I'm so sorry these winners took so long, it's just been a very difficult past few months for me, and since I'm the only one judging, I'm sure you can imagine how that impacts results.

I'm hoping to post results more frequently from now on, though!

Please don't be discouraged if your name isn't on this list. It's very difficult to choose winners, and everyone should be proud of themselves for submitting and writing. Both of those things are very hard to do.

If you have any questions or would like to go over your story with me, please message me. I have all my reviews saved, so we can discuss them in dms. I will share my thoughts about your story if you ask me via messages.

3rd Place

Fly Like Flower Petals by strawberry1d

Here were my thoughts while reading:

Characters: 7/10. Something I don't talk about much—I'm half-Italian. My last name is Italian and my dad's side of the family originates from Italy. Though I'm only learning about my roots and, just now, after twenty years of living, finally deciding to pick up on the language, I still like to think I know a decent amount about Italy and being Italian. I bring that up because I think you described Vincenza's Italian life very well. The opening scene where she's describing the chaos that surrounded her ever since an Italian man entered her mom's life is accurate and I like the way you formatted that opening scene.

Some of the dialogue feels a bit over-the-top and expository, especially in the first chapter when Vincenza and her mom are talking, mostly with Vincenza's lines. Sometimes it feels like she's talking at her mother instead of talking to her. So, for example, "It's easy for you to say! With black hair and black eyes, you and the rest of the Koreans looked alike." When I single it out, do you see why it feels a bit over-the-top and expository? Vincenza already knows her mom has black hair and black eyes, and it feels like that "With black hair and black eyes" was there solely for the audience's purpose so we get a mental image of what the mom looks like.

I like the theme and character struggle you were setting up for Vincenza in that opening chapter, it was just that in my opinion, I felt some of the dialogue could have been trimmed to be made less expository and more natural. So for example, instead of "With black hair and black eyes..." you can simply trim that to say, "You and the rest of the Koreans look alike." This kind of dialogue is present throughout the entire story and can make the dialogue feel stiff at times.

I still think the characters are good and have interesting stories. Vincenza especially has an emotional theme dealing with self-identity and feeling like a foreigner in what's supposed to be her own culture. My friend is a Korean-American who struggles with something similar, especially since he doesn't know much Korean and that makes it hard to connect with one side of his family. Seeing that same struggle in Vincenza was interesting and handled really well.

As for Namjoon, I liked him. I especially liked his introduction chapter and how we can immediately see how different Vincenza and him are despite them not even meeting yet. Vincenza is more outspoken and bold while Namjoon is... not. He has sass and pettiness, but he's still serious and work-oriented, and definitely not as outspoken as Miss Vincenza over there, haha.

Lastly, you could benefit from doing more showing over telling. In the first couple chapters especially, we're told a lot about Namjoon and Vincenza's character traits either through expository dialogue or directly being told it through the POV. Of course it's fine to use telling at times (sometimes you can't avoid it), but I would recommend showing those traits more. For example, you tell us a lot about Mi and Joon's relationship and how she feels about him, but I already got that impression from her first line of dialogue to him, so I didn't really need a detailed explanation about their relationship. Some small details, sure, but I felt the showing you did through the dialogue was enough, if that makes sense.

Plot: 10/10. I have no criticisms for the plot and I think it was handled well. It is engaging and moves along at a good pace. It matches what the characters are going through. Since I have no criticisms, it gets a perfect score.

Worldbuilding: 10/10. The way culture is handled in this story is so elegant and charming. Vincenza is super Italian with the way she speaks and carries herself, and the difference between what's considered okay to say in Italy and what's okay to say in South Korea is fun to read about and also pretty accurate. I know a lot about both cultures (I know more about Korean culture, ironically enough), so I appreciated how the cultures were depicted pretty accurately. You used specific locations and even reference pictures to show you know your stuff when it comes to the locations in the book. Giving readers specific locations to attach themselves to is imperative to making the setting feel like it matters instead of it being chosen out of a hat. So you did a good job with that.

Pacing: 8.5/10. The pacing is overall good, though I would recommend having more focus in some areas. For example, the opening chapter. It kinda jumps between exposition and a heated argument between Vincenza and her mother. Considering a lot of the argument is expository anyway, I didn't see the purpose of jumping back and forth and I felt like trimming it and trimming some of the dialogue to sound more natural could have helped with readability.

