Secret Santa Contest (2016) Voting and Judging

[Kirby]

OR: Where's the poll?

There is none. Here's the general breakdown:

Any member of BL can vote and participate in judging, even if you didn't write anything. If you vote for your own fic (as in, the one you wrote), that vote won't count and will go wasted

Each voter gets three votes, that works by ranking your top 3 fics. Your top fic gets 3 points, your second-place fic gets 2 points, your third-place gets 1 point. Of course, if you don't have a top 3, you don't have to vote for three fics. In the end, all the points are tallied up and whichever fic has the most points is the winner. When you vote, post the votes and rankings in this thread.

Voting closes in one week, January 2, 11:59 PM EST. If there's enough demand for it the deadline can be extended (should people need more time to read), but I won't extend it for only one or two voters.

You can also post your reviews in this thread.

Another link to the fics, if you need it.

[Rafflesiac]

3 pts: Where The Circle Ends - I really liked this one. I like how humanity's futile struggle against the Aristoteles is juxtaposed against Ciel's/Arc's futile struggle against Roa. I like how Roa's solution seems victorious in one way, yet horribly hollow in another. Also I really like the imagery of watching the last battles of humanity from the desolate remains of their former glory.

2 pts: Paradox Eclipse - The Araya-Shiki pun killed me. I liked seeing Shiki's trademark love of life, and how he even brought optimism to Araya. Finally, the lying on the grass while speaking with an Aozaki was a nice touch.

1 pt: No One's Hero Here - I'll be lazy here and copy what I said before. I like the air of melancholy here. I like how the person he met could be Rin, or Saber, or Archer.

[Leftovers]

My favourite entries are rated so close that I don't see a point or any fairness in randomly assigning one less points than another. For the record, Welcome❤️Hell was a very interesting foray into the workings of magecraft and the people that wield it, Where the Circle Ends and Paradox Eclipse play in the same one-scene exposition-through-conversation ballpark of what-ifs and tasteful references - the latter's formatting having come out worse for wear at places - and The Gift is straight-up enjoyable combat. It's great to see this participation (third highest turnout in BL2 contests!) and people working in creative ways with the prompts they were handed.

[Rafflesiac]

C'mon people, devalue my votes already.

This is your best chance to determine what Kirby draws next! To reward good writing with the e-peen its writer so richly deserves!

[SpoonyViking]

Hm, this was difficult, but I think I'll pick the following:

1) Paradox Eclipse

2) At the End of Duty

3) Prodigal Son / Oedipus Rex / Sins of the Fathers / Welcome Hell

I don't suppose I could award 3 points to all of the above? :-P

I'll add proper reviews for all fics later.

[Sesto]

1. Where The Circle Ends
2. Prodigal Son/Oedipus Rex/Sins of the Fathers/Welcome Hell
3. Paradox Eclipse

[ItsaRandomUsername]

Votes:
-------
1. Where the Circle Ends
2. Paradox Eclipse
3. The Gift


Honorable Mentions:
----------------------
Wanderers
PS/OR/SotF/WH
Winter Woes
At the End of Duty
Part-Time Heroes

---

Wanderers:
=========
Lots of fun details and trivia to pick through--that Himalaya's reference is actually remarkably clever (psst--it's Fate/EXTRA), for both the seasoned T-M fan and those who can parse few-and-far-between details on the postulated route that Illya came out of (graveyard fetish won't be not funy to me, on top of being a reference to her past). If I wasn't informed of the prompt at the end, the theme of transcience might not have been so evident, but it's definitely undeniable that in the story both Shiki and Illya are two parts of a 'post-couple couple,' which isn't often touched upon in JP/JP-derivative media, so it's got a refreshing aspect to it. Arcueid or Shirou, Shiki and Illya have lost loved ones that pushed their lives in their current directions.


Overall, a pleasant surprise that keeps on giving on re-reads and also satisfies the prompt.




Prodigal Son/Oedipus Rex/Sins of the Fathers/Welcome Hell:
============================================


An unconventional take on it's Code heist prompt, but a well thought-out, educated and interesting one nonetheless. Interesting magical applications, personal history, it's distinctly a Nasuverse magus story with an atmosphere that's definitely at home to a Type-MOON work, so bonus kudos for that.




Untitled 1:
========
Azaka as a Dead Apostle? Who cares if it breaks some obscure canon, sign me up--oh, it's over already. Pity, it could've been lewd and violent and possibly philosophically heavy, marrying the best of Tsuki and KnK together. Welp, at least you could consider me very interdasted, author.




