Santa parcel and Hugos drama
I was going to try to catch up on Snowflake this weekend, and also RL posts, but this is neither of those things XD This is my Secret Santa squee post and also Hugo drama, because I didn't want to delay either too much:
I got an AMAZING package from rinkafushi, my Santa in cafemassolit's annual Gift Exchange, after a somewhat nervous fortnight it spent in US customs. I was checking in on it a couple of times a day, and googling horror stories of how long people's packages spent stuck in customs (they can hold it for 45 days and then another 45 to investigate XD) -- and then all of a sudden it was in my city! And shortly showed up in front of my door -- a GIANT parcel, which had been through Some Shit clearly -- maybe that's why it got held up at customs? -- but everything had been packed solidly enough that the only damage to the contents seems to be slightly squished KinderSurprise eggs (but the important things, the TOYS, were perfectly fine :D)
My attempt to get everything in one shot:
Can you believe this was all for me??!
The foodstuffs:
The most unexpected thing there are the puffs in the large bags -- these are my beloved kukuruznye palochki ("sweet Cheetos" is how I explain them to people; they're puffed corn) -- which I ask for from Russian or former-USSR Santas, but was not expecting anyone else to be able to find, as I've never come across them in Western Europe. But Rinka found them! And now I also know what they're called in German ("Maisstabchen", which is adorable!)
There is a lot of interesting chocolate flavors (with nuts and crunchy bits, just as I like 'em!), and chocolate pretzels! (those are all gone by now, haha), and gummy candy that we don't get out here -- very pleasantly squishy stars and dense and chewy... cucumbers? (for the shape, I assume, as in flavor they're raspberry and lemon and stuff); anyway, they're great! -- and also the "larver" in the brown package, which came with an explanatory note that the Nordics are weird and "enjoy your worms!" I have actually been enjoying my worms! L described them as "like gummy bread", and she is not wrong, but I quite like the very weird texture! it's odly satisfying to bit into.
And what's in the little heart-shaped box? (with an edelweiss flower and "I like you" in Bavarian, which definitely appealed to the language geekery of the household)
A tea sampler! With biohazard "sample" bags as packaging, which completely tickled me, and a selection of Rinka's favorites, of which I'm particularly intrigued to try the elderflower.
The cookies were not in the box, but were nevertheless a) completely intact despite the parcel's clear Adventures along the way, and b) still very tasty after they sojourn in customs. I can only bow my head before Rinka's packing magic in accomplishing this.
And this is who was waiting for me inside the KinderSurprise egg:
(The European toys are SO MUCH better!)
That was just the loose stuff, though. I haven't even started on the wrapped presents:
First, look at that kiwi!!
LOOK AT IT!
It's actually quite hard to photograph, because it's very true-to-life brown-on-brown, but look at its feet! and its beak! and its birdy little eyes! We are all incredibly charmed by it!
And what's inside the packages?
Teeny adorable jars of honey! (linden and pine and sunflower, which I'm particularly intrigued to try). A wonderfully scented lilac-wisteria soap. A funny poetry magnet, an apple-shaped notepad thingy which will come in very handy for sending packages to O at uni, and socks that are both very colorful and fun AND very comfortable! -- these are actually my preferred sock length, which don't seem to be as common in the US. I am in fact currently wearing the bookshelves ones.
And then! there was a gorgeous dark green Tyrell shirt, long-sleeved so that I can declare my house allegiance in weather that's too cold for cafemassolit's T-shirt but not cold enough for sephystabbity's scarf:
SO GORGEOUS!! So appropriately sparkly!!
(I assume this is handmade, but it looks completely professionally done! Super impressed! <33)
There is also a marmot sticker (I live in hope of meeting these guys one of these days) which has a custom QR code on the back (!) that leads to a >20 min video (!!) that rinkafushi put together with her photos (!!!) from around her region, with fascinating explanations behind the traditions in the photos and history of the region (!!!), which is such a cool idea! (This is something she put together for her letter exchange recipient, and I was really glad to be able to share in it too (and then also share it with B, who loves learning about this kind of stuff).
Last but not least, the handmade "postcard":
This is covered in fabric, and when I showed it to L, she went, "I don't need a new hobby, I don't need a new hobby..." XD
This was all amazing! I love absolutely everything inside! Everything is delicious and/or adorable and/or fascinating, and there was just SO MUCH! Thank you so, so much, rinkafushi! What an incredible parcel and Santa experience! (all the ♥s!)
*
And now for something completely different: Hugo Awards drama.
Since my first taste of the Worldcon experience in 2018, I usually follow the Hugos even in the years when I don't vote -- I think I've watched all of the ceremonies and live-blogged thorugh them. But this year Worldcon and the Hugos (in Chengdu) were moved to October, and I forgot about them. Then I saw the winners, and was either uninformed or meh about them enough that I didn't bother commenting at the time, figuring I'd wait until the statistics were out -- which is usually a day after the results. Except not this year. It took until Dec 3 for the final ballot statistics to be released (i.e. how many votes did everything on the short list get, and the progression towards the winner under the Hugos ranked choice ballot). Those I looked at right away, and some things made me go huh! but I figured I'd wait until the nomination statistics (the long lists) came out, which was not at the same time, again, a first in my experience. By the constitution that governs the Hugos, the committee had 90 days after the convention to release all the stats, and they did release the nomination statistics on Jan 20, which was day 90 (or possibly 91). I those statistics are full of "irregularities", to borrow File770's phrase. So I kind of have more to talk about than I expected XD But since this is also my post to natter about winners and finalists, let's start with that, I guess?
Winners (list here)
Novel: I have read none of these, though I imagine I'll eventually get to Nona and the Kingfisher, but I'm happy that Ursula Vernon won (though stay tuned for the nomination drama)
Novella: I have read Into the Riverlands and thought it was great, and was rooting for it -- against 5 things I had not read, of course, but I did at least read prequels of the Wayward Children and Alix Harrow's series, which did not particularly inspire me to continue. But, anyway, this was a disappointment, even though admittedly not an informed one. And I must say I'm always kind of annoyed when Seanan McGuire wins a Hugo, which I feel uncharitable about, especially after reading about how much the award means to her, but it's one of those things where if someone's name is on the ballot five zillion times you kind of wish they'd... encourage a little variety, maybe.