Some of the sentences felt a little rushed. For example, from chapter 6, You flushed bright red again as he chuckled in your annoyed eyes, "Who is the one who virtually made love to my face..."

Okay, anyone reading this who is not the author, shush, don't be dirty-minded. That's my job as a PJMs.

The reason I say that sentence feels rushed is because it's unclear who is speaking. The line before it belonged to Vincenza, which implies Namjoon is speaking here, but starting the sentence with "You flushed bright red again..." seems to imply it's going to be her speaking again because she's now the main idea of the sentence. I feel like this part was a little rushed and you could have benefitted from slowing down and reading the sentences out loud (or using TTS) to hear how they sound. I feel like the "You flushed bright red again..." could have been connected to Vincenza's line above it instead of placed below to create unnecessary confusion.

I hope that makes sense.

Themes: 10/10. I think I pretty much explained my feelings toward the themes in the previous sections where I talked about Vincenza's dilemma and feeling foreign in a place that she should be able to call home. I also thought it was ballsy to talk about how some people (maybe a lot of people...) in South Korea look down on foreigners and see it as a bad thing when someone who is Korean in any capacity can't speak Korean, such as Ms. Kim. I don't want to get too political, so I'll leave it at that, but it was super risky to talk about something like that in a BTS fanfic, and I appreciate you taking a creative risk.

Consistency: 8.5/10. There are consistent tense issues. The first sentence of the story starts in past tense, but then it switches to present tense and it kinda flip flops between the two for a while. Since the tense issues are so consistent, I have to take off points for it. I didn't notice any plot holes or character inconsistencies.

Creativity: 10/10. I think the story idea is beautiful, and it's rare to see a story cover this type of topic and have the type of female lead that it does with Vincenza. The way culture and self-identity are added to this novel makes it stand out. This easily could have just been another CEO x reader book, but you took it up a notch and made it different from the other CEO stories.

As for the presentation, I thought the descriptions were pretty solid and did a good job establishing the scene without overstaying their welcome. You found a nice balance between descriptions and moving the plot/characters forward.

Grammar/spelling: 7.5/10. There are consistent spacing errors where quotation marks are put in the wrong spot. For example, from chapter 1, "Making art all day with Pablo!" your mother says sarcastically." He is a good child, but..." Do you see how the quotation mark is attached to "sarcastically" instead of "He?" It should be: "He is a good child, but...". This happens multiple times every chapter.

The tense issues are very consistent and appear in most paragraphs in every chapter of the story.

There were also times dialogue tags were done incorrectly where you would capitalize the tag even though it wasn't a proper noun. For example, from chapter 18, "Celine... how... when...?"He whispered in English with total awe.

That's another example of the spacing issues. Here's the corrected form of the sentence: "Celine... how... when...?" he whispered in English with total awe.

The grammar is overall pretty good other than what I mentioned and some awkward sentences that feel too expository, like the one I mentioned in the characters section.

Cover and blurb: 7/10. I like the background picture and the overall structure of the cover. My one critique is that it's really hard to read the 'F' of 'Flower.' Maybe it's just my iPad making things blurry but it kinda blends in with the background. Still, I think the background image chosen fits and it feels very scholarly. It feels like an Ivy League school, like Yale. My school is a Public Ivy school and we have similar architect, so it really has that sophisticated vibe that fits Namjoon's character especially. It hints at his character and provides a nice visual aesthetic that fits the aesthetic of the story, hence why I will give it a high score.

The blurb is a bit messy since it's all one sentence. It does a good job saying exactly who the characters are and gives a hint at the plot; however, I would recommend giving a bit more info and splitting up the sentences to make it easier to read. I had to read it a couple times to get a solid grasp on it. Readability and clarity are very important for the blurb, which is why I would strongly recommend breaking up the sentence to make it easier to read.

Total: 78.5/90

Letter Grade: A

2nd Place

The Story Of Us by MagicChim.

Here were my thoughts while reading:

Characters: 10/10. JACKSOOOOOON WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG 🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭

Wait Namjoon's the protagonist I should probably talk about him.

I really liked Namjoon in this story. A lot of BTS fanfics make him this fearless leader or like the serious dad-like figure of the group, but you made him this sweet, passionate young man with a dream, and there's something so wholesome yet heartbreaking about that. It's wholesome to see him so bright and chipper, but heartbreaking to know others want to take that light away from him and use his excitement against him. It makes for an interesting albeit sad story where we're watching and waiting for someone to prey on Namjoon's kindness and passion.

