Survival Of The Fittest

Crash wrote: ↑Sat Jan 03, 2009 6:22 amHey everybody! It's that time of the month again -- time to vote for your favourite kills and deaths! A reminder for everybody once again, please make sure you read the rules that are pinned in this forum before you vote. Also, please note that you are not allowed to vote for your own character. IPs are logged by Invisionfree and we can see if you're cheating. So play fair, be nice, have fun, and vote!

(Please note that characters that are already deceased are not eligible to receive Best Kill Award. Likewise, characters that have gone inactive are not eligible to receive Best Kill Award. Characters who have been killed by staffers due to activity reasons are not eligible for Best Death Award.)

Also, keep in mind that to vote you must log out and vote as a Guest!

I haven't hyperlinked the deaths this time because I'm absolutely swamped, but I still expect you guys to read every kill and death before you vote for one. Please be fair and do the handlers who put all that work into their posts some actual justice.

Best Kill Award:
Lenny Priestly for the death of Viki Valentine
Shameeca Mitchell for the death of Boxer Carvalho
Lulu Altaire for the death of Liam Black
Bobby Jacks for the death of Michael Anders
James Brown for the death of Nicholas Nutbrown
Quincy Archer for the death of Hannah Rose
Laeil Burbank for the death of Jimmy Trejo
Trish McCarroll for the death of Hayden O'Guinn
Alexis Machina for the death of James Ellet

Best Death Award:
LaZardo for the death of Boxer Carvalho
Candescence for the death of Liam Black
Pigeon Army for the death of Michael Anders
Ciel for the death of Nicholas Nutbrown
Super Llama for the death of Hannah Rose
Blastinus for the death of Jimmy Trejo
Solitair for the death of Margaret Tweedy
CycoKiller for the death of Jessa Vanallen
choic for the deaths of Hayden O'Guinn and/or James Ellet

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As always, guys, the formatting is pretty easy:

Vote:
Reason:

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You're required to give a valid reason behind your vote. Voting because you "like the handler" or the "kill or death was awesome" isn't going to suffice. Any votes without legitimate reasons will be disqualified, as always. Remember, you must read through all the kills and deaths; then pick a favourite and hope they win the prize! Voting will end January 5th at 11:59 PM EST. The announcement declaring the winners will be posted on the 6th. Good luck to everybody who's been nominated, and happy voting!

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Jan 03, 2009 6:39 amBKA: Alexis Machina

Reason: Blah blah, well written, blah...no seriously, this was a death that I really enjoyed reading. Lex is slowly cracking my favorites list, and this just push the fat ole'heffer along.

BDA: SoTF Help for Carson Baye

No, really, my choice for BDA would have to go to Cyco for Jessa's death. I know it's not Cyco's best work but Jessa was a really entertaining character, and I think it was a fair send off for her. Some of the other deaths may be better written and/or more emotion stirring, but I'm a guy who likes his mental pictures and amaretto, and Cyco always paints a good picture, now get me my damn amaretto.

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Jan 03, 2009 6:56 amBKA

Lexi Machina

That was just awesome! Dynamite in the pants? CLASSIC!

BDA

Cyco

I loved how, in the end, Jessa won against her tormentor, but still lost. And was feisty to the very end!

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Jan 03, 2009 7:07 amBKA: Lex Machina

Y'know, none of the kills this month really tickled my fancy until Lex. I thought the entire scene was some kind of sick black comedy that really added and accentuated both of the characters that were involved and it made a really great scene all together.

BDA: James Ellet

Jessa's death was good, sure, and the fact that she eventually ended up getting killed by Melina was a great touch, but my vote this month goes to choic. I think he is really one of the best writers on the board, but he really got shafted because James wasn't as developed as some of the other choices. In the end, I think the entire scene between Lex and James was amazing, so they get my vote.

Hyperlinkman wrote: ↑Sat Jan 03, 2009 7:08 amYOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD HYPERLINKMAN TO THE RESCUE~

Lenny Preistly's kill/Viki Valentine's Death

Shameeca Mitchell's kill/Boxer Carvalho's death

Lulu Altaire's kill/Liam Black's death

Bobby Jacks's kill/Michael Anders's death

James Brown's kill/Nick Nutbrown's death/Trish McCarroll's kill/Hayden O'Guinn's death

Quincy Archer's kill/Hannah Rose's death

Laeil Burbank's kill/Jimmy Trejo's death

Margaret Tweedy's death/Jessa Vanallen's death

Alexis Machina's kill/James Ellet's death

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Jan 03, 2009 7:09 amDynamite pants, dildo shanks, convoluted log traps... there were a lot of really hilarious deaths this month.

Best Kill:
Quincy Archer
More for the way he acted through the whole scene than the kill itself - Quincy's degeneration into a crazy was pretty cool. I was waiting pretty eagerly for him to defect from SADD for a while, and I wasn't disappointed.

Best Death:
Jimmy Trejo
This was a really difficult choice for me, but I went with Jimmy Trejo because I thought it was the most moving death scene. Changing what he said between each click of the gun was a really nice touch, and it came with the added tragedy of the thought of Eddie and Laeil potentially having to kill each other later on, as well. I really felt for the guy.

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Jan 03, 2009 8:02 amBKA: Alexis Machina for killing James Ellet

Let's face it, a large part of a kill is the buildup to it. By tying James to a tree and then stuffing timed explosions of sorts down his pants, she guaranteed that he would indeed have something to sweat about before the inevitable struck. Because of that sheer sadism, I believe that Alexis is worthy of BKA.

BDA: Pigeon Army for Michael Anders' death

Random comedy is often entertaining. First, the most notorious killer on the island misses by a mile, then the bullet ricochets onto a landmine, but it detonates a safe distance away from Michael, and THEN when he thinks he's safe, a swinging log comes from nowhere and smashes him full in the face. I was in tears with laughter.

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Jan 03, 2009 11:05 amBest Kill: Alexis Machina
Very sadistic. Made me realize for the first time that Lex is playing for keeps, and made me wince in sympathy for James.

Best Death: Michael Adler
LOG'D! Pigeon Army's on a roll; Leo Curtis's death and Michael's reaction to Abel's death were both priceless, and this is more of the same.

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Jan 03, 2009 11:50 amBest Kill: Well... It should be Harry, but since his kill was stolen by Laeil... Then my vote goes to Shameeca Mitchell for the kill of Boxer Carvalho. It was pure... Ouch! Lex was good as well, but she won last BKA award, and at this rate, she'll pretty get arsenal bigger than Bobby

Best Death: Choic for Hayden O'Guinn

The description of 'Bullet's journey through the skull' made me shiver... Good job dude!

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:43 pmBKA
Vote: Alexis Machina
Reason: The last guy who voted had the right idea. She is one of the most sadistic people on the island, and it makes me like her even more. A very original bad guy needs a very nice weapon to get the job done, am I right?

BDA
Vote: James Ellet
Reason: I think choic pulled off the perfect pathetic death. His body was placed in such a pathetic way. Choic is one of the best writers on the forum and I really think he deserves this award.

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Jan 03, 2009 11:37 pmBest Kill It's a doomed vote to be sure, but I'm going off the beaten path and voting for Lulu Altaire. For one of the last characters to be registered, she's quickly become one of the better characters here, and her becoming strong enough to take out Liam was very well presented. Also, the idea of a character like Lulu winning something like this is just brilliant, IMO.

Best Death - Both of the deaths from choic were absolute top-quality writing, and worth the wait it took for them to come about. If I need to choose just one I'd pick James Ellet's, as he was a more established character and setup to the explosion was pitch-perfect.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:38 amBKA: Lenny Priestly

Lenny's transformation over the course of the game has been somewhat fascinating for me, and while some people might see it as stale I find that his development is one of the only ones that I find myself believing. The kill was twisted and cruel, but I loved it perhaps for that exact reason.

BDA: CycoKiller for Jessa Vanallen

James' death was great, but I found Jessa's to be quite possibly her crowning moment. She stayed true to herself the entire time and dealt Melina her just desserts, and I was quite impressed.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Jan 04, 2009 3:37 amBKA: Alexis Machina

I hate to be accused of jumping on a bandwagon, especially since she got this last time too, but really, I thought this was the best kill. The dynamite in the pants was inventive, and that last kiss to wake him up was the icing on the cake.

BDA: Cyco, Jessa Vanallen

Yeah, that scene was filled with awesome. Yeah, Jessa died, sure- but she died after finally getting back at Melina for what she did to Jessa. So, my nomination goes to her for that death scene, although James Trejo and Blastinus were a very close second.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Jan 04, 2009 9:21 pmBest Kill: Lex Machina

Yeah, yeah, bandwagon, blah, blah, blah. It's still a really sick and devious kill.

Best Death: Jessa Vanallen

The closest I can get to voting for Melina's death, though the whole scene was good. Definitely Jessa's best moment.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Jan 04, 2009 10:18 pmBKA: Lex Machina:

not only was Aaron's writing top notch & characterized Lex extremely well, but his idea made James's death very fun to write. This was def one of the better kills of v3 so far imo

BDA: Cyco

It was bummed to see Jessa go since I think she deserved a little more development, but I really felt for her the whole scene, & that bit of poetic injustice was a nice touch

Crash wrote: ↑Tue Jan 06, 2009 12:00 pmPoll closed! The winner will be tacked onto the announcement which will (hopefully) be posted later today. Thanks to everyone who voted in yet another close race!

Ares wrote: ↑Thu Jan 29, 2009 7:55 pmOkay folksies, you don't have very long to vote so please read through all the kills and deaths before you vote as there were some great ones this month.

BKA:

Jordan Redfield for killing Mark Tavarian: Found Here

John Rizzolo for killing Dawn Beckworth: Found Here

Adam Reeves for killing Amanda Redder: Found Here

John Rizzolo for killing Velvet Retsiloh: Found Here

Alexis Machina for killing Johnathan Lancer: Found Here

Adam Reeves for killing Kathy Holden: Found Here

Lenny Priestly for killing Anna Kateridge: Found Here

Morgan Green for killing Kimmy Redmond: Found Here

Gabe McCallum for killing Elizabeth Priestly: Found Here

Lulu Altaire for killing Dorian Sanders: Found Here


BDA:

Darkling Perhaps for the death of Mark Tavarian: Found Here

Solitair for the death of Warren Pace: Found Here

GameMaker for the death of Dawn Beckworth: Found Here

Mandy Rin for the death of Amanda Redder: Found Here

Pigeon Army for the death of Dorian Sanders: Found Here

Tythanin for the death of Velvet Retsiloh: Found Here

Clueless for the death of Bobby Jacks: Found Here

D/N for the death of Johnathan Lancer: Found Here

Choic for the death of Morgan Acklund: Found Here

Theseus for the death of Elizabeth Priestly: Found Here

Ciel for the death of Madison Conner: Found Here


There are some kills and deaths that are not included. This is because they were either late, or the person who scored the kill was killed after, thereby making them ineligible to collect a BKA prize.

YOU HAVE UNTIL FEBRUARY 1ST TO VOTE, AND PLEASE REMEMBER TO LOG OUT AND POST YOUR VOTES AS A GUEST. NO CHEATING AND VOTING FOR YOURSELF BECAUSE WE WILL CATCH YOU.

Jesus H Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 29, 2009 8:10 pmBK

Ima go with Lulu Altaire here. I enjoyed the development of the scene in general and how it progressed and well, I dunno, I felt that the kill pushed the right buttons in terms of drama/action and such. It's also nice to see somebody scoring their first kill so late and react like she did.

That makes sense to me dammit!

BD

choic

FORMATTINGBOMB

In all seriousness, I felt that the way James set that post out (although a little headache inducing) captured the thoughts of somebody who is about to have their damn head blown off pretty well. Somehow, I doubt anybody would be particularly coherent when facing imminent doom via head asplodesion. Basically, I found the idea entertaining and fairly realistic - it was just plain fun to read.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 29, 2009 8:16 pmBest Kill: Adam Reeves for killing Amanda Redder.

SotF is a perfect environment for climatic 'you can't see me' fights in the jungle. And I LOVE those fights. Duel between Adam and Amanda was very exciting. Too bad we had already knew the outcome before...



Best Death: Clueless for the death of Bobby Jacks.

Dawn and Johny's death was good, but I don't like those 'Goodbye Lover' scenes, so it goes out by default. Morgan's was a form masterpiece, but there is no real story behind this form (not Choic's fault, it was collar detonation, nothing more to say here, but...). Bobby's however, was a nice reminder of what Bobby did on the island + it was good to read.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 29, 2009 8:38 pmBKA: Adam Reeves

As much as I love Lulu and would love to vote for her, I really don't like the fact that she's killing so many people. Adam and Amanda's scene was really intense and, had we not known who was going to die, would have been really unpredictable. Hats off to TBH and Mandy.

BDA: choic

I have a feeling that people are going to vote for Bobby, but for me, it was really unsatisfying. After fighting so hard to live, I just don't understand why he'd go and kill himself. Choic did an amazing job with Morg's death (though I did get a headache).
I just think that's exactly what would happen when something like that is going through your head and Choic pulled it off superbly.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 29, 2009 9:46 pmBKA: Adam Reeves for killing Amanda Redder

An unpredictable and action-packed firefight in a forest (jungle?) that really kept me on the edge of my seat and checking back for updates. Mandy's hastily edited death was anti-climactic, but flowed well and let Adam bask in his jerkassitude as he gloated over his win.


BDA: GameMaker for the death of Dawn Beckworth

There were honestly a load of excellently written deaths this month, and it was hard to single out one that was best. GameMaker gets the vote because of all the deaths, Dawn's was the only one that drew a tear (Amanda was close though). After all that time with Johnny, she didn't get to finish her last sentence.
Not to say that the other deaths weren't good. Bobby Jacks, Amanda Redder, Liz Priestley, and Morgan Ackkland also had noteworthy death scenes, and I will stress that it was a hard choice.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 29, 2009 9:58 pmBKA: J.R. Rizzolo for killing Velvet Retsilioh

Riz has had it WAAAAY too easy up until now, since all of his victims were either defenseless to begin with, were sneak attacks, or weren't able to put up that much of a fight anyway. Then someone comes along, leads him on a wild goose chase all over the island, then beats the crap out of him with a rock and her bare fists and makes him fucking EARN his kill.

BDA: Gamemaker for the death of Dawn Beckworth

There was a metric assload of excellent deaths this month, but Dawn's death was easily the saddest.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 29, 2009 10:09 pmBKA: Morgan
BDA: Choic

Vote disqualified.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jan 29, 2009 10:42 pmBKA: Adam Reeves. In my opinion it was the most interesting approach. I enjoyed reading it and think TBH did a really good job.

BDA: Gamemaker for Dawn Beckworth

It may have been done before and often, but this is the first death that I have read on here that has actually brought tears to my eyes. A brilliant and moving death scene, and despite how Bobby was my favourite character, GM just outdid himself on this, even if he is an evil bastard for making it so heartbreaking with her final words.

Guest Wearing Pants wrote: ↑Thu Jan 29, 2009 11:16 pmBKA

Voting for Adam Reeves on this one. The kill was well-written and also a bit disturbing. It was also the end to a very different sort of battle.

BDA

And I'll have to go with the death of Dawn Beckworth. Gamemaker, you are an evil man. This death was heart-wrenching, and was one of the few that actually made me cry a bit.

Guest NOT Wearing Pants wrote: ↑Fri Jan 30, 2009 12:12 amBest Kill:

My vote goes to Reeves for this one, too. I thought that the fight was well-written and fun to read. Plus, you have to appreciate the fact that his opponent's weapon was a freaking grenade launcher blowing up trees and he still beat her.

Best Death:

Sweet mother of crap this one was really hard to decide. Like everyone said before, the deaths this month were all really high quality. Dawn's death was definitely a moving one, but I think I'm going to vote for D/N and Johnny Lancer, which was equally as tearjerker-y, particularly hearing the voices of Mark and Dawn. But seriously, I liked almost all of the deaths this month and it pains me to have to pick just one

Guest for LYFE wrote: ↑Fri Jan 30, 2009 12:34 amBest Kill Award: I'm voting for Lenny Priestly here. I really liked the narrative and thought process going on in this scene, his reaction and choices. I thought it was a good post that definately deserved a vote.

Best Death Award: This one goes to D/N for Johnny Lancer's death. It was moving, tragic, and all around a great post. I really like the voices he heard, it was a great idea. Like everyone else said this one was a hard choice, there's been a lo of good ones, but I think D/N just tipped the scale here.

Sir Guester Guestington of Guest wrote: ↑Fri Jan 30, 2009 4:20 amBest Kill Award: Adam Reeves

Surprisingly, I didn't even read that death until I read this thread- I'd only read Kathy's kill by Adam. Now that I look over it, though, it was quite an interesting kill. It was very action orientated, and had that whole showdown atmosphere that I enjoyed. I wish I could give the award to both Mandy and TBH, as the kill was just the ending to a very good thread. But ultimately, since it's just best kill, I vote for TBH.

Best Death Award: Theseus for Elizabeth Priestly

Why? Simply put, I thought it was a nice ending to a storyline I really enjoyed. One of the things I thought Theseus did excellently was to show us all that the death doesn't have to simply be the end of the character. He introduced a few things about Liz, developing her a little more- and that made the death all the more tragic. I would have appreciated it a little more if she called Lenny out, but you can't get everything you want, now can you?

Guest wrote: ↑Fri Jan 30, 2009 7:46 amBest Kill Award: J.R. Rizzolo

The build up, from the chase across the island, really set the mood for the fight. The whole thing really felt like a life and death struggle, and the Riz pulled a really good kill out of his sock.

Beast Death Award: Choic for Morgan Acklund

Choic really did a great job with this one. I don't think anyone has shown the sheer panic that a person must undergo when caught in a dangerzone with nowhere to run. The use of the formatting was very creative, too. For me, he took this one, hands down.

Guest wrote: ↑Fri Jan 30, 2009 1:27 pmBKA - Adam Reeves

I was going to vote for J.R. Rizzolo (since he really deserves this award) but when I realized that Adam had gotten a kill somewhere and when I went to go read that, I had to change my mind. It was very well done, and not even that but it was an awesome thread - a pulsepounding one that was very exciting. It's actually kind of a shame Amanda had to die but she went out with style.

BDA - Choic

James is by far the best roleplayer on the forum. He has been getting his characters picked off one by one, he's been busy with real life and yet he can still present us with the single emotional death in the entire game. When he started breaking out the formatting in full force, it was settled as to who I was going to vote for. I am serious - he is one of the greatest roleplayer's this forum has ever seen and it makes alot of sense for him to win this award.

Rules Lawyer Guest wrote: ↑Fri Jan 30, 2009 6:08 pm

Guest wrote: BKA: Morgan
BDA: Choic

You need to provide a valid reason for your vote, it isn't enough to just say what your choice is.

Crash wrote: ↑Fri Jan 30, 2009 9:37 pm

Rules Lawyer Guest wrote:

Guest wrote: BKA: Morgan
BDA: Choic

You need to provide a valid reason for your vote, it isn't enough to just say what your choice is.

I'll handle telling people the rules, thank you very much. This particular guest accidentally submitted a vote without having the chance to put in their reasons, and is PMing me them ASAP so that I can edit them in.

Warning: For all you people who said "my vote is for reasons already mentioned", those votes will be disqualified unless you send me a PM saying which vote is yours, and what you'd like to change the reason to.

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Jan 31, 2009 4:06 amBKA - Lenny Priestly

There's not much I could say about why I like this one, except that I enjoyed how Theseus did the narrative for Lenny's feelings. Honestly, that's pretty much the only reason his kill put him over the top of the others.


BDA - GameMaker for the death of Dawn Beckworth.

Okay, this time everything was just way, way too hard to choose out of like...all the awesome deaths that were out there. I did finally come to a decision and I have to say that Dawn's death was absolutely the best one. Something about the way GM wrote it just made it so very, very sad. And it was amazing. I generally don't feel sad about deaths on a forum RP, but Dawn has to be one of the exceptions.

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:17 pmBKA: Adam Reeves. Like someone said below me, beating a grenade launching chick, and doing it through realistic writing is win in my books.

BDA: GameMaker for Dawn. I can't really say anything that hasn't been said already about why this death should win over the others. While I know everyone did good deaths this time around, key word: good. GameMaker did a great death in that the whole scene was captivating.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Feb 01, 2009 2:25 amBKA: Just like most people before me, Adam Reeves

I wasn't paying much attention to him before this voting, but wow, the fight was just full of action. Plus, there was a grenade launcher blowing up trees. I liked that.

BDA: Clueless for Bobby Jacks

It was a tough chioce, all of the deaths were good. Great monlouge. Great conclusion. Not much else to say really, it's just that I thought thatit was the absolute best way for Bobby to go, him finally refusing to play.

totally not james wrote: ↑Sun Feb 01, 2009 5:23 amALRIGHT THIS IS SUPER LAST MINUTE SO IT'LL BE SHORT & SWEET~

BKA: J.R. Rizzolo

I really liked the chase gimmick the had going, it was a fun read & wrapped up very nicely C:

BDA: GameMaker for Dawn Beckworth

You know what, Rob? If we ever meet IRL, I am punching you in the heart. Because that fucking hurt

Crash wrote: ↑Sun Feb 01, 2009 5:56 amPolls are now closed! Thank you to everyone who voted, and the results will be posted tomorrow along with the announcement!

Ares wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2009 6:55 am**Cue Price is Right Music**

It's that time again, so come on down and vote for your favourite kill and death. As always we request that you read or re-read EVERY kill and death, especially this month and there was some phenomenal writing done on the part of our wonderful members.

Rules are as always: One vote for BKA, one vote for BDA, with a brief explanation of why you made your choices. DO NOT forget to log out and post under a guest name. You may not vote for yourself as we will be watching the IP's to ensure a fair vote for everyone.

You have until March 4th to vote, though this may be changed by Crash at his preference.

BEST KILL AWARD

Jordan Redfield for killing Renee Valenti: Journey Through Pressure

John Rizzolo for killing Emma Babineaux, or for killing Laeil Burbank, both found in:
The Answer

Edward Sullivan for killing Wade Wilson: Cause and Effect

Lenny Priestly for killing Shameeca Mitchell: All Down Hill From Here

Alexis Machina for killing Noah Jacobs: Demon Days

Eris Marquis for killing Dacey Ashcroft: Wild International

BEST DEATH AWARD

Scipher for Gabe McCallum: Here

Lazardo for Renee Valenti: Here

Theseus for Rick Holeman: Here

Landlocked for Emma Babineaux: Here

Doddioslave for Wade Wilson: Here

Solitair for Quincy Archer: Here

Lexi for Shameeca Mitchell: Here

Super Llama for Noah Jacobs: Here

Super Llama for Laeil Burbank: Here

DetectiveArcher for Morgan Green: Here

Clueless for Dacey Ashcroft: Here

Choic for Danielle Champney: Here


HAPPY VOTING

Guesty Westy wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:10 amHmm...lots of good kills, but I'm going to vote for Ed Sullivan for the death of Wade Wilson. Definitely unexpected, but written well, and I liked how the death was, really, just an accident.

BDA without a doubt goes to Llama for the death of Laeil Burbank. Ouch, Llama, that one hurt, especially because it seemed like she was going to be okay. Incredibly well written. I cried.

GuestBear wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:14 amBKA: I'm voting for Eris Marquis because after reading Wild International and seeing the tensions rising, the end result of this faux pas should be pretty damn entertaining.

BDA: This was a tough choice for me. James/Choic did an amazing job in my opinion, however I'm going to give my vote to Super Llama for Laeil Burbank. I personally used to despise Laeil and hated reading her, but after the halfway point of the game Llama turned his game up a few notches and turned Laeil into a character that I enjoyed reading right through to her bitter end. Well done good sir.

damn dirty guest of guestiness wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:20 amBecause that entire thread had me tearing up, choking back bile and begging for more. John Riz for best Kill on Laeil and Laeil for best death.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:22 amBKA: Gonna have to give Riz another one. The whole thread with Emma and Laeil was amazing and all of the handlers involved did a great job with the scene.

BDA: James totally deserves this BDA. All of his deaths thus far have been amazing, but he keeps getting the shaft. Danni's in particular was heart wrenching and melted my heart and honestly made me cry. So here's hoping he doesn't get shafted again.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:23 amBKA: Jordan Redfield.
Reason: Part of the reason is because it's the only kill on the list I liked that isn't one I was more or less involved in, heh. But also I just liked how the scene was written and handled on Yossarian's part. For such a relative newbie, he's got promise.

BDA: Llama.
Reason: The only death I really got emotionally invested in, and I'm not saying that just because I was involved and spent almost the entirety of two days researching and writing the post I did to try to save Laeil. The only character I can actively say this time I felt for when they died, and sort of dreaded the fact that they had to. Surprisingly well done, considering that when she was alive I didn't like Laeil one bit, and not just because she seemed to be Damien from v2, but an actual female. Interesting how a well written death can turn things around for that.

Guesty McGuestface wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:31 amBest Kill

Definitely have to go with The Riz on this one for Emma and Laeil. That whole thread was super-epic and fun to read, and Riz's kills were creative enough to be interesting without being too over-the-top so as to be unbelievable.

Best Death

Honestly, I don't think there's any way I could possibly choose between Laeil and Danni's deaths. They were both well written and heart wrenching and I know both handlers put a lot of work into them. So instead, I'm going to give my vote to Scipher for the death of Gabe McCallum for giving a character I admit to not liking very much in comparison to Scipher's others a death that made him very sympathetic and for the way it's affected Steve since then.

Guest without a stupid nametag wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2009 8:29 amBKA:
The Riz. Hands down. Both for his cunning betrayal and comeback against Emma and the sheer viciousness of his attack on Laeil mark him as the best killer of the month.


BDA:
This was a hard choice. A very hard choice. This month had about as many good deaths as last month, but this month brought out 3 well-written and touching scenes. Llama wins my vote for the death of Laeil Burbank. Laeil's death brought a finish to the journey of Laeil's character through the whole of the game. She started by killing her cousin, then swearing a vendetta on Melina, to breaking down in the Storehouse, to her camaraderie of Jimmy and Eddie, and finally ending with her death and acceptance of her actions. Llama managed to bring Laeil to close the circle, finishing her off as a sympathetic character. Not only that, but the whole scene was suspenseful, with her brutal loss against the Riz and Nicole's greatest efforts at saving her life. Just when it looked like everything was fine and Laeil was saved, it all went south as she died from the extent of her injuries.
Notable mention goes to choic, who managed to write a beautiful reflective piece for Danni. Although Danni had never been a major character through the story, the death really shows that every character has a story to tell. The post was a little bit long, but it did not drag or feel forced. Every part of the death post was important (and as I hear, some parts were cut out as well). There were times to laugh and times to cry when reading that post, and it gives a good example of a scene intended to evoke emotions.
Another notable mention goes to Landlocked, who told an ending to a long-standing story between Riz and Emma. Notable as well is that Landlocked had adopted Emma, and managed to flow the character from her previous handler and the story that was already being told. The scene was especially touching because for a while, the feelings the two shared looked hopeful.

Insert Name Here wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2009 11:35 amBEST KILL AWARD

WINNER: John Rizzolo for killing Emma Babineaux, or for killing Laeil Burbank, both found in The Answer.
Runner-Up: Jordan Redfield for killing Renee Valenti, found in Journey Through Pressure.

I'm giving my vote to the Riz. The day will come where he will be killed and there will be much rejoicing.
Good twist backstab, although slightly "goddamn it, he's not going to change". And Lyn... over the top, eh?
Cutting out someones EYE? And SQUISHING IT like a GRAPE!?
'nuff said.

BEST DEATH AWARD

WINNER: Super Llama for Laeil Burbank, found in The Answer
Runner-Up: Choic for Danielle Champney, found in Birds Of A Feather Burn Together & Scipher for Gabe McCallum, found in The One Where Gabe Dies

Wow, this was hard. And the short list contained almost all the deaths in The Answer. Chose Lyn AGAIN due to the tearjearker ending,
plus any character that takes that much damage physically and mentally has to get some kind of mention.

Guess(t) Who? wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2009 1:57 pmBKA: Riz, hands down. John Rizzolo... You. Are. A Bastard. And that's why we like you Anyway, great work with both of his kills


BDA: I'll go with Landlocked, for the death of Emma Babineaux. Tough decision between lots of great death, but I have a feeling, that Land has far too less votes, for the job he did with Emma's death. So I'm fixing it

INIGO MONTOY- GUEST wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2009 2:16 pmBKA: The Riz.

BDA: I'm gonna have to go with Scipher for Gabe McCallum


Votes disqualified because reasons weren't provided.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2009 3:20 pmBKA: Ed Sullivan

This was a long-awaited one in my opinion, and not only was it well written, it did Ed perfect justification in my humble opinion.

BDA: choic for Danni Champney

This was the easiest decision I've ever had to make. Danni's death was so well-rounded, appropriate, and emotionally well delivered (not to mention thorough, wow) that it hit every button in the right order for me. Choic should finally get the BDA he most deserves, in my opinion. It kept her in character (which I didn't think a lot of the other deaths did for people) and added a superb amount of poetic symbolism and poignancy, and overall it was phenomenal. One of the best deaths I've read in v3, if not the best, for sure.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2009 9:43 pmBKA: Rizzo

Fuck, man. Way to be a bastard and betray Emma like that.