Novelette: I have read none of these and have no opinion.
Short story: I have read none of these and have no opinion.
Series: I have read some of all of these except the winner (and all of Scholomance and RoL), which is not a very useful position to be in, but I was rooting for Rivers of London in this one, and thus was a little disappointed, although I have enjoyed the little of Tchaikovsky I've read, and am willing to believe that he is a worthy winner.
Graphic novel: I've read none of these specific volumes (I need to catch up on Saga! my library still didn't have it the last time I looked, but it was a while ago), but had read previous instlalments of Monstress and Saga, and would've been rooting for Saga based on that.
BRW: I was going to say I have read none of these, but actually I have read S.L.Huang's piece on workshops (it just didn't leave that much of an impression because it's not a topic relevant to me personally). I kind of want to read the Terry Pratchett bio that won, and so am abstractly happy that it did win, on the strength of the subject matter rather than the work.
Dramatic, long form: I have only watched Turning Red, which I didn't think was award worthy (it was cute enough, but not even close to my favorite of the Disney generational trauma era), but EEAAO winning was pretty much a foregone conclusion. (Also, is this the first time a movie won both an Oscar and a Hugo?)
Dramatic, short form: I have watched none of these and had no opinion. I guess I never commented on it when the nominations came out, but I was surprised not to see any Sandman on the list (which wil come back when I get to the nomination statistics.)
Editor, short form: One of the wins I'm genuinely happy about -- I'm always rooting for Neil Clarke.
Editor, long form: No opinion on nominees or winner (even many years I'm voting I have a hard time forming an opinion on this one, lol)
Pro artist: I was rooting for Alyssa Winans, whom I'd meant to nominate and forgot. I don't have an opinion on any of the others (this is one category where I rely heavily on the voter packet when voting), but it was neat to have a Chinese winner and more local nominees.
Semiprozine: Another win for Uncanny. This tends to be a pretty boring category.
Fanzine: This field was a mix of fanzines I was familiar with from past Hugo years but didn't really care about and Chinese fanzines I was not familiar with at all, so no opinion. But another local winner, that's cool.
Fancast: The other category besides editor that I was genuinely happy about, because I had nominated and was rooting for Hugo, Girl! (I listen to them regularly, after discovering them via a past Hugos packet -- they've replaced the Serpentcast as my regular "listening to friends talk about books" podcast. They have also said that in the wake of their win they're recusing themselves from further awards, which I think is very classy.
Fan writer: I'm familiar with none of the names and have no opinion.
Fan artist: This field was a mix of fan artists I was familiar with from past Hugo years but didn't really care about and artists I was not familiar with at all, so no opinion.
Lodestart: I read only one thing on the actual ballot (Golden Enclaves, and would've been fine if it had won; I nominated it, but just because it was the only eligible thing I'd read), and earlier books in the series for three of the others (Serpent's Wake, Bloodmarked, and Akata Woman). The "Akata [X]" series is one that I wish I enjoyed more than I actually did -- I like the idea of what it's doing, but the reading experience itself proves unsatisfying, so I'm meh about the win. I would've probably been rooting for In the Serpent's Wake, just because I like that world and what Hartman is doing with her duologies in principle, even if I haven't read this specific book.
Astounding: This is the other win, along with novella, that I feel the most pettily annoyed about, in similarly uninformed fashion. I had a contender I was rooting for here -- Everina Maxwell, whom I've wanted to win a Hugo(-adjacent thing) since "Course of Honor" was an OW on AO3, and htis was her last year of eligibility for Astounding. And I have not read Legends & Lattes, but everything I have heard about the book, including from people who liked it, suggests to me that I would not find it deserving of an award (and Astounding isn't for a book exaclty, but it seems like in this case it's synonymous. So, *sigh*
So, two wins I'm happy about, in "minor" categories (editor short form, fancast), and two wins I'm mad about, in major categories (novella, Astounding), and then a spectrum in-between, with 9 categories I'm totally indifferent to (47%), and about twice as many "vaguely disappointed" (4) as "vaguely pleased" (2) among the other results -- you can probably see why I wasn't moved to post about it when the results first came out.
Finalist statistics (first part of the packet here)
Novel: Kinda dismayed that Legends & Lattes was second and surprised Kaiju Preservation Society was third given how much people were complaining about its nomination. Not surprised Nona the Ninth was last, given that it's the only sequel on the list, and I gather a weird (unexpected) sequel at that, i.e. not the book even the Locked Tomb fans were expecting/waiting for.
Novella: I'm so puzzled at Into the Riverlands coming in fifth... Like, I cannot compare it against the others, since I haven't read the others, but I thought it was great, and the last one of these Singing Hills novellas to make the ballot won (Empress of Salt and Fortune), in 2021. I wondered at first if the Asian setting was less interesting to an Asian Worldcon voters, and then wondered if it's that a bunch of people who normally vote for the Hugos sat it out this year because they did not want to support a Worldcon in China and/or a Worldcon with Lukyanenko as GOH, while Seanan McGuire stalwarts voted anyway. The number of ballots in this category is lower in 2023 (the two packets use different nomenclature, but I think that's 906 ballots this yearvs 1691 ballots in 2021, a big difference, and actually in 2021 the Wayward Children novella also had the most first place votes, but 'Empress' (and then Ring Shout) overtook it in subsequent rounds, so I think the hypothesis that a lot of people who normally submit fairly full ballots and didn't this year while hardcore fans of particular things still voting could explain it, but that's just conjecture on my part, not data analysis.
Novelette: Still no opinion.
Short story: Still no opinion, but interesting to observe that the winning short story ("Rabbit Test") got its majority without needing a run-off. I've heard good things about it, and should maybe make a point to track it down...
Series: Rivers of London was second, which I'm pleased to see -- I hope it wins one of these days! Scholomance was third, Locked Tomb fourth, Toby Daye fifth, and Founders last, and I think I probably agree with that ranking... Locked Tomb is bonkers, but is doing some interesting things even if I don't always enjoy them. Toby I find frustrating on the whole but there are elements that I do find appealing -- I did read 8 of these or whatever, while I only lasted one book with the Founders, and some aspects of the writing bothered me A LOT.
