2017 Contest Results! - CategoricalGrant's CuddleFic Contest!

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CategoricalGrant #1 · Dec 16th, 2017 · 8 · 1 ·

First of all, Merry Christmas and thank you all for your patience!

Secondly, before I begin in earnest, I'd like to extend another big round of Thank-Yous to The Abyss and Jake the Army Guy for their help with this contest. It takes a lot of time and effort to read through and judge these stories (especially because they did it out of the goodness of their hearts), and they deserve a giant round of applause and a follow from all of you! I owe them both a big favor!

Finally, I was floored and pleasantly surprised by the number of entries in the contest- twenty-one completed stories were submitted, and at least a half-dozen other people wanted to join but didn't due to time constraints or the like! That means that IF you guys want, I'm thinking about running the contest again some time in 2018! Let me know in this thread what you guys think.

Now, for the results! In a startling turn of events, the numerical scoring system led to two ties! One for First place and one for Third place. While we decided to give out two third prizes, the monetary cost of the grand prize meant that the judges decided the grand prize winner by vote, which happened to be unanimous. Below are the Rankings, along with Honorable Mentions:

First Place/Grand Prize: Pillow Talk by CaptainUnstoppable

"I've known CaptainUnstoppable for a while (I introduced myself years ago when I found out we were in the same national fraternity), and while I knew he was a master of the MacDash romance story I really didn't expect him to come out as a top contender, much less win! However, I underestimated him.
While the story's mechanics are a little rough, it is impressive for a number of reasons. The characters are written well, acting much like I'd expect them to in the show. The cuddling, while often suffering slightly from a lack of description, is warm, cute and believable.
The real draw in this story though was its focus on theme. The question 'What gives life meaning?' Is probably the second most important question in all of philosophy and religion (the first, 'Why is there something rather than nothing?', has a damn clear answer and unfortunately does not lend itself particularly well to pony fanfiction). This question is oft addressed in literature, from the classic coming-of-age story or adventure epic to literally being the focus of an entire book of the Old Testament, and here Rainbow Dash finds herself addressing the same question.
While St. Augustine's answer was beautifully and succinctly written in his Confessions, the ol' Cap'n takes another approach, focusing on exploring the issue: how the question makes us feel, what causes us to reflect on our search for meaning, and particularly what role others play in that search. Instead of providing any concrete answers, the story's theme becomes a simple and beautiful reflection on the question we all face, with an utterly unpretentious and fitting climax.

“Feelin’ better?” Mac asked once he had regained most of his breath.
“A little…” Rainbow sighed, breathing hard still from the burst of excitement. “Just… try to be the best me right now?”
“Eeyup.”

I enjoy feeling. I enjoy thinking more. I enjoy snuggling the most. This story gave me all three." -CategoricalGrant

"This cute little story features Rainbow Dash and Big Mac in the middle of their relationship. I found that the cover art and title drew me in pretty well, and both represent the story well. As an example, look at the cover art, then read this scene here:

“Mac, what the buck are you doing?” Rainbow shouted, continuing her glare at the large stallion. Mac didn’t pay her question any time, as he quickly got into bed with her, and pulled the blankets back over them. Before Rainbow could protest further, Mac fell onto his side and wrapped his foreleg around Rainbow Dash, pulling her against his chest.
“Mac! I'm not in the mood for this!” Rainbow shouted into his ribs, pushing her hooves against him to get him out of bed. Mac just stayed there, resting his head on top of hers; serving to make her shake her head, trying to throw him off.
Rainbow Dash was stronger than many other mares, but Mac was much more built and heavier than most ponies, making him one heck of an immovable object to Rainbow’s unstoppable force. Besides, if Rainbow really didn't want him there, she would have locked the door on him. Also, he knew his mare: if she really wanted him gone, she'd be hitting him a lot harder and with much less mercy.
Rainbow made a few more half hearted shoves before finally settling down with a huff. “If you're going to stay, go get another blanket or something… I'm cold,” Rainbow growled, making Mac chuckle.

