Paedantic Basterd

Tentative List.

Shall clean this up as I remember people I've forgotten.

Best Avatar:

• CanwllCorfe: My favourite artwork is curious, dark in nature, often subtly disturbing, and it seems we share that in common, as his every avatar this year has been a beautiful piece of work.
• Paloma: The squid queen is yet another great piece of work. It's a shame we never found who the artist was, because I would love to see more of their work.
• Freebase Dali: Specifically thinking of the creepy nurse avatar prior to whatever he has now. I loved that for a long time.
• Honourable mention: Janszoon for the face of eyes, Jackhammer for Pink Freud.

MOST HANDSOME Member (Male): I Prefer to think of people in more classic (and in my opinion, flattering) terms.

• RVCA: This is a topic of concern for the staff recently. RVCA is possibly too handsome to be posting on our forum. Investigation pending.
• Lucifer_Sam: This has NOTHING to do with Harry Potter.
• Stu: Factually handsome.

MOST GORGEOUS Member (Female): I hate you all.

• Paloma: The genetic result of hundreds of years of poetry written on the topic of eyes.
• Aurora: Your appearance changes constantly, and you wear them all well.
• Vanilla: And she knows it, which is in her favour, because confidence is an important factor in appeal.

Most Inane: N/A
Most Enigmatic:

• CanwllCorfe: I know scant few things about you, but they're all qualities I admire.
• Dankrsta: Perhaps it's because she's been MIA for months, but even in the height of her posting she was a bit of a mystery.

Angriest Member:

• Big3: Seems to be rather embittered about something in this forum's past, and will not put up with the tomfoolery that goes on around here.
• Paloma: When she is irritated by something, she speaks her mind, and without revision. It's not as much about frequency of anger as intensity.
• Lucifer_Sam: Same boat as Big3, when it comes down to it.

Biggest Drama Whore:

• Oojay: For all of his One-Man-Against-The-World self righteous arguing.
• Dirty: For someone who thinks this is "just the internet", he sure gets worked up about what happens on it.

Nicest Member:

• Jack Pat: I have literally not seen him say a negative thing about anyone. He finds positive qualities in everyone who posts here. He chooses to step back from confrontations, or negate them, and is generally well mannered.
• Vegangelica: Wrapped in patience at birth and kindness runs in her veins. She's pretty much mother earth personified.
• Burning Down: If you deserve the benefit of the doubt, then this is the moderator you should pray you screwed up in front of.
• Honourable mentions: Lisnaholic, Loose_Lips_Sink_Ships.

Best Debater:

• Tore: The man has a wealth of patience as well as knowledge.
• Janszoon: The real beauty of Jansz' debate style is that he can win an argument without ever addressing the points being made, by debunking the manner in which you present them rather than the points themselves, which is so frustrating, the arguer becomes unable to maintain composure, and buries themselves. Not that I would know this personally or anything. Nope.

Worst Debater:

• Blastingas10: when challenged, his method is the internet equivalent of cramming his fingers in his ears and shouting "I CAN'T HEAR YOU" repeatedly.
• Erasertime06: allows his personal biases to get in the way of that which is logically sound.

Best Writer:

• ThePhantastasio: Whether it's a presentation of an effectual philosophical play, or a simple thread on her favourite albums, I find her writing, no matter the length, very captivating.

Biggest Virtuoso: N/A
Smartest Poster:

• Tore: The number one person I hope to see enter a thread on an intellectual topic.
• Right-Track: It's not always about debating. Sometimes it's about how sharply you express yourself.
• Freebase Dali: One of the most logically sound people I've ever come across. I find I agree with his perspectives regularly, whether I want to at first or not.

Funniest Member:

• Janszoon: Consistently elicits "guffaw"s and "teehee"s.
• Tumor: Sometimes her special, vulgar way with words leaves me in stitches.

Best Mediator:

• Vegangelica: Bestows a sense of calm upon any argument, giving each party a tangent idea to think about and discuss with her, rather than each other. Queen of misdirection.

Biggest Troll:

• The Virgin: To this day, I do not think he was a real person.
• Baggs: Remember the great progwank of 2011.
• Dirty: The quality of his trolling wasn't high, but he gets points for persistence and determination.
• Honourable mentions: Highoctane, Killcreek

Biggest Contributor: N/A
Most Improved Member:

• Skazelton: It used to be that I only ever saw him posting videos, but now I see him sniping members who irritate him. He's actually much more intelligent than I first credited him for, and his passive-aggressive insults amuse me. He has a fire in his belly, and I prefer that to the one dimension I saw in him prior.