Graphic novel: Monstress, which I'm used to seeing as the winner, was third, and Saga was last.
BRW: Another case where the winner won without any run-offs required (even more overwhelmingly than on short story). The workshops article cam in fifth.
Dramatic, long form: EEAAO's win required only two rounds (not surprised by the dominant showing). Turning Red came in second, followed by Nope, Severance, Black Panther 2, and Avatar 2, but I don't really have any opinions on this order.
Dramatic, short form: Still no opinion.
Editor, short form: Nice to see a decisive victory for Neil Clarke (3 rounds). Also, if I'm following the ranked choice bubbles correctly, it looks, unsurprisingly, like two bimodal populations -- as Chinese nominees drop out, their votes transfer to other Chinese nominees, and ditto for non-Chinese nominees (and the contingent voting No Award). As a result, the two Chinese nominees ended up in the last two spots.
Editor, long form: Still no opinion.
Pro artist: Alyssa Winans was 4th.
Semiprozine: Uncanny, Strange Horizons (which was actually in the lead until the final round of runoffs, huh!), FIYAH, Escape Pod, Pod Castle, and then relative newcomer khoreo in last place.
Fanzine: Still no opinion.
Fancast: A nicely decisive victory for Hugo, Girl! which I was happy to see (2 rounds). Then Hugos There (which I haven't listened to), Coode Street (which I like, but not as much as the "friends talking about books" format), Octothorpe (that I don't think I've listened to), Worldbuilding for Masochists (I liked the idea and vibes, but it's not something I want to listen to on an ongoing basis), and Kalanadi last, but I'm glad to see she's still around.
Fan writer: Still no opinion, but wow that was a close win, by one vote.
Fan artist: Still no opinion.
Lodestart: Golden Enclaves was second, the Charlie Jane Anders was third, Serpent's Wake fourth, and Bloodmarked last, which I guess makes sense, given that usually authors who have only written YA do worse on the Lodestar than authors people are likely to know from the adult categories, like Novik and CJA (and Cat Valente, who was in 5th place with a book I'd never even heard of).
Astounding: OK, the Legends & Lattes author had a decisive victory (2 rounds), and Everina Maxwell was third (after a fairly close loss to Isabel J. Kim for second, where Maxwell was leading in several runoff rounds), above three people I'd not heard of.
And then, finally, we got the nomination statistics (same package as linked above, but starting on p.20). Now, I'm sure anyone who cares about the Hugos has already seen the various articles about irregularities in the data, justified outrage from some of those who have been left off the ballot with no explanation, and dismay from some finalists and/or winners in categories which were affected by this, as well as assorted theories about what might have happened and what to do about it. Some links for me own reference and anyone else's who cares:
- Cora Buhlert has a really good summary with updated links, including to some info I hadn't seen collated elsewhere. (I think this is the easiest summary for someone not immersed in the Hugos minutia to follow...)
- File770 has a lot of active discussion of the weirdness (also here in the comments of the original link to the data becoming available.
- There is analysis of the nominations data that shows it is very anomalous compared to past years (including the worst Puppy slate year) and that the data doesn't seem to make sense with how EPH calculations of short list eligibility should work.
- Fanwriter nominee Arthur Liu has a Twitter thread about the weirdness in the Chinese language nominees.
- and here's a link that has a pretty good summary of earlier stuff going on with Chengdu Worldcon, that I haven't seen other places mention except in arguments.
- While there's clear evidence that SOMETHING weird is going on, there's a lot less consensus about what it all MEANS, although I've seen theories from the strange data being an intentional signal because it wouldn't have been hard to fake it less suspiciously to "multiple unrelated shenanigans", which Camestros Felapton expanded on here. The latter seems more plausible to me, but they did have 6 months to doctor these up better, so who knows...
There's even less consensus on what to do about it (but a lot of arguing in File770 comments and elsewhere across the web, I gather). I'm really curious, though, to see if it does lead to some changes in how the Hugos are administered. I agree with the various File770 commenters who say this is worse than the Puppies -- the Puppies exploited the existing process (which anyone could do, they were just the ones who organized themselves), but the process itself still ran as intended (and it's not like the Hugos always get the winner "right", or the nominations). In this case it does seem like the process was either not followed intentionally or followed so sloppily that the results are questionable at best. And the EPH system and additional spot on the ballot came out of the Puppies years (as well as a lot more people voting via supporting memberships, for a while). I wonder what will come out of this (in two and a half years' time, given the speed at which WSFS evolution moves)...
But, OK, other than the controversy roundup, I do also want to take a look at the actual stats, the way I do every year.
Nominations
Novel: Right, when the finalists first came out, people were shocked by the lack of Babel on it, given that it was short listed or had won the other major SFF awards, and it did seem plausible that R.F.Kuang had declined a nomination and just didn't want to talk about it -- that happens most years, I think, for one reason or another (though usually with past winners who want to give other people a shot). Anyway, it is now revealed that this is not what happened and instead Babel was deemed "not eligible" without any explanation. And, yeah, the "cliff" the data analysis folks are talking about in the links above is really apparent and WEIRD. To the point that there doesn't seem to be any sense in talking about which finalists got the most nominations, as they're basically all a wash. Nothing I've read is hiding in the long list, and only one book I recognize at all, A Half-Built Garden. Some of the links above talk about books that they are surprised to NOT find on the longlist, like the new Jemisin, and yeah, that is weird!
Novella: Looks like A Prayer for the Crown-Shy got the second-most nominations but Chambers declined (good for her). Into the Riverlands got the second-most nominations, which on the one hand is odd, given it's weak showing on the final ballot, but on the other hand I think lends some credence to my hypothesis that the people nominating and the people voting were somewhat distinct populations -- I mean, factually it's different people, because Chicon members could nominate but not vote, but if a bloc of people dropped off between nominations and voting, that could be part of the "inconsistency". Because there seems to be much less of a cliff for novella than some other categories. Also interesting that the Wayward Children novella only squeaked onto the ballot because Chambers declined (it had fewer nominations than the next one down, but a better showing under EPH) -- and then it went on to win, which is also kind of weird, but I have seen it happen before, so just a normal weird, I think, not shenanigans weird. The only other thing in the longlist I recognize is Kelly Robson's "High Times in the Low Parliament" down at #12.