BDA: James

He really is the best roleplayer on the board, hands down. Every death he's had to do has been well-done, and Danielle's was probably his best.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Mar 02, 2009 11:42 pmBKA: John Rizzolo

His kills this month were amazing. Whatever one looks for when voting in these contests was probably in there somewhere.

BDA: choic for the death of Danni Champney


I think this may have been a difficult decision for many people. Several of the deaths were amazing. I agree with most of the votes here, but Danni's death... I don't know, I guess it just affected me more than the other deaths did.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:10 amBKA: THE RIZ!

I had to nominate him for his Emma kill. Dangerous and cunning... it was great. Riz proved that he could be a smart bastard as well as a dangerous bastard. Couldn't really support the kill on Laeil, though- I thought that was pretty over the top.

BDA: Choic/James for Danni Champney

What can I say? Very, very well written death, just like Morgan's from last month. Again he proves that he might just be the best death writer on the whole board, in a post that runs the whole gamut from sad to funny, and truly makes us feel with Danni.

this is not james wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2009 12:08 pmBKA: JR Rizzolo

Honesty, my only issue this month was figuring out which Rizkill I liked better. The whole scene with Emma was pretty great & I actually found myself surprised when John screwed her over like that. Up until now Steve has been my favorite character of Dan's, but Riz is just about usurping that position (as well as being up there with my all-time favorite assholes, next to Donald Trump & Hitler). Honorable mention to the eye thing. I'm pretty sure my own was twitching throughout it.

BDA: Landlocked for Emma

BUT FIRST, preliminary ass-kissing!

IMO all of this month's deaths were excellent. There were a few that weren't as showy as the others, like Dacey's & Rick's, but they were still good ends and great scenes overall. Morgan's was a fun one & I'm glad I got to be a part of it, & I'm so pumped to RP with Arch in v4 now because of that. Gabe's was pretty chilling. Despite coming off to me as a lead-in to a What Dreams May Come sequel, Laeil's was another top notch one. I think just about any of these could win & I'd feel it was deserved.

However, my vote's gonna have to go to Chris. Not only did he do a great job of keeping an already well-written adopted character in-character & writing her every bit as well, which I give him major props for, but he & Dan created a scene which is definately one of my favorites from this round so far. I actually momentarily forgot Emma was rolled because I wanted things to work out for her so badly. So thanks for breaking my heart. That hurt almost as much as the last episode of Gilmore Girls. Actually, I don't think anything can come close to that. But it was still a great death.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2009 8:25 pmBKA: Scipher for J.R Rizollo. I think the scene with Emma was done really well and kept me on the edge of my seat. He's such a bastard.

BDA: choic for Danni. Danni's been one of my favorites since I read her (and her mortal enemy the trees). choic did a great job bring her character to a close and it broke my heart.

Ares wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2009 8:34 pmJust a friendly reminder for everyone to get their votes in by midnight, for that is when I shall be closing polls. Any vote cast after midnight will not be counted.

Thank you.

- Your friendly neighbourhood Scipherman.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2009 9:04 pmBKA and BDA: Rizzolo and Emma

Even though I knew Emma was supposed to die, the events leading up to it still managed to catch me off guard. Bravo to both parties.

Guestykins wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2009 9:09 pmBKA: Scipher for JR Rizollo (Emma kill). Riz is usually a fun read for me- and sometimes a painful one for the more squeamish side of me- because I can always vividly imagine what is happening. Very frightening.

BDA: choic for Danielle Champney. I've found her to be delightful and, at times, amusing since months ago when she was created. I thought her personality was one that I could easily relate with, and I'm sure others felt the same way. The death itself was probably my favorite post I've read since I've joined, and the first time I read it I teared up at some parts. Here's hoping for a win. <3

Mysterious Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 03, 2009 9:34 pmBKA: I'm going with Edward Sullivan on this one. It was just very well written and descriptive. Even though it wasn't all his fault, Ed still reacted in a realistic way, which was enjoyable to read. The mood was chilling and got my vote.

BDA: Danielle Champney by far. The death was just an extremely entertaining, if not very emotional read. I just felt so engrossed the entire time. There was just so much detail. Even though it wasn't a very dramatic death(well, it was in the emotional sense, but not in the cliche sense), just Dani slipping away was extremely sad. Also, seeing how her parents were reacting definitely added charm to the scene. I really liked how her father reacted at the end, it was heartwarming. So yep. Danielle plain and simple.

Ares wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2009 5:00 amAaaaaaaaaaaand that's the game.

Thank you to everyone who voted, and congrats to the winners who will be announced during the next announcement.

Cactus wrote: ↑Sun Sep 05, 2010 6:59 pmYou all knew that it was coming - and to those of you who didn't, well...now you do! It's time for the monthly BKA and BDA contests to begin for day one of SOTF V4!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with BKA and BDA, there is a post here that explains all of the rules. To summarize, rules are as follows:

One vote for BKA, one vote for BDA, with a brief explanation of why you made your choices.

DO NOT forget to log out and post under a guest name. You may not vote for yourself as we will be watching the IP's to ensure a fair vote for everyone. Voting will end five days from today, on September 10th, 2010! So GET READING AND MAKE SURE YOU VOTE! OR ELSE KENNY THE BEAR WILL EAT YOUR BRAINS. Actually, he won't.

KORAZON THE ADMIN WILL EAT YOUR BRAINS.

Yeah, that's more like it.



BEST KILL AWARD

Omar Burton for killing Warren Brown
Alex Rasputin for killing both Eric Lorenz and Robert Lerger
Kris Hartmann for killing Reika Ishida
Clio Gabriella for killing both Chris Davidson and Petrushka Ivanova
Reiko Ishida for killing both Sally Connolly and Cyrille Lablanche
Nick Reid for killing Daniel Vaughan
Janet Binachi for killing Everett Taylor
Ivan Kuznetsov for killing Keith Christoph
Rob Jenkins for killing Paige Strand

BEST DEATH AWARD

Atomic_Waffle for the death of Eric Lorenz
Gambit for the deaths of Remi Pierce or Chris Davidson or Daniel Vaughan
Wheeler for the death of Dallas Reynolds
Dom for the death of Warren Brown
Rocky for the death of Reika Ishida
Rugahissy for the death of Sally Connolly
SRJJJB for the death of Cyrille LaBlanche
Super Llama for the death of Petrushka Ivanova
Killervole for the death of Everett Taylor
Brackie for the death of Paige Strand
Serpentis.Deteramot for the death of Robert Lerger

Vote away!

(Yes I am working on the links)

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Sep 05, 2010 7:20 pmOkay....let's see here.


BKA: Rob Jenkins for killing Paige Strand.

Rob has always been an interesting character, his prejudice and chosen career seemingly in contrast to each other. So to see him snap and kill Paige for bring that up was a great read. It was something I personally hadn't seen before, someone killing someone else not because of the island but because of how this may affect him after he got away.


BDA: SRJJB for the death of Cyrille LaBlanche

Was there really any other choice? Throughout Cyrille's entire fight with Reiko and later Sally, she went through several different emotions, each one flowing believably into the next. The flashback to her grandfather showed a connection that resonated with the viewer. The cincher was her final words to Garry, calling back to the flashback and tying everything together with a nice blood-stained bow.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Sep 05, 2010 7:24 pmFor Best Kill I'm going to have to go with Ivan Kuznetsov. It was brutal, unsettling, the most creative (without being a contrived ) and one of the best things I've read so far.

Best Death, for me, would have to go to Everett Taylor. Again it was amazingly well-written, and really just plain blows the other deaths we got this month out of the water.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Sep 05, 2010 7:27 pmAlright, then.

BKA: Omar Burton for killing Warren Brown
Quite simply, this was a kill that was strategic, well executed, and surprising, to the victim and the reader. It wasn't too extravagant, but it was efficient, and that's a truly good kill.

Brackie for the death of Paige Strand
Okay. Really, this is one of the few deaths I've genuinely enjoyed this round. This scene, so full of potential as an angstfest, was handled with simplicity and precision. The characters involved all seemed genuinely shocked, and it was clear that Inky actually cared about Paige. It brought home the full loss of the potential for a life that SOTF entails, without drowning the reader in symbolism or other, less effective tricks. It was about a character, not playing the reader's emotions, and I appreciate that a lot.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Sep 05, 2010 8:36 pmHmm...

BKA: Tricky choice, but i'm going to have to go with Alex Rasputin for killing Robert Lerger... And to a lesser extent for killing Eric Lorenz.

Why? Well, mainly because of all the kills so far Alex's brutal dispatching of Robert had to be the one that stood out the most to me. And whilst many of the other kills were definitely very good, I just feel personally that nothing truly beats a good old fashioned chainsaw through the chest. Plus, seeing as this is a somewhat IU award I imagine something as brutal as what happened to Robert being exactly the kind of thing that'd please a sick fuck like Danya to no end.

BDA: Killervole for the death of Everett Taylor

Well-written, unpretentious, genuinely touching... What else is there to say really? A great death from a great writer, there isn't really anything else I can add to that. Plus, I guess the fact that of all the character's who've died so far Everett had to have been the one I cared the most about had something to do with it...

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:17 pmBKA: The best kill that I can legally vote for would be Omar Burton killing Warren Brown.

BDA: Paige Strand, the poor girl.

THESE VOTES HAVE BEEN DISQUALIFIED. IF THIS VOTER WISHES TO HAVE THEIR VOTES COUNTED THEY MAY REPOST WITH VALID REASONS FOR BOTH OF THEIR SUBMISSIONS.

Guest who? wrote: ↑Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:24 pmBKA: Kris Hartmann for killing Reika Ishida

Most of the 'sudden' (non-rolled) kills felt a little bit forced (oh irony), while this one was really impressive and truly unexpected. Also, Clu did a great job in terms of writing. Great stuff.

BDA: SRJJJB for the death of Cyrille LaBlanche.

This month it's gonna be a contest between Cyrille and Everett Taylor IMO. My vote goes for Cyrille, because Everett's death while godly written. came too fast. To me, actions before specific death post are much more important and more enjoyable to read, and there was just not enough of it with Janet and Everett. In case of Cyrille, it was not only great to read, but it was also set up beautifully.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:27 pmBKA: Reiko Ishida for both her kills

I really like Reikos kills, because of a few reasons. One is that it does not go over the top in it's gore like other deaths, but it is still an interesting death to read. Two is that with these two actions, this makes her the first multiple killer on the island, which should put a smile on Danya's face. He'd want to see more deaths, wouldn't he?

BDA: Petrushka

This death is in that middle area of deaths. It's not hastily written and boring, it's not over-the-top, drawn out, and angsty, it's masterfully well-written, and the one thing that put the metaphorical cherry on top for me was the curtains closing at the end.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:49 pmBDA- Super Llama for Petruska. Emotional and imaginative, if I was on SOTF that's the way I'd like to go.

BKA- Kris Hartmann for killing Reika Ishida. This is exactly the sort of thing I can imagine happening on the island so for being in my opinion the most realistic kill it gets my vote

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:56 pmBKA: Reiko Ishida

For the reasons mentioned in the above vote. I really don't have much to add.

This vote will be counted in this vote, but in the future, you must elaborate upon why you've voted. "Ditto" is not good enough.

BDA: A close one, but I'm gonna have to go with SRJJJB for the death of Cyrille LeBlanche

Both Everett Tyler and Cyrille had excellent death posts written that really grabbed me, so it was hard to make a decision. But in the end I think Cyrille's death has a slight edge over Everett's, in a way I can't really put my finger on (for me at least).

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Sep 05, 2010 10:04 pmBKA - Ivan Kuznetsov's kill of Keith Christoph. MK did a great job of putting an image in your head of the whole scene, and showing how effective a simple "thwack" can really be.

BDA - Ohhhh, but this was tough. It was pretty much neck and neck in terms of simply being well-written, you can probably guess with who, but Cyrille LaBlanche gets the edge for the pure emotional impact.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Sep 05, 2010 10:23 pmBKA - Ivan Kuznetsov killing Keith Christoph: More of a team effort on this one, watching Ivan unleash that side to him was a little hard for me to read, but ultimately satisfying when paired up with the heartbreaking reactions of Tabi as she looks on in utter horror.

BDA - Everett Taylor dying in the forest: Reading through the enormous post, you can see how much detail and thought went into killing off one of Toben's beloved characters and it really pays off. The flashbacks helped sculpt the scene into a trult outstanding piece of writing, and though lagging slightly at times, I felt that this death was miles ahead of the others so far - bar Cyrille's, which was almost as good.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Sep 05, 2010 10:32 pmBKA - Very tough one, but I guess I'll go with Ivan Kuznetsov, for reasons stated above.

BDA - Once again, a tough one, but Cyrille LaBlanche wins for emotional impact.

This vote will be counted in this vote, but in the future, you must elaborate upon why you've voted. "Ditto" is not good enough.

Be my Guest be my Guest wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2010 12:20 amBKA was a toughie. Omar Burton and Clio Gabriella both put in strong efforts, and I feel like I have to laud them here. But when it comes down to it, Ivan Kusnetzov is the strongest kill this month. There's a tremendous amount of visceral force behind the killing, and the emotional impact just stays with the reader (thwack). There's been other gore already, but this is perhaps the first legitimately disturbing scene of V4.

BDA was easier. KillerVole for the death of Everett Taylor stands head and shoulders above the rest of the options. The entire post is full of muted tragedy, these tiny lines that just break your heart little by little. There is nothing sweeping and grandiose about the post, no touching family memories or gradients or song lyrics. There is just the raw, undiluted experience of an average, realistic boy having so many pitiable thoughts and making so many pitiable actions as he slowly dies. It's tremendously powerful, and in a way that tells a story rather than mugs for a BDA. But I'm voting it for BDA anyway, don'tcha know.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2010 1:05 amBKA = Alex Rasputin for killing both Eric Lorenz and Robert Lerger

BDA = Killervole for the death of Everett Taylor

THESE VOTES HAVE BEEN DISQUALIFIED. IF THIS VOTER WISHES TO HAVE THEIR VOTES COUNTED THEY MAY REPOST WITH VALID REASONS FOR BOTH OF THEIR SUBMISSIONS.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2010 1:21 amBKA

I think Guest #4 is completely right. BKA is a IC award. We shouldn't be judging these deaths on how well written they are or how you liked the characters. Let's throw that all out the window for just two minutes. Now put yourself in the mindset of someone watching at home, some obsessed SOTF geek who treats this game like a religion. I knew that the only way to properly vote for the BKA, I had to think like a SOTF fan. That's why I got into character.

"O-M-G! The deaths in this game have been so laaame. Oh, Owen shot Warren with his own gun? Yawn. Alex chainsawed Robert's guts out? That's just plain boooor-ing. Wait, some guy named Ivan Kuz... Kuzu... This one guy is beating someone to death with a stick? This I've got to see! Holy shit! He's going to town! And look at Tabi cry! So helpless. Holy shit! Look at that! He just beat Keith's head in! He beat this guy's head in with a stick! Haha! I'm liking this guy! I think we have another Lenny Priestly on our hands! I need to get online, fast! I am soooo going to draw this guy! Ivan K, you are so on my favorite list!"

BDA

This award goes straight to Sky for the death of Cyrille Lablanche. I don't want to say this in a hateful way but Sky isn't the best writer of the pack. The symbolism he tried to cram into the death seemed forced to say the least. Therefore, he doesn't even be considered for this award, right?

WRONG. COMPLETELY WRONG. Of course he should. You would have to be out of tune with your emotions to not consider him. For all the faults you could bring up about him, Sky did the one thing that most of the other handlers failed to do this month, the one thing that I expect from every Best Death - it caught my attention. It is a death that I think I will remember a month or two from now, well, apart from Kenny's debut, but that's a given. There wasn't a wasted moment, everything came together in a heartbreaking scene.

Toben came at a close second. It was a very close competition and Toben is the best writer out of all those listed. However the death here was way too abrupt, and frankly it didn't really stand out as much for me as Kimberly getting shot did. Llama was good too, but the end of his post did not sit well with me. Had he got rid of that, I might have had trouble choosing between these three handlers.

Sky, you have a long way to go, but after reading Cyrille's death, I can see much promise. You deserve this award.

DOOM SONG wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2010 4:44 amBKA: Ivan K. Because he beat someone to death with a fucking stick. I mean, he beat a guy to death. Just slaughtered him. Hell, I winced when I read that.

BDA: Killer Vole for Everett Taylor. Even if you didn't read his pre-game action, the death was a great-send off to a great character. You could tell that Vole really didn't want to be killing off Everett, which is great fantastic to me. It made you think about these kids, full of promise, losing their lives to this game. Made me sad. I'd like to shout out Llama and Sky, as well. Both of your deaths were great as well.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2010 8:00 amBKA: This was a tough one, but in the end I went for Clio Gabriella for the death of Petrushka Ivanova. The reason for that is that it's a (sort of) mercy killing that makes you think; if you had the life of another person in your hand and they asked you to end it, would you be able to do it yourself?

BDA: This one has to go to SRJJJB for Cyrille LaBlanche's death. It was extremely emotional, the way the flashbacks were handled and how they mingled perfectly with the present day. The last scene, where Cyrille's back with her grandfather as she dies, that brought a tear to my eye.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2010 3:44 pmBKA

Ivan Kuznetsov for simply how gruesome and memorable the kill was. Something I'll remember for a while.

BDA

Out of all of them I think Petrushka Ivanova was my favorite. The ending made it memorable for me which is what I look for. When I read something, I want it be something that will stay with me and this death will stay with me for quite a while.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2010 4:28 pmThis is a tough one for both. I have to agree with the guest above me and say

BKA: Ivan. It was very viceral and from a viewer perspective, very violent and with him freaking out and Tabi screaming and crying, I liked it. Special mention to Clio though, I loved her kill as well. I like seeing the inner workings of her mind.

BDA: Petrushka. I liked this character and I found hers to be a very sad death. In the end she sort of gave up and accepted death, but I was also very fond of the final happy flashback that closed out her life. I thought it was a good balance between emotion and reality and for that, I'm giving it to her. Special mention to Everett though. The amount of detail in his thoughts was just impressive.

Spasiba? wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2010 5:24 pmBest Death to Everett Taylor. I had to decide between Cyrille's and Everett's, and figured that the symbolism made Cyrille's a bit too cheesy.

For Best Kill I wanted to avoid launch-deaths altogether, which really narrowed it down. In the end I go with Ivan Kuznetsov for murdering Keith Christoph. Almost considered Reiko's double-kill due to SOTF_Help pretty much setting the whole thing up, but sided with detail.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Sep 06, 2010 6:30 pmFor Best Kill, I vote for Ivan (I cannot remember how his last name is spelled for the life of me, but there's only one Ivan in the running so I'm sure it's not a problem). Special mention goes to Reiko Ishida, however- I am sincerely and pleasantly surprised with her performance so far. Rocky is really proving himself as a writer here and I'm glad to be watching. But in the end, I had to go with Ivan because I feel that his kill perfectly characterizes the darkest side of the bloodthirsty machine we call Survival of the Fittest- public appeal. In the times of the Roman Empire, the crowd cheered the most for the kills with the most brutality, the kills that best proved the dominance of their holy Empire. Ivan has unwittingly found himself fighting for his own bloody Roman Empire, and as this thread indicates, his crowd is cheering.

For Best Death, I vote for Cyrille Lablanche. I mean this in the best way possible- Sky seems the closest thing we have to a lovable underdog as far as writing goes. His grammar is shaky (albeit for good reason), and it occasionally veers into the cheesy side of things. But in spite of all that, it still manages to be quite enjoyable to read simply because he's trying so hard. Sky pours so much effort and emotion into his characters and his writing, and Cyrille's death is no exception. He and the others in the thread did a great job of creating an exciting, dramatic scene that culminated in two truly memorable deaths (on that note, honorable mention to Sally- it was short but delightfully bittersweet). Sky truly deserves the award this month, and this vote is to help him get it.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Sep 07, 2010 11:12 amFor Best Kill Award, I vote for Kris Hartmann, and I'm going to choose it for a rather odd reason. See, Danya is ultimately the person who chooses the recipient of this award in-universe, and he's rather sadistic. So when he sees Kris basically going out of her mind as a result of accidentally killing Reika, I think he'd love to rub salt in the wound by giving her the BKA. The thought of that happening struck me as weirdly appropriate, so that's who I'm voting for.

For Best Death Award, I pick Everett Taylor, largely because I think my criteria for BDA is going to be different than most other people's. I planned on evaluating the deaths based on the character as a whole, and how dramatically satisfying they were as the final chapters of those characters' stories. So if I feel a death is dramatically powerful on its own, but doesn't fit well with the rest of that character's posts, I'm disinclined to give it my vote.

Now, I realize that this is the first day and people have had little time to build character stories, so I decided to see what people came up with. Sure enough, most people didn't really get a chance to do anything, so I looked at the deaths themselves, and found that only two of them, Everett and Petrushka's, felt that impactful. (Apologies to all the Cyrille fans out there, but her death didn't really do it for me.) Both of those deaths were very well done, but the rest of Petrushka's posts were not that great while in Everett's case, the quality of the death was carried over from the quality of the rest of his posts.

I really got to feel for Everett a lot more than I felt for any of the characters who died on Day One. Maybe it's just a bias for Toben's writing that's subtly influencing me, but I can't give the vote to anyone else.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Sep 07, 2010 12:26 pmBest Kill Award:
3rd: Alex Rasputin (Atomic Waffle)
2nd: Reiko Ishida (Rocky)
1st: Ivan Kuznetsov (MK Mackilloc)

This was too close. I was constantly changing between Alex and Ivan and Reiko, but I've decided to stop the buck with Ivan. This was hard, rough and bloody, and brought out the holy shit part of SotF.

Best Death Award:
3rd: Cyrille LaBlanche (SRJJJB)
2nd: Everett Taylor (Killer Vole)
1st: Paige Strand (Brackie)

Again, insanely hard. I doubt I could decide between these three. I personally think Paige is the most worthy, mainly because of the build up and emotion, as well as the unknown of if her partner is alive.

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Sep 08, 2010 11:47 amBDA - Cyrille LeBlanche. The death scene and her attempt at helping Reiko was so heartbreaking. Well written and cleverly thought out.

BKA - Clio Gabriella. Wow, just the way that was handled. Even that accidental death and the excellent handling of post traumatic stress was... wow. I was very impressed.

Guesty McGuesterson wrote: ↑Thu Sep 09, 2010 6:08 amBKA: Ivan Kuznetzov. Goddamn was that brutal.

BDA: Cyrille LeBlanche. A surprisingly sad and well-written death.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Sep 09, 2010 4:46 pmBKA: IVAN KUZNETSOV
I can't say I wasn't expecting him to finally crack under the pressure, but MK did a beautiful job in continuing the emotion from Ivan's debut and working from it. And I can say, without a doubt, he's the one who could use a fancy new weapon the most.

BDA: EVERETT TAYLOR
I was going to rant about how Everett deserves this over anyone else, but in the end, I think the post speaks for itself. It's pretty apparent that KillerVole didn't write the post with the intention of winning a BDA, he wasn't trying to be dramatic and he wasn't throwing metaphors in our face. He was doing his character justice and giving him a beautifully executed end. Amazingly top-notch, really hope you win this, buddy.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Sep 09, 2010 5:42 pmBKA: Clio. For the thought into it, for the mental breakdown she has afterward. Though Ivan is a close second, for sheer gory disturbing memorability.

BDA: Petrushka. Quiet and powerful. I really hope this one wins. She broke my heart.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Sep 09, 2010 8:25 pmBest Kill Award
My vote goes to Ivan Kuznetsov for the killing of Keith Cristoph. Since the start of the game, Ivan's been on edge and totally not liking having to interact with other people. When he does snap, he loses himself entirely in the act. Whereas many other kills were calculated but not very well executed, Ivan instead gives a brilliantly realistic yet brutally effective performance of smashing Keith's face in.

Best Death Award
My vote goes to KillerVole for the death of Everett Taylor. The death is spun out of a tapestry of words that draw the reader one last time into Everett's mind. We see how he feels about what he has done in the game, in his life, and in the last moments before his death. KV uses context appropriate flashbacks and the imagery of flickering in and out of darkness to drive home how fleeting life actually is. For a person to go through their final moments and come to an acceptance is not a quick affair. We see that Everett works frantically in his mind to find that one thing he can feel content with. And in the end, he doesn't accept his death as is but makes that final bid toward life. There is closure on Everett's story.

Now, many handlers have voted for Cyrille, and I'd just like to leave a few comments on her death. I will agree that it was indeed a good death, probably the second or third best of our batch this month, but in the end it just didn't have the eloquence of Everett's death. Some have cited the emotional impact of Cyrille's death, but I feel that it was something that came too quickly and without enough buildup and momentum to make any hit feel lasting. True that Cyrille's death will have a more lasting impact on the game itself, due to her relationship with Violetta, but the reader only gets that side of the tragedy without feeling much for the tragedy of Cyrille's death as a stand alone. Additionally, the heavy-handed use of a stilted metaphor cannot hold a candle to the more subtle effect of the flashbacks that were used in Everett's death.

Finally, I'm seeing a few votes for Sky because he's the "underdog". I'll just voice my displeasure here at seeing that as a reason. This isn't a wrestling match or a sports game where our subjective opinions of the handler should influence our votes on something based entirely on writing technique.

Namira wrote: ↑Thu Sep 09, 2010 8:43 pmIt also isn't your job to pick holes in other people's reasoning, above poster. Stick to your own opinions, not trying to find fault with everyone else's.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Sep 09, 2010 8:47 pmA respost of my votes:

BKA: Omar Burton for the killing of Warren Brown. This one gets my attention not for any particular detail, but that it's striking in its suddenness. It wasn't a rolled death, meaning nobody was really looking out for it, and it wasn't one of the stock collar explosions. It looks like we could see a potential teaming of two characters, and then... no. Down goes Warren. Even better, the future events of the thread all revolve around Warren's death, aiding in the significance of what just happened, and helping Omar's killing of Warren to have a long-lasting effect.

BDA: Paige Strand. Many of the deaths claim to be a 'tear jerker', but this is the only one that caused me to sit down after reading it and go ".... damn...". It's just that powerful, in the way that it's written; it doesn't wear out its welcome with melodramatic flair, it doesn't come off as narmy, it's just really, REALLY depressing.

Guest wrote: ↑Fri Sep 10, 2010 12:56 amBKA: Omar Burton for killing Warren Brown

This kill was a good example of how spontaneity can be used in a positive manner. The scene begins in such a way that you're lead to expect absolutely nothing that poignant from it, and then Omar's sudden (and immediate) change of heart manages to draw you in and spit you out just as quickly, leaving you pondering about how something that effective was delivered that swiftly. Solid writing on both handlers' parts made that (and the rest of the thread) a very enjoyable read.

BDA: KillerVole for the death of Everett Taylor

Every other death this month paled in comparison to Everett's, for me. The rhythm that Toben established in sporadically describing Everett's fragmented thoughts (in a sort of scatterbrained way), yet still managing to make them flow eerily well, was drawn like an artist paints a brush stroke. It was absolutely poetic. I could honestly see myself mimicking and connecting my thought patterns the exact same way if I was to die that slowly and painfully. It was pure magic.

Not to mention, it didn't need cheap ploys or fake, overstated sentiments or allusions in order to earn its merit, and for that, I throw KillerVole many, MANY props. He well deserves that award.

Paige Single wrote: ↑Fri Sep 10, 2010 3:48 amBKA: Nick Reid: Come on, I mean hurling a molotov in to a person and watching them burst in to flames is just a cut above the normal stab / shooting we see on SotF. You have to give it to him for not only the aim of the grenade but the bizarre choices that led up to it.


KDA: KillerVole (Everett Taylor): Honestly Toben's writing is a cut above the bulk of people here. Not only does the death give a good feel for the character but it is VERY consistent with the previous portrayal of Everett. He doesn't use flashbacks or song lyrics to expand his post and it comes across effortless and somehow flows perfectly. There is nothing wrong with using the narrative tools mentioned above but the fact that Toben can convey the same information without needed to use said devices speaks volumes about his skill. Hands down no competition.

Guest wrote: ↑Fri Sep 10, 2010 3:58 amBKA: Giving this one to Kris for a reason one of the above posters noted: Danya is the kind of sadistic bastard who would give the prize to someone who REALLY wouldn't want to be the one to get it. Thaaat's our Danya!

BDA: Everett, for the many reasons that everyone else has kindly laid out already. :3

This vote will be counted in this vote, but in the future, you must elaborate upon why you've voted. "Ditto" is not good enough.

Crash wrote: ↑Fri Sep 10, 2010 7:35 pmVoting is now closed! Thank you to everyone who submitted - the results will be posted in the next announcement!

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Wed Oct 06, 2010 6:32 pmAlright, guys. It's that time again. Time to pick the best kill and death of the month!

If you don't know the rules, they're right here. Of specific note:

First and foremost, your kill/death HAS to be completed on time, including any extensions you may be granted. Kills or deaths written after this deadline has passed will not be eligible for that month's contest. If you are late on a death without an extension/valid reason, you will not be eligible for a Best Death.

That means that, if you were late on your death, weren't Away at the time of rolls, and didn't request an extension, you're not on here. Sorry, guys, but we really need these to be on time.

Also, please note that, for BKA, there is a time limit to claiming prizes:

For Best Kill, the time limit to collect your prize is one week (in universe, it is six hours. The weapon will be placed near enough that the character can realistically receive it).

So, now that that is out of the way, we can get on to voting. Remember, first and foremost, to read all the deaths and kills before voting. It wouldn't be fair to handlers you haven't had time to read to discount their efforts.

