Current Nominations

Nominated by Cutlerine

Communication is a huge project, in terms of both age and length, and this year it came to a well-deserved conclusion. It's been emotional, it's been tense, and all in all it's been an utter delight to follow it through to the end.

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by AmericanPi

Okay, but I love this fic. It's such a strong story with fun characters, the right blend of humor and drama, expert plotting, an interesting setting, and a masterful writing style. Jax really outdid herself with this one.

Nominated by Virgil134

Spiteful Murkrow skillfully manages to avoid all the PMD cliches, and puts out a fun and interesting story as a result. With a good plot, loveable characters, and a unique and immersive setting, I can’t help but nominate Fledglings for this award.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Between one of the most original plots I've seen on the forums, battles written as if Geroge R.R. Martin had a hand in them, heavy doses of political intrigue (by which I mean "people negotiate with axes"), great pacing, and fantastic character dynamics, it's hard not to have fun with this entry. Or, put more simply, it's a fic about gay vikings and the equally gay Irish priests they kidnap, only with pokémon thrown in. It's perfect.

Nominated by JX Valentine

One of the delightful things about this fic is how thick the plot is. It's not the traditional good versus evil plot, and it's not one of those fics where it features characters from the evil team going about their business, doing whatever evil teams do, or being the good guys in some convoluted manner. Nope, this is a fic in which there's plenty of espionage, plenty of Team Rocket definitely being the bad guys, and plenty of immediate character danger. And of course, it's hard to argue with any story in which the protagonist is very clearly dragged into adventure until she finally decides that, okay, maybe she'll go along with this whole thing and see what being an agent of a rebellion working on the inside of an evil, legendary-capturing organization is all about. And of course, add in excellent characters all around (and ngl the best Pikachu ever), and you've got yourself a fun read.

Nominated by Cutlerine and diamondpearl876

It's just so good, you know? More specifically, it gets a lot right, observed from a lot of different angles. On a sentence-by-sentence level, Jax has a lot of interesting tricks going on, from the contrast between the designedly jerky sentences describing the movements of the mechanical pokémon and the fluidity of those describing the movements of the organic ones; on the plane of character, she's got possibly the most dead-on teenagers I've ever seen on these forums; on the level of plot and theme, the pacing is solid and concerns which might have been rote are handled in such a way as to keep them fresh and interesting. That kind of consistent high quality deserves celebration.

Nominated by Cutlerine

diamondpearl876 is really, really good at character. That's never been more true than in Phantom Project, which goes for the metaphorical jugular within a few paragraphs of its opening with Senori's incipient dementia. Possibly some of the story's effectiveness for me comes from a prior familiarity with the cast from the prequel, but on consideration I think there's definitely enough in Phantom Project for it to stand alone as an excellent story in its own right.

Nominated by AmericanPi

Nominated by JX Valentine

Despite some early-chapter roughness (a few proofreading issues here and some plot holes there), snowstorm on the yellow sea shines simply because it's not your average new trainer story. Instead, it's partly a culture study into a nation very few Westerners get a glimpse into. While it's not at all unusual for a fan author to bring real-world locations into their fics (or, heck, set a trainer fic in a part of the real world they're very familiar with), snowstorm takes it one step further by weaving North Korea—including all of the politics between it and the rest of the world—into everything. It drives forward the plot, it becomes the foundation for several of the characters, and it adds tension and urgency to every step of the characters' journey, even long after they've crossed the border. In other words, snowstorm on the yellow sea isn't just a great example of how to bring real-world elements into a fic successfully. It's also a well-done political thriller.

Nominated by JX Valentine and Spiteful Murkrow

Okay, so this might be fudging it a little, but Love and Other Nightmares is so much fun. It's a fic that basically takes the Chosen One genre and gives it a fresh makeover. Sure, you have all the makings of a Chosen One fic. You have a clear conflict that's brought to the attention of a legendary. You have that legendary reaching out of the realm of the gods to find a suitable hero. And you have the hero who … had up until that point been in a coma. Now, don't get me wrong. Although Annie spends quite a bit of time recovering (which is detailed at a painful, intentionally slow pace) instead of questing, it's actually a great thing that it does this. Why? Because this, apparently, is a Chosen One fic that focuses on its characters, and you know from chapter one that this isn't going to be one of those fics where all the main character does is go on a journey and achieve their goals by beating the ever-loving crap out of them with Pokémon. Point is, even if this is a rewrite, Love and Other Nightmares brings something new and fresh to the table that's worthy of a follow.

