The 2005 Golden Pens Suggestions Topic!

[dratinihaunter13]

So it's been that time of year - we should get started on these awards. These are the catagories we've been using. Feel free to comment on which ones should be cut, which ones should be added, or anything else concerning the way the awards are run. Remember these are the more fic-based awards, unlike the more writer-based Silver Pencils.
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Golden Pens

General Fic Awards

Best Fiction Overall
Best Non-Pokemon
Best Dark
Best Trainer
Best Comedy
Best Romance
Best Action
Most Original
Most Realistic
Best Writing Style
Best Plot
Best New Fic
Most Promising
Fic Moments
Best Cliffhanger
Best Plot Twist
Best Pokemon Battle Scene
Best Mystery
Best Chapter

Characters

Best Male Leading Role
Best Male Supporting Role
Best Female Leading Role
Best Female Supporting Role
Best Non-Human Character
Best Villain
Funniest Character
Best Character Based on a Board Member
Most Original
Best Overall
Best Relationship
Best Original Cast

Member Awards

Most unusual Board member
Best New Writer
Most Dedicated Writer
Best Writer
Most Dedicated Reader
Best Newcomer to the Boards
Most Rounded Member

Miscellaneous

Best New Pokemon
Best Location
Best Setting
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After we all settle on a list, we'll have a nominations topic and a voting topic. whup that trick!

[Chris 2.1]

I can't see anything particularly wrong with those catagories. I wouldn't mind if any were taken away. Is there going to be some way in which old fics are not eligible for awards, or is it going to stand that any fanfic, past or present is eligible? Just wondering.

[dratinihaunter13]

I think as long as the fic is on the fanfic forum main page or was completed sometime after the last awards we had. does that sound ok?

[Chris 2.1]

To be fair though, with no critiscism indended, EBTV gets awards very often for the same catagories. I know Andrew is busy and hasn't written much of EBTV of late, but is it fair the fic can still get awards? This is only an example. I just feel the awards arent doing justice to writers who haven't been around much because they are overshadowed by the bigger, more popular fanfics that have had their 15 minutes of fame, that's all. I would be displeased if the EBTV/LTL Crossover got the crossover award again, for example, but I can't see that as a catagory.

I don't mean to sound malicious or anything, but I'm just saying what I think.

[mistysakura]

Well, I think that with the fic moents they definitely have to have been posted after the last awards (the last GPs were 18 months ago, so that might be a bit long even). And obviously the fic has to have had posts since that time period too. By main page I don't think dh means page 1, since that's very tight, but I'm not even sure that a strict cut-off point is needed, as the ongoing 15-minutes-of-fame fics that are active continue to deserve awards, although new fics do need some recognition; but if a fic is inactive, collecting dust at the backs of our minds, I daresay they're not going to get a lot of votes anyway.

[dratinihaunter13]

i didn't mean page 1, that's crazy. i mean in the main forum. and for the last awards i didn't mean the last gp's, just the last awards. so i guess that'd be the last silver pencils. i dunno, i'm all for newer authors getting exposure. you'd think fics that haven't been updated in a while would lack votes, but some will get nominated just cuz some members remember them. then i guess it's possible that there'd be votes for those fics just from die-hard fans. but hey, if that's who they want to vote for, who are we to influence anything ya know. i'm thinking most of the nominees will be current fics, not a lot of oldies.

on a separate note, mr_pika what'd you mean by "Best Mystery" in the first place?

[mistysakura]

Meh, at the rate we're going, Best non-Pokemon's going to get more nominations than the Pokemon fics. Although one could argue that a fic is a fic, and just because Pokemon don't feature doesn't mean a separate category is needed, it's been a good category in the past to raise awareness of non-Pokemon/non-fanfiction.

Cut-off from last SPs sound okay, but since the last ones were more member-oriented awards, some fics could miss out on the chance to ever get an award for a certain category; but if the fic's worth their stuff they probably wouldn't fall into that timeframe anyway.

[Charizard04621]

Er, oh. Well, that's weird IMO, what there are entirely non-human fics with really awesome characters, more than one of which deserve awards? I mean, there are fics out there worthy of nomination for a leadership and a support role, for example. It doesn't make sense to me.

[mr_pikachu]

I think it might be time to start the nominations. I don't want to see the awards lasting to November (which I believe they have in the past), and I'm sure there are others who, like me, don't want to have to delay the SP awards because of the GP's tardiness.

Anyone else think we should get this show on the road?

[The Decapitated Mole]

Oh yes. Now I'll have to get back to work.

I actually have been writing some Hiro recently, for the first time since the whole thing happened with my mom. But yeah, I'm ALL for getting the GPs up ASAP, I really don't want those ridiculously late awards again.