Remember, log out to vote. Don't vote for yourself. Don't vote for people just because they are your buddies. Pay close attention to the following, since several votes were disqualified last time, and more would have been had we not been lenient:

Do not vote without giving an explanation. "For reasons already stated" is not an explanation.

Righto. Here we go.






BEST KILL AWARD

Staffan Kronwall for killing Brent Shanahan
Jacquard Broughton for killing Maria Santiago
Colin Falcone for killing Antonio Russo
Kris Hartmann for killing Amber Whimsy
Reiko Ishida for killing Tobias Elwin and Raina Morales
RJ Lowe for killing Eva Lancaster
Maxwell Lombardi for killing Augustus MacDougal and Harold Fisher
Ericka Bradley for killing Frankie Watson
Sarah Atwell for killing Eve Walker-Luther
Maria Graham for killing Francine Moreau
Hayley Kelly for killing Steve Barnes
Rachel Gettys for killing Theodore Behr
Madeleine Smith for killing Jonathan Jarocki
David Matson for killing Vanessa Struthers
Nick Reid for killing Tom Guthrie
William Hearst for killing Trevor Duncan

BEST DEATH AWARD

Wheeler for the death of Brent Shanahan
Solomir for the death of Antonio Russo
Rocky for the death of Dawne Jiang
Wicked Icon for the death of Rose Codreanu
Lawther for the death of Tobias Elwin
KingKamor for the death of Eva Lancaster
GeneralGoose for the death of Augustus MacDougal
VinnyMcQ for the death of Frankie Watson
CorruptDropbear for the death of Eve Walker-Luther
Blastinus for the death of Harold Fisher
Chib for the death of Steve Barnes
Stark for the death of Charlotte Cave
T-Fox for the death of Chadd Crossen
Blastinus for the death of Tom Guthrie
Tythanin for the death of Violetta Lindsberg
VinnyMcQ for the death of Trevor Duncan
Geno for the death of Raina Morales
Hollyquin for the death of Maria Santiago

ʇsǝnb wrote: ↑Wed Oct 06, 2010 7:08 pmFor BKA, I'm gonna have to go with Maxwell Lombardi. Excellent writing on Fiori's part combined with refreshing pragmatism from his character not only made those two kills entertaining to read, but in my mind, established this as the defining moment he became the villain to watch out for in V4 for at least the first few days.

As for BDA, well, this was a tougher decision, as the field for good deaths was thicker than the field for good kills. However, all told, I have to give my vote to Augustus MacDougal. Sure, this seems a bit biased considering who killed him, but Maxwell's kill might not have had the same impact without Goose's assist. As far as less speculative matters are concerned, Dougal's mindset in his final moments was well done, believable, and nicely summed up the futility of trying to survive the game, and his final defiant actions, though they set up his own demise, really had you pulling for him, whether you knew how it would end or not.

T-Fox wrote: ↑Wed Oct 06, 2010 7:20 pmBest Kill Award: Maxwell Lombardi

Maxwell's kill here feels like one of the early game kills I can seriously see happening on the island. Someone gets tough, fires a shot to scare people (whether or not that was it's intention), and one of the people NOT holding the gun gets royally pissed off (and rightfully so). Maxwell is already a bit of an ass on the island, so his fired up reaction of strangling Augustus just kind of made sense. I mean granted, it appears more as Maxwell finally snapping under the stresses of the game, manifesting itself properly for his personality. From now on, I'm expecting to see Maxwell one wrong word from blind rage. Also, the writing behind the kill. It's so gritty. You can almost feel Maxwell's sheer anger glowing off of your screen. The rest of the world has been shut out for him as he exacts the kill on Augustus. Excellent work Fiori.

Best Death Award: Antonio Russo
I know I was personally involved in this death. But still, this is one of the very few deaths this version that have pulled so many emotions out of me so strongly. Seriously, reading through Joe's posts, I was brought to the brink of tears on two separate occasions throughout the entire downward spiral that lead to Tony dying. Joe's writing portrays the emotions of a dying man who is stronger than any of us could ever hope to be so incredibly well. I'm honestly not how much more I can say except go read this death yourself. The flashbacks flow flawlessly into what is happening to the boy in his last moments, and even Tony's death follows the pattern of his life, from Pre-Game and his biography. Tony was a great character I would have loved to have RPed with more than just Colin and Tony's brief interactions in the tunnel. You deserve this Joe.

Guesty wrote: ↑Wed Oct 06, 2010 7:22 pmBEST KILL AWARD

My BKA vote is towards Maria Graham for killing Francine Moreau, I mean...flare, just...A FLARE. I thought the reaction was pretty legit, although to be honest if I got shot with a flare I'd probably crumple to the ground straight away and pee myself but that's a different story, this kill kind of grasped me, and all I can say is that it was my favourite out of the choices. Other reasons would be because of Maria actually trying to beat it out, the sheer heat making the pain of the thing going into her chest dwarfed and the strange sort of realism that came with it. I haven't actually seen anybody be shot in the chest with a flare mind you, but I have feeling it'd go something like that.


BEST DEATH AWARD

In my opinion it should go to Tyathin for the death of Violetta Lindsberg, I haven't read her at all, in fact, to be honest her deathscene is all I have read. However, the deathscene, even though it was a suicide by collar and a "talk angry at the cameras" cliche that I heard some guys talking about (well not directly about Violetta, I just heard about kids talking up to the cameras and associated her message with it) I thought it was pulled off well. I can't say it was good writing because I'm not overly sure what good writing is, being clueless beyond exam questions, but all I can say is I really, really liked it.

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Oct 06, 2010 7:43 pmBKA: Sarah Atwell

This one, for me, was simple. While there were many kills this month, only one truly shown out as something different, something that stopped me in my tracks. That kill was Sarah Atwell's murder of Eve Walker-Luther. Quite simply, it was an incredibly difficult scene to pull off, and Fanatic did so masterfully. Sarah tortured Eve to death. No way around it. However, the really nasty stuff, the really icky violence and so on, was all handled offscreen, as it were, allowing the reader to make it as awful as necessary. All that was included was what had to be. It was a scene which, handled differently, would have been an utter disaster, but, given its tasteful execution, is, for me, the most chilling killing of V4 thus far.

BDA: Augustus MacDougal

This one was a bit tougher. The deaths this month, on the whole, have impressed me. Tony's death was sad and quite well handled, as was Violetta's, but Dougal's death stands out for a few reasons.

First off, Dougal did not die with dignity. He died fairly slowly and horribly, and yet, all throughout, we were rooting for him, hoping he'd pull through, even though he had, in fact, just attempted murder. Dougal's last thoughts were a wonderful touch; he goes out satisfied that his killer will soon face an equally awful fate. He remains sympathetic, even as he gives in to desires for vengeance and emotions that, on the whole, are quite negative.

Another thing I must take into account, as with Sarah's kill, is the craft seen here. Dougal's death has no fancy stylistic tricks, no witty or moving quotations. It doesn't need them. Goose sticks to simple, powerful writing, and, in my opinion, that's by far the best way to go at the end of the day.

The Ghost of Contestants Past wrote: ↑Wed Oct 06, 2010 8:39 pmBKA goes to Sarah Atwell for legitimately giving me nightmares. It was something new. Something icky. Something that made my skin crawl. I honestly thought some of the other deaths were better written, but damn, can you imagine how much Danya must have loved watching Sarah's antics? No way he wouldn't give it to her. Torture is kind of his thing, after all.

BDA goes to Violetta Lindsberg. Cliche? Maybe a little, but for me, at least, her suicide on account of her girlfriend's death was a huge tearjerker for me. There were a lot of good deaths this round, but none made me emotional like this one did, and for me that's the real mark of a good death, particularly because I hadn't been all that interested in Violetta as a character before her death. The death post made me want to go back and read the character, and that's the mark of a good death, for me, at least.

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Wed Oct 06, 2010 9:56 pmAlright, everyone. There's been a slight mix-up here, and so there are two new deaths in the BDA category. Specifically, Geno's Raina Morales and Hollyquin's Maria Santiago.

I'd like to take a moment to remind everyone of a couple of things. First off, if you're going Away, please give a specific time frame for your absence, so we don't have misunderstandings. Here, it's fairly minor, but for something like inactivity, it could be a big deal.

Next off, if you PM a mod or admin for an extension, and they don't get back to you quickly, post in the thread. We're human too, and sometimes PMs aren't noticed or responses are forgotten. In fact, best to post in the thread any time there is a delay, so everyone knows what's up.

If anyone wants to change their vote to one of these two, post again, giving the number of your previous post and your new post, with rationale. We'll verify your identity via IP address.

Thanks for bearing with us. Here's hoping next month's a bit smoother.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Oct 07, 2010 12:52 amIn my not-so-humble opinion, the best kill this month was easily Colin Falcone putting Tony Russo out of his misery. That wasn't even a figure of speech, either, that's exactly what happens. Unlike 99% of other kills, this kill is really depressing in the realm of both the killed as well as the killer. The sadness in accordance to Russo is obvious; he died. But why feel sorry for Colin Falcone? Because it was all just an accident, a misunderstanding that went horribly, horribly wrong, far beyond what could have been. The poor guy felt TERRIBLE about what happened and, to make matters worse, Russo didn't just die right away. No... he calmly asked for Colin to finish him, to which the poor boy had no choice to agree. Just... one of the most emotional kills we're going to see.

For best death, I vote Maria Santiago. She just missed the cutoff last time, and it's a good thing as I probably would've voted for somebody else over her, but here she just shined. Maria's death has one of the best uses of flashbacks I've ever seen, and will go a long way to develop her now-repentant killer, Jackie. Holly really showed that she knew what she was doing and yes, she CAN write a goddamn death. Good freaking job!

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Oct 07, 2010 1:11 amBest Kill Award

Holy crap, this was tough to really decide upon. A lot of the kills were simply amazing to read, but the two that really stood out the most were Maxwell's and Sarah's. Unfortunately, there can't be two Best Kills, so I'm going to have to say that Maxwell Lombardi won it for this one. The whole thread in itself was fairly award winning, but Maxwell just had that right amount of douchebag in him to make reading it all just...I dunno, I just really, really liked reading it. I can't really think of anything else to say beyond that, but I'll be following Maxwell and Sarah as the game goes on and I'm looking forward to even greater kills from the both of them.

...Is that a bad thing?

Best Death Award

There really should be the ability to vote for more than one person. Pretty damn tough to choose only a single one for this award too, but I'll have to give it to T-Fox for the death of Chadd Crossed. The whole thing started from a misunderstanding and then the feeling of helplessness he had at the end as his death slowly ticked towards him? I dunno, I thought it was pretty damn well written and I enjoyed reading it.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Oct 07, 2010 1:15 amBKA

Maria Graham. True, that half of the kill was made by SOTF Help, but Llama handled the job really good as well, and the follow up post after the kill was just hilarious. Also, I would like to see Danya mocking Maria while giving her the award.

BDA

Uhm... Actually, I have a question here: Didn't you miss anyone? Because I see Rachel Getyss in the BKA award list, but I don't see Killer Moth and Theodore Behr in the BDA list, and that's the one I would like to give my vote to. I'm kinda tired of all those 'Oh, I'm dying, but what a beautiful death it is. I'm mentioning my parents, my old friends and whatever was important to me' etc. Teddy's death, while still wrapping up most of the things, was interrupted by death in the mid sentence. And I just love that, because it shows that death comes suddenly, and sometimes you just wont wrap up your thoughts. Sometimes You'll just die.

If for some reason, this death is unavailable in the voting, I'll think of another one.

Uncluevara wrote: ↑Thu Oct 07, 2010 4:50 amBest Kill: I'll go with Nick Reid as Danya probably has a sick fetish with rock deaths seeing as there has been so many. The kill itself is brutal and looking at it from the cameras I feel viewers would wince muchly at the 'sickening crunch' of rock on skull. The very thought gives me a headache.

Best Death: Tony Russo. Solomir did a great job here, not just in the deathpost but the lead up as well. This death is different as it is a mercy killing in a way. It makes sense that Tony has time to draw out his thoughts and Solomir holds up his side of the death well (as of course does T-fox).

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Oct 07, 2010 11:21 pmBest Kill

Maxwell Lombardi was one of those characters that we all sort of knew was going to be a player, but my hat is off to Fioriboy for making that come about in a way that makes complete sense for the character. Maxwell (thus far) is a great template for anyone who's trying to create an actual villainous player. He isn't a psychopath, but neither are his kills going to be justified nor will he be wracked with self-doubt, and that's a very hard balance to pull off. Out of all the killer characters thus far, Maxwell's the one I believe has the best chance to last a long time.

Best Death

This was a very hard decision to make, but I'm voting for Augustus MacDougal, where Goose wasn't afraid to kill off his character without being either too quick or too obviously epic, and without any kind of silver lining at all, really. It was fairly nasty work, but it was very well done.

Guest wrote: ↑Fri Oct 08, 2010 5:41 pmSarah Atwell had the most disturbing, well-written, utterly horrifying kill this month. By a huge margin. The mental breakdown (she would play her part), the deception with the drugged water, the extremely unsettling torture, and... the words. Jesus, her dialogue to Eve was just the most disturbing thing I've read in V4 so far, and that alone would have made this kill. But that wasn't alone. There were also so many great touches, like her camera, like taking a break to munch on some bread, like some of her little thoughts and gestures... damn. This one is gonna stay with me for a while, and it deserves a huge amount of praise.

Maria Santiago had the best death post. I don't like songposts. I don't like colorposts. I don't like deathposts that throw a lot of touching flashbacks at the reader in attempts to elicit some sympathy. So why the hell do I like Maria's death so much? Because Holly can fucking write. Yes, there are some pretty obvious attempts in this death to tug at the reader's heartstrings. But they work. They really, really work. Because Holly absolutely knows how to perfectly hit all her emotional notes. There's a point in reading this death where it just becomes impossible to remain a pretentious SotF critic thumbing his nose at a colorsongflashbackdeathpost, where it becomes impossible to analyze everything intently and shake out all the literary techniques. You just get lost in the beautiful prose and the beautiful emotional reactions that this post makes you feel.

AGUEST wrote: ↑Sat Oct 09, 2010 4:34 amSarah Atwell gets my BKA vote because... jesus christ. I'm going to have nightmares after reading that scene. Fuck. A few deaths have made me cringe but this literally scared me. I could go on about how the writing was great and the buildup was perfect but frankly I don't think I'll need to. If you read this and think this isn't worthy of the award, you must have read the wrong kill. Fan, you are a sick, depraved man who must have taken pleasure from this and I think you're going to make it far in SOTF.

The BDA goes to Maria Santiago. I had completely forgotten about her death. I feel really bad because I absolutely loved Maria's death. Not a big fan of song posts. However Hollyquin is talented. She really is an amazing writer. Damn good. There are no poodles. A big chunk of the post is Maria's mental monologues in her final minutes. It is absolutely soul crushing. I can tell alot of work went into this and Hollyquin deserves this award.

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Sat Oct 09, 2010 4:39 am

Guest wrote:BDA

Uhm... Actually, I have a question here: Didn't you miss anyone? Because I see Rachel Getyss in the BKA award list, but I don't see Killer Moth and Theodore Behr in the BDA list, and that's the one I would like to give my vote to. I'm kinda tired of all those 'Oh, I'm dying, but what a beautiful death it is. I'm mentioning my parents, my old friends and whatever was important to me' etc. Teddy's death, while still wrapping up most of the things, was interrupted by death in the mid sentence. And I just love that, because it shows that death comes suddenly, and sometimes you just wont wrap up your thoughts. Sometimes You'll just die.

If for some reason, this death is unavailable in the voting, I'll think of another one.

Shoot, sorry for the late reply. Theo's death was past the cutoff date, and no extension was requested.

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Oct 09, 2010 11:14 pmBKA: Sarah Atwell. My usual method is to judge these kills by brutality and while there are no shortage of those kills this time around (Staffan Kronwall and Nick Reid's kills are runner-ups), one death in particular was almost too intense for me to read. I tip my hat to Fanatic.

BDA: Chadd Crossen. This one was a punch in the soul. Yeah, I guess you could say that it’s pretty overblown, especially with the last paragraph, and that it’s just a revisiting of Andrew Lipson’s death, but I don’t care. I love it anyway.

Tseug wrote: ↑Sun Oct 10, 2010 12:20 amBKA: I'm going to have to go with Sarah Atwell because seriously, that goes way beyond anything we've seen in terms of absolute overwhelming creepiness. And it's there every step of the way. I wanted to take a shower after I read it. No joke. Most of the kills (and deaths) were good, but this one hit it out of the freaking ballpark.

BDA: I'm giving the nod to Dougal for a very well-done death. It's depressing, hopeless, and brutal, and that's what SotF is all about. Especially the bit where he realizes he'd imagined some sort of vague hideous death but never realized the true reality of the situation until he's well on his way to his own ignominious demise. Everyone has to face it at some point, and Dougal exemplified that beautifully. Also I think I'm going to slam some antidepressants after my shower.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Oct 10, 2010 2:13 amMy vote for BKA is going to have to go to Seizure Gi- Sarah Atwell, for killing Eve. Although I don't like killers who torture, It was handled extremely well compared to a most instances I've seen of it. From an IC perspective, it was brutal enough to gain my vote, and the interaction between Eve and Sarah before and during it was great. From an OOC perspective, both the build up and the death itself were both handled extremely well, Fanatic in particular doing a great job. I can't think of a better kill than this one this month.

BDA this month is much tougher. I'll admit, I've never been a fan of long death posts, but Hollyquin managed to pull it off with Maria Santiago, my vote for BDA. She just combines everything I'd normally hate about a deathpost: The songpost, the colour post, the time consuming flashbacks to provide depth, double spaced fragments. She takes them all, she runs with them, and the end result was, in my opinion, the Best Death of the month.

Mentions for BKA go to Maxwell Lombardi, for having a "Multi-kill" scene that managed not to seem like needless pimping for a villain and to Maria Graham, for one of the most unique kills I've seen this far.

For BDA, Maria just managed to beat Chadd Croesen for my award, who I think had a really good death, but I think it was just a bit too cluttered to get my vote.

That Guy wrote: ↑Sun Oct 10, 2010 3:22 amVoting for two people from the same thread. Oh the horror!

First, CorruptDropbear for Eve Walker-Luther's death. Eve is such an adult, and her death was both heartbreakingly brave and convincingly realistic. Dropbear did not flinch away from having her desperate and in agony. Brave lady, and the best we can hope for her is that her husband is okay and her daughter grows proud. She deserved better than that, Eve Walker-Luther.

And Sarah Atwell. Poisoning the water. Acting. Playing her part. She's twisted scary lovely lady, and I can't wait to see how her creative kills go. Hers was the most captivating kill this cycle for pure shocking showmanship, and I love seeing a girl who knows how to play to the camera

Rubber Piggy wrote: ↑Sun Oct 10, 2010 7:45 amBKA: My vote for BKA would have to go to either Sarah Atwell or Nick Reid, and I knew I would have to choose between them. Both of them are handled by great writers, both Fanatic and Rattle are amazing and it shows in their characters, both of which I've read in varying amounts; But it simply comes down to which killing I enjoyed more. They're both quite brutal, but I'd have to toss my hat in with Nick Reid simply because it was quick, brutal, visceral and real, though it was a tough choice in the end.

BDA: When it comes down to the best death, I'd have to vote for Tony Russo. It's really the only death that I read among the choices that really had a major effect, though that isn't to say the others were bad; Far from it, many of the other deaths were amazing in their own right. But when it came down to an emotional impact, there was simply more impact from Tony's death than the others, in my personal opinion. Maybe because it wasn't a malicious act or something overly brutal, but whatever the reason, I simply enjoyed reading Tony's death just that little bit extra needed to warrant my vote.

Namira wrote: ↑Fri Nov 05, 2010 12:29 amHere they are folks.

For those of you or don't know, (or have forgotten), how this one goes, I'll give a quick brief below.

After reading through the deaths and kills linked below, post with a vote for the best kill and the best death, briefly explaining your reasoning for each. (It is preferred but not-essential that you vote for both). Remember to log out and post as a guest - I'm fairly sure you can't post here as normal, but either way, log out first.

You have until NOVEMBER 10TH to vote.


BEST KILL AWARD

Maxwell Lombardi for killing Vera Osborne in Walk The Line, or Cody Jenkins in Your Cross To Bear

Kris Hartmann for killing Albert Lions in Where There Is Fire, We Will Carry Gasoline

A venomous snake for killing Samaya Boen-Hilstrand in The Hills Are Alive

Ilario Fiametta for killing Jackson Ockley in Act I: General Anathestic

Quincy Jones for killing Max Neill in Searching For Clues

An inopportunely placed vibrator for killing Janet Victoriee-Ser in It's Hard To Walk Tall When You're Small

Sarah Atwell for killing Miranda Merchant in Hearing Is Believing

Rachel Gettys for killing Edward Belmont in Going Round In Circles

Hayley Kelly for killing James Mulzet in Sorry Mom, Sorry God

Clio Gabriella for killing Charles Richard Dawson in Fight Or Flight

Claire Lambert for killing Daniel Kensrue in So Strange I Remember You

The Swamp for killing Deidre Paul in Dirty

Samantha Ridley for killing Simon Fletcher in Measure Once, Cut Twice

An elaborate Jigsaw esque entrapment for killing Brock Mason in Heartbeat Symphony

BEST DEATH AWARD

Selphie_trabia for the death of Hermione Miller

Fiori for the death of Vera Osborne

Stark for the death of Albert Lions

Arscapi for the death of Samaya Boen-Hilstrand

faceinabook for the death of Jackson Ockley

Rattlesnake for the death of Cody Jenkins

Pigeon Army for the death of Max Neill

Limisios for the death of Janet Victoriee-Ser

Renard for the death of Miranda Merchant

Sister Grimm for the death of Edward Belmont

Ciel for the death of James Mulzet

TDS for the death of Charles Richard Dawson

Wheeler for the death of Daniel Kensrue

Tagabase for the death of Simon Fletcher

Dano for the death of Deidre Paul

Cluevara for the death of Brock Mason

An Inopportunely Placed Vibrator wrote: ↑Fri Nov 05, 2010 1:22 amI should have been a contender. D:

At any rate, my BKA vote goes to Ilario Fiametta as performed by faceinabook. Absolutely no competition. First of all, I love the Kiss of Death, and I love how its deadly potential came to fruition here, but mostly I love Ilario's heroic BSOD. I love his inability to believe that Jackson's dead, how he's so desperately trying to bring Jackson back...it's so sweet, almost. But of course, the biggest reason why Ilario should get the BKA is because Danya is a horrible human being. Ilario would get the BKA because he's so desperately trying to avoid the fact that he killed, and Danya would love to rub it in his face.

My BDA vote goes to Jackson Ockley as performed by choic, and I know, I know, the killer and the killed from the same scene. But credit has to go where credit's due. I can't really describe in words why Jackson's death amazed me so- I think the best way to put it is that it was incredibly visceral. Most deaths try to pull at your heartstrings, successfully or not, or alternately go in the other direction and simply try to be really gorey. choic chose a third option- made you feel Jackson's last moments so clearly without resorting to time-consuming flashbacks to add depth or to pointless overdone gore. It's just...really...wow. Go read it if you haven't. An amazing kill and an amazing death. Bravo.

Guest wrote: ↑Fri Nov 05, 2010 2:11 amOkay, believe me, this was a hard choice.

BKA: Quincy Jones for the death of Max Neill. Now believe me, there are other deaths out there that strike as out of the ordinary...but this one is the one that hasn't been done before. We have Maxwell, Kris, Ilario, Clio, and Clare: they all shot someone, nothing new. We have Rachel and Sarah, who both killed almost in the same way as before, with the same weapon. Samantha, IMO, isn't even a contender, since it was a mercy kill, and who would vote for a mercy kill? But then there's Quincy. This death was slow, this death was hands on, this death was very graphic. It stands out well among the rest of the deaths, and that is why I nominate it.

BDA: ... Now this, believe me, was harder, so I am going to name three names here.

First, we have Hermione Miller, who at the time, had one of the most impacting deaths ever. Now I know that it doesn't really make sense at the time, but once you read her backstory, you see how the whole process and deconstruction came to fruition. And it was a really well-written death (and the fact that I kinda gave pointers has nothing to do with my praise).

Next is Simon Fletcher. I shall say it since it hasn't been said yet (at the time of this writing): Woah. This death was possibly one of the most well-written build-ups I've seen in SOTF. The imagery used was wonderful, the writing was spectacular, and most of all, you see how it all happened. It was wonderful, and on a side note, I believe that Tagabasa deserves to leave SOTF v4 with a little reminder of how well he did in it (but that's not the reason I'm voting, obviously >.<)

And finally, we have Brock Mason, who's death was well built up over the course of Heartbeat Symphony, and was possibly the one that really change my outlook on the game (though that may be more due to the killer rather than the death). Again, we have flashbacks, again, we have the good old "I don't wanna die" thing, but it was executed well. So well, in fact, I'm giving it a very welcome mention.

Ultimately, my nomination goes to Simon Fletcher. I just thought that the other two were so well done that they deserved at least a nod or mention, even if they didn't get the vote.

Guest wrote: ↑Fri Nov 05, 2010 3:55 amBKA - Ilario Fiametta

Do I really have to explain this? Really? If you guys actually read this death you should know why I'm choosing it. Why should I bother?

Alright alright.

I am voting for Ilario's kill because it was PERFECT. In every way. I'm not saying that just because I liked it. Really. Go. Read it. Right now.

Now. Answer me this - Doesn't it SOUND like every single word has been planned meticulously?

Quincy Jones was flashy and nasty, and I like flashy nasty deaths, but it pales into comparison of the web that was spun here.

Yes, on the surface it was someone pointing a gun at someone and shooting them. BANG, YOU'RE DEAD. However, that's the excuse someone who HASN'T read the death fully enough would make. Anyone who actually has been reading Ilario from day would would know he has a different kind of gun. This is not a glock or something like that, something where you KNOW what you're doing with it. This is the The Kiss of Death. For those not in the know, it's a gun disguised as lipstick. A wolf in sheep's clothing. You don't even know how much I've been craving to see this thing used accidentally and the way it's worked into the death was exactly what I wanted to see. THIS IS WHAT I WANTED TO SEE! I wanted to see Ilario get curious about that little switch on the side of his stick of lipstick and end up killing someone! And that's what I got - a death that comes out of nowhere and shocks you. Just like in real life. Death doesn't need to be planned. It just happens. Not all great kills have to be long, drawn out and graphic.

That's not why I'm voting for it either. It is a little thing I like to call IRONY. There is a sadistic twist that I LOVE and it is so twisted that I feel ashamed to enjoy it as much as I do. Ilario has killed someone and he won't, no, he can't believe it. He has a hero complex, he's thinks he's a good person and he wants to do the right thing so it's nigh on impossible to for him TO ACCEPT WHAT HE HAS DONE. That he's taken a life. THAT HE IS A KILLER. And this is so tragic, so absolutely macabre (if the word fits here) that I am stunned, STUNNED that we aren't just giving it to Ilario outright. He deserves this, Faceinabook deserves this! She (AND JAMES) made a scene that is both terribly tragic and delightfully satisfying. THIS IS WHAT SOTF IS ALL ABOUT.

BDA - Tagabasa

Now after my little rave there, you're probably surprised that I'm not voting for Faceinabook. However, I always give mad props for someone who can make me care about a character in one post. The death of a small character turned into one of the biggest dents made on me in all of V4. It was a brilliant scene. I liked how Tagabasa managed to convey Simon's feelings without being melodramatic. Plus, everything comes full circle. Every choice Simon has made is reflected here, and he asks the questions we are supposed to ask when facing death. It is satisfying in a completely different vain. What's more, I am impressed by how new Tagabasa is and this is the result she turned out. I really am impressed. For a girl who had never killed before, Tagabasa is a great writer. Faceinabook and James had a really great scene but I think Taga deserves credit where credit is due.

Namira wrote: ↑Fri Nov 05, 2010 7:20 amAlright, I wasn't aware but Jackson was taken care of by face and not Choic, so I'm crediting her for the deathpost. I'll adjust votes accordingly.

Guest wrote: ↑Fri Nov 05, 2010 8:43 pmBKA: Quincy Jones

This death got me with my guard down. When Quincy got into the thread, I just saw him as another student searching for one specific person. I never expected him to off Max like that, and I never expected him to just shrug it off and go on his way like he squashed a bug. That was legitimately chilling.

BDA: Brock Mason

This is a last-minute change on my part. At first I was going to vote for James Mulzet, because for some reason, his post really grabbed my attention and impacted me when I first read it. I still like it now, even if it does do the same diminishing text thing in Jackson Ockley's death. Probably a coincidence.

But Brock's death, which I just read, managed to top that one. The concentration on such a simple detail, the fact that (I assume) he managed to screw up Sarah's snuff film with his death, that really struck home with me.

The Doom Song wrote: ↑Sun Nov 07, 2010 10:11 amOnly going to be making the one vote this time, at least for now. Maybe I'll change my mind before the 10th.

Best Death - Simon Fletcher

Simply put, the scene leading up to Simon's death, the exchange between Simon and Samantha for the majority of that thread, was an amazing read. Very enjoyable and you got a good look into the characters over a short period of time, which I certainly liked. The kill was nice, but the death written by Tagabasa is what really stood out for me. It was simple yet had a very good lead-in, it was emotional without too much drama or background noise and it looks to end up having a pretty big effect on the characters involved with Simon. All good things in my book.