Nominated by Cutlerine

This is just a brilliant idea, well executed. Maybe it kind of plays on nostalgia a little bit, but the quality of the concept and the writing certainly provides more than enough without that. It's also absolutely adorable, and does an amazing job of capturing the sense of wonder of your first visit to Kanto, as well as the experience of revisiting it years later, older and wiser, and the way the magic still lingers.

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

Even beyond the fact that it was written for me, this is just a very, very well-thought-out one-shot. The characters are all fleshed out, the narration is very engaging and relatable, and the imagery and themes are so solid that it's such a joy to read - all the work Mrs. Lovett put into this fic really shows.

Nominated by AmericanPi

Falkner is a huge nerd in this fic. He is adorbs, no questions asked. He and Winona were just characterized so smoothly, and their interactions were organic as well. Overall this was an excellent fic that was uplifting (in multiple ways, hahahaha).

Nominated by Virgil134

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by JX Valentine

I'll put this bluntly. This was a pleasant surprise. From a writer who's usually trying his hand at humor, it's nice to see him tackle something serious—especially when, in all actuality, he does serious rather well. Besides the fact that the festival involved was actually well thought-out (and an excellent response to the challenge this fic was for), the story works because of its characters. You can practically feel the father's weariness from trying to raise his children to the best of his abilities in the aftermath of his wife's death, and it matches so well with the bleak and somber atmosphere of the winter setting (despite the fact that there's a festival taking place at around this same time). And the children are so well-written too: just the right amount of curious and innocent to highlight the heartbreaking nature of their missing mother.

Nominated by Cutlerine

I'll admit I don't read a lot of Mass Effect fic, but who can resist a good krogan? And these are some good krogan. Of all the races in the Mass Effect galaxy, they have some of the most distinctive and idiomatic language, and that makes good krogan dialogue – which The Fate of the Krogan has – a joy to read. It understands the source material well, it's well written, and it is in general a fine story.

Nominated by JX Valentine

I have to admit, I haven't actually followed Daredevil, but this is one of those fics where you don't really need knowledge of the source material to understand what's going on. It's quiet, contemplative, and almost warm and fuzzy for a fic that's literally about two characters taking care of each other after literally a rough night.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Do you like sparkly magical girls fighting against monsters in an otherworldly high school setting? What about ordinary high school girls navigating the average trials and tribulations of teenager-hood while balancing her emerging magical powers? The Storyteller has all of these, plus the fine scent of 90s magical girl camp. It is, in short, a fun little romp … or at least one that will remind you of all the times you kinda wished you could go off and be Sailor Moon instead of do your history homework.

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

You always find yourself wanting to know what happens next at the end of every chapter of Drowning. Starlight Aurate's fic takes its time to really explore the villainous teams of the Hoenn games and goes above and beyond in making a great story out of it.

Nominated by AmericanPi

Pokemon Moonlight Silver is essentially the Johto arc of the anime, only with much less filler and - best of all - each of the three protagonists (Ash, Misty, and Brock) having a clear goal and clear rivals.

Nominated by JX Valentine and Spiteful Murkrow

Time and Tide answers the age-old question of, "What if a canon bad guy wins?" It just so happens that in this case, the canon bad guy was Archie, and the answer to that question is, "The world floods for 500 years." Enter a new chosen one and heavy doses of swashbuckling adventure in a watery post-apocalyptic world, complete with literal ghosts of the past, the old wars between Aqua and Magma, and the usual sense of wonder we've come to know and love from Cutlerine's writing, and you have a veritable epic of the mythic variety. It is, in other words, really, really difficult not to like this plot.

Nominated by JX Valentine

While the first chapter may leave you asking a few questions, I have to give snowstorm on the yellow sea props for one of the most unique plotlines I've seen in a while. It stars Marie Jones, a young Canadian hoping to start her trainer's journey off in South Korea, only to end up accidentally drifting by boat onto the shores of North Korea. From then on, all pretenses of starting off on her journey are dropped as Marie finds herself scrambling for the Chinese border with three defectors in tow. To put it in brief, the story is heavy with political intrigue, and it's one of those rare fics when the culture becomes part of the story to the point where it drives forward the plot. Every step of the way, it's hard not to bite your fingernails, hoping that Marie makes it to safety and avoids being caught by North Korean loyalists.

Nominated by Chibi Pika

Nominated by Cutlerine, diamondpearl876 and Spiteful Murkrow

I actually dithered over this one for some time, because Dramatic Melody has a real knack for interesting and unusual fics, but I think Humans of Hoenn is probably the stand-out idea. Simple, ingenious and superbly well executed, it does a great job of building a lot out of very little.