[dratinihaunter13]

all right we gotta get moving so i'm gonna suggest a list taking all of your suggestions in mind. it's by no means the final one, just maybe a step closer to what we want?

Best Continuity sounds like Best Plot with a few more aspects added to it. Which would then make it right at about Best Fic. So i dunno about including that one.
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General Fic Awards

Best Fiction Overall
Best Pokemon Fic (new category)
Best Non-Pokemon Fic
Best Dark
Best Trainer
Best Fantasy
Best Mystery fic (new category)
Best Comedy
Best Romance in a fic
Best Action in a fic
Most Original Concept (formerly just Best Original)
Best Description (formerly most realistic)
Best Writing Style
Best Plot
Best Short Story (new category O_o)
Best Promising New Fic (combined Most promising and Best new)


Fic Moments

Best Cliffhanger
Best Plot Twist
Best Pokemon Battle Scene
Most Suspenseful (formerly best Mystery)
Best Chapter

Characters

Best Male Leading Role
Best Male Supporting Role
Best Female Leading Role
Best Female Supporting Role
Best Character in a Leading Role
Best Character in a Supporting Role
Best Non-Human Character
Best Villain
Funniest Character
(deleted Best Character based on a Board member, cuz not that many this year and sounds more like an sp's category)
Most Original Character
(deleted best character overall with existence of best character in a leading role)
Best Relationship (romantic or not)
Most Original Cast

Member Awards

Most unusual Board member
Best New Writer
Most Dedicated Writer
Best Writer
Most Dedicated Reader
Best Newcomer to the Boards
Most Rounded Member

Miscellaneous

Best New Pokemon
Best Location (specific place or room/building)
Best Setting (general where and when of a story)
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Ok, main thing to pay attention to here is my suggestion for resolving the non-human, human, alien, cyborg character thing we have going on here. the simplest way i could think of to do it was to group them all together in either best main character or best supporting character. There are multiple other character awards that the non-human, or the humans can fall into. I just don't see why they have to be separated, when they're perfectly fit to compete against each other.

added best fantasy to see what gets nominated. i know there's not many right now, but it's a pretty wide genre of fics and there might be more than we think later. did a bit to resolve best pokemon, best non-pokemon too.

i want to get this show on the road and start nominations but we obviously haven't settled on a list yet. so whatcha think?

[The Decapitated Mole]

I'm saying that I think they should be, since it just broadens things a bit more and lets more fics [or at least more characters] get their five minutes of fame. I dunno, since the categories weren't species-specific before, only gender specific, and I think that was a good system that we should keep for the new pokemon inclusive awards. Meh, just my opinion.

[dratinihaunter13]

k new list.

mr_p: i actually can't think of a fic fitting best under the "Mystery" genre either. i know there's been mystery fics before, though. people know what a mystery fic is so if there's no nominations then the category will be defunct. just in case i think it should be left up there for now. your other points i took into account in the new list, thanks =). oh, and ace sanchez did a pikachu/ash romantic relationship at one point. it was pretty bizarre, but actually really good. won't give away anything in case you come across it sometime, hehe.

chris: i'm with ya on avoiding too much specificity, lol. nice examples there ^_^. trophy sprites would be cool. if anyone would like to volunteer to make up a few, as much as time will allow them, that'd be awesome.

TDM: i thought that keeping those same gender separations would work again too, but there was a lot of confusion in this topic about what fits where. especially with genderless pokemon getting different topics and not getting as much credit as human characters. it would take a ton of categories to satisfy every type of character nowadays, like chris was saying, and that just kinda dilutes the novelty of getting an award i think. There should be 9 or so categories under character awards in this new list, so i think all the nominees will get enough fifteen minutes of fame.

all right, here's the new list. not final again. in fact anyone can make the same points again if it irks them that much. and we'll all talk about it XP. thanks for all the help and suggestions so far.
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General Fic Awards

Best Fiction Overall
Best Pokemon Fic
Best Non-Pokemon Fic
Best Dark
Best Trainer
Best Fantasy
Best Mystery fic
Best Comedy
Best Romance Fic
Best Action in a fic
Most Original Concept
Best Description
Best Writing Style
Best Plot
Best Short Story
Best Promising New Fic
Best Single Location
Best Overall Setting


Fic Moments

Best Cliffhanger
Best Plot Twist
Best Pokemon Battle Scene
Most Suspenseful
Best Chapter

Characters

Best Character in a Leading Role
Best Character in a Supporting Role
Best Villain
Funniest Character
Most Original Character
Best Romantic Relationship
Best Un-Romantic Relationship
Best Original Cast
Best New Pokemon

Member Awards

Most unusual Board member
Best New Writer
Most Dedicated Writer
Best Writer
Most Dedicated Reader
Best Newcomer to the Boards
Most Rounded Member
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the misc award section just got spliced into the other headings.