Chapter 26 – Best Drama and Most Unlikely/Unique Story Awards

When the song by Halsey ended, Sharper and BCB returned to the stage.

"Welcome back! We're nearing the halfway point of the ceremony!" BCB exclaimed.

"And we are no less excited for the awards that will bring us to our intermission. Please welcome Kim Possible-Stoppable, Monique Hall, and Librana to the stage to present our next award! Librana cannot join us in person, so please welcome him via satellite video call from the United Kingdom!"

Kim stepped out from the wings with her friend at her side. Monique's gown was a show-stopper, a halter sheath with a deep cowl neck covered in a smoky lavender beading, the swirls so intricate the tiny beads almost looked like fabric themselves. She completed the look with large, hollow square amethyst earrings bordered in tiny white diamonds. Her hair was slicked down and pulled into a ponytail, from which her natural curls fell softly over her bare back. Onscreen, a 'waiting' message appeared, and everyone waited in awkward silence for the third presenter to appear.

"That's a…nice dress, Monique," Bonnie commented from the front row.

"It's a Rob Zackie design," the fashionista commented.

In the wings, Sharper cleared his throat and whispered.

"Hey, uh, BCB…"

"Yeah?" the co-host replied, her eyes narrowed at the screen as they all waited for the Zoom call.

"Things are getting awkweird again…"

BCB shook her head and frowned behind her mask. "I've done this probably a thousand times now, sometimes Zoom just doesn't—"

"Not that. I mean the ninja climbing the curtains next to the box seats!"

BCB followed Sharper's pointing to where there was indeed a ninja clad all in black, skillfully scaling the curtains. The pair exchanged a look, Sharper's worried and BCB's suspicious as they watched the individual, small in stature and possibly female if their curves were any indication, move higher and higher toward the ceiling.

"I'll alert Dr. Director!" Sharper exclaimed.

BCB lifted a hand and shook her head. "No… I've got a hunch. But let's keep an eye on them."

Just then, the Zoom waiting sign vanished. Milking the comforts of quarantine, Librana appeared on the big screen wearing pajamas covered in nacos and a sombrero-wearing Rufus while seated in an easy chair and enjoying a cup of tea.

"Ah...there he is! Librana, everyone!" Applause rang through the audience in a warm greeting for the third presenter.

"Good evening from the other side of the pond!" Librana exclaimed, and then began introducing the award. "Drama is a flavour that is difficult to pull off and unique in its presentation. It includes elements of so many other genres and overall is simply thrilling!"

"Kind of like opera," Kim chimed in cheerfully with a wink at Bonnie in the crowd.

"It keeps you on the edge of your seat," Monique agreed. And here are tonight's nominees! We begin with…oh…"

The smile faded from Kim's face when the title and author came up on the teleprompter.

"It's the...uh...the…" Monique stammered.

The camera centered on the writer in the audience on one half of the screen, while the story excerpt appeared on the other. Kim's green eyes looked like they'd gone 'blue screen of death.'

Librana cleared his throat and continued with the nominations.

The Hunter Book Two by Sentinel103 (excerpt from Ch 16)

"Good, maybe you can go to college with Ron and watch out for him…"

"Don't ask that favor GF! I don't trust that clown and I don't think it's a good idea that you do. I'm still mad at that idiot! I don't even think it's a good idea that he might be on Brick's team next year."

"Why are you mad at Ron?"

"I don't trust him. There is something going on and I don't like it…"

"They moved Ron out of my classes with him…"

"Good!"

"Monique! That's not nice.", Kim mock scolded her friend.

"Who says I'm nice?", the African-American beauty replied.

"His locker isn't by mine anymore, they moved him into another hall.", Kim kept going.

"Again…Good!"

Monique's and Kim's eyes narrowed at Sentinel and CajunBear, whose seats were located in the rear row of the opera house.

"Time to run for the hills?" Cajunbear asked in fear.

"Uhhh...definitely yes!" Sentinel exclaimed.

"How dare you two put that segment in!" Kim exclaimed.

"I would so NOT treat Ron that way!" Monique added with fury.

The two thirty-something women gave chase to Cajunbear and Sentinel.

The duo screamed in terror as they exited the auditorium.

"I did not know those two can run that fast in gowns!" Seninel exclaimed in fear of a EF5 Kimmy and Monique tornado coming for the duo.

Librana cleared his throat as he read the other nominees.

Random Tales of Drakgo by Gothicthundra (excerpt from Ch 110)

Despite that, her vitals seemed stable. He felt his chest tighten as he looked at her.

'This is my fault. I should have just used what I had...'

