The nominations have been gathered, the tallies have been counted, the TBRs have exploded to dangerous levels, and we have now entered ROUND 2 of The Silmaril Awards 2021!
Welcome back, everyone! Last week we called upon all you great questors and fantasy connoisseurs to nominate and second all your most beloved (and perhaps unbeloved, in some cases) literary fantasy characters. And what a rollicking week it proved to be! The ENTHUSIASM. The sheer amount of CHARACTERS. The delightful new books discovered and discovering of friends who shared favorite reads. It was a grand ol’ time and us hosts are always thrilled to see so much excitement and participation.
Over the weekend we counted all those nominations and seconds, which means today we get to reveal who made it to the top five in each category! And then YOU get to vote (via an easy peasy voting form) who gets to go home with a coveted Silmaril!
Here on my little internet space I’ve had the absolute PLEASURE of hosting the category of Most Magnificent Dragon. In 5 days’ time, you epic readers nominated 58 dragons total. FIFTY-EIGHT DRAGONS. Which means, as host, I have had 58 scaly, fire-breathing houseguests to contend with and— *CRASH* Not again! Erm, please stand by for just a moment.
“If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times, no, you can not devour my neighbors! — Is that another burn spot on the carpet? — What do you mean you’ve already eaten everything in the pantry? I restocked it this morning! — Watch the tail! That’s the eighth broken pot this week! — Everyone get outside!”
*returns with a frazzled smile and singed hair*
Pardon that little interruption. Nothing to worry about, nothing at all. We’re having a fabulous time over here! Though I…ran out of burn cream days ago and my house may or may not be standing on its last leg. But it’s fiiiine. How can one be sad when surrounded by dragons? Really now? It’s been a week of BBQ parties, s’mores, and Dragon Tales marathons.
(And maybe a few lectures here and there of “Eat Not Thy Neighbor”, but I digress.)
Last week I mentioned I had to host them all for 3 weeks, completely forgetting that I actually am to send everyone but the top 5 home today. I mean, not to say there aren’t a few I’m not terribly sad to see go… >.> But I’ve gotten to host a lot of gracious houseguests as well. (Dragons can be the epitome of politeness, you know.) And I have received some great tips on how to instill terror into the hearts of men and the best methods of conquering a village or two. Ah yes, it’s been a very beneficial week indeed.
But, alas, it is time to say goodbye to 53 of these guests. I still get to keep 5 of them though, and 5 who have proven to be delightful companions indeed! Well, one of them is rather demanding and keeps threatening to incinerate everyone (I don’t think he means it though) and another FWOOMs all over the place, but still…
Top Five Nominees
The top 5 Most Magnificent Dragons of 2021 are…
- Shardas (Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George)
Shardas, a male dragon sporting golden scales and sapphire horns, is a most noble and proud member of his kind. Instead of eating humans as many claim, Shardas proves dragons can be the best of races when he rescues and befriends a young lady. Shardas’ cave is a sight to behold. For, no, he does not collect gold as many would assume, but instead claims hold to an array of beautiful stained glass windows. Polite, well-mannered, and with a touch of wry humor, Shardas represents the best of dragon-kind.
- Hulwen (The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson)
Hulwen is red-scaled and daughter of Yurgen, the king of the sea dragons. Though a great tragedy struck her leaving her terribly scarred, Hulwen chose not to seek revenge. Saddened over the world’s darkness, she instead rises up with courage and determination to fight for what is right, exemplifying what a truly good dragon can be.
- The Daisha (Moonscript by H.S.J. Williams)
It is only acceptable to refer to her as THE Daisha, as she is the last of her kind. As such, she was rescued by the elves as a kit and became close friend to Prince Errance. Very loyal and protective, she is certainly one you want on your side. Instead of scales, this beautiful creature is covered in fur. But, as all good dragon-like creatures are, she is not above a healthy dose of sass.
