Best Kill Award
Katelyn Graves for killing Iliya Portis. Kitty was one of the characters that I felt had the strongest pregame development which in this setting of a sorta more low-key pregame holds a distinct value for me. In general, I think VoltTurtle has done a good job in crafting a character whose frailty is in part as compelling as her fatality. Kitty naturally sort of plays upon sympathy with her own pathetic quirkiness and the further and further we go into darkness the more and more frail that sympathy and frailty tend to be. Is this kill justified? Is Kitty's paranoia about perception going forward going to cause her to become more and more twisted? How long can Kitty deny self and deny others? How long can she evoke sympathy, but distribute violence? There are roots making their presence known that come from seeds planted in the Robin thread and there are more seeds planted by Turtle thereafter that left me curious. I thought both Kitty's kills this round were very strong, but I felt that the Iliya kill was particularly punchy and easy to read going down. Splitting hairs, I gave more credit to the one written in the moment than the one that was written prior to game launch and then posted up with haste.
While this is an individual and IC reward, in my heart of heart, a vote for Kitty in this instance is also a vote for Blizzard and Iliya. I thought Iliya's death was very clean and that her themes were very strong and clear throughout. That is tough to do in the space provided in the first rolls and is a testament to a clear vision on Blizz's end. In some strange sense, Kitty may evoke the most sympathy in this thread...but Iliya evokes the most relatability and ultimately we are left feeling the true waste of her getting wasted. I want to give Blizz kudos for that!
Best Death Award
Ruggahissy for Mal Valdez. Much like with the other scene being a way for me to vote for Blizz and reward the killer and the dying, I see voting for Rugga here to be rewarding the scene in general--Deamon and Gundham deserve some flowers for their contributions. I felt this scene was very strong for similar reasons I enjoy Kitty: it relied on the established. It created an instant emotional weight. Another thing that I enjoyed about this scene was that Mal did not get a redemption or a moment of closure that would undermine others or conflate what came before. This is not tragedy, this is a trial and Mal's an obstacle towards a better and more human understanding. We sit in the revulsion and her vileness and she is unapologetic even as life drains from her body. There is a visceralness here that cannot be understated and I think is a good thing for a day one "villain" to have. I almost feel like this was a 'monster of the week' approach to a character and that there is a savvy and courage to committing to that conflict based characterization. Especially when you have no time and you have to focus on a character's demise rather than their development. There is no need for nuance or contradiction, the character is enough. This is a strong scene with good pacing and a decent amount of self awareness. Good job!
V8 BKA/BDA Voting: November 2022
V8 BKA/BDA #1
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The Lebron of Lechon
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UNA SEELIE
For BKA I'd like to go with Jessica Romero for killing Mallory "Mal" Valdez. And, for BDA, I'd like to go with Ruggahissy for the death of Mallory "Mal" Valdez
I loved Cambrian as a scene. It's intense, both in actions and emotions, and the more I thought about it, it didn't really feel right to only vote for one half of the kill and not the other because they both contributed to and built upon the scene's intensity beautifully. I haven't seen much of these characters before since I was *static noises* during pregame, but I'm glad to have gotten a full sense of their history together built up into the scene's momentum in this way. I wanted to give Rugga a big ups for how she handled Mallory, made her compelling and human in her one thread not despite but because of how kind of terrible she is. Really great showing all around.
I also want to shout out Oakley and everyone in his death thread, which broke my heart - it's ultimately a bunch of kids trying to do the right thing and failing through little fault of their own. That scene was also a pretty strong contender for best death, it was down to the last minute tbh. Take care everyone.
I loved Cambrian as a scene. It's intense, both in actions and emotions, and the more I thought about it, it didn't really feel right to only vote for one half of the kill and not the other because they both contributed to and built upon the scene's intensity beautifully. I haven't seen much of these characters before since I was *static noises* during pregame, but I'm glad to have gotten a full sense of their history together built up into the scene's momentum in this way. I wanted to give Rugga a big ups for how she handled Mallory, made her compelling and human in her one thread not despite but because of how kind of terrible she is. Really great showing all around.
