1. Seven For A Secret Never To Be Told by Audi

2. Always Kissing by Nikita
Homepage
Why did you decide to enter:
I entered the contest because it was a challenge to write about characters I didn't create per se. I wanted to give Kiriko Moth a short story (and one I'll probably continue) to go along with her elegant art. The prize didn't hurt either, of course.

3. The Heron's Feathers by Megan Reiley
About the author:
Location: Chicago, IL USA
Age: 25
Orientations: Leftist, bi-sexual, democrat (or, the Republican's worst nightmare.)
Interesting tid-bit: Is a twin, but has no "twin thing" sense or whatever. It's not true.
Why did you decide to enter:
I decided to enter this contest because I fell completely in love with Kiriko-Moth's picture. The unusual, brazen and beautiful quality of it "spoke" to me. I know that sounds corny, but it was one of those rare images that had a story behind it begging to be told. Once it got started, it flowed so well that it seemed better to just finish it and submit it than to let it rot on my hard drive like so many others have done.
I've not written slash fiction before, so this is a new genre to me. It's especially new in that when I write, I usually write from a female perspective, so writing men is also a new experience for me. It's been an interesting experience. I don't know that I would have written it if not for the great inspiration.

4. Bonded by Fancyfigures
Homepage
About the author:
I live in the UK, work full-time, have a busy family life and write in every spare moment that's left!  I've written a wide variety of fiction from historical romance to fantasy to yaoi fanfiction.  I've written mainly Gundam Wing fanfiction for the last few years, trying out different writing styles and making some new friends along the way.  A short story of mine was published earlier in 2005 in a local anthology, but otherwise my work lies in need of a good agent!
Why did you decide to enter:
I'd just found the site and was writing some other original fantasy fiction at the time.  The picture was breathtaking and it prompted me to write about Oriel and Chariz, who'd been resting in the back of my mind as promising characters.  I want to practice and improve my original fiction writing, and I'd love to reach new readers, too.  The contest seemed like an excellent way to do it!

5. Beautiful Secrets by Cassandra Bishop
Homepage: Syck Syko
Why did you decide to enter:
I entered mainly because I enjoy anything involving writing and trying to come up with things and slash fiction wasn't actually something I did frequently, so I figured it would be kind of a challenge for me.
I'd just want to say that from what I've read of my competition, I don't think I would win at all. Mainly not because I don't think mine is good as much of the fact is that the competition (All the stories) have seem to bring life to the image that the story was to be composed of. They were all really amazing and I'm honored to be competing with people who really know what they're doing.

6. The Same Again by Chelsea Rye
Homepage
About the author:
I started college a week ago and have been writing slash since maybe 9th grade--mostly in the fanfiction area, however, so I don't have many original stories. I have been told that I leave out too many details in writing, but I like giving the reader a bit of a mental exercize, or perhaps I'm just lazy, one of the two. :) My favorite relationships to read about involve characters who don't play the roles they seem to be made out to--small, pretty boys being the dominant partner, for instance.
Why did you decide to enter:
I've spent the last seven years, no lie, in a continuous RP session with a friend, in which we've obviously made quite a complex setup of characters, worlds, and creatures. The situation the characters of my story are in is perhaps not as easily seeable by those who aren't aware of the particular politic background surrounding them (ie, anyone at all), but I tried my best to put it in without placing too much stress on the reader, or making it boring. As for the Heron Feather relation, I tried picking up on some of the subtler things that went with the image, such as Daiei's bed and Szymon's room. This was written mostly on a subconcious level--I won't claim to thinking 'oh, yes, certainly this floor represents wading birds'--but I liked the effect at the end when I went back, and how it went with the scene but still stayed true to my unicorn/pegasus perceptions. Looking back, I probably should have noted the pegasus feather connection and done something with it... I hope to someday do a longer rewrite, where I can expand on this and other elements.

7. Bright Things and Birds by Chelanyk Rhys
About the author:
Young/crazy/queer/university student/aspiring writer/all around eccentric
Why did you decide to enter:
I entered because I'm a born writer, and I've wanted to try writing slash for the past year or so. I deicded to start with a fic contest, where all I had to worry about was writing, as opposed to the finer mechanics of building a website. Besides, my girlfriend's been gone all summer. How else was I to distract myself?

8. The Sacrilege by Quatorze
Homepage: Distant Horizons
About the author:
A Finnish native, I write in a foreign language, and when I'm not writing or working, I'm active in dog circles and with Oriental Dancing. I've been into slash, and particularly original slash, for over 20 years. It all started when we got together with my life partner (oh those lovely student days!) and our inner worlds began to merge together. A few years back I quite accidentally stumbled upon slashy fanfics in the Net, and found out that we're not the only ones of our kind, not by a long shot! Some time later, after much slashy reading, my friend suggested that I might start writing down some of our own stories, that someone else might enjoy them as well... and now, here we are, hundreds of thousands of words later. After the initial crazy burst I have slowed down a little, mostly due to RL pressures, but can't see myself stopping any more.
Why did you decide to enter:
When the competition first opened, I looked at the picture and went "Ooh, another gorgeous piece by Kiriko!" but then promptly decided not to enter... because I was pretty busy at the moment, couldn't immediately come up with anything, and was sure I wouldn't be able to make it. Then about two weeks before the deadline, something that had apparently been simmering somewhere in the back of my brain, totally unbeknownst to me, began to bubble up. The opening scene. The background. The beginning of the confrontation. I couldn't help it, I had to pick up my pen and let them tell the story!
A couple of years back I would still have been terribly apprehensive about participating in a competition, but since then I've noticed that writing to a deadline or specific prompts is a challenge I thoroughly enjoy, provided that I'm not too badly swamped by other pressing obligations. My entry -- it really wrote itself. Which is not to say that I wouldn't have worked hard on it; it sure made me sweat, but the characters wouldn't let me go until it was done. And I'm rather happy with the result, even though (a spoiler ahead?) the story itself is not a too happy one.

9. Not of a Feather by Megan (Bloodrose83)
Deviant Art Gallery
About the author:
I've been interested in writing for about seven years and hope to one day go professional. I work on lots of projects at a time (too many for my own good, really!) and some of my pieces have featured male couples. This is the first site I've joined dedicated to unique pairings.
Some of my fave authors and influences are: Robin Hobb, the early Anne Rice, Edgar Allan Poe and a couple others.
I also write the occasional poem. My work often has a taste of darker slant to it, but I do sometimes write fluff.
Why did you decide to enter:
I saw Kiriko Moth's DA page and read about the contest. I thought entering might be fun, so I let inspiration take me one afternoon a few days before the contest was set to be over.
I had an enjoyable time writing my entry (although editing it was a different kettle altogether :P). As it is, my entry was a little rushed and I hope it doesn't give anyone any trouble. I wish everyone luck on the contest, regardless of the results. I hope there are more contests to come in the future like this.

10. Mechanics of fucking by Manna
(offsite link will open in a new window)
Homepage
Why did you decide to enter:
I looked at the competition the day it was announced, was very uninspired by the picture (probably because bare-chested anime boys really aren't my thing), and decided I wasn't going to take part. Then when the final reminder came round, I followed the link again, and was suddenly hit by inspiration. So I wrote the whole thing in about 12 very frantic and blurry hours.
I'd had Alex, Marie and Christian -- and their detective agency -- in my head for a week or two. I might write some more stories with them, although probably the first one would be set before this one.