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Writers Workshop Summer Awards 2018 Official Nominees and User Voting

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AetherX

AetherX

your mind is a world
Heartmelting Contestant 2025 Bulba Bookworm Bulba Book Club Member
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The Writers Workshop Summer Awards 2018 continue! Thanks to everyone who nominated, we ended up with an excellent selection. The final nominees are listed below.

Before I move on, let me remind you that new chapters posted from here until the end of judging will not be considered. Posting new chapters during this period is allowed, but please add a disclaimer to the new chapter that says it's not eligible for the Summer Awards. Edits to past chapters made during this period will also not be considered. Making an edit to a chapter without clearing it with me first could get your work disqualified. If you have an edit you really want to make, feel free to PM me and we can talk about it.

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Best Journey Fic
guidance by @Persephone
The Long Walk by @Beth Pavell
Love and Other Nightmares by @diamondpearl876

Best Speculative Fic
Different Eyes by @unrepentantAuthor
spectra by @kintsugi
some rise by sin by @kintsugi
Because You Were There by @Flaze
The Lilting Misdreavus by @Donna Baines

Best Character-Driven Fic
Phantom Project by @diamondpearl876
Dungeons & Dragonite by @kintsugi
Hunter, Haunted by @canisaries
Vivarium by @canisaries

Best Expansion Fic
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Unequivocant by @lucarioknight56
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Guiding Light by @Ambyssin
The Alola Pokédex by @Persephone
Kanto: There and Back Again by @Beth Pavell
Restarting by @Ambyssin

Best Crossover/Non-Pokémon Fic
Any World You Want by @Ghostsoul
The Big Day by @Flaze
A Dragon in Shining Armour by @Griff4815
Less Is More by @Juliko
Echoes in the Dark by @Juliko
United We Stand by @AceTrainer14

Best Alternate Fic
Brotherhood by @Gama
The Deprogramming by @Arkadelphiak
Dreams That You Dreamed by @AceTrainer14
The Missing One by @WanderingKalosan

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Best Protagonist
Red Akai from Hunter, Haunted by @canisaries
Pixie from guidance by @Persephone
Salem from Different Eyes by @unrepentantAuthor
Nara from some rise by sin by @kintsugi
Pua Kealoha from Dreams That You Dreamed by @AceTrainer14
Kotone Iwamatsu from The Deprogramming by @Arkadelphiak
Annie Willems from Love and Other Nightmares by @diamondpearl876
Shane from PMD: Guiding Light by @Ambyssin
Lawrence from PMD: Unequivocant by @lucarioknight56

Best Deuteragonist
Cassia from PMD: Unequivocant by @lucarioknight56
Wren from spectra by @kintsugi
Valentina from guidance by @Persephone
Tessa from PMD: Guiding Light by @Ambyssin

Best Antagonist
Arthus Zoroark from PMD: Unequivocant by @lucarioknight56
Joanna from Hunter, Haunted by @canisaries
The Monster from The Deprogramming by @Arkadelphiak

Best Character Interaction
Shane and Tessa from PMD: Guiding Light by @Ambyssin
Cassia and Arthus from PMD: Unequivocant by @lucarioknight56
Nara and Silver from some rise by sin by @kintsugi
Pua and Leilani from Dreams That You Dreamed by @AceTrainer14
Wren and Vi from spectra by @kintsugi
Salem and any human character in Different Eyes by @unrepentantAuthor
Red Akai & Helix from Seiren by @canisaries

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If you've been tagged in this post, then this probably applies to you!

Everyone who has a story or character entered needs to PM me with your recommended reading. If you're not familiar with our system, recommended reading is essentially a selection of chapters to help guide judges. They will read more than just the recommended chapters, but submitting these is an important part of putting your best foot forward.

Recommended reading is not required, especially for one-shots or fics that are only a few chapters long. But if you're writing something longer than that, it is highly encouraged. It helps your chances significantly and makes the judges' jobs way easier. The first chapter and the most recent chapter will already be required reading, so no need to worry about those. Here are some things to keep in mind when submitting recommended reading...

