A/N: This was so much fun to write! Everything else has been said in the writing below!
The audience was humming with anticipation. In the large stadium overlooking the stage, everything echoed, which made everything seem so much larger.
Though the audience was fairly calm, the backstage area was in a state of complete and utter chaos. The director and stage manager were arguing, cameramen ran around looking for their cameras, and the graphic designers were panicking about the programming in the control room.
The only calm person was a teenaged girl standing off to the side. "Hey, everyone?" She yelled over the chaos.
All heads turned towards her. "We can do this, ok? Let's air in about two minutes." She glanced at the director, embarrassed. "Is that all right?"
The director smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "You're on in two and a half minutes." He ran off to the control room.
The girl took a deep breath and mentally braced herself. This was her night, and she planned to make the most of it.
She took her place behind two retracting panels.
"We're on in 10…9…8…" The director called.
The girl ran through what she was going to say.
"7…6…5…"
Could she do this?
"4…3…2…"
It was almost time.
"1…cue graphic!"
The audience directed their eyes to the large screen over the stage. A voice overlay spoke the words on the screen.
"Welcome to a very special one year Fanfiction celebration. Please welcome your host, Pnut9282!"
The panels slid into the wall, blinding the girl with the bright lights of the stadium. The audience broke into applause as the girl walked out onto the large stage.
"Hello everybody!" The girl spread her arms. The audience continued their applause.
"Thank you so much for coming out tonight! Now, I'm sure that there are some questions about my appearance."
The girl had white-blonde hair that went down to her chin. Her eyes were a grey-blue, and she wore no makeup. She was medium height, sort of pale, and wearing a white blouse with a black skirt. Brown combat boots were at her feet.
"No, I am not a new character. This is what I actually look like in real life!" She gave a shy smile. "Kind of a big reveal, right? Well, no progress on my real name. Maybe next year, but you can just call me Hazel for now!" She winked.
"So, about two months ago, on May 30th, I realized that my 1 year anniversary was coming up. To be honest, I completely panicked!" This drew a laugh. "So, I finally came up with this! Pretty nice, huh?"
A white chair was rolled onto the stage. "Ok, it's story time!" She sat down in the chair.
"So, in around fifth grade, I started writing this really awful fantasy novel. It was really terrible, but it really sparked my love of writing. Then, a couple of years later, my friend Tophfaith introduced me to the wonderful website called . In that next year, my skill as a writer has increased tenfold. I find myself a stronger person with an idea of what I want to do in life. This website has gotten me through some tough times this year, between having fun with the friends I've made and kept, and just the enjoyment I get from writing. Thank you all so much for making such a difference in my life." Hazel finished with a smile on her face. The audience applauded.
The girl rose from her chair, walking to the front of the stage.
"Okay now it's time for everyone's favorite part, the awards show!" She smiled. "Actually, it's more like a big thank-you."
"First off, I have to give these people a huge thank you.
AlexandriCP
Allagenda-domsitzers-chan
Blackberry Explosion
BlueFang912
BudderWarrior1
Cordially Un-Invited
Crystal the Night Fury
FootWebbed
Gryffindor's Demigod
jayfeather10
Angelo29
Pikachupercyharryfirestar
princessariellover876
Purest of the Hearts
RandomButterPerson
Tophfaith
WolfTamer12
xKari-nekoXx
xXxSnowyIcexXx
Yellow Ideya Hunter
These are the people who have added me to their favorite author list. Thank you all so much for your support and for putting my mediocre stories into the hands of others.
"Next, I have to thank them members of the 'Peanut Gallery'.
AlexandriCP
Blackberry Explosion
BlueFang912
BudderWarrior1
Fallen Blossoms
FootWebbed
Gryffindor's Demigod
jayfeather10
Purest of the Hearts
RandomButterPerson
Tophfaith
WolfTamer12
xKari-nekoXx
Thank you so much for taking the time to look at my stories. It means a whole lot to me.
"Okay, now onto the personal awards." Hazel smiled.
"First, I have to give a huge thanks to the person who introduced me to this amazing website. Like I said in my story, none of the friendships that I have developed would have occurred without you. I am forever in your debt. Thank you so much Tophfaith!"
The audience applauded.
"Okay, my next thank you goes out to Fangirls number 1 and 3.
"You two are amazing fellow fangirls, writers, and the best irl friends a girl could ask for. Your wise words and confident emails always cheer me up, and I savor our ranty conversations. I have to send out a giant thank you to FootWebbed and Blackberry Explosion."
The audience let out another enthusiastic round of applause.
"Next is a big shout-out to BudderWarrior1. Thank you so much for reading my half-finished manuscripts during band and lunch and for giving me priceless feedback. Keep on writing, and thank you for your unyielding support!
"Of course, I had to save the largest thank you for last. This one was probably the hardest to write, but it deserves to be the longest and the best written out of all of these. I could go on for pages and pages about this girl and our tight friendship. I am talking about Cordially Un-Invited.
Nothing that I could ever write could do justice to you. I can't even begin to describe how much you've changed my life. Our 700+ Pm's always cheer me up, whether we're talking about puns, roleplaying as our characters, or discussing Demicraft and its counterparts.
I'm going to go ahead and do something that I've always wanted to do in one of my stories- quote John Green.
"I dislike the phrase 'internet friends,' because it implies that people you know online aren't really your friends, that somehow the friendship is less real or meaningful to you because It happens through Skype or text messages. The measure of a friendship is not its physicality but its significance. Good friendships, online or off, urge us toward empathy: they give us comfort and also pull us out of the prisons of ourselves."
At some times during this year, I felt like I had been imprisoned in myself, and you've always helped me through it. I hope that we can continue writing together, and that we someday may meet in real life."
The audience let out an immense cheer.
Hazel grinned. "Well, that's it for my show! Thank you to everyone who has made this year as special as it has been! See you later, Peanut gallery!"
The cameras cut off.
…
Hazel sat back. She had finally finished typing her one-year anniversary thank you story.
She prepared to post it, but hesitated before pressing the button.
"Here's to another year." She smiled, and then clicked the mouse.