The Smashing and Dashing Character Awards of 2025

Hello, you bookworms and writers!! ^^ Today, I wished to pop in with 500 boxes of books and awards to do this most delightful tag that I have snurched from one of my fellow bloggers, Always Ava! The Smashing and Dashing Character Awards of 2025!

I have always wanted to do one of these. Partly because I adore characters, and with all the trauma we put them through, they deserve a few niceties on occasion. And partly because I also adore awards. Tis my dream to someday win a book award!! (Someday…. Someday…)

This is a most wonderful tag for us bookworms to all remember our most beloved characters of the year!! And so. Without further ado… *clears throat*

Let the games awards begin!!!!

Most Relatable Character

Laren Lark, come receive your award!!!! Laren from Honey Butter is just such a dear character, and she’s just so relatable!! She’s fun and kind and homeschooled. She thinks deeply about things. She has been through Traumatic Character Backstory. She adores poems and writes the most gorgeous ones about skies and friendship and more. She is just so so lovely and one of the characters I related to most while reading middle-grade this year! ^^

So this award shall go to her.

Most Pure Animal Companion

GELIFEN, COME RECEIVE YOUR AWARD!

*sniffs and wipes a tear from my eye* Gelifen really is just one of the most wonderful animal companions. He is a griffon from Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell, and he is just the sweetest thing!!! He’s a baby griffon, chews on Christopher’s hair, is Mal’s very close animal companion, and the last griffon.

He did not deserve what happened to him. Not one bit. But just… *sobs* Poor Gelifen. We will always remember you. You were the grandest, funnest, most innocent animal companion ever. You deserve this award.

Fiercest Fighter

Anya.

Her Royal Highness Princess Anya Argen of the Island of Dousha, Duchess of the Silver Mountain, Countess of the Winged Forests, to be precise.

She is… wonderful.

She isn’t a fierce fighter as in the kind of person who is only ever fierce in combat. She just… has such a fierce spirit. A hunger for justice. And yet she isn’t too brash. She is both kind and reckless. She is a wonderful friend to have. And she is just… so so incredibly fierce. For revenge. To protect her home. To save her friends. She is truly a force to be reckoned with.

Am I Surprised That I Love You?

I…. do not really have any characters that fit this category. I could say Crow from The Q like Ava did, but I wasn’t really surprised that I liked him. He has a terribly interesting name and is a smuggler. How could I NOT like him? So for this, I shall have to leave blank, I fear.

Best Sassmaster

Wednesday Addams, come and collect thine award and please do not set the stage on fire again.

(Actually, she would most certainly set the stage on fire if anyone attempted to give her an award.) Technically she’s a character from a TV show. But in my defence, it says “The Smashing and Dashing Character Awards of 2025.” No one said it had to be from a book.

Wednesday Addams is just so very morbid. She is deadpan and sarcastic. She could eat Girl Scouts for breakfast. She has an uncle who went to prison for actually doing that. She does not really care what people think of me. There really is no other one who can contend for this award. *proudly hands her this award before diving under the blankets to hide from her glare*

The Best Friends of All

MARIGOLD, TORVILLE, PETTIFOG, COLLIN COME CLAIM THIS AWARD!!!!!!

They are simply glorious. Marigold in her clumsiness and with all her inventions and all the sticky situations she gets herself into as she tries to be “wicked”, Torville who is just the most hilarious character as a blob, Pettifog who is basically the demon sidekick who likes embroidery, and Collin who is just the sweetest person ever. They are splendid.

Best Villain TO HATE

*sigh*

President Malstain from The Book of Stolen Dreams.

He’s awful.

He’s a politician.

Need I say more?

Oh yes, and he is dying and so desperately needs this magical artifact to let him live forever (no, siree!!! You do NOT get to imprison and torture a whole country of people just to open the doors of death so you can live forever, no, you don’t!!!!!!) and hates children.

*shudders* Along with President Snow, I suppose. And this other president I wrote from an abandoned WIP. Amelia Areguearde, you are just as terrible as the lot of them.

Oh actually, I do have another villain to hate who could also contend for this award… Tyler Galpin from Wednesday.

Ergh.

We hates him forever.

He is a murderous psychopath.

*shudders* (And he was so FRIENDLY in the first few episodes!!! *sobs* I was just starting to actually like this fellow when THAT happened. Screenwriters, how could you??)

Award for Best Vs. Worst YA Parent

Ehm….

Well, see now, for some reason, a lot of the time in middle-grade and YA, the MC has no parent. XD We authors just kill them off years beforehand so they can’t get in the way.

However. There are still some parents who have survived, and so the award for Best YA Parent goes to Argus Argen. <3 He is a splendid father, terribly brave, curious, and just such a delightful parent!! He and Anya are just the best.

The award for Worst YA Parent goes to Quan and Mai Song (as well as Lord Cassius and Lady Gisela) from KOTLC.

*exasperated sigh*

Those are really, really the worst. They are awful. Terribly cold and awful to their children, and Lady Gisela tried to force Keefe to become this pawn in her evil plan. They deserve this award.

Ship of All Ships in 2025

EMMA AND PIERCE!!!!

I know precisely where I stand on this ship war. They need to be together!!!! And the author simply MUST reveal more of Pierce’s secrets!!!!!!

Most Precious Must Be Protected

Can I say Gelifen again? *puppy eyes* This poor griffon. He didn’t deserve what Rundell did to him. He deserved to fly and live a long happy, griffon life, and shelter Mal and Christopher under his wing. Gelifen. He must (he should have) been protected against all costs.

Honestly Surprised You’re Still Alive

KOTLC gang, come receive this award.

Really, I am…. shocked that Sophie and Keefe and Fitz and Tam and Biana and all the rest of them are still alive. For reasons that, if you’ve read the books, you know.

Award for Making the Worst Decisions

KOTLC GANG, COME RECEIVE THIS AWARD AS WELL!!!

They really do make the worst decisions. And I know that it’s a fantasy story!! And why yes, I do indeed give my own characters some pretty strong plot armor! But Sophie Foster consistently runs off to places she shouldn’t, gets herself and her friends kidnapped, and basically takes off without her bodyguards again and again and again.

*shakes head* This is also why I am surprised they are still alive.

Most In Need of a Nap

May I say Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games? After all the trauma she has been through (TWO Hunger Games, a whole war in Panem, having her sister die), the poor girl most certainly deserves a nice nap without being tormented by nightmares.

Want To Read More About You

Pierceee?

We wants to know thine secrets, precious. Thou hast hidden far too many secrets from us readers and is so mysterious, we needs to know more about ye!!!!!!

We wants your secrets………………………………

(Totally not creepy-sounding at all.) XD

Epilogue

And so there you have it, folks! The Smashing and Dashing Character Awards of 2025 from yours truly, Isabelle Knight! *bows* Again, a thank you to Ava for letting me snurch this tag. This was a delightful post to write, and I hope all the characters are happy with their awards! ^^

Do let me know down in the comments what you thought of this post! And if you’re planning to do it as well! I would love to see your own thoughts on who ought to get these awards!!

Till next time, and wishing y’all a splendid, bookish week!

-Isabelle