For story-based categories, you may submit four chapters, each of them demonstrating what you think is your best work for the following:

- Plot
- Setting
- Characterization
- Style

For character-based categories, you may submit four chapters, each of them demonstrating what you think is your best work for the following:

- Character Development
- Originality
- Entertainment Value
- Role

The lovely Misfit Angel has posted an example of a recommended reading PM in a post below.

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Best Newcomer
@Ambyssin
@WanderingKalosan

Best Reviewer
@Ambyssin
@kintsugi
@Beth Pavell
@diamondpearl876
@unrepentantAuthor
@Misfit Angel

Best Written Word Contributor
@unrepentantAuthor
@canisaries
@Misfit Angel
@WanderingKalosan

While judging is going on, voting will be open for theses three user categories! All voting here is done publicly in this thread, and you may only choose one person per category.

This time we will also be bringing back Honorable Mentions. How does it work? Basically, you just make up your own user awards. Any friend or fellow writer you want to recognize for something either silly or serious, you can give them an honorable mention. They won't count for badges, but they will come with a shiny new banner! Explaining why you want to give a user an honorable mention is encouraged, but not required. NOTE: Any award deemed rude or inflammatory will be deleted immediately and result in a warning.

Check out last year's awards for some examples.

User voting will end at Friday the 10th of August at 11:59PM PST! Judging should also be done around that time.

If you have any questions about voting, recommended reading, or anything else, shoot me a PM or post here.
 
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Time to get my votes in before I forget!

Best Newcomer: @Ambyssin cause like look around maaannn of course it's gonna be him. Great reviews and points and a big adventure fic, frequently updated, making the Writer's Workshop more alive.

Best Reviewer: I'd put uA here to mix it up from my last awards vote, but I wanna vote for him in the WW award, so @diamondpearl876 it is! Still great and reviews by her always make me extra glad, with how she gets deep into the story and characters.

Best Written Word Contributor: @unrepentantAuthor has pretty much refreshed every thread on there with his takes and brought in new interest from others as well, not to mention his own threads.

Question for the Recommended Reading: If one has 2 characters nominated from the same story (and not for Character Interaction), are the 1-4 chapters required to be the same 1-4 chapters, or do both get their own 1-4 chapters (with possible overlap)? I'm assuming the story and character nomination recommended chapters are already different. (Are they?)
 
Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing canisaries, namely because I have three characters for consideration and I think it would be difficult to select only four chapters to show them all accurately.

Also, I know it's discouraged, but I am planning on posting the last chapter of Unequivocant today. I'll make sure to put a note on top to indicate that it isn't part of the awards, so that it becomes easy to tell.
 
lucarioknight56 said:
Also, I know it's discouraged, but I am planning on posting the last chapter of Unequivocant today. I'll make sure to put a note on top to indicate that it isn't part of the awards, so that it becomes easy to tell.
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Posting new chapters isn't discouraged, only editing old ones. It would be a bit silly to freeze a majority of our community for about four months a year (combining both summer and winter, and spill over time for judging). If anyone is looking to post new chapters, a quick disclaimer at the top of newly posted material stating that it is ineligible for judging is warmly welcomed! It's something I've done myself in years past, and going back to remove the disclaimers after the awards isn't terribly difficult.
 
I clarified the language a bit on new chapters and editing.

canisaries said:
Question for the Recommended Reading: If one has 2 characters nominated from the same story (and not for Character Interaction), are the 1-4 chapters required to be the same 1-4 chapters, or do both get their own 1-4 chapters (with possible overlap)? I'm assuming the story and character nomination recommended chapters are already different. (Are they?)
Click to expand...

They are different. You get up to four recommended chapters per nominee. So for example, you could send me four chapters for HH, four more for Red, and four more for Joanna, for a total of twelve. However, there tends to be some overlap between authors' favorite chapters in the story and chapters where their characters shine the most, so most people last awards didn't actually use all of them.

If anyone wants an example for how to submit recommended reading, I'd be glad to make/show one.
 
Speaking as a newcomer, I'd greatly appreciate an example, if it's possible. :)
 
Here's the recommended reading I submitted for Winter 2017 as an example:

Finally put together my recommended reading!