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by JX Valentine

I never thought I'd say the words "it's a fic about gay vikings and the equally gay Irish priests they kidnap, only with pokémon thrown in," but here we are.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by Chibi Pika

Do I even need to say it? This is the most brain-breakingly original fic concept I've ever run across in my life.

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

Very fun concept, and although it hasn't been updated in a while, I felt it deserved a nomination for what it was trying to do and how it was doing it.

Nominated by Cutlerine

It's hard to write young children convincingly, even more so when you're trying to create a story in that voice alone. Dear Purrloin fulfils both briefs with aplomb.

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

There's just a certain something about bobandbill's prose that makes all of his drabbles such a joy to read, whether they're laugh-out-loud funny or a feel-good pick-me-up or a punch in the gut. How he's able to cover all of those kinds of plots while still retaining his signature style is very commendable.

Nominated by AmericanPi

The narrator is adorable with their funny comments about what's happening in the narrative.

Nominated by JX Valentine

One of the fun things about Flying in the Dark is the fact that its epistolary format says so much about the Markus and Haley yet so little at the same time. You definitely get a sense of their individual voices—Markus's noble and intelligent mannerisms and Haley's cynicism combined with the hallmarks of a teenager's big-fish-in-a-little-pond point of view—but you always have a constant feeling that there are more than a few somethings that neither of them are saying. It's not just the holes in Markus's stories or the elusiveness of Haley's motives. It's something in the specific language that leaves you asking questions. This fic, in other words, demonstrates the art of implication in just the right way that you're left with a whole list of questions just because the word choice leads you to believe there's something amiss.

Nominated by JX Valentine

The greatest thing about Humans of Hoenn is also the thing that makes it unique. The format Dramatic Melody chose comes complete with a whole slew of challenges. Namely, how do you create all these unique voices that not only add to this fictional world but also sound like a long procession of human beings with their own interests, hopes, dreams, fears—even vocal tics? It's not easy for many writers to handle a set cast of characters, but to do it for the entire Hoenn NPC base in such a way that one NPC sounds so different from another is on a whole separate level altogether. And to succeed at it as Dramatic Melody had—to make an audience feel something for each NPC he covers? Let's just say "best writing style" would be putting it mildly.

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

There's a lot of great things about this one-shot, but I think what really stands out is Phoenixsong's prose. As I said in the thread, it's very, for the lack of a better word, "raw", and that's exactly what this kind of one-shot asks for.

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by Cutlerine and diamondpearl876

Jax's Unova has everything a good cyberpunk world needs: glass, chrome, replicants. It's all the kind of thing you'd expect of the genre, but it's done with such love and attention, and it doesn't feel rote or uninspired in the slightest.

Nominated by Cutlerine

Viking AU. I mean, that's it, that's all I need to tell you. It's good stuff, with all the longships, pokémon paganism, and sea-dragons you could ask for. It's one of those settings that gets the job done, if you know what I mean; it is spectacular, but only if you think about it. Otherwise, it does a good job of providing a space for the drama to play out, with its various factions and tensions.

Nominated by diamondpearl876 and Virgil134

Fledglings offers a setting more unique than any other PMD story. While most stories are set on land, Fledglings is set on small islands and the sea. It effectively combines PMD with ocean punk. Even the islands themselves are each unique and different. They all have their own culture, often inspired by various cultures from real life. On one island for example, the Pokémon speak Spanish (More accurately, English with occasional Spanish words) and live in a small town with a very tropical life style. Yet on another island, the Pokémon speak Japanese and live in a larger town filled with buildings in traditional Japanese architecture. Overall it’s a very rich and diverse setting.