- Malcolm Blackfire (The Afterverse books by Kyle Robert Shultz)
Short tempered and quick to threaten anyone who annoys him (which is pretty much everyone) with incineration, Malcolm Blackfire is certainly the type to instill terror in the hearts of men and magical beings alike. (Though it has never been confirmed whether he has actually made good on his threats.) In his natural form, he’s a great, red-scaled dragon, but he also has the ability to shapeshift into a distinguished looking gentleman. Not that he particularly likes to, as dragons is the only species that matters of course. Though his methods are sometimes on the morally gray side, Malcolm’s focus is for the greater good. With a complicated backstory and enough snark to fill two or three oceans, he is certainly a dragon worth noticing.
- Julio Aquino (The Afterverse books by Kyle Robert Shultz)
In his natural form, Julio is a green-scaled dragon, but unlike Malcolm he frequents his human form, appearing to be a young Spaniard-looking man. Though don’t be fooled, his youthful appearance and personality belies his true ancient age. There is much to be resolved from his past, and he has a tendency to cause mayhem and play pranks wherever he goes, but his heart is in the right place. Carefree, mischievous, and fiercely loyal, Julio is the type of friend everyone needs. Even if he does have a bad habit of making things go FWOOM.
And those, ladies and gentlemen, are our top five dragons for 2021’s Silmaril Awards! All very worthy contenders who—
*GROWL CRASH SWOOSH BANG*
Oh good grief…
– please stand by –
“I’m sorry, the people have spoken. You must all go home! — There’s always next year to— What?! No, you most certainly cannot fight your way to the top. This is a civilized, organized event that does not include bloodshed, maiming, or combustion. — Absolutely not! Shoo with you. — No more Dragon Tales marathons, you’ve watched it all the way through 4 times now. — I don’t have any gold for you to take. And no, you can’t have my wallet! — Off with you all. Go on now! Get!”
Once more, I apologize for the interruption. Some of the other nominees were a bit…sour about not making it to the top five. Dragons, you know. They all think they’re #1. Thank goodness these last five are all rather polite. Well, Malcolm and Julio won’t stop bickering and all the noise is making Shardas rather grumpy. Thankfully Hulwen and The Daisha are helping me keep things under control. Maybe I can survive a couple of more weeks…
“Malcolm, stop threatening incinerations! Sheesh!”
Yep, gonna survive just fine. :)))
Voting Form
At last the time has come for your final task! But choose wisely, questor, for this determines who will win the most coveted lifetime Silmaril Award in each category!
Head to THIS LINK to find the voting form!
Voting ends Friday, September 17th at Midnight CST, so do be sure to make your choices before then!
NOTE: You do not have to go to each blog to vote. Each category is conveniently placed all together in the single voting form. BUT you should still totally go to everyone’s blogs to be introduced to all the top nominees in each category!
Once more I must stress that we SilmAwards hosts are not liable for any existential crises that may occur. Yes, we understand having to choose just ONE character in each category can make even the strongest of minds weep but, well, every quest promises hardships.
The Other Categories
Here are links to all the Finalist Announcements in each category!
- Most Magnificent Dragon – Christine Smith (You are here!)
- Least Competent Henchman – Josiah Dyck
- Most Mischievous Imp – Tracey Dyck
- Strangest Character – DJ Edwardson
- Most Nefarious Villain – Jem Jones
- Wisest Counselor – Kenzie Keene
- Most Majestic Ruler – Sarah Pennington
- Most Epic Heroine – E.E. Rawls
- Most Epic Hero – Madeline J. Rose
- Most Silver Tongue – Jenelle Schmidt
- Most Faithful Friend – Grace Taber
I absolutely cannot wait to see which characters take the spotlight for this year’s SilmAwards!
The Award Ceremonies will run from September 20 – October 2.
Jenelle will be kicking off the first award ceremony on Monday, September 20th with the award for Most Silver Tongue! I’ll be revealing the winner of the dragons on Tuesday, September 28th. See you all back then!
If my house hasn’t completely burned down by then.
Are you excited about the top five chosen? Who do you hope wins? Don’t forget to get your votes in! And thank you SO MUCH for your huge participation during the nominations phase. You guys are epic!
Oh my goodness, I didn’t even think of Shardas and I am so ashamed because I love him so much. Well, guess I’ll just have to vote for him… 😉
Yay for Shardas love! I mean, how can one not love a dragon who collects STAIN GLASS WINDOWS. Shardas is amazing!
