2011 Fanfiction Awards - Suggestions & Planning Thread

[Breezy]

So, why not Best Plot Twist? If we have those "Scene" nominations, which are equally spoilerific, why not Best Plot Twist? We can't pussy-toe around readers who haven't been spoiled. Believe it or not, some of us don't have the time or desire to read all the nominated fics. XD

They're not equally spoilerific. There's a difference between specific moments in a story that may or may not influence the overall plot vs. what "plot twist" was proposing, which is revealing a major change in the plot or character. While the other "Fic Moment" awards could potentially spoil a big change in a character or plot, they don't necessarily have to, which was what "Best Plot Twist" was calling for. Likewise, cliffhangers tend to be more specific moments in the story that MAY twist the plot or change the character but doesn't necessarily have to. The cliffhanger is suppose to illustrate that there is a dilemma the character(s) has to deal with or there's some revelation at the end of a chapter; it can be unrelated to the overall plot and just be a specific moment in time in that story.

Ultimately, the difference between all the "fic moment" awards vs "best plot twist" award is what the latter category is asking for: a specific, key revelation in a plot that changes the expected direction of a 'fic. Revealing that something is going to happen to the overall plot or character(s) in any form is a major spoiler for potential readers. The other awards have the capacity to do that -- that is, spoil a major revelation or change -- but don't require it, like plot twist award, nor do they scream "THIS IS A SCENE WHERE A MAJOR CHANGE HAPPENS TO CHARACTER X" like "best plot twist" award does.

 

[JX Valentine]

Because I'm apparently now a champion at paying attention to current discussion:

Did we ever come to a consensus on a "Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi" award? Actually, did I even bring that up? Lol.

I don't think you did, but yes please.

Then again, I could be massively biased because I want recs in my favorite genres. On the other hand, genre-based awards need more love and abuse in my opinion.

 

[Firebrand]

But how would that "Best SciFi/Fantasy" award work? I assume the vast majority (if not all) nominated fics will be pokemon fics, yes? And pokemon is a series in and of itself which is inextricably tried with elements of scifi/fantasy. The very concept of pokeballs, for example. Or deoxys.

Basically, how would you decide what constitutes a scifi/fantasy outside of a completely original fic?

 

[JX Valentine]

But how would that "Best SciFi/Fantasy" award work? I assume the vast majority (if not all) nominated fics will be pokemon fics, yes? And pokemon is a series in and of itself which is inextricably tried with elements of scifi/fantasy. The very concept of pokeballs, for example. Or deoxys.

Not everything is specifically sci-fi or fantasy, as you can tell by the fanfic catalogue. A sci-fi or fantasy work is one where the focus is completely on sci-fi or fantasy elements. By contrast, an original trainer story, for example, focuses on a trainer's journey, making it more akin to a coming-of-age novel than to a novel that delves into the science or magic that drives the Pokémon world. Alternatively, a sci-fi or fantasy novel in this fandom could also be one where science or magical elements are introduced to the setting, but either way, yes, if it's the science or fantastic elements (besides the usual Pokémon) that's the focus of a plot, then it's a sci-fi or fantasy fanfic. (This isn't to say that a trainer fic or something along those lines can't also be a sci-fi piece, but then it'd showcase both the journey and science as prominent features of the fic. As in, if the scientific parts are background bits to supplement the setting -- like the way most fics treat Poké Balls -- then that isn't considered showcasing science, and the fic isn't automatically sci-fi.)

Alternatively... *motions to the fic catalogue* Anything labeled/that would be labeled according to the standards of this list sci-fi or fantasy.

 

[PetuniaBubbles]

Not everything is specifically sci-fi or fantasy, as you can tell by the fanfic catalogue. A sci-fi or fantasy work is one where the focus is completely on sci-fi or fantasy elements. By contrast, an original trainer story, for example, focuses on a trainer's journey, making it more akin to a coming-of-age novel than to a novel that delves into the science or magic that drives the Pokémon world. Alternatively, a sci-fi or fantasy novel in this fandom could also be one where science or magical elements are introduced to the setting, but either way, yes, if it's the science or fantastic elements (besides the usual Pokémon) that's the focus of a plot, then it's a sci-fi or fantasy fanfic. (This isn't to say that a trainer fic or something along those lines can't also be a sci-fi piece, but then it'd showcase both the journey and science as prominent features of the fic. As in, if the scientific parts are background bits to supplement the setting -- like the way most fics treat Poké Balls -- then that isn't considered showcasing science, and the fic isn't automatically sci-fi.)