There aren't any characters that are weak, even the antagonist (many fanfics don't give their antagonists any character). All of them have their own motivations, personalities, and diverse range of emotions that make them stand out.

Plot: 10/10. I have no criticisms for the plot. It unfolds at a steady pace and it makes sense, no plot holes. It meshes well with the personalities of the characters and it fits with the world they're living in.

Worldbuilding: 10/10. I don't need to explain myself. As soon as I saw the Hybrid Act I knew you were gonna cook up some great sh*t with the worldbuilding, and I was right. You take the time to make South Korea matter. Too many BTS authors set their fanfics in Korea because "Well BTS live there so I have to put it in Korea," but you take the location and make it feel alive. Beyond that, the whole concept of hybrids and how they're integrated into society is brilliant, I loved it!

Pacing: 8/10. The pacing is good though I would recommend slowing down in some areas and taking time to describe things more, even in small bits and pieces. For example, in chapter one when Lee Suk is being interviewed, we don't get much description about his appearance or facial expressions. The facial expression we got was "...gave a small sigh and looked at the audience with sad eyes." 

Maybe instead of telling us "sad eyes," say something about his posture. Does his skin sag? Does he lower his head? Do his shoulders slump? Does he have a nervous tick like fiddling with his fingers or biting on his nails? Does he have eye bags? If he does, you can use metaphors to describe how they get larger (obviously not literally, hence why it's a metaphor) when talking about sad topics.

Another example is when Namjoon gets the job, I would've liked to see a little bit of the celebration. This is a massive step for Namjoon's life, and seeing his reaction to it in detail could've really benefitted the reader and helped us get attached to his character while also dreading what's to come (since by this point, we know Namjoon is gonna be caught up in something bad against his will).

So long story short, I'd recommend slowing down and taking more time to describe environments and emotions. The opening scene did an effective job establishing the world and Namjoon's situation, but the graduation itself felt like it could have been described more, especially considering Namjoon is a hybrid. What does being a hybrid mean? Does he have sensitive smell? If so, show that by incorporating the "smell" scent while describing things. Does he have enhanced vision? Same thing as before, show that using the "sight" sense. Is he sensitive to the touch? Then maybe describe in-detail what the degree feels like in his hands. And the list goes on and on. While reading that scene, I was wondering what made a hybrid different from a normal person, and I feel you could have used that opening scene as a way to demonstrate how without interrupting the narrative flow.

Themes: 10/10. There are many themes in this novel, which makes the emotional core of the story feel diverse and impactful. You of course have the theme of idolization and how not everything is as it seems with celebrities, but you also have a lot of other things going on, such as commentary on youthfulness and how it gets taken advantage of. For that reason, I think the themes deserve a perfect score. I have no criticisms.

Consistency: 9/10. There are tense issues where the story flip flops between past and present tense. Since the author is writing in past tense, present tense is used very rarely. I didn't notice any other inconsistencies like OOC moments or plot holes.

Creativity: 8/10. There is some repetitive word choice throughout, such as "walked" and "smiled." In chapter two, "walks" is used twice in two paragraphs in the "next day" section, which is an example of the tense issues I mentioned in the consistency section and also an example of an area you could potentially use stronger verbs. Since this is Namjoon's dream job, using stronger, more emotional verbs could help immerse the reader in the scene. Maybe he's so excited he ends up rushing up to the receptionist's desk, or if you're trying to paint him in a "cool, calm, collected" way, you can say he strolls up to the desk (it sounds very casual but is still a bit stronger and more vivid than "walks").

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the word "walks," but stronger word choice in that particular section could help the reader understand Joon's character, especially considering this is Namjoon's huge day and the thing he's been working for for a long time. When I break it down like that, does it make sense why I would recommend using stronger word choice?

With all that being said, the story idea itself is very creative. I'm not someone who really likes hybrid stories, but this one particularly caught my eye, and if you somehow make me super invested in a genre I don't care for, that's a talent right there!

Grammar/spelling: 8/10. The grammar is pretty good, just some small things. For example, the dialogue tags. Sometimes you put the tags below the dialogue instead of next to it. So, for example:

"I believe he would do that too!"

Namjoon said.

It should be: "I believe he would do that too!" Namjoon said.

Ellipses (...) are done incorrectly. They should be three dots, sometimes you use four (....) or two (..).