Yay! I’m so glad Hulwen made it to the top five!
Do you know I’ve STILL not read the Wingfeather Saga books? *hides in utter shame* I’m gonna do it one day, I am! Hulwen seems like such a fantastic character and I need to properly meet her!
Right? Me too!
Oh my WORD!!!! Christine, this was HILARIOUS and perfection and I simply cannot. XD Also I love how positive you’ve been through all of this. Housing 58 dragons certainly cannot have been easy. But Dragon Tales marathons!!!! PURE GENIOUS. I’ll have to keep that in consideration for the day I draw Magnificent Dragons as my award…. *sweats nervously* XD
*BEAMS* Oh, I’ve loved every single second of it! Having a house full of dragons is totally worth…ya know, not having a house anymore. But yes. Turns out dragons’ love for shiny things transfers over to television. WHO KNEW? Just put a good dragon show on for them and they’ll be occupied for a while. It’s worked quite well. *nods sagely* Of course…when something happens on TV they don’t approve of the TV doesn’t always survive so…there’s always that risk. AHEM.
BUT STILL. DRAGONS. It’s been great!
EEEP!!! I’m SOOO happy Shardas, Malcolm, and Julio made it to the top five! Y’all this is gonna be a TOUGH vote. XD Also, a HUGE round of applause to you for housing 58 dragons and living to tell the tale. 😜 I must say, that meme cracked me up!!! 😂
Gonna be real, I was quite ecstatic to see those three make it to the top as well! 😀 But goodness yesss. Voting this year is going to be SO HARD. GAH.
Why thank you, thank you! I’ve literally been living that meme all week. ;D But also DRAGONS. I can’t complain too hard!
*dying* XDDD You poor thing, surrounded by such flaming creatures! XD But hey, dragons are awesome so at least that’s some consolation to your poor house. XDDD I so need to meet Shardas and Hulwen, but I adore the other dragon finalists! Yay Malcolm!!!! “enough snark to fill two or three oceans”!= accuraaaate! XD (And, yes, Julio and his bad habit of making things go FWOOM. XD) The Please Stand By bits had me in stitches. XD Also, you MUST meet The Daisha sometime! Methinks you’ll love her! Great post and I hope you survive still hosting these highly combustable characters. XD
Bwahahaha! They certainly haven’t been all bad. I mean, I’ve basically been living my dream over here. You know, if it were possible I’d own a dragon farm, so this is the next best thing. ;D
WAIT. You’ve never read Dragon Slippers??? For some reason I was thinking you had. CELTI. YOU’D LOVE THAT BOOK. It’s so delightful. It actually VERY MUCH reminds me of The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, to the point that I often wonder if that was the author’s inspiration. It’s such a fun read! And Shardas is epic, yes!
I DO need to meet The Daisha. She sounds absolutely AMAZING.
*grins* I’m so glad you enjoyed the post! And after having 58 of these creatures in my house, I thiiink I can handle a couple of more weeks of these 5. At least they’re slightly tamer than some (just don’t tell Malcolm I said that…)
My sister read Dragon Slippers and has been after me for yeeears to read it! I really need to!!
You have my pity (yet some envy, because, dragons), but I trust your abilities to handle them… At least it’s down to five. Somewhere, I have rhyming rules for dragons, such as “better our tails were tied than we should have lied”, not that they work all that well. *Hands you yet another fire extinguisher*
Hulwen made it into the top five!!! 🎉. That makes me beyond happy!!!
The Silmaril awards is so awesome. This is my first time participating, and I adore the glorious chaos of the nomination round.
P.S. I know you’re not liable for it, but man, the existential crisis of voting… *Tears*.
Pity and envy are both fitting feelings in this case, yes. XD Rhyming rules for dragons?? OKAY. I LOVE THIS. Dragons do tend to love their riddles and games and whatnot. Maybe I should pull out some rhymes and riddles to entertain these five with. That is a brilliant idea! And thank you for the fire extinguisher! My supply had gotten dangerously low…
I MUST read the Wingfeather Saga books. Hulwen sounds so amazing!