Alternatively... *motions to the fic catalogue* Anything labeled/that would be labeled according to the standards of this list sci-fi or fantasy.

I have to agree with you on this.

While Pokemon does have some sci-if/fantasy elements, I don't really see it as either of the two genres. Honestly, I consider Pokemon fics to be under the 'Pokemon' Genre because they are so common here. (Of course, this is a Pokemon site, so that is to be expected.)

I support the idea of Best Fantasy/Sci-fi, as Fantasy (not necessarily Sci-fi) is easily one of my favorite genres, but let us not get the two genres confused. It's a pet peeve of mine when people say Fantasy and Sci-fi are the same thing. Fantasy focuses more on magic and mythical creatures while sci-fi focuses more on technology and aliens. (Though the two can intertwine.)

(I believe I was the first to propose Sci-fi/Fantasy genre awards back in Page 1 of this thread.)

But how would that "Best SciFi/Fantasy" award work? I assume the vast majority (if not all) nominated fics will be pokemon fics, yes? And pokemon is a series in and of itself which is inextricably tried with elements of scifi/fantasy. The very concept of pokeballs, for example. Or deoxys.

There are sci-fi and fantasy fics out there that are not Pokemon. -pokes my own- It's just that most of them are in that category of fics that no one ever reads- Non-Pokemon Fics/Original fics.

 

[The Great Butler]

I want to finally begin work on compiling the final list of categories (yeah, I've been slacking on this, and I'm sorry for it.) I'll need you guys' help - it would be very helpful to me if you guys could write up lists of your preferred category adds and drops (with those left unmentioned staying) so I could get an organized feel for where the general consensus is.

 

[Firebrand]

Okay, let's have the newcomer's take on things...

Overall Fic awards are fine. Don't do anything about those. Sort of like the best screenplay at the oscars, its a chance for us to see who really has the best fic out there (probably an old guard). Same goes for all categories in Other Fic Awards.

In the genre category, I think there needs to be a little more specification on the Best Trainer Fic. I'd say the vast majority of human characters are going to be trainers, yes? (I mean, there are exceptions, like Morphic, but I did say the majority) Well, I think that there needs to be a Best Journey Fic category. Not all trainer-centric fics are Journey Fics. See: League of Heroes, Friends of Draco. While the former does have journey elements (I guess, I mean, I have the cast traveling a bit) it mostly deals with a war. In the later, while the protagonist is a trainer, she doesn't really go anywhere. Actually, she hasn't come down from Twist Mountain the entire (6 chapter) fic.

Character awards I'm okay with. I don't think there's been any proposals for new awards there (except for most annoying character, which we shot down)? The only problem I have (and it's minor) is that there are the "best xyz character" awards, and then... funniest character. It seems out of place, at least without other character superlatives of it's kind. Maybe... Angstiset Character? Most Heartwarming/wrenching Backstory? If we can't think of otehr character awards like this, maybe we should get rid of Funniest Character. It'd probably go to one of the characters from the Adventure of Adventureness anyways.

The rest of the award categories, also should remain static. Still, I think my Best Ending idea in Fic Moments would be a good add, but that might just be my ego talking.


ALSO: One last question. I know for a fic to be eligible it must have been updated in the past year. This works fine for the overall awards, like character and plot and things. However... should there be a limit that nomination in the "best fic moments" category can only come from parts updated this year? I only put this forward because it would avoid the same people winning the same awards in the same categories year after year, for the same moment or quote.