YES TAGABASA, WE ARE VOTING FOR YOU. NO COMPLAINING.

Sarah Atwell wrote: ↑Mon Nov 08, 2010 2:32 amI totally loved Simon Fletcher's death, but the real icing on the cake was the last sentence: "For a girl who had never killed before, Samantha Ridley was a fairly good shot." Now that is perfect screen writing - one liners make or break shows.

For BKA I'll have to go with Claire Lambert. I mean ugh, usually gun deaths are so passé but Claire stood up and showed those gym nuts that girls can stand up for themselves. You go girl!

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Nov 09, 2010 9:56 pmBDA: Simon Fletcher

Tagabasa did, in fact do a wonderful job of making this one really sting, whether she likes it or not. The drama was there without being maudlin about it, like you see a lot of, and I'm really big on that. There were other good ones this month, Brock's in particular, that on their own, make this very close, but Simon gets the edge.

BKA: N/A

Regrettably, I have to abstain. None of the options available stand out as better than any other this month.

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Nov 10, 2010 3:45 amMoar voting plox >:C

BKA
Voting Maxwell Lombardi on his kill of Vera Osborne. It was the best mix of brutality, ruthlessness, and pure undiluted emotion that drove the whole kill. Maxwell's a heartless bastard, and the way he pulls off the kill shows that off magnificently. Not that it isn't portrayed well otherwise.


BDA
My vote for Best Death is for faceinabook for the death of Jackson Ockley. The death post is done in a poetic fashion that few writers can can pull off effectively. The style and technique used are top notch and add a whole new level of depth to the whole scene.

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Nov 10, 2010 6:39 amAlright. For this month's BKA, I have to favor Ilario Fiametta. Not only was the death well done, but it was truly shocking. The scene, the reactions, everything was beautifully written and realistic. Beyond that, though, Ilario pulled off the perfect kill. Had it been intentional, it would have been absolutely the best surprise move possible. Now, it clearly wasn't, but, hey, it's not like the terrorists can be sure. And besides, it would spice up the viewing a bit for him to be given something more obvious.

But really, it's a rare kill I actually care about. This was a wonderful one, though.

Next off BDA. This one was a toss up. We had some really good deaths this month, and, in the end, it came down to Charles Dawson or Cody Jenkins. I have to go with Cody Jenkins, but by the slimmest of margins. TDS deserves mad props for being instrumental in one of the best deaths this month, and for writing another of them, so I want to say that here. What pushed Cody's death the faintest smidgen ahead, though, was his rambling final thought process. Cody died a hero, not in any sort of triumphant sense, but simply by being that little bit of shielding his ally needed. He got riddled with bullets, each shot accompanied by some incredibly fine description. I must admit, I always liked Cody to some degree, but his death really made him stand out. Cody's death was a standout amidst a month of great deaths.

Swagger Soaring Eagle wrote: ↑Wed Nov 10, 2010 5:53 pmBKA

My vote is for Ilario Fiametta. I like seeing things that haven't been done before, especially if they're not needlessly gory and convoluted "badass" kills. I like seeing kills that have a strong emotional impact on the killer, especially if they're not the forced "What have I DONE?" impacts. I like seeing little bits of bleak, heartbreaking irony in my storytelling. And on the IC level, I can easily imagine this kill as one that Danya and his buddies would laugh their asses off at. It has EVERYTHING.

BDA

Here I go with Brock Mason. Props to Tagabasa, of course, but this is the one that really haunted me. It had great writing quality, first of all. It managed to include memories without falling into the trap of "here are some touching memories, sympathize with this dying character some more". It had a little glimmer of hope that made me think that maybe, just maybe, Brock was gonna live for another post or two- and then it broke my heart. So suddenly. It deserves some serious props!

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Wed Dec 08, 2010 6:38 pmHere's this month's (slightly belated) BKA/BDA poll!

If you don't know how this works, here's Clu's explanation, lazily copy/pasted from last month's voting:

After reading through the deaths and kills linked below, post with a vote for the best kill and the best death, briefly explaining your reasoning for each. (It is preferred but not-essential that you vote for both). Remember to log out and post as a guest - I'm fairly sure you can't post here as normal, but either way, log out first.

You have until DECEMBER 13TH to vote.

Note that if you didn't request an extension, you aren't on the BDA list. Also, extensions are meant to be brief, 2-3 days things, not week-long deals, especially now that everyone's been given two spare days. I was pretty lenient on them this time, because I'm not sure how clear we've made that, but yeah, in the future, if you go way over deadline with an extension that does not specify a timeframe, you'll be left off.

Participation last month was... somewhat underwhelming. It'd be really great if we could get some more responses this time.

BEST KILL AWARD:

Alex Seymour for killing Dominic Stratford

Maxwell Lombardi for killing Daniel Blessing

Clio Gabriella for killing Luke Templeton

Cisco Vasquez for killing Katelyn Wescott

Julian Avery for killing Omar Burton

Nik Kronwall for killing Craig Hoyle

Fiona Sparki for killing Owen Rothschild

Peter Siu for killing Lucas Lupradio

Maxwell Lombardi for killing Simon Grey

Leila Langford for killing Hilary Strand

Jackie Myrie for killing Lily MacLaughlin

RJ Lowe for killing Rekka Sainoji

Sarah Atwell for killing Chris Carlson

Samantha Ridley for killing Jackie Maxwell

Ilario Fiametta for killing Etain Brennan

Nick Reid for killing David Anderson

Jason Harris for killing Tiffany Baker

Naoko Raidon for killing Alison Walworth and Madison Stone

Reiko Ishida for killing Rizzo Vitoria and Carol Burke

Sebastian Descartes for killing Carly-Jean Dooley

Clio Gabriella for killing Haruka Watanabe

Jimmy Brennan for killing Phillip Ward


BEST DEATH AWARD:

faceinabook for the death of Dominic Stratford

chibinanashi for the death of Daniel Blessing

Egads for the death of Luke Templeton

banthesun for the death of Katelyn Wescott

MK Kilmarnock for the death of Craig Hoyle

Zabriel for the death of Owen Rothschild

Hallucinogenic for the death of Hilary Strand

Outfoxd for the death of Lily MacLaughlin

T-Fox for the death of Rekka Sainoji

chitoryu12 for the death of Chris Carlson

Ruggahissy for the death of Ethan Kent

KingKamor for the death of Jackie Maxwell

Yvaine for the death of Etain Brennan

Anderson for the death of David Anderson

Solomir for the death of Tiffany Baker

Dom for the death of Alison Walworth

xylophonefairy for the death of Madison Stone

Acelister for the death of Rizzo Vitoria

KamiKaze for the death of Carol Burke

D/N for the death of Carly-Jean Dooley

Shake&Bake for the death of Haruka Watanabe

Fanatic for the death of Phillip Ward

The Heel wrote: ↑Wed Dec 08, 2010 7:31 pmBKA: Jimmy Brennan for the killing of Phillip Ward. There were plenty... PLENTY of nice kills this go-around, but nothing amused/horrified me like this clusterfuck of a kill. Who would have thought that Phillip would be allergic to moxie? Bonus points for the tree branch.

BDA: Dominic Stratford. It's been a long time since this death has transpired, but the old ones shouldn't be forgotten, especially if they were powerful... and this one certainly was. It's hard to do hallucinations right, but in Dominic's final moments, what he sees makes the scene just that much more powerful.

Someone awesome wrote: ↑Wed Dec 08, 2010 8:14 pmBKA: Jimmy Brennan. I'll admit, I was kind of confused at first when Philip started acting up for seemingly no reason (Yes, I know it was an allergic reaction... Well, I know NOW at least ) But i've got to say, the sheer viciousness Jimmy showed as he beat Phil to death with a freaking tree branch stood out from the crowd. Sure, Ivan kinda already killed someone in the exact same way, but you've got to give credit to Little's writing of the post. I mean... DAMN! Jimmy's one crazy motherfucker. And thats why I love him .

BDA: Carol Burke. I won't lie, I am one stone hearted bastard when it comes to tragic death scenes. I've watched The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Braveheart, The Snowman and Million Dollar Baby without so much as batting an eyelid. And yet, when I read Carol's death, I was VERY nearly in tears.

I'll admit, its mostly out of bias if anything, seeing as Carol's been one of my favourite characters for a while. But still, a great death is a great death right? And personally, I think Carol deserves my vote this month.

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Dec 08, 2010 8:41 pmBKA: Jimmy Brennan for the killing of Phillip Ward

Jimmy's slaughter of Phil was definitely a turning point in the game for him. He wanted revenge, and my God did he get it. It was bloody, it was gory and did Jimmy even care? Not one bit. He's finally proved that he isn't just all talk and no action, and it was fascinating to see his sanity slipping away as he continually beat Phil to (and past) death.

BDA: Ruggahissy for the death of Ethan Kent

It was a noble and meticulously planned out sacrifice on Ethan's part. He knew what was going to happen when he took the cameras out, but he carried the plan out regardless. What he did takes guts, and I can only hope something good comes out of it.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Dec 09, 2010 12:26 amBKA: R.J. Lowe

Not to detract from the admittedly fantastic job Little did with Jimmy, but for all the talk of sheer brutality, nothing this month tops what Stark did with this one, and he did it fantastically. It's subtle, but if you look close, you'll notice that he plays up the darkness of the scene by never actually visually describing anything, and it's a testament to his writing ability that you can still picture the whole thing vividly. Despite what he says.

BDA: Ethan Kent

I'll admit, I'm a sucker for going out in a final act of defiance, and it's hard to do it better than Ethan Kent. So many others came close this month, but in the end, it comes down to the fact that Ethan may well have accomplished something game-changing in the process, though time will tell with regards to that, that earns him my vote.

Guesty wrote: ↑Thu Dec 09, 2010 12:29 amBKA - Fiona Sparki for killing Owen. I really like the way Zombiexcreame manages to balance the severity of the situation with Fiona's funny thoughts and mannerisms. I like Fiona, not only does she observe situtations and do things, but like plenty of other characters, she has extra content written into her posts that gives her her own vibrant flavour. I can't really think of a better word so please don't hate me ;-; Even in such a grim and serious situation such as deciding between killing Owen or letting Nik die, as well as all the other little scenarios that could have occured given the outcome, Fiona doesn't deviate from the character she was originally, and still maintains the odd thoughts and ways she phrases things in her mind, which I find both funny and charming.

BDA - Carol Burke being strangled with the chain thingy by Reiko. I didn't enjoy this thread, not in the 'I don't like it' way, but the 'I'm growing more and more uncomfortable with each post' kind of way. Both Rocky and Kami effectively worked with each other to increase the tension throughout the thread leading to the climax that was Carol's rather awful (not as in it was bad, more like "I really wouldn't want to be strangled to death with a chain" way) death. The extra mile showing the reactions back home were greatly appreciated and touching.

(Edited this to fix a handler name)

Dude wrote: ↑Thu Dec 09, 2010 8:57 amBKA: Jimmy Brennan for killing Phillip Ward

Honestly, this death was brutal. Amazing detail, enough to pull me into the scene perfectly. Most importantly, it represents Jimmy's transformation as a character; Jimmy seemed from the beginning like he'd be the cowardly trash talker who annoyed everyone on the island and deserved a swift death. Now he just proved that he can be deadly.

BDA: KamiKazi for the death of Carol Burke

This was a sad one. Carol was a wonderful character and throughout the whole thing, I kept honestly wishing it wouldn't happen. It just made me hope for the entire thing that Carol would turn the tables and punch Reiko in the face as many times as she could. And it never happened. When you know the outcome and start wishing it wasn't true, you know it's good.

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Dec 11, 2010 6:30 pmThis thing needs more love.

BKA: RJ Lowe

There were a lot of great kills this month, and if the rules allowed it, I would vote for all of them. However, only one can be chosen, and for my choice I'm choosing RJ's kill of Rekka. The scene overall was really well written from all parties, and you can just see the brutality in your mind as it leads up to the actual death. Bonus point were given for doing the actual killing blow without any weapons.

BDA: Craig Hoyle

I must admit, when considering who I was going to vote for this initially, I had forgotten about this death. Now that I remembered it, there really wasn't any doubt in my mind who was getting my vote for this month. Craig was a big teddy bear, and even in his final moments he spent that time comforting his killer. It made the scene so tragically happy for Craig that you just can't help but smile one last time for the gentle giant of Bayview. It was beautifully in character, and thus, it gets my vote.

Ghost of Christmas Past wrote: ↑Mon Dec 13, 2010 6:36 amI seriously thought this would have more votes.

Best Kill - Jimmy fucking Brennan

Best fucking death ever. Hands down.

Well, maybe.

Still, the sudden and brutal nature of the kill was just great. Just the fact that you just knew that somewhere along the line Jimmy was going to kill someone made this a thread you waited and waited for and read the moment it was finished. Simply amazing writing from both Little and Fanatic, but Jimmy really stands out during this scene simply because it was so damn brutal the way he took out all that pent up midget anger.

Jimmy fucking Brennan, baby. He deserves your votes.

FOR PRESIDENT!

Best Death - Tiffany Baker

Best death this month is more than a little close, I loved many of the deaths but Tiffany's really stood out. Solomir is a great writer and again, has written an amazing death for an amazing character. The reactions and the events to come are sure to be interesting reads and that is what stands out in a death; it's not just the writing or the emotional content of the death itself but the reactions from the people involved, whether they're the killers or just bystanders watching the scene. When everything comes together just right, that is when a death becomes BDA material. At least in my opinion as a ghost.

VOTE FOR TIFFANY YOU LAZY BASTARDS.

Or you could just vote, period. Seriously, 8 votes is not enough.

Hey look a vote wrote: ↑Mon Dec 13, 2010 7:12 amBest Kill Award
Jimmy Brennan is hardcore. That really should be everything that needs to be said, but lets pad this a bit. Gory? Check. Ruthless? Check. Brutally played out? Most definitely check. Jimmy Brennan knew what the fuck he was getting himself into when he offed Phil Ward: a brand spanking new weapon courtesy of Danya. Then he can be a Hardcore Badass. Let's make sure that weapon gets to his hands safely.


Best Death Award
Many amazing deaths this month, but I'll hunker down and pick one like I'm supposed to. Ruggahissy's work with Ethan Kent stands out the most for me in the end. It's one thing to have a defiant last stand, but another to portray it so eloquently. Ethan knew what he was getting himself into, and he had those moments where he might not have gone through with it. Also, his final letter to Feo was very sweet and really hammers home the sacrifice he made.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Dec 13, 2010 7:56 amBest Kill Award:
This was tough. Still, one kill stood out above the others this month, and that was Julian Avery's killing of Omar Burton. Jimmy's kill was visceral. R.J.'s kill was brutal. Julian's kill was terrifying. The sheer coldness and casual violence was shocking, especially given that, unlike many of the killers, Julian was cognizant of his actions the whole time. He was dealing what he believed was justice, and that... is truly frightening. I'm interested to see where he goes with this.

Best Death Award:
This one was a touch easier. We had lots of awesome deaths this month, but my favorite was definitely that of Craig Hoyle. Craig's death was sad, but it wasn't cheap sad. It was beautifully written, and full of little things that just made it. I'll fully admit that a big part of this was that I've followed Craig from pregame. He was a character MK really cared about, and that care showed through in his death. He even managed to pull a dying forgiveness that worked, and it was precisely because Craig did not know that he was dying. His death wasn't some dignified moment of pride; it was a guy who wasn't worried because he thought he was going to make it, and that was absolutely heart wrenching. Also, honorable mention to Hilary Strand. Another sort of death that's all too often done poorly, for once I was shocked in a very pleasant way to see a handler's characters engaged in an emotional scene with each other. It was also really sad and wonderful. Keep up the good work, everyone!

Yibble wrote: ↑Mon Dec 13, 2010 8:55 amBDA: Hilary Strand. The pain in this post was palpable, the details, visceral, the atmosphere, beautiful. A quiet death, no blood and gore, no dashing kill. Just a sad, quiet suicide. And somehow it's the most touching death I've read in V4. It's very rare that you think about the anguish that people in a situation like this must go through--not just to kill, or to protect, but simply to keep on living in such a situation. Hilary was a beautiful, wrenching example of someone who just did not want to go on.

Honorable mention to Tiffany Baker for being the only other death in V4 that got me choked up. This month was full of good deaths. But Tiff--she's such a good person. She didn't deserve that shit.

BKA: This was almost a tie for me, between Naoko Raidon for Allie Walworth and Julian Avery from the aforementioned Omar Burton. I have to go with Raidon here, simply because of the context surrounding it--Naoko getting more and more brutal, first forcing himself, then truly paranoid, until finally it tops out with crushing Allie Walworth's inhaler. For the sheer tragedy of that death, as well as for the mind-bending hallucinogenic and truly scary transformation of Naoko Raidon beforehand, I'll vote Naoko Raidon BKA here.

Not Josh wrote: ↑Mon Dec 13, 2010 2:28 pmNaikon Raidon for BKA. Kills are supposed to be viewed from a 'spectators' point of view and as such Naikon's kill(s) was both chilling; read the whole thread, as well as darkly cruel with the inhaler.

As for Deaths: Tiffany Baker. Arguably you would of had to read a large amount of her back story for this to be as effective as it was but it really was moving all up. On top of this, the ramifications for ALL of the characters in that scene will be massive, I'm sure of it.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Dec 14, 2010 6:03 amI'm giving my BKA nod to Jason Harris for his kill this time around. I love the writing in it, considering how Jason's resolve and subsequent realization of his fuck-up makes it more than just a simple gunshot and a death. We are privy to him steeling himself to shoot Tiffany, and Fanatic really gives me chills when he wrote at the end of the penultimate post "Love makes fools of us all".

My BDA is going toEtain Brennan. He finds Kris Hartmann, finally manages to maybe understand what happened with her, and he gets shot for his troubles. I choked up a little as he went down; Yvaine's writing of the hand on Hartmann's as he died said more to me than a lot of people can in a few paragraphs.

Also Not Josh wrote: ↑Tue Dec 14, 2010 6:09 amBKA this month is fairly easy. I feel like Naoko Raidon stood head and shoulders above the competition, for giving us a pair of kills that hit a shitload of emotional notes while maintaining a solid and consistent characterization. His paranoia tragically coming to a head with Allie's kill would have been enough to merit BKA consideration, but it just keeps going from there. The remorse and the seeming acceptance of his death at Maddy's hands are legitimately heartbreaking stuff (and it is really really hard to break someone's heart with a killer, most attempts at this seeming really forced and unnatural), and then it just gets into some pretty terrifying territory. I was actually a little iffy on his Bible-quoting until it became clear that this was a cruel, disturbing mockery of Maddy rather than religious mania. First kill that's made me shudder and huddle myself from the sheer scariness of it.

BDA was a good bit harder, with the decision being narrowed down to two very deserving candidates. The honorable mention here goes to Hillary Strand, which was such a brilliantly written tearjerker. It made the world a little darker when I read it, but also a little more beautiful. Thank you, Stef. That said, my vote goes to Ethan Kent, written by Ruggahissy. It probably didn't have quite the emotional blunt trauma of Hillary's, but it damn well came close. "You meant mean something to me" hit me really, really hard, as did a whole lot of other lines. The reason I give my vote to Ethan is because his death tried for multiple things and pretty much succeeded at all of them. It was a tragic death, it was a rage-filled death, it was a death that was part of a brilliant plan. Succeeding hugely at one emotional goal in a death is great, and indeed it's the extent of what most of us tend to try for. But succeeding hugely on a variety of levels is something special. Very memorable death here. Lots of props to Rugga.

The Spirit wrote: ↑Tue Dec 14, 2010 9:31 amBKA goes to Julian Avery[/I]. Jonny's style is a continual source of joy to me. especially when he's writing Julian, and I feel like this, Julian's first act as a freelance vigilante, is one hell of a show. Omar plays off him well (which seriously helps) but the show is almost entirely Julian's. The set-up is genius; you get the feeling he actually cares about Omar's opinion and then wham Julian's got a sword in his gut and you're left gaping. Also Reservoir Dogs reference, so bonus.

BDA is a lot tougher to decide on. Much as I enjoyed reading Carol, though, I think I'm going to have to go with Phillip Ward. Ward is an asshole through this entire post, but that doesn't make him less relatable, which I think is well done. Ward is actually what made me discard Brenna as a candidate for BKA; all of Brennan's brutality takes place after Ward is dead, which is a result of Ward's own anger. Tragedy comes in spades with as many fine writers as we have; believability is a touch harder, and I think Ward hits this. Plus, the gallows humor in the "announcements" was just fun to read.

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Mon Jan 31, 2011 4:34 amWell, we're a bit late, but here's the BKA/BDA. Many thanks to Rocky for getting a lot of the bootwork done here.

Anyways, we are not DQing anyone for being late. This is half because we're late on this and don't have time to sort out who was and wasn't on time (props to the folks from midmonth rolls, who all were), and partly because, well, this is it: final warning. From now on, you have ten days from the roll, as normal, for deaths. That's exactly ten days, 240 hours, however you want to frame it. After that, you're out of BDA if you have no extension. It's your job to get deaths done on time. I know it's not easy. I know it's not always ideal.

Consult this post for more details.

This will not be up super long; I don't have a firm timeline, but please get votes in quickly, and please do read the kills and deaths and vote.

Not much else to say. Have at.

Best Kill:

Nick Reid for killing William Sears

Staffan Kronwall for Killing Darren Locke

Maxwell Lombardi and Clio Gabriella for killing Marybeth Witherspoon

Ricky Fortino for killing Isaiah Garvey

Reiko Ishida for killing Jimmy Robertson

Acacia Salinger for killing Roman Jackson

Sofia Martelli for killing John
Smith

Maxwell Lombardi for killing Marco Stonecastle and Duncan McMahon

Hayley Kelly for killing Jennifer Romita

Ilario Fiametta III for killing Timothy Skula

Marty Lovett for killing Michelle O'Cain

Tabitha Gweneth for killing Clio Gabriella

Liam Brooks for killing Raine Schwarz and Ridley Landon

Raidon Naoko for killing Victoria Logan and Jacob Charles

Hayley Kelly for killing Jason Clarke

Rob Jenkins for killing Lillian Hayes

Courtney Bradley for killing Ben Powell

Best Death

banthesun for the death of William Sears

Solomir for the death of Marybeth Witherspoon

Killervole for the death of Isaiah Garvey

decoy73 for the death of Jimmy Robertson

BetaKnight for the death of Roman Jackson

Acelister for the death of John Smith

JamesRenard for the death of Marco Stonecastle

Geno for the death of Richard Han

Super Llama for the death of Duncan McMahon

Killer_Moth for the death of Jennifer Romita

Greg The Anti-Viking for the death of Timothy Skula

Tythanin for the death of Michelle O'Cain

Inky for the death of Clio Gabriella

chibinanashi for the death of Raine Schwarz

KingKamor for the death of Ridley Landon

Yvaine for the death of Victoria Logan

Inky for the death of Jacob Charles

decoy73 for the death of Jason Clarke

Solitair for the death of Lillian Hayes

CorruptDropbear for the death of Ben Powell

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Jan 31, 2011 5:14 amAlright, I'm going to do a 2 for 1 deal this month.

BKA/BDA: Robert Jenkins / Lillian Hayes

This entire death was fantastically written. The kill fleshes out Rob to some actual motivation for his absolute intolerability, and makes him a little more human than we've ever seen before. Rob is slowly shifting from "faceless killer" to a boy with a troubled past.

As for Lillian, the little fantasy of waking up in the camp was fantastic. A mind's desperate last attempt at relief. It was definitely an interesting perspective on what could have been.

Sorry for the crappy reasons, I just can't really brain this late at night. x.x

BKA: Tabitha Gweneth wrote: ↑Mon Jan 31, 2011 5:50 amBKA: Tabitha Gweneth

I was surprised (in a good way) when Clio was taken out by the girl she got to wet her pants at the beginning. It shoes how she (Tabby) developed during the game when she was willing to stand up to Clio. While saving Ivan (who had saved Tabby during the fist encounter with Clio). While I haven't seen her reaction I hope this is a turning point for the Character.

BDA: Solitair for the death of Lillian Hayes

I was stuck between Lillian Hayes' and Victoria Logan's deaths. While Yvaine did one of the more interesting flashbacks I've seen, and her thinking Mizore was Alice made it hard to read. But Lillian Hayes' death was realistic and amazingly done. The waking up at camp was refreshing compared to the flashbacks, and a look into what the trip should've been.

Fail Train (Whoop whoooooop) wrote: ↑Mon Jan 31, 2011 12:43 pmBKA: In judging the best kill, there's a lot of stuff to watch out for. You've got your brutality; just how savage was the kill? Then there's story impact; was the kill completely random and out of the blue, or is it actually significant to some degree? Finally, there's emotion, one of the most important (but often underlooked) aspects of any kill OR death. Tabi Gweneth displayed next to no brutality in her slaying of Clio Gabriella, but the kill was chock full of the other two elements. As it's already been said, this is a major turning point for Tabi. Her reaction has yet to play out, but she clearly isn't going to handle having killed somebody well. She only did what she had to do, and the fact that she had to take out the very girl who antagonized her on day one makes it all the more poetic.

BDA: There were plenty of deaths to watch out for this go-round. This is the round that has cost us Marybeth Witherspoon, Roman Jackson, and Jennifer Romita, after all. Yet, despite the number of deaths we've had so far, none have quite... disturbed me like that of Clio Gabriella. Clio was one of the bigger killers on the island, and as such, tended to be quite controversial. She managed to rack up six kills to her name before encountering Ivan Kuznetsov and Tabi Gweneth, the pair she met and attacked on day 1. Since I've decribed all the poetic justice aspects with Tabi, I'll turn my attention to what really made this death grab at me.

There's something to be said for watching somebody die with hardly a shred of dignity left, but that's how Clio chose to go out. She didn't just roll over and die; she crawled, screamed, and fought tooth-and-nail to stay alive, looking like a goddamn beggar woman right to the very end. Her words and shrieks are rather haunting, as there is nothing anybody can do for her. Thanks to all of these effects merging together, Clio gets my vote as BDA, as well as the source for my BKA.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Jan 31, 2011 4:53 pmBKA: I'll have to second Tabi Gweneth for this. As the poster above me pointed out, the significance of the kill was quite noteworthy, and there's something fitting about Tabi of all people putting down one of the game's biggest psychopaths, someone who'd tried to kill her on the very first day at that.

BDA: For this one, I have to admit to being surprised nobody else's voted for Richard Han yet. It was certainly one of the more creative deaths this round and, c'mon, really? It was bloody hilarious. "YOU WIN THIS TIME, GRAVITYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY -" *THUMP*

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Jan 31, 2011 10:10 pmBKA: Tabi Gwenith

I'm not really sure there's much more I can say about this kill that hasn't already been said. Like everyone else said, this was a pretty big turning point for Tabi, added to the fact that her kill was one of the biggest players of the game so far is going to turn a lot of heads. Seeing how she handles herself after this is going to definitely be interesting to see, and giving her an award will just throw some more fun times into the mix.

BDA: Richard Han

This death to me was very well written, and while it wasn't the most emotional death we had this go round, I honestly think that the quality of the writing and the (morbidly) comedic value of it helps to make up for it. The crossing over into another thread as he fell was another nice little twist, and shows that Geno has a knack for being creative when she wants to.

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Tue Feb 01, 2011 12:15 amJust so everyone knows, the voting's gonna be short this month. The announcement is being delayed one day, until the second. You have until it goes up to vote. Sorry; we'll make sure stuff gets moving sooner next month.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Feb 01, 2011 3:01 amBKA Nomination: Tabi Gweneth for killing Clio Gabriella
BDA Nomination: Inky for the death of Clio Gabriella

This was just an excellent scene all around, and while a lot of other deaths and kills came close to these, they didn't quite manage to top this one. This was a great sendoff to a well-written and influential villain, and while the kill was a bit of a fluke, it was made more impressive because of the victim's notoriety and the killer's previous status as a hanger-on for Ivan.

That's about it. The other people described this better than I can, I'm afraid.

Guessington wrote: ↑Tue Feb 01, 2011 4:19 amBKA: Tabi Gweneth

It's fair enough to say that we've had our fair share of boring deaths this month, at least from the POV of someone looking at the Death list on the wiki. Shootings after shootings after shootings, oh look another head death by Nick Reid, how boring, oh, someone was beaten to death and left to die, fancy that, all that jazz. So it's also fair enough to say we're looking for something different this month, right? Something more in line with personal character development and all that stuff? So...what's a better turn of character development than being forced to shoot a crazed psychopath? Out of all the kills this month, this was the only one that really stood out, and was in no way influenced by my involvement in the thread >_>

BDA: Duncan McMahon

I'm giving this to Llama based on the fact that this death made me start crying in the middle of a study lesson, which is not something that could nor should happen to me in public. I mean, it was really well-written, and since said study lesson is almost over, I'll just say it got its point through REALLY well and leave it at that cause I have no more time to write this <_<

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Feb 01, 2011 5:25 amWell, this has been quite the month for kills and deaths.

