3Djinn
This comment signals that the TOS Section is open and ready for voting.
-- Opening of Awards - Sat, 01 Mar 2003 10:11:45 -0500

3Djinn
I've said it before, but I'll say it again: Djinn could write a grocery list and I'd read it. Seriously, she's that good. And because it's Djinn, I started reading some of her TOS stories. Even without the background to understand all of the nuances, I recognized talent when I saw it! "Blood Debt" is perhaps one of the most amazing stories I've ever read, in any series, and Djinn has a wonderful way of bringing characters to life, portraying even the most 'evil' of characters in a sympathetic light. Her TOS fic is invariably thought-provoking and memorable. Kudos to Djinn on a spectacular job this year.
-- Seema - Sat, 08 Mar 2003 21:35:09 -0500

15Rocky
I gotta hand it to Rocky for finally getting her TOS muse in gear even if it was a pun . Here's hoping we see more TOS from her in the future.
-- Seema - Sat, 08 Mar 2003 21:36:26 -0500

11Paula Stiles (thesnowleopard)
Paula did an excellent job with her Khan drabble, adding insight into his character in just a few words. I also found "The Captain's Woman" to be an intriguing look into the TOS-era mirror universe.
-- Seema - Sat, 08 Mar 2003 21:39:15 -0500

6Jungle Kitty
Jungle Kitty had me on the floor with her Karensa Ravenswing fics this year. Her humor is witty, sharp and right on target. Dare I ask for more? Please?
-- Seema - Sat, 08 Mar 2003 21:40:34 -0500

13Rabble Rouser
I was so glad to see Rabble Rouser return to writing this year. It was a true pleasure to have her back, especially in rare form. "Goodnight Sweetheart" was a lovely piece of work. The details, the description, all of it done to perfection. And then "Weeds," God, what a haunting and chilling story. Amazing. Rabble Rouser really has a way of playing with emotions, of making you see things in a completely different light. I just hope we continue to see more of Rabble Rouser in the coming years. Her fic is not to be missed, whether it be TOS or ENT. Well done!
-- Seema - Sat, 08 Mar 2003 21:44:21 -0500

6Jungle Kitty
Jungle Kitty's Dear Miss Lovelorn was one of the funniest things written all year, hitting all the TOS bases effortlessly and pulling in a few surprises as well. Jungle Kitty has a deft touch and a wonderful comedic talent. I look forward to more next year.
-- Djinn - Sun, 09 Mar 2003 00:29:36 -0500

8Kath (Trekkigrrl)
Kath is an exciting new voice and one with a talent for comedy as well. Blast from the Past came alive with scathing wit, effortlessly painting a picture of a younger and wise-cracking Christine Chapel. And I do enjoy reading a fun Chapel! Write more, Kath! Write more!
-- Djinn - Sun, 09 Mar 2003 00:30:39 -0500

11Paula Stiles (thesnowleopard)
Paula Stiles/The Snowleopard packed more into hir drabble To Serve In Heaven than I thought humanly possible. Guess that fits, since ze was writing about a superhuman! And I loved the wonderfully twisted revisiting of the Mirror Universe. Marlena was a chilling and totally fun protagonist, and I can't wait to read more about her! I love Paula's ability to bring people alive in a story. It is a true gift.
-- Djinn - Sun, 09 Mar 2003 00:31:39 -0500

13Rabble Rouser
Rabble Rouser is an author that can take a character I thought I knew or understood, and make me look at them from another perspective, making me question if I ever understood at all. Ze can also, when in another mood, take us for a wonderful ride with a favorite character and show us nuances and sides to the character we've never explored before, enhancing and deepening the picture we had all along. Hir use of language is exquisite, as is hir ability to create and sustain atmosphere and setting, such as the depression era times of Edith Keeler in Goodnight Sweetheart or the lovely (for a while) planet that Khan and his followers ended up on. Ze can even take a hateful character like Marla McGivers and without ever reforming her allow us to better understand and maybe even resonate somewhat with the character. But it is what ze did with the Enterprise crew that I enjoyed most this year. The lovely Rand story Aridity, the wonderfully offbeat look at Uhura in Heart Line, and the moving exploration of McCoy after the five year mission in Kith and Kin. I beta for this author, so I don't often get the chance to rave about hir work. So I'm glad I have the opportunity to do it here! Bravo, Rabble Rouser, on a wonderful year. I hope you have many more!
-- Djinn - Sun, 09 Mar 2003 00:32:57 -0500