Novelette: The noveletee with the secondmost nominations was declared "not eligible" with no explanation here too, and then there was the nomination S.B.Divya publicly declined. I have no personal thoughts on anything else here, other than, wow, the eventual winner had twice as many nominations, which is impressive.
Short story: A short story listed as "not eligible" with no explanation in the #6 position. This tends to be a really scattered nominations category, from what I recall in past years, because there are so many of them, and this list doesn't look like that at all -- very weird.
Series: WTF, the Founders Trilogy which came in last had the most nominations? The cliff is particularly noticeable here, because people usually keep plugging their faves even when eligible on a technicality, kind of like the Elric nom at #12. Nsibidi Scripts is apparently the Akata books, which became eligible with the publication of the Lodestar winner, and there's The Goblin Emperor, Xuya, and Mistborn down at the bottom, in numbers that actually seem too low... Very, very weird.
Graphic novel: Is that Gaiman's illustrated Chivalry down at #8? And Lore Olympus bringing up the rear. No apparent weirdness in this category.
BRW: Two things that were judged ineligible, one because the author was on the Hugo subcommittee (which seems like a legit practice with precedent), and one because it was previously published in English (but I think I saw a comment somewhe saying that its eligibility would've been extended with publication in the local language? Nothing else in the longlist I recognize.
Dramatic, long form and short form (talking about them combined because there's interrelated shenanigans): OK, there is a LOT going on here XD First, it looks like a movie (Prey) declined nomination, which is odd -- it seems to me like the Dramatic Form folks, especially the movies, don't even know the Hugos are happening, most of the time. Second, both Andor and Sandman got seasons nominated under long form, but were not eligible per the paragraph that says that if a season is nominated under long form and individual episodes under short form, only one will make the ballot, whichever one got the most nominations. (The same thing can be seen in effect with "Severance", only the full season got 2 more nominations than the highest nominated individual episode, so it made the long form list.) Anyway, in the case of Andor, two episodes that got high individual nominations do in fact show up on the short form list. In the case of Sandman, "The Sound of Her Wings" did get a lot more nominations than the whole season -- but then it is mysteriously "not eligible" in the short form, which seems... well, bad and wrong. (If there was a problem with the individual episode, if the season had been allowed, it would've replaced severance, and then a Severance episode would've been on the short form ballot.) Anyway, moving on from that, on the long list it was clear EEAAO was the thing to beat, as it had almost twice the nominations as the next nearest thing (Nope). Hiding in the long list were Ms Marvel season 1 (which I'm in favor of), del Toro's Pinocchio, Dr Strange 2, and Our Flag Means Death -- which also had an episode on the short form longlist. Which is weird, because I did not notice any speculative elements in the 5 episodes of OFMD that I watched? Elsewhere in short form, the two Andor episodes had the most nominations, then the mysteriously disqualified Sandman ep, then the Expanse finale which won (HUGE drop-off between it and the top 3), then the legitimately omitted "Severance" episode,. There's also another thing not eligible due to "prior publication" (although because the lists only list the titles, it's not clear what this actually is XD) Hiding in the long list are two Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and on Lower Decks episode, another Severance, and a Doctor Who.
Editor, long form: Who is nominating all these people? There are 200-400 nominations for the top 8 slots, when I'm used to seeing these nominations in the sub-100 range -- because eligible editors long form is probably the hardest category to track down. Longlist tail seems to be mostly Chinese names?
Editor, short form: To a lesser extent, there are also more nominations for this than I expected (~200 vs sub 100 I'm used to seeing), but not as massive a discrepancy. It looks like Jonathan Strahan, Sheila Williams, and the Thomases, whom I'm used to seeing on this list, received more nominations than one or both of the Chinese language nominees, but were eliminated on EPH. And there's Mur Lafferty & Valerie Valdes and Lee Harris (he made the long form ballot) in the long list, along with several names I don't recognize.
Pro artist: Not a lot of names I recognize, other than Tommy Arnold, at #9. And looks like the #5 nominee (Guo Jian) declined the nomination.
Semiprozine: Hiding in the longlist: Beneath Ceaseless Skies, The Deadlands, Clakesworld (which I think is a prozine?), and Anathema, among those I recognize.
Fanzine: Nothing to say on this one other than the nomination counts once again apper a lot higher than I'm used to seeing in this category and with a clear "cliff" after 7 spots.
Fancast: Huh, so Hugo, Girl! actually had the third highest number of nominations (though again the top spots were high compared to normal). Out in the longlist is Verity! which I enjoy the banter and vibe of while not caring at all about Doctor Who, their subject matter.
Fan writer: I'm familiar with none of the names and have no opinion.
Fan writer: This was another category with a mysteriously "not eligible" writer who got the third-highest nominations (one less than the eventual winner), and he's justifiably pissed about it. Looks like Camestros Felapton had more nominations than two of the nominees who made the long list but was eliminated by EPH.
Fan artist: Still somewhat inflated nomination numbers, I think, and still a cliff, though the numbers themselves are smaller. Sarah Felix down in the long list with numbers that I think might've made the short list some years.
Lodestar: Golden Enclaves actually had the most nominations, and winner Akata Woman was only 4th by nomination counts. In the Serpent's Wake was fifth, Bloodmarked was third, the CJA was second and the Cat Valente was last. No mysterious disqualifications, but there is what is probably a C&P error with Serpent's Wake being listed twice (also in 7th place, which is probably a different title, like had happened with some short fiction category). I don't recognize any of the longlist titles.
Astounding: The other super blatant mysteriously "not eligible" disqualification, with Xiran Jay Zhao being crossed off the ballot (in their second year of eligibility, after being eligible last year) despite coming in fourth in nominations. Everina Maxwell and Travis Baldree (the eventual winner) actually had the same number of nominations (tied for first, without taking EPH into account). Nobody in the longlist I recognize.
