Each judge and host chose one particular story to recognize for whatever reason it stood out - and made up her own award name as well! In addition, she provided a little write up with reasons why she chose this fic. The judges' choices will be up first, followed by the stories selected by the hosts.
HunterHunting's Pick - Up to Scratch by Vican
HunterHunting had this to say:So--as an angst h00r I was expecting to fall in love with an angsty piece and wussperv myself into oblivion with three-ply tissues. I did this, cried and sniffled my way through a couple of one-shots and then, oh then, I stumbled upon this gem. I nearly peed myself with glee and snorted my way through it until my hubs looked at me with disgust. Quirking an eyebrow he pointed the remote control at me and clicked 'mute' which clearly was not effective in the least as I don't repond to remote control activity unless it's one of those 'bullet' things. I continued to snort.
And then . . . *cue sweaty palms and perv induced blush.*
Annnnnd then, I got hot under the collar--while I was laughing my ass off--at the same time. The Edward in the fic is not only awk-stalkerwardishly adorkable, he's hot as fuck in his nerdy, geeky, stuttering cuteness. I want him to scratch my itch. I want him to rub lotion into my rash while I moan out my gratitude. Seriously, even through the hilarity of the entire story--and it is a complete story but still leaves me dying for an second chapter, and a third, and maybe some lotion rubbing courtesy of Edward--I couldn't stop the hot flash that ran across my body at the sexiness that this particular author inspires.
Who thought scratching an itch could get me wet? Not I. How greatly did I underestimate the eroticism of rash scratching? To the nth degree, because it's probably the hottest, strangest UST I've ever stumbled across in a fic.
I want this to continue so badly. I will stalk this author in order to get past the damn UST and give me some of the action I am craving. Okay, maybe I won't stalk, but I will certainly request, maybe even plead on my knees for the continuation of this story because the humour is fantastic and the story and characters are well developed. I want more. I can't help it. I've read this twice, and I'll go back in and read it again.
Jennifer.lyn215 AND Mrs.TheKing's Pick - Sunday Sundae by shalu
Jennifer.lyn215 had this to say:
I am a huge Emmett fan. I am team Emmett all the way and it's not very often that I come by a fic or a one shot with him as the main character. I loved this fic, because not only were there some hot moments in it, it was the goofy Emmett I picture in my mind! I must give credit for the "watermelon pregnancy" because honestly, I would have NEVER thought of something so hilarious!
Mrs.TheKing added:
Crazy awesome! Funny, sexy, perfect Rose and Emmett in a hilarious setting. Best one I read!
Kristi28's Pick - Touched by heywoodlane
Kristi28 had this to say:
I love Alice. Of all the Twilight characters, Alice seems to be the one that writers can have the most fun with. From the first sentence where she declares that being short sucks, to her overly descriptive imaginary Jasper shower scene, Alice tells a story and is told stories that made me laugh out loud. I couldn't help but think of poor Esme going to Sam's Club to buy tissues and lotion in bulk for those boys. Not to mention any fic that involves Emmett is a plus, and Emmett masturbating gets me every time.
Naelany's Pick - All the Ingredients for a Good Day by EchoesOfTwilight
Naelany had this to say:I can so very much relate to how she's feeling when her birthday goes by forgotten by those she loves. I was swept away by the tenderness and care her mystery person put into the challenge for her, even though he had help and very little time to pull it together. I loved the way he stepped in and just made her day so, so much better. I don't think she could have had a better birthday. It made me wish someone had done that for me years ago when I was single lol. Still, a girl can dream, right? ;-)
PolkaDotMama's Pick - Asymmetrical Hues by StarlightSuccubus
PolkaDotMama had this to say:I love a fiction that is willing to take a risk and go beyond what it expected. StarlightSuccubus starts out her story with a series of short sentences that pulled me in, soothing me with the lilt and rhythm of her words and allowing me to let go of my world and be drawn into her vision. Then she shifts her story telling style to a more pragmatic style, giving us the details we need to understand Jasper’s POV. Bella takes over the narrative to tell her story before Jasper speaks again. Both of them lulled me with their short thoughts that were interspersed throughout their story. Jasper continues to go back, thinking of the same things to calm himself, but in the end, it turns out to be so much more than I initially expected. This is a story that I know I will come back to, learning more with each reading.
Chicklette's Pick - A Slip Down Memory Lane by SweetDulcinea
Chicklette had this to say:When I began reading stories for this contest, I simply started clicking on titles, paying no attention to prompt or author name. I wanted the experience of reading the stories without prejudice of what I *thought* the story should be. (I will say that I expected most stories to be funny.)
