Debate - The Ravenblack City Awards

[Liander]

The Awards - an annual, highly anticipated event to which dozens flock to show their support and flaunt their egos. I have a problem with the Awards: they could be better. Which is not a knock on the staff holding them, who are only trying to generate fun activity for the masses (and doing so successfully). No, the fault lies with each of us (including me, a regular voter). By default, we are incapable of separating ourselves from our own biases and as a consequence of this the Awards, which should highlight productive members of our community, have been little more than popularity contests with winners often being given awards they absolutely do not deserve.

I don't expect this standard to change now or even for years to come, but I do hope that it can. That instead of fluffing up our friends and family we can take an objective step back and give recognition where it is due. This article, which is not actually an article, is my attempt to begin this process. I wish to encourage open and civil discussion on each of the categories and those nominated - why or why not each candidate deserves to win. Below I will detail who I voted for and why. Feel free to counter any points I make or reply with your own ballots.

Fall From Grace

This category irks me, as it's nothing more than mean-spirited and, in my opinion, counter-productive to the overall goal of having an Awards Show in the first place. But I digress. Many of the nominees here do not deserve to have been nominated at all. To fall from grace implies a shift in one's overall reputation and by and large, most of these individuals do not fit that bill - especially a fledge whose name was entirely unknown before 3/4 of the way into the year.

My vote? I abstained.

Best Partner Binding

I was genuinely torn here, as I admire many of the individuals - and indeed their couplings - on this list. Each is just as happy as the last, but voting for one requires a determination beyond happiness and love, which are immeasurable. Anyone can say they are more in love than someone else, but it takes a great pair to actually show that devotion in their day to day lives and to challenge the best from one another.

For that reason, my vote goes to Lyric and Kains Son. Seeing Lyric find a man finally not only worthy of her but who also helped to bring a smile back to her face and into the public was an inspiring sight, as was Kains finding someone he can truly rely on not just as a lover, but also as a partner.

The issue, really, is that there is no definition for the ‘best’ metric - it means different things to different people and therefore the category is ultimately meaningless as there cannot be a consensus on something that inherently lacks the ability to have one formed about it.

Wench of the Year

I literally have no idea what this category is even supposed to mean. I abstained.

Most Eligible Bachelor

I abstained from voting due to my own inclusion and will also refrain from comment.

Less Talk, More Action

I want to take this one by one. Seyda may talk a lot, but as proven just last month she is more than capable of backing her words up when someone calls her on it. Damacus hardly speaks at all anymore, the same of which can be said of CrimsonClover and Michiru. Daly has never shied away from throwing down in defense of his beliefs. Again, the problem here is bias - many of these nominees were placed here simply out of spite.

I do not know Corda well enough to have an opinion of him in regards to this category, which perhaps says he also does not deserve it - but I'm old and my attention is fickle, and I admit there may be things I have missed. That leaves AlexAyres and Taltos Oberon. While Oberon does possess the attitude of many bar fledges, in that he is rather elitist for someone who has never actually done anything and has yet to learn to keep his opinions to himself until such a time as he contributes to what he is commenting on, for the most part (emphasis here because I know this is not always true) he speaks intelligently and with something approaching dignity in himself - both of which are qualities AlexAyres lacks. Alex likes to talk quite a lot of shit and then whine when he's hit for it, which is why he has received my vote this year.

It’s important to note that it was stated over and over again that the things Alex said were from ‘the Mayor’s desk’ and as a result, we can’t actually be sure how much was him wanting to say something and how much was him being told to say something, which nearly renders the entire thing kind of moot.

Most Eligible Bachelorette

The question I asked myself here when voting was what defined most eligible? Was it simply physical attraction or perhaps the number of individuals who desired them? My answer to this question was instead - whoever had done the most to stand out as someone worthy of admiration and desire. While each of these lovely women has certainly done that, my vote goes to Lorrana. An active member of this community and an event organizer for this publication, Lorrana has stepped more into the limelight this year as someone willing to put in the work it takes to make this city a better place and who possesses the respect of many, varied cliques in our city, which is certainly no easy task.

They Severed?!

I abstained. The end of a personal and private relationship should not be thrust into the open in such a way and I think we all need to learn a little more respect for each other in that regard.

They got bound?! Awkward!

I abstained. See above. To elaborate even further, who among us has not bound to someone of questionable repute or knows someone who has and supported them regardless?

Leggo-my-Ego-tastic

Well obviously this award should go to me. But on a serious note, I abstained due to my own inclusion on the ballot.

Mr. Social

I abstained due to my own inclusion.

