Our affiliate, White Knight Awards, a Xander-centric fanfic awards site, is gearing up for its 2010 round.

This year, they've made the decision to add a judged component to their usual popular vote round. If you're interested in judging and reading some moist and delicious Xander fic, comment here or drop an email to: wka at moments-lost dot org.

Results for Round Three:


Best Overall Angst
Winner: Since You Left I'm A Gold Balloon That Wanders High by anythingbutgrey
Winner: Falling Into Shadow by deird1
Runner-Up: Epilogue by snowpuppies
Fan Fave: Epilogue by snowpuppies

Best Overall Dark
Winner: Broken by escritoireazul
Runner-Up: An Alphabet of Fred by deird1
Fan Fave: Filigree of Suffering by spikes_evilbint


Best Drabble
Winner: Feeding on Dreams by velvetwhip
Runner-Up: Tithonus by Barb C
Fan Fave: Feeding on Dreams by velvetwhip


Best Ficlet
Winner: Pancakes Again by deird1
Winner: A Monster After All by angelus2hot
Runner-Up: Little Marshmallows by angelskuuipo
Fan Fave: Cold by snowpuppies


Best Het
Winner: A Shadow Flits Before Me by ladyofthelog
Runner-Up: Last Train Leaving Wonderland by liz_marcs
Runner-Up: Black Magic White Lies by moscow_watcher
Fan Fave: Black Magic White Lies by moscow_watcher


Best Slash
Winner: Broken by escritoireazul
Runner-Up: In Darkness, Their Absence by lily_lovely
Runner-Up: Pentimento by lostakasha
Fan Fave: Trust by whichclothes


Best Gen
Winner: The Hours of Time by cityphonelines
Runner-Up: Second Skin by landrews
Runner-Up: Walking After Midnight by aadler
Fan Fave: The Perfectly Ordinary Life of Xander Harris by brutti_ma_buoni


Best Dub- or Non-Con
Winner: the boy and the beast by snowpuppies
Winner: Killed By A Fate Worse Than Death by velvetwhip
Fan Fave: Killed By A Fate Worse Than Death by velvetwhip


Best Crossover
Winner: The Ties That Bind Job by Telaryn and Hickumu
Runner-Up: Learning Curve by lit_gal
Fan Fave: Lockdown by ash_carpenter


Best Angst Author
Fan Fave: whichclothes


Best Dark Author
Fan Fave: spikes_evilbint


Best Overall Author

Winner: deird1

Runner-Up: liz_marcs
Fan Fave: shadowscast




Judge's Choice


Since You Left I'm A Gold Balloon That Wanders High by anythingbutgrey

Outstanding short fic that packs a huge amount into a small, small space. Everything you love about canon Cordelia is here, and a true, painful portrait of Xander alongside. Highly recommended.


The Hours of Time by cityphonelines

In the series, the First never struck me as a chills-down-your-spine sorta evil, although I'm certain that the writers wanted you to think that way. What this piece does, however, is it changes the way you look at the First as a villain. The interaction between Tara (the first) and Xander seems so perfectly them, but the betraying twist and the ending seal the deal to make this a perfect little dark/angst fest.


A Monster After All by angelus2hot

I have read this same theme of fiction as this one. Telling the tale of the vampire losing to their demon (whoever that may be) and it is very easy to mess it up. There is a temptation to overdo the darkness, to not reflect any conflict or enable the reader to empathise with the darkness. Most are good that I have read, some have been terrible. Neither good nor terrible apply to this short story though. This was brilliant. Exactly what I see other writers trying to achieve, but not pulling off as well as this.

It was savage, yet tender. Dangerous and leading. I could feel what the protagonist was feeling, I was empathising and disgusted at the same time.

The writing was smoothly flowing and gritty. In fact, this whole short slice of writing, was a whole host of contradictions, that came together to form an absolutely dark and terrible/brilliant read.

One aspect of the AOL awards is to award dark fiction. Well this is top drawer dark fic right here IMHO.


An Alphabet of Fred by deird1

Both the formatting and execution of this were unique, and the transition between voices was beautifully done.


The Soft Darkness, The Dreamless Sleep by lunabee34

I was so impressed by the unique plot, as well as by how so much impact was packed into such a short story. We are shown a different side of a character that is rarely written about, and the story slots seamlessly into canon. This story ran the gamut from humor to sweetness to heartbreak and sorrow, and left me aching for more.


...Than Meets The Eye by aadler

The author made a really interesting choice with this fic, and it panned out really well. It was a crossover with Mannix, and played out in that show's format. Joe Mannix arrives in Sunnydale with the intent to catch a cheating husband. You get to see the town, and it's nightlife, from a totally different perspective. What made it even better was that the author did it in first person, and the narrator was totally clueless about vampires, so through the whole fic, the reader knows way more about what's going on than the main character.