I also want to shout out Oakley and everyone in his death thread, which broke my heart - it's ultimately a bunch of kids trying to do the right thing and failing through little fault of their own. That scene was also a pretty strong contender for best death, it was down to the last minute tbh. Take care everyone.
1 day, 2 hours and 15 minutes left for votes!
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mr meow meow
BKA - Betty Quinn for the murder of Oakley York. I had an internal debate about who to give this one to for what would make the most IC but I think Betty's willingness to murder people from the getgo with her convictions sells it for me. (plus her just striking Oakley with a rock is just really well done, along with the fallout of this event from both the killer and the victim)
BDA - Ruggahissy for Mal Valdez's death. There were some other good picks this round, but I really like the tension in her confrontation with Jessica, and in combination with her being a rather vile person who even in death doesn't think she's in the wrong and doesn't learn anything, I think it's neat and really well done.
BDA - Ruggahissy for Mal Valdez's death. There were some other good picks this round, but I really like the tension in her confrontation with Jessica, and in combination with her being a rather vile person who even in death doesn't think she's in the wrong and doesn't learn anything, I think it's neat and really well done.
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Skimmer'sDigest
BKA: Katelyn Graves for killing Iliya "Liya" Polaris
This thread has a nice slow build to it, which lets us appreciate how damaged Katelyn is this early in the version. The multiple times where conflict is close but averted until she finally strikes shows us how her first kill, however unintentional, has let the paranoia that no one would trust her with the combination of demonstrating how fragile the human body is drive her to take life more intentionally once she feels threatened. I'm looking forward to seeing whether she can even herself out or sink deeper.
BDA: Ruggahissy for the death of Mallory "Mal" Valdez
Ruggahissy does a great job of making Mal both despicable and pitiful at the same time, which is difficult to pull off. Mal immediately wakes up and tries to shoot someone and calls her own sister a homophobic slur. Yet her screaming that it was an accident, begging not to be cold, and the details on how deforming the damage to her eye would be communicates a real terror that made me feel bad for her even though the situation was her fault.
This thread has a nice slow build to it, which lets us appreciate how damaged Katelyn is this early in the version. The multiple times where conflict is close but averted until she finally strikes shows us how her first kill, however unintentional, has let the paranoia that no one would trust her with the combination of demonstrating how fragile the human body is drive her to take life more intentionally once she feels threatened. I'm looking forward to seeing whether she can even herself out or sink deeper.
BDA: Ruggahissy for the death of Mallory "Mal" Valdez
Ruggahissy does a great job of making Mal both despicable and pitiful at the same time, which is difficult to pull off. Mal immediately wakes up and tries to shoot someone and calls her own sister a homophobic slur. Yet her screaming that it was an accident, begging not to be cold, and the details on how deforming the damage to her eye would be communicates a real terror that made me feel bad for her even though the situation was her fault.
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Votingway
Best Kill:Aracelis Fuentes for killing Constance Blanchet. I really enjoyed this scene and felt it did a good job of juggling the characters involved in an especially canny way, playing out the aftermath of both the encounter between Leslie and Constance in their previous thread, as well as Aracelis' role in another death this cycle. In general, there's a good sense of how chaotic the situation is and the brutality that comes with the kill itself. Aracelis is instrumental in selling all of this, first as observer when Constance first arrives and goes after Leslie, and then once again as someone who escalates the violence into something fatal.
Best Death:BlizzardeyeWonder for the death of Iliya "Liya" Polaris. I really dug Liya's death and think that it did a great job of managing its kind of indulgent internal theme without actually being arduously drawn out. I have a sort of soft spot for deaths where something is abruptly cut short, and the fact that events play out that way here while also feeling like a rather complete and satisfying conclusion is an admirable accomplishment.
Best Death:BlizzardeyeWonder for the death of Iliya "Liya" Polaris. I really dug Liya's death and think that it did a great job of managing its kind of indulgent internal theme without actually being arduously drawn out. I have a sort of soft spot for deaths where something is abruptly cut short, and the fact that events play out that way here while also feeling like a rather complete and satisfying conclusion is an admirable accomplishment.