 

[The Great Butler]

ALSO: One last question. I know for a fic to be eligible it must have been updated in the past year. This works fine for the overall awards, like character and plot and things. However... should there be a limit that nomination in the "best fic moments" category can only come from parts updated this year? I only put this forward because it would avoid the same people winning the same awards in the same categories year after year, for the same moment or quote.

Could you elaborate on what you mean?

 

[bobandbill]

My guess is Feralninja is saying the whole 'fic must be eligble by being updated this year' should be extended in that the specific parts of a fic nominated for those awards should also be parts only posted this year rather than stuff done in previous years (which'd be the case for chaptered fics started before this year). Which is something I agree with, if it hadn't been the case beforehand. Which I thought it was the case/I don't recall people winning for the same part before, but then I can't really recall those rewards off the top of my head atm anyways...

 

[The Great Butler]

Ah, I see now.

I'm not really sure it's necessary. People seem to have it as an unspoken rule already to not nominate the same part of the same story themselves multiple times, and the chances of a new nominator selecting something that previously won from something old they only just got to reading are fairly remote.

 

[Firebrand]

Yeah, bobandbill nailed it. I figured it would be more of a provisional thing. And it would be a good way to showcase new-ish fics/parts of fics.

 

[The Great Butler]

So let me begin trying to compile the categories finally. New categories are listed in bold.

<<<
Overall Fiction Awards
Best Pokemon Chaptered Fic
Best Pokemon One-Shot
Best Non-Pokemon Chaptered Fic
Best Non-Pokemon One-Shot

Other Fic Awards
Best Plot
Most Original Overall
Best Writing Style
Best Description
Best Setting
Best Expansion of Canon
Best Character Development*
Best Characterization in a Short Story**
Best Romantic Relationship
Best Non-Romantic Relationship/Interaction
Best Original Species
Most Suspenseful Fic

Pokemon Genre Awards
Best Trainer Fic
Best Horror Fic
Best Comedy Fic
Best Fantasy/Sci-Fi Fic
Best Pokemon-Centric
Best Canon Character-Centric

Character Awards
Best Human Main Character
Best Non-Human Main Character
Best Human Supporting Character
Best Non-Human Supporting Character
Best Human Villain
Best Non-Human Villain
Best Minor Character
Funniest Character

Fic Moments Awards
Funniest Scene
Most Frightening Scene
Most Heartbreaking Scene
Most Heartwarming Scene
Best Action Scene
Best Cliffhanger
Most Memorable Quote

Author Awards
Best Established Writer
Best New Writer
Most Dedicated Writer
Most Improved Writer

Reviewer Awards
Most Helpful Reviewer
Most Dedicated Reviewer
>>>

* - I had a discussion with Bay, and it was decided that the "Best Characterization in a Chaptered Fic" proposal more or less was already this.

** - Was proposed to now officially cover one-shots, two-shots and drabbles, with everything else going into Best Character Development.

Best Romantic Relationship and Best Non-Romantic Relationship/Interaction are meant to cover a broad spectrum of character interactions, and they need not be necessarily limited to two characters interacting with each other. It should be noted that this does not mean the entire fic is about romance or the relationship between the nominated characters, simply that their relationship, be it romantic or not, is exceptional within the story.

On Best Ending, I decided that it would not be something that would be terribly practical to implement and in the end I decided against it.

We discussed Best Romance as a genre award, but there was no consensus reached on it, so I think we need some more discussion on it. I'm tending to lean toward not using it, though.

 

[Phoopes]

This looks good to me, except I would've had "Best Romance" as a genre award instead of having a "Best Romantic Relationship" in the Other Fic Awards category. Other than that, looks fine.

 

[Dramatic Melody]

I feel like I'm interrupting something. >_<

"Best Description" looks really rocky. I know that description's one of the most important things in any work, but the same can be said for language and theme [with description arguably being a subcategory of the former], and there aren't any awards for those because the other awards already encompass them. I agree with the issue raised earlier that it can already fit under "Best Writing Style" since description is stylistic, and there aren't really many other elements to consider when judging a story based on style (language comes to mind, of course, but like I said, description could be considered as falling under that).

