Approved. -Minor formatting and grammar errors. -Took the text out of the spoiler and put the Notes in the spoiler instead. Hey, this is pretty nice!

Perhaps because some of us have other things to do with our lives apart from mindlessly grinding at games?

Approved. -Respaced every line. Overall, I'm not sure what you were trying to do with this story. The characters seemed stiff and overdramatic, and there was no proper explanation as to why they ended up together in the first place. The first bit with the brownies was completely unnecessary and only confuses a reader more. The language was pretty good, but next time I'd advise you to split something like this into chapters so that you can develop your plot more.

Approved. -Changed the text colour from white to this to make it easier to read. Loved it. Looking forward to the next installment.

Hello there, and welcome all to the annual roundup of everything special in the Amateur Writing Section! Another year gone, and another pile of articles, news, members and other general awesomeness all compiled here for your reading pleasure. So without any more waffling from me, let's get to it! The Top Ten Articles of the Year We've gotten loads of articles submitted to the AWS this year, something which pleases us Amateur Writing Overlords Helpers greatly, and some of them really stood out among the rest. So after much deliberation, discussion, and dissection, we present to you, in no particular order, what we consider to be the very best Articles of the year! Note: Authors of the articles in Top 10 will be awarded 35 000 crystals. Enjoy them as much as we enjoyed your articles! Click on the title of each to read the full article. A preview section is included in the spoiler below each one. 1. Stuck by @Hippin_in_Hawaii tweezers: The first installment of the Tankiverse fic series, and it is an absolute pleasure to read. Well composed, with natural conversations and a genuinely engaging plot, it was also helped by the impeccable writing. Genuinely some of the best writing I've seen in the Amateur Writing Section. Flex: I heard many words of acclaim about this series inside the reporter group and upon reading the first part myself I quickly learned where they come from. This fanfic is one of a kind. It's so superbly written that you can easily imagine the small protagonists jumping out of your tank. A+ for the amazing plot, sentence structure, characters and overall story flow. Hexed: An absolute masterpiece - there's no other words to describe this in my opinion! 2. Niraasha by @mydoom.exe tweezers: A somewhat longer piece that what we usually see in the AWS, but nevertheless amazing from beginning to end. An interesting plot is helped by some nice descriptive language as well as characters who develop well within the length of the article itself. Two thumbs up! Flex: Niraasha is an intriguing prison/work camp story of men who want to escape the inhuman conditions of the environment they are forced to live in. This story is more extensive than majority of other contenders in this category, but I personally think that every single sentence nicely unwraps the plot that is nailed by shocking ending. Hexed: What happens when an intriguing beginning, a perfect length and a nail-biting plot converge at an epic ending? Awesomeness! Reading this piece was quite the moment for me, and I enjoyed every word I read. A big, fat thumbs up from me! 3. Hunted by @pieface101 tweezers: For sheer inventiveness and quality, few articles or series' have been able to match this. Impeccable language, a wonderful, gripping plot and one of the longest chapters I've ever read in the AWS make this a lovely read, the only problem being that it hasn't been updated since May. Pie, if you're reading this, I want more from you! Flex: The story required me to read it second time and even look for the second chapter to grasp the concept. However, the writing truly is indisputably sensational and the whole mind-boggling futuristic theme has a great potential if it lives to see another chapter that will expand on the story and shed the light on many unanswered questions. Hexed: Even though following this series was quite the task, I personally feel like this one can definitely be a representative of the Amateur Writing Club. Progressive plot, and a great story! 4. Short Stories by @Sr.I3oSS tweezers: A nice little collection of four nicely titled short stories, each with their own inspiration. Two are somewhat philosophical ruminations, and the other couple are more typical "story" stories. All of them, however, are excellent. Well done! Flex: Four short stories, all underlined by supreme use of words and clean structuring that nicely presents the message. Each piece differs from the other. Some evoke the sentiments of nostalgia and melancholy while the others provoke deeper thoughts. Hexed: Beautifully written with excellent word usage and a proper example of how a short story should be. Each one of these is just as good as the other, and together, they are one of the most inspiring articles I've seen all year. 5. Push Through by @Logician_UC tweezers: A very introspective piece, dealing with a somewhat sensitive subject that definitely doesn't get talked about as much as it should. It allows the reader the chance to probe within their own feelings and sends out a message that a lot of us need to hear every now and then. Flex: Short, yet powerful. An article that at the start somewhat appears as a depressive look on one's own inability to perceive anything meaningful in life freely turns into a message radiating with words of support and sympathy. Hexed: This was an excellent read, very well written and well thought over. As my colleague said, despite the subject in talk being sensitive and quiet, I feel like this article won the readers and encouraged them to... push through. 6. Learning Parkour - The Swift Way by @SwiftSmoky tweezers: A much needed guide, and very useful too. The fact that so many guides exist to show off complicated stunts, and yet barely any exist for beginners make this guide even more valuable especially if you can't parkour for toffee. Flex: If you're a total freshman on the parkour scene, you will certainly find this guide coming from the parkour pioneer himself handy. The whole article is loaded with useful advice that will set you on a road to parkour success. Hexed: Have any questions about parkour? Facing any kind of difficulties? Well, parkour revolutionist and leader of one of the best parkour clubs of this year brings you a useful and a handy guide to parkour, full of interesting approaches to the very format and some crazy tips and techniques you can use to boost your performance. Quite wonderfully written, I must say! 7. The Leaky Mult #1 by @Merovingian and @Illuminati tweezers: Inspired by the TO Newspapers' own The Dictator series, this is up there with the very best humor pieces ever posted in the AWS. Complete with images, inventive fake news, and witty humor, this is definitely a must read for those who want to laugh their way through an article, for all the right reasons. Flex: Engaging, comical and masterfully arranged. This article is a compilation of several "news" coming from two excellent writers who simply know how to work with words and humor. The Leaky Mult does not fail to entertain and proves that high class humor and irony have their place even in the AWS. Hexed: The Leaky Mult, ah, where to begin? Great humor, mastered satire and an excellent structure gives this series a well deserved spot on this list. It literally proves how writing something funny can still be a quality piece of writing! 