Untitled 2:
========
Short, sweet, to the point. As far as Servant variants go Lion King's personality isn't as radically different compared to her base, so here she comes off as an "evolved" Artoria. Familar, but ever so different enough. More probably could have been done with all of this, but it's not too bad.




Paradox Eclipse:
==========
It impressed me how much it made me feel for Araya, how the Eyes served as a catalyst that ultimately caused him to reached a humanizing tranqulity at the end. The Type-MOON tendency to link philosophy and story events came off especially strong in this one, so it felt like it had a degree of satisfying authenticity.


At first I was all "Okay, our perspective character is ???." Then it became "Oh, that's Shiki, I guess. So that makes her...Aoko...?" "No, wait, reference to body-changing, Touko then, unless that's a VERY creative usage of the Fifth mentioned in a throwaway line.""Wait, it actually is Touko. Then is this an AU or OHHHHHHHHH"I feel like it had enough weight to pack an impact, and I'm a sucker for parallelisms, so that also rang true for me. Overall, it was neat as Hell, and definitely felt like it could be the ending to a lengthier work.




The Gift:
=======
Solid action, solid characterization, solid dialogue--and dialect! How often do you see that represented in a T-M fanfic?--and creative Rune usage starring our favorite Celt and his former teacher? Honestly, what's not to like? A real pleasure.




BAD FIC: No Beta Readers, We Die Like Men:
===========================
It started off interesting, like some payoff is waiting for the reader to stumble across--then it goes full metafiction. Which, okay, is a bit of a bummer that the story's incomplete, but hey, METAFICTION FUCK YEAUH.

Still retains the honor of having the greatest title of any of the entries this contest.


'tis the season. And speaking of seasons--!




Sakura for All Seasons:
==============
Okita is cute. The titles were fun. I was cheated out of some citrus-scented Okita action, but that's...okay, I guess. A good chunk of the grammar was a tad off, and that was kind of distracting, but it was still a sweet, tasteful story about the bond between Master and Servant.




Starship Girl:
========
YOU
DIG
GIANT ROBOTS
I
DIG
GIANT ROBOTS
WE
DIG
GIANT ROBOTS
CHICKS
DIG
GIANT ROBOTS


Pretty, detailed, atmospheric sci-fi is the name of the game here. Unfortunately incomplete, there's still a lot of meaty details to be found that that's commendable enough.


No One's Hero Here:
=============
It was a good decision to set this scene post-UBW, since the dialogue and how it correllates between Shirou and Kiritsugu are at their strongest following up on that particular story path. Introspection and dialogue are at an all-time here, and worth their weight in gold.




The Winter Woes of the Backalley Alliance:
=========================
The jokes and antics were rather spot-on. As a connoisseur of inside jokes I appreciate that. There was also a surprising amount of action, and that helped to add mood and character to a story that could have been serviceable even if it just went a full comedy route. One of the stronger contenders because of this well-rounded and good sense of humor, too.




Where the Circle Ends:
==============
Stellar story, definitely one of the top entries. Philosophical, intelligent, powerful, Tsukihime and Notes-centric, and a stupendous twist. Absolutely deserving of my top vote.




Part-time Heroes:
===========
I'd read this story, Hector seems like a cool, chillaxed guy I'd like to spend a Holy Grail War with. Incidentally, this is the second fic this contest that has him as a character in it! I appreciated the mundanity of the setting, which contrasted humorously with the grandoise battle royales Servants usually find themselves in and grounded the story in humanity and relatability. Fuckin' DMV.




Split Conscience:
===========
The joke could've been taken to greater heights, but then it stopped. Oh well. Fun while it lasted!




Untitled 3:
========
The tiger is the mightiest of all the big cats!




At the end of duty:
=============
Stellar prose, with a dramatic, romantic flair--I'm almost bummed out that it ended so soon, but it definitely used every line to elegantly build up to the well-known conclusion between Artoria and Mordred.




Quiet Lives:
==========
Well, that's one way to break bread.


Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyy kill me now.


tl;dr This was a pleasant contest, thank you so much, Kirby and everyone who participated. Happy holidays!

[Bird of Hermes]

1. The Gift - Excellent and creative combat scenes (which I am a sucker for), solid dialogue, dialect and characterisation. Given the prompt, I figured it would be against Scathacth, Medb, Ferdiad, Connla, Archer or a recreation of the America. I have wondered what this scene between these two would be like and it was certainly better than what I could have imagined.
2. Where the Circle Ends - I don't know what I can say that hasn't already. Beautiful prose, the story was a great melancholy and told quite intellectually. I certainly couldn't have done better.
3. At the End of Duty - Most of what I said for The Gift applies here as it builds up to the conclusion we all know will happen. If it was longer it probably would have scored higher.