Land of the Roses (journey)
Additional: I would like to request that chapter 26 be considered the latest chapter in terms of the required reading. The season 1 wrap-ups #2 and #3 are remarkably short, inconsequential and don't offer much of anything useful.

Andrea Dennison (protagonist)

Kimberly Fairbrooke (supporting)

Juliano the Blastoise (pokemon)

Some of these chapters overlap and I'm fine with that. It points out where I want potential judges to look when it comes to character categories while cutting down on reading for the main genre category.
There was some overlap between some of my characters so I listed them twice when submitting the chapters I wanted the judges to look at. In total, I had 16 chapters I could have submitted (4 from the story, 12 from the characters) but I only submitted 14 in total, with 12 of them being unique.

I don't know if it's specifically spelled out in the rules, but I didn't use up any of Juliano's remaining slots to highlight things for Andrea or the story in general. I figured that'd be a dick move that wouldn't accomplish anything, because those chapters would specifically be meant for judging him and would just waste time, so probably don't do that. :p
 
Here're my user votes:

Best Newcomer
@Ambyssin
I have to vote for Amby in this category because of the sheer quantity of writing he's produced while also furiously reviewing many fics including my own, contributing in threads, and making a regular appearance on the Discord. He's also been a great sounding board and helpful resource where my medical scenes are concerned, and I appreciate that. I'd like to also give a respectful nod to @WanderingKalosan, who insisted I not nominate him for this category. In truth, I had to think carefully about who I'd choose and you should both be very proud.

Best Reviewer
@kintsugi
I had to consider this one with real care, considering several of the candidates have left me excellent and numerous reviews. I truly do appreciate all of them! I was also tempted to take into account the points achieved by the candidates in the Review League, but really the only evidence I feel able to judge are those reviews I have read myself. After multiple re-readings and much reflection, I have chosen kintsugi for this category, based on the level of engagement shown by her with the elements of Different Eyes which are particular to it. In their reviews, kintsugi has picked up not only on technical and prosaic details, but on continuity where pokémon-specific experiences are concerned, on worldbuilding elements that otherwise went unnoticed, and on the plausibility of various such things. She has also been prepared to give well-presented critical feedback for subjective topics among the praise and objective corrections, which I value greatly. (Not that other candidates haven't! As I said, it was hard to pick.) Thanks, kitsugi, and well done.

Best Written Word Contributor
@canisaries
Another difficult one, considering I was deeply, seriously impressed with @Misfit Angel's work on the recent Trainers of Fanfiction event in particular. However, I feel that Canis' earnest prolificity on the forum, her habitual threadstarting, and especially her gorgeous artistic contribution to Different Eyes (about which she was very obliging, considering all the demands I made about the art!) deserve an enthusiastic vote in this category.

Now for some Honorable Mentions!

Best Artist:
@canisaries, and you know it. Excuse me, please, but I just have to yell a little more about how good that chapter art she did for me was. Aaaah! I know you got this last awards, mate, but I gotta say it all the same!

Most Tenacious:
@Ambyssin. I just simply have to acknowledge Amby for posting chapter after chapter here, even in the face of dwindling readership and a complete drought in reviews. I promise you, mate, I'm going to bring the review rain. Just you give me the time. This is my way of saying, hey, keep it up! Don't get discouraged! Let me see you grit those teeth!

Most Supportive:
@diamondpearl876. I only knew dp very briefly back in 2012 when I was first active, and she's been marvelous in her efforts to make me feel welcome in my return. I don't know that I would have flaked out this time without her tokens of support, but I am sincerely grateful for them all the same. Thank you dp for your friendly conversation, your reviews, and your gifts of energy!

Most Impressive Thread:
@Misfit Angel, your Trainers of Fanfiction project was outstanding. All your sprite artwork, the concept, the work herding cats that must have gone into producing the regular interviews — I'm impressed. I hope we see more threads like that in the future, once you've had your well-deserved rest!
 
