These are Chibi Pika's nominations and comments for the 2017 awards. See all nominations here.
Honestly, this story has it all. A fascinatingly nuanced lead thrust way in over her head into crazy events outside her control while trying to find her way through them, well-developed secondary characters, killer suspense, lush description, and unbelievably creative interpretations of the glitchy world of Gen 1 Kanto.
I still love this story. I love the protagonist, and the way she's dragged practically biting and clawing into the plot, loudly protesting all the way, but sticking to her guns to protect someone close to her and unravel the mysteries at the heart of her family. Great character dynamics, a deliciously layered conspiracy all spiraling out from the death of a single person, a fantastically creative interpretation of a futuristic Unova, and a lot of great secrets in store later down the road.
I read this fic completely on a whim, long before I'd decided to read the large volume of fics I'm following today. I was not prepared for six developed and uniquely troubled protagonists all living unique lives and playing off each other in fun and interesting ways, all amidst a richly detailed portrayal of Johto.
Phalanx's latest fic is a real treat, with a dynamic protagonist who's got a fascinating past that has huge potential to cause all sorts of problems throughout her Pokemon Journey (and already has!)
Short but sweet, with a lot of powerful emotions and wonderful interactions between its two main characters.
Yeah, I'm biased cause it was written for my prompt, but there are just so many things this one-shot does amazingly that I can't not nominate it. The characters, the brief glimpse into their lives, and the glimpses they get into each other's lives, the fascinating descriptions of how their perspectives overlap. It's all great.
Pretty sure I nominated it for this last year, but honestly, it's still true. And this isn't the sort of fic to rest on the laurels of its original premise, either. It's constantly pushing the envelope, introducing wild new plot elements, shaking up character dynamics, and showing off cool interpretations of its world.
Cutlerine has a delightful way of making all her description pull double or even triple duty by not just describing, but also conveying a deeper feel for the world, mixing in the opinions of the pov character, and worldbuilding–and all with wonderfully flowing prose!
I really love the way this fic just pulls you straight into its world and doesn't let go, using all the senses to paint a richly-detailed picture of a Pokemon-inhabited Akihabara.
I know it's been said, but this is one of the most richly-imagined settings in any fic I've ever come across, and I wouldn't be nominating it if that hadn't continued to be true throughout all the new places that the story introduced in 2017.
It was already true before, but this past year gave these two a ton of development, with a lot of opportunities for both characters to feel vulnerable and depend on each other, while also keeping up the fun snark and banter that made them so much fun to read in the first place.
Alright, I'm biased–this fic hit a lot of personal sweet spots for me with its themes of separation and reunion, of lost connections and unconditional acceptance. I love the way the characters' bond is explored, all the tough emotions they have to face, and it makes the ending all the sweeter.
Nerdy does a great job nailing the mile-a-minute humor style of an abridged series, while also throwing in a lot of fun re-imaginings of the BW cast.
This fic embodies the purest essence of what it means to be a Pokemon Trainer, and why being a trainer is such an important part of childhood. It puts a ton of effort into making Pokemon Training an indispensable part of its world while also realistically examining the repercussions of characters getting into the kind of hijinks one typically expects from trainer fics, with some not-so-typical outcomes.
With a huge scope, a lovable cast of morally-grey characters, and suspense and intrigue around every corner, this action-packed adventure keeps your attention the whole time and never stops throwing new thrills at both its characters and its readers.
There's been a lot of System:Reboot love, which is great, but I wanted to give a shout-out to its precursor in a category that wouldn't force Del to compete against herself. Glitched does a great job getting into the heads of a wide variety of Pokemon characters as they struggle to combat not an enemy, but a deadly epidemic that threatens to destroy their entire world.
Her previous fics already told us this much, but Sike is an absolute master at getting inside the head of her Pokemon characters in ways that are familiar and relatable, yet alien and strange, often by pushing the characters themselves into wildly unusual situations or forms. Part of what makes this so effective is the way that her fully-sentient Pokemon characters never stop feeling like Pokemon, and the way that their unique biology and way of life colors their narration and reactions.
An interesting and heartwarming exploration of the partnership between N and Reshiram throughout the BW storyline.
