Writers' Study Yearly Awards 2019-2020
The Awards Ceremony Garden Party
The Great Hall of the Writers’ Study, the traditional venue for the Yearly Awards ceremony, was dark when Turkafinwë arrived. The unlit candles cast no light to illuminate the blue and silver patterns on his Writers’ Study robes. No Writers’ Study imps chittered, skittered or bustled as they usually did before an important ceremony. No flames danced in the Hall’s stone hearths. Where there should be warmth, chatter and laughter, there was empty silence, illuminated by pale moonlight from the high windows. The After Action Reports, the poetry, the tales of past, present and future worlds, the fellowship of writers in the Study - had it all just been a dream?
Turkafinwë heard the booming of drums from somewhere outside the Hall, saw flashes of light from the high windows and heard a loud popping, crackling sound. It was as if the gardens of the Great Hall were being invaded by goblins and trolls from the deepest levels of the ink caves, and were being repelled by imps with muskets or rifles. There was a crack of thunder and a flash of golden light through the upper windows. This provided just enough light for Turkafinwë to see a small figure, cloaked and hooded, waving him to follow as the figure disappeared through a door in the furthest corner of the Hall.
It wasn’t the carriage ride itself which caused High Delivery, kghdodge and Shoebopp to worry. Writers’ Study imps had shown them to their seats and warmly congratulated them on being nominated for Best Newcomer. Most other guests would walk to the ceremony, but as Best Newcomer nominees, they would ride in style. The carriage seemed sturdy and comfortable. It had padded seats, was painted in Writers’ Study blue and was drawn by a pair of grey horses.
What worried High Delivery, kghdodge and Shoebopp was the excited cheer from the imps at the front of the carriage, the crack of thunder and the flash of golden light which lit up the night air. There was a rustling sound (as if a pair of giant eagles were unfurling their wings). After a sudden lurch, they were alarmed to see the ground retreating further every moment, as the carriage leapt into the air. Looking out of the carriage window, High Delivery said, “Hey, did the horses have wings when we got in? They do now!”
When they landed at the gardens of the Great Hall, another crack of thunder and flash of golden light heralded their arrival, and the horses were once again without wings. Happy but slightly unsteady, High Delivery, kghdodge and Shoebopp emerged from the carriage into the party at the centre of the garden, where a group of imps wearing robes and carrying tankards were forming a semi-circle on a wooden stage, while guests arrived and were offered drinks and chocolates by grinning imps.
When Derc, DreamKing, Welsh Dragon, Napoleon Complex, Wahram1991 and Kilo11 arrived at the gate-house where nominees for the AAR of the Year had been directed, they found smiling imps dressed in tunics and cloaks, in the style of ancient Greeks. The imps offered them elven wine in glasses the colour of sapphires, shining with silver knot-work patterns. When the imps began to direct them along a torch-lit path through the gardens which surround the Great Hall, Napoleon Complex wondered if they should wait for High Delivery and Turkafinwë. He was relieved when Derc explained that the Best Newcomer nominees, such as High Delivery, were due to arrive by carriage. “Yeah, they’re in for a surprise!” said Kilo. Welsh suggested that Turkafinwë was probably supervising the Writers’ Study imps, as they are known to have a rather playful sense of humour.
The path from the gate-house had a line of fir trees on each side, each bearing a circlet of lighted candles. As they walked along the path, the sand underfoot was curiously warm, even though sky was dark except for the glittering stars. At the party’s far end was a wooden stage lit by lamps, where a choir of happy imps were singing a cheery seasonal song and waving tankards as they sang.
A long-boat with a navy blue and grey dragon’s head prow, rowed by energetic imps, carried Dubh the dark, Kyriakos and Basileos Leandros I to the dock where nominees for Creative Writing of the Year arrived. Booming sounds rang out across the water as a small team of imps in the stern of the boat struck their drums. They weren’t all striking their drums at exactly the same time, and at times the boat swung a little to the left or the right, but the drummers and the rowers seemed very happy in their work.
After Dubh, Kyriakos and Basileos Leandros alighted from the boat, the imp rowers and drummers followed them to centre of the gardens. As they walked, they heard sudden pops and crackling sounds. The night sky exploded with showers of bright colours, as fire-works entertained the guests. As they reached the stage at the centre of the garden, the guests were assembling around the stage, watching expectantly.
Turkafinwë entered the gardens from the Great Hall, following a small imp in a hooded cloak. Caillagh passed Turkafinwë a glass of elven wine and Alwyn shared a plate of chocolates as the three of them walked on to the stage.
Following Writers’ Study tradition, there was a brief scuffle among an excited group of imps who had been waiting impatiently by a table on which were seven scrolls. An imp emerged triumphantly from the squabbling imps waving a slightly bent and smudged scroll, which she handed proudly to Turkafinwë to announce the winner of Best Newcomer.
In the Best Newcomer category, the winner is … High Delivery! High Delivery receives four Writers’ Study competition points. He now needs just two more points for a bronze Writers’ Study Competition Medal.
Caillagh presented the AAR of the Year awards. Fortunately, the excited imps had calmed down a little, and there was only the briefest of struggles over which imps would carry these scrolls to the stage.
In the AAR of the Year category, the 3rd place win goes to Derc, for Derc Plays Through World History! This win earns Derc two Writers’ Study competition points, bringing him another step closer to a gold Writers’ Study Competition Medal.
The 2nd place win goes to Kilo11, for Written in Sand! This win gives Kilo three Writers’ Study competition points, giving him the all-time third highest score in the Hall of Fame.
In 1st place this year is Turkafinwë, for To earn a Kingdom! This win earns Turk four Writers’ Study competition points, earning him a silver Writers’ Study Competition Medal!
Three imps walked on to the stage together, each offering a scroll to Alwyn. There was a brief period of whispering, and only the guests nearest to the stage could hear Alwyn telling the imps that they were supposed to arrive one at a time, starting with the 3rd place winner. Even the closest guests couldn’t hear the imps’ reply. They could hear Alwyn looking startled and replying, “Oh! I see,” before making an announcement:
In the Creative Writing of the Year category, three entries were included in a tie-breaker. They were Old Soldier by Dubh the dark, Swords Made of Letters by Basileos Leandros I and World War 0 by Shoebopp. They jointly win 1st place and all receive 4 Writers’ Study competition points.
With these wins, Basileos Leandros earns a silver Writers’ Study Competition Medal! Dubh and Shoebopp need just two more points for a bronze Writers’ Study Competition Medal.
The choir of imps sang, more imps passed around what seemed to be an endless supply of drinks and snacks and everyone celebrated under the glittering stars.