So I was surprised when I found myself getting drawn deeper and deeper into this story of Edward and Bella. One night, as Edward is using an ATM machine, he runs into old flame Bella. Told from Edward’s point of view, it’s apparent from the first that he’s still in love with her. However, he respects that she broke things off, and he doesn’t try to make their chance encounter into anything more.
Until Bella slips on some ice and ends up wounded. She tried to phone her brother, Garrett for help, but Edward won’t hear of it. Instead, he insists on taking her to the emergency room himself, and he waits there with her while she repeatedly tries to reach her brother or his girlfriend, Kate. As they wait, Edward begins to reflect on his brief relationship with Bella, including the moment when she broke his heart and called things off.
One of the things that really drew me in to this story was SweetDulcinea’s use of dialogue. She really has an ear for it, and at no point was I distracted from the story by an awkward turn of phrase. She paints Bella and Edward’s relationship with such sweetness, that it’s a little hard not to fall in love with these two.
Add to all of that hints of humor, a fantastic Carlisle, and some excellent musical references (I’m a huge Jimmy Eat World fan), and this story moves from being a good little one shot to something that really stuck with me. So what are you waiting for? Go! Read! Now!! :)
SorceressCirce's Pick - The More Things Change... by bmango and theladyingrey42
SorceressCirce had this to say:During validation for this contest, the hosts scanned each story, stripped it of all identifying information, and sent it on to the authors. More often than not, I found myself reading a story more carefully, and then I'd have to stop myself, finish my job, and send it on its way (otherwise, I'd never get finished). With "The More Things Change..." by bmango and theladyingrey42, I wasn't able to do that. I was sucked in immediately, and after starting and stopping several times, I finally just gave up and read the story in its entirety.
And then backed up and read it again.
This story has so much of what I love - the angst that comes from miscommunication, the struggles of a young gay man trying to come out, and the disappointment and hurt that comes from betrayed trust. I loved the separation between the voices of the characters and the fluid change between points of view. The typical back-tracking and overexplanation wasn't there, allowing me to get lost in the story and experience such heartbreaking moments as when Edward first sees Jasper appear on his doorstep after a heated almost-argument:
I didn't know how long I stood there, watching sleet drip down his face, droplets on his eyelashes and his dirty blond ringlets hanging limply. Everything about him limp.
Defeated.
Beautiful.
Both of these young men are longing for something they think they cannot have - something Jasper, at least, isn't even sure he wants, and bmango and theladyingrey42 do an amazing job of weaving their narratives together to create a captivating tale that left me satisfied and hopeful - just like their boys.
YogaGal's Pick - Basements, Batman, and the Art of Quiet Flip Flops by PerfectlyPersuasive
YogaGal had this to say:After reading PerfectlyPersuasive's entry, Basements, Batman and the Art of Quiet Flip Flops, I couldn't help but deem it: Tastiest "I can't believe it's not Crack" Fic. PerfectlyPersuasive weaves a story based on an absolutely uncomfortable prompt and teeters the edge of crackfic, while still maintaining an enjoyable, hilarious and adorable story. You completely feel for Edward, who has the misfortune of living with a Rascal bound Carlisle and a buxom, beddazzled Esme. He escapes to the basement so he doesn't have to deal with his crazy parents, but when his basement comforts disappear, will an old playboy magazine ease his worries or just fuck his life up even more? This fic had me laughing out loud all throughout it, and had my mouth agape in disbelief more often than not. PerfectlyPersuasive certainly embodied the spirit of the contest through her prompt. I would be remiss if I didn't add that any fic that personifies the wack off cream as "Mrs. LubridermBottle" certainly seals a place in my heart forever.
Zigster's Pick - With Enthusiasm by ginginlee
Zigster had this to say:So, yeah, I bet I know what a fair few of you are thinking: How many revenge driven stories are there where TP and oreos work in tandem as Bella's side-kicks in crime, exactly? Well, that's not really the point here. The point, my little chickens, is that this story is funny. Plain and simple. It has a hell of a spunk-tastic Bella whose internal monologues are epically entertaining to read through, with some simultaneous sage advice thrown it about what not to do while exacting revenge on cheating boyfriends. (i.e. don't lock the keys in the getaway vehicle while it's stationed in said cheating boyfriend's driveway)
Comedy is hard to pull off in my opinion. I feel that good comedy -- the stuff that will actually makes you snort ze OJ through ze nostrils -- should be recognized. That's what I'm awarding here. A truly funny little tale about Bella going ape-shit bananas on Mike Newton's house, and the not so victorious ending that follows.
Go read it. Now, would be preferable. *winks*
We hope you all enjoyed this contest and found some great stories to read! We want to thank everyone who participated in any way - without you, this wouldn't have been possible!