What's the difference between "Best Canon Character-Centric" and "Best Expansion of Canon"? Aside from, you know, the focus on a specific canon character in the former, but then again what else would you expand in the canon other than the characters?

Is "Best Trainer Fic" synonymous to "Best Journey Fic"? If so, shouldn't it be renamed the latter seeing as that's the one more used? Or is there a reason as to why it's named that way?

Also, what's the difference between a Supporting Character and a Minor Character? I would think that the former would refer to any character other than the main character that experiences character development and the latter would refer to those relegated to the background, but if that were the case I think the award could be worded better to highlight this distinction? I would say "Best Extra" but that sounds too technical. XD

And finally, what makes "Most Dedicated Writer" distinct from "Best Established Writer"? I understand the distinction made in the Reviewer awards, but what about in the Writer awards?

Sorry if I seem like I'm prying, but I figured, hey, the fact that you opened a Suggestions thread means you're willing to listen, so yeah. XD

 

[JX Valentine]

What's the difference between "Best Canon Character-Centric" and "Best Expansion of Canon"?

Pop this question to the shippers on FFNet, and they'll say, "Everything." *shot repeatedly*

Seriously, this is a good question, and I think it's just that canon characters and the canon in general tend to be mutually exclusive. You can expand on canon without actually focusing on canon characters by, for example, writing a fic based on and explaining a Pokédex entry pulled straight from the games. Alternatively, you could explore the mechanics of battling as presented by the anime or maybe write a fic about an in-game event (a random trainer who's not necessarily the game protagonists during Team Rocket's siege on Goldenrod City, for example), and all of these would be expansions of canon on one level or another.

Meanwhile, you can write a fic about a canon character (i.e., canon character-centric fic) and pretty much violate everything canon has to say about them and still make it work. (I'd hate to give Pokemon MASTER as an example because I personally think it's a terrible fic, but its actual fans would say otherwise. So there's that.)

Is "Best Trainer Fic" synonymous to "Best Journey Fic"?

Maybe my terminology's a bit rusty, so this is an actual question and not an argument for or against anything. But doesn't "trainer fic" just mean "fic that centers around an original trainer" and not necessarily "fic that centers around an original trainer going off on a journey of some kind"? If that's so, then I'd imagine it's worded like that to be a catch-all -- because most if not all journey fics focus on original trainers, whereas not all trainer fics focus on a journey. Kinda like calling a falcon a hawk, I guess.

Also, what's the difference between a Supporting Character and a Minor Character? I would think that the former would refer to any character other than the main character that experiences character development and the latter would refer to those relegated to the background,

That's pretty much the difference, yep.

On the subject of your suggestion, hmm. Maybe "best background character" would be good?

And finally, what makes "Most Dedicated Writer" distinct from "Best Established Writer"?

Dedicated writers aren't necessarily established. If you just joined this year, post a lot of well-written chapters in a short amount of time, and respond quickly to reviewers, that would mean you're dedicated to your work, right? Meanwhile, you might have an author who's established in the community but only posts occasionally to their own fic, so that would mean that they may or may not be called dedicated writers.

Could be wrong in my interpretations, though, so feel free to rip them apart. b)'')b

 

[[Imaginative]:[Clockwork]]

But doesn't "trainer fic" just mean "fic that centers around an original trainer" and not necessarily "fic that centers around an original trainer going off on a journey of some kind"?

Just curious, but does "Best Trainer fic" apply even if the trainer is taken out of some canon? Like, if Ash explored the Sevii Islands or something (and would that also qualify it for "Best Journey fic" if he was journeying about?).

 

[The Great Butler]

Jax answered a number of questions for me so I don't need to revisit them.

This looks good to me, except I would've had "Best Romance" as a genre award instead of having a "Best Romantic Relationship" in the Other Fic Awards category. Other than that, looks fine.

I would like a bigger discussion to take place before I add Best Romance to the list as a genre. If it's widely desired I'll use it. Best Romantic Relationship, though, is worthwhile to stay because as I described, it can be a piece of a story that is not necessarily a romance story. For that reason, the two do not overlap each other.

