News

The 2010 Quicksilver Quills Results

Happy Halloween to everyone on MNFF! We hope you're having a good day, and that this news might make it even better. I am here to announce the winners of this year's QSQ awards. The decisions were made by teams of judges who read all the nominations and picked the stories they considered to be the highest quality. We've provided comments to give you an idea of why each fic/person won. Winners will receive award banners within the next few days.

The Winners

Best Beta Reader: Natalie/hestiajones

The care and attention to detail that Natalie clearly puts into her beta work really made her stand out among the other candidates. Not only did she correct errors, but she also took the time to explain the rule behind the mistake the author had made, so that they could actually learn from their mistakes and better understand where they went wrong. It is clear from her work that Natalie treats beta reading as an opportunity to improve writing in general, which is an amazing quality to have in a beta reader.

Best General: Fred and George's Busy Day by Northumbrian

Neil wrote this amazing piece with fabulous characterisation of our favourite Weasleys and gave an identity to some of those whose stories we didn't know, all melding together in a fantastic and very believable fiction. The story also gave us a good look at life in the DA underground. It has touching moments merged with Weasley wit and some stunning originality. It has action, drama, intrigue, and... romance? All in all, this fic is sparkling.

Best Dark/Angsty:Distantly by psijupiter

It is impossible to shake off that dark, tragic feeling that Psi wrote so well, no matter how many times you read the story. This is so different from any other Andromeda fics and it is just a stand out example of what makes a great D/A read. It is beautifully written with soft, poetic prose. The characterisation of the Andromeda is fantastic and the bleak reality of her life feels authentic. The dark quality to it is undeniable, but it's handled in a way that's incredibly poignant and touching. This is a definite gem of a fic.

Best Canon Romance:
- One-shot: What Would You Do? by ron lover

I loved this fic - it was an excellent example of canon romance and there was a good mix of fluff and tension. I loved the setting – these few months are the happiest of the Potters’ lives and that really comes across, even with the tension present. There were so many little touches that made this fic – Harry and his love of red hair, the ways he takes after James- they’re all believable and fit beautifully into canon. All the characters – major and minor, were well done. This story was just a great read.

- Chaptered: Trickster by Willow Rosenberg

This was a very fun read. I've never been so entranced in a story. It hit every mark that could be expected and more. The way Lily and James were characterized is phenomenal. I was completely engrossed in their relationship; giggling when they were getting on well, sighing/annoyed when they were annoyed. The supporting characters were wonderfully entertaining and amusing and there were several plots running alongside the romance.

Best Artist: Dinny/Evora

Dinny's art is incredible. Each of her characters actually is a character, and always recognisable. The level of detail when she draws scenes is astounding. She always takes the light source into account and shows a clear understanding of how light works. Although she mostly draws with pencil, her work always looks clean and polished, and never like she just sketched something and left it at that. Dinny is still somewhat new in Dean's Corner, but she has already impressed a lot of people with her absolutely fantastic talent and dedication.

Best Marauder: Veils by Equinox Chick

Petunia is so often portrayed as such a horrible person because of what little we know from pre-Harry days and then we only see her through Harry's eyes. The little bits of sisterly bonding and love are not overplayed and hints at the close relationship the sisters had when they were younger. A bit of humour runs through the story and you know something is going to happen, but you just aren't sure what. It is a well-written story from beginning to end and leaves you with another prospective on Petunia. Characterisation is what made this fic truly sparkle. Not once do you feel like a character didn't sit right or sound right. From the relative nonentity of the bride's and groom's parents to the ones we know, such as the 'happy' couple, Marge, and the wedding crashers.

Best Same Sex Pairing: The Dance We Do by Equinox Chick

This story featured a femmeslash pairing that was not only freshly original with Bella/Amelia, but stayed in character, had the right amount of sexual tension, and stayed realistic to canon. It was engaging, and overall the simple complexity of Bella and Amelia's relationship throughout the story was rather clever.

Best Non-Canon Romance:
- One-shot: Waking by the opaleye.

This story is compelling, interesting and believable. I loved everything about this fic. The writing was powerful and really drew the reader in. I think perhaps the thing I liked most about this was that the relationship felt real and natural. It was excellently written and I liked the structure. The emotions felt so raw and so real. It’s the perfect non-canon romance in all respects.