Most Underrated Poster:

• Lisnaholic: Works hard to maintain the FAIR album club, always has something worthwhile to say, and is generally one of the nicest people I've come across. I wish he'd post more.
• Odyshape: A great artist who has come up with some very thought provoking threads this year.

Most Mainstream Music Taste: N/A
Most Obscure Music Taste:

• CanwllCorfe: Always has something out of left field to recommend. I should keep better tabs on what he's talking about.
• Dankrsta: Single handedly kept the avant-garde forum active.
• Dayvan Cowboy: The only person I have on lastFM who I sit at "LOW" compatibility with.

Best Music Taste:

• Stu: I'm constantly nicking stuff off of this guy's lastFM and out of what he uploads on mumu. We have a lot of taste in common, but at the same time, he's got a wealth of music I know nothing about.
• Zer0: More traditionally, this user is someone I have a lot in common with. We both have extensive backgrounds in independent music, and share a lot of artists in common. I will take anything he recommends without a second thought.

Biggest Music Nerd:

• Jack Pat: His curiosity knows no bounds, and neither does his willingness to discuss it. Once you get talking to him, you realize he's an untapped resource of information.
• Bob: A fan of everything from Bodychoke to the Decemberists. He's up for anything, and is a great guy to have around in a conversation. I wish I'd heard half the amount of music he has.
• Urban Hatemonger: The man has 2700 artists logged on lastFM.

Best Thread Starter: N/A
Most Missed Poster:

• Clutknuckle: A very thoughtful poster with a broad taste and knowledge of music.
• Dankrsta: Didn't get to know her very well before she vanished, but one of the most quality posters of the 2010/11 year.
• TheCunningStunt: Funny guy who has become rather an important person over on RYM. He has a lot more to offer than meets the eye.
• Honourable mentions: The Folkslave

Thread of the Year:

• Rezz's Send Something to Someone thread. A shame it's fallen into disrepair! I received some great stuff from it, and did my best to return the favours. A fun, musically oriented thread.

Journal of the Year:

• Trollheart's Playlist of Life. There is absolutely nobody who approaches Trollheart's consistency and dedication. The amount of work he puts into it is staggering.
• Zer0's The Final Sound. A user I always like to see post and read the recommendations of. I've picked many recommendations out of this.

Moderator of the Year:

• Janszoon: For his consistent attention to forum order. If MusicBanter were a day job, I would honestly say he has not taken one sick day.
• Freebase Dali: If you've got a question on mechanics, or even just logic, this is your go-to man. I only pretend I understand what half of these tools are for, and I only pretend to understand Dali when he explains them.
• Loathsome Pete: It's very clear that he feels strongly for this community and preserving the quality of the forum. I didn't think I was going to get to work with him, but I'm grateful I do.
• Honourable mentions: The remainder of staff; Vanilla, SATCHMO, Duga, Burning Down, Conan, Mojo, NSW, Urban, and Yac. I want to explicitly state that, while the rest of the staff can't be here as regularly as I think they would like, they do a stand up job. They are fair, and they are diligent, and I want to acknowledge that in all of them.

Best New Member 2011:

• Electrophonic Tonic: A user I wish posted a great deal more, he's a great contributor to the music forums and the General Album Club whenever he's around.
• TomClancy11: A very broad minded poster with many worthwhile contributions made, and yet to make.
• Above: Possibly our most recent member, has jumped in with both feet and flying colours. I like to see that ambition in a poster.
• Honourable mentions: RMR, for breathing life into a neglected forum. Thom Yorke for just generally being good to have around. Unicr0n as a huge music nerd who hasn't yet had an opportunity to shine. I've come to know him through lastFM and I can't wait until he has more free time. Rubato. Has 7 posts so far, and every single one is quality. If Unicr0n and Rubato stick around, next year will be great.

Member of the Year 2011:

• Jack Pat: Outstanding citizen and all-around-gentleman. I find what little he reveals of himself immensely relatable and interesting, and I admire his philosophies and behaviour. One of my favourite people here the more I get to know him, and above all else: he thinks I'm funny.