The 2016 Pokeumans Awards Presentation

Heyo, heyo!

Long have you yearned this day! Long have you feared this day! It’s time for the 2016 Pokeumans awards! A round of applause to those who contributed their nominations! It was truly a difficult task to choose from so many magnificent spinoffs, including those from 2015, but these are the ones we decided were truly deserving of being considered the best of the best! So, without further ado, this year’s victors!

Also the Darkness demands more shrubberies and cookies! What? Just because Spooner is gone, you thought you could weasel out of it?

Best Concept: Concepts do not always have to be grandiose things to be exceptional.  Sometimes a concept as seemingly simple as transforming into a Mimikyu can turn out to be something wondrous, if done right.  Shadow of her former self’s heartfelt tale of a sickly, bedridden girl may be only four short chapters in, but what is here is brimming with potential.  We eagerly look forward to the continuation of this fantastic tale!
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Best Oneshot: Carbon Copy shows us the world from the diary entries of two people only a few strands of DNA apart, yet so very different because of that.  A gloriously emotional look at the life of a rescued Pokeuman and the person cloned and left in place, this story touches a broad variety of topics, from Social Darwinism to finding a proper work/life balance.  It does not preach anything, but discusses much, and leaves readers with a great many things to think about regarding the world of Pokeumans.
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Best Slow Updated/Hiatus’ed Story: Some ideas take a great deal of time and effort to refine until they’re just perfect.  Some stories take a whole lot of revision and editing to bring to the point where each and every word is just perfect.  And some people just don’t have as much free time to write as they’d like.  Regardless of the reason for the lack of updates, Dreamers is an innovative tale about a brainwashed Pokextinction Eevee and a Noctowl who identifies himself as an “essence of Wisdom,” and their quest to fix a breach in the Dream Dimension, a place very rarely explored in Pokeumans stories.  Though only two chapters in length, definitely give this one a favourite.
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Best Action Sequence: Action is almost a given in the world of Pokeumans. After all, how can there not be combat in a setting based off of a game about making your pet monsters battle each other? However, to make a fight clever and exciting, to transcend the turned based format of the games, is a true achievement. In just one chapter, Gaining Losses gave us that and more. Congratulations for making a standard scene, a group of PRT rescuing a new Pokeuman from Pokextinction, seem vibrant and interesting.
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Most Believable Characters: One of the more common problems most amateur writers face is creating character that are believable, relatable, and likeable.  I'm Only Human pulls this off in spectacular fashion by striking that perfect balance of character description, dialogue and narration that makes this story seem like something that actually happened.  ...Or did it really happen and everything’s been secretly covered up?  We may never know!
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Most Emotional:  Some stories make you laugh, others make you cry, but any good story plays at the heartstrings. A story that pulls a reader in and makes them feel as the characters will be remembered. Down in the Vale is but one chapter so far and yet through clever metaphors and relatable characters, it created an emotional epic that recounts a journey of siblings through a family tragedy, to a brutal life in an orphanage, to finally, the breaking point. A fine job in just one chapter. Who knows where this could go with a full length story?
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Biggest Surprise: When we come out of the story, sometimes, the first thing out of our mouth is “what a twist.” Completely understandable. Who could ever forget that time when ████ died, Dr. ██ did [REDACTED], or, most importantly, when [DATA EXPUNGED]? The story that whiplashed us most with its shocking swerve is In Plain Sight. Congratulations, genuinely surprising us jaded admins was truly a feat.
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Most Horrific: The life of a Pokeuman isn’t all luxurious bases of crystal and free video games. Oh no, they are still in the middle of a global secret war and some have the misfortune of living frighteningly close to the front lines. Ragdoll got the dubious honor of giving us this cruel reminder. Its graphic torture scenes caused many to struggle through each line. But, perhaps the most terrifying part is that these atrocities are being perpetuated by the PRT, the supposed good guys of the setting. I highly advice you go see this spectacle for yourself… just bring a bucket.
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Funniest Story: But, on the flipside, the Pokextinction-Pokeuman conflict is not all doom and gloom. Laughter is the best medicine, as they say, and there is plenty to be had in the world of Pokeuman. Therefore, let us hear it for RyzzakTF's Pokeuman comic! In a rescue that contained a pair of clueless soon-to be Pokeuman, a short tempered psychic, and the lunchadore bird voice of reason there was plenty of room for witty lines. Pokeumans are not aliens after all!
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Weirdest Story:  Arbitrary Conclusions Derived From Neuron Misfires was posted on December 10, 2015, and our heads are still spinning today over this.  With baffling displays of Pokemon logic at its finest, coupled with quirky character that sit on the right side of the line between interesting and overbearing, this is a short-but-sweet display of how to do weird right.
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Best Non-Story: Fighting talk has such a simple concept: what would this character say to that character after beating them in a fight?  Yet sometimes the simple concepts provide the most enjoyment; with such an immense roster here with variety to match, Fighting Talk offers something very different from the ordinary character bio or description page.  Highly entertaining, if you have any interest in one or more characters featured in Fighting Talk - or even if you don’t - you should certainly give it a look.
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Most Helpful Admin: Catequin has been both active both openly, commenting and offering helpful advice; and discreetly, performing countless administrative chores to keep the group running.  It can’t be said strongly enough, Catequin has been invaluable to the Pokeumans group, and he has certainly earned this award.
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Most Helpful Member: We all know her, we all love her. Therefore, let us hear it for Spoonerdog123! Among her notable achievements was a massive invitation to cameo in her upcoming story as well as being particularly active and social in the chatroom. But perhaps now would be a good time to remind everyone that to be seen as the most helpful, a contributing member of the community, is not all that hard. All one needs is to read other’s stories, write comments and give advice when asked. Give it a try and see if anyone remembers your username.
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Best Spinoff of 2016: Selecting one out of all the dozens upon dozens of spinoffs to be the best best is never an easy choice.  With so much to consider: characterization, storyline, originality, writing style, selecting one and only one story as an overall winner is almost a disservice to all the other worthy stories we’ve received this year and last.  Yet for better or worse, we have selected a winner.  Congratulations to xxSorakeyblade99xx and his story, Shadow of her former self!
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