8. Immune by @Kuhaku tweezers: What started off as just another half put together story in the AWS, this turned into a decently long, well crafted and genuinely engaging story as it progressed. I for one would definitely love to read more of it! Flex: Solid sci-fi story that consists of twenty chapters. It's interesting to see how the author himself develops and uplifts the standards of his writing with every new chapter. Hexed: When the first chapter of this story was released in the Club, I was genuinely intrigued by the plot and wanted to read more of it. I would definitely love to see and read more of this marvelous story in the future! 9. Bumblebee Kit Review by @Coldplay tweezers: An extremely comprehensive and in-depth review of the Bumblebee kit, that covers all the items in it and evaluates its effectiveness in many scenarios, making for an excellent review for those who are considering buying the kit. Flex: Product Kit analyses are quite a popular topic in AWS. We've seen a couple of them over the months, but this one can lead by example. Coldplay once again showed his writing talent and wrote a review that covers everything from kit components to slightest of details such as camouflage. Hexed: This guide was all about quality - it was comprehensively written, explaining everything there is to know about the subject itself, making it an excellent nominee for the best articles of the year. 10. Lukey's 10 000 Post Special by @lukey0 tweezers: An interesting look into the career of a veteran player of Tanki Online, this makes for some interesting and enjoyable reading. Flex: Reaching 10k posts without spamming is a feat. Lukey has reached this milestone last year and as a reminder of it, he created this topic that compiles the best from his long journey. Not only he does take us down the memory lane, he also makes us reflect on our own humble beginnings and memorable occasions. Hexed: Nostalgia, memories and success all come together in this article by a veteran player, making it one of the best composed articles of the year. Honourable Mentions Scroll down to read the articles that just missed out on the Top Ten, but were still excellent. Keep at it, you're almost there! Note: Authors of the honourable mentions will be awarded 25 000 crystals. Enjoy them as much as we enjoyed your articles! The Potion by @Cortana tweezers: An interesting, fast paced and quirky story, written using some period-correct language, which makes it even better. Lovely. Flex: It's hard to describe this story by words, perhaps I would say it's oddly interesting with unexpected plot twist at the very end. Hexed: Quite a good story, and definitely one of the better ones I've seen in the Club. Newspaper Contests: An Inside Look by @M-axis tweezers: If you've ever wondered how exactly us Reporters run contest in the TO Newspaper, look no further than this. Comprising of an interview with two writers with experience in running contests, well thought out questions reveal our evil plans what happens behind the scenes. Flex: Contests always attracted attention, but not many knew how they actually work until the NS brought this topic to the table. M-axis takes one step further and interviews two reporters to get even more insight on running a contest. All in all, the interview questions are nicely compiled and the answers are informing and humorous. You might even learn some top secret info from this topic. See for yourself. ;) Hexed: An insightful article that goes over the work done before, during and after a contest is launched in the Official Newspaper. If you've wondered how the contest organizer manages his/her contest, I suggest you give this a read. Interview with Nives by @Magenta tweezers: An interview with our very own Community Manager, it answers some of the most pressing questions that the forumer may have about their new all powerful dictator manager, and throws in some wit for good measure. Flex: It can be challenging to make an interview worthy of reading, but this particular one shows how to do things right. Overall, this interview is an informative, humorous and keen dialogue between Magenta and CM himself. Nives sure must have worked up a sweat answering all of these. Hexed: What is better than a humorous interview with His Highness, the Dropper, and our beloved, Nives himself? Nothing, right? Great questions, just the ones a reader would expect to read in such an interview, and just the perfect amount of funny in there. Plus, a pun in the title is always great! Distinguished Members Every time we publish the Best of Amateur Writing, we add some members of the Amateur Writing Club to the list of the Distinguished Members. These are the writers who've made the biggest impression on us by contributing some epic articles to the Amateur Writing Section. Congratulations, all of you! @Hippin_in_Hawaii @kaisdf @mydoom.exe @Merovingian @Magenta Amateur Writing Club News Over the last twelve months, the AWC has seen lots of action, some of it good, some of it not so much, but all of it interesting. We gained quite a few new members, all of whom showcased stellar writing ability in the Section. We've also gained two new Helpers in the last two months, namely @Destrod and @Marc. They've already established themselves as being highly competent and dedicated, so be prepared to see a lot more of them over the rest of the year. The biggest news this year was, of course, the introduction of the Amateur Writing Tournament, which spanned four weeks and attracted more entries that we've ever seen before. This tournament was open to all forum members, and we found quite a few talented writers who were just waiting to be discovered. The Tournament is now making its second appearance, so make sure to head over there and check out the competition and pitch in with your own entries! Well, we've reached the end of this times edition of the Best of The Amateur Writing Section. It's been a great year for the Section, and for Amateur Writing in general, and we hope to see all of you again soon with more of the same. Until then, this is the Amateur Writing Team signing off and wishing you the best of luck!