15Rocky
It was wonderful to see Rocky on the TOS side of the Trekverse! Write more TOS next year, Rocky!
-- Djinn - Sun, 09 Mar 2003 00:33:22 -0500

16Saavant
Saavant writes a mean Saavik, a character I am very fond of. I look forward to more!
-- Djinn - Sun, 09 Mar 2003 00:33:39 -0500

23Ventura33
Ah, the talent of this writer! Ventura33 has the skill to take us from smutty Horta comedies in This Time of the Month to the suspensefully creepy Chapel-Uhura friendship tale Werewolves of Vulcan (which includes a mean filk as well) and never miss a beat. Ze is one of my all time favorite authors in any series, and I look forward to more offerings from hir in the future.
-- Djinn - Sun, 09 Mar 2003 00:34:31 -0500

3Djinn
When I think of Christine Chapel, I immediately think of Djinn. No other author writes the character quite like this--strong, capable, not whiny or self-indulgent even when she's not acting as wisely as she should. No other author pairs Chapel up with such an astonishing variety of partners, either, and makes them all plausible. Spock/Chapel is a given, but Kirk/Chapel? And for more than just a one night stand, and within the confines of canon? And then there's Chapel/Kerr, involving one of the more delightful and true-to-life OC's to appear recently in fanfic. Any time I open a TOS story by Djinn, I know I'm in for a good experience. And thanks to her extremely active muse, this past year has been a real treasure trove.
-- Rocky - Sun, 09 Mar 2003 11:34:38 -0500

6Jungle Kitty
Everybody knows that the quintessential Kirk author is Jungle Kitty. No one else does such a masterful job with his character, whether it's a playful WIP like "Hush" or "Distracted" or touching on a much more serious issue like "Mercy." And I absolutely adore "The Family Mythology", which is the best in a long line of great Kirk/Brandt stories. When I read this story, I could see everything unfolding before me as if I was watching it on the screen, and could hear the characters' voices so clearly. And then there's Jungle Kitty's gift for parody--it's amazing that the same author who had me in tears with some of her offerings this year also had me giggling my way through her humorous stories. So many of Jungle Kitty's stories this year are real keepers in that I keep going back to them again and again.
-- Rocky - Sun, 09 Mar 2003 11:35:37 -0500

13Rabble Rouser
Rabble Rouser has the amazing knack of taking unsympathetic characters and making me care for them, without any artificial sanitizing or inaccurate take on canon. "Weeds" is an astonishing tour de force in what it does with Marla McGivers--I still don't like this character, but I do come away with a much better understanding of her. And then there are the old-standbys like Janice Rand. I'm still amazed at what this character has become in Rabble Rouser's capable hands; "Aridity" is just the latest example. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention "Goodnight Sweetheart" which superbly evokes one of the best Trek episodes ever made and has wonderful portrayals of Edith Keeler and Kirk.
-- Rocky - Sun, 09 Mar 2003 11:36:25 -0500

25Wildcat
Wildcat only wrote one story this past year, but "Utoto" is such a treat that it's worth the price of admission. There is no one else who does such a masterful job with the character of Spock or Uhura, and it's been wonderful following the continued development of the two of them and their relationship. I'm amazed at how Wildcat finds new aspects of their love and marriage to explore. I love the way the themes of trust and of companionship are reinterpreted and reaffirmed. I also love how over time the character of Saavik has grown up and how the parallels with her son echo her own experiences without ever feeling repetitive. It seems that Wildcat is reaching the point where the S/U series is winding down; I dread the day it's truly over almost as much as I dread the day that Wildcat is no longer writing.
-- Rocky - Sun, 09 Mar 2003 11:37:35 -0500