To start with, for BKA, I'm voting for Raidon Naoko. Raidon has been a very, very well-handled character, and has consistently been one of the best, most interesting killers to read. The thing that truly sets him apart from the pack is that each kill he has scored has been a meaningful, respectfully-handled scene. There are no cop-out kills for Raidon, no random actions. His underlying philosophy, twisted though it is, is horrifying not because it is evil, but because he almost makes sense. Both or Raidon's kills this month were quick, brutal affairs. There was no flash, because none was called for. His actions afterwards, shooting corpses in the head to ensure their demise, was cold and terrifying, not the least because it was coupled with a speech that neared optimism. Quite simply, Raidon's kills are far and away my favorites for the month. We've seen a lot of good ones, but these were truly something else.

For BDA, I had a bit tougher a time. I won't go into shout-outs, as they confuse things, though. For BDA, I'm voting for Geno's Richard Han. Richard's death was one of the few I've ever seen that managed to be legitimately humorous. This was tempered, however, with sadness; Richard was in character until the very end, still not quite able to take things seriously, but rather than pointless goofing around, it comes across as one final, desperate coping mechanism in the face of his impending death. The scene had a gimmick that actually functioned very, very well (though I sincerely hope not to see it copied; a trick like that works once and that's about it), which is a rarity in deaths. It was one of the most creative deaths I've seen this entire version, and the fact that it actually had an emotional core just made it so much better. A lot of deaths try to be sad; it's a rare, rare one indeed that manages it specifically by aiming for the opposite. Geno deserves huge props for the scene. Geno, you did something new, and it worked darn well. That sort of innovation is wonderful to see.

The Guestinator wrote: ↑Tue Feb 01, 2011 5:32 amBKA: Dan's Staffan Kronwall gets my vote for the BKA. From an IU perspective, I think the terrorist team would get a kick out of this break from head trauma/shot/shot/shot. It wasn't super flashy or ostentatious, but it didn't need to be. This is just a good, solid kill with a great weapon.

BDA: I'm going to have to go with Geno's Richard Han. The BDA should be one that stands out months later, and I think this one might have earned a place right next to "And then Minase died of AIDS" as far as iconic SotF scenes go. It was daring without being gimmicky, as well as a riot to read. My vote for this meta award goes to this fittingly meta bit of writing.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Feb 01, 2011 4:25 pmBKA: I know there's been a lot of shooting deaths this month and euthanasia deaths aren't generally big show stoppers but I'm putting my vote in for Acacia Salinger. It was a quiet, beautifully written mercy kill. Lugubrious, delicate and lovely and I just preferred it above the other deaths this month, though Tabi did come close with her accidental killing of Clio. It's a scene with a lot of emotion and a lot of heart.


BDA: Duncan McMahon. I must be a sentimental sap this month or something. It was sweet and emotional without being melodramatic and had a strange, unfinished lingering quality that I love. Not all of us get some epic triumph or comedic send off or even the chance to say good bye properly to the ones we care about and that's kind of what struck me here. He really is just resting.

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Feb 02, 2011 10:30 amT

BKA/BDA Tabi Gwenith/Clio Gabriela

What everyone else said. This was a really good, well-written scene, and surprising for Tabi.

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Feb 02, 2011 10:31 am^^^ *adds IT'S3INTHEMORNINGANDICAN'TWRITEGOODREASONSFORSHI to the Guest title thingy*

last minute ninja wrote: ↑Wed Feb 02, 2011 1:30 pmBKA goes to Liam Brooks for the double murder, due to it's emotion and writing. Double points for somehow including HAAAAAAAAATE (I think this isn't the first time, actually).

BDA goes to Clio Gabriela/Inky. This marked a real punch, one of the top scorers has died who will probably live on for a long time, and it was handled extremely well, going through her final thoughts. High profile kills also mean significant impacts on the game, and this death will probably open up the second half of the game in my mind.

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Feb 02, 2011 4:17 pmBKA: Tabi Gweneth for the killing of Clio Gabriella

Last time the two girls encountered each other, Clio was the top dog and Tabi was pretty much the damsel in distress. I didn't have much hope for her doing anything interesting back then. This killing transformed her from that scared little girl into someone who could potentially mean business later on in the game.

BDA: Geno for the death of Richard Han

I'll admit it, this death made me laugh. It was novel, having him falling from one location into another like that. As well as that, his final words are what really stood this death out. This death will be remembered for a long time yet.

I'M CASHING IT IN wrote: ↑Wed Feb 02, 2011 8:16 pmMy BKA vote this month goes to Tabi Gweneth, for reasons that maybe not everyone else will agree with, but whatever. I loved this kill not because of who she was killing (that really didn't play much of a factor in my decision) but of the way the scene was handled, by all three involved. It was an emotion-filled scene, and definitely my vote for BKA this month.

For BDA, what do you get if you mix a humorous death concept with good writing and a huge dollop of originality? You get my vote this month, Richard Han/Geno. Not much can be said that hasn't already, but the sheer originality of this death, as well as the circumstances and the way it was handled (I loved him falling into a separate thread, thought it was a great touch.) Make this this month's winner for me.

Namira wrote: ↑Thu Feb 03, 2011 12:56 am

Guest wrote:T

BKA/BDA Tabi Gwenith/Clio Gabriela

What everyone else said. This was a really good, well-written scene, and surprising for Tabi.

DQed for inadequate reasoning.


Otherwise, thanks for voting, everyone. Now closed.

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Sat Feb 26, 2011 6:47 amHere's this month's BKA/BDA. If you weren't in by the deadline, or by your extension deadline, you've been disqualified. I'm very sorry, but we've been pretty clear and given a running deadline countdown, so we really can't compromise. If there's a mistake, hit up one of the admins/other staffers, 'cause I'm gone for the next 24 hours, mostly.

This will run through whenever on the 1st the announcement goes up.

Anyone with an extension is getting bumped to next month's contest so that we stay on schedule.

That said, here you go:

Best Kill:
Fiona Sparki for killing Staffan Kronwall
Simon Telamon for killing Tyler Franklin
Liam Brooks for killing Colin Falcone
Felecia Carmichael for killing Sebastian Descartes
Maxwell Lombardi for killing Cassidy Wakemore
Quincy Jones for killing Joshua Krakowski
Charlene Norris for killing Kyle Portman
Rhory Anne Broderick for killing William Davis
Nick LeMonde for killing Mike Jeffries
Kimberly Nguyen for killing Aislyn McCreery
Hayley Kelly for killing Andrew Mitchell
Kris Hartmann for killing Janet Claymont
Maxwell Lombardi for killing Kevin Harding

Best Death:
Lord_Shadow for the death of Alexander Seymour
Anderson for the death of Tyler Franklin
T-Fox for the death of Colin Falcone
Super Llama for the death of Sebastian Descartes
Fioriboy for the death of Joshua Krakowski
Ciel for the death of Johnny McDowell
Serpentis.Deteramot for the death of Kyle Portman
Chib for the death of Logan Reynolds
arscapi for the death of Marion Summers
BetaKnight for the death of Aislyn McCreery
Tythanin for the death of Andrew Mitchell
Dom for the death of Courtney Bradley
Slamexo for the death of Janet Claymont
ET.Requiem for the death of Kevin Harding
Solitair for the death of Cassidy Wakemore

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Feb 26, 2011 9:15 amOh, boy. Here we go.

BKA: Maxwell, for killing Kevin Harding. I'll admit that, when it's done right, I'm a sucker for playing around with the interface and painting the fourth wall, and this was definitely an example of doing it right. When you know the death is coming, it takes a lot to surprise you, and I'll admit to not seeing this coming until it actually happened, so there's also bonus points for that as well.

BDA: T-Fox, for Colin Falcone. It wasn't a big month for deaths, unfortunately, with a lot seeming a bit more rushed than we're used to, but to every rule, there's an exception. The whole twoshot emanated a beautiful sort of bro energy that just, like, really moved me, man. Touched me in a very special place. And I like that. Excellently written overall.

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Feb 26, 2011 9:56 amBKA to Rhory Anne Broderick for killing William Davis
As mentioned before Maxwell's killing Kevin was very impressive. But I'm going to give it to Rhory. Watching the tension build and finally being released by Rory in the kill was great. It was gory too which is always a big plus.

BDA to Serpentis.Deteramot for the death of Kyle Portman
Fist of all you gotta love the Valentines related symbolism of Kyle drawing the heart. And the theme stayed for the entire post with Kyle caring about Hayley until he died. Also his death will probably bring some interesting changes in Hayley.

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Feb 26, 2011 12:39 pmFor the BKA, Rhory Anne Broderick for her killing of Bill Davis.
Why? Because it was intense as fuck. Reading it, the words flowed with perfect timing with regards to what was happening, and the description thereof was almost painfully real. I've nothing against the more poetic ways of explaining scenes, but this in particular was so viscerally literal that I, at points, (figuratively) felt it. Bonus points for her palm's condition afterwards, everything above applies doubly to that one part.

And for the BDA, Anderson with Tyler Franklin's death.
The deaths were hard to call, but I felt Tyler's won it for me because it was so beautifully simple. He'd had a good fight, lost, but instead of the many kinds of begging, parent-apology-making, or adrenaline-fuelled last stands there have been, he was just grateful it was a relatively quick and easy way to go. Not sure what it was about that which appealed to me, but something did, and it was an interesting change from the norm.

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Feb 26, 2011 4:36 pmBKA: Kimberly Nguyen for killing Aislyn McCreery. This scene was also a heavy contender for my BDA, but I felt that there was something just a little bit more deserving as you'll likely see very soon. Kimberly's been trying to play the role of a manipulative bitch, and this kill is delightfully twisted in that she sees it as a mistake. No matter how bad Kimberly's been trying to be, harming people through words and psychological warfare, she is still harmed by killing somebody, which makes me wonder just how far the ripple will go to adversely effect her.

BDA: T-Fox's writing of the death of Colin Falcone. This was another 'bleed out' death, much like Aislyn, where the victim doesn't die instantly. Instead, Colin gets to suffer over a very long period of time. It's not the agony of this death that does it for me, though... in fact, that's probably its least powerful aspect. I don't want to spoil too much for those who haven't read it, but the way T-Fox decides to revisit Colin's pregame is just... really, soul-crushingly tragic. You'll have to read it to figure out what I'm talking about.

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Feb 26, 2011 9:00 pmBKA: Throwing this one in for Kris Hartmann. There were some nice kills this round, but Kris strikes me not so much for the violence or the manner, but what it represents. I feel like we're seeing Kris's change from an accidental killer whose lost her mind to completely being a cold-blooded murderer, state of mind or not. The well-done disjointed format of the post adds to our belief we're really taking a look into a shattered mind, and the fact that not a bit of it makes sense is chilling

BDA: I'm a fan of Aislyn McReery this go around, for the opposite reasons from Kris. Here we're seeing a character remain defiant to the end, even while she's hoping for her dad., The fact that she basically told a character to man up while she was bleeding out shows a strength of character I enjoyed.

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Sun Feb 27, 2011 3:12 amCassidy Wakemore's death accidentally got left off the list, despite being on time. If anyone who voted previously wishes to change their vote to Cassidy, post noting such, along with your rationale and the number of your original post, and we'll get things corrected.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2011 4:57 amI'm giving the BDA to Tyler Franklin. This was a very well written thread that may not have been the most emotional, but it did show a somewhat new side to each of them that was actually quite interesting.

On Simon's side, we saw him lose himself to the game, and realize what he had done. The whole thing with the cremation was probably his way of showing regret for what he had done and respect for Tyler.

Tyler fought and lost. Did he regret it? Probably. But he also recognized that once he was beaten into submission, he was screwed, and he accepted it.

BKA: Liam Brooks. This guy is clearly showing his chops as a killer, and a crazy one at that. Reading Brook slashing his way through Ridley, then Raine, and now Colin for Tiffany (or so he believes) is showing just how Brook reacts to pressure.

SOTF_Help wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2011 5:05 amJust a reminder that, by the rules, you may not vote for yourself in BKA/BDA. If you have done so, your vote will be disqualified. If you want to change it, please PM Help ASAP to get it edited. We do check IP addresses on these things.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2011 5:17 amBKA: Rhory Anne Broderick for killing William Davis.
Probably the most intense death on the list. This one literally had me on the edge of my seat, waiting for me, and when the actual death finally happened, it was awesomely written. A great job on both parts, and one of my favorite deaths so far in the game.

BDA: BetaKnight for Aislyn McCreery.
Because this was completely awesome. Aislyn stood strong until her last moment, and had one of the most honorable deaths. She didn't go out in an overdramatic or out of character way, she didn't go out overly tragic way. It was really tearjerking and moving, but completely in character and just brilliant. Beta did a fantastic job with this death.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2011 5:00 pmThis was a tough month. There were several very good kills and deaths. In the end, though, I have to give the BKA to Nick LeMonde for his killing of Mike Jeffries. Nick's kill was something we haven't seen much of in V4. He acted friendly, got his target's back turned, then murdered him in the quickest manner possible. Really,w hat impressed me here was the efficiency and simple viciousness. I think Nick fairly well solidified his status as an awful person with this one action, and I think it's the sort of thing Danya would appreciate.

I'm going to toss my vote for BDA to BetaKnight for the death of Aislyn McCreery. There were some very good, very emotional deaths this round, but Aislyn's just had a few things that placed it above the rest. It was truly wonderful to see a character who had been dancing right on the edge of being sympathetic stay that way to the end. Aislyn remained completely in character throughout her death. The connections with her father were also incredibly touching, particularly given the role he has played in Aislyn's story and motivations on the island. Overall, this is my favorite death of this round, and possibly even V4 so far.

The Guest wrote: ↑Mon Feb 28, 2011 10:50 pmBest Kill - Kris Hartmann

Good god, that was brutal. Impaling poor Janet Claymont on the twisted metal of the cell tower? God damn. Slamexo wrote Janet's death extremely well, fitting for the send off of his last character. But my vote for that scene would have to go to Kris for the shear brutality of the kill. A little disjointed, but it's Kris, so it fits perfectly. I loved that Kris has gone from accidental kills to cold blooded murder in a very nice scene. Again, amazing writing from both parties involved but my vote would definitely have to go for Kris.

Best Death - Aislyn McCreery

There were many great deaths this time around and it almost came down to a toss up between Aislyn and Colin, but in the end I had to put my vote in for Aislyn. Defiant right up until the end and always believing that her dad was coming for her. Hell, she told Steve to man the fuck up while she was bleeding out and I just loved that. I thoroughly enjoyed this death and BetaKnight's writing of it was just great. I'll definitely be following BetaKnight's last remaining character right up until the end and I'll be looking forward to another great death. All in all, a great scene and a great death.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 01, 2011 3:51 amBKA: Rhory Broderick

The attention to detail that karsk writes with is second to almost nobody. I loved all the nuances of the death written by both him and his partner, and as previously mentioned, the buildup of tension sold this scene to me entirely. A job very well done.

BDA: Aislyn McCreery

BetaKnight is fantastic, and often under-recognized as a writer. The strength of character in not just Aislyn's death, but the entirety of her story arc, painted magnificent undertones in her death. It was really a work of a mastered craft.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 01, 2011 6:10 amBKA: This time around, it was a three way tie between Nick for clever trickery and Brook and Kris for sheer brutality. In the end, I'm gonna go with Kris Hartmann, because she seemed a bit more subtly creepy during the kill, subtlety that I kind of missed with Brook. Nick's kill was a great idea in theory, but I don't think it was used to its full potential.

BDA: In this category, there were a few appealing entries, too. Sebastian's death was good for a laugh, once I understood what happened with him, and I was surprisingly moved by Logan's death, too. For a while, I was going to give this to Aislyn, but Colin Falcone edged her out at the last minute. It was a heartwarming scene that dovetailed into pregame in a great way, and I'm glad to see that all the text was worth it.

c: <3 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:47 pmBKA: Kimberly Nguyen

The quality of kills this month was pretty strong all around, but Toben just blew everyone out of the water this time around. As fun as a lot of this version's players are, I really feel like directing everyone who's trying to write one (myself included) to this scene with a big flashing sign saying THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT. I hesitate to call Kimberly a "villain", but she's entirely selfish, her actions are completely unjustifiable, and yet Toben still manages to have her come off as human and sympathetic. That's a balance a lot of us are failing to strike, but Kimberly has it in spades.

BDA: Aislyn McCreery

This whole scene was ridiculously quality. I couldn't agree more with the comment up there that Tre is too often overlooked. Since her praises are thankfully being sung all over this thread, I'm going to point out something specific I really loved about this death: Tre made sure to involve the rest of the characters around her as much as possible. Too often on here, deaths become self-contained little shows that cast the dying character as the main star. It was really refreshing to see something with a little more group participation. Telling Steven he was a pussy was brilliant in its own right, but calling Kimberly out just before she went was a great touch. This is a death that's going to impact the characters in that scene massively going forward, & it'll be fun to see how it affects them. In the meantime, Tre needs a damn null for being so fantastic.

Happy Guest Time Adventure Town wrote: ↑Tue Mar 01, 2011 6:11 pmBKA: Kimberly Nguyen

I love how Kimberly tried to play the master manipulator, screwing with people's heads just for the hell of it, and then in one brief moment completely screwed that up for herself.

BDA: Cassidy Wakemore

Because it's a really good, well-written death that deserves at least one vote this voting thing.

Namira wrote: ↑Fri Mar 04, 2011 12:45 amThank you all for your votes. Poll closed.

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Tue Mar 29, 2011 2:50 amHere's this month's BKA/BDA. If you weren't in by the deadline, or by your extension deadline, you've been disqualified. I'm very sorry, but we've been pretty clear and given a running deadline countdown, so we really can't compromise. If there's a mistake, drop a staffer a PM.

This will run through whenever on the 1st the announcement goes up (or later, if there is any delay).

Anyone with an extension is getting bumped to next month's contest so that we stay on schedule.

That said, here you go:

Best Kill:
Ericka Bradley for killing Jamie Li
Liam Brooks for killing Vivien Morin
Alex White for killing WIlliam Hearst and Rena Peters
Ericka Bradley for killing Remy Kim
Alice Boucher for killing Sarah Atwell
George Leidman for killing Gloria Benson
Nick Reid for killing Marty Lovett
Brendan Wallace for killing Steven Hunt
Naoko Raidon for killing Roland Harte
Janet Binachi for killing David Matson
George Leidman for killing Dustin Royal
Ilario Fiametta for killing Kevin Warick
Peter Siu for killing Jessie Anderson

Best Death:
Dr. Nic for the death of William Hearst
Casey for the death of Rena Peters
Zabriel for the death of Stacy Hart
Kami for the death of Remy Kim
Fanatic for the death of Sarah Atwell
Rattlesnake for the death of Kari Nichols
Fior for the death of Marty Lovett
Hollyquin for the death of Vivien Morin
Nadir for the death of Steven Hunt
Little Boy for the death of Roland Harte
nowave for the death of David Matson
Stark for the death of RJ Lowe
faceinabook for the death of Winsome Clark
Clubelle for the death of Jessie Anderson
SOTF_Help for the death of Dustin Royal

totally not james wrote: ↑Tue Mar 29, 2011 3:50 amBKA: Alice Boucher. It was sad enough to see one of the few really quality players in this version bite it. Betsy & Fanatic did a great job twisting the knife while they were at it. Mercy killing isn't exactly novel around here, but Betsy did an incredible job conveying how awful & visceral killing Sarah was for Alice without having to rely on being overly verbose or graphic with it. That's something that takes a lot of skill. Plus. the whole dynamic between the girls showed through brilliantly in that scene. All in all it was a very elegant way to wrap the whole thing. Fantastic job to both of you, tho Alice's bit is definitely my favorite part of the thread.

BDA: faceinabook for Winnie Clark. Another well-trodden idea that was pulled off exceptionally well here. Winnie by far isn't the first to decide to throw herself to a dangerzone, but the details & events leading up to it lend it a ton of impact that similar deaths have really lacked. Being abandoned by the group was heartbreaking enough to learn (& also was an awesome way to twist Rosie's absence into a pretty powerful plot point), but the whole concept of the poor girl having to slowly die on her own for days before finally being put out of her misery was powerfully written (& more than a wee bit depressing). Rosie's at three for three on excellent deaths now, & this would be a hell of a death for her to finally nab a well-deserved BDA on

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Mar 29, 2011 1:34 pmBest Kill Award: Liam Brooks for killing Vivien Morin
This was the definition of gruesome and visceral. I didn't see a more cringe inducing death this entire version, and frankly I'm pretty sure it's going to stay that way. When reading a kill gives me sympathy pains, it's damn well written on all sides. Brook's part in the kill is fantastic. Even though Bloodgarden has been going strong for three or four days right now, it really came back strong with this kill. And in addition, Brook is the only "player" that I actually feel sorry for! Well written MK.

Best Death Award: R.J. Lowe as written by Stark
I'm always partial to unorthodox deaths, and this one takes the cake. In fact, the only other one this version that even comes closed on the unorthodox scale was Richard Han a few announcements ago. But yeah. Who would have ever thought to make a kid on the island die of Appendicitis of all things? Stark manages to make this random act of nature a very touching death, and the last words in the note to Mary-Ann, how he held out for so long even knowing there was a ticking time bomb inside of him... Yeah. Perfectly within character, and made for a great read.

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:57 amSo, whoops, left a death and kill off due to forgetting about old extensions. Added Peter and Jessie. If you want to change votes, drop me a PM and it will be done.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2011 3:59 amBDA: Sarah Atwell. She lives like a killer, she dies like a child. Second death that made me cry, of all the damn deaths on this damn board. She was a killer, a sadist, a completely cracked human being, and her death makes you feel for her--and realize how damn scary going into the dark must be.

BKA: Peter Siu. This kill just gave me chills. Shows how much the island can mess you up, when Peter, a 'good guy', kills Jessie Anderson, one of the last truly selfless people on the island, not from self-defense or even normal "she might have a weapon" paranoia, but because he thinks she might manage to help Liz Polanski and might get more people killed because of it. There are plenty of disturbing kills on the board--surprising kills, sadistic kills, often, but rarely one that is so terrifying simply because of the circumstances, and the matter-of-fact way in which it's done.

Guesty McGuesterson wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2011 4:30 amBKA: Naoko Raidon. BDA: Roland Harte.

Really, this thread was probably one of the strongest so far in v4. Every moment of it was intense and brilliant, on the part of both writers. Naoko Raidon is definitely one of my favorite villains in game, and Grim Wolf's writing- especially in this thread- paint him in such a wonderfully vicious light. On the other hand, Little's writing of Roland is almost the exact opposite- he's dependent on others, and much more innocent and lost.

The truth is that you can't only give one of these guys the vote, as the brilliance of the thread came from both parts. It's one of the most well worked out and well done death/kills in the game, and it manages to be almost flawless on both parts. A brilliant, brilliant job.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2011 4:36 amThis here's gonna be a two piece, because I feel the scene itself lent to the power of the kill and death. That said, Roland/Raidon almost clinched it because of the slick writing in that thread, but I'm gonna give it to:

BKA: Alex White for killing Rena Peters. After killing William, he has to deal with a determined Rena, and does so by goading her on before brutally stabbing her with a terrifying viciousness that his character had been building for awhile. While Alex had been running around being scary for a bit, I feel this is what truly cements his player turn.

And

BDA: Rena Peters. After spending a whole game feeling pathetic, being wounded and scared, she decides to make her final stand and show her true worth. She just tries so HARD, and the fact that she falls short but is still a little happy about it is heartbreaking.

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2011 5:45 amThere were some really choice slayings that took place this month. And even at this point, the race is really tight. That said, here are my two cents.

BKA: Alex White for killing William Hearst and Rena Peters. As fun as Brook's garden party has been, Alex took it for me this month by being an emotional yo-yo. First Alex had to kill his best friend and former lover for turning on him, only to have Rena show up and attack him. This give him something to focus on, a way to focus and vent everything he was feeling because of the situation with Will. The last few words he says to Rena are very telling about his mindset.

BDA: Rena Peters. There was so much about Rena's death that was made of win. In death, Rena became a mouse who roared. She shed her inhibitions while keeping her ideals and her morals, and in that moment, she became so much more. I loved Rena's dignity and sense of satisfaction that came out of knowing that she proved people wrong without losing any part of herself.

Guest the 3rd wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2011 6:14 amBKA: Alice Boucher. This was a kill that really could not have been done any other way. In fact, until the entire thing was completed, I was unsure as to how it happened. But then storyspoiler posted. I was in awe at how wonderful this was done, and I usually don't condone or support euthanasia-type deaths in such an environment being BKA worthy, but this...impressed me. Top notch, and I will personally shave my head if Alice does not get BKA.

BDA: Toughy, toughy, toughy...

But ultimately, I have to give it to faceinabook for Winnie Clark. It's no secret Rosie is a great writer, and it's also no secret this month has been all ka-fuffle over formatting posts (and how some people have very strong views for and against them). This is probably the most triumphant example of how to do them well. It's subtle. It's sudden. And the most important thing of all, it's written so beautifully that the formatting doesn't nearly detract away, no it enhances the feel she was going for. Wonderful. I can't say anymore.

Gnaeus Lentulus Batiatus wrote: ↑Fri Apr 01, 2011 12:04 amBest Kill - Peter Siu

There were a number of fairly good kills this month, but it's one from last month that really sticks out. Peter Siu gets my vote for Best Kill this month, not for the brutality of the kill but for the sudden and matter of fact way in which it was executed. Peter had his reasons and from an in character view, they were good reasons. Peter has started to show a slipping hold on the hero mentality that he wanted to keep, and I'll be interested in seeing where Solomir takes Peter from here. It's bound to be a good read.

Best Death - Rena Peters

There were a lot of good deaths this time around. Some I really enjoyed, and some I didn't, but they were all good in the end. But when it comes down to voting, I would have to go with Rena Peter for Best Death. After coming so far and having survived for so long while everyone around her died due to Casey's curse, Rena goes out with a bang by taking on someone bigger and tougher than her in the hopes of doing something meaningful before she died. But despite fighting so hard, she came up just short, yet she was happy when she died. Happy that she was able to do as much as she could and never lost herself to the game. Casey is a great writer and it really shows in Rena's death, and I'll definitely be keeping an eye on her progress in Mini with her surviving characters.

Guest wrote: ↑Fri Apr 01, 2011 7:07 amBKA: Alice Boucher

This was one of the kills this month that really made me take another look at things. While it was a mercy kill, I think Alice's ending of Sarah's suffering was incredibly well written, carried real emotion, and held a place in the stories of both character much greater than that presented by most kills. This was a kill and death that served as a logical, fitting, and tragic culmination to a relationship that has been very interesting to watch develop through the game. It is positive to scar Alice in the long term. Also, from an in-universe perspective, I can see her being given this for a number of reasons. First, it serves to mock her actions and friendship with Sarah. Next, it will give other students the wrong impression, as with Ilario. Finally, it would set up an instant rivalry between Lombardi and Alice, since she did steal his kill, which would also conveniently give her a reason to go pick up her prize. So, yeah, this gets my vote for excellent writing, being a great scene, and having serious plot potential in the future.

BDA: Winsome Clarke

This month certainly had no shortage of good, moving deaths. The deaths of Rena, RJ, and Jessie all definitely deserve nods. Winnie came out a bit ahead for me, though, for a few simple reasons. The post does an amazing job of capturing the simple sadness and hopelessness of abandonment, without descending into melodrama. It isn't a long death, but it doesn't have to be; every line is calculated perfectly to achieve the maximum effect. Winnie's resignation is especially moving because it's still somewhat reluctant. She's sad and scared and hurting, but she's still able to cling to hopes, however small they may be. Also, I greatly appreciate the attention to detail regarding Winnie's infection; it's good to see injuries have realistic consequences when not treated properly. It added a nice bit of ickiness to the whole thing, and I thought it was very cool to see the thread begin with the most disgusting part, rather than end in a spray of blood and viscera.

haha what a story sotf wrote: ↑Fri Apr 01, 2011 6:08 pmReally short reasons but whatever:

My vote for BKA goes to Alice Boucher. I loved the concept of the death, but I think it's story's writing that really made this scene. From an IC perspective, too, I could just see Danya awarding her a prize to fuck with her. Runner up for me would be Alex White's double kill.

BDA for me goes to Casey for Rena Peters's death. Great death, and I loved the build up and execution. Runner up is easily Winnie Clark, but Rena just beats her out.

Guest wrote: ↑Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:27 pmBKA: Alice Boucher

Betsy rarely gets the credit she deserves. Alice's death was eloquently written with a finesse that takes a real grace to accomplish, and it was definitely impressive.

BDA: Winnie Clark

Contrary to the above poster, while I think Casey's made a great mark for such a relatively new handler, I feel as though face beats her out just slightly. She has a way of writing that makes characters so much more than blocks of text with personalities attached. In an ironic way, Winnie came to life during that death scene - and the way it was executed was masterful.

Ohai wrote: ↑Tue Apr 05, 2011 10:35 amBKA: Alice Boucher

There are two main reasons why I'm voting for Alice, apart from the reasons already stated above. Firstly, its serves as the perfect ending to one of the most infamous killers on the island, and it comes across as being surprisingly tragic considering the fact that Alice is killing the same person who tortured an innocent girl to death several days ago. And secondly, it would also be a great case of irony that Alice wins the award for technically stealing Maxwell's kill, and I can't wait to see the look on his face when he realises that someone else won the BKA for a kill which he assumed was his

BDA: Roland Harte

There was something about Roland's death that struck a cord with me. It was so brutal and intense, and you got the impression that despite the fact that he knew that death was coming, he was determined not to give up right to the very last second. A very well written scene by all accounts, both from Little and Grim's involvement in the scene, and a great ending to a good character.

