I Vid Therefore I Am

We've gasped over the angst. We've sighed over the fluff. We've oohed and awed over the songs that turn us on and turn us to mush when they accompany our favorite scenes.  They make us squee. They make us laugh. They make us bang our heads against the table because we just can't take it anymore.  But, once the video ends and the credits role, we find ourselves compelled to hit replay, give them a thumbs up, and save them to our favorite list because we just have to be able to find their work again.

The vidders who've been nominated for Best Creator have all proven their talents.  They use images of Sam and Jack along with color, effects, music, and their own creative visions to produce unbelievable videos that keep us coming back for more.

Best Creator

Must you be so dramatic?

When it comes to real life, nobody wants a lot of drama. When it comes to Stargate fanfiction and shipping Sam and Jack, however, we say "Bring it on!"

Whether there's angsty separations, creepy significant others, fluff, four weddings and a funeral, we aren't truly happy unless there's something dramatic going on. They create it, get in the middle of it, and just can't help it when the find themselves in dire straits. We welcome their struggle because in the end they all love, um...live happily ever after, right?

Best Drama!

Drama is a genre that relies on the emotional and relational development of realistic characters. Often, dramatic themes are taken from intense, real life issues. Whether heroes or heroines are facing a conflict from the outside or a conflict within themselves, Drama aims to tell an honest story of human struggles.

Celebrating Sam Carter, part II

Last week, we blogged about a couple of the fics nominated in the Best Characterization of Sam Carter category. There were some awesome stories in there that read just like in the show when it came to Sam; today, it's time for the other half of the fics in this wonderful category.

The Continuation of the Best Characterization of Sam Carter Category!

Who are these people?

So you start reading a fic by one of your favorite authors and alongside our favorite foursome there's a new character. You don't know their name. You don't know what they do. And you find out that they are not just any new character, they are a character who plays a big role in the plotline of the story. You freeze, you pause, you debate...do I keep reading and give this "new" person a chance or do I change the page with a click of my mouse and go back to what I know?

Like all of the fiction nominated for these awards, the fiction nominated in the category of Best Original Character all have awesome storylines. What sets them apart is the addition of some great original characters who are woven so well into the tapestry of the story that you won't even remember that they are not usually a part of the SGC. 

Best Original Character!

Nominations in this category can be works of any length, genre or rating. Original characters must appear in more than three scenes and have dialogue. The work is being judged on how well the author has developed an original character, not necessarily on the work as a whole.

Ready for some giggles?

After all the angsty, dark and twisty stuff from the past couple of posts, it's time for something a little bit lighter. Just beware, your cheeks might start cramping from all the grinning and/or laughing!

Best Comedy!

Fics in this category must include elements of humor or comedy. Crack fics are nominated in this category.

Bet you didn't see that one coming!

The plot twist.  That part of any story where the bottom falls out and makes you re-wind (or re-read) to find out where you'd missed the clues.  Because even if we couldn't see it coming, we really, really want to once we know it's there...don't we?

We included this category for just that purpose - the moment when your expectations are turned on their heads and suddenly you're looking at a story in a different light.  It's fun, it's exciting... it's a plot a twist.  And we've got several on the ballot for you!

Best Plot Twist

Fics in this category are being judged on how unexpected a plot twist is as well as how deftly that plot twist is handled/resolved.

From friends to lovers...

Some claim it was love at first sight. There are those who think it was just lust at first sight and, well, can you blame them? Both of them look ridiculously hot! Others think they didn't even like each other, or at least not in that way. 

Perhaps it's like the chicken and the egg... which came first, the attraction/lust/love or friendship? Whichever you prefer, there's no denying there are some fabulous opportunities for fanfiction writers here. That's why we decided to have the following category...

Best Friendship/Pre-ship!

Fics in this category must highlight the friendship between Sam and Jack and/or their relationship prior admitting to themselves or each other that they have romantic feelings for one another.

From a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed captain to a seasoned commander - fandom celebrates Sam Carter

Sam Carter. One of the best female role models on TV, ever. Reason enough to inspire a whole category on its own: the Best Characterization of Sam.

A strong and intelligent character who doesn't rely on her looks to help her get what she wants. No, Sam is just a kick-ass soldier with a brilliant mind, who just happens to be an attractive woman as well. Not that there's anything wrong with being good-looking - after all, none of the men on SG-1 could be called ugly by any stretch of the imagination.

Although Sam's first appearance wasn't the best - even the biggest fans have to admit there were some cringe-worthy lines there - she managed to pique everyone's interest and quickly proved her worth to the men. Just because she's a girl doesn't mean she can't fire an M5/P90 with deadly accuracy, pull a brilliant plan out of her six or blow up a sun!

Clearly, she's not your typical female character in a TV show. She's not perfect either; like everyone, she has her flaws (two psycho ex-fiances, albeit in varying degrees, for starters) and that's what makes her so great. Sam is a genius in a field usually dominated by men and an officer in the United States Air Force - or "this man's army", in the words of Janet Fraiser's ex-husband - but like any normal person she makes her share of mistakes and isn't afraid to own up to them. 

Her intelligence and strong persona can be difficult to write for even the most experienced writers. Everyone interprets certain behavior and interactions differently, which complicates things like characterization but deep down there are certain things that are just Sam and everyone can agree on that. Like how despite Sam's analytic mind she has a big heart and isn't always the most confident in her own abilities - not to mention her bad track record with men. The following fanfictions have all been nominated because the authors did a great job when writing Sam!

Well, that's enough of us going on and on about the awesomeness that is Samantha Carter. Let's start with the first half of the nominated fics in this category!

Best Characterization of Sam Carter!

Enter the cavern at your own risk...

We've got it!  You want it!  So, we're bringing on the angst...again.