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

Beyond the fact that it's a very creative setting, The Teller takes it further by tying it well to the internal conflict. Reading more and more about the Terminus Reap was the main draw of the fic, but seeing how it connected thematically to the characters' situations was the icing on the cake.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Settings are pretty much a hallmark of Cutlerine's writing. In every fic she does, she pays particularly close attention to constructing the history and customs of the people (or pokémon) she writes about, and Time and Tide is no different. Its Hoenn feels so real with its myriad of unique places, from the claustrophobic Tethys and Jonah's Respite to the dreary openness of Cormac's Mourn and the ethereal atmosphere of the Hollow. Even the dead and desolate underwater desert that was once Fallarbor Town feels like a place, you know? And of course, with this fic, there has to be 500 years of history attached to it, and Cutlerine shows us every detail, from the evolution of Tethys' politics to the people the lovable digital Edie loved and lost over the centuries. Everything matters in this world, which makes Hoenn just as much of a character in Time and Tide as everyone else.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Like I said when I nominated this fic for Best New Pokémon Fic, North Korea is in every facet of this story—which, really, already earns it points. But more than that, it's very clear that roule did their homework on the subject, as even though North Korea is still portrayed with a slightly Western lens (I mean, the main characters escape it for a reason), there are so many little details that make it come alive. And I know this is odd to say about a place that is actually real (but, you know, with pokémon added), but given how little anyone outside of North Korea knows concerning what living there is actually like, I sort of expected there to be a lot of gaps or spots where it felt like roule was cobbling together a caricature of a totalitarianism. Not so here! Instead, sure, you have near barren apartments, portraits of Kim Jong Un everywhere, and government-appointed singers belting out pop-ballads about how amazing the State is, but it's less a snapshot of 1984 and more a place where you would expect actual people live. And, of course, the Pokémon elements are woven in seamlessly, with references back to North Korean politics. In short, it's just amazingly put together.

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

What really sells this piece is the atmosphere. JX Valentine said that she was inspired by Over the Garden Wall in writing this, and it really shows - not only in the dark and fairy tale-y vibe of the piece, but in how well-constructed the one-shot is.

Nominated by Cutlerine

Oh, Drowning. I nominated it last year, and I stand by that nomination this year. The Hoenn games are tricky ones to write about, because Teams Aqua and Magma are frankly kind of baffling, but Starlight Aurate has done an exemplary job with the setting. Very much a story to keep an eye on.

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by diamondpearl876 and Virgil134

Nominated by AmericanPi

Nominated by JX Valentine

What's the best way of getting a sense of what Hoenn is? Ask the locals, apparently! Humans of Hoenn isn't just about exactly what it says on the tin; it's a story about Hoenn, from the mouths of characters you frankly probably skipped over the first time. Consequently, every part of Hoenn feels alive and deep, like a real place full of real people, rather than just a game or a backdrop to a larger story.

Nominated by JX Valentine

"What if they won" AUs are always fun, but Figurehead is a one-shot that takes it to the next level. Basically, Figurehead isn't just an AU. It's also, on a level, criticism. It states in frank terms that Ghetsis's plan, as stated in canon, had a pretty big, N-shaped hole in it, and as such, it thoroughly discusses the "what happens next." In other words, it's almost a twisted version of a fix-it fic, wherein it expands upon canon by literally fixing up the logical hole in it, and it does so in the most destructive, heartbreaking way possible.

Nominated by Chibi Pika

Expanding upon canon is like 99% of what this fic DOES. And it does it well. I constantly forget that all her boxdev headcanons are just headcanons, they fit that well into the world.

Nominated by Cutlerine

It's not just the character development as we see it that's so good here, but the way it's integrated with the story and the big themes of the RSE games by means of the growth metaphor. Like so many really good ideas, it looks effortless and feels natural, and it contributes immensely to a really rather excellent piece of writing.

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

I nominated this last year for the same award, but the letters diamondpearl876 posted this year just reinforced how great this fic is in fleshing out its characters. The fact that it does so within the limitations of letter-writing makes it an even more impressive feat - you can really see how much both protagonists have matured, changed, and more importantly, still be themselves with each letter they write.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by Chibi Pika

The characters are by far the standout in this fic, as all of them–even the villains–are given significant opportunities to grow and learn and change their worldview throughout the story.

Nominated by Cutlerine

Okay, so I have a big soft spot for Wally, but even without that, there's a lot to like here. It might be compact, but it leans into a reader's prior knowledge of the characters involved to do a lot more with them than you might expect of a story of this length. Short, sweet, and smart.

Nominated by diamondpearl876 and JX Valentine

Okay, this is fudging it a little, but pick a story in Humans of Hoenn. Go on. Pick any given one. Chances are good that the character being interviewed in that story is deep, alive, and in possession of a unique voice that makes them feel and sound human, despite the fact that they are literally just an NPC in a game not particularly known for its depth of characters. To create deep, meaningful stories with that many unique characters time after time after time is no easy task, so I can't help but give Dramatic Melody literally all the props for it.

Nominated by Virgil134

Nominated by AmericanPi

Alonso was so snarky. A lot of his lines were golden too.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Here's how to rip someone's beating heart right out of their chest: write an entire fic about a small child penning a letter to her stolen purrloin that she ain't never gonna get back. Then make it clear that the small child doesn't understand this.