Other worthy mentions include Sarah Atwell's vicious, if surprisingly touching, demise and Winnie Clark's tragic death-via-dangerzone.

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Thu Apr 28, 2011 10:12 pmOnce again, here's this month's BKA/BDA. If you weren't in by the deadline, or by your extension deadline, you've been disqualified, per procedure. If there's a mistake, drop a staffer a PM and we'll get things fixed ASAP.

This will run through whenever on the 1st the announcement goes up (or later, if there is any delay).

Anyone with an extension is getting bumped to next month's contest so that we stay on schedule.

That said, here you go:

Best Kill:
Ema Ryan for killing Sapphire MacLeod
Felicia Carmichael for killing Tiffany Chanders
Josie Vernon for killing Sierra Manning
Teo Weinstock for killing Maxwell Crowe
Harun Kemal for killing Rashid Hassan
George Leidman for killing Timothy Questiare
Alice Blake for killing Ash Morrison
Peter Siu for killing Jacquard Broughten
Joe Rios for killing Mike Maszer and Alan Rickhall
Aileen Borden for killing Milo Taylor

Best Death:
decoy73 for the death of Tiffany Chanders
storyspoiler for the death of Liz Polanski (While Liz's death was fairly late, this was entirely due to staff delays. story had the deathpost completed before she even played her hero card, so she's still eligible for this round's BDA)
laZardo for the death of Rashid Hassan
Grim Wolf for the death of Mirabelle Nesa
zombiexcreame for the death of Timothy Questiare
ET.Requiem for the death of Ash Morrison
T-Fox for the death of Jacquard Broughten
Limisios for the death of Alan Rickhall
Grim Wolf for the death of David Meramac
Sean for the death of Milo Taylor

Guest wrote: ↑Fri Apr 29, 2011 11:16 amI'll be the first to say it. This month's BKA and BDA were boooooring. There really wasn't any competition to choose from for this month, there's really only a few that deserve it in my eyes. And here they are:

BKA: Joe Rios for the killing of Mike Maszer and that other guy Alan Rickhall

We've got nothing short of pretty standardised deaths this month. Joe Rios' kills stood out from the pack because of the way they were done. A scythe happens to be the best weapon of choice for killing, see Lulu last season and Michael on The Program V1 on Mini., and as such, it just so happens that not one, but TWO people are done in by that very weapon this month! I especially liked how disturbing each of the kills were for the victims, and...well, that's really all I can go into without sounding too much like a sociopath in the descriptions! >_> <_< But yeah, Joe Rios, all the way.

BDA: ...

Okay, okay, my choice is going to go against popular opinion by a mile, but ultimately, this girl has had one of the biggest impacts on the game as such in v4. You can't do what Liz Polanski has done without going out in a death any short of awesome. Look at Ethan Kent. Same deal. And he won BDA as well. Liz's death was just...it was the best of story's writing, and you can really tell she spent a month on it, like Toben said, because it was just that wonderfully written, showing off the best of the character while going down in an ultimately bittersweet way. My ultimate pick for BDA this month.

Namira wrote: ↑Fri Apr 29, 2011 12:43 pmJust as an interjection towards a slight trend I've been starting to see lately. There's no need to criticise the other deaths/kills in the poll whilst making your choices. Pick the ones you liked best, without the commentary on the rest of the pool of competition.

The Homestar Runner wrote: ↑Fri Apr 29, 2011 2:05 pmI'm going to start with BDA, as it was the easier of the two choices to make.

BDA: Milo Taylor
Holy hell, Sean. Just... really. Milo's death is not the goriest in the game. It probably isn't even the goriest this month, and it's not particularly the most emotionally disturbing, but it doesn't need to fit either superlative. This is because it brings a high amount of tension, emotion, and of course, blood to the table in a rather potent mixture. It doesn't have to be the best at anything because it has a little of everything. As one of the shorter deaths, it's to the point and a nice, easy read. There's nothing pretentious about this death, nothing overly dramatic. As such, it's my pick.

BKA was a much harder decision to make, but I do have to vote for somebody, soo...

BKA: Josie Vernon
Have I ever mentioned there's something seriously fucked up about having to put your friends out of their misery? Arguments could go on for hours about whether or not Josie did the right thing, but there's no question that the poor girl didn't enjoy it at all. To smother Thierra with the pillow, holding down her friend as she kicks and struggles, trying to scream for help... but she can't be heard, because she's being fucking smothered! And Josie just has to keep holding her down, sloooooowly killing her. Yeah, you can tell I liked this one a lot, can't you?

So, there are my picks. Have fun with those.

Derp wrote: ↑Fri Apr 29, 2011 4:20 pmBDA: Milo Taylor - As Written by Sean

Something about this was just... absolutely haunting. His death, like the poster above me said, wasn't extremely gory, or overly dramatic or depressing, but it just struck with me. The boy hadn't been completely there the entire time he was on the island, and the first time that he truly realized what was occuring, possibly the first moment of clarity in his life, he's shocked with thousands of volts and then his collar explodes as he pleads with a friend to save him, to make the pain stop. It's torture for Milo, it's Torture for Aileen, and... Yeah. This was amazingly written, props definitely for Sean.

BKA: Josie Vernon - As Written by ZombieXCreame

Another haunting death. Josie snapped, obviously, but not in a way anyone would generally think of. Her sense of life and death, what protection means versus happiness... Becomes so warped that she no longer can tell the difference between wrong or right. And really, it makes the reader question themselves too. Is it wrong to protect your friend physically when they can not be mentally shielded? I've never seen a piece of writing that made me question myself on this site, so I really think Chelsea deserves the BKA this month.

Namira wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2011 9:07 pmBump for 'You don't have long left for this'

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Apr 30, 2011 9:47 pmOkay. Here goes.

Best Kill: Josie Vernon
This was a completely amazing scene. It brilliantly showcased the total lack of hope and the different sorts of insanity that can come into play as a result of the time on the island. It's easy to sympathize with Josie, who thinks she is doing the right thing, and then that is completely undercut by her realization that, in fact, Sierra was struggling to stay alive. This is one of the best kill/death scenes of the entire version, complete with emotion and horror, and is easily the best kill of this month.

Best Death: Mirabelle Nesa
This month had some really great deaths. That said, Mirabelle's death stood out as especially impressive. Grim is a great writer, and he brought a huge amount of emotion and drama to an already-tense scene. Mirabelle remains in character and defiant to the very end, and her death itself is beautifully handled. This is one of the few cases in which a cut-away functions perfectly, creating all the implication that could be desired without going into needless detail at any point. It is a totally excellent death.

Not You wrote: ↑Sun May 01, 2011 4:30 amThis one I'm going to with Laz for BDA (Rashid) and BKA for Harun for killing him. These two have been thick as thieves for a little while now and I'll say it's probably the one death / kill scene that had the most character development and interesting motivation behind it. There were others as well however this is my pick.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun May 01, 2011 9:08 amBDA
I vote Liz Polanski here. Sure, it was an important moment in the overall plot of V4, but that has very little to do with why I'm voting for it. I'm voting for it because it was a beautiful, tragic, understated, piece of poetic minimalism. Liz always had that quality to her writing, which made her posts quite fun to read. That level of terseness, of really crisp images and starkly phrased statements working like blunt instruments. It's at its most effective here, not just because of what was written, but because of what was left unsaid. The final parts involving Mr. Kwong are touching, sure, but they're... brief. Very brief. They leave you wanting more and wanting for her to have lived long enough to have said more. It's a beautiful little tragedy.

BKA
I vote for Josie Vernon in this category. Good God. This was heartbreaking. This was a spectacularly deep, realistic, poignant insight into the head of... not a murderer. A poor girl. A girl who made a choice- almost definitely the wrong choice and an awful choice, but not one I think I'll ever be able to hate her for. You can't feel hate when a post is written like this. Any writer can have their character descend into murder or madness on this island, but very, very few can pull it off like this.

I really applaud both of you guys. Posts like this are why I read SotF.

The Guestinator wrote: ↑Sun May 01, 2011 10:32 amBKA: Harun Kemal
In my mind, the BKA is for the kill that all the guys at Danya HQ end up talking about around the watercooler, or alternatively the one that generates the biggest buzz amongst the fanbase - and I can see this one being a hit on YouTube. It's an excellent fight in and of itself, quick and brutal. Adding to that is the history of the characters and their time on the island. It's not just a random act of violence between two strangers, and that's what makes it really great. They've both seen a lot of stuff go down, and this is just the latest and greatest. One of them snapped. The other was forced to kill him. It's hard to say who had it worse.

BDA: Milo Taylor
Like Harun (and Rashid), Milo hasn't necessarily called too much attention to himself on the island. He's kept his head down, teamed up with someone who ostensibly knows what they're doing, hoped for escape, just like almost anyone would. And then, inevitably, it all just turned against him. As stated above, it' not extremely gory, it doesn't try to play the reader's heartstrings, it's not over-the-top. This is just your everyman, dying a horrible, hopeless death. And that's tragedy.

This Person Who's Voting wrote: ↑Sun May 01, 2011 9:57 pmMirabelle Nesa--blew me away. She died a warrior, she died fighting, and damn if it wasn't beautiful.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon May 02, 2011 1:23 amBKA: Josie Vernon for killing Sierra Manning

Wow. What a poignant way for that character to depart - and there was really no better way to do Sierra justice than by having Josie take her out. The touch Zombie added with her face at the end really brought the point home - and with feeling. The tension was palpable. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

BDA: Liz Polanski

Poetry in motion. Story wrote that scene with an elegance that most of us would have a hard time even touching. Her ability to craft her words into a character - more like a human being - is incredible. I'm absolutely jealous of her talent. Liz was an odd one to begin with, but in her death her character came to life - just as Story has as a writer. Breathtaking piece of work.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon May 02, 2011 1:46 amI just have one for this, as I don't think I can say anything more about Josie Vernon's kill that wasn't already said better than I could put it. Needless to say, it was wonderful and a BKA well-won, provided we don't suddenly have an upset.

BDA: Milo Taylor (Sean):
This post is proof that a lot can be said with only a small amount of words. It was a little gory, but not overly so. It was a little dramatic, but not too much. There was a really nice blend of elements that left the reader feeling empty in the best possible way by the end of the post. Milo wasn't a large figure on the island, and his send-off really just made the reality of the whole game hit home in a poignant way. Milo Taylor was just an ordinary kid. And his death was just an ordinary, hopeless death.

Congrats to everyone, though! I enjoyed a lot of the other deaths, and wish I could give extra mentions to Liz, Mirabelle, and Harun's especially.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon May 02, 2011 2:04 amI'm guessing that Josie's won BKA. Can't disagree with that logic, so I'm going to give her a vote.

For BDA, I'm giving the vote to Tiffany Chanders... Oh, wait. I've remembering that I can't vote for myself. Strike that.

BDA goes to Milo Taylor. There was one of two ways this death could have played out - (a) Milo's delusions continue with his final seconds having him dream up an ending where he is sent home and coddled by supermodels, or (b) the ending we were given - which I have to admit was the better choice of the two. Honestly, you have to feel for the guy. He gets the gift of self-awareness for two minutes before he gets his collar blown. That just hurts.

Somber Canine wrote: ↑Mon May 02, 2011 4:20 amHa, poor Belle. I did try.

BKA: Josie Vernon
I feel I need to explain myself in spite of Clue's warning against critiques. At first I really wanted to pick another kill for BKA because my first impressions of the scene was that it was kind of sloppy and kind of abrupt. Except then I read it again and it hit me a little harder, and I read it a third time and it hit me harder still. It's the conclusion to an excellent story, and you can feel the thread of it through earlier threads--the mounting tension. It's a potent scene all on it's own, but as a conclusion to Sierra and Josie's story it's even better.

BDA: Liz Polanski
See, this is what I was worried about. I never, ever want to compete with story for anything because the girl kicks my ass every time. Any piece of writing anyone on the site has liked has come from one of our RPs, and it's impossible for me to argue that she's better. Everything I tried to put into my death, she did better, and faster--action, stream of consciousness, slow descent. You can feel Liz dying as story writes, and that makes her brief, flitting thoughts all the more poignant.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon May 02, 2011 10:21 pm(Could a mod delete the above post? I changed my vote)

BKA - Josie Vernon

Josie has always been a favorite for me. That's not why I'm voting for her - I'm voting for her because her kill has brought her back into the limelight for me. Zombie is such a skilled writer and it shows in this death. Not to mention, this was the perfect way to send off Sierra. A respected death for a respected character.

BDA - Liz Polanski

This is Story's best work by far. I could vote for Milo because I liked his character more and the death fit his character a hell of a lot better than most... but no, at the end of the day, she deserves this. I have always respected Story's writing, and this is just a new level. It's incredible.

Namira wrote: ↑Mon May 02, 2011 10:28 pmInspected and done.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon May 02, 2011 10:48 pmBKA: Josie Vernon

BANDWAGON? Naw, I almost forgot this death happened until it was put up here for consideration. It was just tragic and I'm a sucker for euthanasia deaths (you know the way to my hear now). It was such a sad ending to Sierra but what made it even sadder was Josie's justification for her actions. And the horrified look on dead Sierra's face is gruesome. I love it.

BDA: Milo Taylor

You goofy weirdo, I will miss you. This was a great scene between Aaron urging on the death he knew would happen, Alieen hesitant and distraught and poor old Milo freaking out as he is made a sacrifice for Aaron's cause. I agree that with another poster that he was just an unlucky every-man who reacted like any of us would and it was a cracking scene to read. You dun good, Sean.

A slightly agitated Zebra wrote: ↑Mon May 02, 2011 10:59 pmTyping really fast to get this done so excuse any typos

BKA: Without a doubt, Josie Vernon. It was a poignant end to the storyline of her and Thierra, was well written, and honestly in my opinion deserves it most.

BDA: Milo Taylor. Sean has managed to turn a joke character into one of my most favourite and imo well-rounded characters in the version. His death was utterly chilling in a "holy fuck I would not want to go out like that" way, and it's gotten me super interested for what happens next in the scene, so my vote goes t Milo.

karsk wrote: ↑Tue May 03, 2011 6:49 amBKA: Josie Vernon. Before I actually get to Josie, I wanna talk a bit about one of my favorite SOTF deaths. Emma Babineaux was easily one of the best deaths in v3. It took a complicated relationship, toyed with it, coaxed every bit of emotion out of it that it possibly could, & the turned it on its head at the last minute. It was wonderfully paced & executed (& it seems the staff is as in love with it as I am, since it's the death we were presented with for the v4 prologue). Sierra's death is right up there with Emma in my favorites, and a brilliant companion to it at that. The details are a little different (we've got a much more sympathetic & a quieter, more subtle scene), but Chelsea plays with the idea of these characters' seemingly unbreakable bond and destroys it with the same sense of style that's present in Emma's exit. Chelsea's been a favorite of mine ever since Lulu Altaire, but this is by far the strongest writing I've ever seen her put out. It's a clear sign of how far she's come as a writer and how much she's grown into her own style, and it has me really, really excited to see where she goes from here.

& while I'm at it, I'd like to suggest that staff give this scene the Emma treatment & throw it on the v5 intro tape. I can't think of a better way to set the bar for next round.

BDA: Liz Polanski: Between Betsy & Chelsea, we were insanely spoiled on deaths this month. We had two of our best writers put out two of the best scenes we've seen from them. Honestly, we've been spoiled on deaths period: Sean has developed to much & so fast as a writer that it makes my head spin, Grim (possibly one of the most underrated writers we have) ended The Gully absolutely gorgeously with Belle's last stand, and the rest of the line-up is certainly nothing to sneeze at. But from the word go, Liz has been something really special. Betsy worked beautifully with everyone in the thread (including & especially Mr. Toben & his fabulous terrorists) and made sure she left us two for two on exciting & tightly-written escape attempts. More than that, she demonstrated that she really gets the spirit of the board. It was a little over-the-top, it was a stretch at times, but instead of bogging anything down, she used all of that to her advantage & it came together wonderfully. BDA or no, this is & will always be one of the key scenes that v4 is going to be remembered for.

---

With the gushing out of the way, there's something a little less pleasant I want to address. There's been a lot of negativity & resentment floating around Liz for a long time. It's completely undeserved. I like to imagine that this hasn't skewed the votes in any way, & I'm going to keep thinking that, because it's much nicer. But I do want to throw down on the sentiment a bit.

No, the science of the escape wasn't bulletproof. Yes, Liz did draw a lot of attention to herself in the process. There's plenty of room for legitimate criticism throughout Liz's plot. But the accusations of "hogging the spotlight" and the vitriol and disrespect towards Betsy and Liz have been, frankly, really disgusting. So I'd like to make the following very clear: there is no room for that kind of pettiness here. SOTF may be a competition, it may be a bit of a popularity contest on its worst days, but it's a community first. As a community, we need to be encouraging the writers who do crazy shit like this. We need to be building an environment where we can put ourselves out there like this. If we start shooting down our Betsys and encourage this toxic environment full of hostility and pettiness, then we're completely missing the point. We need a constructive & supportive community for the game to work. So, in the future, let's try to make sure we stick close to that. Otherwise, we really have no reason to be here.

I also want to note that I'm putting my real handle up on this for a reason. If you have an issue with what I've said here, please take it up with me personally. This isn't meant on an attack on any of the votes & it doesn't reflect anyone's opinions but my own.

Godfather wrote: ↑Thu May 05, 2011 10:44 pmVote: Liz Polanski

Totally scum you guys.

A well executed, well carried out death that tugged the heartstrings in all the right places. It's bare in places, but it's stylistically bare, and that makes the impact even better. There are a lot of different interpretations of the character of Liz, and I respectfully disagree with any that call her unsympathetic. It was a fitting end to a character that was trying to do the right thing in her own way, just like she did everything in her own way. She spoke to me, and so did this death. Very well done and fully deserving of this vote.

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Tue May 31, 2011 4:33 amOnce again, here's this month's BKA/BDA.

This will run through whenever on the 1st the announcement goes up (or later, if there is any delay).

Anyone with an extension is getting bumped to next month's contest so that we stay on schedule. I don't really think there is anyone, unless I'm forgetting, which is quite likely. No one involved in the rescue is going on either of these lists, due to the ambiguous nature of things (and, of course, inability to retrieve BKA weapons).

That said, here you go:

Best Kill:
Liam Brooks for killing Örn “Dutchy” Ayers
Alex White for killing Annaliese Hansen and Rosa Fiametta
Maf Tuigamala for killing Nick Reid
Kitty Glittschall for killing Micheal Raynor
Kris Hartmann for killing Roland Hayes
Hayley Kelly for killing Charlene Norris

Best Death:
Tythanin for the death of Melissa Li
Dom for the death of Dave Morrison
Little Boy for the death of Örn “Dutchy” Ayers
Randomness for the death of Adrian Staib
Super Llama for the death of Maria Graham
Betaknight for the death of Annaliese Hansen
Clubelle for the death of Rosa Fiametta
Rattlesnake for the death of Nick Reid
Hollyquin for the death of Jasper-Declan MacDermott
Solitair for the death of Roland Hayes
Arscapi for the death of Gracie Wainwright
decoy73 for the death of Charlene Norris
xylophonefairy for the death of Helen Wilson

Fanatic is Sexy wrote: ↑Tue May 31, 2011 4:42 amAlex White for BDA -> Rosa / Anna as this was absolutely sickening and wrong. I think the graphic nature + emotional outburst adds to the scene hugely but not 'over the top' here. Great OOC writing and in game, fucked up as all hell so something danya would approve of, real ratings 'getter'

For BDA Helen Wilson. Xylophone is heavily under-rated here but an amazing writer and she conveyed the emergency self-surgery fantastically. Heartbreaking to know she was so close.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue May 31, 2011 5:30 amMy post got deleted, so I'm going to make this one quick, but still detailed. Misses all the flavor though, wouldn't you know it...

BKA: Alex White. Hate the guy and hope somebody puts a bullet in his skull, but every so often there's just a kill that manages to freak me out a little. Alex was the one who pulled it off this time. The pinning against the wall, the repeated injuries, the sexual innuendo as he assaulted Rosa... it's enough to just make you stop and go 'brrrr'. And sometimes, that's what I'm looking for.

BDA: Maria Graham. It was a toss-up between a couple deaths here, but Maria barely wins my vote. There are flecks of humor interspersed throughout the thread-long death, which only make her inevitable fate all that more sullen. You know she's going to die due to her injuries, but she's got people caring for her to the end, like it or not. I had a bit more here before, but the post got eaten last time and I can't be arsed to remember it. But there's a lot of meat to this one before the actual death, believe me.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue May 31, 2011 7:46 pmBKA: Alex White. This isn't a hard decision for me. No offense to the other kills this month, but this is the only kill I could vote for. While Alex's kills definitely took longer, at the same time it was satisfying in the most wrong way. I haven't really read much of this character in the past, but this scene alone has put him on my radar. If he doesn't get the BKA, I will definitely be surprised.

BDA: Annaliese Hansen. Oh god. Betaknight uses so few words during this scene. The idea of Annaliese believing she was only going to sleep made my heart break. I think this just overshadows Rosa's death because, well, Annaliese goes out with a whimper but has as much power as a full-on explosion. Betaknight deserves this.

Honorable mention goes to xylophone, who's death was so tragic that I almost put her down. Honestly I would be voting for her if Annaliese weren't in the picture.

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Jun 01, 2011 7:47 amBKA: Alex White - While there wasn't a whole lot to Alex killing Annaliese, the methodical harassment and torture of Rosa made my skin crawl. The unrepentant glee in Alex's attack was horrifying. If it had been a scene in a movie, it would be one that you watch between your fingers because it's so terrible but you can't look away. Which is what makes for a memorable BKA.


BDA: Maria Graham - Oh, Maria. There's the real world and Maria's world. She's always been crazy and loopy, but she's been battered and broken for so long. But it never seemed to damage her spirits in any way. Her death was really sweet without becoming overly sappy. It was a fitting end for The World According to Maria.

Jeff Foxworthy wrote: ↑Wed Jun 01, 2011 8:04 amBest Death - Annaliese Hansen

Wow. Just... just wow. Annaliese's death was amazing. Been reading the Rannaliese show for quite a while, and thoroughly enjoying it the entire time, but when it came for one of them to die, they did it with a bang. Quite literally. Annaliese's death was heartbreaking and actually managed to make me tear up a bit. Not often have I wept manly tears, but Annaliese's death?

Many manly tears were wept.

That was one hell of a series finale.

Best Kill - Kitty Glittschall

Reading this kill kind of reminded me of Jimmy's first kill. Not as brutal, not as destructive, but there is the whole out of control aspect of it. Kitty just keeps hitting him, again and again and again and again, not knowing if he was like the red skeletons or not. There wasn't any real reason for her to kill someone, but she did it, and she made sure it stuck. Just another step on her transition from innocent girl to heartless bitch.

If it weren't for that untimely explosion removing Anna Chase, I'd hate to see a second scene between Kitty and Anna. I don't think Anna would survive.

Guest wrote: ↑Wed Jun 01, 2011 11:49 amBest Kill: Alex White
-It got hard for me to read all of what Alex did, but by the end of this month he's cemented his position as the most loathsome, irredeemable character in the game. It may be a bit of cheating to put him here, since it was him almost(?) killing Andrea that really made me hate him, but in retrospect, Rosa and Anna are kills I'll have a hard time forgetting, too.

Best Death: Helen Wilson
-Xylophone took a death concept that sounds utterly preposterous on paper and somehow managed to make it visceral and dramatic. That's really about all I can say.

Vriska Serket wrote: ↑Wed Jun 01, 2011 12:26 pmBKA - Kitty Gischall as written by Ciel

I've had a character that interacted with Kitty way back when she was with Roland, and I'll admit I didn't end up following her like I wish I had. She has evolved so much as a character. The way the death itself is written is good, but it's what comes after that really cinches this for me.

"Stop faking." She growled. She jabbed the body with her bat. The feminine voice in the back of her head was disappointed and Kitty did her best to push it away. She listened for a response. She didn't get one.

"Hey!" She screamed. She lifted the bat and hit the twisted corpse in the back. "Get up. Fight like a man!"

She hit it again. And again.

"Pissant little fuck! Stop playing possum! Get up!"

To me it reads like she wanted a fight, wanted some excuse, some justification for what she had just done, and was just... angry at the corpse for up and dying so fast. Also, to see a first time player evolve this late in the game is something I hadn't seen so far, but I definitely like the idea. You've come so far, been on the island so long... Days away from escape, you just... break. Something inside you snaps. Kitty's kill here is representitive of that possibility in all of us.

BKA - Rosa Fiametta - As written by Lily

It was yet another heartfelt, dramatic death, as we so often here on survival of the fittest. But the writing style is glorious. I think it's a little more representative of death as a whole, the way the flashbacks are handled. I've seen some gorgeous deaths in the past where the flashback is one solid chunk, but here it's scattered memories, woven intricately into the girls final chapter, and the effect is stunningly powerful. Lily managed to take the "ultimate shipping character" and turn her into something so, so much more.

Foxtrot Echo wrote: ↑Thu Jun 02, 2011 12:22 amBKA-- Kitty G

I like players becoming players this late. I like the kill. I liked what was going on in Kitty's head--frantic, talking, scattered, violence, wordswordswords and suddenly silence. I liked the understatement--one blow to the head, and done. It was unusual, nearly minimalist, striking, efficent, internally consistant, and well-done. Props to Seel.

BDA--Helen W

This one was pure tragedy. Not a murder, not a crime, not a gorefest--just a girl, getting ill, trying desperately to put herself back together, And the fact that it happens right before the escape--stumbling to the boats, and collapsing from bloodloss, dying on the shores--just made it even more incredibly sad.

Your Mother wrote: ↑Thu Jun 02, 2011 12:56 amBKA: Kitty Glittschall

I almost voted for Alex White on this, but after reading both threads again I'm giving this to Kitty. I love how she expected more. More from her kill, and wanted more. I remember how she was ready to play the game before Alex Rasputin got to her, and I'm glad the intention stayed.

BDA: Xylophonefairy for Helen Wilson

I was a bit skeptical when I was reading this death, but she pulled it off. It was gory, but understated gory . And the conversation she has with herself during the procedure and her final moment is what makes it for me.

Guesty McGuesterson the II wrote: ↑Thu Jun 02, 2011 1:32 amBKA - Kitty Gittschall

Not many of the people who started the game in v4 who vowed to play, actually got to play to their full extent. Most of them died. Most of them decided against it. Kitty did neither, she's been waiting since Day 1 to play, and the way in which her mind tries to edge her own, tries to get more for her, is a pretty damn good sign of why we've chosen first-time killers for every kill in v4. There's more there, there's way more going on, there's a type of raw-ness inside each first taste of blood that each of these killers get that puts them far ahead of the rest.

BDA - Helen Wilson

Well, we've given out BDA for weirder things in the past, if I recall. Guy who died on waking up, many assisted suicides, accidents upon accidents upon accidents, yet here we have a scene not unlike one Robert Jacob Lowe a few months ago. Similar situation, the appendix, right? Well, she's got the brains to help herself, right? Well, brains aren't enough. What kind of girl thinks she can cut out her own appendix and live? This girl. The way it's written gives it such an extra oomph; skeptics can be turned into believers - I believed that she could make it, I knew she knew what she was doing. But did it pay off? No. That's the punch in the stomach for you. These two posts show the little, understated Helen who was a co-part in this whole escape attempt, and now, for her to get so close to something she helped orchestrate, and just fall short of the line...it tears me up.

So yeah, that's my take on this month, and why they deserve what they should get.

Some guy wrote: ↑Thu Jun 02, 2011 10:31 amBest Kill Award: Alex White

I'm not going to lie, before reading Monsters I never really took much notice of Alex White. However, after reading his latest kill, he's pretty much established himself as being THE late game player to look out for. And whilst i'm admittedly a tad jealous of all the attention he's getting, seeing as I'm also writing a villainous character myself, I cannot deny that all the hype he's beginning to build up is definitely deserved. And whilst Kitty's brutal dispatching of Michael Raynor was pretty damn BKA-worthy in its own right, it was Alex White's kill that really caught my attention this month. Seriously, its very rare for me that a character does something that genuinely makes me want to see them burn alive in a firestorm of holy retribution... Which is a good thing, mind you.

Best Death Award: Maria Graham

I'll admit, i'm somewhat biased here seeing as Maria was one of my personal favourites, but even so I still think her death deserved another honourable mention. Its just so tragic seeing a character who started out really cheerful and bubbly slowly die of an infection as the world around them falls apart. The fact that the only person she can take comfort in his a hallucination of her dead crush, who even she herself admits isn't actually real at all, just makes the whole thing all the more tragic. : (

mr. guest wrote: ↑Sun Jun 05, 2011 7:44 pmBKA: Kris Hartmann for the killing of Roland Hayes

This month's BKA was a breeze for me. While there were a fair number of good kills, only one exemplified everything I like to see from the month's best kill. Kris' kill was wonderfully executed both in and out of character. It was well written, just flashy enough, and brilliantly planned. It's rare that we see someone playing smart, choosing to engage in a tactical fashion rather than simply get in another gun/melee fight. Kris' use of C4 as a trap was brilliant, and her ability to carry it through really showed her as a force to be reckoned with. This is, in my opinion, not only the best kill of the month, but among the best of the entire version thus far.