That would be nice, but the problem with using those substitutes in a somewhat dramatic piece such as this, which has a slightly more serious tone, is that those substitutes cheapen the article somewhat, and makes it seem a wee bit childish. I much prefer the use of "*" since it doesn't break any rules but does get the idea of the actual word across to the audience that knows and uses those words in regular conversation, and doesn't do any harm to those who don't. Basically: For a more comedic piece, substituting words would work really well, but not in a more mature piece of writing like this.

The "humour" here isn't humour in the traditional sense, like jokes and stuff. The meaning of humour here was , "comply with the wishes of (someone) in order to keep them content, however unreasonable such wishes might be." *blush*

Approved. -Just changed the colour of the title and spaced it a wee bit. No other edits. That was amazing, and I shall be severely disappointed if this doesn't turn out to be a series.

Humour Me “Don’t do this.” “I have to. You know I have to. There’s nothing else I can do.” “You know that’s not true.” “Then tell me, tell me damn it! Tell me what the hell’s left for me!” “That depends on what you think. You know that.” “You can’t tell me can you? You never could, and you never will. Why shouldn’t I just pull this trigger and shut you up now?” “Calm down. We’ll work it out.” “Stop saying that. Stop saying that you prick.” “What do you want me to say then? What do you want me to tell you?” “I don’t know. Just say something. Say that you want to stop me. Say that you don’t want to stop me. Just tell me something that I can make out.” “Fine, then. You know you have no right to be doing what you’re doing. You know that you’re just overreacting. You know you’ve got a penchant for dramatizing everything that happens to you. How the hell can you? You’ve got it all, and then some. What more could you want?” “I’ve already told you.” “Refresh my memory. Humour me.” “Do you know what it’s like to be crushed? Do you know what it’s like to feel like your head is being shoved underwater by the people who you think you knew? The people you were taught knew everything? Do you know how it feels to have your heart torn out, over and over again, and to still be naive enough to hope? Do you know what it’s like to go through that at a time that no one should ever go through that? Do you have any idea what it’s like to have all those thoughts alongside everyone telling you that you’re just overreacting?” “But you dealt with it, didn’t you?” “I dealt with it. Really. Does this look like someone who’s dealing with it? I’ve got a gun pointing at you, and you’re telling me that?” “Fine then. If you’re so sorry for your pathetic self, pull it. Kill me. See what salvation you get out of it.” “Maybe I will. Maybe.” “You won’t.” “I will.” “No, you won’t.” “Watch me.” Click - click - boom. One person hits the ground. The same person with the gun in their hand.