- Chaptered: Lavender, blue - A Gryffindor true by Equinox Chick

The fic was wonderfully written and engaging throughout. The most powerful element in this story for me was the way it wove seamlessly into the canon events in book seven. Everyone's characterization is top notch, and the story not only has the believable, non-canon romance, it has the full plot and full appearance of the other characters as well. All the minor characters were well-characterised and I felt they were given as much attention as the main ones. Definitely worthy of a QSQ

Best Historical: A Prize Above Rubies by Equinox Chick

When reading it, I got the atmosphere of the story immediately – and yet the characters didn’t take a back seat to the setting as so often happens in Historical stories. There was a plot, and there were subtleties of familial ties that were established throughout the story, but the feel of the times was brought about so wonderfully through the narration and dialogue! I think Rubies serves as an example of how to write a historical story and make it seem authentic without laboring to set up the entire atmosphere at the beginning of the story.

Best Next Generation: Our Little Secret by Kerichi

It has a strong plot with a steady flow. I like how it gets straight into the action from the very beginning. What I like the most about this story is the characterisation - each character is his or her own. There is just enough of their parents in them to make you happy, but they are their own people. It's an original concept of getting the two together, and I like that the fic is not just focused on the romance. Rose and Scorpius' relationship develops quite well. It's quick enough to keep the story moving, but paced enough to make it seem natural.

Best Reviewer: Amanda/Ahattab33

Amanda is a really great reviewer, very enthusiastic, and always makes authors feel good about what they've written. She has a great way of stating concrit clearly without being harsh or sugar-coating - she just gives her honest opinion in a polite way. She covers fics in a lot of depth, going into several elements and really explaining what, and why she enjoyed. Her reviews have a great tone and any author would squee with joy to at receiving one.

Best Post Hogwarts: Memento Mori by Liandrin

This was truly a unique little one-shot. I particularly loved the dialogue, and even more so the subtle way the author interweaves character through the description of what they are doing while they are talking. The writing was just beautiful, but not flowery, and that can be a hard line to walk. The biggest strength was the characterization. Draco's characterization is just the highlight of this piece--wow! He was the proud and somewhat arrogant Draco we know, with that twinge of conscience and need to do what is right. I finished the story and really wanted to read more of it.

Best Other Character: Mark Moon in Moon by Northumbrian

Mark Moon is a wonderful character. He's well rounded, brilliantly described and by unlocking his and Lavender's past we get a cracking story. The description of Mark by the other OC Janey Scott is very well done. His character is well developed as well as interesting. He doesn't play a 'background' role in a story in which he should be the focus. The story is great and he fits right into it and the HP world. The choice to go from a one-shot to a full story was a good one in this case as it gave us a more complete picture of Mark.

Best Poetry: The Clarion Call by hestiajones

This poem was a clear winner. The connection to HP was very strong without being overbearing and taking away from the lyrical nature of the poetry. It shows the very real choice of not submitting to Voldemort's terror tactics. Natalie's work here is simply wonderful. There's just something special about this poem.

Best Humour: Aberforth Dumbledore: A Love that Dare not Bleat its Name by Equinox Chick

This story is not only amusing in the way in which it was written, but it gives a plausible explanation for Aberforth's goat incident. It had a sweet, storybookish style that was pleasing and seemed true to the age of the narrator. It stayed true to canon without sacrificing the characterization of those involved.

Best Alternative Universe:
- One-shot: The End of Fear by MagEd

This was a pretty perfect example of an AU fic - it totally recreated the world five times, and even though it included some common AU cliches, they honestly didn't feel cliche because the way they were written. Harry and Ginny always came across as themselves, even in the completely different AU situations. The scenarios were all believable and all the mentions of other characters fitted in well.

- Chaptered: Accursed Miracle by MorganRay

The concept of this story, that someone can be brought back and their soul placed into a souless body has possibility. It pulls you in and the characterization is good. Even changing the one major canon fact, the dead stay dead, is acceptable as this is the major reason for it being AU. In an AU sense, we felt it was a really great example of the category. There were little details given about the world that really made it feel real and believable.