Awwww! I am THRILLED you enjoyed all the chaos of the nominations (it’s my favorite part!) and got to participate this year. We’re always ecstatic to get newcomers! 😀
No, I am not liable but you do have ALL my sympathies. I’ve yet to vote myself because…how can I CHOOSE? *cries with you*
N.D. Wilson’s characters really need to win some awards. Let’s make sure at least one of them wins next year, alright? *glances around* Come on, fellow N.D. Wilson fans!
GREAT post! I love what a horrific mess your house was in because of the dragons. XD
To my great shame, I’ve only read ONE N.D. Wilson book (100 Cupboards). I so, so need to read more! I did notice quite a lot of his characters got nominated this year though, so I suspect we’ll definitely have some Wilson characters with Silmarils in their hands one day!
Awww, thanks! Bwahaha. It’s been…interesting around here. ;D
Heh. Apparently, I should’ve offered you a portal to my dimensional pocket (fireproofed from when I hosted the dragons last year). Maybe some of your more well-off former guests will contribute to repairs? xD
My sister will be very happy that Shardas made it! As for me . . . well, I would normally struggle with this category, but there’s a particular dragon on this list whose Silmaril is WELL overdue.
Clever Sarah is clever! A fireproof dimensional pocket would have been quite handy. I fear my pantry did not survive the week… Ah well, at least I was able to distract them with television. 😉
Shardas is an absolutely SPECTACULAR dragon and I was very, very pleased to see him make it to the top 5. Buuut I think I know who you’re talking about and I couldn’t agree more. *grins*
AHAHAHA What a TIME you’ve been having, Christine xD This post was epic and I’m so happy that some of my favorites made it to the finalists! Can’t wait to see who makes it out 🙂
A time indeed, indeed. XD It’s good practice for the dragon farm I hope to have whenever I fall into a fantasy world and need to make a living. Got to think about these things you know. *nods seriously*
Awww, thanks, girl! So glad you enjoyed the post. And YAY! That makes me happy to hear your favorites made it. I can’t wait to see the results myself. It’s going to be really interesting to see the winners for ALL the categories. So many good contenders!
“It’s been a week of BBQ parties, s’mores, and Dragon Tales marathons.
(And maybe a few lectures here and there of “Eat Not Thy Neighbor”, but I digress.)” *laughing* Oh, my goodness, all these finalists posts have had me grinning all night.
“Malcolm, stop threatening incinerations!”
I definitely know who I’m voting for. 😉
D’awww! I’m so glad we’ve brought you a smile. It’s so much fun doing these! ^_^
Bwahaha. I think quite a few of us are biased toward a certain dragon, but I won’t tell if you won’t.
Yay, my first year voting! I’m glad The Daisha was selected because I haven’t yet met any of the other dragons, haha. 😅 (don’t tell them I said that—I don’t think Malcolm will take to kindly to me not having read his books yet…) *hands you yet another fire extinguisher*
I’m rather jealous you got to have so many dragons! Though on second thought I live in a fire danger zone soooo maybe not so jealous after all because I SO wouldn’t want to explain THAT ONE….
Fire Chief: What started this fire?
Me: Er, one of the many dragons bunking in my home?
Fire Chief: …..
Nope, you can have them after all, Christine. 😜
AAAAAAHHH YAY!!! I’m SO happy to have you along for the fun, Sarah!
Oh hey, I make no judgements there. I’ve actually not officially met The Daisha, shamefully. But her book sounds AMAZING. And oh man, you are in for a TREAT with the Afterverse books. They’re so good!!!
Bwahahaha! That would be rather difficult to explain to the fire department yes…
Well then… *happily hoards ALL the dragons* 😀
:This is a civilized, organized event that does not include bloodshed, maiming, or combustion.” Are you quite SURE about that, Christine?
Haha, this post is FANTASTIC. XD But I am most definitely having an existential crisis trying to choose between dear Shardas and grumpy Malcolm!