BDA: Rattlesnake for the death of Nick Reid

If BKA was easy, BDA was the exact opposite. Even my fifth favorite death this month could give most of our earlier BDA winners a run for their money. That's not at all to say that winners from past months were bad; they were excellent. This month was just the best month for deaths I've seen in a very long time. Anyways, Nick's death wins out for me because it was one of the most emotional and perfectly-fitting deaths I've seen. Throughout it all, Nick feels like Nick, and you can forget all the mistakes he's made, all the people he's killed, and just follow along with his thought process and feelings. It's a beautiful piece of writing, and I hope it will be one of the deaths remembered long after V4 is past.

Finally, a shout out to BetaKnight's Annaliese Hansen, for giving Nick a very good run for his money for my vote, and also to some of our excellent deaths that have not yet received any votes. Specifically, Tythanin's Melissa Li, Little Boy's Dutchy Ayers, and Solitair's Roland Hayes made this a great month. You all should be very proud of your writing.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2011 3:41 amBKA I don't feel particularly comfortable doing, because what 'Danya' would theoretically pick is not something I feel is deserving of the award.

BDA, however, is Annaliese hands down. I love Tre's writing in general and she achieves such a soft, delicate feel with this post, making it feel vaguely dreamlike and incredibly peaceful, giving us a real glimpse into the mindset and emotional state of the character. It's a very fitting end to her storyline, and gives a brief moment's respite in a game otherwise filled with gory and frantic, painful deaths. Well played.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2011 4:20 amBDA: Annaliese Hansen. Monsters had its flaws, but Annaliese's death was an amazing way to start it off. I already gushed about Tre last time she won BDA, so I'll keep it simple here. Annaliese's death was a pretty dramatic contrast from most of this month's others: it was simple, sudden, & quick. It was only made more impactful because of it. The convoluted, drawn-out deaths can be fun, but we need more deaths like Annaliese's. Tre conveyed exactly the feelings she needed to convey to make this death hit home, & left it at that. The tone was absolutely perfect & the scene did exactly what it set out to do really effectively (which was break my goddamn heart). Fantastic sendoff for two of v4's most artfully concise (& just plain best) writers. I know this'll make Tre's second win this version, but I would give this woman ten nulls if it were up to me.

Also, nods to Nick Reid, Dutchy, &, while the kill bothered me on a personal level, Rosa. We had an insanely good batch of deaths this month, but these three really stood out to me along with Annaliese.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2011 4:29 amBest Kill - Kitty Gitschall

None of the kills this month really 'did' it for me. All the deaths that stuck out were just that - the deaths were spectacular, they completely overshadowed the kills. I'm voting for Kitty here merely because I felt her reaction after her kill really stuck with me. I thought her reaction to killing someone so easily was spot on. It wasn't really special by any means but it certainly struck a chord.

Best Death - Annaliese Hansen

I'm going to come out and say it. This is how deaths should be done. It was quick, it was nasty, and it tore your heart out and ripped it to shreds. I didn't like the thread itself that much but Annaliese's death was a stunning contrast to the rest of the thread. It fits her character well. A perfect standoff. Tre is out of the game, I know that, but damn it she deserves this.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2011 4:58 amBDA: Helen Wilson
Helen and Annaliese were two of my favorite deaths this month, but I'm going to have to go with Helen. The self surgery made me cringe and squirm, but all the while she had great characterization and it was agonizing that she almost made it out, but fell short. I could feel her pain. Loved it.


BKA: Alex White
This one was soooo close. Seel did a fantastic job with Kitty and I thought Kris' trap was really clever but this one is going to Alex White. I thought it was really interesting how Alex's mental state was reflected in the writing style, particularly with Rosa.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2011 5:39 amBDA: Annaliese Hansen In terms of deaths, the moment was rather quick. And honestly, that is part of the reason it was so powerful. There are all these little moments in it, such as when she feels the cold and when she wants to tell Ray about the blood on his face. There all very simple, and yet they make the moment all the more powerful and thus, my vote for BDA.

BKA: Kitty Gittschall In this instance, while the action itself is rather simple. A bat to the head. It is the repeated uses of said weapon after that really make this kill worth it. There is just a brutality to it and to the SOTF home viewer, words like "Stop Faking" and "Get up, fight like a man" really hit home and make the kill all the more intense and thus, my vote for BKA

Deputy Dawg wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2011 5:56 amBKA - Kitty Gittschall

Standing on its own, this kill is easily comparable to all the others nominated here. Given the context, the buildup, the anticipation of Kitty working towards her first kill: it's the best hands down.

BDA - Helen Wilson

Wow. Not ashamed to admit I cried when reading this (and not just because this is anonymous). It's been said already, but I didn't read this expecting to be impressed, and it blew me away. To see Helen get so close, so plausibly close, and have it snatched away from her....

In a way, I hope other writers aren't encouraged by xylophonefairy's example with Helen, because reading this hurt.

Well done. So much well done.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2011 6:24 amBKA: Liam Brooks (killing Örn “Dutchy” Ayers, MK Kilmarnock)

I preferred this kill because it just showed him slowly slipping down into the madness, that dark side that I really liked. Really scary and emotional.

BDA: Maria Graham (killed by wounds, Super Llama)

Is yelling out NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO a good response? No? OK. I liked this death because JESUS IT WAS SAD and just the thought of her finally giving up is painful. Well written ending to finish off her saga.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2011 9:24 pmBEST KILL - Alex White, for giving SOTF a month of increasingly loathsome and irredeemably evil acts, through his kills and other actions. There's a fine line, definitely, and I totally understand any feelings on which side Alex falls on. For me, he should win here.

BEST DEATH - Llama for Maria Graham, for giving the right ending to the character. In terms of looking at the whole character and buildup to the death, Llama's was the best.

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Thu Jul 07, 2011 4:53 amOnce again, here's this month's BKA/BDA.

This will run for 48 hours or until the announcement goes up, whichever is later.

Anyone who still has an extension is getting bumped to next month's contest so that we stay on schedule. I think that's maybe one or two people I've talked with. Anyone who went longer than their requested extension is off the list. If there are any mistakes, feel free to drop me a PM.

Also, welcome to anonymous voting! You won't see these 'til time ends. Another request, based on comments from past contests (and in no way directed specifically towards these fine writers, but rather as a general admonishment from here out): candidates, please do not "campaign" for votes. It's really unbecoming.

That said, here you go:

Best Kill:
Josie Vernon for killing Morgan Leftowitz
Kris Hartmann for killing Sunil Savarkar
Ema Ryan for killing Maf Tuigamala
Raidon Naoko for killing Maxwell Lombardi
Garry Vilette for killing Kitty Gitschall

(By precedent established in February's BKA/BDA, causing a death via danger zone does not count as a kill for purposes of the contests)

Best Death:
Pippin for the death of George Leidman
Greg the Anti-Viking for the death of Morgan Leftowitz
GeneralGoose for the death of Sunil Savarkar
Ruggahissy for the death of Autumn O'Leary
Fioriboy for the death of Maxwell Lombardi
Ciel for the death of Kitty Gitschall

Guest wrote: ↑Thu Jul 07, 2011 9:18 amFor BKA, a close call between the frankly epic fight that was Raidon vs Maxwell and the cruel irony in Garry vs Kitty... but, mainly for the genius refrigerator idea that preceded the rage-tastic finale, I have to give my vote to Garry Vilette.

As for BDA, a similarly difficult call - it's been a pretty awesome month for kills and deaths here - but, whilst some may dislike the perhaps excessive use of line breaks towards the end, Morgan Leftowitz was the death that seemed most vivid and real, and made me most want to read on until the ending. Not that the other deaths were boring, far from it, Morgan's was just a "page turner" par excellence.

Guest Guestofferson wrote: ↑Thu Jul 07, 2011 4:03 pmBKA:
Not a very large pool to pick from, is it? The upside of this is that we can take a closer look at each kill that occurred this go-round, while the downside is still the lack of variety. However, the pool could have been a particularly large one and I'd still very likely give this month's BKA to Garry Villette for the brutal fridge treatment of Kitty. Both Darren and Jeff played their parts in this particularl scene and while I give my props to Jeff, it was Garry that was the more catching of the two this time. Silly Garry, I know you're a werewolf and all, but Kitty wasn't a vampire.

BDA:
I had to go back and read a few of the deaths I missed last time around. Maxwell's spree finally came to a painful, bloody end. Kitty faced a few moments of terror before her blood-gurgling demise, and Sunil... FUCK, man, what a way to go. As good as the deaths were this month, none of them were as emotionally painful to read as Greg's Morgan Leftowitz. I think Greg deserves BDA this time around because the actual manner of Morgan's death was probably the least significant aspect of it all. And this wasn't an accidental death either, as we've had happen several times. Now, those are great and wonderfully painful to each party involved, but this was a wonderful case of self-defense mixed with temporary loss of self-control due to anguish. Yeah, there's a lot to love, here, and you can't help but feel for both Morgan and Josie.

Anyway, those are my votes, and why.

a guest wrote: ↑Sat Jul 09, 2011 2:46 amBEST KILL: Naoko Raidon for killing Maxwell Lombardi

I was torn between Kris and Raidon, here. Both kills were excellent, for exactly the opposite reasons. In the end, though, I had to pick Raidon, not for the events, which leaned a bit over the top for my taste, but for the sheer quality of writing and depth of character displayed by Raidon throughout the scene. This wasn't just another kill. It wasn't just revenge. In the end, it was Raidon coming to terms with himself and his actions, all through the medium of beating his enemy to a bloody pulp. Raidon, by the end of the scene, not only proved that he was different than Maxwell, he gave us a very good insight into why he was the one left standing.

BEST DEATH: General Goose, for the death of Sunil Savarkar.

This is my second time voting for Goose for BDA. Interestingly, the reasons here are pretty similar. Goose knows how to make a death quick, brutal, and sad, without going overboard in the slightest. Sunil's death was a refreshing instance of some poor sap getting blasted to pieces from ambush without a chance. There are no meaningful final thoughts, because he doesn't have time for any. There's plenty of gore, but it's not the focus of the scene. Everything here is concentrated on Sunil, on his actions and thoughts, and on the fact that he just plain didn't stand a chance. It's sad, touching, and simple all at once. For this reason, Goose has my vote for best death of the month.

Guest wrote: ↑Sat Jul 09, 2011 7:42 amSoooo (feels lonely without being able to see the other votes :S)


BDA: Kitty Gitschall. Man, I don't know. Aside from LITERALLY being stuffed into a fridge, I just really dug how terrified she was in there. I thought it was great. I loved that she was a fierce bitch while hunting Garry down and when she was trapped she reverted back to the scared high schooler underneath it all. I thought it showed what the island can do to a person, while that person is still there under it all. She was vicious and became the trapped one in the end without so much as the ability to tell Garry that she wasn't the murderer. It was also fairly gory so for a death that appeals to the sick person in me while also having good emotional underpinning, I give it to Kitty. Honorable mention to Pippin because I liked his version of someone who wants to live so badly that the keep trying even to their last breath.

BKA: I feel cheatsy about doing this, but I'm giving it to Garry. I PROMISE I READ ALL THE DEATHS AND KILLS. I just like his best. He was largely a nice guy who'd snapped from seeing his friend exploded and being hunted like an animal that when he had the chance to turn the tables he took it with gusto, dishing out something pretty harsh. I also liked the tragic element in this one that as we all know and he will come to find out, he just killed the totally wrong person. I like it, so it gets my vote.

EXTERMINATE. wrote: ↑Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:48 pmBKA ~ Gary Villette for killing Kitty Gitschall

It's a classic case of mistaken identity. Someone else kills his friend, he thinks that it was her. Admittedly, Kitty didn't do a great deal to get herself of the hook, and goading someone who's just lost a mate isn't always the best idea. So the idea is good. And THEN the killpost just makes it even better. You can see the true emotion of a man who might just have lost it a little bit, and I felt like I could see right inside his head. His anger was understandable. Also it was really gory, but not distastefully so.

BDA ~ Fioriboy for Maxwell Lombardi

This is a guy who really doesn't want to die (heh, rhyme, anyway). Many people might have gone down at the first blow, but Mawell just keeps on fighting, with Raison and with death. As I was reading it there were so many points where I thought "and now this is it" but then he stood up, and when he had a flash grenade in his mouth I thought he would die THEN but instead he falls off the cliff. Yes, it's all very dramatic, and it's just a fitting end. It really felt like he got his retribution for killing so many people.

Honourable mention here goes to Kitty who very nearly won this for me.

Somber Lupine wrote: ↑Sun Jul 10, 2011 8:02 pmBDA: Morgan Leftowitz. Lotta good deaths this time around, with Maxwell Lombardi's being one of favorites for obvious reasons. Given how much work goes into each character's death, however, I wouldn't feel right about voting Lombardi, which is good because I would already have been conflicted do the strong writing of both Kitty and Morgan's death--Kitty's for the well-written drama between her and Garry, Morgan's for the style of the post. Ultimately I had to go with Morgan based on the style of the post--the steadily lengthening gaps really convey the slow ebb of Morgan's life. It's marvelously well-written.

BKA: Garry Villette. As I mentioned above, I thought the dramatic death of Kitty was incredibly well-written by both Ciel and JamesRenard. Of the crop of killings we had, Villette's was my favorite; Ciel and James together gave the scene a sense of tragic vindication which I quite liked.

The last guest (hopefully?) wrote: ↑Mon Jul 11, 2011 5:46 pmBest Kill Award: Ema Ryan

Not many of the deaths impressed me this month or left a lasting impression. All of them felt run of the mill. That being said, Ema's kill was quick and efficient. It's the climax for her character, the highest point she's going to get. I liked it because it shows us just how far Ema has come, and I can just tell she'll be circling the drain soon. I can only see her life on the island getting worse. If you want an IC reason, I think a brand new player this late in the game is necessary and the weapon might be the thing that convinces Ema to go over to the dark side.


Best Death Award: Autumn O'Leary

I've decided to vote for Autumn because I thought the leap from her snapping and going off the rails to her suddenly realizing that, yeah, there are some nice people left in the world. I have to also mention Zombie's character Fiona, who's part in the scene was great! The scene couldn't have been done without her! And I thought the way she died so suddenly was tragic, and buried into my mind and my heart.

Trouble wrote: ↑Thu Jul 14, 2011 2:36 pmBKA: Raidon Naoko

Never any question here; this blew all the other kills out of the water. Admittedly, it contained philosophy and angst, both things I'm utterly fond of, but also the best fight scene in V4 so far (much thanks to Fior for that, as well) and a painful change for Raidon's character. Super-props to Wolf for this.

BDA: Kitty G.

Ouch. And I was looking forward to becoming a killer too! And so was she, it seems. It's hard to say this death was "heartbreaking"--in the most depersonalized, narrative sense, it was nipping another multiple murderer in the bud. Still, the confusion in it was realistic and terrifying--to be killed for a murder you didn't even commit, you didn't know you committed? It's rare someone on the boards understands how incredibly confusing violence is, on top of everything else. Our characters are almost always blessed with, if nothing else, clarity in combat. Taking that away from Kitty was a daring move--and with Ciel's execution, I think deserves to be rewarded.

Strider wrote: ↑Fri Jul 15, 2011 5:52 pmBKA: Naoko Raidon. Badass, badass, holy fuck, this was badass, seriously, holy shit. The most badass. The mirror that other men look into to realize that they are clowns. I cannot stress enough how much I liked this. Emotionally compelling, perfect realization of a character arc. Fantastic prose and imagery. Also, kinda badass.

BDA: Kitty Gitschall. The gut-punching emotional hook of "why?", the fleeting, defeated realizations combined with the poignant lack of realizations... it's a very sad post and a very good one. Jeff did a great job here writing something that resonates really loudly, something that makes you sad for someone who isn't a very good person and who stays as a not-very-good person.

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Wed Jul 20, 2011 10:18 pmAnd with that, we're done. Bumping so people can read the votes.

Also, a note: As of next contest, we will be limiting the voting period, probably to 3-4 days, then revealing prior to the announcement.

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Thu Aug 18, 2011 4:44 amOnce again, here's this month's BKA/BDA. This will be the final BKA/BDA of V4.

This will run for four days, and then be closed. The announcement should follow shortly thereafter.

All extensions have run their course, and nobody will be bumped because there is no contest next month. Anyone who went longer than their requested extension is off the list. If there are any mistakes, feel free to drop me a PM.

As was the case last month, we are doing anonymous voting! You won't see these 'til time ends. Another request, based on comments from past contests (and in no way directed specifically towards these fine writers, but rather as a general admonishment from here out): candidates, please do not "campaign" for votes. It's really unbecoming. I'll call you out in chat if I see you doing it, and nobody wants that.

That said, here you go:

Best Kill:
Aston Bennet for killing Quincy Jones
Kimberly Nguyen for killing Kris Hartmann
Jason Harris for killing Liam Brooks
Reiko Ishida for killing Joe Rios
Jimmy Brennan for killing Samya Franklin
Madeleine Smith for killing Trent Savage
Aaron Hughes for killing Fiona Sparki
Peter Siu for killing Mary-Ann Warren
Ema Ryan for killing Hayley Kelly
Raidon Naoko for killing Charlotte DuClare

Best Death:
storyspoiler for the death of Alice Boucher
Jonny for the death of Julian Avery
JamesRenard for the death of Garry Villette
Namira for the death of Kris Hartmann
xylophonefairy for the death of Neill Robertson
MK Kilmarnock for the death of Liam Brooks
Sean for the death of Joe Rios
Ciel for the death of Jessica Pentangeli
Serpentis.Deteramot for the death of Janet Binachi
zombiexcreame for the death of Fiona Sparki
Ruggahissy for the death of Mary-Ann Warren
Hollyquin for the death of Hayley Kelly
Jonny for the death of Charlotte DuClare

Flutterguy wrote: ↑Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:33 pmBest Death Award: MK Kilmarnock for the death of Liam "Brook" Brooks.

Very few people do a killer's remorse right. It usually seems contrived, forced, some way to redeem a character in the eyes of their handler, some strange meta way of making the character a more neutral force. It very rarely works, in my opinion. In this case, it worked well. The scene was beautiful. I have one or two minor nitpicks, but no matter what, we're all amateur writers here, and frankly, I want to recognize the killer's remorse cliche done right. MK, you did a great job with Brook, through life and death. One of the few characters I followed right through to the end.

Best Kill Award: Jimmy Brennan, for killing Samaya Franklin.

Honestly, Jimmy is the most entertaining killer I've seen in quite some time. His decent into madness, and somehow he still manages to feel like the kid he was way back at the beginning of the game. It's realistic, and I love the way this kill was portrayed. He's obviously lost it. Nearly an orgasmic cry in his head when he realizes he's killed Samaya. It's gruesome, but it's not over the top.

Pink Bunny with Chainsaw wrote: ↑Thu Aug 18, 2011 5:22 pmNot a lot of voting done yet, huh? I was going to last night, but... eh. I'm doing it now. I'm doing it now, I say!

BKA: Jason Harris, where did you go wrong? One of the cruelest situations that Survival of the Fittest pulls is forcing best friends to turn on each other and become bitter enemies, and that's what happened here. A great deal of my justification for Jason getting the best kill award is that he clearly didn't enjoy what he had done in having to finish off his best friend, and being rewarded for that would be a painful blow to his psyche. Welcome to SotF, kid.

BDA: Making me sad isn't always easy. We had a disturbingly high amount of deaths this conest. I mean... look at them. LOOK AT THEM. Yeah, there's a lot there. The death that stuck out to me this time was Hollyquinn's presentation of Hayley Kelly's death. Hayley is... not a character I have always liked. She's not very high up on my favorite killer's list, but she isn't on the bottom either. In spite of this, whatever she lacked for me in life, her death really made up for. We got a long, first-person viewing of the inside of her mind, shortly before that trigger was pulled. There are nitpicks as ever present, but it was incredible overall.

Guest wrote: ↑Fri Aug 19, 2011 6:02 pmThis is like the 2010 Oscars. How am I meant to pick a winner from all these epics?

Okay, so, the nominee from this anon for Best Actor Kill is Jimmy Brennan, for his most excellent murder of Samya Franklin. A tour de force from Little Boy here, genuinely had me inside the mind of a boy who was not necessarily right in the head any more, enthusiastically killing someone in a needlessly showy and sadistic way because she deserved it for wronging him. Very close call with some of the others, though.

As for Best Picture Death... I want to say that it's a dead heat. It really deserves to be, between Kris Hartmann, Jessica Pentangeli and Hayley Kelly. But the formatting's given me away there, and I have to pick an outright winner so it's Hayley. The nature of her death certainly helps here, but what swayed me was less the coming to terms with dying, which most great deaths deal with spectacularly, nor the moment of death itself, which all great deaths do so very well, but the tertiary part of it. Coming to terms with being killed by the person you love, not in betrayal, but mercy. The uncertainty, the seemingly misplaced pity, it's a fantastic ensemble and whilst I honestly want to say it's the equal of Kris' regrets and inability to accept forgiveness, and Jessica's heartbreakingly beautiful suicide... it gets my vote due to that outside dimension appealing to me just slightly more than the unique parts of the others do.

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Sat Aug 20, 2011 12:03 amREMINDER TO STAFF: DO NOT APPROVE VOTES. THIS IS OUR SECRECY MECHANISM.

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Sun Aug 21, 2011 4:35 amHey, could everyone who has tried to vote please PM me? I just received notification that at least one handler received a strange message, and, upon checking, their vote did not go through. I don't need who you voted for, just that you have voted, so I can confirm your vote is in the system.

gelatin skeleton wrote: ↑Sun Aug 21, 2011 4:36 amBKA: Kimberly Nguyen for killing Kris Hartmann. I know superlatives are icky but this is the single best kill I've ever read in SotF. This is something to look at in awe and aspire to match or exceed. This is something that, when you read it, one of your biggest thoughts should be wish I could write like that and another should be I'mma start working to be able to write like that. It's the most perfect realization of a character's arc I've seen within a single post, it's gripping and badass and disturbing and cathartic all at the same time. The conclusion, the little "letter to Kris" segment where she finally goes for the kill, keeps giving me chills every time I read it. Bravo, Toben. Bravo.

BDA: storyspoiler for the death of Alice Boucher. This thing is so quietly heartbreaking. A really great execution of the "killed with no idea why" scenario, framed in a way where it's not raging against the injustice of it, it's just... silently scared and confused. There's no sound and no fury to this post, but it's incredibly depressing nonetheless. Betsy's command of these very brief, very poignant phrases- the first and last lines stick out particularly- make it all the better.

Honorable mention: Ciel for the death of Jessica Petangelli. This one really struck a chord with me too. Very haunting, very powerful in its rejection of the usual forms of closure. It's a very sad death, very expertly written, and Jeff deserves props for it too.

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Sun Aug 21, 2011 4:50 amSo... it turns out the thread has eaten all votes since yesterday at noon. Only one non-hidden vote was still there. If you have voted since then, please revote, unless you receive a PM telling you I have your vote.

I'm adding two days to the timer because of this. This is not a pretty situation. No idea what went wrong.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Aug 22, 2011 4:21 pmWoo wee there were a lot this month. Let's DO THIS.

Kill: Some good kills this month. I'd like to give recognition to Jason and Ema, who were both in lovely scenes, having to kill someone they cared about. Jason's "I can stay awhile" and Ema's devotion were both favorites of mine. However I'm going to have to give this one to Jimmy Fucking Brennan because he's just so much damn fun. He crushed a girl under a shelf of groceries and then shot her, which is defiantly something I haven't seen before. He's pretty well off his rocker but his thought process is still one I can follow. He's vicious but cowardly and even at his worst, I still sort of want to see him pull through because he's so entertaining. Vote goes to Jimmy, you're good enough to me, bud <3


Death: There were A LOT of good deaths this month. Good on all of you because it was really hard to choose. I liked Fiona's for the bit of imagination spot she had just before she died, I thought that was really interesting. Joe Rios' was a little sparse, but pitch perfect. It was realistic and sweet and had it been a little more fleshed out, it may have gotten my vote. Hayley's death was just gorgeous. It was a really hard choice between hers and my top pick and I wavered a lot between them. It was slow and it was gradual and though she was dying, much of Hayley's thinking was actually pretty funny. I like how she sort of separated herself from her body when she was coming to the end and though she tried to stay strong for Ema's sake, she was still afraid. It was an enjoyable read through and through. In the end I'm going to have to go with Jessica Pentangelli. God, this was just so sad. The scared little girl who died partly for love and a guy who didn't really love her anywhere near as much. She jumps off a cliff despite being scared of pretty much everything ever but in the end, she finds something sort of like peace. It's bittersweet and it's very pretty. Good job, Ciel.

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Aug 23, 2011 2:53 amBKA: Aaron Hughes

Ohhhh man I hate this man. So much hate. In this death, Aaron's true colors are shown once again. Of course Aaron has never been a villain who's known to show his colors up front. It just really makes me sick to think that Aaron wasn't even planning on hitting anyone, but ended up killing Fiona anyway. He doesn't even give her a second glance. This? Is truly sickening, and I hope to god this guy gets his comeuppance. Despite that, Aaron is getting my vote tonight.

BDA: Charlotte DuClare

Charlotte just wanted to talk. There were plenty of deaths who wanted to make you cry. Go out in a blaze of glory, make you think. Charlie just wanted to talk. And talk she did. Not only does this make me thankful for following her for so long, it made a lasting impression on me. It made me like Raidon as a character, much more than before. It's made me appreciate Jonny as a writer. And if you ask me for my biggest reason? Well, I'll look at you and tell you straight. "It seemed like the best vote to make, at the time."

Guest wrote: ↑Tue Aug 23, 2011 9:40 pmBKA: Ema Ryan for killing Hayley Kelly. This one may need a bit of explanation, but I truly believe Ema is one of the single most despicable and evil characters ever to be entered into SOTF. After meeting Hayley, she has spent her entire time following her and hiding in her shadow, popping out of it only to murder enough people to build a bit of a name for herself. She has pretty much used Hayley each step of the way, and every so often there have been little hints that eventually the time would come to discard her girlfriend. That isn't exactly what happened, but it was close enough. Whatever Ema's personal justifications were, whatever she thought about easing the pain and doing the right thing, the fact remains that, from a pragmatic perspective, she just took herself from a lower-end killer to a serious threat by adding Hayley to her kill list. In effect, she co-opted Hayley's legacy as her own, using even her girlfriend's death to improve her chances. Ema's been shown to be an absolute master at self-deception, and I think that shows through here as well. Whatever altruism the act is wrapped in, the fact remains that Ema acted in a way that, from a purely strategic perspective, is rather brilliant, and that deserves some reward.

BDA: Charlotte DuClare
This death worked on a surprising number of levels. Its a death that manages to be moving without being bloody, or even notably dramatic. What makes it work is the underlying emotions. It is not the most openly emotional death this month, but it has an incredible amount underlying it. Throughout her entire time on the island, from her waking moments following Kevin Warick's saxophone music to her time with Isabel and Dave to her attempts to rationalize her betrayal by her leader, Charlie has been looking for some measure of normalcy. Each time, it has been snatched away from her by the violence and circumstance of the island. It is only fitting, in a way, that she finally attain it upon her death. This scene was also very well written and balanced between Raidon and Charlie, making it an absolute joy to read and a truly key moment for both characters.

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Tue Aug 23, 2011 10:33 pmJust for the record, closing time on this is in about six hours. If you want to vote, the sooner the better.

Somber Lupine wrote: ↑Wed Aug 24, 2011 12:30 amBDA goes, without question, to Julian Avery. I enjoyed writing Charlie's death with Jonny--it was so much fun writing a casual get-to-know-you conversation between these two strangers in these bizarre circumstances--but I've been a fan of Julian Avery since day one and his death is exactly what I think a death should be, which is a perfect culmination of the character. Julian dies desperately trying to prove to himself and to everyone that he is what he wants to be, and the quiet misstep on which the post ends is just great.

BKA goes to Peter Siu. I like Solomir's writing for Peter in general, and I thought the whole thread was a very solid piece of writing between Rugga and Soli--a very classic death scene, with building tension and fear that ultimately cannot be resolved.

fartybutt wrote: ↑Wed Aug 24, 2011 4:06 amBDA: This month's BDA is one of the hardest decisions I've had to make on this board. It was an incredibly difficult choosing between Jonny & Jonny, but in the end, Jonny just barely edged Jonny out. I'm sorry if this offends you, Jonny, but Jonny is just blatantly better than you.

I don't think I've made it any secret how much I adore Julian Avery's death. I'm totally thrilled to have his quote (& one of my favorite quotes on SOTF, ever, period) scrolling across the top of my screen as I write this. The whole seen was a gorgeous conclusion for Julian & Alice & showcased how ridiculously talented both Adam & Betsy are. It's, imho, one of the most wonderfully dramatic & impactful scenes in v4. It has that wonderful cinematic quality that so much of us strive for, & has this really great effect of making both characters both pathetic & larger-than-life all at once. As a whole, the entire scene is brilliant work by a group of painfully talented writers & one of the most cohesive & high-quality pieces of writing I've ever seen on this site.

Which is why I'm throwing in a vote for Charlie DuClare.

Charlie's death is every bit as wonderful as Julain's, but in a totally different way. It's not cinematic or dramatic or flashy. It's just two kids talking. This is one of the few deaths where I could imagine the characters in the context of "hey, these are real human beings" rather than
some big glossy movie scene with dramatic music swelling in the background. & with the rest of us falling over ourselves to create these huge sensational scenes to try & do our characters some kind of justice, it takes balls to try something so understated in a character's final moments. & it worked fucking perfectly. If "Biggest monster dies at the end of the book" is an example of the best of the cinematic & dramatic, "Tell me something cool about yourself" is undeniable proof that the opposite can be even greater.