Curious to see what will happen from here.
I got an AMAZING package from rinkafushi, my Santa in cafemassolit's annual Gift Exchange, after a somewhat nervous fortnight it spent in US customs. I was checking in on it a couple of times a day, and googling horror stories of how long people's packages spent stuck in customs (they can hold it for 45 days and then another 45 to investigate XD) -- and then all of a sudden it was in my city! And shortly showed up in front of my door -- a GIANT parcel, which had been through Some Shit clearly -- maybe that's why it got held up at customs? -- but everything had been packed solidly enough that the only damage to the contents seems to be slightly squished KinderSurprise eggs (but the important things, the TOYS, were perfectly fine :D)
My attempt to get everything in one shot:
Can you believe this was all for me??!
The foodstuffs:
The most unexpected thing there are the puffs in the large bags -- these are my beloved kukuruznye palochki ("sweet Cheetos" is how I explain them to people; they're puffed corn) -- which I ask for from Russian or former-USSR Santas, but was not expecting anyone else to be able to find, as I've never come across them in Western Europe. But Rinka found them! And now I also know what they're called in German ("Maisstabchen", which is adorable!)
There is a lot of interesting chocolate flavors (with nuts and crunchy bits, just as I like 'em!), and chocolate pretzels! (those are all gone by now, haha), and gummy candy that we don't get out here -- very pleasantly squishy stars and dense and chewy... cucumbers? (for the shape, I assume, as in flavor they're raspberry and lemon and stuff); anyway, they're great! -- and also the "larver" in the brown package, which came with an explanatory note that the Nordics are weird and "enjoy your worms!" I have actually been enjoying my worms! L described them as "like gummy bread", and she is not wrong, but I quite like the very weird texture! it's odly satisfying to bit into.
And what's in the little heart-shaped box? (with an edelweiss flower and "I like you" in Bavarian, which definitely appealed to the language geekery of the household)
A tea sampler! With biohazard "sample" bags as packaging, which completely tickled me, and a selection of Rinka's favorites, of which I'm particularly intrigued to try the elderflower.
The cookies were not in the box, but were nevertheless a) completely intact despite the parcel's clear Adventures along the way, and b) still very tasty after they sojourn in customs. I can only bow my head before Rinka's packing magic in accomplishing this.
And this is who was waiting for me inside the KinderSurprise egg:
(The European toys are SO MUCH better!)
That was just the loose stuff, though. I haven't even started on the wrapped presents:
First, look at that kiwi!!
LOOK AT IT!
It's actually quite hard to photograph, because it's very true-to-life brown-on-brown, but look at its feet! and its beak! and its birdy little eyes! We are all incredibly charmed by it!
And what's inside the packages?
Teeny adorable jars of honey! (linden and pine and sunflower, which I'm particularly intrigued to try). A wonderfully scented lilac-wisteria soap. A funny poetry magnet, an apple-shaped notepad thingy which will come in very handy for sending packages to O at uni, and socks that are both very colorful and fun AND very comfortable! -- these are actually my preferred sock length, which don't seem to be as common in the US. I am in fact currently wearing the bookshelves ones.
And then! there was a gorgeous dark green Tyrell shirt, long-sleeved so that I can declare my house allegiance in weather that's too cold for cafemassolit's T-shirt but not cold enough for sephystabbity's scarf:
SO GORGEOUS!! So appropriately sparkly!!
(I assume this is handmade, but it looks completely professionally done! Super impressed! <33)
There is also a marmot sticker (I live in hope of meeting these guys one of these days) which has a custom QR code on the back (!) that leads to a >20 min video (!!) that rinkafushi put together with her photos (!!!) from around her region, with fascinating explanations behind the traditions in the photos and history of the region (!!!), which is such a cool idea! (This is something she put together for her letter exchange recipient, and I was really glad to be able to share in it too (and then also share it with B, who loves learning about this kind of stuff).
Last but not least, the handmade "postcard":
This is covered in fabric, and when I showed it to L, she went, "I don't need a new hobby, I don't need a new hobby..." XD
This was all amazing! I love absolutely everything inside! Everything is delicious and/or adorable and/or fascinating, and there was just SO MUCH! Thank you so, so much, rinkafushi! What an incredible parcel and Santa experience! (all the ♥s!)
*
And now for something completely different: Hugo Awards drama.
Since my first taste of the Worldcon experience in 2018, I usually follow the Hugos even in the years when I don't vote -- I think I've watched all of the ceremonies and live-blogged thorugh them. But this year Worldcon and the Hugos (in Chengdu) were moved to October, and I forgot about them. Then I saw the winners, and was either uninformed or meh about them enough that I didn't bother commenting at the time, figuring I'd wait until the statistics were out -- which is usually a day after the results. Except not this year. It took until Dec 3 for the final ballot statistics to be released (i.e. how many votes did everything on the short list get, and the progression towards the winner under the Hugos ranked choice ballot). Those I looked at right away, and some things made me go huh! but I figured I'd wait until the nomination statistics (the long lists) came out, which was not at the same time, again, a first in my experience. By the constitution that governs the Hugos, the committee had 90 days after the convention to release all the stats, and they did release the nomination statistics on Jan 20, which was day 90 (or possibly 91). I those statistics are full of "irregularities", to borrow File770's phrase. So I kind of have more to talk about than I expected XD But since this is also my post to natter about winners and finalists, let's start with that, I guess?
Winners (list here)
Novel: I have read none of these, though I imagine I'll eventually get to Nona and the Kingfisher, but I'm happy that Ursula Vernon won (though stay tuned for the nomination drama)
Novella: I have read Into the Riverlands and thought it was great, and was rooting for it -- against 5 things I had not read, of course, but I did at least read prequels of the Wayward Children and Alix Harrow's series, which did not particularly inspire me to continue. But, anyway, this was a disappointment, even though admittedly not an informed one. And I must say I'm always kind of annoyed when Seanan McGuire wins a Hugo, which I feel uncharitable about, especially after reading about how much the award means to her, but it's one of those things where if someone's name is on the ballot five zillion times you kind of wish they'd... encourage a little variety, maybe.