Honourable mentions come later.

[Kirby]

Because some can't choose between a favorite, I'll allow 2/2/2 voting in lieu of 3/2/1, if you wanna do that.

[Frostyvale]

Isn't that essentially the same as not voting, Kirby?

[Kirby]

I mean, still puts those 3 ahead of 14 other fics, so

[SpoonyViking]

Because some can't choose between a favorite, I'll allow 2/2/2 voting in lieu of 3/2/1, if you wanna do that.

Oh, cool! In that case, I'll change my vote to:
2) Paradox Eclipse; At the End of Duty; Prodigal Son / Oedipus Rex / Sins of the Fathers / Welcome Hell

[Prix with a Silent X]

I just wanted to say that I have been busy/migraine suffering/otherwise occupied, whoever wrote my prompt and everyone else. I care and will read, just please stand by.

[Historia]

I just wanted to say that I have been busy/migraine suffering/otherwise occupied, whoever wrote my prompt and everyone else. I care and will read, just please stand by.

You have a week. Don't fret.

[Imperial]

I finally narrowed it down to my top three, which was hard with how good these entries were.

3 points. Paradox Eclipse - Perfectly weds KnK and Tsukihime with a style that perfectly emulates Nasu. Moody, dark, contemplative. It's so much of what makes Nasu's stuff compelling while going off in a bold new direction I never would have considered. Based on that prompt, I figured we would just see Shiki driven mad by his awakened origin. Instead, we got something infinitely more interesting.

2 points. The Gift - The Cu favoritism is strong in me, but it's still a great story in its own right. Terrific use of runes and druid tradition to spin up some cool spells but what really makes it shine is what makes so many Nasufights shine -- the emotional weight behind the lethal strikes and flowery prose. The bittersweet nature of the duel really tugged at my heartstrings, even if I knew how it had to end.

1 point. Prodigal Son/Oedipus Rex/Sins of the Father/Welcome Hell - A marvelous use of the setting to tell a story about an entirely original cast that doesn't fall prey to the usual pitfalls of original-heavy stories. It's creepy. It's cool. It feels like a story that really could happen in Nasu's world. It's "original fanfiction" done about as well as it possibly can be done.

Honorable Mentions:

No One's Hero Here - I like Shirou. I like his subtle jabs, his stubbornness, his self-delusions, his quirky relationships with Rin and Issei and Taiga. This author nails all of it perfectly. I especially like the "missing" scenes and the notion of Shirou coming to terms with Kiritsugu's legacy. We already got three entire routes about that, but more of what drew me to Shirou and FSN isn't a bad thing.

Where the Circle Ends - Like Paradoxical Eclipse, this one gets brownie points for fusing Tsukihime and Notes. It gets even more points for using Roa, who I have always found to be an interesting character, and yet more points for how it gets into the nitty gritty of the lore in a way that makes sense and raises some terrifying possibilities. The other character's fear and anger is palpable and justifiably so in the face of what Roa is proposing. Most of all, I love that while it takes a sympathetic approach to Roa, the story never forgets that he is a monster of his own making.

Sakura for All Seasons - It's great to see Master-Servant relationships that aren't abusive and dysfunctional. Okita is adorable in how she is so eager to please and so embarrassed by her lack of haori/Phantasm. The use of the Phantasm in this story made me laugh out loud. It doesn't hit on as many big philosophical points or explore the lore quite like a lot of the other entires I rate so highly, but the simple, sweet nature of this entry charmed me all the same.

[TwilightsCall]

I'm not really experienced at critiquing literary work (or...any work), so forgive me if my assessments come mostly from my first impressions.

3 Points: Part Time Heroes
At first I found it difficult to point to what made me like this story so much, but I think the main thing was that it really sparked my imagination. Much more than any of the other entries, it made me wonder "what if?" and even got me thinking if I should write a similarly-themed story of my own. The way Hector's perspective on his whole situation was presented, in contrast to the attitudes of the other Heroic Spirits around him, also added a layer of authentic depth that seemed to make up for the superficial representations of those other Spirits necessitated by the length of the piece. All in all, I enjoyed it very much, and it made me think a lot of possible similar stories that could be written in more long-form.

