Ladies and gentlemen!
The official page for the results of the "Got Guts?" fanfiction contest is here. Instead of one winner, I have chosen three winners. Yes, you read it right. I have chosen the 1st place, 2nd place, and 3rd place winners.
Each winner will get a mention, a review broken down into points, a follow, and a chance to rename 3 of the supporting characters. The 1st place winner will have this page dedicated to them.
I have received 14 fanfictions for this contest alone and a few more before and after the contest, which was way more than I ever imagined. Thanks to all the participants. I have decided to publish a page specially dedicated for all the fanfictions and another one for the fanarts :)
AND THE WINNERS ARE:
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⚫ FIRST PLACE WINNER ⚫
WITH HER BOOK:
Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge | Got Guts?
Congratulations Zee!!!
POINTS:
Plot enjoyment: 5/5
Realism: 5/5
True to characters: 5/5
Good enough grammar: 5/5
Total = 20/20
REVIEW:
I found nothing wrong with this story.
The premise of this story is keeping me on the edge of my seat. Duke is in a mental hospital for the criminally insane and Kevin is experiencing PTSD episodes even though a year passed since he escaped the crazy dude. The blurb is only one line, "Where Duke returns, and Kevin must learn to overcome his fears before he loses himself once and for all." This makes me excited to see where this will lead poor Kevin into. *whispers* Probably insanity x3
The descriptions of fear were the ones that impressed me so freakin' much! I think I learned a lot about conveying emotions from reading this story. Like, I felt as if I was having a panic attack while I was reading it. I also felt very sorry and very worried about Kevin's mental suffering :<
Then there were the characters. I fell in love with the new characters and the banter between Kevin, Josh, and the waitress Rhea was adorable and realistic. Speaking of realistic, my heart broke when Kevin experienced a very vivid and very scary episode of PTSD in this story :'(
Now comes my favorite part of any horror/thriller story; the creepiness. Mwahahahahaaa. THIS GURL INTRODUCED DUKE IN A CREEPILY AMAZING WAY! God, I just got chills remembering that scene XD She also has a theory about how Kevin and Josh escaped the basement. No spoilers ;)
I loved the cover and the title. I am so eager to know the meaning behind that title. It's a mystery that I can't wait to solve! :)
Status during the contest: Ongoing (2 chapters)
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⚫ SECOND PLACE WINNER ⚫
WITH HER BOOK:
Jersey Devil
Congratulations, Ella! :D
POINTS:
Plot enjoyment: 4.5/5
Realism: 5/5
True to characters: 4.5/5
Good enough grammar: 5/5
Total = 19/20
REVIEW:
The plot, characters, grammar, PLOT TWIISSTTTS, SUSPEENNSSEE, and blurb were all amazingly done! She only lost half a point for the plot because it started a teensy-weensy itsy-bitsy slow for me, and another half a point because it was a totally different alternative universe. I did mention that I would be more interested in the story and more connected to it if it was related to the main plot. But, hey! Even with this change in the universe, she nailed Kevin and Duke's characters and relationship ;D
Kevin is a 23 years old detective, which suits his personality so damn well, and Duke is a serial killer obsessed with his craft since he considers his killings as a form of art. Sick, I know! Which makes it so interesting :D
OK. I am supposed to review the chapters she published during the time period of the contest, which are 9 chapters, but I just can't stop thinking about the story to the end! So, I'm gonna talk about all of the chapters in this review:
The level of gore in this story is INSANE! I cringed sooo bad while reading the gory scenes. It was an awesome experience. I can honestly say that I learned how to be more descriptive in writing gore. Readers! Prepare for an even gorier season 2 of "Got Guts?" thanks to Ella XD lol
Oh, and Duke's voices were so much fun XD
Now, the creepy stuff >:3 Oh, man. The way she portrayed Duke's love for Kevin (actually, "obsess" is the right word here) was so well done. She made us feel for both Duke's heart (if he has one in this messed up story) and for Kevin's feelings.
I EVEN MADE A FREAKIN' FANFIC ALTERNATIVE ENDING TO HER STORY! Yeah XD lol. A fanfic of a fanfic! You'll find it in "My One-shots Collection" book.
The title and the cover both fit the plot perfectly! I loved the cover a lot :3
Status during the contest: Ongoing (9 chapters)
Status now: Complete (16 chapters) 🎉🎉🎉
LIKE OMG GURL I SO WISH I HAVE GIVEN YOU MORE TIME TO FINISH THIS STORY. NOW THAT YOU DID, I HAVE REREAD IT THRICE ALREADY! YOU WOULD HAVE TOTALLY BEEN A FIRST PLACE WINNER ❤️
Y'ALL SHOULD READ THIS STORY!!!
OML, THAT "SMILE" CHAPTER STILL CREEPS ME OUT!
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⚫ THIRD PLACE WINNER ⚫
WITH HER BOOK:
A Killer's Lullaby
Congratulations Ashly :D
POINTS:
Plot enjoyment: 5/5
Realism: 4.5/5
True to characters: 4.5/5
Good enough grammar: 4.5/5
Total = 18.5/20
REVIEW:
This story is a kind of a prequel to the original story. It follows Duke as he deals with the toughest victim yet before his encounter with Kevin. His name is Hunter. She only lost 2 points because I am so picky and I admit it. I felt a little bit disconnected from Duke's character from his dialogues and the way he suddenly fell for Hunter's trick, but the voices were done really well ;)
I liked this story a lot! It's creepy (duh! Of course! She's the author of Dog Days, after all), smart, and filled with suspense. Her short chapters are packed with chills and thrills. You will never feel bored while reading this story. And I liked Hunter a lot. He's smart and resourceful :D
Oh, oh, and let's not forget the best part: CLIFF-FUCKING-HANGERS!! It's her form of revenge for leaving a lot of cliffhangers in "Got Guts?" XD lol
The story behind the voices and their origin or motive is very believable! Reading all the voices' dialogues and their arguments sure was a fun experience. Especially that "Touch it" part. Lmao XD
Her descriptions of panic and fear were so awesome. I felt my heart racing during the torture scenes and the action parts. It was so real. And man, Duke's character was so creepy. I just got chills thinking about how creepily and realistically she has done his character.
Her cover, title, and theme song all fit so well with the plot and Duke's mental illness. I can't wait for the next chapters to come out and figure out Hunter's fate. Hunter's picture looking hurt on the cover breaks my heart :<
Status during the contest: Ongoing (6 chapters)