Nominations that were received for different awards. This will take a little bit of time to catch up with so many.
Golden PADD for best character storyline
Lt. Didrea Zade – USS Athena
This nomination includes both characters as they are written by the same person and have a prior history with each other that influences this series of posts. However, it is Zade’s recent journey that is most deserving of recognition as the character has really started to lay down narrative pathways that hint at bigger and better things to come. The fallout from her involvement in this sequence of events will be interesting to see and it was particularly impressive to see Alex commit to such a lengthy solo journey, taking up both parts and writing them himself. The mark of good writing is the sense of anticipation you build within your audience and Alex has certainly achieved that with this story arc.
Brek – Obsidian Command
Have you ever met a Ferengi art dealer? Did you know there was such a thing?
Brek is the proprietor of ‘Timeless Treasures Art Gallery’ on the Promenade of Obsidian Command. Through this character, Spiral has taken us a wonderful journey through the life of a Ferengi that might not be quite what you’ve seen, or heard of before.
We all have our preconceived notions of what a Ferengi is, based on what we’ve seen in the shows and movies and we’ve all seen the cliche renditions of that written in prose about this community. But, I can assure you, you have never read and felt for a Ferengi genuinely until you’ve read the story of Brek.
Spiral is a gifted writer, and a great story teller. All in a language that isn’t even her native one! I think Spiral has created one of the most unique and enjoyable storylines I’ve read in a long time. That is why I’m nominating her for this prize.
Calliope Zahn – Obsidian Command
Nikki joined this game as XO, bringing along a fellow player to be in her IC-XO. Initially, when Nikki (Commander Zahn) came aboard, her character found herself in a situation that cost her the XO job (IC only of course). That caused a chain reaction of beautiful posting and character progression.
However, during that time, the player writing for her husband chose to leave the game. Now, normally in these situations, you end up in a conundrum that often sees both players leave the game. Instead, Nikki chose to take a different route, neither removing the character from the game nor simply pretending that the character husband didn’t exist. She chose to take the long road and create a situation that sees their marriage falling apart (with the former players permission of course to continue to write his character with the goal of writing him out of the game).
What’s come out of it is a beautiful tapestry and love, life and the realities of marriage.
Golden PADD for outstanding creativity (Individual)
John – Claire Cavendish: X-Men Avalon/Manishie Karalo: NX-05 Atlantis
John manages to combine an expansive imagination with genuine literary endeavor and it is always a pleasure to witness the time and effort he puts into crafting his stories. I particularly enjoy his passion for writing a range of different character types, especially when he maintains consistent portrayals that allow for genuine growth. He is an inclusive and enthusiastic writing partner, an excellent game master and a talented storyteller. Very deserving of recognition.
Becca – NX-05 Atlantis/SS Mary Rose/X-Men: Avalon/Solar Force
It goes without saying that there is no OF without Becca. Aside from her tireless work behind the scenes, she is a creative powerhouse in multiple sims and I have the absolute pleasure of writing far too many storylines with her. Always will to write with anyone, always enthusiastic to plot things long-term, consistently creating an army of unique characters that never seem to mirror each other despite their multitudes. Becca is pivotal to so many writing opportunities within the Fleet that she more than exceeds the criteria for this award.
Paul – USS Athena/SS Mary Rose/X-Men: Avalon/Solar Force
A creative stalwart, Paul has a wonderful capacity to bring out the best in the writers he works with, which can sometimes allow him to slip under the radar. He is, however, a gifted writer with an outstanding capacity for strong characterisation. His dialogue is often spot-on and conveys so much more about his characters than excessive description would. He is no stranger to prose, however, and his mission design and the way he crafts story arcs is truly inspirational.
Polar – Obsidian Command
Obsidian Command is in orbit of the planet Obsidian, which has a native population. A little is known of it from canon material, but the details aren’t widely explored. Polar has taken it upon himself to dig into those details and create the details of the world the starbase orbits.
A lot of players get bored on station with the mission isn’t keeping them engaged, but Polar has taken the bull by the horns and dug into the planet below, adding depth to both the planet and the starbase above. “
Serahni
(USS Athena/SS Mary Rose/X-Men: Avalon) “Serahni has been a force of nature in every environment I’ve seen her active in. Always very involved with the characters, plot and helping people hitting the road running, with new characters flying left and right and all feeling unique and special in their own way! Their creativity especially bleeds through in the relationships that get written almost effortlessly between characters. Whether it’s fledgling romances that are about to bud or friendships that have been honed for decades prior. It’s always believable and enthralling when they’re coming from Serahni.
An individual that stands out with creativity not just your normal character or post”””” – this is basically every JP I’ve written with her. Characters and stories are well thought-out and considered. They’re logical, progressing to an actual outcome instead of just being ‘fluff’ posts. Character development has purpose. I enjoy writing with each of her unique characters across multiple sims. We’ve intertwined character arcs in several places and each time they’re unique and different. Far from the “”””Oh we just met and now we’re in love,”””” the relationships we’ve written together are flawed, complex, and impactful.
Nolan Marc – USS Vesta
This person always writes the most amazing multipart stories about his Miran scientist, and our current mission with all the foibles in the new hologram heavy Inquiry shakedown came from him. One of the best posts in the series, which inspired the rest of us and is included here as an example, came from him. He isa delight to plot with and I am always blown away by the creativity and humor, also frequently by the emotional impact of his posts.
Finn Keating – USS Athena
The development of this character has been such a treat to witness. Finn continues to struggle with processing her trauma, and the recent posts have me on the edge of my seat! The writer is really bringing Finn’s nonlinear recovery to life, and showing that not everyone just snaps back from traumatic events. With the recent events of her testifying against Kane (no spoilers!) and the emotion behind it, I’m left needing to know more!
Hawkins USS Athena
Hawkins has amazing characters that range from comedic gold to people you love to hate. Though you can barely understand Skrit half the time with the cockney slang, he’s an absolute pleasure to red. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Hawkins writes P’rel who is a secretive Vulcan with an attitude that makes you want to hate her on the surface but every now and then she does something that colors her in a loving light. Saghir is awkward and tries but often fails in a spectacular fashion and Babanin is a new character that has such a fantastically distinct personality. Every character he writes jumps off the page and makes you want to read more.