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

The inverted timeline [Imaginative]:[Clockwork] used for this story worked very well in developing Rico and Arbor's characterizations, and the twist in the end sealed the deal. A great character-driven piece from start to finish.

Nominated by Cutlerine

And a third nomination for Dramatic Melody. Aqua and Magma members in close proximity always interest me, and this is not only that but a couple of dorks exploring whatever it is that's between them with tentativeness and a little anxiety. It's a delicate thing, and it might easily not have worked. But it does, and that's worth a nomination.

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by JX Valentine

As off-beat as this crew is (a girl, her porygon2/Z, and three ghosts—two of which kinda hate each other in canon), they play off each other so well that by the time you hit the halfway point in this fic, they almost seem like family. It's very clear that Avice loves each and every one of them and that they are more than willing to return the favor, sometimes to the point where if half of them could, they'd probably die for each other. (Heck, Edie actually nearly did at one point. Spoilers?) And really, the depth of the love and trust these characters have for each other as possibly the weirdest family ever written makes this story all the more enjoyable.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

Their friendship is very well-written, and PhalanxSigil has a lot of fun with making Winona egg Falkner on about his feelings for Janine. It all came across very genuine, too.

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by Virgil134

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by JX Valentine

No, it's okay, Dramatic Melody. I'm not going to cry over a small child writing a letter to the stolen purrloin she hopes to see one day but canonically won't. I'm definitely not going to do that.

Nominated by JX Valentine

It doesn't really get all that heartbreaking until the end, when you really think about it. It's literally a story that works backwards, establishing the deep love and trust a trainer and his pokémon have for each other by going through each and every one of their achievements and adventures together, including all the moments in which they nearly died for each other. And then it ends with the moment their story starts, right at the fateful choice Rico has to make, only for him to not make it. So not only do you quickly fall in love with the relationship Rico and Arbor have for each other, but it also comes crashing down at that final moment.

Nominated by Cutlerine and JX Valentine

It's possibly the cutest story I've ever read. I don't think I've ever seen the sense of wonder you got on your first visit to Kanto better expressed, or the way the magic lingers when you return years later.

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

It's weird nominating a fic with that kind of title for Most Heartwarming, but American–Pi's response to the first Quarterly challenge really does make you feel happier about life after reading it. The exchange between the two main characters is sweet, honest, and emotional, and the protagonist's takeaway at the end, aside from being very authentic, doesn't fail to put a smile on your face.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

Meta humor, in-your-face comedy, and two lovable goofballs - what more could you ask for? Umbramatic's homage to Stoppard's homage to Shakespeare delivered in creating a hysterical take on the otherwise dark Black and White plot, and it's as funny as it is a good read..

Nominated by AmericanPi

"No Survivors" was hilarious because of the Plasma Grunts' hilarious gratuitous horror and, of course, the ridiculous "Belly Button Eater" joke at the end.

Nominated by AmericanPi and JX Valentine

Most of the drabbles read like a comic strip, with a fun punchline at the end.

Time and again, bobandbill shows off his mastery of the comedic genre, and with bite-sized bits of humor in this year's drabble offerings, he proves that you don't have to say much to be hilarious. From the outrageous but funny Cofagrius drabble to the subtle, you-might-miss-it-until-you-really-look humor of Florges, the Drabble Dex is one wild ride from one drabble to the next.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by AmericanPi and Chibi Pika

Electric Sheep was honestly one of the best fics I've ever read, period. The setting is creative, the character are memorable, and the overall way it was able to take a simple Nuzlocke run and spin it into a fun story is awesome.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by diamondpearl876, JX Valentine and Chibi Pika

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by Spiteful Murkrow

Nominated by AmericanPi

Each drabble really captures the Pokemon in question.

Nominated by JX Valentine and Chibi Pika

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by Cutlerine

Okay, so it's an all-star cast from my favourite region, Hoenn, but even if the subject matter is exactly my thing it's handled with a skill anyone can admire. Canon characters are difficult to work with, partly because their voices in-game don't translate well into prose if you just copy them exactly. Yet every character here feels as they should, while at the same time the lens of authorial interpretation brings something new to the field. Additionally, there's some wonderful synergy between the characters' (especially Wally's) development, the burgeoning of plants and RSE's themes of nature's balance with civilisation. I've always thought Hoenn offers some stellar opportunities for canon character-centric fics, and Look and Listen proves it.