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zetsune miku
ffffff okay this batch of deaths was just. very very good. good job everyone
some honorable mentions:
Kitty's little opening date with Robin went really hard, and I really wanted to give the award to one or both of them--that scene was just about perfect end to their storyline, and you can feel the weight of their shared history in it. Also, just love the commitment all around--Pippi for killing Robin unrolled, Turtle for throwing Kitty directly into murder. Jacob Lang unintentionally giving us a comedy death while trolling himself was just brilliant. Jezzie landing on EXTREME STEVE before saying fuck it and stab stab stab stab stab stab stab stab--also perfect, and the fact that EXTREME STEVE spent literally his entire game time stuck in a ditch is just the icing on the cake.
BKA: Betty Quinn for killing Oakley York
This scene perfectly balanced humor with drama. Quinn's attack is explosive in its abruptness, and the delivery is perfect in its shocking ultraviolence--but it's also the perfect punchline to a scene that has slowly been building up in tension from the start, and to the humor in Oakley's internal monologue. The humor doesn't detract at all from how gruesome and sickening it feels, either. I've never really actually got why people say comedy and horror work in similar ways, until now.
BDA: Liya at the hands of Kitty
This scene is just an intricate little masterstroke. Liya's attempt to talk herself into killing Kitty ramps up perfectly--she knows she's talking herself into it, she *wants* to talk herself into it, but she just. The ending is perfect too--quiet, grim, over before it even begins and without the possibility of closure. Lovely resonance, too, between "The Flesh is Weak" and "The flesh was willing / But the spirit was weak." Oh, and the atmosphere here is just kind of amazing--it feels like something out of Pathologic (no, I haven't actually played Pathologic), though you have to give Kitty a lot of the credit for that.
some honorable mentions:
Kitty's little opening date with Robin went really hard, and I really wanted to give the award to one or both of them--that scene was just about perfect end to their storyline, and you can feel the weight of their shared history in it. Also, just love the commitment all around--Pippi for killing Robin unrolled, Turtle for throwing Kitty directly into murder. Jacob Lang unintentionally giving us a comedy death while trolling himself was just brilliant. Jezzie landing on EXTREME STEVE before saying fuck it and stab stab stab stab stab stab stab stab--also perfect, and the fact that EXTREME STEVE spent literally his entire game time stuck in a ditch is just the icing on the cake.
BKA: Betty Quinn for killing Oakley York
This scene perfectly balanced humor with drama. Quinn's attack is explosive in its abruptness, and the delivery is perfect in its shocking ultraviolence--but it's also the perfect punchline to a scene that has slowly been building up in tension from the start, and to the humor in Oakley's internal monologue. The humor doesn't detract at all from how gruesome and sickening it feels, either. I've never really actually got why people say comedy and horror work in similar ways, until now.
BDA: Liya at the hands of Kitty
This scene is just an intricate little masterstroke. Liya's attempt to talk herself into killing Kitty ramps up perfectly--she knows she's talking herself into it, she *wants* to talk herself into it, but she just. The ending is perfect too--quiet, grim, over before it even begins and without the possibility of closure. Lovely resonance, too, between "The Flesh is Weak" and "The flesh was willing / But the spirit was weak." Oh, and the atmosphere here is just kind of amazing--it feels like something out of Pathologic (no, I haven't actually played Pathologic), though you have to give Kitty a lot of the credit for that.
10 hours left for votes!
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anonymoose
This one was... Tough. Pretty much every kill and death this time around has been solid, not a single dud amongst them. There's one scene though that has easily been one of my favourites in the entire version thus far, the follow up of which has also been rather fantastic, so much so that as much as I didn't want to give both votes to the same kill/death combo I just couldn't justify not giving it to them.
As such, my votes for BKA/BDA go to Betty Quinn and Oakley York.
Betty Quinn's sudden attack on Oakley has been one of my favourite swerves so far, quickly establishing Betty as an unpredictable wild card to look out for. Cold and ruthless, yet arguably justifiable in context, making her straddle a fine line between ruthless protagonist and pragmatic antagonist.
