Again, choosing these were incredibly difficult, and I would have loved to spread the love around to many more individuals. But I'm sure that there'll be another session of awards before the season ends, and I'm gonna try not to repeat myself. So... here are my first set of kudos, I guess? I don't know. Take the damn compliments!

[b]Best Character:[/b] [@HenryJonesJr]'s Spider-Woman
I think everyone in the game adores the shit out of Gwen in this game, and I'm not ashamed to admit that her posts are probably the ones I anticipate reading the most. HJJ's not only managed to circumvent any expectations I had of simply transferring the Spider-Gwen concept over to a new universe, he's done the impossible - he's made me give less than an iota of a shit that Peter Parker isn't under the mask. Gwen feels as authentically befitting of the great power/great responsibility mantra as Pete did whenever he first donned the webs, but with a new perspective that gives her soap opera antics a renewed sense of energy and intrigue. We've all seen Parker bemoan his many girl troubles and the health of his elderly aunt, but Gwen has the weight of worrying about a cop father and the tremendous guilt of hiding a tragic secret from her best friend-turned-boyfriend ontop of a gang war sweeping the underbelly of New York. Gwen doesn't always manage to win out, like her male 616 counterpart, but she takes it all in stride and gets back up with more determination than ever. Henry deserves all the credit in the world for creating a new version of this concept that feels like it's best ever, and a version I'd happily buy a comic of every month. 

[b]Best Character Concept:[/b] [@Simple Unicycle]'s Punisher
It's hard to really re-invent a character like Frank Castle without it seeming dumb - the comics have tried everything from making him a literal angel of death, sticking him in the body of a black man, and even killing him off and sewing him back up into Frankenstein. Simple Unicycle's version of Frank is the best full-on reinterpretation I think I've ever seen, recontextualizing a character that often appears as hollow and soulless (by intention) into someone who almost psychotically thrives on the pain he inflicts on others while also making him a bonafide action star in the vein of [i]John Wick[/i], not to mention a John Woo protagonist. Combined with Simp's ability to write some brutal-ass fight sequences (I especially loved the Nightclub one that preluded his conflict with Spider-Woman), and this may be the most enjoyable Punisher I've read in a long while. Kudos, man.

[b]Best Character Development:[/b] [@AndyC]'s Superman
This may have been the hardest one for me to narrow down, given so many of us are still in the primordial stages of our characters. For instance, I haven't even started developing Batman beyond a few basic characteristics because of how long this opening arc has taken me to write. But if I had to choose one character that's been a joy to watch develop and grow over the course of the game, the fact that Andy has managed to convey such a thing with Superman in such a short period of time makes this nomination a shoe-in. Starting as a well-meaning scrapper who didn't seem to know what the hell he was doing, the real hero that Clark is capable of being has been bubbling under the surface of every post Andy's written ever since his introduction, to the point that having him intervene in the current Surfer arc feels like a natural progression of Superman's character rather than just an obligatory appearance from comics' first big hitter. And without giving any details away, the stuff that he and I have planned for the World's Finest in the future leaves me pretty goddamn excited. It's no small feat to say Andy is the best Superman player I've ever seen over many interpretations spread across many games, but considering this version feels both true to the character and fresh at the same time, it's true. It's damn true. 

[b]Best Story:[/b] [@Byrd Man] - John Constantine's L.A. Misadventures
I've known Byrd since he was cutting his teeth in the original Hype games, and have watched him mature into one of the best writers I've ever worked with. I know fully well that he's capable of knocking shit out of the park with relative ease. That being said, his Constantine has been such a delight for me to read that I couldn't narrow down just one particular arc and had to include the whole lot. Combining genuine supernatural horror with alot of true crime and a dash of black humor laced in practically every scene John appears in himself, Byrd's really done some of his best work in awhile with this game and I couldn't be happier. It's actually made me incredibly glad that he didn't go with his concept for the Green Lantern Corps, as it would've robbed us of such great material with the Brit. Motherfucker is always my go-to standard for writing crime stories, as I've tried to interject a bit of Byrd with my Gotham stuff in this game. You might say that when it comes to crime fiction in these games, Byrd... is the word. [b][i]*Yeeeeeah!*[/i][/b]

[b]Best Post:[/b] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/172886-ultimate-one-universe-year-one/ic#post-4698433]New Frontier In Ruins[/url] by [@Morden Man]
I said it whenever I began to read the IC from the beginning, but I don't think I emphasized how important reading this post was for me. This was the post that not only cemented Morden in my mind as a player to be envious of, but the post to make me realize the level of quality the game was in for - thereby validating my choice to come forward with the game's pitch in the first place. Reading the immensely powerful loss of the Richards' former world (in a brilliant twist, from a former game) made me feel alot of different things. Excitement, largely, but also a pulse-pounding intensity and heartbreak for the Four's plight as they were forced to leave their world behind, even at the expense of their greatest enemy-turned-ally in Doctor Doom. Every post since has been great aswell, but this opener felt like a true cinematic experience come to life in text form. I've often thought about how I'd try my hand at the FF if given the chance, but have had serious reservations, as I'm probably the least knowledgeable about Marvel's first family. Morden's run has made me realize that I never want to even try, because if I dared attempt it, I'd be forced to compare myself to his run. And I don't want to bring that on myself, because I'd lose every. single. time. 

[b]The John Lees Memorial MVP Award:[/b] [@Lord Wraith]
I'm of a firm mind that an RPG thrives on a healthy OOC thread just as much as an active IC thread, and if I had to choose one player who stands out for being a great presence outside of the game, it's Wraith. Never afraid to poke fun at anyone, including himself, he always lightens the mood considerably whenever things seem at their most tense and really makes my task as GM alot easier. There are alot of people that also help to smooth things out, such as my Co-GMs, but Wraith is an all-around cool dude who seems capable of getting along with everyone regardless of the circumstances. I think that if he wasn't around, keeping the game going even this long would've been a real struggle.