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by AmericanPi

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by Cutlerine

All the reasons that made Annie a contender for this award last year still hold in this iteration of the story. It's still in the early stages, but it already feels like the revisions diamondpearl876 made are having positive results, and I have no doubt that Annie is only going to become more compelling as time goes on. A character like her can all too easily slip into caricature or ridiculousness; it's the mark of a fine story that she doesn't.

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

All three characters deserve to be nominated here, but the way Mrs. Lovett builds up Rita's character over each of her segments was very impressive, especially since her character had the least to work with in terms of what the games provide. Even if it's in a smaller scale, her plot with the Ganlon berries felt just as impactful as Wally's and Maxie's, and how her story is weaved from that plot was a joy to read.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by JX Valentine

Jimmy reminds me of the slacker-heroes that were popular back in the 80s and 90s. A lot of them had talent of one kind or another, be it creativity, charisma, or—in Jimmy’s case—actual intelligence, but they let those abilities basically go to waste. That’s what actually made them appealing: you couldn’t help but root for them, partly because they were often lovable, relatable goofballs and partly because you just kinda wanted to see them succeed, despite their loser personae holding them back. This version of Jimmy (as opposed to the earlier version in an earlier fic by this author) is exactly that. He’s more interested in gaming than training his haunter, saving the world, or, well, doing decently in school. But at the same time, he’s also lovable and almost earthy on a level, the kind of character you met and probably liked hanging out with in real life. So it’s very enjoyable to watch him start off on an adventure because you know he’s going to stumble through it half-blind. In other words, Jimmy’s the kind of character whose character arc makes a story. He starts off as a loser, but he has so much potential to be something more—and that’s exactly why he’s so much fun to read.

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by Chibi Pika

Debateable whether they're a main character or a supporting character, but their addition to the main cast early on, and heavy character focus and driving role in the plot means I opted to go with main character. A wonderfully conflicted and complex character who undergoes all sorts of major turmoil and development throughout the story.

Nominated by Dramatic Melody and JX Valentine

His in-your-face personality from the games carries over very well in this one-shot, but Bay takes it further by adding this sense of vulnerability in him that takes his character up a notch. It helps that he has very dynamic interactions with Kukui, which is great in bringing out all those layers of characterization.

Nominated by JX Valentine

I’d like to think that Brendan is a supporting character, rather than the main character, because in many cases, he’s the catalyst for the story, not who the story is actually about. But because of that, you get a skeletal framework of his character: someone so interested in the humanness of the trainers he shares his world with that he’s traveling all across his region to uncover their stories. He’s why they can speak, and through him, we’re able to learn all about the extraordinary in the mundane. In other words, while Brendan often takes a backseat to the other characters, it’s his curiosity and sense of empathy and patience that makes the story what it is.

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

Chapter 13 of Drowning was all kinds of amazing, but what really stood out here was how Starlight Aurate treated the character of Tabitha. For the first time, you can really feel his humanity seeping in to the story, and how that contrasts from what had been established of his character in the previous chapters makes for very good character development.

Nominated by Chibi Pika

Grosh is best dad.

Nominated by Chibi Pika

There's something oddly endearing about his constant bickering and selfish nature. It adds a refreshing contrast to the main characters.

Nominated by AmericanPi

Belle is "lol idk laser sharks" (that meme will never not be funny). She's just so chaotic and silly that it's impossible to not love to hate her.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Archie is the poster boy for Affably Evil. You know what he's doing is wrong. You know he's literally going to drown the world. You know he sanctioned such exploits as drowning villages and stealing machine parts. You know he doesn't even care if he's hurting others. Yet he's also so dang friendly, not only with Maressa but also with, say, Winona and Liza, and he's such a good negotiator that you just can't help but fall for him anyway. You would totally sell the key to Kyogre for someone's brother, and you wouldn't mind because Archie is that dang slick. What's even more fun is that this isn't what he's like in canon at all, but that just makes it even better. Starlight managed to take a very clear, almost one-dimensional villain and make him almost likable, just so he can seem just a teeny bit more dangerous than the Archie you may know and love.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by Virgil134

Hess is an Aggron, and one of Fledglings' most notable antagonists. He is a pirate captain who isn't the most competent villain, and has his crew stitched together mostly by rejects from other crews. Despite being played as a comedic villain at times, Hess can also be a serious threat to the protagonists. Every time they fight him, he proves to be quite capable in battle and they only barely win. The combination of being funny and serious at the same time is what makes him such a great and enjoyable villain.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by Chibi Pika

Nominated by Chibi Pika

He spends like 80% of the fic being a sadistic piece of garbage, but damn it if you don't feel for him by the end after coming to understand what made him the way he is.