And Oakley's agonising, extended death is a terrifyingly depressive bit of realism. Death is rarely ever a quick process, with his slow demise and resulting delirium making for a truly unique read, and a death that manages to make you feel immensely sorry for the guy despite the strong implications that he would've turned player had Betty not taken him out early.
Great stuff all around, the exact kind of morally grey hero/villain ambiguity I'm all for.
As such, my votes for BKA/BDA go to Betty Quinn and Oakley York.
Betty Quinn's sudden attack on Oakley has been one of my favourite swerves so far, quickly establishing Betty as an unpredictable wild card to look out for. Cold and ruthless, yet arguably justifiable in context, making her straddle a fine line between ruthless protagonist and pragmatic antagonist.
And Oakley's agonising, extended death is a terrifyingly depressive bit of realism. Death is rarely ever a quick process, with his slow demise and resulting delirium making for a truly unique read, and a death that manages to make you feel immensely sorry for the guy despite the strong implications that he would've turned player had Betty not taken him out early.
Great stuff all around, the exact kind of morally grey hero/villain ambiguity I'm all for.
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Guest
Best Kill Award: Jessica Romero for killing Mallory "Mal" Valdez
I really like the way Jess fires the killing shot “off screen” if that makes sense. You’re reading Mal’s post and it seems like she’s out of the woods and then she gets shot without warning and only then is Jess’s attack revealed. It feels cinematic, and well-earned/cathartic after a really good thread and conflict between Mal and Jess. The fact that her thoughts immediately go to Maritza is also a nice touch.
Best Death Award: Pippi for the death of Robin Valenti
Robin’s death post had my favourite metaphors and just prose in general of the lot, with my favourite lines being “spilling out but never growing lighter” and “something he had thrown away for foot on the podium”. It’s obviously iconic for being the first death of the version but I also think its just incredibly well written and poignant. The thread in general is also good leading up to that point and builds upon pregame very well.
I really like the way Jess fires the killing shot “off screen” if that makes sense. You’re reading Mal’s post and it seems like she’s out of the woods and then she gets shot without warning and only then is Jess’s attack revealed. It feels cinematic, and well-earned/cathartic after a really good thread and conflict between Mal and Jess. The fact that her thoughts immediately go to Maritza is also a nice touch.
Best Death Award: Pippi for the death of Robin Valenti
Robin’s death post had my favourite metaphors and just prose in general of the lot, with my favourite lines being “spilling out but never growing lighter” and “something he had thrown away for foot on the podium”. It’s obviously iconic for being the first death of the version but I also think its just incredibly well written and poignant. The thread in general is also good leading up to that point and builds upon pregame very well.
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Guest
BKA: Janice for killing Piper
The struggle these two had throughout their fight, despite knowning who’d win, made it one of the more gripping and interesting fights to read.
BDA: Gundham for the death of Steven "EXTREME STEVE" Dodds
Steven’s last words were extremely profound, and deserve to be shown to everyone.
The struggle these two had throughout their fight, despite knowning who’d win, made it one of the more gripping and interesting fights to read.
BDA: Gundham for the death of Steven "EXTREME STEVE" Dodds
Steven’s last words were extremely profound, and deserve to be shown to everyone.
1 hour 45 minutes left for votes!
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POWER AHAHAHA
BKA: My vote goes for Janice killing Tana. It's a brutal, sudden kill. I don't think we have a lot of death where someone kills a sleeping person, especially not on Day 1, so for Janice to be pragmatic like that is cruel but compelling. It's going to spur a lot going forward and I can't wait to see what else comes.
BDA: My vote goes for the death of Extreme Steve. I'm a sucker for formatting and structure playing, and the repeated lines in this death are fascinating. For such a goofy character it's a neat way to end his brief time in the game.
BDA: My vote goes for the death of Extreme Steve. I'm a sucker for formatting and structure playing, and the repeated lines in this death are fascinating. For such a goofy character it's a neat way to end his brief time in the game.