Oh, Macro. So jaded. So selfish. So totally willing to risk life, limb, and profit in order to recover the memories of a poor, victimized Pokemon, and so willing to unravel a massive conspiracy to protect others. You're not fooling anyone.
All her shame, anger, pain and trauma really came together in this past year in a big way that was totally worth all the buildup it got throughout the final arc of the story. It's a bit hard to explain out of context, but as the strongest character in the story, seeing her hit rock bottom purely as a result of her own failings and being so incredibly conflicted by her own feelings toward said failings–it's wonderfully heart-wrenching.
I'm not even a Scizor fan, but I love Sasha so much. Having a Scizor use morse code through claw-pinching is clever enough, but her innocent questions and adorable concern for her trainer have already made her instantly endearing after only two chapters.
“I AM PREGNANT WITH THE HORSE’S CHILD, ALL-FATHER!”Silence. The enormity of Loki’s statement echoed through the halls. It took Odin a long time to process the words that had erupted from Loki’s mouth.And then he began to laugh.“You…you mated with the HORSE?!” he stammered incredulously. “You, in all your infinite wiles, thought the best solution to distract it was to HAVE SEX WITH IT??!! Oh, and I thought Thor was thick-skulled. Hehehahah!!”“It worked, didn’t it?” Loki attempted to counter. “I exhausted it so it couldn’t run anymore, and then I-”“By the Nine Hells, no more!” Odin interjected, still giggling uncontrollably. “Please, just leave. I cannot look at you anymore without laughing.” He began to walk away, shivering in his laughter. “Loki, Horse-Father! I think that fits you perfectly, trickster.”
I mean… it kind of speaks for itself, doesn't it? I can hardly read it without giggling uncontrollably. While the scenario itself is part of the original myth, everything about the way Phalanx presents the scene, from Odin's reaction to Loki's embarrassment, is nothing short of amazing.
An impish grin spread across Greg’s face. ‘They forgot to close one of the disposal units today.’Danny stared at the vent blankly. What was so exciting about a hole in the ground?Matt shrugged. ‘So?’Greg dug into his pockets and pulled out a green piece of paper. ‘I bet you five bucks that you can’t keep your balance on the edge of that vent.’Danny’s heart dropped into her churning stomach. She looked to her brother, who was staring wide-eyed at the five dollar bill that Greg was now waving in his face. Don’t do it, she thought. Just turn around and say that we’ve got to go home.The corners of Matt’s mouth twitched – and so did Danny’s heartbeat. Then his mouth grew into a smirk. ‘You’re on,’ he said and ran over to the vent.That’s it. Danny had had enough, it didn’t matter if they’d put her down, this was too far. ‘Matt,’ she said in a firm voice. ‘Don’t be stupid – you’re gonna get hurt!’Her brother scoffed and rolled his eyes. ‘No I won’t,’ he said, swinging a leg up onto the edge of the vent. ‘I’ll be extra careful not to fall.’Greg cupped his hands around his mouth. ‘You gotta stay put on that thing for thirty seconds if you want the money.’Matt furrowed his brow as he swung his other leg up. ‘Piece of cake,’ he scoffed, feet pressing firmly against the metal rim. Soon he was standing completely perfectly on top of the vent. ‘Just keep an eye on the time.’ He flung Greg a glare. ‘And if you cheat, I’ll kick your ***.’Greg waved, still grinning like a toddler. ‘Right back at you, Matt.’ He looked at the watch on his wrist and started counting. ‘One, two, three, four, five…’Danny watched with baited breath. She could already see it happening in her mind’s eye: Matt would lean back, then he’d start to teeter, his arms flailing as he struggled to keep balance.‘Six, seven eight, nine, ten…’And then he’d fall, disappearing from view, with only his echoing screams telling her that he was still alive.‘Eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen…’Halfway there. Matt still stood as firm and as still as the statue of the man in the park. It did nothing to soothe her racing pulse or her trembling hands.‘Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty…’Matt’s hands stretched out and began to swerve.‘Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three…’And then he teetered back.
I'm still fairly certain that this scene took 5 years off the end of my life.