I would recommend refraining from using all caps. They can be very hard to read, are telling over showing, and come off as you (the author) screaming at us (the readers). They don't appear too often, but often enough to be noticeable.

Cover and blurb: 7/10. The cover works for what it is, but I would recommend playing around with your covers in the future. The covers on your profile seem to be very similarly structured, and I encourage you to experiment a bit more. The cover doesn't particularly jump out to me since it doesn't have much going on. It's a picture of Namjoon and the title at the top, which is fine, but not very eye-catching. Maybe try finding a more distinct color scheme. Maybe try experimenting with the cool colors (like the blue stuff you have going on) to give it more visual cohesion and flair. Maybe try playing around with the placement of the title since, as is, it acts like a banner on the top of the cover. 

The cover also has nothing to do with Namjoon being a hybrid. Maybe try coloring his eyes a bright purple or red or whichever color you feel fits the story. That will also give the cover more distinct color and also hint at what's to come. Glancing at the cover, I had no idea it was a hybrid story. I thought it was a gloomy drama due to the color scheme and chosen picture. So that's why I would recommend trying to experiment and give the cover something more distinct to hint at Joon being a hybrid. I mentioned maybe changing the eye color, but maybe in the background, you can edit a tail in or something along those lines. It can be a subtle detail only for those paying attention, and it shows Joon is a hybrid.

Three of the four paragraphs in the blurb end without a period, which is improper grammar. The blurb starts off good but the last two paragraphs are a bit confusing and could benefit from some reformatting. "Namjoon and Yoo Ra crash at their ideology due to their sides but Namjoon finds something shady with the new drug." What new drug? No drug was mentioned before this. The "due to their sides" isn't necessary since "ideology" already implies that.

The names are also inconsistent. Sometimes Namjoon is spelled NamJoon and sometimes it is spelled Namjoon. I would recommend sticking with Namjoon since it is easier on the eyes. With that being said, the blurb does tell me enough about the plot that I know what's going on.

Total: 80/90

Letter Grade: A

1st Place

Two Sides Of A Coin by Seamlesslove

Here are the thoughts I had while reading:

Characters: 10/10. All of the characters are diverse and have unique quirks and traits that make them stand out. I like how Namjoon is more of a mystery to us, which ties in with the theme of idolization and obsession with someone who isn't who you think they are. Y/n being isolated and trying to figure out who Namjoon is fits so perfectly in with the theme you're crafting. At the same time, he's not mysterious enough that we know nothing about him, so it's a good balance. Throughout the entire story thus far you've done a good job finding balance and creating an interesting narrative surrounding the characters.

This could easily be a plot-driven story, but you make it more balanced between the two (plot + character). This is also one of the few Y/ns I can actually stand to read about, so that's always a huge plus. She isn't annoying and I like her personality. Her idolizing Namjoon then slowly coming to the realization that he isn't what she thought is so interesting. It's like Y/n attached herself to Namjoon and now has to find part of herself that was once reserved for him. Watching her struggle with that is fascinating and also super entertaining.

And, of course, Jackson Wang. Must I say more?

Plot: 10/10. I honestly don't think I need to explain myself. Your plots are always good and are packed full of suspense and tension. I like the way you formatted the book where you have it almost like it's in arcs. In a way, it reminds me of the Star Wars TV show Andor (like the only good SW TV show lmao). In Andor, the show is in 3-episode arcs where the first two episodes are the exposition and rising action, then the third is the big explosion of all the tension. Parts of that are present in this story, most notably with the giant action scene that takes place later on in the book.

You do the exposition then the rising action, then it explodes into this huge battle both mentally and physically for the characters. It's tense and impactful, and it leaves the audience wanting more. You also do a good job introducing mystery without being vague. Too many authors confuse vagueness with mystery, but you give the audience bite-sized chunks that allow them to start piecing things together without being so vague that the audience gets frustrated. It's a good balance that felt satisfying to read.

Worldbuilding: 10/10. I didn't have any complaints about the worldbuilding and I think you effectively established the world and the location. You also established the department itself and what it means to be a detective by the first chapter of the story, which was impressive. I had no doubts about the world and what was going on in it. The environment actually mattered to the narrative and had an impact on the characters, which is another detail I appreciated since many fics use a location but then don't actually use it, if that makes sense.

