Estee: I said to Harmony losing would suck and winning would be really scary and it’s really really scary…

okay, now that the Ben and Matt moment is over…

First congratulations to everyone who won…everyone who was nominated…and everyone who takes the time to work on Young Americans fan fiction. Thanks to those same people and to all the readers. While it is personally fulfilling to write about the exploits of Jake and Ham, the adventures of Will Krudski and the comedy of Scout Calhoun…it’s a lot more fulfilling to know someone is out their reading what we do. Knowing that you’re not only reading it, but also appreciating it is that much more fulfilling, flattering and fan-freaking-tastic. There’s lots of people that deserve personal thanks—

Harmony: umm…I’d like to thank the academy…

Estee: And which academy would that be exactly? Rawley Academy?

Harmony: There could be an academy.

Estee: The Academy of Young Americans Fic-ers. AYAF. I like it.

Harmony (sarcastically): That’s clever.

Estee: Anyway…

Harmony: Anyway, onto those people who deserve “personal thanks…”

Estee: Oh, right…I was just going to say that there are a lot of them and naming them all would be impossible. I mean we have to thank your mom because, well, how could an acceptance speech be complete without the thanking of someone’s mom and besides that, you know she’d kill us if we didn’t thank her. Although…she is behind on the episodes and—

Harmony: Anyway…there’s other real life people like Elizabeth, Alison and Anne who put up with us and our craziness. Besides that, they are the inspiration for the “townie skanks” and the episodes just wouldn’t be the same without them.

Estee: And then there are the countless people that I im and bug all times day and night looking for feedback and such. You guys freakin’ rock and you deserve more than a minor mention, but I can’t risk leaving someone out and…you know who you are anyway.

Harmony: Can we thank Ian?

Estee: Oh yeah…I could think of a way to “thank” Ian.

Harmony: We’re getting off track here…

Estee: Oh, right…like you wouldn’t “thank” him if you had the chance...

Harmony: I think we both know I would, but we’re still off track.

Estee: Oh, yeah…okay…um…

Harmony: We have to thank everyone who gives us feedback.

Estee: Oh, definitely. The beautiful thing about this format is that what the readers say really matters and influences what is written. I mean I love that. And, I can’t thank everyone who takes the time to feed back enough.

Harmony: Also, thanks to everyone who worked on the Silver Oar Awards. What a great idea and it’s awesome that you put it into action.

Estee: You know, in real life, they’d be telling us to wrap it up by now.

Harmony: Oh yeah, and the orchestra would start playing the music.

Estee: And they’d use one of those canes to pull us off stage.

Harmony: They don’t really do that, you know.

Estee: Well, maybe not, but it’d be a pretty funny visual.

Harmony: We should also thank the government.

Estee: Not as in Dubya, right?

Harmony: What? No, thank the government for inventing the internet…duh.

Estee: Okay…now we’re just drawing this out on purpose…so, what’d you do today?

Harmony: Wrap it up.

Estee: Wait, wait…I didn’t thank you yet.

Harmony: Really? That’s so sweet.

Estee: Yeah, I mean, if I was writing this on my own I’d have had Hamilton dump Jake to pursue his love of photography and Golden Retrievers or something like that.

Harmony: When you say love—

Estee: Dude! Not like that.

Harmony: Anyway, so…thanks to me things are how they are…so…everyone should start clapping for me now. Oh, and I’d like to say that the Ryder thing…totally not my idea. That was all Estee’s.

Estee: You’re not going to thank me?

Harmony: I think this whole speech has been a self-indulgent way of thanking yourself, don’t you? I mean, I barely wrote half of my own lines and am still struggling to hold control of the laptop before you get it back and write about how it all started one day when you decided to write some fanfic between episodes of Young Americans that you didn’t even finish incidentally…until I told you that you should. Then you’ll go on in some self-deprecating way about how you’re a math major and you’ll apologize gratuitously about the fact that the writing sucks…knowing full well that it’s decent at worst and—

Estee: Okay, okay, okay…we really do have to shut up now.

Harmony: Yes we do…

Estee: They may re-establish that cane tradition just for us…

Harmony: …no one knows what you’re talking about, man…

Estee: Sure they do…like Bugs Bunny and—

Harmony: Shut up…you’re a ham and now they all know it.

Estee: Ham…ha ha ha….back to Ian again, are we?

Harmony: Just shut up. Let me take it from here. Thanks everyone who reads, everyone who voted and everyone who puts up with us (especially Estee) and our need (especially hers) for tons of attention and feedback and all that good stuff. We’re especially proud of the original character category because Jill’s really yours, you know? She’s personal to everyone and that is kind of a neat thing.

Estee: She’d say “wow” by the way.

Harmony: Yeah, she probably would.

Estee: You know…I think that’s what I’d like to say too.

Harmony: Ditto. Now…let’s motor.

Estee: …ing, what’s your price for flight….

Harmony: Stop.

Estee: …and finding Mr. Right…

Harmony: Now.

Estee: …you’ll be alright tonight…

Harmony: Estee.

Estee: Okay, okay…that’s all I know anyway.

Harmony: Well, there is a God after all…now let’s go.

But, before they have time to leave the stage, the orchestra crescendos and they do indeed pull out the cane.

Seriously. Thanks…this is definitely the coolest thing ever and thanks for reading.

Later J