He took a deep breath and cleared his thoughts; he needed to focus on what to do and not what had happened. His mind swam with insults at himself and doubts at his own competence. He pushed away from his desk and walked over towards Shego. He moved his hand towards her head, fully aware that she was still at a high temperature. He could feel the heat through his gloves. He chewed on his lip as he looked at her, he'd avoided letting blind panic take over but it was getting harder to fight.

He began to pace the room again, trying to think of any alternatives. He'd thought about taking her to one of the hospitals, a doctor at the Villain's Inn, or any medical facility... But what would they do? Call Global Justice, lock her into a lab room to run invasive tests... He couldn't let that happen. He slumped next to the bed and looked at her.

"What do I do?" he whispered to himself.

The Company You Keep by split-n-splice (excerpt from Ch 20)

Worry curdling in his stomach, Drakken realized the roar was the sound of a jet doing a fly-by, far too close for comfort and getting closer again already. When she'd said they'd be here soon, he didn't think that soon, and it was clear she'd mistakenly made the same assumption. For Pete's sake, it wasn't even daybreak! Maybe on the east coast it was, but in Nevada, the average citizen was probably still sound asleep.

"You knew they were coming and you didn't clean the place up?" he rasped, trying hard not to yell and get caught by the comatose rat still snoring away. "It's a pigsty in here! And is that a bong? It's like you want them to drag you back!" Nerves clutched his chest at the very thought.

The rumble of jet engines were already dying to an idle just outside. Dogs everywhere could be heard barking along with the chorus of tripped car alarms.

The lecture was brief because just as soon as she'd pushed the paraphernalia out of sight under the bed, Shego was whirling on him, stalking up to him to jab a finger sharply at his chest. "You listen here," she hissed threateningly, "if you keep bitching, I'll ditch you too – don't think I won't! I can have your blue ass thrown in prison in a hot second if I wanted to, so zip it."

Drakken didn't know what hit him when she grabbed fistfuls of his jacket and promptly shoved him back into a cramped coat closet, the door all but slammed in his face. He had no choice but to silence his complaints as a knock at the front door made his blood run cold.

Glow In The Storm by sammieflute (excerpt from Ch 3)

"So what if I did? We made money and he's not drinking," Sheila said.

"You endangered your life!" Their mother exploded at Sheila, narrowing her eyes at her. "You know... you are just so lucky he didn't hurt you! What is the matter with you lately?! You should be lucky that instead of pounding your face in, he just stormed off to a bar!"

Sheila felt her blood boil. Now she says something. Especially using phrases like "pounding your face in." The nerve...

"I should be lucky that dad didn't hurt me," Sheila said icily, repeating her mother's words with a snort. "I should be lucky. He shouldn't be hurting us in the first place, mom! Why can't you see that?!"

"Stealing his beers and selling them!? It's like you're trying to get him angry!"

"Why isn't he spending this money on getting us food on the table?!" Sheila roared. "You just don't seem to get it!"

"You can't just steal from people!" Henry exclaimed. "Not only that, but you sold alcohol on the streets. That is a crime. Which is wrong."

"First of all," Sheila started off, her face red. "If we're struggling to put food on the table, then you're going to bet I'll do whatever it takes to make ends meet. Besides, I was stealing from dad. I made money off the alcohol he buys, which in case you didn't realize, is one of the many reasons that dad hits us. I literally just saved us all today. You should be thanking me."

Beyond the Stars by Mahler Avatar (excerpt from Ch 36)

A minute passed, and a perplexed look came across his face. "That's strange, I'm picking up traces of Kronoton radiation."

"Kronoton? But isn't that the same kind of radiation produced whenever you, Ron and the others traveled through a time barrier, no matter if you were still within our present universe or not?"

"That's right, James. And I think that's why Ron and I are experiencing this sensation and you're not, since you've never been through any dimensional or time portals yourself."

Ron spoke up. "But that would mean that the probe's traveled through time as well as to another dimension, wouldn't it?"

"Exactly," James answered.

"Then that's what could have wrecked it?"

"Very likely, since we had only prepared the Explorer for dimensional travel, not simultaneous temporal travel as well."

"That means…" Ron's jaw started to drop. "Just before we left on this mission, I was talking to Kim and Shego about some weird dreams and feelings I'd been having about ourselves being in strange sitches we'd never been in before, at least in this universe. And they were both having the same kind of dreams. It's like we have counterparts in another dimension that we're picking up these vibes from, even without either direct contact or even an open portal."

He took a deep breath. "My theory is that my own counterpart may have taken our Kepler back in time to prevent the destruction of his own Earth."