Nominated by Chibi Pika

Cinnamon bun, too pure.

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by Chibi Pika

His particular brand of dry sarcasm and witty snark never fails to crack me up.

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

This is the quote that got me: "Lord N made the first real stand against the vicious tyranny of humanity, and even though he lost this occasion, he has such grace and determination that when it comes down to the denouement of this vicious conflict he will surely emerge victori-". The meta-humor is strong, and Umbramatic didn't hold back at all with the comedy.

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by JX Valentine

The Drabble Dex has a knack for creating unique, hilarious situations out of things we might've always noticed or felt. For example, it would be one thing to write a drabble about the never-ending frustration that is trying to put a Cofagrius up on the GTS, but this drabble takes it to a wonderfully ridiculous extreme.

Nominated by JX Valentine

And this, children, is why you can find ditto on Route 34.

Nominated by Chibi Pika

Nominated by Dramatic Melody and JX Valentine

There were two drabbles of bobandbill's that I was considering for this category since they were both so, so strong, but I think the Phantump drabble is what breaks your heart more effectively. How little it says really magnifies how huge of an impact each word brings to the table - I felt it was one of the pieces in the project that maximized the fact that it was a drabble, and it didn't hold back in bringing the feels.

Casual reminder that Phantump's dex entry is horrifying and also about dead children, so everything here is also about a dead child. (Thanks, bobandbill!)

Nominated by Virgil134

Although every story has its sad moments, this scene right here has to be one of Fledglings’ most heartbreaking moments. After the protagonists got tricked into entering the nest of a large group of ferocious Beautifly, the team barely manages to escape. What makes this scene so sad is how Pleo, the story’s main protagonist, deals with what he thinks are his friends’ deaths. Being only a few weeks old, readers will know Pleo as a very innocent and cheery character. Seeing him deal with something dark like death is truly heartbreaking.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nothing's more heartbreaking than dealing with a loved one who is not only dying but also going through dementia. To do it with a character who had previously been established in diamondpearl's Survival Project—a character we've come to know, love, and respect—takes it to a new level, as we can do nothing but helplessly watch him break down.

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

This segment really stood out for me because of how it shifted the tone from the previous sections, but it did so in a very profound way. [Imaginative]:[Clockwork]'s writing is always great, but how he treated this segment was particularly noteworthy.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

It's a great back-and-forth between the two characters, and bringing up their past friendship really shed light on what's on their minds at that moment. Like I said in the Guzma nomination, Bay did very well in capturing their characterizations from the game, and the central scene of her one-shot really shows it.

Nominated by AmericanPi

Just read it. Geist holding Door holding Jack the Oshawott was an awesome mental picture.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Moby Dick ain't got nothing on a scene in which vikings take down a forty-foot magic whale. But in all seriousness, this is just emblematic of a lot of what works about Halvarsaga. Not a single word is spoken in these few paragraphs; rather, every single word is devoted to the violence and visceral nature of the killing of this single pokémon. The pacing is perfect and fast-paced, and you almost get a sense of the grand scale of this single character death. It is, in other words, like watching a scene from a viking movie just play out before you.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Actually, this entire battle is worthy of nomination; it's just … character limits. But as you can probably tell from the snippet above, Sike struck a perfect balance of pacing and imagery throughout this scene, culminating into one of the best cliffhangers that she's posted this year. (Yes, I have to clarify with "this year.") Every single word drives forward the action of the plot, drumming up the tension and adrenaline.

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

Beyond the fact that Hakajin's prose conveyed the high stakes of the situation very well, it also did well in advancing Satsumi's character and internal turmoil. How she balanced both in this scene is very commendable.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

Phoenixsong's one-shot is filled to the brim with memorable passages, but this paragraph (yes, I'm nominating the entire paragraph) stood out as the one that really captured what it was going for. Very well-written, and such a great way to present the conflict that the protagonist is dealing with.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by Cutlerine and JX Valentine

Have you read Communication? That's sort of what I'm talking about. It's complex, and brilliant, and it could easily have gone to pieces on several occasions in the hands of a less skilled writer – but it didn't, and the fact that it not only did not do that but indeed came to such a satisfying end is a testament to Sike's skill.

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by diamondpearl876, JX Valentine and Spiteful Murkrow

It was a legitimate struggle to figure out which awards I had to cut out because I was straight-up trying to nominate Cutlerine for almost all of them. But on a serious note, practically every single year, Cutlerine gifts the forum with a new fic, and that fic is always fresh, new, and exciting, with a perfect balance of gripping plot, deep and fascinating characters, and even spot-on language. Every world she presents us with is staggeringly detailed to the point where we practically know the religious views of kadabra or the way the Tethysi dialect sounds to the ear. In short, it's really hard not to nominate Cutlerine for this award because her work is just so consistently good.