Novelette: I have read none of these and have no opinion.
Short story: I have read none of these and have no opinion.
Series: I have read some of all of these except the winner (and all of Scholomance and RoL), which is not a very useful position to be in, but I was rooting for Rivers of London in this one, and thus was a little disappointed, although I have enjoyed the little of Tchaikovsky I've read, and am willing to believe that he is a worthy winner.
Graphic novel: I've read none of these specific volumes (I need to catch up on Saga! my library still didn't have it the last time I looked, but it was a while ago), but had read previous instlalments of Monstress and Saga, and would've been rooting for Saga based on that.
BRW: I was going to say I have read none of these, but actually I have read S.L.Huang's piece on workshops (it just didn't leave that much of an impression because it's not a topic relevant to me personally). I kind of want to read the Terry Pratchett bio that won, and so am abstractly happy that it did win, on the strength of the subject matter rather than the work.
Dramatic, long form: I have only watched Turning Red, which I didn't think was award worthy (it was cute enough, but not even close to my favorite of the Disney generational trauma era), but EEAAO winning was pretty much a foregone conclusion. (Also, is this the first time a movie won both an Oscar and a Hugo?)
Dramatic, short form: I have watched none of these and had no opinion. I guess I never commented on it when the nominations came out, but I was surprised not to see any Sandman on the list (which wil come back when I get to the nomination statistics.)
Editor, short form: One of the wins I'm genuinely happy about -- I'm always rooting for Neil Clarke.
Editor, long form: No opinion on nominees or winner (even many years I'm voting I have a hard time forming an opinion on this one, lol)
Pro artist: I was rooting for Alyssa Winans, whom I'd meant to nominate and forgot. I don't have an opinion on any of the others (this is one category where I rely heavily on the voter packet when voting), but it was neat to have a Chinese winner and more local nominees.
Semiprozine: Another win for Uncanny. This tends to be a pretty boring category.
Fanzine: This field was a mix of fanzines I was familiar with from past Hugo years but didn't really care about and Chinese fanzines I was not familiar with at all, so no opinion. But another local winner, that's cool.
Fancast: The other category besides editor that I was genuinely happy about, because I had nominated and was rooting for Hugo, Girl! (I listen to them regularly, after discovering them via a past Hugos packet -- they've replaced the Serpentcast as my regular "listening to friends talk about books" podcast. They have also said that in the wake of their win they're recusing themselves from further awards, which I think is very classy.
Fan writer: I'm familiar with none of the names and have no opinion.
Fan artist: This field was a mix of fan artists I was familiar with from past Hugo years but didn't really care about and artists I was not familiar with at all, so no opinion.
Lodestart: I read only one thing on the actual ballot (Golden Enclaves, and would've been fine if it had won; I nominated it, but just because it was the only eligible thing I'd read), and earlier books in the series for three of the others (Serpent's Wake, Bloodmarked, and Akata Woman). The "Akata [X]" series is one that I wish I enjoyed more than I actually did -- I like the idea of what it's doing, but the reading experience itself proves unsatisfying, so I'm meh about the win. I would've probably been rooting for In the Serpent's Wake, just because I like that world and what Hartman is doing with her duologies in principle, even if I haven't read this specific book.
Astounding: This is the other win, along with novella, that I feel the most pettily annoyed about, in similarly uninformed fashion. I had a contender I was rooting for here -- Everina Maxwell, whom I've wanted to win a Hugo(-adjacent thing) since "Course of Honor" was an OW on AO3, and htis was her last year of eligibility for Astounding. And I have not read Legends & Lattes, but everything I have heard about the book, including from people who liked it, suggests to me that I would not find it deserving of an award (and Astounding isn't for a book exaclty, but it seems like in this case it's synonymous. So, *sigh*
So, two wins I'm happy about, in "minor" categories (editor short form, fancast), and two wins I'm mad about, in major categories (novella, Astounding), and then a spectrum in-between, with 9 categories I'm totally indifferent to (47%), and about twice as many "vaguely disappointed" (4) as "vaguely pleased" (2) among the other results -- you can probably see why I wasn't moved to post about it when the results first came out.
Finalist statistics (first part of the packet here)
Novel: Kinda dismayed that Legends & Lattes was second and surprised Kaiju Preservation Society was third given how much people were complaining about its nomination. Not surprised Nona the Ninth was last, given that it's the only sequel on the list, and I gather a weird (unexpected) sequel at that, i.e. not the book even the Locked Tomb fans were expecting/waiting for.
Novella: I'm so puzzled at Into the Riverlands coming in fifth... Like, I cannot compare it against the others, since I haven't read the others, but I thought it was great, and the last one of these Singing Hills novellas to make the ballot won (Empress of Salt and Fortune), in 2021. I wondered at first if the Asian setting was less interesting to an Asian Worldcon voters, and then wondered if it's that a bunch of people who normally vote for the Hugos sat it out this year because they did not want to support a Worldcon in China and/or a Worldcon with Lukyanenko as GOH, while Seanan McGuire stalwarts voted anyway. The number of ballots in this category is lower in 2023 (the two packets use different nomenclature, but I think that's 906 ballots this yearvs 1691 ballots in 2021, a big difference, and actually in 2021 the Wayward Children novella also had the most first place votes, but 'Empress' (and then Ring Shout) overtook it in subsequent rounds, so I think the hypothesis that a lot of people who normally submit fairly full ballots and didn't this year while hardcore fans of particular things still voting could explain it, but that's just conjecture on my part, not data analysis.
Novelette: Still no opinion.
Short story: Still no opinion, but interesting to observe that the winning short story ("Rabbit Test") got its majority without needing a run-off. I've heard good things about it, and should maybe make a point to track it down...
Series: Rivers of London was second, which I'm pleased to see -- I hope it wins one of these days! Scholomance was third, Locked Tomb fourth, Toby Daye fifth, and Founders last, and I think I probably agree with that ranking... Locked Tomb is bonkers, but is doing some interesting things even if I don't always enjoy them. Toby I find frustrating on the whole but there are elements that I do find appealing -- I did read 8 of these or whatever, while I only lasted one book with the Founders, and some aspects of the writing bothered me A LOT.