I can’t help but chuckle like Big Mac; the author wrote him very well in this scene. Big Mac knows Rainbow very well, and he knows what’ll make her feel better. It’s scenes like this that I enjoy the most, for love and snuggles go hoof in hoof." -The Abyss

"Guh, Rainbow Dash can be adorable! This is the strength of this story: both Mac and Dash are wonderfully in character. Dash is strong and fierce, but she can let her shields down... under the covers in a closed room with only her boyfriend present. And Mac is stoic and quiet. I usually dislike in media res ships, as it leaves it to the reader to assume too much about their relationship. Fortunately, I'm a die-hard MacDash shipper, so that's easy for me. But even if it was a ship I hate, the story and snuggles were excellent. While Cap U has a tendency to over explain things—like two pages are dedicated to Mac making hot chocolate—this is a fantastic story, well written and sweet." -Jake the Army Guy

Second Prize: Sleep Well, My Angel by FamousLastWords

"My first impression upon reading Famous' entry was sort of a shrug and a 'That was good, I guess'. It was after the fact that the artistry hit me: masterfully constructed from a mechanics standpoint, filled with short and unassuming, but believable and sweet cuddles, and a solemn overarching plot that both holds so much more emotion than any story that short deserves to, and yet never veers off into despair or dramatic theatrics. Upon a short reflection, you'll find that it's a story that's good for your soul, one that leaves you saying, 'I didn't really know I needed that...but I did!'.
Famous' entry, from a numerical standpoint, at least, was tied to win the contest. And he deserved it.

It was time to go out and keep making her proud like he did all those years ago.

Famous- keep making me proud, buddy." -CategoricalGrant

"The title and cover art do a good job in catching the reader’s eye, and promises a sweet little story. For a 1.6k word story, though, it has six pagebreaks in it. While the scenes themselves are nice and written well, it makes it a little hard to read, though with that being said, it was short, sweet, and to the point; can’t really ask for more than that!" -The Abyss

"Famous Last Words excels at writing Spike, and this story is no different. Managing to tell a story without actually telling it, we feel Spike's emotions through the flashbacks, and get a glimpse of the wonderful relationship between him and Twilight. The snuggles were real in this one, and it deserves no less than what it earned." -Jake the Army Guy

Tied for Third Place:Wartime Snuggles by The Party Pony

"The Party Pony has been reading and commenting on my fanfiction for awhile now- they are incredibly polite and well-mannered, so I was very happy to see their entry. I was even happier after reading it!
Wartime Snuggles had, probably, the most unique concept of all entries: an AU setting. A bold move. Holy nuts though, does it succeed, spending just enough time on explaining the world before moving onto the focus. Mechanically it is exceptionally well written, and the writer immediately becomes so deeply engrossed in the world and the imagery one practically forgets it's a story at all. (One scene, focused on a walk through the snow while artillery booms in the background, wins the award for the most A E S T H E T I C scenario in the contest.)
The real triumph here, though, is the underdog story happening outside of the world of pony! The Party Pony, a writer with SIX followers (which is atrociously low for such skill- everyone stop what they're doing and go follow them before you read the rest of the results!), enters their SECOND published fanfiction into a contest/boxing match/slugfest/cage-match-cuddle-free-for-all populated by some of the most experienced and popular writers on Fimfiction, judged by yet MORE popular, experienced, and picky writers, and is not only able to survive, but indeed to THRIVE!
No excuses anymore, Party Pony! You better start writing more, because now we all know you're good. You've got at least one fan for life!" -CategoricalGrant

"I love how the title is so to the point. The cover art is a bit bland, but then again, due to so few good options, this was probably the best they could have chosen. The story itself was good, as the author wrote about the alternate timeline where Rainbow had her wing replaced by a metal one. We don’t get enough of that alternate timeline. What I liked in this story was how Rainbow subtly asked the main character if they wanted to “share body heat”. This part of the story was my favorite:

"Erg... Dash, could you get this hair out of my face?"
"I would have to release your neck to do that. We would loose so much cuddling progress. That's not an acceptable loss. As your commanding officer, I just can't allow it."
"Seriously, Dash, this tickles."
"Request denied."
You can feel a sneeze coming on. "Uh-o-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACHO!"
Dash takes a second to register what just happened. "Did you just sneeze into my shoulder? That's disgusting!"

