R4: Author, JC and MC Banners and Comments
Best Author
Her story "Sharing Shadows" made me cry and feel for the characters and for a non-Spuffy fan, I give her a lot of credit for that.
She has a vision and she's true to it; that's highly commendable.
Angearia is a great author who not only has great technical ability by can spin a tale that pulls the reader in and won’t let go until the end.
Loves Buffy Summers more deeply and plumbs the depths of her mind and heart more thoroughly than any author in the 'verse I know of, and in every imaginable format, from longform epic stories to poems that linger long after they're read.
She establishes some very unique original characters.
Her entire story flowed very well. There was not a place where I got confused or didn't understand what was going on. She has a masterful way of describing the characters and the issues they were facing.
Knifeedge not only comes up with extremely gripping original plots, but also has the technical skills and story telling ability to turn those original fic ideas into something spectacular.
Plots are well thought out and involved. There is a lot of detail in the writing.
Even when the story contains ideas about the 'verse I disagree with or tropes I don't normally enjoy, the excellent storytelling, fidelity to canon characterization, psychological insight, and original takes on old ideas keep me in the story's "thrall".
Outstanding Author Judge's Nominees
Beer_Good_Foamy tells a compelling story and has a knack for writing femslash in a way that's believable.
This author has a grand way of showing many different sides to all the characters. There is not a character that the author doesn't describe and write well.
There's never a time when this author's stories are not worth reading.
Time after time beer_good_foamy consistently produces wonderful, perfectly characterized, original idea filled fics. It is impossible for a reader to ever be disappointed with such fantastically perfect storytelling.
I like Beer Good Foamy for the humor.
This author's love for the 'verse pours through in every story, interlaced with penetrating intelligence and keen wit. Excels in all moods and tones from sharp satire to poignant tragedy; is never maudlin or cliche.
Bruttimabuoni handles humor and angst with equal aplomb.
She comes up with unique and intriguing tales so regularly it must be a super power.
Brutti_ma_buoni continually creates spectacular pieces with wonderfully original plot twists.
Sheer prolificacy paired with astonishing quality and storytelling skill, precision of language and commitment to the characters make every single story from this author something to treasure. One of the best writers in this fandom, bar none.
Everything I've ever read by Bruttimabuoni is fantastic! Seeing her name after a fic is the closest thing to a guarantee one can get.
Judge's Choice
This ‘what if Buffy didn’t jump off the tower’ piece grabbed my attention from the beginning. Told from Dawn’s POV in a hellish world, the author nailed the Key and how her personality might have evolved. The angst filled emotions she projects will pick at your heart strings. Spectacular short fic!
This piece is so beautifully dark I find it an irrestible read.
Dark, sinister and erotic as hell in a twisted way. Great character piece for both Faith and Wesley at their season 3 nadir.
A chilling twist of an episode that begins with a character death, gets darker and has a final heroic act by a character we might least expect it from. Dark, angsty, horrific and inspiring.
Something about this just stuck with me. Snowpuppies captured Adam in all his glory perfectly. And Oz, that sweet, kind gentle boy who tried to do right as a wolf manages to do so at the end. But I think it was the hint at the end that help or salvation had come just a moment too late that really caught my eye.
One of the first btvs fanfics that rocked me emotionally and never loses it's power in subsequent re-readings. Vivid, intense, painful; it pulls no punches in terms of the very real trauma of the event. Entirely within canon characterization - how we'd expect Angelus to behave in "real life", based on what the show implies to us; and a Buffy who is both the Slayer, victimized by her lover but never settling for "victimhood", but also a very real, very tender and inexperienced girl.
Spike/Buffy has never been a pairing that I rush to read. I accept that their relationship happened in canon, but I’m not a “Spuffy” fan. This story, however, moved me to heartbreak and sniffles. (My allergies were crying.) Angearia captures the angst and emotion of the moment in a way that feels very true to what Spike and Buffy were in Season 7. Hats off to her.
I selected this for Judge's Choice because the metaphor of Swan Lake and how it reflects on Angel's past and present is so impressively amazing. The metaphor comes in through his dreams, which are memories of seeing different versions of Swan Lake, and his thoughts. The piece works as a set of different acts, subtly tying it to the idea of an opera: dream of Swan Lake, killing demons and capturing one, dreams of Swan Lake, killing the last of the demons and again taking one, his mission is completed and there are more dreams of Swan Lake but they shift into a dream of Buffy's death - the reason for his mission, his final punishment of the demons and then Angel goes to face his own death, which ties his actions to the story and characters of Swan Lake.
The flow, as I've described above, goes between dreams of Swan Lake and the killing of demons until his mission is complete. It is only then that the reader is told the what and why of the mission. THe final scene ties Angel into the story, Swan Lake, that has been obsessing him. Very well thought out flow of scenes.
"Tonight, his sub-conscious mind has chosen the ballet again. It is less benign than it may seem." Such a beautiful pair of lines.
"He watches the dancer intently, the brass balcony rail cool against his palms. He wonders whether he is leaving fingerprints deep in the metal, but he can’t tear his gaze away from the girl on stage." Yeah, there's Angelus. Excellent characterization. Spot on with Darla's character too.
Another bit of wonderful characterization: I can so see Angel forcing himself into the church, even when it pains him and the holiness tries to drive him out. "it is part of Christian history that sin is purified by pain, and he welcomes it." Yes.
I. am. in. absolute.LOVE with this fic. :: sigh :: It had everything! This writer brought me to tears! Watching the transformation of Spike and the realization dawn on Buffy that yes she is in love with this man was just magical! I wish there was more and then I find that it ended just perfectly. Talent is definitely had here!!:
This story was wonderfully written, and made me want to re-read it, just to savor the sentences. The surprise ending was actually a surprise, and the almost casual feel throughout the story only made the ending that much more unexpected.
Mod's Choice
Fandom doesn't like Kennedy. Fandom doesn't like second-person point of view.
Well, fandom can bite my shiny, metal ass.
Because Coalitiongirl has written a Kennedy-centric piece in second-person and it ROCKS. Truly capturing the essence - tightly-packed, intense, tell-a-whole-story-in-under-500-words - the essential art of the drabble, "just you" creates a vivid AU that doesn't need to be spelled out to be understood. Kennedy's voice is fantastic: bitchy, entitled, and so in love...
Truly a kick in the pants.
I've loved it on every re-read.
This depiction of Angel digging into the depths of his demonic memories and talents to work on the side of... well... the angels manages to be both chilling and morally satisfying all at once. Incredibly original and well-crafted with a deft hand at atmosphere and a very believable characterization of Angel.