3Djinn
No other author has contributed more TOSfic to ASC this year than Djinn: 20 stories, making her the most prolific author in this category by a wide margin, and more than a dozen were of novella length. There's not one story she's posted this year that I didn't at the very least find very entertaining and several I think are among the very best posted to the list this year. I'm very fond of her Carter series, featuring Spock and Chapel heading the crew of a diplomatic/medical ship post-Generations. It features one of my favorite OFCs in fanfic, Randall Kerr, and this year took in a remarkable arc of very intense stories, one of which, "A Matter of Life and Death" moved me to tears. I'm a big fan also of her K/Cha series of stories. She completely makes me believe in those two as a couple even though before her stories I would have found that the most unlikely of pairings. IMHO, she writes a spot-on Kirk, always a winner with me;-) In fact, this first in the series "Like We Never Had a Broken Heart" is my favorite story posted to the NG this year. As a fan of Buffy, I get a kick out of her xover Slayer stories and found "Gotterdammerung" one of the most powerful tales on ASC this year. Her Mc/Cha "First, Do No Harm" was poignant and bitter, her Khan piece "Not All at Once" a chilling work of true horror, and "Dream Until Your Dream Comes True" a brilliant inversion of romantic fanfic notions of the Vulcan bond. Her story "Blood Debt" is a lovely fairy tale. She made me cry. She made me laugh. She made me think. I can't imagine any other author more deserving of the distinction Best TOS Author this year.
-- Rabble Rouser - Thu, 13 Mar 2003 16:46:40 -0500

6Jungle Kitty
Jungle Kitty's stories are always well written. Her longer K/Brandt piece this year, "Family Mythology," was fun for its glimpse of Kirk's family, and was funny and moving by turns. I thought her story "Dear Miss Lovelorn," was the most hilarious thing posted to ASC this year. When Jungle Kitty is on, it's dangerous to read her humorous stories--especially if eating or drinking--cuz you may choke with laughter. And this series of letters--each done in perfect character, was Jungle Kitty at her hilarious best. Equally funny and charming was "Monday Morning at the Anti-Matter Cooler."
-- Rabble Rouser - Thu, 13 Mar 2003 16:48:25 -0500

8Kath (Trekkigrrl)
I loved Kath’s "Blast from the Past" It was hilarious from beginning to end with a delightful Chapel I hope to see again and had a great twist. Great fun and an impressive debut piece.
-- Rabble Rouser - Thu, 13 Mar 2003 16:49:12 -0500

10Nesabj
I always enjoy Nesabj's stories and wish we saw more.
-- Rabble Rouser - Thu, 13 Mar 2003 16:49:52 -0500

11Paula Stiles (thesnowleopard)
The Captain's Woman was one of my fav stories this year. I was impressed with this story that so cleverly turns the TOS era sexual politics on it's head. I can only hope she delivers on the urgings for a sequel. And her TOS drabble To Serve in Heaven is that rare memorable drabble with a point.
-- Rabble Rouser - Thu, 13 Mar 2003 16:51:10 -0500

12Rob Morris
Rob Morris has written some interesting stories this year in TOS.
-- Rabble Rouser - Thu, 13 Mar 2003 16:52:28 -0500

15Rocky
Nice to see Rocky do TOS
-- Rabble Rouser - Thu, 13 Mar 2003 16:53:21 -0500

16Saavant
I enjoyed Saavant's two Spock/Saavik stories. Both were very clever and well written. I was particularly impressed with "Growth," the first story I've read to give a credible explanation for Saavik's change in appearance between WOK and SFS. I enjoyed "The Mark of Hellguard" too.
-- Rabble Rouser - Thu, 13 Mar 2003 16:54:07 -0500