Mrs. Social

There's only one clear winner here: Ezra de Draak-D'dary. Ezra, like Lorrana, has earned the respect of multiple groups and individuals who otherwise wish to tear each other's throats out simply because of their allegiances. She has been nothing but a civil, reasonable voice standing strong in the center of the hurricane that is this city's social pit.

Best Warrior

Again, let's take this one by one. While I understand Seyda's nomination, I do not believe it is appropriate here - she did not stand out as an individual warrior this year, but rather as a leader and general. Daly is a regular nominee for this category due to his live fighting prowess, but his largest notable conflict this year resulted in a technical loss with his zeroing and a considerable waste of resources that ultimately accomplished nothing. I'm genuinely confused by Pulse's nomination.

My vote here goes to Kains Son, whose very existence has kept the Agrippa-Lokason leaders in Shadows for months.

Sire of the Year

Come on, you all know who I voted for. It certainly shouldn't go to the aforementioned leader who was cowed by five mercenaries or to the sire who allows her childer to openly insult and humiliate one another.

Heart of Gold

My vote here goes to Kiia D'dary, who has never raised a foul word at even her fiercest enemies and who openly gives her love to anyone who but asks. Many of the nominees here are deserving of such an award, but it is here I will allow personal bias to color my ballot.

Firecracker

I abstained. In all honesty, I do not find anyone here deserving. Wit and banter are natural talents, and while I am sure each of the nominees possesses a degree of them, they have failed to illuminate them publicly.

Write in vote: Dae-Hyun, whose dry wit and replies to many threads on this publication have actually made me laugh out loud.

Childe of the Year

This category will rarely ever be anything but a popularity contest, unfortunately. The lack of conflict has not allowed many childer to shine this year. My vote goes to Ezra, who somehow manages to keep a ten-foot perimeter around Drella at all times.

Best Death/Kill

Write-in vote: AlexAyres by the multiple women who would not stand for his open misogyny. None of the other kills on this nomination list came close to that beautiful sight.

Best Defensive Maneuvers

St. John easily deserves this award for managing to withstand being outnumbered and outgunned and still coming out as the technical victors without a single meaningful loss on their side.

2017 Class President

"Non-city-leader who did awesome this year." Awesome, in my opinion, equals accomplishment - something the city is sorely lacking in these days. To have an accomplishment, one must have action and there has been none. My vote goes to Anders for heading The Crucible and reinventing the wheel that is dueling tournaments.

Best Faction Leader

See above. The sad truth is most of these factions - and by extension, their leaders - have done nothing. We can argue circles about the fact that it is not any particular group's responsibility to create activity for the city, but I wholeheartedly disagree with that sentiment. When an individual steps up to take care of others, that means creating an environment in which they can thrive. As the city continues to stagnate, one has to wonder what the leaders of the city are going to do about it, if anything at all.

My vote this year goes to Kains Son, leader of The Void, for bringing something both new and old to our streets and revitalizing us all just a little bit more.

Best Faction

It's expected here that I vote for D'dary, as it was no doubt expected that I vote for Drella for Best Faction Leader. My reasoning for the above holds true here and honestly, I'm confused as to why our lineage made the nomination list. We fucked off for two years and have done nothing in that time or since our return. It either says a lot about us, or a lot about the rest of you fuckers, really.

Because of this, I vote once again for The Void.

Infamous or Famous it’s all the same to me!

Defined as "most popular", though I believe the title is a little misleading and creates a notion that the various nominees just want attention, be it negative or positive. Due to the technical definition of this category, however, my vote goes to the generally adored Xedanis, of whom few have any negative words to say about.

Right to bare Arms - Best Arms

Have you people met Rod? This isn't even a competition.

Wish you were here

I abstained. Let people rest in peace.

Lessons Learned - Best Teacher

This is going to boil down to a popularity contest, which is disappointing. Not disappointing because one person deserves it more than the others, as I have no doubt each of these individuals creates a nurturing environment for their students and is beloved by them all the same. It is disappointing because we have no objective standard by which to judge them and the effectiveness of their lessons. And since none of these individuals exactly went above and beyond to teach those outside their clusters, all that remains is bias.

I abstain for those reasons and due to my own inclusion. I am also disappointed my nomination of "holy water" did not make the ballot.

Hoist the Colors!

A person "bursting with RBC spirit." My obvious vote goes to Dae-Hyun, who has created an environment in which all are welcome to speak and who continues to attempt to bridge the divides between the various cliques in the city. That process may be flawed, as nothing is perfect from the onset, but to my mind, he has undoubtedly put forth the most effort towards that end and done so selflessly.

