2016 Awards Ceremony – Special awards

[Renos]

Today, eight special awards are being presented to recognise players for specific aspects of simming or OOC work, such as going that extra mile for the Training Team, investing time and effort in forum participation that draws other people in or continuing to be a dedicated and reliable simmer despite having to overcome and sort of disadvantage while simming. 

Just like with the duty post awards, only one of each award is given each year, with one notable exception: The Xalor Clan Xifilis award is given to any player who has overcome any sort of disadvantage while simming. We don’t compare and weigh one person’s struggles against another but rather award this to all eligible and deserving candidates who are nominated for it. Only the very best are chosen so they are highly coveted awards that every player has a chance to be considered for by getting involved and giving it their best. 

The nominations in these categories are reviewed by a panel of five staff members: two commanders and three members ranked captain or above.
 

The Rising Star Award

For members who show great promise in many facets of their participation in the group, and to whom we look to as a future leader.

Roshanara Rahman, USS Invicta

Presented by Aron Kells & Cassandra Egan Manno: "Rich has been the finest first officer I've worked with during my time as a CO, and I don't mean that as hyperbole. However, he's no longer a first officer, and he counts himself among the recipients of the Strange Medallion, the coveted award that recognizes the finest first officers in the fleet. This year, it's my pleasure to present Rich with the Rising Star Award shortly after his assumption of the COship of the Invicta. Though it's only been a few months since he did so, and only half a year since the last awards, he's somehow improved on the high level of success I had the pleasure of speaking about in my last awards presentation. He maintains thoughtful, active roles on many teams around the fleet, including the FNS (for which he was the driving force in launching) and on the wiki, and he is a notable and thoughtful voice both on the Captain’s Council and, now, on the public Executive Council. He's already improved on Invicta's functioning, too, notably with the introduction of a Player Achievement system (http://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php/Invicta_Player_Achievements) to help guide our writers through promotions and give them ideas for what to do next when they're stuck and not sure what to sim. His desire for knowledge of and involvement in all aspects of Starbase 118's operations, and his drive to work towards group success, ensures that he already has a long string of triumphs behind him and that his star will continue to rise. 

 

Luminary Award

For those who show great promise in their future endeavours in UFOP: Starbase 118 RPG. Given to members holding the rank of ensign, lieutenant junior grade, or lieutenant.

Rustyy Hael, USS Constitution

Presented by Jalana Rajel: "Sometimes you meet players for the first time and you just know that they will be special. One of these players I had the pleasure to mentor and see grow to a shining light in our fantastic community. Noelle, the player of Chief Engineer Rustyy Hael, has been an asset from the first time she simmed and only grew in time to a player I wouldn't want to miss. Her enthusiasm in simming and OOC work is simply contagious. Within a short time I knew that I wanted her on my staff and she would say she was tickled pink when I asked her. She has supported every player on the Constitution, she pours idea after idea into plots, gives characters a unique voice and makes sure that everyone has a bunch of fun. She goes above and beyond in her OOC work and simply enjoys to share her talents with those who can make good use of them. I have no doubt that Noelle will go far in SB118 and I can't wait for her to engulf everyone in her bubbly nature and creativity. I could not imagine a better choice for the very first Luminary Award recipient. Congratulations Noelle, you truly deserved it and we are very proud of you!"

 

The Boothby Award

For trainers who go above and beyond their Academy training requirements. These trainers display an outstanding example of dedication to bringing new cadets to our community.

Maxwell Traenor, USS Darwin

Presented by Selene Faranfey: "When it comes to the academy, the name that has stood out is Lt. Commander Maxwell Traenor. Since day one he has always made himself available to the academy staff in any position and provided his utmost care and diligence in leading classes. He received good reviews from the cadets training him, introduced them to the world of simming in ways that inspired confidence and enthusiasm. Lt. Commander Traenor is undoubtedly the best choice for the 2016 Boothby award. Congratulations, Maxwell!"

 

Quark's Bar

Quark's Bar is a special award and is awarded to members who are regularly active on the forums and have been supportive and involved in conversations enhancing the overall forum experience.

Raissa Moonsong, USS Invicta

Presented by Aron Kells & Cassandra Egan Manno: "It's my privilege to award the inaugural Quark's Bar to the fine writer who inspired it! Mandy, aka Raissa Moonsong, has been a force to reckon with on the forums since she joined Starbase 118, and when I was brainstorming awards to suggest commissioning for this awards ceremony, I thought about her accomplishments on the forums and how such accomplishments should be showcased to the entire fleet.

"Mandy's impressive videos and toons have become an Invicta staple, and they've inspired similar toons and graphics threads on many other ships. To date, she's provided over thirteen forums pages and three hundred toons of the Invicta crew (and plenty of guests, as well), and she continues to submit video trailers, teasers, and credit sequences to celebrate mission launches and the beginnings of shore leave (under her 'production company,' Koala Video Productions). In all honesty, I don't know how she does it all--but I do know that we're glad she does, because her presence and dedication raises the quality of the forums experience for everyone she encounters. Congratulations and thanks for all your participation and good work, Mandy!"

