Judges' Mention: Ten Seconds at a Time by InstantKarmaGirl

When I first read “Ten Seconds at a Time” by InstantKarmaGirl, I was immediately struck by the sincerity of the characters. They aren’t perfect or necessarily pretty, but they are honest – and for this Jasper, that honesty was a long time coming. After being asked to write this blurb, I went back to check my notes on my first reading – just to be sure I was giving a fair account – and I still agree with my initial assessment. It is a beautiful, touching work that left me really feeling for the characters, which is a challenge in and of itself. Too many fics fall flat or leave me emotionless, especially when so much has to be expressed in so few words. (Shut up. For me, 6,500 is a very few words.)

The premise of this story is that Jasper is a recovering drug addict who is working through his twelve steps. He’s moved back home to Washington to face those people he ran away from when his life spun out of control years earlier. The reader doesn’t know until near the end what, exactly, he did that was so horrible, but I got the sense that it haunts him from the beginning. During one of his initial meetings in Seattle, he meets a woman named Alice he feels drawn toward – in many ways, because she is an addict just like he is.

The canon characteristics in this piece are rendered wonderfully. The idea of Jasper as a junkie is becoming more widespread, but I like the way this one isn’t just a hopeless addict. He struggles, he considers turning back, but he is facing his demons and trying to become a better man – all of which are traits of canon Jasper. Alice, likewise, is heartbreaking, a self-medicating hyperactive woman who has lost her family. I found that even Edward and Bella maintain so many of their canon traits – Edward is overprotective and a little domineering, completely in love with Bella, who has no sense of her own fragility but an amazing – and sometimes infuriating for Edward – capacity for forgiveness. All of these characters combine with beautiful writing and a plot that could be melodramatic but avoids it to make a fantastic, enjoyable tale.

- SorceressCirce

Link to story: Ten Seconds at a Time by InstantKarmaGirl

1st Place Open Voting: Fractured by DefinatelyStaying

 

It was no surprise when DefinatelyStaying (DS) submitted a Jasper/Edward entry for the contest. Few fandom authors create such a complex and hot Jasper/Edward pairing as she consistently does.

What was surprising was her nature of her story: “Fractured” is very much a departure from her usual genre. However, while different, it is still done with her usual flair and knack for constructing an interesting Jasper and Edward.

We meet Edward first. He’s just awoken, nude and hung-over, with no memory of the previous night. As he puts it, “order is paramount in my life,” and he starts his day’s routine to help combat the uneasiness he feels at having no recollection of the last twelve or so hours. As he showers and gets dressed, he finds more and more things that aren’t as they should be – his cell phone is out of place, his shoes are missing.... All of this leads to a panicky and paranoid Edward.

Jasper strolls into the picture next and it’s clear almost immediately that he’s not our usual Jasper. This Jasper is jaded and tired and, we discover, a prostitute. We witness his interaction with a client and learn a lot about him during that short amount of time. He does what he does for money, gets no joy from it, but is resigned to the fact that, “this is my fucking life.” He mentions that some of the other guys have plans, but seems disinclined to make any of his own – his resignation overrules any desire he might have to find a different way to live.

It is clear that neither of our guys is in a good place in his life. What isn’t clear is the nature of their relationship to one another. How will their lives intersect? Will Edward, a doctor with a loving girlfriend, seek out Jasper’s services?

This is the mystery of “Fractured.” We are pulled deeper and deeper as we find out that Edward’s sexual relationship with Bella is non-existent; that Alice, Bella’s best friend, doesn’t trust Edward; that Alice finally feels the need to follow her friend’s boyfriend one night to figure out what the hell is going on with him.

It is clear why this entry was popular with voters; the subject is one rarely seen in the fandom and it was well executed and smartly told. DS has woven a suspenseful tale that had me as anxious as Edward to solve the mystery behind his discomfort and confusion, and to find out how Jasper will enter his life. The characters are real – their plights painful – from start to finish.

We thank and congratulate DS for taking a chance by stepping outside of her norm and submitting this captivating entry for the contest.

- ElleCC

Link to story: Fractured by DefinatelyStaying

Pairing: Jasper / Edward

Jasper / Edward accounted for 15 of the final 120 entries (12.5%) and 50% of the Final Round of Open Voting.

Pairing: Jasper / Other

While most entries paired Jasper with Alice, Bella, or Edward, there were some that did not (or had some sort of combination of A, B, E).