play bingo and Frequently Asked Questions can be found here.

We have mirror communities on Tumblr and LiveJournal, a mailing list so you can receive the prompts directly in your inbox, as well as an AO3 collection.

If you have questions, please comment here or email us at b2mem.mods@gmail.com.