Lastly, while the story was pretty adorable and funny, I recommend that the author do a little studying on how to use said tags, as there were a few errors here and there in the story, though the errors did little to detract from the enjoyment of the story."-The Abyss

"The Crystal War AU never really interested me. I usually prefer my ponies cute and cuddly instead of grim and super cereal. But Party Pony manages to eek out a really well fleshed out world here, explaining the setting without going into too much detail. Once again, Dash is in character cute, and the cuddles were very well done." -Jake the Army Guy

Tie for Third Place: How to Cuddle Your Dragon by TangerineBlast

"A brony friend of mine sent me a skype message a little bit before the end of the contest. 'I think one of your contest entrants is a pretty famous PMV maker'. Well, I looked them up, and sure enough it seems like TangerineBlast is indeed the name of a prolific PMV'er! If it's the same person, well, talk about a renaissance pony!
The story begins a little silly and uninspired, in medias res with regards to Spike and Ponk's relationship. Not much is impressive, not even the cuddling, until the middle of the story, where the absolutely inspired thematics become clear, the characters begin acting just as they should, and even the cuddling jumps into high gear. The end is sweet and worth a laugh, too. The story is an excellent look into Spike's psyche and shows the world that an unpopular and perhaps strange ship just might work after all. Excellent work, TangerineBlast!" -CategoricalGrant

"The cover art and the title are both on point; they show exactly what the story is about without beating around the bush. It promises a cute story, and it delivers a cute story, one that shows a good example of how this ship can actually work. It’s a cute story, and like all the others above it, I really recommend that you read it." -The Abyss

"This one took a bit to get into. Once again, and in media res ship is hard to swallow, especially when it's not made certain that Spike is even of age. But once you get past that, it's a cute little story about two lovers having some good platonic snuggles. The drama stemming from Spike's biology is heartfelt, and it touches on some heavy themes without getting bogged down. Overall, good story." -Jake the Army Guy

Now, onto the HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Seraphem's Luna Visits the Snuggle Den:"Imma be honest, the fact that this story takes place in a BDSM AU gave me several spooks and at least one frighten (I like my ponies wholesome and innocent), but Seraphem's story delivers the most descriptive cuddling present in any of the entries, despite a swing and a miss on exploring deeper themes. If cuddling was the only factor influencing placing, it would have won, hands down. If you're looking for a sensory experience in a cuddling story, there is no better place to look than here. Even my own cuddling magic doesn't come close." -CategoricalGrant

AniMun's Hearth's Warming Surprise: "A unique premise and world, interesting cuddles and a sweet couple's interactions combine to make a warm, happy Christmas/Hearth's Warming story, which is brought down only slightly by some underdeveloped thematics and characters."-CategoricalGrant

I Thought I Was Toast's The Cuddlebug Initiative: "Funny, happy, cute. Sometimes you just need some fluff to get you through the day, and I suggest you find it here." -CategoricalGrant

THANK YOU ALL for your entries, and for following along with the contest! For those of you who placed or received an honorable mention, PM me directly to get started on claiming your prize!
For those of you who didn't win, let me assure you that it in NO WAY reflects a failure on your part. So many great stories entered and only a few could win! For instance, Don't Cry Rarity and Sunday Morning Snuggles both made me smile, while Regal Regrets took place in a beautiful, descriptive environment where I got to cuddle with ~~my waifu~~ ~~best pony~~ ~~beautiful regent~~ ~~unending target of my affections~~ Princess Luna. Every one of your stories had something to commend it!

And besides...there's always next year!

Samuel-Neocros

Samuel-Neocros #2 · Dec 16th, 2017 · 2 · ·

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