Judges' Mention - Author: letmesign

Not knowing who the authors were as we read the entries, I had no idea that entries 50 and 91 were written by the same author. I enjoyed both entries, and now that I know the same person wrote both, I'm even more impressed. The author has taken on canon and AH, M-rated and T-rated, and done both beautifully.

I had the pleasure of reading FLJ_050 in the preliminary round, and it was one of my selections to go through to the finals for the Judges' Selection Round. This entry captivated me the first time I read it. Jasper is a homeless musician, his most prized possession an inherited violin...and the hopeful sentiment that came with it. His playing draws the attention of a crowd, and he is relieved earn enough money to eat that day. His playing also captures the attention of a homeless woman, Alice; he notices and follows her. He doesn't trust her immediately--the author beautifully conveys the cynicism of the marginalized and disadvantaged--but her directness wins him over. The ending of the story is sweet and hopeful, perhaps best summed up by this line: "'I don’t know you,' he murmured, bringing his hands up to frame her petite face. 'But I want to.'"

The author's descriptive writing is what really drew me in. I could feel the chill wind of Minnesota, where the story is set. I could hear the plaintive cry of Jasper's violin. I could feel the hope in his heart as he finally found someone he could trust. Thank you to the author for crafting such a lovely and engaging piece.

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Like Legna, I had no idea these were written by the same person! They are such vastly different stories, appealing to what feels like very different audiences. “Cadence” is a T-rated human Jasper, while “Identities and Shadow” is an M-rated vamp fic.

This story takes us through a brief moment of Jasper's human time, his time with Maria, and beyond. The author so beautifully and clearly conveys the weight of emotion Jasper is under in brilliant sentences like this, "So when I am immersed in my past, I become immobile, standing still for days at a time as I wait for over a hundred years’ worth of agony to subside."

Jasper meets Alice, and very canon-like, his whole world is turned around. Their lemon is powerful, beautiful, and the tiniest bit funny when Alice says something cheeky to him -- just as I expect them to behave.

We're carried through Alice and Jasper joining the Cullen clan, Jasper's camaraderie with Edward, his bonding with Carlisle, the strengthening of his bond with Alice.

Even though this was "just" a one-shot, I felt like this was one of the most complete pictures of Jasper I've ever read.

- Legna989 and MsKathy

Link to author: letmesign with Cadence and Identities and Shadows