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Best Newcomer - @Ambyssin. He's livened up pretty much every area of the WW since the day he got here!
Best Reviewer - @kintsugi. Her reviews are always insightful and considerate. Glad she's back.<3
Best Written Word Contributor - @unrepentantAuthor. They're always around to offer support and advice to everyone in the Written Word, and they've booted up a myriad of threads/articles that have led to some great discussion.

Most Dedicated Reviewer - @Ambyssin, for following so many fics and reviewing in record time.
Most Dedicated Member - @canisaries. I see canisaries almost every day push herself to try to do something for the WW, whether it's a review, starting a thread, or kickstarting a conversation in the Discord channel.
Thesaurus Rex - @Beth Pavell insert some obscure word that means "self-explanatory" here
Most Dedicated Writer - @LightningTopaz. LT's been around for years and has consistently been releasing new material from the start, sometimes juggling numerous fics at once. I don't know how she does it.
Most Gripping Scene - @unrepentantAuthor. Referring to the Different Eyes scene where Salem transforms to a proper morph! Hot damn. That is all.
Most Dedicated Reader - @Persephone. While she may not review them all, there doesn't seem to be an active fic on the board Persephone hasn't read. That, and she's read most of the long runners at least three times.
Most Chilling Scene - @Ambyssin. Referring to Guiding Light when the fic unexpectedly, unashamedly, and flawlessly shifts overall tones with the Bewear incident. The previous, lighter chapters succeeded in having Shane and Tessa steal my heart, and suddenly, so much for them is at stake and everything is crumbling around them. (I'm sorry for the bad Alolan!Vulpix pun. xD)
 
if you want to know my secret, it's crippling loneliness
 
Oh, hey, guess who totally didn't space on this and is now scrambling to come up with stuff before the deadline. :V

Best Newcomer: @WanderingKalosan
He's going to be tempted to dismiss my vote, I'm sure, but WK has quickly settled into the forums and gotten involved in the Writer's Workshop. Posting a neat whodunnit threeshot (and actually remembering to archive it instead of letting it sit like I did with my oneshot, lol), reviewing several stories, and regularly contributing to the Written Word and Discord. I enjoy seeing what he has to say a lot!

Best Reviewer: @diamondpearl876
I realize I'm go against my own nomination such blasphemy, but it occurred to me that dp might just be a mage of some sort. Her ability to somehow stay current with a ridiculous number of fics and always find a way to put out a review for each one before too much time has passed continues to impress. It's gotta be magic, there's no other explanation. Well, maybe she employs an army of birbs to make the reviews, but you didn't hear that from me.

Best Written Word Contributor: @unrepentantAuthor
*plants sign firmly in the ground saying "Try to change my mind"*
He's started a number of insightful threads offering advice and goes out of his way to make a well thought out response to pretty much every topic he doesn't make. Even if he's not well-versed in a certain subject, he finds a way to contribute without giving off that know-it-all vibe that I sometimes get from people who post everywhere on big forums. The reviewing tutorial had a lot of good stuff in it and if I put a worldbuilding thread there, it's entirely his fault. >.>

Honorable Mentions! (Aether/other mods, feel free to delete if any of these aren't kosher)

Best Vulpix Whisperer: @Persephone
Because if she's made one thing clear through guidance, it's that she knows how to get inside the mind of a Vulpix. Pixie has the vanity of the alolan flavor, with some of the more spiteful traits of their kantonian counterparts. She could probably write an essay on why Shane is a disgrace to his species. XP

Goodest Boy: @kintsugi's Dodger from spectra
I realize the part focusing on Dodger was posted in 2017 but it got reviesed this year, so... YES DODGER YOU ARE A VERY GOOD BOY go stick Gladion up and show up a Nihilego and be Wren's morality crutch and all that jazz. <3

Best Meta Moment: @WanderingKalosan for this gem in The Missing One:
This was feeling weirder by the minute. Kaimi felt like he was a character in a really cheesy mystery drama, whose author was some desperate amateur.
Click to expand...
Got a legit belly laugh out of me.