No matter the genre, when it comes to Sam and Jack, there just has to be some angst involved in telling their story. Destined to be together yet constantly forced apart, our favorite couple continually find themselves pining for one another. But, whether they are literally worlds apart or desperately trying to have "normal" lives, happily ever after isn't always how the story ends.

So, make yourself a cuppa, curl up in your favorite chair, and get lost in the Cavern with these fiction nominees for Best Angst.

The continuation of the Best Angst category!

From a man on a brink to 'The Man' - fandom celebrates Jack O'Neill

Jack O'Neill.  For many he's enough to inspire a litany all on his own.  For that reason, the Best Characterization of Jack category was born.

He's a tough character to write.  With his distinctive speech patterns, O'Neill-isms, projected personality and soft under-belly, writing him is like trying to level a balance with pinfeathers.  

But when a writer gets it right, it's undeniable.  Jack O'Neill jumps off the page and the reader can practically hear his voice and feel his emotion.

This category is deep with incredibly written Jack O'Neill.  Let's see what the readers had to say.

Category: Best Characterization of Jack

Say what?

One of the most important things about writing fanfiction is getting the dialogue just right. It's not only about characterization and getting the characters' voices down on paper, but also phrasing it correctly without using dialogue tags. Sometimes, the way words are spoken say so much more than they seem to and it's difficult to convey that through written words.

The Committee decided the Awards would be a great opportunity place this kind of excellent writing in the spotlight.

Best Dialogue

Nominations in this category can be works of any length, genre or rating. The work is being judged on the quality of the dialogue, not necessarily on the work as a whole.

The Others

As you know, these Awards are all about our favorite ship - Sam/Jack. However, that does not mean we don't like the other characters from Stargate: SG-1. As a matter of fact, most of us shippers love (almost) all of the other characters, from the mains to regulars to guests. Aside from having great personalities, most of them are also considered fellow shippers, so the Committee decided to include a special category for Best Characterization of Other Canon Character!

We have four fanfics that were nominated in this category, for different characters. Well, we'll let you see for yourself.

Best Characterization of Other Canon Characters 

Nominations in this category can be works of any length, genre or rating. The work is being judged on how well the author portrayed any canon character other than Jack O'Neill or Samantha Carter, not necessarily on the work as a whole. Nominations in this category must include the name of the character to be considered. However, there must be at least some shippy undertones in the story for it to qualify.

Crossing the Quantum Divide

Don't worry, we haven't forgotten about those last three fics that were nominated in Best Alternate Reality! We were just trying to highlight as many different fan works as possible over the past few days and since we're only human (and have real lives), we haven't gotten around to doing them all yet.

So, without further ado, here are the last three fanfics from the Best Alternate Reality category!

"Under no circumstances is it to be used to travel through time..."

Over the weekend, we shared a couple of highlights with you from our Best Alternate Timeline category. Today, we have a few more! They vary from different takes on episodes set in an alternate timeline to time travel, be that accidental or otherwise. Today's selection has long and short fics, so there's something for everyone!

Are you ready? Grab your gear and step into your jumper because here's...

The Continuation of the Best Alternate Timeline Category!

AT fics are defined as stories that involve a way to travel in time and change the past and/or future, thereby altering events that result in a different timeline.

Examples from the show are 2010, Moebius, Unending and Continuum.

"One little change has a ripple effect and it affects everything else."

One theme that is pretty much inescapable for science fiction is time travel: Stargate SG-1 played with this theme several times, even including actual time travel episodes like 1969, 2010, Moebius and the Continuum movie. Of course, fanfiction writers just love to pick up where TPTB left off or, er, improve an alternate timeline because they felt it was lacking... something. Sometimes it's just the 'ship that needs an extra bit of attention but there are also some great stories out there involving alternate timelines that are very original.

In today's post, we're gonna take a look at a number of nominations for the Sam & Jack Multimedia Awards in the...

Best Alternate Timeline category!

Micro fiction or drabbles?

If you are a big fan of really short stories, then you might already be familiar with fanfic terminology like micro-fiction and drabbles. However, there's a good chance some of you may not know what one or both of them entails. So, we asked a very loyal, die-hard shipper to help us explain what micro-fiction and drabbles are; are they the same thing or are there differences?

Without further ado, let us introduce you to Doctor Daniel Jackson who, unlike normal briefings, will give us a very brief explanation to keep with the theme!

The Best of the Micro-Fiction Category!

Fork in the road stuff

At the beginning of the week we brought you the third blog post about the amazing fics nominated in the Best Alternate Reality category, but we're not done yet; here are three more!

Two of them are a few years old and one is by a new author, but that doesn't necessarily make one more popular than the other. All three are relatively long, multi-chapter stories though, so make yourself comfortable before settling in to read!

The Continuation of the Best Alternate Reality Category

Ogle This! Part 2

They take our favorite scenes, break them down, slow them down, speed them up, change the colors and highlight and emphasize the shippy goodness that sometimes hides between the lines.  The SG-1 Fandom is lucky to have some very talented artists who love to create gifs for all of us to enjoy.  Get ready to be entranced as we look at artists nominated in the Art Category of Best Animated.

Through the Looking Glass

A week ago we started highlighting some of the nominations in the Best Alternate Reality category and, since this one is quite popular, here are some more!

The continuation of the Best Alternate Reality Category

Chuck Lorre has nothing on fandom

One of the most popular ways for people to jump into fanfiction - both reading and writing - is the ever-present episode tag.  Tags allow fans to speculate on what may have happened after the credits rolled.  The Sam/Jack ship is no stranger to this format.  Since the early episodes the fandom has been speculating about exactly what may have transpired between the officers once the screen faded to black.

As we showcase our nominees, here's some of the things readers are saying about a few of the Best Tag nominees:

Category: Best Tag