Whip Cream
by Lauren Elias
Total score: 58
The good: Judge #2 said "This is the story’s saving grace: It’s different." Later on they said, "It causes a slight level of sexual arousal, and a little bit of laughter," and concluded with "The story is not completely without promise; I believe this writer will eventually mature into a valuable asset to the fanfic community."

The bad: Judge #1 said "Bits seemed to jump about which made it hard to follow." They went on to say "Theresa, Bobby and Tabitha seemed just a bit out of character at times." Later, "It was just a character gets to do another character story so there wasn't much to plot." About dialogue they remarked, "At one point Dani says something like "Oh my God."  and I don't think she would say that because she's very proud of being a native American and it didn't sound like something she'd say." The characters’ accents were "VERY annoying.  Especially Terry's and Bobby didn't sound like Bobby." Also, "There was too much use of ‘Bobby did this’, ‘he did that’ which is never a good thing to do." They later said, ".  It could have been a lot better if the author had tried a little harder." Judge #2 said "Most of X-Force was pathetically out of character, and the story’s progression was a tad confusing." They also agreed with Judge #1 in that "The story is told in a ‘He did this. Then he did this. And he did this,’ manner, which gets monotonous really fast. Also, there’s a little bit of mixing tenses, which is consummately unprofessional."

The summary: Certain members of X-Force get tangled up with some whipped cream.

Losing Myself in You
by Alicia McKenzie
Total score: 86
The good: Judge #1 said "Domino and Cable were in character, maybe a little more than they are in the comics which shows how much the author cares about these two characters." They said the story isn’t entirely original, BUT, "I must admit that most people would have gone with the idea of the two characters admitting it was a mistake and dragging out the angst but this author didn't which makes a nice change." Their remarks on the plot were "There was a lot of attention paid to the situation and the set up.  The author certainly knew what feeling had to be portrayed in this story." Later, "The dialogue was interesting because the author had to rely on what Domino and Cable said to develop the story.  What the characters said to each other was very important.  It gave an insight into who they were and who they are now." The prose "gave an insight into a lot of who the characters are." They story is worth reading because "you did get an insight into who the characters are and how vulnerable they feel and how hard it is to admit any sort of feelings for others." In conclusion, "Very good for the description of the emotions felt by both characters." Judge #2 said "The ending fit perfectly well, and they were all in character." "The dialogue was perfect. Very effective, funny, just the right amount." They concluded by saying "It’s absolutely worth reading, and it doesn’t diminish in effectiveness with the second and third times you read it. (In fact, I actually enjoyed it a lot more the second time around.)"

The bad: Judge #1 said "The middle part seemed to jump a bit.  One minute Domino and Cable were on the planet and the next minute they're on the PACRAT.  It does say that it was hours later that they had gone onto the PACRAT but a little more of a link between the two times could have been made." This judge qualified their positive comments on the plot by saying "I felt that the two characters having sex was probably added to further the plot and not totally thought out." About the style: "For what is categorized as an adult story, this lacked the detail that most other adult stories contain." Also, this judge thought this would do better in another category. "This might have been better suited to the Romance category because it was more about the two characters discovering their love for each other than two characters doing it or ripping each other apart in graphic detail." Judge #2 said "All parts of the story making sense…well, it got a little ‘woozy’ there for a minute or two, but recovered quite nicely." Also, "The story skipped over some parts perhaps a little too fast."

The summary: Judge #2 said "While X-Force is searching for Sunspot before/after the Age of Apocalypse, Cable and Domino are, shall we say, ‘bonding.’"

I Left My Heart on Seikosha IX
by Alicia McKenzie
Total score: 84.5
The good: Judge #1 said "The ending fit well and was a little different." They said "What little there was of [dialogue] was interesting." However, this judge was quite pleased by the ending. "The highlight of the story is probably the ending where a certain someone sees what is going on in the danger room.  I really didn't expect *him* to react the way he did. ;)" Judge #2 said about the dialogue, "Scott and Jean’s little telepathic interplay was delightful." Also, "I will admit, it is Delightfully Mature." This judge concluded that the story "was perfectly well-written and a delight to read."