Ambassador to Fuckistan

Most people on this list give some amount of fucks and some more than others certainly do so loudly. I voted for Gir, who for better or worse will not conform or even attempt to play to the standards of this city.

Can’t keep a partner, but can keep binding

I abstained for the same reasons I did for Severed and Bound. That, and I really just don't care enough about this sort of thing.

Drama King/Queen

I voted for Seyda. While there may be arguments for everyone on the ballot here, she was the one who seemed to be screaming for the title. Literally. Constant public tantrums, incessant nitpicking in papers, and blathering tomes disguised as articles might stand to seal the deal for her this year. Congratulations.

[Vulture]

Pleasant read, and not an uncommon view on the awards.

[Vex]

This is the strangest humblebrag I’ve ever read.

[Drella]

I always find it interesting to hear about the who and the why from a voter's perspective. Typically, the expected follow-up deals more in interviewing winners - talk about the humblebrag. Perhaps a discussion like this could help to re-examine some of the more outdated categories for future ceremonies. I'd be curious to hear input from others on their choices.

Overall, per Li's choices I think I agree most with his opinions on Ezra, Andy, and Kains. Flattering as some mentions are, awards should be earned, and these three put forth the effort in 2017 to do so.

[Alphadragon]

I was just happy to see a lift from the school-yard mentality of a few years go.

[Daly]

I don't even know what the nominees are because I don't visit that newsstand. I agree though, Kains Son has earned that warrior's award more than anyone in this city.

[Liander]

I don't even know what the nominees are because I don't visit that newsstand. I agree though, Kains Son has earned that warrior's award more than anyone in this city.

The Awards are being hosted here on Ab, as well.

[Michiru]

This is an interesting social experiment for me to witness. Primarily because I do not remember this being an annual thing back before my rest. However- there is a lot, mostly everything, which isn’t quite the same it seems. Which I suppose is the goal.

The categories truly concerned me and baffled me all the same. I agree completely that they seem to be more popularity based than anything. Some placements of nominations make absolutely little to no sense.

I did vote and kept my choices to be as objective as possible. I feel the choices would have been better if more people attempted to accomplish something like Anders has began and achieved with his program. Hats off to him!

All in all for never having seen such a thing it is nothing short of a disappointment. It is negatively fueled and serves little purpose else than to rile feathers.

[Gypsy]

I must agree that this has always been a popularity contest and most likely always will be and a way to take jab at a person. I still say we don't need negative categories, and I will admit this year’s categories were some better, but I think it could be even better. The problem will always exist.... can people separate bias and vote truthfully for those who truly do deserve it?

I think some terms need to be defined as well such as eligible, social, best, and wench. What makes them eligible? They’re single? The cool family of the moment? Lots of coin? A total sweetheart? And social does that mean in the tavern or on the papers? In private or in public? And is a wench just a disagreeable woman or is she a slut and a whore or a bitch or a combination of them all?

Fall From Grace

I agree this category is mean spirited. When you think about those nominated, they moved away from and/or changed their opinion, so they are viewed as falling from grace from those they were affiliated with. But, to those who had wanted to see them change and move away from something, they didn't fall from grace they became enlightened. It's all in the eye of the beholder.

Less Talk, More Action
I want to take this one by one. Seyda may talk a lot, but as proven just last month she is more than capable of backing her words up when someone calls her on it.

Seyda ran her mouth A LOT but she just talked, she didn’t throw weapons. When she finally did throw a weapon, it was in defense. Does that really mean she put her weapons where mouth was?

Leggo-my-Ego-tastic

Can we have a 3-way tie on this? As big as your ego is Liander, Daly and Seyda are right there with you. You just do it with more class.

Mrs. Social
Why isn't this Ms? or have a category for those that aren't Mrs? According to the title if you're not married you aren't eligible.

[Liander]

Seyda ran her mouth A LOT but she just talked, she didn’t throw weapons. When she finally did throw a weapon, it was in defense. Does that really mean she put her weapons where mouth was?

That has generally been Seyda's position throughout the years though, so I'm not sure why she's suddenly on the ballot THIS year. Anyone who has ever had a problem with her has always been free to throw down with her - someone did and they lost. This is also the general position of most city leaders. The argument for whether that's a good or bad thing has been beaten to a pulp at this point.

Alex, on the other hand, provides nothing in his own defense and never has. He has accomplished nothing, has never earned respect or loyalty, and continues to run his mouth even after being put down.

Mrs. Social
Why isn't this Ms? or have a category for those that aren't Mrs? According to the title if you're not married you aren't eligible.

Don't nitpick.