 

The Xalor Clan Xifilis Award

Given to any simmer who overcomes any sort of disadvantage while simming. This award was originally called the "Rachel Garett Pendant," but was renamed for the 2000 ceremony to to honor a respected simmer in UFOP: StarBase 118 who passed away in that year. This is the only Special Award that is given more than once per ceremony.

Renos, USS Darwin

Presented by Aron Kells & Cassandra Egan Manno: "One of the things many of our simmers say is that they aspire to be as good as the future in which they write. Star Trek presents an egalitarian view of the future in which skin color, heritage, class, sex, gender, and more are no longer used as a basis for judgment and discrimination. But as ideal as that future may be, we're often a long way from it in the real world, and so it's more important than ever that we recognize those simmers whose real struggles represent positive movement toward Star Trek's idealism. I'm very pleased to recognize James with one of this year's Xalor Clan Xifilis Awards for the way he's faced his personal challenges with grace and dignity and, at the same time, has accomplished creating a safe space for his simmers to experiment with nonbinary and judgment-less characters by leading the way with his J'naii primary character, Renos. This Xalor Clan Xifilis Award recognizes the physical and emotional demands James has dealt with and the positive impact he has made and continues to make on our community. James makes our community a much richer, more inclusive place, and we are very lucky to have him here!"

 

Tyr Waltas, Embassy of Duronis II

Presented by Toni Turner: "Captain Waltas suffered with debilitating pain finally ending in surgery and a long recovery time. Other than the time in surgery and recovery, he pushed on with his sims, and since he has been back he has returned to his normal simming. From what I understand, the pain was excruciating and it was very difficult to sit at a computer for any length of time, but he remained steadfast in his membership on the Embassy/Thunder and the Captain Counsel, both as a staff member. 

 

Boris Hendon, Embassy of Duronis II

Presented by Toni Turner: "He has suffered the after effects of a heart malfunction, and although his sims are short he never fails to bring humor into them. He has maintained his loyalty as a Embassy/Thunder crew member, and as a staff member - as Captain Sam Perkins- by participating in the Captain's Counsel. It is my honor to present the Xalor Clan Xiflis Award to Lt. Commander Boris Hendon!" 

 

T'Mihn Ah'mihghan, Embassy of Duronis II

Presented by Toni Turner: "T'Mihn has not only improved as a simmer, she has done a masterful job of characterization, and simming several times a week, a feat not made easy while battling vision problems. It is with great pride that I present Lt. Commander T'Mihn Ah'mihghan with this award. 

 

Please join us in congratulating all the winners on their hard work this year. 

And many thanks to everyone who submitted the nominations that led to these presentations!

Edited June 26, 2016 by FltAdml. Wolf

[+ Alexander Williams]

Congratulations to all the winners!

 

[+ Trellis Vondaryan]

Congratulations everyone!

[Renos]

The Xalor Clan Xifilis award is in my book a really important one and I was delighted last year to see one of my crew (Brell) as well as my real life partner (Ben Edwards) recognised with it. There are all kinds of things in life that make players move on from the birth of children, moving house, new jobs, taking up full time study etc which are all ordinary, big, life-changing events. So when people are facing a disadvantage of some kind but choose to stick with us and continue to sim when it might be easier just to step back - I have massive respect and appreciation for those people. So to Waltas, Hendon and T'Mihn - you all have my respect, admiration and thanks for continuing to stick with us and be the fantastic and wonderful people you are. Your awards are well deserved, so congratulations - keep being awesome.  

[+ Kamoyo Aleksandrov]

Congratulations to everyone. 

Special congrats to my minion-in-training Rich!

[Sal Taybrim]

Congratulations to everyone!

Another big shout out to Noelle aka Rustyy Hael - way to go, Lieutenant!  The Conny might be lost without you, and I'm so glad to see you recognized with such high honors!  I can't think of a better luminary in the fleet right now!  Hip, hip hurrah!!

[Jalana]

A celebratory Hip Hip hooray for the very deserving winners!

Of course I'm especially proud of Noelle and her work that deserves the win of the Luminary Award. The Conny wouldn't be the same without you, and I wouldn't be either. I'm so happy for you, so proud of you, and - as you say - tickled pink to not only call you my mentee and fellow writer but also my friend. 

I'm also thrilled to see James (Renos) be awarded the Xalor Clan Xifilis Award. I've had the pleasure to write with you on the Apollo and walk with you ever since. You have worked so hard and got through so many hurdles. It was a pleasure to see you grow and overcome obstacles, and work hard to make this whole SB experience the best for everyone. The award is so very well deserved!