Pacing: 10/10. I mentioned it in my detailed review already, but the pacing is very good and plot events unfold at a steady rate. The only chapter that has much exposition is the first one, and the rest focus mostly on the plot/characters and give exposition through engaging methods that keep the pacing up. You do a good job keeping the exposition to a minimum and really only using it in the first chapter and when needed in future chapters. That means we have more time to see the plot and characters instead of worrying too much about the expository side of the story.

Themes: 10/10. It's a little hard to judge themes since there are only 8 chapters and a prologue out, but based on what I can tell, you're setting up a solid theme about idolization and obsession. I don't have any criticisms for the themes so far and I think they're great, and also pretty ballsy considering you're writing about idolization and obsession in a BTS fanfic. A BTS fanfic. Yeah, that's risky. I admire the risk.

Consistency: 10/10. I think I saw only two cases of the tense slipping into present, but two cases in the entire story aren't nearly enough to warrant taking off points. I don't even remember where the cases were (I didn't write them down since they were so rare), so I'm going to say the tense was consistent throughout. There were no OOC moments or plot inconsistencies I noticed.

Creativity: 8/10. I believe I already explained the deductions in my review shop. The two points I took off were for some wordy sentences and repetitive word choice here and there. The creative flow was otherwise good and I think the creative side of the story is very solid.

Grammar/spelling: 8.5/10. The grammar is overall pretty good, just a few small things like semicolons. There are many misuses of them I already explained in my detailed review, so I won't talk your ear off by mentioning them again. Formatting wise, there are a few times paragraphs are kinda like spliced together? How do I describe this... it's like where you press shift and enter instead of just enter.
Like this instead of

This.

The paragraphs are attached so you can only leave an inline comment on the second paragraph instead of the first. I don't know if I'm making any sense, but it happens a few times throughout. It's not a big deal so I'm only gonna take off 0.5 for it, but it's something I thought I'd bring to your attention regardless.

Cover and blurb: 8/10. The cover has an interesting color scheme with an equally interesting background image. After reading the story, I can confirm the aesthetic the cover has absolutely matches what's going on in the narrative. The background and coloring of the text (the little red shadows you added to it) almost make it look like one of those boards you see detectives have where they put all the pictures and evidence up and connect them using red string. The chaos happening in the back and the red font along with it gave me that vibe. Considering how chaotic the story is, I like how the cover hints at that while also providing a nice visual aesthetic. This is a smaller thing, but I also like how the "sides" is different from the rest of the title. It draws attention to Namjoon and Y/n being so different as people and makes the title pop as a result. If anyone didn't understand the title's significance to the story, the clever color usage definitely clued them in.

My only criticism is that the two characters could be a liiiittle bit larger. It's mostly cause, as I'm sure you know, Wattpad kills the quality of covers (thanks Wattpad), so making them a lil larger could benefit readers. But I'm also someone who likes larger covers (my covers are examples of this), so that could just be a personal thing or it could be my iPad cause my iPad makes quality somehow even worse than Wattpad does (thanks Apple).

The blurb does a solid job introducing us to the concept of the story and who the characters are. My one minor critique is that I'd like to know a little more about the plot and what kind of cases they're going to be solving. So just maybe a little more detail without spoiling too much could be interesting and make the blurb feel more impactful. Still, I think it's a good blurb so I'm not going to take off much for that.

Total: 84.5/90.

Letter Grade: A

Honorable Mentions:

Best Theme... First Dance by LAJoyner

Judge Comments: The themes are the highlight in this story and there were many emotional yet heartwarming moments throughout. My favorite part is when all of them wore bucket hats to show their support, and I even teared up a little since those types of scenes hit my Cancer zodiac sign right in the heart.

In general, you're a very underrated author and deserve more appreciation!

Best Concept... A Bead In The Lost Woods by jobless_for_Bangtan

Judge Comments: As soon as I read the blurb, I was interested in the story. Maybe I live under a rock, but I don't think I've ever seen a BTS fanfic that deals with archeology. That made it stand out from other fics as creative and engaging. The whole scene where Y/n is running and there's all the whacky sh*t happening to her while Hoseok is left confused is one of my favorite parts in the story and I thought it was well-done!

I debated giving this a "Best Y/n" honorable mention since I thought the Y/n in this story was well done too, but seeing as the concept was so interesting and executed well, I'm giving you Best Concept. Overall a great read!

Congrats to all the winners!

Please let me know if you have questions!