"Best Description" looks really rocky. I know that description's one of the most important things in any work, but the same can be said for language and theme [with description arguably being a subcategory of the former], and there aren't any awards for those because the other awards already encompass them. I agree with the issue raised earlier that it can already fit under "Best Writing Style" since description is stylistic, and there aren't really many other elements to consider when judging a story based on style (language comes to mind, of course, but like I said, description could be considered as falling under that).

You raise some good points, and I can see where they come from, but I think I am inclined to disagree.

It appears to me your primary concern is that Best Writing Style already covers Best Description. I would disagree with that. While it is true that "style" would certainly include description as a factor, that award actually covers more how the fic reads as a whole, if it is well-constructed and structured. Description may be a factor in that, but it is a major enough factor that I think an award for it can still be sufficiently separate. After all, a fic could have perfect description, just right between Purple Alert and bare bones, but be structured horribly elsewhere and not fulfill Best Writing Style.

What's the difference between "Best Canon Character-Centric" and "Best Expansion of Canon"? Aside from, you know, the focus on a specific canon character in the former, but then again what else would you expand in the canon other than the characters?

Jax already did a good job answering this, but I think I'd like to add that settings, events, devices and plots can also be expanded on from canon. The Team Rocket attack on the Goldenrod Radio Tower, which Jax cited, is an excellent example.



On "Best Trainer Fic" VS. "Best Journey Fic" - I will be honest. I don't claim to have complete, encyclopedic knowledge and understanding of everything that goes on, and these are categories I inherited when I took over the awards and simply left in because they were there. I am open to listening to arguments for and against them, but at the start, I don't have a full understanding of the two categories' meanings.

 

[catzeye]

On "Best Trainer Fic" VS. "Best Journey Fic" - I will be honest. I don't claim to have complete, encyclopedic knowledge and understanding of everything that goes on, and these are categories I inherited when I took over the awards and simply left in because they were there. I am open to listening to arguments for and against them, but at the start, I don't have a full understanding of the two categories' meanings.

I am not expert on this either but I think I can help.

Best Trainer Fic- This is simply about stories with an original trainer in it as the main character. Not all trainer fics involve the trainer journeying. Some are at academies, others are already champions, etc. But of course a lot of them are journeying throughout a region.

Best Journey Fic- About stories where the journey is the main focus of the plot. It could be an OC or a player character.


From what I understand though, is that when most people think of Trainer fics they automatically assume it is a journey fic as well. I personally think we should just have Best Trainer Fic category since it already covers journey fics as well as others. If we had both categories then the trainer fics that have a journey could be nominated for both while the rest are left out.

 

[Dragonfree]

On "Best Trainer Fic" VS. "Best Journey Fic" - I will be honest. I don't claim to have complete, encyclopedic knowledge and understanding of everything that goes on, and these are categories I inherited when I took over the awards and simply left in because they were there. I am open to listening to arguments for and against them, but at the start, I don't have a full understanding of the two categories' meanings.

Not quite. Only "Best Trainer Fic" was present in last year's awards. "Best Journey Fic" was suggested by Feralninja on page three of this thread.

Journey fics more or less are a subset of trainer fics, so having both seems rather iffy to me. Rather than debate about what the words mean, we'd do better to discuss exactly what sorts of fics we want to be eligible for this particular genre award and then pick the word that best describes it.

 

[Phoopes]

On best Journey fic, I think that the fics eligible should be ones where the main character travels all over the region to meet a certain end goal.

Example: Craig gets his first Pokemon, and wants to travel all over the Johto Region to get gym badges and become the Pokemon Champion. This is a journey fic.

Example: Stacy wants to become a Master Coordinator, so she decides to travel to all the different contests in the Unova region to achieve her goal. This is a journey fic.

Example: Cynthia has just become the Pokemon champion. She battles challengers and fufills her duties as a Champion throughout the regions. This is not a journey fic. It is a trainer fic because there is no end goal being achieved via the traveling, but still follows the adventures of a trainer.

In my opinion, that's kind of a loose seperation between a trainer fic and a journey fic. I'm sure that other people could think of better examples.