His voice faded off as he caught a glimpse of Drew's face, which had paled to nearly white. He looked visibly shaken.

Ron Stoppable: Emotion Sickness Remix by NeoTyson (excerpt from Ch 13)

"I'm sorry that I reveal that news about Kim to you the way I did RonRon. I know the old me would have used that information to get back at Kim..." Bonnie begins to apologize, but Ron stops her before she can finish.

"BonBon, you don't have to apologize about that considering you wasn't yourself when you said it. Honestly, it was for the best that I found out now. I didn't mention this at the time, but before me and you talked last night, I confronted Kim about the argument at lunch as well as that particular issue. As far as the cafeteria blowup, we both acknowledge that we didn't handle that maturely, so we good on that. As far as keeping the success of the mission part goes, I spoke up for myself and expressed how much it hurt hearing that from someone else instead of Kim personally. Long story short, Kim was honest at that point, so I told her while our friendship can heal, I suggest having space, or it will get worst for us." Ron breaks down the events that went on the night before.

Bonnie stares at the blonde with amazement that he didn't merely brush Kim's actions off. Wow, my Ronnie put his foot down towards K. I better not brag about that, for I know his friendship with her still means a lot to him.

Sharper then grabbed the winning envelope and ripped it open.

"The award for Best Drama goes to...Split-N-Splice for The Company You Keep!"

The announcement was met with raucous applause, and all eyes turned to the shy Split-N-Splice as she approached the stage. The writer and artist had turned casual into elegant with her ensemble for the evening. She sported a loose but tailored teal t-shirt that fell to mid-hip with a pattern of gold butterflies lining the V-neckline, a purple cotton ballcap with a matching gold butterfly at its center, and a plain purple blazer. The pleated maxi skirt was a triumph, from a distance seeming to be an ethereal swirl of purples and teals that faded in and out of a faint shimmering gold mist with floral overlay. Those in the front row however, if looking closely enough, could see that the swirling flowers were created by a stippling pattern of several colors, green and pale blue and tiny accents of red over a darker blue background, all of which together melded into the teal and purple effect. Streaks of stippled gold gave the flowers their depth, and the entire ensemble spoke of exactly which characters in the fandom this writer specialized in if anyone in the audience had any doubt.

She briefly met the eyes of her friend BCBDrums who was cheering loudest of all, and then turned to face the audience in front of the podium. Her shy but totally surprised and ecstatic smile shone out from under her hat as her natural red hair fell over her shoulders.

"Thank you everyone who voted for me, and thank you for reading my story. I'm really glad you enjoy it. The Company You Keep can be pretty dramatic, and...it's going to get more dramatic. I hope you'll keep enjoying it. Thank you."

The talented author received her award and exited the stage to further cheers where the other Drakgo writers received her warmly.

At his podium, Sharper cleared his throat nervously and said, "Please welcome the awards presenters for the final segment of the first half of the 16th Fannies, Daisy, known as the 'Poison Pen,' and Nura, known as Legionnaire!"

Daisy and Nura ascended the steps to the stage as the audience applauded. Daisy was attired in a purple satin A-line dress accented by golden pencil earrings, while Nura wore an aqua strapless dress reminiscent of early-2000's fashion. Sharper handed the envelope to Nura and BCB passed off the Golden Rufus to Daisy, and then both hosts uncharacteristically scurried back to the stage wings.

"Uh… Well. Weirdness and randomness go hand in hand with KP writers," Nura read from the teleprompter, "with themes and plots often ranging into the awkweird."

"This award is dedicated to the stories that may seem crazy, perhaps even off-putting by their summaries, and yet we gobble them up like a freshly-made naco," Daisy said with a grin. "The nominees for Most Unlikely/Unique Story are..."

Stone House, Forest of Oak by bcbdrums

He carefully stood up, holding her close to him, and then with his hands holding her elbows for balance he helped her to find her feet. Her form shifted before his eyes into an oak, her roots displacing his water lilies as all semblance of the beautiful woman she was became hidden beneath the guise of a tree.

He stepped back and watched her branches settle, a few dry and ripped leaves falling down to the pond's surface. And then he stepped forward and threw his arms around her trunk, embracing her tightly.

"Please live..." he pleaded softly through his tears. "I couldn't bear your loss. They won't come for you again, I promise. Not after what I've done to them."

"What did you do?" she asked through a sigh that sounded of relief.

"I...set their town on fire. As a dragon," he explained, releasing her and slowly stepping away, his damp cheek brushing against her rough bark. He saw the many gouges that went deep into her sapwood, and his eyes darkened again. "And I feasted on one of them."

