2021 CUDDLEFIC CONTEST: RESULTS · 5:24am Aug 10th, 2021
Thank you all for your great patience. It's been a busy few weeks but I finally have the time to sit down and craft this blog post. A big thanks to judges Hoshizora the generous bankroller of this prestigious contest, Jake The Army Guy (who has judged MULTIPLE times), my dear friend Moosetasm, and the illustrious B_25. FamousLastWords was also there, sort of, and provided wonderful emotional support (I love him unconditionally). Each of them brought their own perspectives to judging which were much appreciated and led to a wholistic judging process.
Now, for the results. First off, we have two very honorable mentions:
Medicinal Mandate by Yoshikage Kira (this was ONE POINT short of Third Place!)
CG: I like this story because I'm in it. As my horse. And he is written real good. Real good.
JTAG: Snuggles: The night time, sniffling, sneezing, stressed out, heart problems, overworked, so you can cuddle medicine! This was a lot of fun to read, mainly due to the subtle world-building...I loved the medical explanation for why cuddling is healthy, which I suspect is actually based on reality. Also, I am a bit of a slut for scientific explanations of how magic works, and this "magic fueled by emotions" stuff is great. The cuddling was on point, and fit surprisingly smoothly into the story. Very fun to read this one. Also, Tempest Shadow cuddles. 14/10 it Was Alright ~ IGN
HZ: [Wins the Secondary Award for] Largest Group Cuddle.
Chrysalis Coup Countered by Cuddles by nobody495 (ALSO ONE POINT short of Third Place!)
CG: Haha same letter in a row four times go CCCC
JTAG: This was so damn enjoyable. Chrissy thinking she’s such a smooth operator while fully acting like a touch-starved nerd was a treat. The cuddling was superbly done, and the threats of unspeakable kindness at the end legit made me giggle.
CG (again): You made a US Army Drill Sergeant giggle. Lol. Lmao.
Since I feel bad you both missed placing by ONE POINT, DM me and we'll figure something out. No cash, but I work wonders with writing, when I actually do it.
Ok, now for the big bois. In THIRD PLACE:
Hold me? by Erynaster1504
CG: Holy moly, yes Twilight, I would like to hold you. Very sweet, very snuggly, I loved it. My criticisms are few and far between and mostly personal preference, with a few recommendations for mechanics. For those on this site who care about my opinion (all three of you), keep an eye on this up-and-comer. Erynaster will be making waves on this site, mark my words.
JTAG: This is a bit of a tough nut to crack. The grammar is a bit wonky. There were a lot of tense shifts, the formatting had some derps...That said, the cuddling was top notch. Very descriptive of the feel and sounds of it all. Seriously, I've read clopfics that didn't go into this much detail of wing play.
CG (again): I don't read clopfics, but can confirm wingplay was solid.
HZ: [Wins Secondary Award for] Highest Density of Cuddling!
SECOND PLACE:
Anon, the Cuddle Slut: Rework by DatZigga
CG: I'm a sucker for subtitles, and other than 'Requiem', I can't think of a better one. While my fragile conscience was s h o o k by what I'm pretty sure was a pp joke, this was a really funny and really cute story that was clearly written with care. Characterization was deep and character-appropriate, the cuddling was very good, and it was *funny*. Second place well deserved.
JTAG: I hate this story. I hate it with a passion for one single reason: it made me like Anon. He started off as the typical 4chan-inspired asshole, but by the end he was likeable, gentle, and fun. Dangit. The cuddling was almost used as exposition, in that through the cuddles we learned more about Anon, Pinkie, and the world in general. Really clever. Twilight's reaction to Pinkie's... Pinkieness was fun, as was the Pinkieness in general. Aside from that, there were a few technical derps, like a tense shift or two, but by and large this was thoroughly enjoyable.
HZ: [Wins Secondary Award for] Best Comedy!
Now for the BIGGEST BOI of all. In FIRST PLACE, winning our GRAND PRIZE of $200:
Come See the Cuddlebug by Level Dasher
CG: Level Dasher is what I would term a "lurker". He's always around, commenting on my things and such, and for several years I've been prodding him to enter; the response has been one of reluctance. I don't know why, as he promptly posted a story which absolutely decimated the competition. If you haven't read this story, you need to. It is USDA-approved, Grade AAA wholesome cuddle material, and getting to have an indirect part in producing masterpieces like this is WHY I run these contests despite the great pain they routinely cause me. The cuddling was sweet and detailed, and after reading it, I crushed the story into small pieces, mixed the powder with water, and mainlined it to keep my blood pressure from falling to levels incompatible with life. LD knows what I'm talking about; they know darn well what a pressor is.
JTAG: "Who can make your teeth melt? And give a heart attack? The Cuddle Bug Can!" Holy crap, this was almost painfully cute, but then it's Ocellus, so that's not very difficult. Mechanically, it's very solid, and Ocellus feels like herself, that is, very 'beetus inducing. I loved the "I can be whatever you want, baby" aspect of the cuddling, though I had to make myself not think about the moral and/or legal implications of turning yourself into another person and letting strangers cuddle you. I absolutely adore it when changelings equate emotions to taste, and the way LD worked that so naturally into the story was a treat.
HZ: [Wins Secondary Award for] Most Wholesome!
That's all she wrote, fillies and gentlecolts. As always, the stories will be left up for posterity in this year's folder in the contest group, and I encourage you to read through them. If you're an author who entered the contest and would like additional feedback or want to know what the judges scored you, send me a DM through the site. And, of course, if you've won a prize, DM me for details on how to collect.
Will I run a contest again? Probably, yes. Life is unlikely to get any less busy in the near future, but I do love all the wonderful cuddles I get to read through. So, I dunno...keep an eye out 👀.
If you have hate mail about the judges score, please forward it to them; I provided comments above but had no say in scoring this go around.
If you have hate mail about the fact it took a month to post results after the end of the contest, please remember a) I had to wait for and coordinate the scores of multiple judges and b) I was working in the ICU last month taking care of trauma and COVID patients and will likely immediately delete your hate mail.
In the words of the great FamousLastWords, "There could be scores here, and stuff." Thank you, Famous. Very cool!
W-WHAT??
Holy crap, I'm honored! I knew Ocellus was practically guaranteed love, but I had no idea how much!
Gotta throw some huge props to my pre-readers and editors, and Little Tigress for drawing the awesome cover art.
Thanks to all of you!
I'm glad to be mentioned so honorably! Seriously, everyone that participated deserves a round of applause for this great contest.
Also, fun fact: I did have to do quite a bit of research into heart disease and hypertension for my story and I did find out that it is proven that having pets does in fact lengthen your lifespan and improves your health.
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It is proven!!
Congrats to the winners!
Congrats to all the winners, and manly nods of approval to all who participated. For real, your effort was not overlooked. Stay awesome.
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Called it!
Even though my entry got stuck in Moderation Limbo, congratulations to the winners and participants! Y'all did really good!
Congrats to the winners and honorable mentions!
Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to everyone who participated!
I’m honored and humbled. Thank you all for both the judgement and the opportunity!
Congratulations to all winners, and thank you to all entrants for your work.
The only hate mail ive got is over the fact i lost. HOW DARE YOU!!!! The cats on my face hiss at you plebs for your insolence. May you all get corona and feel like shit for 2 weeks. THATS RIGHT I PLACED A CURSE ON YOU JUDGES!
May not have even been an honorable mention, but I had fun. Congrats to the winners.