18Stephanie Watson
I liked "Closet Space" quite a bit. Wonderful voice, very fun.
-- Rabble Rouser - Thu, 13 Mar 2003 16:54:59 -0500

23Ventura33
"Werewolves of Vulcan" was well written and a lot of fun. Very atmospheric. And I liked her Horta drabble too.
-- Rabble Rouser - Thu, 13 Mar 2003 16:56:10 -0500

25Wildcat
Utoto is well written and features an interesting Perrin, Spock, and Uhura.
-- Rabble Rouser - Thu, 13 Mar 2003 16:56:57 -0500

3Djinn
Djinn is one of those authors who really ought to be a pro. She can go from hilarious in a straight drop to chilling. She definitely knows her way around a plot, and she is one of those authors who can make you like a character you couldn't stand five minutes before you read the story. And, of course, her Carter story shows that she can carry a series with the best of them. She's one of those classic authors we can always point to when we say, "See? Fanfic can be *good*."
-- Paula - Sat, 15 Mar 2003 16:14:02 -0500

13Rabble Rouser
I was slow to read Rabble Rouser's work because, until recently, I wasn't doing much in TOS and that's where she's most active. But her recent story from the POV of Marla McGivers was brilliant, and moreover, it gave other writers ideas. She made Marla sympathetic and surprisingly tough, for a mere mortal. Right up there with her T'Pring fic in rehabilitating a TOS "bad girl".
-- Paula - Sat, 15 Mar 2003 16:17:16 -0500

6Jungle Kitty
Jungle Kitty is an author who has been so long in the genre and is so proficient, both at writing and at writing Trek, that she can go from writing a strong, serious story to hilarious comedy to an even more hilarious parody of some really bad writers without breaking a nail. Ya gotta admire that kind of flexibility in a writer. I sure do.
-- Paula - Sat, 15 Mar 2003 17:16:24 -0500

3Djinn
Djinn's produced an astonishing number of meaty, satisfying TOS stories this year but the range they represent is astonishing. Certinaly Chapel is her character of choice, but neither she nor Christine are stuck in a rut. She's examined relationships between the good doctor and Spock, Kerr, and Kirk. She's done serious and humorous, action/adventure and pure romantic fluff, and just about everything in between. Her characterizations are sure and her plots, especially in the action stories, intricate enough to sustain interest yet not so complex that the reader gets lost. A story by Djinn is going to be worth the time.
-- Penny Proctor - Sat, 15 Mar 2003 20:23:47 -0500

13Rabble Rouser
I love the way Rabble Rouser is able to take female characters orginally seen in the context of the 1960s and give them depth, color and (in some cases) a backbone. Her takes on Edith Keeler and Janice Rand this year were thoughtful and believeable, and her depiction of Marla McGivers was eye-opening. She's one of the best.
-- Penny Proctor - Sat, 15 Mar 2003 20:26:50 -0500

6Jungle Kitty
Does anyone write Kirk like Jungle Kitty? This year, though, her emphasis was on humor and she used TOS to great effect, demonstrating her mastery of both Trek and the art of writing. She's one of the most talented writers I know.
-- Penny Proctor - Sat, 15 Mar 2003 20:50:50 -0500

12Rob Morris
I don't comment often on Rob's stories because I don't always get them at first. (My failing, not his). But he always makes me think, and his imagination is apparently boundless.
-- Penny Proctor - Sat, 15 Mar 2003 20:52:44 -0500

3Djinn
I usually read pairings, but where Djinn is concerned, I read everything. Her characterizations are spot on, her plots are tight and complex. She pairs characters that don't seem to go together, but she makes it work. I'm in awe. Thanks for the great stories, Djinn.
-- Jerie - Sat, 15 Mar 2003 22:31:33 -0500

6Jungle Kitty
Jungle Kitty's stories almost always surprise me with their depth. Even the humorous ones have some gotchas in them. They make me step back and think. I like that.
-- Jerie - Sat, 15 Mar 2003 22:37:58 -0500