Comeback Kid: @unrepentantAuthor for coming out of, like, a six-year fanfic retirement (is that a thing?) and ingraining himself in the community as opposed to just becoming some aloof loner, which I've seen happen with old users who randomly return to a forum in the past. I was tempted to call this one "Coolest Cat," but that was too cheesy. :V

Most Entertaining Action Scene: @lucarioknight56 for Chapter 26 of Unequivocant...
... in which our intrepid heroes attempt to lead thousands of 'mons on an interdimensional exodus as the world around them crumbles from a Legend-induced armageddon. Included in this is a frenzied attempt to connect with actual humans(!) and a duel with the Big Bad with the likes of Yveltal and Groudon bearing down on them. I know battle scenes aren't well-liked around here, but this one held my attention.

I might add a couple of more before the deadline, if that's okay. ^^;
 
User Categories
Best Newcomer: @Ambyssin, and I'll echo the words I said in my nomination: he feels like an integral part of the community that's been here for years despite being a newcomer. In fact, I remember having to check if he was actually eligible for this when I made my nomination.

Best Reviewer: I'm going to give my vote to @diamondpearl876 this season. As I mentioned in my nomination, she is a machine at getting reviews out. They're not always timely, but they're always very helpful, and the fact that she maintains reviews for so many stories is nothing short of impressive.

Best Written Word Contributor: It's honestly a tough choice among all for me, so I'll abstain. My vote would be unlikely to mean much anyways, as we have a clear favorite already.

Honorable Mentions - In addition to people, I'll also be doing characters and stories!
Least likely to actually join the community: Nori. She hangs out with us in the Discord channel but has yet to join us here on the forums despite multiple visits. C'mon, girl! >:V

Most Charming Couple: Joshua Cook and Evelina Joy from The Long Walk. They bicker a lot, but they firmly know where they are and what they mean to each other.

Strongest Protagonist: Annie Willems from Love and Other Nightmares. She may not be physically strong, especially considering her medical conditions, but the fact that she's willing to take on a monster of a journey regardless really speaks to her strength and determination.

Biggest Plot Potential: Love and Other Nightmares, a story about a girl who was brought back from the brink of death by the intervention of a legendary creature. It does sound like a bit of a cliche with that kind of summary, but nearly every expectation has been subverted so far, and the protagonist faces a long list of unique challenges that could very easily end her journey with ease.

Biggest Worldbuilding Potential: Kanto: There and Back Again. Kinda cheating since it's literally a worldbuilding story, but unlike most other worldbuilding stories, this one is focused on more than just a narrow or single topic. People, places, culture, cuisine, faith and history are regularly touched upon and the surface of Kanto has barely been scratched so far.

Most Dedicated Writer: @lucarioknight56. It's impressive, we've seen another story of his completed since last season and another one is already in the works by the sound of things.

More may come shortly... These are just the ones I've had on my mind for awhile.
 
Best Newcomer: @Ambyssin; it's crazy to think that he joined this year? He reviews like a machine, updates like a bigger machine, and is an incredibly positive + active presence in this community.

Best Reviewer: @Athena; she's got a distinct eye for story structure and how to make it work, and she's really good at conveying specific improvements that could fix whatever she calls out. I love the in-depth, large-picture critiques she gives, and they go hand-in-hand with jokes/sass -- really gives me the feeling that she actually enjoyed reading the story, haha.

Best Written Word Contributor: @unrepentantAuthor; ye who cycles all of the pages on the front page of the Written Word with new and exciting content. I'm a fan of the creative spins he takes on thread subjects, especially intersections with different fandoms (Magic color wheel, for example).

Honorable Mentions:

Best Thread: @Misfit Angel / Trainers of Fanfiction. Nuff said; this was awesome.

Best Tease: @AetherX; for writing one of the coolest universes (medieval pokemon gladiators) and then leaving it alone for month after agonizing month.

Best Banners: @canisaries; they're eye-catchingly beautiful, haunting hunted?, and usually they pop off the page. Proof that writers can be artists, indeed!

Best Mom: @diamondpearl876; thanks mom

Seconding votes for @Beth Pavell 's "Thesaurus Rex"; Different Eyes for "Most Gripping Scene"; @unrepentantAuthor for "Comeback Kid"!

ilu guys
 
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