That could have been done very poorly and much too tongue in cheek, but this author handled it beautifully. I never felt exasperated or felt like the gag was over-played. Excellent job.



Mod's Choice


In Darkness, Their Absence by lily_lovely

This was a very oblique and challenging tale, taking us to new places and transforming familiar characters in fascinating ways. Excellent work!


Last One Standing by kallie_kat

This is an older story, but it stands with any dark fic written. Angelus is pure evil here, just as he should be, and there's no hope at all anywhere in this tale. It's exactly what you want in a dark fic.



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Due to that insidious villain known as "Real Life", we will have to postpone the announcement of the winners of Round Three until May 15th. Thank you for your patience. I promise you will NOT be disappointed!



Gabrielle

Voting for Round Three of The Absence of Light Awards is now open.


Click here to Vote!

The Nomination period for AoL's third round are now closed.

We want to thank everyone who took part in this process - we have a lot of great pieces nominated, and I know our judges are looking forward to digging in, and we hope you all are, as well!

Stay tuned for the voting post which will go up sometime this week!

Nominees for Round Three:


Last Updated: 3/21/10 12:00AM CDST


Best Overall Angst Fic - CLOSED

1. Five Times Xander Didn't Get a Free Pass by lusciousxander (PG; Xander)


2. He's No Jack Sparrow by waddis (PG-13; Xander)


3. Since You Left I'm a Gold Balloon That Wanders High by anythingbutgrey (PG-13; Xander/Cordelia)


4. In a Lifetime by sparrow2000 (PG-13; Xander)


5. Heartbent by angearia (PG; Xander, Buffy)


6. The Perfectly Ordinary Life of Xander Harris by brutti_ma_buoni (PG-13; Xander)


7. Falling Into Shadow by deird1 (PG; OC Watcher and OC Slayer)


8. It's Over by slaymesoftly (PG-13; Spike/Buffy)


9. Only Whispers of Some Quiet Conversation by lunarknightz (PG; Xander, Cordelia)


10. Epilogue by snowpuppies (PG-13; Xander/Dawn)

Best Overall Dark Fic - CLOSED

1. The Ruin of Good Men by lusciousxander (R; Xander)


2. The Hours of Time by cityphonelines (R; Xander)


3. Filigree of Suffering by spikes_evilbint (NC-17; Spike/Angel)


4. An Alphabet of Fred by deird1 (PG-13; Illyria, Fred)


5. (Near) Death Experience by waddis (PG-13; Xander/Faith)


6. A Shadow Flits Before Me by ladyofthelog (NC-17; Buffy/William)


7. Broken by escritoireazul (PG-13; Drusilla/Buffy)


8. Last Train Leaving Wonderland by liz_marcs (NC-17; Xander/Faith)


9. The Tao of Not Murdering All Your Friends by parcae_lj (R; Xander/Vamp!Willow)


10. In Darkness, Their Absence by lily_lovely (PG-13; Faith/Willow)

Best Drabble (100 words) - CLOSED

1. Tag by szandara (PG; Xander)


2. Never Normal by nwhepcat (PG; Xander, Buffy)


3. Time Signature by garnigal (PG; Buffy)


4. Tithonus by Barb C (G; Spike/Buffy)


5. Could, But Won't by a2zmom (PG; Xander)


6. Feeding on Dreams by velvetwhip (PG; Spike/Buffy)


7. Pillow Fight by rebcake (PG; Xander)


8. Message by redrikki (PG; Xander/Cordelia)


9. In the Bookstore by duh_i_read (PG; Dawn)

Best Ficlet (101-999 words) - CLOSED

1. Watcher to No Other by wyvernwolf (R; Giles)


2. Cold by snowpuppies (PG-13; Slayer, Watcher, Mother)


3. Hell Hath No Fury by snogged (NC-17; Spike/Riley)


4. A Buffyverse Alphabet by shadowscast (PG; gen)


5. Suffer for My Sins by deadlynight27 (R; Willow/Angel)


6. Pancakes Again by deird1 (PG; Willow/Tara)


7. Little Marshmallows by angelskuuipo (G; Spike, Dawn)


8. List by confusedkayt (PG-13; Buffy)


9. Why Not by angearia (PG; Xander, Willow)


10. A Monster After All by angelus2hot (PG-13; Spike/Buffy)


11. Empty by lusciousspike (PG; Xander, Spike, Dawn, Willow, Anya)

Best Het - CLOSED

1. Since You Left I'm a Gold Balloon That Wanders High by anythingbutgrey (PG-13; Xander/Cordelia)


2. Black Magic White Lies by moscow_watcher (R; Xander/Faith)


3. Not Yourself by deird1 (R; Angel/Illyria)


4. Change the Addiction by snogged (NC-17; Willow/Spike)


5. It's Over by slaymesoftly (PG-13; Spike/Buffy)


6. Epilogue by snowpuppies (PG-13; Xander/Dawn)


7. Pity Us, We Wakeful by velvetwhip (NC-17; Willow/Spike/Angel)


8. 34 Reasons I Never Called You by anaross (R; Buffy/Spike)