2 Points: At the End of Duty
I can't help but feel the result here went against the original intent of the prompt, but in the end I think the author made the right decision in where they went with this one. Seeing Saber work through and come to some kind of acceptance about Camelot's fall was an interesting read. More so I think than a simple fight between the two would have been. I'm not sure how well her seeming to give up in her last moments matches with her character, what with her motivation in FSN still being to help protect and save her people as their king, but I guess the poor girl is allowed to have a single moment of weakness in her life.

1 Point: Starship Girl
The character portrayal and the world crafted here were really intriguing, and if this had been written in long-form I would most likely be glued to it. I feel like it was somewhat limited by its format, having to jump between plot points in a way that didn't really give a clear expression of the story (why, exactly, did Lancelot/Mordred/Etc go rogue?), but even so the glimpses we got into various pieces of the story revealed that the author had created a much deeper world underneath, even if we couldn't quite see it. I'm torn between deciding whether it would have been better to focus on clearly detailing a single event, or showcasing a variety as was done here, but what the author wrote was undeniably enjoyable and had me wishing for more.

Honourable Mentions:

Quiet Lives - There were a couple ways I predicted this prompt might turn out, and the author managed to pick an entirely different one, which turned out to be a pleasant surprise. I'm once again torn between seeing how well this turned out and wanting it to be longer, but then feeling like its shortness was a major thematic point. Extending the encounter would have likely cheapened the effect the author managed here, which makes me sad, because I would have loved to read more about it.

Untitled 3 - I was especially happy to read this and have it not treat Taiga as a joke. I haven't seen much of Taiga that doesn't treat her as a gag character (full disclosure, I don't read much fanfiction so maybe that's my own fault), and so seeing her portrayed in this manner was really new and refreshing for me. I might have some contentions with the whole tora-shinai schtick, and with Taiga not dying when she unequivocally got steam-rolled by a trained assassin and conscience-free serial killer, but in the end they weren't large enough issues for them to detract from my enjoyment of the work.

Prodigal Son/etc etc - As one may suspect if they've read what little fanfiction I've posted to BL, among my other work here, I have a bit of a soft spot for Clock Tower shenanigans, so this was an interesting read for me. The story felt a little bit disjointed, and Marius seemed a bit hollow as a character, but considering the ending that may have been intentional, and was almost even appropriate. I would have liked to see inside his head a little more, and maybe hear a bit more about the family's magecraft and history. But there's admittedly only so much you can write in three months, so I can't complain too much.


All in all, seems like a very successful contest! 17 out of 20 entries making it in (even if some were incomplete) seems like a resounding victory to me. I was also quite pleased with how my prompt turned out, and no one has called my entry garbage yet, so I consider that a success as well! Thanks for organizing this Kirby, it definitely felt worth the work.

[Prix with a Silent X]

I'm not sure about voting or if I'll vote, but I read the one that was for my prompt: Part-Time Heroes.

I really enjoyed this story. I thought that the evidence of some research that had gone into the character that began to paint him before his name was revealed was nice. I guessed who Lancer in this story was before I got to the end, but I wasn't sure. I had no idea what to expect when I suggested that any set of Servants be chosen, but this selection does capture my imagination.

Before I got a real sense of who the Lancer Servant might be, I got this sense of a character who reminded me of a jaded man in a Western. It still seemed to fit in an archetypal way, once I realized that wasn't correct.

I think that I recognize some imagery that is probably based on GO. I've played a little, but not as much as many (or most?) here. I thought that was neat, but I also thought of The Hunger Games in the way that it was set up. I think that's appropriate, too, because there are some parallels to be drawn there. There was something about the mechanization and bureaucracy indicated in this story that made me think of that.

My favorite part which I found quite insightful was this passage:

It was all quite funny, Lancer thought. This was more like a celebratory party than group of people about to kill one another. Imagine if all wars could be fought like this, with zero bad feelings on either side. That’d be a sight to see.

Thank you for writing my prompt for me!

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, and excellent job with Alexander/Iskandar. He was the most recognizable-to-me character, and his voice really worked.

[Kirby]

Just a reminder, one more day remains to vote.

[Frostyvale]

Most of my thoughts have been adequately summarized by others.

1. Where the Circle Ends

2. Paradox Eclipse

3. The Gift

[Vacha]

1.Where the Circle Ends.
2.Paradox Eclipse
3.Prodigal Son/Oedipus Rex/Sins of the Fathers/Welcome Hell
Had to reread the last one to feel the ohsum lel