I mean…at least we attempt to avoid those things, right? Not to say some years don’t include the occasional combustion. *cough*
Thank you so much! 😀 You know I’m having a fabulous time with these dragons, troublesome houseguest though they can be. And UGH. I KNOW. The choices are hard this year. *sobs
Y’know, when they told that the competition can get pretty heated, they probably never told you it’d be like . . . *vaguely gestures* this. So hopefully you can survive just a little longer. I’d offer my fire extinguisher, but I think the henchmen have been blasting each other in the face with it. 😐
This is, like, the only category where I don’t know any of the characters. It’s a *little* disappointing that more of the characters that I really know and love aren’t nominated. Oh well. Guess I’ll just have to pick whichever dragon sounds the coolest—err, the hottest? XD
*SNORTS* That is quite true indeed. It is definitely heating up in here… And oh dear, yeeeah, you better keep your fire extinguishers. Thankfully these five dragons are MOSTLY well behaved. Hopefully I can keep the rest of my house intact for just a little bit longer. >.>
Awww, that’s a shame! I’ve sadly not officially met Hulwin or The Daisha myself, but they sound awesome. And Shardas, Malcolm, and Julio are some of my FAVES. I definitely recommend their books. I especially think you would LOVE Kyle Robert Shultz’s stories. They’re a riot!
Hi Christine!
…Whoa…. *steps around pile of rubble and through the non-existent doorway* So, I have a few dragons of my own and I know they can make a mess, but 58??? You’re super brave *ducks as debris falls* *passes out a wagon load of burn cream*. I also heard you were out, so I brought more! *grins*. And I remembered to bring more fire extinguishers (can’t have too many, right? If you run out, I have some leftover whip cream.)
Wait!!! You mean the kids’ tv show Dragon Tales??? I used to watch that as a kid too!! Now I’ve gotta go turn it on for my dragons….
“Once more I must stress that we SilmAwards hosts are not liable for any existential crises that may occur. Yes, we understand having to choose just ONE character in each category can make even the strongest of minds weep but, well, every quest promises hardships.”
Christine, I gladly accept the challenge *nods gravely and salutes* I will not let you down!
Hey, Lily! 😀
Oh dear, yes, watch the mess. It’s, uh, it’s a little disastrous around here… But THANK YOU for the burn cream and fire extinguishers! I cannot seem to keep enough. These dragons, my goodness. *shakes head*
I DO MEAN THE KIDS’ SHOW YES. It’s such a fun one! And definitely a good distraction for unruly dragons. 😉
You are a brave soul, Lily! I wish you the greatest luck on your daring endeavor. *salutes back*
Okay, so I lost it on the Dragon Tales marathon. The whole post is chuckleworthy, but that one really got me.
Glad you had so much fun with this post.
Though I’m not actually familiar with most of these dragons, outside of the seemingly eternal saga of Julio and Malcolm which seems to be a Silmaril staple, I love the fact that you went the extra mile and included the book covers on your post. That’s top shelf! Though it may get you slapped with a charge of TBR pile endangerment. Better watch your back!
In all seriousness, great post. I’ve reserved front row seating for the awards ceremony! Should be a night to remember…
Apparently dragons’ affinity for shiny things includes television. It enraptured them every time. ;D
Why thank you! But oh dear, you’re right. I do risk TBR endangerment… May need to put another non-liability label somewhere. These awards just get more and more dangerous, don’t they? I suppose danger comes with the territory of fantasy themed things. Totally worth it though! *grins*
Oh wow? Front row seat for the dragons’ ceremony? You are a brave soul! But that reminds me, I need to look into some fireproof glass to put between the stage and the audience. Hmmm…
I couldn’t decide between Malcolm and Julio! (ended up going with Malcolm – sorry, Julio!) Also, I haven’t read HP, but I’ve heard enough about Peeves to pick him! I have seen HP though, so…is it any wonder I picked Umbridge? xD
Choosing between the great Afterverse dragons is SO HARD. *sobs* We NEED to get one of them to won so the other will have a chance!
It makes me really sad they didn’t put Peeves in the HP films. He was a RIOT. His troublemaking made the Weasley twins look like angels. XD But oooooh man, Umbridge. Yes indeedy. Her film self is pretty much identical to her book self. She played the part almost TOO well. Nefarious villain indeed! (Pst. I may have voted for her too. ;))
Also, I forgot to comment on DRAGON TALES. MY CHILDHOOD.
It was seriously SUCH a great show. 😀