"Well?" Cheren asked quietly. "Where've you been all these years? I have my suspicions, but so many stories have been told, and the same ones have been embroidered in so many places that it's tasking to tell fact from fiction." The Gym Leader's voice was cold and crisp, like a short breath of icy wind was escaping his lungs as he spoke. There was something else mingled there too that Black couldn't pinpoint. Was it sadness?"I was in Sinnoh," Said Black, clearly and loudly, after a short pause. "Atop an icy mountain, away from people. I survived on berries, but I sometimes sent my Pokémon to find some food down from the town. It was enough for me to not get hungry, at least." Arms folded and frown on his face, Cheren seemed skeptical. "It's not like I wanted to go into hiding, is it? I was looking for N. I needed a purpose. The dragon had chose me, and I knew people would have mixed opinions about the captures of both Reshiram and Zekrom. So I left, looking desperately for the one person I knew would have answers.""But why didn't you tell us?" Cheren asked accusingly. "Aren't we your friends? You left without warning. No note, no… anything. Just gone. We were always there for you…" Looking sadly at Black, Cheren's eyes were dark blue pits, laced with the beginnings of tears."There wasn't a day that went by where I didn't regret leaving. I think about all of you every single day and I'm happy to see how much you've all grown. I missed all of you. You're my friends, and you mean a lot to me. I didn't think, and I was young, and stupid, and I'm sorry," Replied Black, on the verge of tears himself. Cheren started to step towards Black, and for a moment, Bianca and White were afraid he would lash out. He stopped directly in front of the Champion and looked him in the eyes. Then, with one swift movement, he embraced Black like a brother."I forgive you. But we're not friends," Cheren added, thumping Black on the back. "We're family now."
Man, I'm a total sucker for reunions, and this one hit all the best notes after spending the entire first 3/4 of the fic showing just how hard Black's absence hit the other characters, which made his return all the sweeter.
“Hyper Beam.”Tyranitar reared back its head and unhinged its jaws. As the unmistakable glow and high-pitched wail built up, Derek saw something no photograph had ever captured: Mariano Russo looking shaken. The Executive scrambled for his belt. He had less than three seconds left, and for a moment Derek thought he might have miscalculated.Russo threw a ball at his feet, and a Snorlax taller than a man standing up and wider than a man lying down appeared. Not a millisecond later, Tyranitar’s mouth erupted. The focused orange blast struck the Snorlax directly in the stomach. The giant Pokémon collapsed and was sent sliding on its back. Russo had to dive out of the way to avoid being crushed. When Tyranitar’s attack dissipated, there was a smoldering red mark on the Snorlax where several layers of skin and fat had been melted away. It groaned one time and didn’t get up.One down, and since Russo had been fast enough, Derek still wasn’t a killer yet.
This is just the start of a massive five-against-one battle that spans most of the chapter, taking constant turns as both combatants dance around the risk of attacking each other and getting attacked in turn, all culminating in an awesome last stand from Tyranitar.
“A smart liar can take any disgusting thing and make it sound like logic. That’s why you have a conscience, so you know not to believe them.”
I love this line so much, and it's especially powerful in light of current events.
Let's be real. Cutlerine's works are on a sheer level of quality and mastery that few others can claim. Her writing not only astounds me as a reader, but constantly inspires me to push myself
Tiktok came out of the gate swinging with an awesome character study and his subsequent fics have only continued to delight from there.
Having reviewed his work since he first joined the forum last year, I've been very impressed with the leaps and bounds in improvement that Dream has made in such a short amount of time.
Not only will Negrek find every single thing wrong with your fic, but she'll do it in a way that is both encouraging and empowering, always with a clear focus on what you're doing right and how to make your fic be the best it possibly can be,
Cutlerine's reviews are delightfully in-depth, and often pick up on the subtler things that other readers might not notice.
I… come on. Look at the front page of the forum any day of the week and tell me that's not dedication. Ambyssin has reviewed literally everyone. I honestly think it'd be illegal not to nominate him.
Sike has been a consistent reviewer on Serebii for as long as she's been here. Whether the forum's in an activity spike or a drought, Sike has always been one of the most loyal reviewers around, and the same has held true even throughout the tumultuous year of 2017.