The bad: Judge #1 said "Two people getting it on in the danger room?  No, not original but it's the first time I've seen Domino and Nate together in the danger room." They also weren’t very impressed by the plotting. "I don't think there was any direction to this story." They also said "It didn't evoke any sort of response.  I think that the lack of detail made it ineffective as an adult story." Judge #2 agreed with #1 in that the story’s concept wasn’t very original. "The idea of ‘X-Couple does the Nasty in the Danger Room’ isn’t really new." However, this judge disagreed with the first on the ending. "The ending was cute, though not very surprising."

The summary: Judge #2 said "Dom has a little, *ahem* ‘surprise’ in store for Cable in the Danger Room. ‘Nuff said."

Underneath a Palm Tree
by Samy Merchi
Total score: 89.5
The good: Judge #1 said the story "Flowed together nicely." About the plotting: "Seriously, it was well planned and didn't just jump straight into the two characters having sex. There was a lot of set up to the situation." The prose "was probably more interesting [than the dialogue] and that is a very good thing." Judge #2 said "Was the story all that surprising for an adult fic? Not really. However, it’s not a done-to-death pairing, and that gets points." About the plotting: "Whoa…like, we actually get a little bit of STORY stuck in there with the smut! In fact, the smut makes a decent story in itself!" They finally said "The story’s enjoyable even if you’re not a New Mutants fan, and for people who don’t react well to explicit sex, it’s done very tastefully."

The bad: Judge #1 said it wasn’t very original because "Roberto seems to get it a lot.  Has he got his own line of videos yet?  There are only so many situations for erotic fiction that it becomes a bit run of the mill even though characters/people may vary." They also said "For people not too familiar, it might get a tad confusing when certain places are mentioned and bits about the characters." Judge #2 said "We really don’t get much explanation as to WHY these two suddenly decide they want to have sex…" Also, "The style’s just a tad heavy-handed."

The summary: Judge #1 called it "A New Mutants erotic story starring Roberto DaCosta and Amara Aquilla.  One for adult fans of the comic and the characters though non-fans may well enjoy it just as much." Judge #2 said "Roberto and Amara have an itch to scratch…and find each other for assistance."

Animal Instincts
by Dannell Lites
Total score: 84.5
The good: Judge #1 said all parts of the story "flowed together nicely." They said the plot was "A bit too simple but the author definitely touched upon some complex issues with Tabitha." Also, "It went into a lot of detail, which is a good thing." They concluded with "It was worth reading to see Tabitha getting together with someone other than Sam Guthrie." Judge #2 said "The dialogue was perfectly good." They also said "It was interesting, and new, definitely."

The bad: Judge #1 said the plot was "Not totally thought through.  I think there was room for some more development because the author touched on Tabitha's personality but didn't totally exploit it." About the dialogue: "I think Tabitha was over-done in some parts." Judge #2 wasn’t quite as impressed by this story as #1. "It was a little hard to believe that Tabitha would want to sleep with Creed." They also said "It’s a bit short. It feels a little rushed."

The summary: Judge #1 said "Victor Creed and Tabitha Smith both hot 'n' horny in the danger room.  Some development of Tab's personality which is nice.  Good little number to read." Judge #2 said "While X-Force is living in the mansion with the X-Men, at the same time as Victor Creed, Tabitha has a passionate affair with him."

And the winner is…

The bad: Judge #1 was a little conflicted about the story’s plotting. "I think that the plot, if you just concentrate on the ‘Bobby fucking Terry’ side of it, wasn't thought out.  However, the whole discussion of relationships was well thought out." About the dialogue: "You really had to believe that Dani loved Bobby for the ending to really work but that didn't quite come across." Judge #2 took a point off of grammar because "The quotation mark goes AFTER the comma, dammit! I also greatly enjoyed the term ‘support rest thingee.’"

The summary: Judge #2 said "While Roberto and Terry wear each other out, Deadpool arrives and gives Jesse Aaronson a big ouchie, Sam, Dani, James and Tabitha spill their guts to each other about their love lives or lack thereof, and did I mention Roberto and Terry wear each other out? They do."