9. A Shadow Flits Before Me by ladyofthelog (NC-17; Buffy/William)


10. Last Train Leaving Wonderland by liz_marcs (NC-17; Xander/Faith)

Best Slash - CLOSED

1. Pentimento by lostakasha (NC-17; Angel/Xander)


2. How to Treat Your Lover by tamibrandt (NC-17; Angel/Spike)


3. The Five Stages of Grief by tabaqui (NC-17; Spike/Xander)


4. Trust by whichclothes (NC-17; Spike/Giles)


5. Darkening Angel by hello_spikey (NC-17; Spike/Angel)


6. Sweeter by kallysten (NC-17; Spike/Angel, Buffy/Angel)


7. Broken by escritoireazul (PG-13; Drusilla/Buffy)


8. Longest. Day. Ever. by shadowscast (NC-17; Spike/Xander)


9. The Soft Darkness, The Dreamless Sleep by lunabee34 (NC-17; Xander/Ben)


10. In Darkness, Their Absence by lily_lovely (PG-13; Faith/Willow)

Best Gen - CLOSED

1. Five Times Xander Didn't Get a Free Pass by lusciousxander (PG; Xander)


2. He's No Jack Sparrow by waddis (PG-13; Xander)


3. An Alphabet of Fred by deird1 (PG-13; Illyria, Fred)


4. In a Lifetime by sparrow2000 (PG-13; Xander)


5. Heartbent by angearia (PG; Xander, Buffy)


6. The Perfectly Ordinary Life of Xander Harris by brutti_ma_buoni (PG-13; Xander)


7. The Hours of Time by cityphonelines (R; Xander)


8. Walking After Midnight by aadler (PG; Xander, Angel)


9. Second Skin by landrews (R; Xander)


10. The Last Tin Soldier by liz_marcs (PG; Xander)

Best Dub- or Non-Con

1. Filigree of Suffering by spikes_evilbint (NC-17; Spike/Angel)


2. Killed by a Fate Worse Than Death by velvetwhip (NC-17; Angelus/Willow)


3. No One Special by hello_spikey (NC-17; William/Angelus)


4. Last One Standing by kallie_kat (NC-17; Angelus/Willow)


5. Alpha Female by snogged (NC-17; Willow/Angel)


6. Dirty Boy by dipenates (R; Xander/Faith)


7. the boy & the beast by snowpuppies (NC-17; Spike/Xander)

Best Crossover

1. Hell Can Be Anywhere by snogged and idioticonion (NC-17; Angelus/Ted x-over with How I Met Your Mother)


2. Laugh or Go Crazy by angelskuuipo (G; Willow/Seeley Booth x-over with Bones)


3. The Ties That Bind Job by Telaryn & Hickumu (PG-13; Faith, Angel, Leverage ensemble x-over with Leverage)


4. Lockdown by ash_carpenter (NC-17; Lindsey/Spike, Sam/Dean x-over w/Supernatural)


5. ...Than Meets the Eye by aadler (PG; ensemble x-over w/Mannix)


6. Learning Curve by lit_gal (NC-17; Spike/Xander, Jim/Blair x-over w/Sentinel)


7. First Impressions by spikedluv (R; Xander x-over with Queer as Folk)

Best Angst Author

1. waddis


2. deird1


3. whichclothes


4. drsquidlove

Best Dark Author

1. spikes_evilbint


2. escritoireazul


3. deadlynight27


4. parcae_lj

Best Overall Author

1. shadowscast


2. liz_marcs

Make sure to Read the Rules before making any nominations.

Incomplete nominations will be thrown out!

Check the Nominee List before making nominations!






Nominations are now closed.

It's nearly time for Round Three, so Gabrielle and I wanted to let everyone know of the changes we've implemented.

Probably the biggest pertains to categories: Due to low nomination volume, we've decided to eliminate the Angst and Dark distinctions and simply combine the categories. We will have an Overall Angst Fic category and an Overall Dark Fic category, then the standards (Drabble/Ficlet, Slash, Het, Gen) will be combined Angst/Dark. Two new categories (that will also be combined Angst/Dark) will be Best Crossover and Best Dub- or Non-Con Fic. (For more information, check out the Categories post.)

We do realize that this cuts the number of available categories by a bit, but the mods have the option of cascading categories in the event that we get enough nominations of a certain pairing or type. (See Rules for an explanation of cascading categories.)