I thought it was going to be about confronting the parents about their neglect of the child. I was not expecting this. Consider me impressed.

Blasphemy.

Keep watching this space, there might be one within the year :P

That's good. Why are you so much better at being a mod than I am Not with DE and RU. I want war with whoever stole my Microsoft package. I will find you. You have my Word. JK, everyone knows that Google Docs is better

That's because the points table is for overall scores. You did not come first this week, but since the points were added to your total score, you're still first overall.

Thanks very much :P

"Also, if you mess up the jump and you happen to have a turret with recoil handy, you can use the recoil to right yourself mid-jump." I did as a matter of fact explain how to land properly without a non-recoil turret. I spent a whole paragraph on explaining it. I just didn't that that it would need to be made clear that the explanation was for turrets without recoil. As for my writing...it is my first guide, so I couldn't use my literary skills to their maximum.

That's fine :D. Hope you found some new techniques in the article!

I assumed that everyone would know the basic controls and how to use them. The point of this article was not to call anyone a noob, or to mock them, but to introduce them to some driving techniques that are somewhat out of the ordinary.

I would if I could but I can't so I shan't. There is a reason that I work for the Newspaper and not a video team :P

Not just mine, all of the other mods do have a say in what goes on around here. I'm not a dictator y'know. :rolleyes:

The tournament has been completed. A massive thanks to all those who participated from all of us AW Organizers! Entries for Week Four will still be accepted until tomorrow. And yes, I am aware that the results for Week Three are long overdue, which is completely my fault. They will be released sometime during the weekend. Thanks again!

Reflections Cold steel. Reflections, sharp and crisp. You are the voice that hides beneath my mind. In the darkest recesses, in the deepest corners. You are the one who speaks to me at night, who suggests that I do things. Things to harm myself, things to harm everyone around me. Things that used to shake me to my core, things that I would never have considered. Yet you, you've brought them out. What used to shock me is now a commonplace occurrence, to be idly wondered at and dismissed. Twisting, turning. Reflections glossed over. You used to be an infrequent visitor, an unwelcome one. Now you are familiar, a daily routine. Should I be afraid of you? I was, once. Then I learned that you aren't to blame. This is what you are meant to do, this is your purpose. You ask me to do these things not because they give you pleasure, but because it gives you meaning. You would not exist if not for it. Would I be more comfortable without you? Falling. Misting over. Sinking. Comfortable. Perhaps not, but what right does that give you to make me your port of call? Shouldn't I be looking out for myself, like everyone else? I don't know you all that well, but we're much, much more than just casual acquaintances. You thrust yourself upon me, uninvited, oblivious, determined to squeeze all that you could out of me. Is all that has happened not enough for you? Haven't I a right to demand that you leave? Sunken. Enveloped. Bliss. I don't think I like you very much. You're using me, using me to fulfill yourself. But what of me? Do I not need a purpose as well, a purpose other than this? I won't let you use me anymore, I don't want you to. Please leave me alone. I never asked for you to come to me. This was a chance occurrence, and then you turned it into an extended visit. This isn't how I envisioned things happening. Won't you please go away now? Somehow, I don't think you will.

They've been released for the last few days, the "pending" part hadn't changed for some reason.

Approved. -Reformatted. -A couple of minor errors. -Added a title. If you can, consider making article headers yourself, or getting someone to make them for you, as your work seems to be well deserving of a decent opener. Of all the Tanki related stories - of which I assume this is one - this is one of the best I've read, by quite a margin. Well done!