Graphic novel: Monstress, which I'm used to seeing as the winner, was third, and Saga was last.
BRW: Another case where the winner won without any run-offs required (even more overwhelmingly than on short story). The workshops article cam in fifth.
Dramatic, long form: EEAAO's win required only two rounds (not surprised by the dominant showing). Turning Red came in second, followed by Nope, Severance, Black Panther 2, and Avatar 2, but I don't really have any opinions on this order.
Dramatic, short form: Still no opinion.
Editor, short form: Nice to see a decisive victory for Neil Clarke (3 rounds). Also, if I'm following the ranked choice bubbles correctly, it looks, unsurprisingly, like two bimodal populations -- as Chinese nominees drop out, their votes transfer to other Chinese nominees, and ditto for non-Chinese nominees (and the contingent voting No Award). As a result, the two Chinese nominees ended up in the last two spots.
Editor, long form: Still no opinion.
Pro artist: Alyssa Winans was 4th.
Semiprozine: Uncanny, Strange Horizons (which was actually in the lead until the final round of runoffs, huh!), FIYAH, Escape Pod, Pod Castle, and then relative newcomer khoreo in last place.
Fanzine: Still no opinion.
Fancast: A nicely decisive victory for Hugo, Girl! which I was happy to see (2 rounds). Then Hugos There (which I haven't listened to), Coode Street (which I like, but not as much as the "friends talking about books" format), Octothorpe (that I don't think I've listened to), Worldbuilding for Masochists (I liked the idea and vibes, but it's not something I want to listen to on an ongoing basis), and Kalanadi last, but I'm glad to see she's still around.
Fan writer: Still no opinion, but wow that was a close win, by one vote.
Fan artist: Still no opinion.
Lodestart: Golden Enclaves was second, the Charlie Jane Anders was third, Serpent's Wake fourth, and Bloodmarked last, which I guess makes sense, given that usually authors who have only written YA do worse on the Lodestar than authors people are likely to know from the adult categories, like Novik and CJA (and Cat Valente, who was in 5th place with a book I'd never even heard of).
Astounding: OK, the Legends & Lattes author had a decisive victory (2 rounds), and Everina Maxwell was third (after a fairly close loss to Isabel J. Kim for second, where Maxwell was leading in several runoff rounds), above three people I'd not heard of.
And then, finally, we got the nomination statistics (same package as linked above, but starting on p.20). Now, I'm sure anyone who cares about the Hugos has already seen the various articles about irregularities in the data, justified outrage from some of those who have been left off the ballot with no explanation, and dismay from some finalists and/or winners in categories which were affected by this, as well as assorted theories about what might have happened and what to do about it. Some links for me own reference and anyone else's who cares:
- Cora Buhlert has a really good summary with updated links, including to some info I hadn't seen collated elsewhere. (I think this is the easiest summary for someone not immersed in the Hugos minutia to follow...)
- File770 has a lot of active discussion of the weirdness (also here in the comments of the original link to the data becoming available.
- There is analysis of the nominations data that shows it is very anomalous compared to past years (including the worst Puppy slate year) and that the data doesn't seem to make sense with how EPH calculations of short list eligibility should work.
- Fanwriter nominee Arthur Liu has a Twitter thread about the weirdness in the Chinese language nominees.
- and here's a link that has a pretty good summary of earlier stuff going on with Chengdu Worldcon, that I haven't seen other places mention except in arguments.
- While there's clear evidence that SOMETHING weird is going on, there's a lot less consensus about what it all MEANS, although I've seen theories from the strange data being an intentional signal because it wouldn't have been hard to fake it less suspiciously to "multiple unrelated shenanigans", which Camestros Felapton expanded on here. The latter seems more plausible to me, but they did have 6 months to doctor these up better, so who knows...
There's even less consensus on what to do about it (but a lot of arguing in File770 comments and elsewhere across the web, I gather). I'm really curious, though, to see if it does lead to some changes in how the Hugos are administered. I agree with the various File770 commenters who say this is worse than the Puppies -- the Puppies exploited the existing process (which anyone could do, they were just the ones who organized themselves), but the process itself still ran as intended (and it's not like the Hugos always get the winner "right", or the nominations). In this case it does seem like the process was either not followed intentionally or followed so sloppily that the results are questionable at best. And the EPH system and additional spot on the ballot came out of the Puppies years (as well as a lot more people voting via supporting memberships, for a while). I wonder what will come out of this (in two and a half years' time, given the speed at which WSFS evolution moves)...
But, OK, other than the controversy roundup, I do also want to take a look at the actual stats, the way I do every year.
Nominations
Novel: Right, when the finalists first came out, people were shocked by the lack of Babel on it, given that it was short listed or had won the other major SFF awards, and it did seem plausible that R.F.Kuang had declined a nomination and just didn't want to talk about it -- that happens most years, I think, for one reason or another (though usually with past winners who want to give other people a shot). Anyway, it is now revealed that this is not what happened and instead Babel was deemed "not eligible" without any explanation. And, yeah, the "cliff" the data analysis folks are talking about in the links above is really apparent and WEIRD. To the point that there doesn't seem to be any sense in talking about which finalists got the most nominations, as they're basically all a wash. Nothing I've read is hiding in the long list, and only one book I recognize at all, A Half-Built Garden. Some of the links above talk about books that they are surprised to NOT find on the longlist, like the new Jemisin, and yeah, that is weird!
Novella: Looks like A Prayer for the Crown-Shy got the second-most nominations but Chambers declined (good for her). Into the Riverlands got the second-most nominations, which on the one hand is odd, given it's weak showing on the final ballot, but on the other hand I think lends some credence to my hypothesis that the people nominating and the people voting were somewhat distinct populations -- I mean, factually it's different people, because Chicon members could nominate but not vote, but if a bloc of people dropped off between nominations and voting, that could be part of the "inconsistency". Because there seems to be much less of a cliff for novella than some other categories. Also interesting that the Wayward Children novella only squeaked onto the ballot because Chambers declined (it had fewer nominations than the next one down, but a better showing under EPH) -- and then it went on to win, which is also kind of weird, but I have seen it happen before, so just a normal weird, I think, not shenanigans weird. The only other thing in the longlist I recognize is Kelly Robson's "High Times in the Low Parliament" down at #12.