Nominations for Round Three will open February 21, and the Rules have been changed to reflect the new categories and the list of ineligible fics has been updated, so make sure to check those out before you begin collecting nominations!

And as always, if you'd like to help in any way, check out the Volunteer Post!

Drumroll, please...






Absence of Light Awards
Round Two Results


Angst - Best Drabble/Ficlet:
Winner: Tea and Crumbling by Gabrielle
Runner-Up: Hemoglobin by snowpuppies
Fan Favorite: Tea and Crumbling by Gabrielle

Angst - Best Het:
Winner: La Meilleure Revanche by thisficklemob
Runner-Up: It's Over by slaymesoftly
Fan Favorite: If Wishes Were Horses by Gabrielle

Angst - Best Slash:
Winner: A Girl With Kaleidoscope Eyes by kyrafic
Runner-Up: Bonded by rayruz
Runner-Up: Marked Men by firefly124
Fan Favorite: The Odd Man Looking In by lusciousspike

Angst - Best Gen:
Winner: Hiywan's Story by stormwreath
Runner-Up: Feet of Clay by ubiquirk
Runner-Up: The Very Secret Diary of Andrew Wells (O Captain My Captain Remix) by lily_lovely
Fan Favorite: Five Times People Noticed Xander's Bruises didn't all come from Patrol by dipenates

Angst - Best Future:
Winner: Shadows of a Brighter Day by eowyn_315
Runner-Up: The Worst Journey in the World by shapinglight
Fan Favorite: Fourteen Days on the Hellmouth by snowpuppies

Angst - Best Character Death:
Winner: Memory } Shattered } Shattering by ubiquirk
Winner: Mission Accomplished by beer_good_foamy
Runner-Up: Play Winifred For Me by brutti_ma_buoni
Fan Favorite: Play Winifred For Me by brutti_ma_buoni

Angst - Most Original:
Winner: Hiywan's Story by stormwreath
Runner-Up: Feet of Clay by ubiquirk
Runner-Up: Fourteen Days on the Hellmouth by snowpuppies
Fan Favorite: Fourteen Days on the Hellmouth by snowpuppies
Fan Favorite: A Life Less Ordinary by c_woodhaven

Angst - Best Author:
Winner: lily_lovely
Runner-Up: ubiquirk
Fan Favorite: c_woodhaven


Dark - Best Drabble/Ficlet:
Winner: Not Yours by clawofcat
Runner-Up: Like Twins by lily_lovely
Fan Favorite: The Conquering Hero by Gabrielle

Dark - Best Het:
Winner: Escape Me Never by Gabrielle
Runner-Up: Five Ways Buffy Didn't Die (part 5) by spuffyduds
Fan Favorite: Escape Me Never by Gabrielle

Dark - Best Slash:
Winner: The Shadow by the Door by lusciousxander
Runner-Up: Freedom Isn't Free by snogged
Fan Favorite: Freedom Isn't Free by snogged

Dark - Best Gen:
Winner: I'm Not Supposed to Be Like This by spuffyduds
Winner: Chatting Dead by lusciousspike
Runner-Up: In Faith's Shadow by snowpuppies
Fan Favorite: In Faith's Shadow by snowpuppies

Dark - Best Future:
Winner: Twice My Burn by doyle_sb4
Runner-Up: Doll by Chris G-D
Fan Favorite: Damaged Goods by Gabrielle

Dark - Best Character Death:
Winner: Escape Me Never by Gabrielle
Runner-Up: Five Ways Buffy Didn't Die (part 5) by spuffyduds
Fan Favorite: Escape Me Never by Gabrielle

Dark - Most Original:
Winner: Fallen Soldier by seductivembrace
Runner-Up: Earlier by blankbadge
Runner-Up: Warning Sign by froxyn
Fan Favorite: Hostile by snogged

Dark - Best Author:
Winner: clawofcat
Runner-Up: seductivembrace
Fan Favorite: snogged



Judge's Choice:
comments on banner page

The Very Secret Diary of Andrew Wells (O Captain My Captain Remix) by lily_lovely
Mission Accomplished by beer_good_foamy
Hiding by brutti_ma_buoni
The Show by ash_carpenter
Hiywan's Story by stormwreath
Illusion by deird1
A Girl With Kaleidoscope Eyes by kyrafic
The Boy and the Beast by snowpuppies
I'm Not Supposed to be Like This by spuffyduds
Shadows of a Brighter Day by eowyn_315
Ordinary Guy by tesla321


Mod's Choice:
comments on banner page

Twirling by lit_gal
Severed and Sewn by clawofcat




Banners
Courtesy of the wonderful lilbreck

Angst | Dark | Judge/Mod's Choice



If any of the nominees would like to see their judge's comments (if applicable), fill out this form.