The SheGhost In My Lair by sammisue (excerpt from Ch 9)

Drakken's body sank further into the patch of snow. Once dedicated to clean the bountiful white semi-solid off of his deck, his old bones creaked in ways that were unnatural. And, with his henchmen gone for Christmas vacation, he had the lair to himself, which meant he was tasked this the snow-removal responsibility. He grunted, the snow seeping into the cloth of his jacket as he contemplated his isolation.

Er, near isolation.

But it's not like SheGho could've helped him with the task.

Her prints, as delicate as they were, left vague, foot-shaped patters in the snow—the only evidence to her existence. They stopped by Drakken's feet and, though he couldn't see her, he knew that SheGho was watching him, judging him, with a contorted look on her immaculate features. The features that changed appearance each time he discovered something new about her past life.

The snow beside him dipped below the surface of the pile. She laid with him, her transparent body beside his own, her cold aura adding effect to the freezing temperature of the unforgiving Alps lair he decided to purchase, on a whim, against his better judgment.

He smiled. At least he wasn't alone.

The F Word by split-n-splice

"I gotta piss," Shilo announced suddenly, hopping up. He almost stood to follow but she shot him a scowl and he slumped back.

"I'll give you five minutes, and then I want you back here."

Ignoring the allotment and giving him the finger, she took her sub sandwich and left.

A quick clean up in front of the restroom mirror, and she was ready to sneak off – but Hugo knew better than to let her out of his sight. She barely bit back the urge to scream in his face when she exited the lavatory and nearly ran into him.

"Where are you going?" he demanded.

She grimaced at the bell chiming just then. "Um, to class?" she lied.

Hugo stared her down for a moment before uncrossing his arms and stepping aside to let her go with a nod. "No more skipping," he said sternly.

"Yeah. Whatever." She looked down to the sandwich she carried, still wrapped up and untouched. "Catch you later."

Witches and Demons by Gothicthundra

The cold air stung what little of her face was exposed as she skulked in the shadows, the sound of wagon wheels and horses drowning out the laughter and voices of the townsfolk. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the people of the kingdom revel in their evening pleasures of alcohol and carnal delights. Shego wanted nothing more than to ignite the peasants in her green fire. She fought the urge and used the thick spikes in her boots to climb between the buildings, careful to stay on the beams of the thatch roofs. She wasn't about to be an uninvited party in someone's bedchambers. Especially not tonight.

The kingdom was rejoicing ahead of the next day's festivities: the beheading of the demon Physician Drakken. It didn't matter who he had tried to help in the past. When one invented unorthodox items and toyed with alchemy that the lands were not ready for...you became an outcast. If illness turned your skin to ice...you were a demon among men. It would drive anyone to madness, really. One couldn't blame him for living up to how others treated him. Shego knew too well how people turned on you because you were no longer in favor.

One day you're of noble blood, blessed by the skies to protect your land. The next day, one toe out of line, and you were a witch and cursed beast. She glared over her own thoughts. She needed to avoid dwelling on her homeland. She wasn't there and she never wanted to return again.

She needed to focus on her task before the sun was up. She leapt onto a higher frame and nearly slipped, but only knocked a little thatch to the alleyway below. She took a deep breath and began to climb slowly upwards. The roof was steep but it was the closest to where she need to be during the castle guards' shift change.

'When I get him out of there...'

A Precise Hand by eclipsing-dreams (excerpt from Ch 2)

She frowned. This was the first time she had ever heard him admit defeat before trying or at least re-working a plan. "Come on Dr. D. I already put my glove back on. What did you want to steal?'

He took his same defiant stance from earlier, only a darker shade of purple as the blood rushed to his cheeks. Finally, he relented knowing she would hound him otherwise and muttered his plan.

Once again used to his antics, she pushed him to continue, "Words Doc, use your words."

"A kiss."

She blinked twice, surprised at his response. "Is that all?"

He turned so quickly she could almost feel the whiplash. His face bore a look of utter shock and his jaw hung open in bewilderment. She smiled placing her clean glove up to his face to close his mouth. Slowly she leaned up and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. He stilled for a moment but relaxed as she slowly pulled away. He smiled back at her as he licked his lips.

"You taste like pickles," he said.

Cheerleader on Edge of Forever by campy (excerpt from Ch 4)

"Um, thanks," Tara said. "So have you been imitating Charlotte all this time? What about her twin sister? Is she you too?"

"No, I just took control of this body a few moments ago, much as Jess has moved into the Jessie that you've known these last four years."

"So how come you still sound all Downton Abbey?" Jess asked.

"Do I?" Torrance said, very confused. "How curious. That's not supposed to happen."