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CHOO CHOO
[slides in under the deadline]
My vote for BKA goes to Jessica Romero for killing Mallory 'Mal' Valdez
This scene was spectacularly written on both the killer's end as well as the killed. It's a rather short tight scene, with an extensive backstory, but it wastes no time getting you up to speed on all the motivations and factors leading up to the death itself. It provides exactly as much info as you need to know. Very, very well-crafted. Also on a cathartic level a homophobe getting her shit kicked in is perfection.
On a character level I loved the fury depicted by Jessica, and the cinematography of it on both ends. It was just written really well.
Honorable mentions go to Kitty for killing both Iliya and Robin, Betty, and Aracelis, I thoroughly enjoyed each scene they were involved in.
My vote for BDA goes to BlizzardeyeWonder for the death of Iliya "Liya" Polaris.
Speaking of crafting, this thread also works very well on both a scene basis and a character basis. It's an encapsulation of Liya's thesis, her struggle between playing and not playing, and this struggle becomes her final downfall. And also, I really appreciated the subtle foreshadowing throughout the thread, how Liya slowly inched her way to making the decision to kill, the slow build up of her justifications. Good stuff from both Blizz and Volt in this scene.
Honorable mention goes to Mallory 'Mal' Valdez, I agonized for a bit over which one to go for here, very very tough choice.
My vote for BKA goes to Jessica Romero for killing Mallory 'Mal' Valdez
This scene was spectacularly written on both the killer's end as well as the killed. It's a rather short tight scene, with an extensive backstory, but it wastes no time getting you up to speed on all the motivations and factors leading up to the death itself. It provides exactly as much info as you need to know. Very, very well-crafted. Also on a cathartic level a homophobe getting her shit kicked in is perfection.
On a character level I loved the fury depicted by Jessica, and the cinematography of it on both ends. It was just written really well.
Honorable mentions go to Kitty for killing both Iliya and Robin, Betty, and Aracelis, I thoroughly enjoyed each scene they were involved in.
My vote for BDA goes to BlizzardeyeWonder for the death of Iliya "Liya" Polaris.
Speaking of crafting, this thread also works very well on both a scene basis and a character basis. It's an encapsulation of Liya's thesis, her struggle between playing and not playing, and this struggle becomes her final downfall. And also, I really appreciated the subtle foreshadowing throughout the thread, how Liya slowly inched her way to making the decision to kill, the slow build up of her justifications. Good stuff from both Blizz and Volt in this scene.
Honorable mention goes to Mallory 'Mal' Valdez, I agonized for a bit over which one to go for here, very very tough choice.
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The White Rabbit
BKA: Betty Quinn for killing Oakley York.
Because it rock-ed! Get it? But seriously, the juxtaposition of the philosophical discussion Betty and Oakley were having with her just clubbing him with a rock is lovely to me. Very simple, but in a way I adore, and the bluntness of the kill does a lot of the heavy lifting for me.
BDA: Pippi for the death of Robin Valenti
Robin's injury and death come in the span of two posts, but it's enough to make me shiver and wince in pain. It's both lovely prose and horrifying images all wrapped in one.
"He was in the side room at a party, hearing but not comprehending the conversation happening in the lounge. He was awake in the middle of the night, only half-lucid, a light filtering through the crack under his bedroom door, incomprehensible words being exchanged right outside of it." What a way to say his cognition is failing, right? Good stuff.
Because it rock-ed! Get it? But seriously, the juxtaposition of the philosophical discussion Betty and Oakley were having with her just clubbing him with a rock is lovely to me. Very simple, but in a way I adore, and the bluntness of the kill does a lot of the heavy lifting for me.
BDA: Pippi for the death of Robin Valenti
Robin's injury and death come in the span of two posts, but it's enough to make me shiver and wince in pain. It's both lovely prose and horrifying images all wrapped in one.
"He was in the side room at a party, hearing but not comprehending the conversation happening in the lounge. He was awake in the middle of the night, only half-lucid, a light filtering through the crack under his bedroom door, incomprehensible words being exchanged right outside of it." What a way to say his cognition is failing, right? Good stuff.