Nominated by Virgil134

Nominated by Spiteful Murkrow

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by JX Valentine

I must admit I wasn’t too sure what to think when I saw someone with not posts enter the Yuletide. But then I was pleasantly surprised when Corvus submitted their work. With just a single one shot (that I was even tempted to nominate for a couple of awards), Corvus shows us they have a strong grasp of characterization, weaving together a light-hearted but sweet exchange between two distinct characters (while at the same time capturing the canon essence of Jasmine and Volkner). Even the way Corvus handles Pokémon is sweet and enjoyable, which is to say if this is just a sampling of Corvus’s work, I really hope to see more of them.

Nominated by Cutlerine

This year, American–Pi's produced an awful lot of stuff, including a brace of Yuletide fics and responses to almost every single FFQ challenge going. That's a lot of fiction and, in the way of such things, a lot of time, too.

Nominated by diamondpearl876 and Virgil134

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by AmericanPi

FlamingRuby is super dedicated in updating her fics. Pokemon Moonlight Silver especially has been going strong all year.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Just to keep up with Time and Tide at my own pace, I copied and pasted it into a Google Doc. You want to know how many pages Time and Tide was? Over 500. And each chapter averaged at about twenty-five pages each. Factor in the amount of consistent care (all that worldbuilding! solid characterization! perfectly poetic prose!) and the fact that the fic at some point updated literally a fortnight (which is awesome to say), and let’s just say Cutlerine has the amount of dedication one can only envy. Oh and by the way? This is standard for Cutlerine. How do you pull off writing hundreds of thousands of words a year? Seriously.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Oh, no reason … except, you know, this year marked the fifteenth anniversary of her main fic so hot dang she’s been hardcore at one fic for fifteen years how do you not call that dedication? Chibi Pika is so dedicated to writing that her work is literally older than some people on the forum seriously what.

Nominated by Chibi Pika

Come on, I gotta nominate my psychic twin and the only person crazy enough to have been posting the same fic on SPPf longer than me. :P Plus tqftl came out with seven chapters this year!

Nominated by Cutlerine

Perhaps not the nomination I was expecting to make here, but Electric Sheep hits all the right notes so well and in so many different ways that I think it represents a real step forwards from AEM in terms of quality – which is saying something, because that was a very good story. It's just that Electric Sheep is even better.

Nominated by Cutlerine

If you look back at American–Pi's work during 2015, and then at what she's produced in 2016, you can see the leap forwards in terms of both technical skill and in the thinking behind her stories. Leaving aside the fact that it was written for me and therefore contains things that appeal to me specifically, Twelve Days of Christmas shows a lot of consideration of what a pokémon's design might mean for it in a fiction context, and that kind of thought is what goes into some of the best fics in this fandom.

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Nominated by AmericanPi

Shattersoul may not be active on the forum anymore, but while he was active in the first half of the year he really improved his writing in The Curse of Forgotten Time this year in comparison to last year.

Nominated by JX Valentine

I’ll be blunt. Last year, I wasn’t too impressed with his offering. But this year, he comes at us with a genuine trainer fic. Characters who’re likable (and, well, not edgy or anything) right off the bat, good pacing, and a refreshing go at the usual beginning of a trainer fic. (It’s not just “wake up, get a starter, and go.” Instead, Jimmy understood perfectly that the first chapter needs to be spent establishing his cast and building his main character’s motivation for going on a journey.) In other words, Jersey Jimmy has grown a lot since his first shot at posting on the forum last year, and I really hope he comes back to continue because if this is how he grows, it’ll be interesting where he goes from here.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Nominated by diamondpearl876

Samples: (diamondpearl876)

Nominated by AmericanPi

Samples: (AmericanPi)

Jax's reviews always make my day. They're suuuper thorough, and of course really helpful too.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Samples: (JX Valentine)

Nominated by Dramatic Melody

Samples: (Dramatic Melody)

Hakajin's reviews always, always make you think. She dissects fics in a way unlike any other, and there's a lot you can learn from her thoughts.

Nominated by AmericanPi

Samples: (AmericanPi)

DM's reviewing tends to come in bursts, but that's kind of beside the point when he's such a thorough reviewer who gives excellent points on every story he reads.

Nominated by JX Valentine

Samples: (JX Valentine)