"Maybe British girls' steering wheels are on the other side of their brains," Tara suggested.

"Well, that's not important. When I collect the Tempus Fustis Vigoris—"

"The whatsit?" Tara interjected.

"The magical spirit stick," Torrance clarified. "When I collect that and leave here, Charlotte will go back to normal."

"And the winner for Most Unlikely/Unique Story goes to..." Nura said before ripping open the envelope "...Campy! Cheerleader on the Edge of Forever!"

Cheers rang through the crowd, but the writer was not present either in person nor on any of the screens where the at-home audience participated in the ceremony. This however, was not news to the hosts, as emcee in the audio booth took up his microphone.

"Accepting the award for Campy, please welcome Middleton High former cheerleader, Jessica!" the announcer said.

The vivacious, freckle-faced blonde adult, currently the same age as Kim and Bonnie, was clad in a two-piece gown of purple, white, and gold and holding sparkly golden pom-poms in honor of her alma mater. The pleated skirt shimmered as she flounced up to the stage, smiling brightly with each step, and her bosom bounced deliciously in the white and purple spaghetti strap crop top. She raised the pom-poms over her head and shook them, receiving another round of applause as she stepped up to the podium.

"Hi everyone, I'm Jess! Campy couldn't be here tonight because of his irrational phobia of awards shows, so he sent me instead.

"I'm thrilled to accept this Golden Rufus for my good friend Campy! I always told him if he kept writing stories featuring me he'd eventually win a Fannie for one. And now he has!" She waved her pom-poms again. "Yay, Campy!"

From her grip on one pom-pom she then produced a thick wad of papers. "Okay, so he wrote out a few things he wanted me to say…"

Jess leafed through the densely scribbled pages, covered with underlined passages, crossed-out paragraphs, and parenthetical asides and arrows pointing marginal amendments toward far-flung destinations. Several of the sheets fluttered to the stage as she frantically searched for any hint of a coherent thought appropriate to the occasion.

"Yeah, no way am I saying that…or that… How do you even pronounce that? ...Hello, 'snobby, pompous and overwritten' …Oh my gosh, is that another opera reference!?"

Finally she rolled her sapphire-blue eyes in exasperation and tossed the papers aside.

"You know what, let's just tell him I read you the whole speech. The gist of it is: Campy thanks the Kimmunity for this honor. Any success he's had he owes to many folks in the Zaratan forum and other places who encouraged him over the years. He's so glad to be part of this Kimmunity and says he'll stick around as long as you'll have him."

Sharper cleared his throat. "Yes, er…that'll do."

"Bye, everybody!" the perky blonde said, waving her pom-poms again as she left the stage. BCB stepped back to the podium from the wings, leaving Sharper a few paces behind staring upward.

"And that was Jess, everyone! Give her a round of applause for that cameo!" BCB said before the Kimmunicator beep sounded.

"Congratulations to both Split-N-Splice and Campy on their well-deserved awards! And with that, we have reached the end of the first half of the ceremony!"

Just then, an electrical crackle was heard throughout the auditorium like one might hear in a horror movie. A few eyes roamed to Electronique, but a moment later it was clear she was not the cause of the sound, as suddenly the entire opera house was bathed in blue and green light. It was subtle on the floor as it blended into a pale teal but was more prominent on the stage and blatant on the ceiling, as the attendees looked around to find every light fixture in the building had been switched to hold bulbs of alternating green and blue. Even the canned lights had changed.

BCB looked around rapidly to just catch a glimpse of the ninja departing through a side door. She cast her eyes over the audience then, looking for a particular familiar face and not finding it. Meanwhile, every other eye in the room had fallen on Drakken and Shego.

"It is not enough zhat stories about you win almost every category? First zhose delicious drinks and now zhe lights!?" Dementor exclaimed.

"Hey, we've been sitting here the whole time!" Shego argued back.

"That's true," Betty Director piped up in their defense. Eyes turned to her as a murmur began spreading across the auditorium. The understandable excitement from the rows of Drakgo writers was not lost on BCB.

"Seriously awkweird…" Sharper said in worry, to which BCB just shook her head.

"Come on, you can guess this," she whispered back.

Thankfully, the emcee raised the now blue and green house lights and the KP logo spun back onto the big screen. The audience's focus went back to the stage, and the two hosts immediately smiled and stepped to their podiums.

"We will take a brief twenty-minute intermission," Sharper said after clearing his throat.

"Sorry, ladies," BCB said. Sharper glanced at her in confusion, and continued.

"…But when we return for the second half of the ceremony, we will have the Best One Shot (K-T) and Best Short Story (K-T) awards announced! Those watching at home, stay tuned!"