Novelette: The noveletee with the secondmost nominations was declared "not eligible" with no explanation here too, and then there was the nomination S.B.Divya publicly declined. I have no personal thoughts on anything else here, other than, wow, the eventual winner had twice as many nominations, which is impressive.
Short story: A short story listed as "not eligible" with no explanation in the #6 position. This tends to be a really scattered nominations category, from what I recall in past years, because there are so many of them, and this list doesn't look like that at all -- very weird.
Series: WTF, the Founders Trilogy which came in last had the most nominations? The cliff is particularly noticeable here, because people usually keep plugging their faves even when eligible on a technicality, kind of like the Elric nom at #12. Nsibidi Scripts is apparently the Akata books, which became eligible with the publication of the Lodestar winner, and there's The Goblin Emperor, Xuya, and Mistborn down at the bottom, in numbers that actually seem too low... Very, very weird.
Graphic novel: Is that Gaiman's illustrated Chivalry down at #8? And Lore Olympus bringing up the rear. No apparent weirdness in this category.
BRW: Two things that were judged ineligible, one because the author was on the Hugo subcommittee (which seems like a legit practice with precedent), and one because it was previously published in English (but I think I saw a comment somewhe saying that its eligibility would've been extended with publication in the local language? Nothing else in the longlist I recognize.
Dramatic, long form and short form (talking about them combined because there's interrelated shenanigans): OK, there is a LOT going on here XD First, it looks like a movie (Prey) declined nomination, which is odd -- it seems to me like the Dramatic Form folks, especially the movies, don't even know the Hugos are happening, most of the time. Second, both Andor and Sandman got seasons nominated under long form, but were not eligible per the paragraph that says that if a season is nominated under long form and individual episodes under short form, only one will make the ballot, whichever one got the most nominations. (The same thing can be seen in effect with "Severance", only the full season got 2 more nominations than the highest nominated individual episode, so it made the long form list.) Anyway, in the case of Andor, two episodes that got high individual nominations do in fact show up on the short form list. In the case of Sandman, "The Sound of Her Wings" did get a lot more nominations than the whole season -- but then it is mysteriously "not eligible" in the short form, which seems... well, bad and wrong. (If there was a problem with the individual episode, if the season had been allowed, it would've replaced severance, and then a Severance episode would've been on the short form ballot.) Anyway, moving on from that, on the long list it was clear EEAAO was the thing to beat, as it had almost twice the nominations as the next nearest thing (Nope). Hiding in the long list were Ms Marvel season 1 (which I'm in favor of), del Toro's Pinocchio, Dr Strange 2, and Our Flag Means Death -- which also had an episode on the short form longlist. Which is weird, because I did not notice any speculative elements in the 5 episodes of OFMD that I watched? Elsewhere in short form, the two Andor episodes had the most nominations, then the mysteriously disqualified Sandman ep, then the Expanse finale which won (HUGE drop-off between it and the top 3), then the legitimately omitted "Severance" episode,. There's also another thing not eligible due to "prior publication" (although because the lists only list the titles, it's not clear what this actually is XD) Hiding in the long list are two Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and on Lower Decks episode, another Severance, and a Doctor Who.
Editor, long form: Who is nominating all these people? There are 200-400 nominations for the top 8 slots, when I'm used to seeing these nominations in the sub-100 range -- because eligible editors long form is probably the hardest category to track down. Longlist tail seems to be mostly Chinese names?
Editor, short form: To a lesser extent, there are also more nominations for this than I expected (~200 vs sub 100 I'm used to seeing), but not as massive a discrepancy. It looks like Jonathan Strahan, Sheila Williams, and the Thomases, whom I'm used to seeing on this list, received more nominations than one or both of the Chinese language nominees, but were eliminated on EPH. And there's Mur Lafferty & Valerie Valdes and Lee Harris (he made the long form ballot) in the long list, along with several names I don't recognize.
Pro artist: Not a lot of names I recognize, other than Tommy Arnold, at #9. And looks like the #5 nominee (Guo Jian) declined the nomination.
Semiprozine: Hiding in the longlist: Beneath Ceaseless Skies, The Deadlands, Clakesworld (which I think is a prozine?), and Anathema, among those I recognize.
Fanzine: Nothing to say on this one other than the nomination counts once again apper a lot higher than I'm used to seeing in this category and with a clear "cliff" after 7 spots.
Fancast: Huh, so Hugo, Girl! actually had the third highest number of nominations (though again the top spots were high compared to normal). Out in the longlist is Verity! which I enjoy the banter and vibe of while not caring at all about Doctor Who, their subject matter.
Fan writer: I'm familiar with none of the names and have no opinion.
Fan writer: This was another category with a mysteriously "not eligible" writer who got the third-highest nominations (one less than the eventual winner), and he's justifiably pissed about it. Looks like Camestros Felapton had more nominations than two of the nominees who made the long list but was eliminated by EPH.
Fan artist: Still somewhat inflated nomination numbers, I think, and still a cliff, though the numbers themselves are smaller. Sarah Felix down in the long list with numbers that I think might've made the short list some years.
Lodestar: Golden Enclaves actually had the most nominations, and winner Akata Woman was only 4th by nomination counts. In the Serpent's Wake was fifth, Bloodmarked was third, the CJA was second and the Cat Valente was last. No mysterious disqualifications, but there is what is probably a C&P error with Serpent's Wake being listed twice (also in 7th place, which is probably a different title, like had happened with some short fiction category). I don't recognize any of the longlist titles.
Astounding: The other super blatant mysteriously "not eligible" disqualification, with Xiran Jay Zhao being crossed off the ballot (in their second year of eligibility, after being eligible last year) despite coming in fourth in nominations. Everina Maxwell and Travis Baldree (the eventual winner) actually had the same number of nominations (tied for first, without taking EPH into account). Nobody in the longlist I recognize.
Curious to see what will happen from here.