If nothing else, Adam has definitely had the most stylish exit from a game I've ever seen. Well fucking done.

BKA: I came so, so close to giving this to Raidon. If any of v4's players deserve a BKA, it's him. He's one of the best players we've ever had & it seems like such a shame for him to be so overlooked as far as Best Kills go. However, I'm going to have to go with Kimberly Nguyen. To see why: go to her kill post. Read from "Hey Kris," onwards. If you do not get chills, you may not have a heart. Or a spine, if you're more of a spine-tingle person. Either way, it's something you should get checked out.

I think it speaks volumes that Kimberly, a non-player, has had such ridiculously solid & compelling kills. For all of you wanting to write players in v5 or any future Minis, please, take a page from Toben, whether it be from Kimberly or Aaron or Karen Ruiz. This is a guy who knows exactly what he's doing, & we'd all be complete idiots to not take notes.

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Wed Aug 24, 2011 5:17 amThat's about an hour or so past time. We should have results up with the next announcement (hopefully soon).

Namira wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2010 10:36 amNominate up to THREE characters.


Notes:
* You must have a good reason for your nomination. We're not asking for dissertations, but 'Cuz he's mai favrite' is not going to stand.
* Try to nominate on merit as opposed to simply people you like or RP with. This is about acknowledging good writing, not a popularity contest.
* There is no reward for winning except praise.
* Winners will not be eligible for nomination in consecutive months.


THIS IS NOT POLITICAL. Please don't start making it that.


Nominees:
Sierra Manning (9)
Kris Hartmann (8)
Phil Ward (7)
Kimberly Nguyen (6)
Jay Holland (5)
Gracie Wainwright (5)
Jimmy Brennan (5)
Julian Avery (4)
Liz Polanski (3)
Nick Reid (2)
Peter Siu (2)
Cassidy Wakemore (2)
Liam Brooks (2)
Aaron Hughes (2)
Örn “Dutchy” Ayers (1)
Dave Morrison (1)
Trent Savage (1)
Dustin Royal (1)
Tabi Gweneth (1)
Zach Jamis (1)
Imraan Al-Hariq (1)
Dominic Stratford (1)
William Hearst (1)
Erik Laurin (1)
Milo Taylor (1)
Ben Powell (1)
Ilario Fiametta (1)
Leila Langford (1)
Naoko Raidon (1)
Jeremy Franco (1)
Bounce (1)
Jasper-Declan McDermot (1)
Jason Harris (1)
Josie Vernon (1)
Claire Lambert (1)

gambit508 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2010 10:51 amVery well then, time for my nominations

1. David "Dave" Morrison handled by ZettaMagnetic, due to basically all his dialogue and thoughts, they always find a way to put a smile on my face

2. Kris Hartmann handled by Clu, her mindset through the island since Reika's murder is an excellent read and seems very realistic to me

3. Jay Holland handled by Little Boy, PANTIES PANTIES PANTIES!

Namira wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2010 12:42 pm1. Kimberly Ngyuyen of KillerVole: The reaction post to her getting shot is one of the single best things I've read here, full stop.

2. Jay Holland of LittleBoy: Thusfar, has been a living, breathing riot. Maybe a little too zany, but incredibly funny.

3. Phil Ward of Fanatic: It's a 'love to hate' kinda thing.

Fanatic wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:08 pmJimmy Brennan by Littleboy; seriously I've always said he is amazing

Nick Reid by Rattlesnake: Waking up is hard to do was my favourite opening post.

Gracie Wainwright by Mimi: Excellent character, seems everyone looks at Sierra, I like Gracie.

Badb wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:49 pmScrew it, I've changed my mind.

1. Trent Savage, handled by ZehkielGrim. Zehk is a great writer and I definitely consider Trent to be the best of his characters. The way he's managed to mix description of the setting and make it flow just as well as the rest of his posts is just incredible.

2. Dustin Royale, handled by Pigeon Army. Dustin is just one of those characters that are complete assholes, but just so charismatic you don't care. He's had a really interesting progression on the island so far, even in a short space of time, and I really wanna see where he goes next.

3. Abi Tabi Gweneth, handled by Greg the Anti-Viking. Tabi was one of the few pre-game characters I followed most of the way through and the way her character and emotions have drastically changed while still being entirely recognisable as the same character from pre-game is great.

Sunny Delighted wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2010 2:44 pm1) Sierra Manning by Mimi - This might be an "obv" choice, but I don't care. I <3 LOVE her will to live in the face of hopelessness. If you haven't read "We Are The Sleepyheads", stop reading this thread and go read that one. Like, right now.

2) Cassidy Wakemore by Solitair - "Wood and Wire" is my favorite thread so far. When Cassie entered the thread, it locked that in for me. Cassie just makes me smile, and that deserves a nod from me.

3) Zach Jamis by Ciel - Yes, I am rping with him at the moment. That doesn't change the the fact that Zach's voice is so clear in his writing. I feel like I know exactly who he is, and considering I'd never read anything about him in pre-game, that's a feat in itself.

Namira wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2010 3:42 pmNoms will run for five days or two straight days of inactivity.

Hallucinojelly wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2010 5:00 pm1. Sierra Manning by Mimi - Her debut thread is still going, but the amount of emotion she's written into the scene on the edge of the cliff is spectacular, and even made me tear up a little bit.

2. Nick Reid by Rattlesnake - In fairness, I love all of his characters so far, but the stand-out to me is easily Nick in (again) his debut thread. I can't pinpoint exactly what I love about him, but I know that I absolutely adore the way Rattle writes and Nick's actions and thought processes have been top notch.

3. Imraan Al-Hariq by D/N - I may be in the same thread as him right now, but seriously, if you haven't checked out his opening post then you're insane/blind. I mean it, the amount of depth he managed to put into his very first post is outstanding, and I really feel for Imraan as he carries the weight of everyone's expectation on his shoulders.

T-Fox wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2010 5:02 pm1. Jimmy Brennan handled by Little Boy. I could not stop laughing as I was reading his posts.

2. Jay Holland handled by Little Boy. See above.

3. Sierra Manning handled by Mimi. It takes A LOT to be able to put that much depth and power into debut threads, and it's something that should really be recognized.

MurderWeasel wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2010 5:11 pm(In no particular order)

1. Sierra Manning, by Mimi. One of the best characters in pregame, Sierra in game is still definitely the same character, and is very touching and well-written.

2. Julian Avery, by Jonny. It's darn near impossible to pull off a sarcastic and humorous character who is genuinely funny, but Jonny manages it effortlessly. Julian is, quite simply, an amazing character.

3. Dominic Stratford, by faceinabook. It's so great to see a character as out of their depth as poor Dominic, and he's been quite heroic, in his own odd way. I can't wait to see where he goes.

EDIT: Thanks, Dom. Also, that's how you know you have a memorable name.

Badb wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2010 5:12 pmHoffman was my Dominic, in pregame. I think you're looking for Dom Stratford, Toben. xD

Chib wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2010 5:18 pmGoing to have to agree with the people before me. In no particular order;

Jay Holland / Little Boy - Who knew perversion could be so funny?
Kris Hartmann / Che Cluevara - Fantastic psychological case.
Kimberly Nguyen/ KillerVole - She was shot. It was awesome to read.

Hollyquin wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2010 5:37 pmFun stuff:

Örn “Dutchy” Ayers, by Little Boy- Because everyone else is voting for Jay...*ahem* Yeah I laughed at Jay, a lot, but Little Boy's writing for Dutchy so far has made me want to cry. Like, I want to send in a giant robot to protect him or something. I don't know, he just seems so vulnerable and it really resonates with me.

Gracie Wainwright, by Mimi- Because everyone's voting for Sierra! Yeah, Gracie, I know so many girls just like her and just reading her kind of blew me away in a 'holy shit this is how those people I know would act to a fucking T' way. And besides that the way Mimi writes her is so bloody...like...I don't know the word for it even. It's so unusual but it draws you straight in.

Kris Hartmann , by Che Cluevara- A psych student's new favorite case study. Also...Kris x SIG Sauer OTP.

Stark wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2010 6:34 pm1. Kris Hartmann, handled by Che Cluevara - Watching her rapid descent into madness has been nothing short of exciting, and keeps you wondering how more she can break.

2. Kimberly Nguyen, handled by Killer Vole - For the most grippingly realistic reaction to being shot I've seen in any RP I've ever been in.

3. Jimmy Brennan, handled by Little Boy - Has the distinction of being the first SotF character to cause a real person physical harm. True story, his rant made me laugh so hard, I literally popped a blood vessel.

Greg The Anti-Viking wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2010 9:23 pmWell, there are A LOT of great characters and handlers here, I had a real tough time deciding here, but here we go in no particular order.

1.Gracie Wainwright, by Mimi: I really really enjoy all of Mimi's characters as they always have a great voice to them and a lot of emotion as well. In the case of Gracie, there is a lot to like in this character. I found myself laughing at the internal voice as well as finding a certain believability in what she was doing.

2.Aaron Hughes, by KillerVole: KillerVole has four great characters, period! However so far it seems that Aaron Hughes is not as noticed so far at least. He's the leader of a group that is trying to escape the island, however right now, there isn't any great escape plans at this point. He's just trying to find people who are like minded and he has a plan at least, of how to get them and how to weed them out. It should also be noted that once again, he also has a great voice about him and he too seems very real.

3.Julian Avery, by Jonny: There are many funny characters this time around in v4 and at this point Julian Avery is the funniest in my opinion. He sarcastic and a large ham, which when I read him, reminds me a lot of what a younger version of me was like in high school. Almost every post has something genuinely funny about it and surprise surprise, it's the internal voice, that is usually a cause of it.

There you have it guys, my 3 nominations!

Brackie wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2010 9:55 pmOkay, after MUCH deliberation (and an edit or two, sorry for the people who now have one less vote):

1. Milo Taylor by WickedIcon - Okay, this is obviously an overlooked character, because I was almost in stitches at his intro post. It's a very well-written, if a bit clunky, piece of comedy.

2. Kimberly Nguyen by KillerVole - Her reaction to being shot, and the reactions of the people around her (including my character ) are very well written.

3. Ben Powell by CorruptDropbear - I'm being super super serial when I say that the fact that we share a name has nothing to do with my vote. Ben's also very amusing, and it will be interesting to see how he handles the island further on in the game.

Fiori wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2010 10:28 pm1: Kris Hartmann - What can I really say that hasn't already been said before? She's a great character.

2: Phillip Ward - For being the first character I legitimately hated... In a good way, mind you

3: Jimmy Brennan - That rant would make Quentin Tarantino wet himself in glee XD

Solomir wrote: ↑Mon Aug 23, 2010 11:13 pm3 characters is not enough. Not enough at all.

Nominees

Phillip Ward written by Fanatic. A fairly realistically portrayed bully, with the hint of something deeper and sympathetic. Fanatic does a great job of making us both despise his actions but also understanding exactly where all of it is coming from.

William Hearst written by Dr. Nic. Don't let his post length scare you off. There's a wealth of good writing that well portrays William's feelings, thoughts, and actions. There's great insight into how nervous, frightened, and yet determined a character thrown onto the island would feel that Nic captures in his writing much better than some other handlers.

Sierra Manning written by Mimi. No other character has brought me to the verge of tears in a single opening post. The scene on the cliffs is heartwrenching, and one can't help but feel the urge to reach into the game to give this girl a great big hug.

Rocky wrote: ↑Tue Aug 24, 2010 12:20 amI have to give my noms to:

Nan-Gracie Wainwright: She made my laugh so hard in her first post, especially with the facebook thing. Plus seeing her try to get out of a sticky situation is interesting.

Kimberly Nguyen: Really not much to be said that hasn't already been said. Toben has just turned the situation of her being shot into a thing of beauty.

Kris Hartmann: Her descent into madness has been an interesting one so far, and I'm intrigued to see where it goes. Also she's good at dropping drama bombs.

selphie_trabia wrote: ↑Tue Aug 24, 2010 12:44 amGracie Wainwright by Mimi - I am really enjoying the read of Gracie's ultimately silly behaviour, particularly the thoughts behind all the posing. I look forward to seeing where this character goes in the future. The best part is, of course that you can believe that a girl like her would behave in that manner.

Phillip Ward by Fanatic - What a complete and utter bastard! He's played so well and actually works for the situations that he puts himself into. Yet another character who I've been following just to see how he goes.

Kristina Hartmann by Clueless - Wow. Just wow. Not only is she well played, but the trauma, paranoia and survivor guilt that an accidental killer has is extremely well handled. I look forward to seeing whether or not Kristina will calm down, but extra props for shooting to miss and actually hitting someone in the shoulder.

Yeah yeah, I know I nominated no heroes, maybe next time.

Ciel wrote: ↑Tue Aug 24, 2010 12:49 amListed in no particular order. I had alot of favorites, ALOT of them.

1. Jay Holland by Little Boy. It's a tough job actually choosing a character out of Little's lineup. ALL OF HIS POSTS BLEED CHARACTER. When you read his posts, you can't help but just feel drawn in. I chose Jay because out of all the characters that deserve it, his was, well, the best. Dutchy is a close second but Jay seems to catch your eye a little more. Maybe something to do with panties.

2. Philip Ward by Fanatic. Oh boy, this is the only bully in all of SOTF that feels like a bully, y'know? I honestly hadn't heard of Philip Ward until I saw the picture Little drew of him and Jimmy Brennan (with a can of Moxie). Bullies get a bad rap in SOTF. Whenever you see a bully in SOTF, your first thought is that "Oh god player." But Philip is both a complete jerkwad and sympathetic at the same time, and I think Fanatic has alot of skill to be able to write a bully that you might actually like. Total credit goes to you dude.

3. Peter Siu by Solomir. I really don't know why no one's nominating him at all. I think he has always been an interesting character, and I think Joe's writing has hooked me. His style is very good and the little surprises he hides in each of peter's posts, well, surprises me. All of Solomir's characters are all good, but Peter Siu was always a good character in Pregame and I certainly think he's a great character now.

Little Boy wrote: ↑Tue Aug 24, 2010 2:27 amOkay, I've finally decided who to vote for! This took awhile....

Kimberly Nguyen by KillerVole
- Her disbelief in the game was so completely believable, which made her getting shot a huge challenge to write. Toben did a great job in meeting the challenge, and I think she's only going to get more interesting as the game goes on.

Phillip Ward from Fanatic
- I said in the chat before that I liked Phil because he was a villain without being a real villain. That's a terrible description of what I think of him... Basically, Phil reminds me of people I see at my High School. At first glance, brutish, massive dickheads who you just want to punch in the face. That being said, he's brilliantly written. He's not going around killing people left and right, he's behaving as I'd imagine some of those high school kids I know would act if thrown into SotF. ...Basically, I think he's the best villain in the game atm.

Liam "Brook" Brooks from MK
- I was kinda surprised no one mentioned Brook thus far. Like Phil, he reminds me of a real person, a real teenager. His hallucinations/paranoia(?) throughout Flowerhead are pretty neat, and made me double take, he'll be interesting to watch. Along with this, I just plain feel bad for the guy. I wish he wasn't in SotF, because he's so likable. Everyone should check out him :3

MK Kilmarnock wrote: ↑Tue Aug 24, 2010 3:20 am1. Jimmy Brennan, by Little Boy:
I've noticed that Jay Holland got a lot of votes. However, I've picked Jimmy over Jay because... well, he entertains me more, out of the two. Jay had 'panties panties panties', but Jimmy had a string of non-sequiteur bullshit that proceeded to make me laugh until my throat hurt. And this was before I found out that this Craig Hoyle line was, in fact, NOT a lie that somebody told me as a joke.

2. Peter Siu, by Solomir:
Peter's in my list of nominations for, of course, his actions in White Knight Nightmare. In a storm of flaring tensions, tempers, dick-waving contests and poorly thought-out plans, Peter instead offers something akin to reflection. His interactions from there just make the scene for me (and, admittedly, salvage what is otherwise a rather murky situation).

3. Sierra Manning, by Mimi:
Of course this was going to be on the list. We've probably all read 'We are the Sleepyheads', and if you haven't, come closer. Closer. CLOSER. A little more... *SMACK* What the hell is wrong with you!? This is one of the few threads that's had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, and nearly had me in tears (there's another thread that got my blood pumping, but... more on that in a bit.)

Honorable mentions, because I feel like they should be brought up:

Clio Gabriella, by Inky: Sure, I was in a thread with this one, and she caused a slew of problems for Ivan, but she's standing out as a good villain. Trying to avoid spoilers, but let's just say that Clio had... a good start as villains go.

Tabi Gweneth, by Greg: Her intro is the other thread that got me going. It's the first post of V4 I had ever read, and for that, I have to remember it fondly (possibly with a slight bit of bias) because it's just that damn nerve-wracking. I highly suggest you read it.

Jason Harris, by Fanatic: It was him or Phillip Ward, and while... don't get me wrong, Phillip is a FANTASTIC bully character so far, I prefer Jason. He's on the opposite end of things, in the same boat with Peter Siu; he's an ordinary student who's trying to do the right thing. It's one thing for the students to succumb to the game, to varying degrees of terror and villainy, but when written properly, to see one bravely stick up against the violence, knowing that they could be cut down just as soon for it, is much more vibrant.


That's about it! Can't wait to see who wins!

Crash wrote: ↑Tue Aug 24, 2010 4:03 am1. Julian Avery by Jonny - No, not just because I'm roleplaying with him. Because it's terribly difficult to roleplay a character with a cheerful disposition in a situation like SOTF while keeping him/her rational and realistic (most 'comic relief' characters aren't either of those things) - and a combination of glimmers of brilliant instances in his posts make Jonny's writing of Julian very refreshing.

2. Liz Polanski by storyspoiler - Liz's approach to the game was, and is, very unique. She makes herself look totally psychotic without actually having any intention of being that way as a scare tactic. There's method to her madness - not just simply madness. It's a totally invigorating approach to just what length the human condition will stretch in a matter of desperation, and the thought put into that by the handler is more than impressive, in my opinion.

3. Erik Laurin by faceinabook - That intro post was really something. The entire thread has been great thus far, but Erik's ability to draw sympathy has been an eyecatching one from the get-go (need I remind everyone of the memory thread Twelve in v4 pregame), but Rose's ability to segue between descriptive scenario factors that harness the harsh reality of the situation and Erik's surreal experiences within his own consciousness is absolutely fascinating.

Brackie wrote: ↑Tue Aug 24, 2010 6:34 amJust to say I've edited my nomination, this post is for.

Namira wrote: ↑Tue Aug 24, 2010 11:07 amUpdated, please criticise my counting.

Ruggahissy wrote: ↑Tue Aug 24, 2010 1:16 pmOkay so I know I'll do a crappy job for my "why" portion but here goes:

1. Sierra Manning: Because I think the writing on Mimi's part was lovley and because she does such a good job of breaking my heart. She's very vulnerable, but realistic and her thoughts and memories really give me a sense of who she is.

2. Phillip Ward: I think this is another good example of a realistic character. Sure he's a huge jerkface, but he's also scared. I think he's a fantastic villain and as others have said, love to hate.

3. Ilario Fiametta: So I've only seen the one post with him in the thread "Unquestioned Answers" but it was an amazing post. Not sure if that is a credit to Ilario or just Rosie in general, but it was so great I wanted to nominated Ilario. I could really feel the responsibility that his father was placing on him and even though I'm not sure what is happening with him at the moment, I sympathize.

So yeah.

Jonny wrote: ↑Tue Aug 24, 2010 7:07 pm1) Aaron Hughes by KillerVole
So Toben and I were chatting a few days back and he briefly mentioned that Aaron wasn't really supposed to come off as likable or trustworthy or leader material. From there I went back and read his threads carefully and realized how beautifully Toben had reacted and adapted to an unexpected roleplaying situation. He didn't try to resist the idea or stubbornly stick to a narrow conception of his character at the expense of others' fun and the flow of the story, and he didn't needlessly bend Aaron's character concept and traits to accommodate it. Reading Death is Not a Game, you really get the sense that this is a naturalistic reaction. The character gets placed in a completely unexpected situation, he rolls with it, he turns it into something awesome that's still very consistent with his prior characterization. I appreciate Aaron hugely not just as a reader, but as a writer.

2) Liz Polanski by storyspoiler
So I love SotF to death. But there's a point at which, with over 700 characters throughout our four V's, innovation becomes increasingly difficult and the greatness comes more through excellence of execution. We can- and this includes myself- regrettably get a little caught in narrow bands of thinking: this character looks like he'll be a player, this one looks heroic, this one looks like swap/hero fodder, this one looks like she'll form an escape plan. For a complete newbie to come along and turn some of our preconceptions and cliches on their head in an innovative and compelling way is awesome, especially when it's combined with tense, impact-filled prose. Liz is fun to read, fun to talk about, and fun to guess about what she's gonna get involved with next (... torso thievery???)

3) Leila Langford by Zehkiel-Grim
Yes I am in a thread with her, but pssssst secret: I asked Stef if I could debut my third character in a thread with him because all his characters own so hard. And after the events so far in The Only Way is Up, Leila's been sealed as my favorite. We've seen quite a few facets of this girl already, without any of it seemed like an abrupt switch in tone and characterization, and she's really compelling both when she's scared out of her mind and when she's being a hilarious bitch. Stef's prose with her is also in this perfect zone where it's long, it's descriptive, it's introspective, but you never ever want to skip ahead. Lots of awesome little touches hidden in her posts, lots of lines that are effortlessly beautiful or hilarious. Just a pleasure to read.

storyspoiler wrote: ↑Wed Aug 25, 2010 2:43 amNaoko Raidon (GrimWolf): The only killer on the island I'm actually scared of. No, he hasn't killed yet, but he will--and unique among the killers, he's morally prepared to do so. The way he handles the monster within him in "Two Roads Diverged In A Dark Hellhole" is an emotional slam to read. His darkness is courageous, cold, and convincing; his backstory hints at it without "giving it away" beforehand.

Jeremy Franco (Jonny): Jeremy, on the other hand, just makes me laugh my arse off. Only entry I've laughed aloud at so far. And the wee bits of genuine sympathy that hint that the guy isn't just gonna be played for laughs? Even better. Props for rolling him a sword cane (!).

Yelizaveta "Bounce" Volkova (Che Cluevara): As the girl who was the prickly nerd in high school, I'm almost compelled to overidentify with Bounce; her reaction to the situations she's in (people, having to ally with people, being given a "brainy" weapon, being deferred to, being in danger on the reality show that was supposed to be a game) are right on the mark. Kris has gotten a lot of attention for her high-profile scene, but Bounce, in her tiny thread, has shown herself to be complex in a way Kris hasn't gotten to be yet. Plus, she's consistantly interesting and amusing in her low-key way.

Grim Wolf wrote: ↑Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:44 pm1) JulianAvery from Jonny, and I don't give a damn that I'm in a thread with him. There's something almost unbearably funny about his nerdy, self-satisfied, hammy personality, and the line 'freelance messiah' is just about the greatest thing ever. I like him, and I think he's going to be a wonderful departure from the angst right up until the point someone dies near him.

2) Jasper-Declan Macdermot from Hollyquin. I can kind of feel him trapped in his own head, and the stream-of-consciousness style of writing is absolutely flawless. I can actually feel each thought as it occurs to him, which is tough to do; it's so perfectly sporadic. He's cold and reserved without being inhuman or unsympathetic, and that's difficult to do.

3) Liz Polanski from storyspoiler. I admit I haven't been keeping up too well with all the different posts--my bad, I'll try to improve--but hot damn. That is by far the best introductory post I have read so far on the whole site, and I'm reallying looking forward to seeing how she goes on to develop.

Dr. Nic wrote: ↑Thu Aug 26, 2010 2:42 amAlright, despite my personal misgivings, I'll do my nominations.

Kris Hartmann, as written by Clu: As I had mentioned before in chat, one of the major things that appeals to me when it comes down to writing and the characters involved are the emotions and the reactions, not necessarily any actions taken or the public opinion. Reading through Kris from her first post has lead to an interesting route for her character development, and I absolutely loved both her reaction to the events and the effort put in to the character, and I cannot wait to read more from Kris as the game continues.

Liam "Brook" Brooks, as written by MK: Brook is one of the few characters that I actually had a chance to read through in pre-game, and one of the few I've actively followed continuing in to V4 proper, and I just have to say that I personally really enjoy how Ricky has been writing him. Especially how the character tends to really come out during the posts and the effort he's put in to the character. Plus, who doesn't like Brason.

Jason Harris, as written by Fanatic: The other half of Brason, Fanatic has done a wonderful job of writing Jason; He's done a wonderful job of writing all his characters, but I'd have to say Jason is, so far, my favorite. Seeing how he's been handled so far, and how he's reacted to the situation that everyone has been dropped in to, has been an interesting read and I personally look forward to his future threads.

nope wrote: ↑Thu Aug 26, 2010 6:10 amMimi's Sierra Manning: This is going to reek of bias since Mimi's my virtual faghag, but I feel really, really strongly about this. I've loved Mimi's writing since v3 & her v4 stuff is just as much fun to read. Gracie takes everything I wanted to do with Danni Champney & does it all better (& Frankie was a fun bitch in pregame). But Sierra's just on a whole different level. Mimi's matured so much as a person & a writer since I've met her. It's so easy to see that reading Sleepyheads. The whole thing's beautifully written & real. This is the standard we all should be holding ourselves to for the rest of v4. Imo there is absolutely no question that Sierra deserves COTM

ZombiexCreme's Josie Vernon: So yeah, on the subject Sleepyheads, Josie's been the equally amazing other half of that scene. Chelsea's writing at the same level she was with Lulu's endgame & it's really high-quality, authentic stuff. Between the two of them they're churned out by far some of the best writing of v4 (pregame included) so far, "only four posts" or no. It's absolute proof of quality over quantity

i think i'll just leave it at those two. amazing work ladies, you two are fantastic <3

Ares wrote: ↑Thu Aug 26, 2010 6:57 am1. Mimi's Sierra Manning: I distinctly remember a long time ago, this dashingly handsome fellow proclaimed that a certain handler (at that time going by the name PinkPistol) was a damn good writer and that people should take notice. I wonder who that guy was. I just remember he was so incredibly good looking...oh wait it was me. You know that feeling when something you said would happen, happens. Yeah, that happened. I remember when Mimi and I wrote "The Wind Below" that I was initially a bit skeptical, but after RPing with her it told me that I needed to follow what she wrote from that time on. As James just said, her writing matured with her, and her opening posts with Sierra prove that. If she doesn't win a couple of these suckers before V4 is out, you will have one very surprised handler of the SOTF Bear roaming about.

2. Solitair for Cassidy Wakemore: This is just because I enjoyed Soli's writing in the Wood and Wire thread. I thought he really captured the blissful ignorance of Cassidy, and found it to be a very realistic feel for what she was thinking and going through, every moment of the thread. This has carried over to her next thread as well.

3. Crash for Claire Lambert: Not to much to say here other than Crash's writing with Claire impressed me more than the rest of the characters I've read. The man is talented, what else can I say?

Namira wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2010 12:53 pmSince it seems some people are a little embarrassed about actually pitching their votes publically, here's an opportunity to post them up annonymously.

Vote for one of the following...

Sierra Manning (11)
Jay Holland (4)
Phil Ward (2)
Kris Hartmann (1)
Kimberly Nguyen (1)
Gracie Wainwright (0)
Jimmy Brennan (0)

(I'd usually do just five, but the last three were all tied on 5 nominations each, so there you are).

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2010 12:54 pmJay Holland gets my vote

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2010 12:59 pmOdd since I didn't nominate him, but he's grown on me recently. Voting for Jay Holland.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2010 1:08 pmOut of the characters left, my vote's going to Sierra Manning.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2010 1:11 pmI think I have to go with Sierra Manning for this month out of who is here.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2010 2:08 pmI'm going with Sierra Manning.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2010 3:34 pmI'm going with Jay Holland.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2010 4:04 pmPhillip Ward

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2010 4:07 pmI think i'll go ahead and vote for Philip Ward too

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2010 4:37 pmSierra Manning, absolutely.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2010 5:22 pmI'm voting for Sierra Manning!

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2010 5:31 pmVoting for Sierra Manning.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2010 9:04 pmSierra Manning

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2010 9:11 pmJay Holland.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2010 11:00 pmHow doesn't Kimberly Nguyen have any votes? My vote goes to her.

Guest wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2010 11:08 pmKris Hartmann

Cactus wrote: ↑Sun Aug 29, 2010 11:16 pmJimmy Brennan.

I am too lazy to log out.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Aug 30, 2010 12:25 amSierra Manning

Unregistered wrote: ↑Mon Aug 30, 2010 6:16 amThierra Manning

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Aug 30, 2010 8:16 amSierra Manning.

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Aug 30, 2010 9:29 amSierra THE MAN Manning

Kimberly Nguyen wrote: ↑Mon Aug 30, 2010 10:48 amKimberly Nguyen

Namira wrote: ↑Mon Aug 30, 2010 12:35 pmKimberly Ngyuyen voted for herself!? Scandal!

Guest wrote: ↑Mon Aug 30, 2010 11:59 pmThierra Manning

Namira wrote: ↑Wed Sep 01, 2010 8:40 amThat's a pretty convincing victory for SIERRA MANNING.