And Maxwell, I still weep over you leaving the Apollo back then, but I'm so proud of you and how far you've come! Keep rocking the show!

Raissa was one of my cadets in the Academy and boy, you're amazing! It's always special to see someone grow from the beginning to the present and way beyond that. You are ever present in the forums and I just love seeing you in action.

[Graeme Cook]

Well done to you all in your awards won! I'm so happy to be part of such an amazing community especially since it has such a diverse and amazing people! 

[Tony, aka Rouiancet]

So many congratulations to all of our winners!

If you guys haven't seen Mandy's amazing working with the videos and toons, I'd encourage you to swing by the Invicta forums. It isn't every day that you win an award you inspired--and I mean it very much when I say that the impressiveness she's brought to the forums was the reason I proposed Quark's Bar in the first place. Well done!

Also, a special shoutout to our first Luminary Award winner! Over the years, I've seen some very impressive junior members come through (many of whom have ended up as captains or above), and this year, I thought it would be appropriate to ensure that one of those most impressive junior members was recognized with a fleet award. The Rising Star Award is awesome, of course, but I know it's often difficult to stand out when you're a lieutenant or below because lieutenant commanders and above seem to have access to things that you don't. But what I really appreciate about Noelle as the inaugural winner is that she's gone out there and shown that she can do it all already--I couldn't believe the impressive job her nominators said she'd done as acting XO, and the rest of her record is just as impressive. Well done you!

And to this year's rising star, Rich--I can only add that it's been one of the greatest pleasures of my simming career to have spent the last few years writing with you and, now, watching you become the captain I knew you could be. Congratulations!

[Oddas Aria]

Congratulations all!

[Jordan aka FltAdmlWolf]

I want to join in the kudos for our Rising Star recipient, Rich, who you folks know has been tirelessly working to improve our community over the past few years, first on the wiki, then on the forums, then as a commanding officer of the Invicta! He's been a pleasure to work with each and every time I've come in contact with him, and I've always appreciated the way that he stands up for his convictions in a respectful and thoughtful manner, challenging me and other members of the staff to be as transparent and fair as possible. He's a leader for the people, and I can't thank him enough for everything he's done. 

Congratulations as well to the other winners – your dedication to the group has been noticed and appreciated! Without folks like Maxwell Traenor, on the Training Team, we wouldn't be able to run great classes every week. And without folks like Moonsong and Hael, our forums and OOC lists wouldn't be quite as much fun as they are. You all deserve these accolades – you've certainly earned them! 

[Ayiana Sevo]

Congratulations to everyone! Except for Renos, whom I knew by his Trill Janel Tarna, I don't know anyone here personally, but I'm sure each and every one of them deserve these awards!

[Paul Sharpe]

congratulations to all

[+ Salkath]

Congratulations to each and every one of you! Rich was one of the first people I interacted with in SB118, as the CO of my Academy class, and it's been truly a pleasure to watch his ascent in the group ever since. I'll echo the presenters' comments about Moonsong's contributions on the forum, as I've definitely been inspired by her work and have tried to emulate some of her fantastic ideas myself.  When I worked with Noelle in an Academy class, she was a stout and conscientious trainer, and I hope to see her go far! And I have nothing but respect and pride for anyone who overcomes adversity in any form in order to continue to contribute to our fleet. To each and every recipient of the Xalor Clan Xifilis award, we love ya and urge you to keep on keeping on with your fantastic dedication!

[T'Mihn]

Thank you for the awards and congratulations. I was surprised. In fact any time I get one I'm shocked.: -).congratulations you guys and gals are amazing. 

[Selene Faranfey]

Congratulations Rustyy Hael, I haven't worked with you much except through the academy, but you are a shining light in the Academy, and I heard the same about you on the Conny. I am not surprised you won the Luminary Award, I look forward to seeing you continue to grow in the Fleet!

Maxwell Traenor, I am going to summarize my presentation in just one word. Wow. Your ability, dedication, compassion and professionalism shine in every class you have participated in, you are amazing and deserve this award! Alright, not just one word. Thank you for being such a wonderful influence on the academy.

To those who won 'The Xalor Clan Xifilis Award', I wasn't aware the number of challenges that were being simmed through. I want to say you all are an inspiration for continuing to be here, participating with the group, through your difficulties.

[T'Mar/Mel]

Well, I wrote a really long and heartfelt post and then the forums apparently ate it because it never posted. For now I will simply say congrats!!!

[Kurt Logan]

Being on the Darwin i count myself extremely fortunate to have both Captain Renos and Commander Traenor to learn from, and can vouch for the ability and grace even when being tested (whoops). To everyone else the strength in depth clearly shows how good this group really is 

Congratulations to all

[Christopher Lambert]

Congratulations to everyone and specially for Jay, my instructor on Academy, and Renos my good captain.